Improvements in and relating to Sewing Machines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Jan., 1888
Specification Accepted, 17th Feb., 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by SIDNEY D. TUOKER, of Troy, New York, United
States of America.]
Improvements in and relating to Sewing Machines.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the. nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in Sewing machines and consists of the
novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and pointed out
in the claims.
The object of the invention is to control the movements, relatively to each other,
or the needle, of two or more plies of fabric, laid one upon another, during the operation
of stitching said plies together, in a sewing machine.
Fig. 1 of the drawings, is a front elevation of a sewing machine head, with the
front plate removed, to show the needle and presser-bars, and operating mechanism
and showing my improved attachment, secured to the presser-foot, the position of
the bars being that of their upward limit of vibration.
Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the bars are
at the limit of downward vibration.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of some of the paris in the position shown in Fig. 2.
This and the remaining Figs. are drawn upon a larger scale than that shown in
Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4-is a side elevation of a portion of the upper feeding mechanism detached.
Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the device shown in Fig. 3. and representing the
upper feed, out of action.
Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the presser foot detached from its supporting bar,
and divested of the feeding mechanism.
Fig. 8-is a top plan view of the controlling spring of the upper feed mechanism.

page_text: Fig. 9is a top plan view of the sewing machine cloth plate.
Fig. 10 is a front edge view of the plate shown in Fig. 9.
A is the needle bar of a common sewing machine, carrying needle B-and is
the, presser bar supporting a presser foot D-over the serrated feed plate E-
shown partly in dotted lines projecting up through the cloth plate F.
As is well known, the office of the presser foot, is to hold the fabric to be
stitched, down upon the feed dog E-which feeds the fabric intermittingly to the
needle.
It is also well known that when two thick plies of fabric are thus fed along, the
ply in contact with the operating feed dog will be fed faster, than the upper ply,
unless the two plies are carefully basted together, partly on account of the retarding
influence of the presser foot, and the yielding nature of the fabric.
To compensate for this retarding influence of the presser foot, I make use of
the foot bhaving the fabric engaging teeth m―and pivoted upon arm a¹-of
the three armed lever a.
The lever is pivoted upon the shank d of the presser foot, by the pivot D³-
passing through the slot a'.
The arm a²
is acted upon by the spring S-to hold the foot b-in engagement
with the fabric, when in use, and in the relative positions shown in Fig. 2; and
also to hold the foot out of engagement, when not in use, and in the relative
positions shown in Fig. 6.
The other arm a³ projects pass the needle bar, in the position to engage with
stop G on the needle clamp G-secured to the needle bar.
The spring is secured to the foot shank by screw S¹ The shank is provided
on its back side with a slot adapted to receive the presser bar C-as shown by
dotted lines in Fig. 7-and with another slot D'-adapted to receive a set
scrow by which the presser foot is adjustably secured to the bar.
The shank is provided with the slot D³-shown in Fig. 7-adapted to receive
the arm a and with the friction pulley D'-with which the arm a-engages
during a part of its vibratory movements.
In conjunction with the parts hereinbefore described I make use of a serrated
cloth plate provided with the teeth n-They are shown in Fig. 2-but not in
Fig. 1 while the feed dog E-is shown in Fig. 1-but not in Fig. 2.
It should be observed that the teeth in cloth plate, and those in the feed dog.
are beveled to point in opposite directions, those in the feed dog pointing in the
direction the fabric travels, and those in the cloth plate in the opposite direction.
The operation of the machine, in stitching together two or more plies of. fabric,
superimposed one upon another, is as follows; the fabric being inserted between the
presser foot, and feed or cloth plate, the lever excentric L-is thrown over from the
position shown in Fig. 1-to that shown in Fig. 2-whereupon the spring S²-
forces the presser foot down, firmly upon the fabric.
The sewing machine is then started, and the needle descends through the fabric,
until the stop G-strikes the arm a-which acts first, to force the lever a-from the
position shown in Fig. 1-to that shown in Fig. 2-it being observed that as shown
in Fig. 1-partly by dotted lines, the spring S-presses upon the end of arm a
which rests upon the fulcrum D-lifts the lever a-until the lower end of the slot a
bears up against the pin D-while, as shown in Fig. 2-the stop has by engagement
with arm a forced the lever down until the upper end of slot a-bears down upon
pin D which movement of the lever has been almost a vertical one, forcing the
foot down into engagement with the fabric, secondly, as the needle continues to
descend, the further movement of the arm a³-by stop G-serves to force the
arm a and foot b-back to the left, which of course tends to move the upper ply of
the fabric with it, while the teeth n-in the cloth plate, pointing in the opposite
direction, hold the lower ply of the fabric, and prevents it from partaking of the
movements of the upper, due to engagement with toothed foot b.
When the needle, and its bar, rise again, arm a-is released, and the spring

page_text: restores the lever a-to the position shown in Fig. 1-while the upward movement of
the feed dog, lifts the lower ply of the fabric from the teeth n-in the cloth plate, and
carries the fabric freely over them, the distance required for the next stitch, where-
upon it drops, and the presser foot presses the lower ply firmly down, upon the teeth
in the cloth plate the operation above described, being repeated at each successive
stitch.
It must be borne in mind, that the entire action of the toothed foot upon the
fabric, takes place while the needle is in the fabric, and cannot therefore vary the
length of the stitches, the toothed foot having released the fabric, and been with-
drawn from engagement therewith, in advance of the needle.
The office of the toothed foot is to compensate for the excessive action of the feed
dog E-upon the lower ply of the fabric, with which ply only it comes in contact,
the upper ply being retarded by frictional contact with the prosser foot.
In my improved device, the serrated or toothed cloth plate engages with, and holds
the lower ply, while the toothed foot slips the upper ply along upon the lower, to
compensate for its lost motion, above referred to.
By thus providing the cloth plate, with a serrated or toothed surface, which holds
the lower ply from slipping, only a slight movement of the toothed foot is required,
which enables me to employ a very simple light, and easily operated device, although
it is obvious that any of the well known devices for effecting an upper feed, could be
successfully employed, in combination with my toothed, or serrated cloth plate, in an
underfeed sewing machine, provided that the feed-mechanisms act independently of
each other and at relatively alternate intervals.
As both the fabric plies are pinned, and held fast, by the needle, while the toothed
foot is in action, it is manifest that the upper ply, can be slipped along upon the
lower, only, by stretching the fabric in the immediate vicinity of the needle, more in
the upper, than in the lower ply, and when the cloth plate is provided with the
well known smooth surface, the lower ply would slip so easily thereon, the upper ply
could not be made to slip, or gain, upon the lower, without great strain upon the
needle, and fabric, which causes the parts to wear, and greatly increases the resistance
of the machine.
By having the surface of the cloth plate serrated or toothed, as I have explained,
the lower ply is prevented from slipping and a very slight movement of the upper
ply, is sufficient, and is easily accomplished, by my improved device, without
appreciable strain upon the needle or fabric.
The distinct vertical, and horizontal movements of the toothed foot afford a
simple four-motion auxiliary upper feed movement, especially applicable to
accomplish the results above set forth.
The lever a can easily be depressed, and secured in a position out of engage-
ment with the stop G-by forcing the end of the arm a²-up against the end of
spring S-which throws the foot b-up above the presser foot, in a position such
that the heel shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6-strikes the top of slot D³-
and lifts the toe of the foot as shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
Foreign Correspondent I declare that what I claim is
First The combination with a sewing machine provided with upper and under
feed mechanisms arranged to act independently of each other, and at relatively
alternate intervals, of a sewing machine-cloth-plate having a toothed or serrated
cloth-engaging surface, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
Second The combination with an underfeed sewing machine, provided with a
presser foot and bar, and a reciprocatory needle bar; of a sewing machine cloth-plate
having a toothed or serrated cloth-engaging surface; and a feed dog pivoted upon
said presser foot or bar, and provided with a needle bar-engaging lever, for the
purpose of actuating said feed dog during the downwardly movements of the
reciprocatory needle bar, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

page_text: Third In a sewing machine provided with an underfeed mechanism, and a
reciprocatory needle bar, carrying a stud G-and a lever actuating spring S
secured to the presser foot shank, and upper auxiliary four-motion-feed mechanism,
consisting of a fulcrum D-secured upon the presser foot shank, a slotted-three-
armed lever a pivoted, through its slot, upon presser foot shank, one of the
lever arms a supporting a toothed-fabric-engaging foot or dog b-another of
said lever arms a² engaging with an actuating spring S-and another of said
lever-arms a being located in the path of an actuating stop, or stud G-secured to
the needle bar, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.