IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERSEAMING AND EMBROIDERING MACHINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of No. 11, Wellington
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the
Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERSEAMING AND EMBROIDERING
MACHINES."-A communication from abroad by Emile Cornely, of
Paris, France.
Sealed the 17th October 1873, and dated the 11th July 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th July 1873.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERSEAMING AND EMBROIDERING
MACHINES," a communication to me from abroad. by Emile Cornely, of
Paris, France, to be as follows:-
The nature of this Invention consists in the combination of certain
mechanical parts with the "Bounaz" embroidering machine, Patented
A.D. 1868, under the No. 3590, by means of which the direction of the

page_text: feed of the machine is reversed half or nearly so either after each stitch
or after one or more consecutive stitches, thereby producing either a zig-
zag chain stitch or an overseaming embroidery stitch, which may be
employed for ornamental work or for doing the overseaming in edging,
and still following all the sinuosities of the most intricate designs by
means of the universal feed motion described in the above mentioned
Letters Patent, No. 3590, of A.D. 1868.
I will now proceed to describe this Invention, reference being had to
the accompanying three Sheets of Drawing and to the figures and
letters of reference placed thereon :-
To the principal shaft D of the machine is secured a pinion d, which
drives another pinion d' on the shaft D¹ (Sheets I. and II.) The pinion
d¹ is of double the diameter of the pinion d, and makes one revolution
while the latter makes two. It turns an eccentric or crank E which
communicates by means of a pitman F a vertical reciprocating motion
to the screw rack G which is secured to the rod F, and which operates
the horizontal screw pinion G¹ in turning the latter on its axis nearly
half a turn. This oscillating motion is communicated by means of the
pinions l, m, n, o, p, q, 1, 8, to the feed motion, as well as to the looper
of the machine, in the same manner as if it might be done by turning
the crank handle on said machine. The operation is therefore as
follows: One chain stitch to the left, one point to the right, and vice
versa in succession, thus producing a zig-zag or overseaming chain stitch,
as each turn is less than half a turn, whereby the straight feed. motion
acts in combination with the vibratory feed to the right and to the left
of the machine.
To be able to direct the feed motion of the machine so that it will
follow the sinuosities of the design the crank handle P by which the feed
motion is directed is combined with the screw gearings Gland G¹ in such
a manner that it can turn them on their centres without interfering with
their respective functions. This is accomplished in the following
manner: The rod F" of the screw rack G slides within a sleeve H, and
a button f secured upon the rod F¹ slides within a groove of the sleeve H,
thus permitting the rod to slide freely in a vertical direction, but turning
it and its screw G as soon as the sleeve is turned; and as the latter can
be turned by means of the crank handle P which is secured thereon the
feed of the machine can be directed by it at pleasure without in the
least interfering with the operation of the mechanism which produces

page_text: the overseaming stitch. The pitman F and the rod F¹ are connected
together by means of a universal joint K to secure a free and indepen-
dent movement of the mechanism. The screw a by which the pitman F
is attached to the crank E is provided with an eccentric collar or pin,
and upon turning the same the distance of its centre from that of the
shaft D¹ can be adjusted with great accuracy, and the stroke of the
screw gear G and G¹ will thus be longer or shorter, thus producing a
wider or narrower zig-zag or overseaming stitch.
. Instead of giving the half turn of the feeding mechanism after each stitch.
it can also be given at irregular intervals; for instance, after one stitch,
after two, three, four, or more stitches to obtain an overseaming stitch of
a variable width, such for example as is employed for edgings on certain
goods where the edging is crescent-shaped and narrow in the angles and
wide in the middle. This is accomplished by means of the following
mechanism :—The small fly wheel A, Fig. 4 (Sheet III.) drives a pitman
which imparts a rocking motion to a crank lever C and to the pawl D.,
The latter drives a ratchet wheel E of six ratchet teeth, and which is
thus turned a sixth of a revolution at one revolution of the machine.
A cam groove x is cut out on the inner side of the ratchet wheel E, in
which slides a friction roller H, turning upon a shaft secured to the lever
K, which latter turns upon its pivot L. The lever K operates the end
of the pitman M, which at its upper end is attached to the lever N,
Fig. 1 (Sheet III.), thus communicating to it an oscillating motion and a
vertical motion to the shaft F¹ and its screw G³, which operate in the
same manner as above described. The lever N swings on its shaft O,
and the rod F¹ is attached to the long arm by an universal joint so as to
permit free movements to the mechanical parts when the crank handle P
is turned. The short arm of the lever N is connected with the connec-
tion rod M by means of a set screw y, by which it can be adjusted with
great accuracy, and whereby the point of connection can be approached
more or less to the pivot of the lever N, or in other words whereby the
length of the short arm of the lever N can be made adjustable, thus
enabling the operator to modify the stroke of the long arm, and consc-
quently that of the rod F' and of the screw gear for making overseaming.
stitches of various widths.
By means of another larger ratchet wheel Q, which is operated by the
pawl R, and which is provided near its circumference with pins or cogs v,
the pawl D can be raised at certain intervals to stop the movement of

page_text: the ratchet wheel E and of the screw gearings G and G' during one or
more revolutions of the machine, for as the pawl R operates the ratchet
wheel and makes it advance the length of one tooth during one revolution
of the small fly wheel, one of the cogs acts upon the lever S, which
raises the pawl D and keeps it raised during a certain time above the
teeth of the ratchet E, so that the latter and the entire mechanism
connected with it is stopped during a certain time, and the machine
makes during said time the ordinary chain stitch. As soon as the cog v
releases the lever S, the pawl D being no longer upheld drops upon the
ratchet E and sets it in motion with the entire overseaming mechanism.
These changes from a zig-zag stitch to a straight chain stitch can be
made at pleasure by arranging the cogs v upon their wheel at certain
distances. If the movement of the ratchet E is to be stopped during
several revolutions of the machine several cogs can be united by covering
them with small plates, or they can be replaced by large cogs which
extend over the space of a certain number of pins such as represented
at t. By means of these mechanical arrangements a variety of opera-
tions can be executed. For instance, one cross stitch to the right and
one chain stitch, one cross stitch to the left and two chain stitches, one
cross stitch to the right and three chain stitches, one cross stitch to the
left and four chain stitches, and so on. Thus a crescent shaped over-
seaming embroidery can be produced for edgings, which is narrow in
the angles and wide in the centre, and which has all the beauty and
solidity of that made by hand. As the foot is pivoted upon a universal
joint it moves upon it in the surface of a sphere, and does not bear
evenly all round upon the material which when working upon very thin
material produces bad work. A foot is therefore constructed upon which
an india-rubber ring or washer can be applied which bears upon the
material in its entire circumference, and permits working upon the
thinnest material, such as tulle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Gedge,
Her special licence that I, the said William Edward Gedge, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercisè, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERSEAMING And EmbroiderinG MACHINES,”
a communication to me from abroad by Emile Cornely, of Paris, France,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward
Gedge, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Gedge, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :—
"
The nature of this Invention consists in the combination of certain
mechanical parts with the "Bounaz embroidering machine, Patented
A.D. 1868, under the No. 3590, by means of which the direction of the
feed of the machine is reversed half a turn or nearly so after each stitch
or after one or more consecutive stitches, thereby producing either a
zig-zag chain stitch or an overseaming embroidery stitch, which may be
employed for ornamental work or for doing the overseaming in edging,
and still following all the sinuosities of the most intricate designs by
means of the universal feed motion described in the above mentioned
Patent, No. 3590, of A.D. 1868.
I will now proceed to describe this Invention, reference being had to
Chests of Dronzing and to the figures and letters.

page_text: of reference placed thereon; the Figures on Sheet I. illustrating a simple
machine, that is to say, that which simply makes the embroidery or
festoon stitch of a uniform breadth.
Figure 1 being a front view of the machine, with certain parts in
section to explain the new parts; Figure 2, a transverse section of same;
and Figure 3, a sample of the stitching executed by this machine.
Sheet II. illustrates a machine with automatic movement, that is to
say, that which produces a crescent-shaped festooning or edging with a
stitch of irregular breadth, Figure 1 being a front view; Figure 2, a
transverse section drawn to an enlarged scale; Figure 3, a top plan view
of the new parts only; and Figure 4 a sample of the work executed
by the machine.
To the principal shaft D of the machine is secured a pinion d which
drives another pinion d on the shaft D' (Figures 1 and 2, Sheet I.) The
pinion is of double the diameter of the pinion d, and makes one
revolution while the latter makes two, it turns an eccentric or crank E
which communicates by means of a pitman F a vertical reciprocating
motion to the screw rack G which is secured to the rod F, and which
operates the horizontal screw pinion G¹ in turning the latter on its
axis nearly half a turn. This oscillating motion is communicated by
means of the pinions l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, to the feed motion as well as
to the looper of the machine in the same manner as if it might be done
by turning the crank. handle on said machine. The operation is there-
fore as follows:-One chain stitch to the left, one point to the right, and
vice versa in succession, thus producing a zig-zag or overseaming chain
stitch, as each turn is less than half a turn, whereby the straight feed
motion acts in combination with the vibratory feed to the right and to
the left of the machine.
To be able to direct the feed motion of the machine so that it will
follow the sinuosities of the design, the crank handle P by which the
feed motion is directed is combined with the screw gearings G and G¹,
in such a manner that it can turn them on their centres without
interfering with their respective functions. This is accomplished in the
following manner :- -The rod F of the screw rack G slides within a
sleeve H, and a button f secured upon the rod F¹ slides within a groove
of the sleeve H, thus permitting the rod to slide freely in a vertical
direction, but turning it and its screw G as soon as the sleeve is turned,.

page_text: and as the latter can be turned by means of the crank handle P which is
secured thereon, the feed of the machine can be directed by it at
pleasure without in the least interfering with the operation of the
mechanism which produces the overseaming stitch. The pitman F and
the rod F are connected together by means of a universal joint K to
secure a free and independent movement of the mechanism. The
screw a by which the pitman F is attached to the crank E is provided with
an eccentric collar or pin, and upon turning the same the distance of its
centre from that of the shaft D¹ it can be adjusted with great accuracy,
and the stroke of the screw gear G and G will thus be longer or shorter,
thus producing a wider or narrower zig-zag or overseaming stitch.
Instead of giving the half turn of the feeding mechanism after each
stitch it can also be given at irregular intervals, for instance after one
stitch, after two, three, four, or more stitches, to obtain an overscaming
stitch of a variable width, such for example as is employed for edgings.
on certain goods where the edging is crescent-shaped and narrow in the
angles and wide in the middle. This is accomplished by means of the
following mechanism:-The small fly wheel A, Fig. 2 (Sheet II.).
drives a pitman which imparts a rocking motion to a crank lever C and
to the pawl D; the latter drives a ratchet wheel E of six ratchet teeth
and which is thus turned a sixth of a revolution at one revolution of the
machine. A cam groove x is cut out on the inner side of the ratchet
wheel E in which slides a friction roller H turning upon a shaft secured
to the lever K, which latter turns upon its pivot L. The lever K
operates the end of the pitman M, which at its upper end is attached to
the lever N, Fig. 1 (Sheet II.) thus communicating to it an oscillating
motion and a vertical motion to the shaft F and its screw G³, which
operate in the same manner as above described. The lever N swings on
its shaft O, and the rod F is attached to the long arm by an universal-
joint so as to permit free movements to the mechanical parts when the
crank handle P is turned. The short arm of the lever N is connected
with the connection rod M by means of a set screw y, by which it can
be adjusted with great accuracy, and whereby the point of connection
can be approached more or less to the pivot of the lever N; or in other
words, whereby the length of the short arm of the lever N can be.
made adjustable, thus enabling the operator to modify the stroke of the
long arm and consequently that of the rod F and of the screw gear for
making overseaming stitches of various widths.

page_text: By means of another larger ratchet wheel Q which is operated by the
pawl R, and which is provided near its circumference with pins or
cogs v, the pawl D can be raised at certain intervals to stop the move-
ment of the ratchet wheel E, and of the screw gearings G and G¹ during
one or more revolutions of the machine, for as the pawl R operates the
ratchet wheel and makes it advance the length of one tooth during one
revolution of the small fly wheel, one of the cogs v acts upon the lever S,
which raises the pawl D and keeps it raised during a certain time above
the teeth of the ratchet E, so that the latter and the entire mechanism
connected with it is stopped during a certain time, and the machine
makes during said time the ordinary chain stitch. As soon as the cog v
releases the lever S, the pawl D being no longer upheld drops upon the
ratchet E and sets it in motion with the entire overseaming mechanism.
These changes from a zig-zag stitch to a straight chain stitch can be
made at pleasure by arranging the cogs upon their wheel at certain
distances. If the movement of the ratchet E is to be stopped during
several revolutions of the machine, several cogs can be united by
covering them with small plates, or they can be replaced by large cogs
which extend over the space of a certain number of pins such as repre-
sented at t. By means of these mechanical arrangements a variety of
operations can be executed. For instance one cross stitch to the right,
and one chain stitch, one cross stitch to the left and two chain stitches,
one cross stitch to the right and three chain stitches, one cross stitch to
the left and four chain stitches, and so on. Thus a crescent-shaped over-
seaming embroidery can be produced for edgings which is narrow in the
angles and wide in the centre, and which has all the beauty and solidity
of that made by hand. As the foot is pivoted upon a universal joint it
moves upon it in the surface of a sphere, and does not bear evenly all
round upon the material, which, when working on very thin material,
produces bad work. A foot is therefore constructed, upon which an
india-rubber ring or washer can be applied which bears upon the
material in its entire circumference, and permits working upon the
thinnest material such as tulle.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the Invention
communicated to me as aforesaid, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, I claim as secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent,―

page_text: machine by mechanical means at regular or irregular intervals for pro-
ducing overseaming stitches of equal or variable widths, substantially as
herein described.
Secondly. The combination of the mechanical parts herein described
for producing a zig-zag or overseaming stitch of equal width.
Thirdly. The combination of the mechanical parts herein described for
producing overseaming stitches of variable width.
Lastly. The india-rubber foot above described for working on thin
fabrics where the ordinary foot does not answer.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
W. E. GEDGE.
(L.S.)