Year: 1888

page_text: I. JOSEPH THOMAS, of No. 30, Charles Street, Cardiff, in the County of
Glamorgan, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in lock stitch sewing machines constructed
in accordance with the invention for which Letters Patent dated 13th November
1886, No. 14754, were granted to me, some of such improvements being also
applicable to sewing machines of other forms of construction.
In machines constructed in accordance with the description contained in the
specification of the said Letters Patent the reel carrier containing the second or
under thread is held in a bracket piece attached to the under face of the bed
plate, the loop, formed by the top thread, being taken off the needle by a hook
or loop-taker at the end of the lever bar, is passed round the reel carrier, between
the same and the bracket, and, in so doing, it has to lift the said reel carrier
whereby an objectionable strain on the thread is occasioned. In order to avoid
such disadvantage I suspend the reel carrier below the bed plate in the following
manner.
To the outer side of the reel carrier is affixed a vertical pin which is loosely
carried by means of its head, in a suitably slotted vertical tubular bearing. The
said bearing is arranged and actuated as hereafter described in order that the loop
formed by the top thread may be engaged at the proper moment, be carried round
the reel carrier and its pin, and be released in due course. The said bearing consists
of a tube of sufficient diameter to allow the bearing pin to work freely therein
Its head forms a
and is provided with a vertical slot for the admittance of the thread.
horizontal hook which engages one side of the loop of the top thread and carries it at
once into the slot, but, by means of a notch on its periphery, deviates that part of the
thread forming the other side of the loop carrying it round so as to disengage from
the pin at the proper moment.
The bearing is provided with suitable connections to receive rotary or oscillating
motion and is mounted in a recess in the bed plate.

page_text: A further improvement consists of a simple and economical flexible or universal
joint to
carry the rocking lever.
The said joint is constructed of two pins at a rectangle to each other connected by
means of a bend or elbow one pin passes through and forms the. fulcrum of the
rocking lever and the other pin passes through a hole cut in a rib on the bottom of the
bed plate, the pins are retained in their working positions by nuts or in other suitable
manner.
This invention further relates to an arrangement of mechanism in connection with
the needle bar for obtaining the feed motion.
The needle bar, which receives it up and down motion in the usual manner
through a connecting rod from a stud placed eccentrically on a rotary disc on the
main driving shaft, is mounted in guides formed at the upper and lower ends of a
frame which oscillates on pins placed at either side of the top thereof so as to admit of
a backward and forward motion of the needle and of the lower part of the frame. A
backward and forward motion is imparted to the needle by causing a cam on the boss
or back of the crank disc to actuate a rocking lever connected to the lower part of the
guide frame.
The needle when depressed in the material is carried forward thus forming its own
feed. The pin which is the fulcrum of the rocking lever is moveable and the lever is
slotted to admit of the pin being raised or lowered, the length of stitch being thereby
adjusted. The lower part of the frame and with it the needle is carried back to
its normal position by a spring as soon as the cam has revolved to the requisite
position.
This invention relates lastly to improvements in the means for engaging the loop of
the upper thread when below the bed plate.
Instead of the rocking lever I employ a shaft having a cranked end. The shaft is
mounted in bearings under the bed plate and receives rotary or oscillating motion, as
will he well understood. The tip of the cranked end, which revolves round the reel
carrier, is formed into the hook or into a pin on which is mounted a small wheel,
which said small wheel has its circumference grooved (the groove having a V section)
and', acting as an antifriction roller, takes off the loop and carries it round the reel
carrier with less strain than heretofore.
Dated this Third day of February 1888.

page_text: 1. JOSEPH THOMAS of No. 30 Charles Street Cardiff in the County of Glamorgan,
Builder, 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:
This invention relates to certain improvements in Lock-Stitch Sewing Machines
and particularly that class in which an ordinary reel of cotton is placed in a carrier
beneath the bed plate for the supply of the under cotton.
In machines of this class hitherto the reel carrier containing the second or under
cotton is held in a bracket or holder and the loop formed by the top thread is taken,
from the needle by a hook or loop taker and by it passed round the reel carrier
between the same and the bracket, and in so doing it has to lift the said reel-carrier
whereby an objectionable strain on the cotton is occasioned.
The first part of my invention has for its object to avoid this strain by removing
the bracket or holder and suspending the reel carrier from the under side of the
bed-plate, or upo the end of the rotating hook or loop taker shaft in such a manner
that the loop of the top thread shall be passed over the reel carrier without any undue
strain or tension.
The second part of my invention consists in using a small vee groved wheel acting
as an anti-friction roller to take the loop from the needle instead of the hooks as now
employed.
In order that my invention may be well understood I have annexed hereto two
sheets of drawings to which referance will be made in the following description.
Sheet 1. The figure on this sheet represents in side view a machine constructed
according to this invention the view being taken from the side opposite to that on
which the operator sits so as to show the various parts more distinctly.
-
The bed-plate a is cast with the rib or feather a¹ running all around it and with
the two downwardly projecting bearings a² a³ at suitable positions on the centre line.
In these bearings will be placed the shaft provided with driving pulley 6 and fly
wheel. The shaft is cranked at 63 and is embraced by the bottom end of the con-
necting rod c for the purpose of giving the requisite motion to the needle bar d. The
shaft also carries the crank e upon the outer point of which is the small groved
wheel el serving to take the loop from the needle which has to be passed around the
reel carrier to embrace the under thread. The end of shaft terminates in or
carries a disc which works in a countersink in the boss g on the side of the reel
carrier A, and is held therein by the cover plate g¹. A portion of the disc is cut
away so as to form a hook and when one side of the loop of the top thread comes
against this disc the hook engages with it and carries it around within the counter-
sunk portion of the carrier boss, and releases said loop at the opposite side to its
engagement when the loop will be free to be drawn up into the material, by
these means the loop will at no time have any undue strain or tension upon it as
heretofore.
The reel carrier A will be prevented from turning with the shaft by means of the
lug being held between the jaws of the piece h' attached to the underside of the bed
plate as shown.
The feed will be actuated by means of the cam h² in the well known manner, and

page_text: I have omitted to show these parts in the drawings in order that the other parts
forming my invention may be clearly understood.
In sheet 2. are shown details which will now proceed to describe, the same letters
of reference refer to similar parts described in reference to sheet. 1.
Figs. 1 and 2 show in side view and end view respectively the cranked end of
shaft with hook disc.
e is the crank upon shaft, and et is the small antifriction roller carried by
pine on the end of crank e, f is the disc with the cut away hook portion f' as
shown.
Figs. 3. 3 and 3 show respectively in side view, plan and end view, the reel
carrier A. Upon the side of this carrier is the boss countersunk as shown at 3 for
the purpose of receiving the disce which disc when in position in said countersink will
be held therein by cover plate g shown in detail Fig. 3. The cover plate
bas an extension piece 91 serving as a leader for the loop from the wedge end
of the carrier to the hook on disc for the purpose described with reference to
sheet 1.
.
Figs. 4, 4, 5, and 5 show details of parts employed for suspending the reel carrier
from the underside of the bed plate and Fig. 6, shows the parts in position. In this
case the bed plate will be hollowed out so as to receive the rounded head of pin i
fixed to the reel carrier, Figs. 6, 6 and 6 under the head of pin and surrounding
its body there will be placed the vertical tubular bearing with its hooked
flange (Figs. 5 and 5). The flange will lie in the dished out portion k²
of the plate m Figs. 4 and 4 which will then be secured to the underside of
the bed plate as shown in Fig. 6. The tubular bearing piece k with its hooked
flange will receive an oscillating motion by means of teeth formed upon it
being in gear with a rack or quadrant driven in any suitable and convenient manner.
It will be understood that one side of the needle loop will be brought by the
loop taker to the opening in plate m and consequently into the cut out hook
portion of flange which being oscillated carries the said loop portion around the
pinto release the loop from the cup.
Figs. 6 and 6 show respectively a back view and plan of the reel carrier used in
this construction of machine..
Fig. 7 shows a modification of the crank on the end of shaft and Figs. 8 and 8"
show in side and end view respectively another form of reel carrier.
Fig. 9 shows the various parts in position beneath the bed plate a the same
reference letters refer to like parts already described, and the working thereof is
exactly similar to that described with reference to Sheet 1.
With the construction of machine as herein described I find it useful to employ
a guard or guards for keeping and guiding the respective loops from entanglement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and particulars of
my said invention, I declare that what I claim is,
Firstly. In a Sewing Machine the means for supporting the carrier containing
the under cotton as and for the purpose herein described and shown in the annexed
drawings.
Secondly. In a Sewing Machine the anti-friction roller e¹ to take the loop from the
needle as herein described and shown.
Thirdly. The combination of the various parts forming my improved Sewing
Machine substantially as herein described and as shown in the accompanying
drawings.