Improvements in the Construction of Sewing Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Sewing Machines.
We JOHN WILLIAM RAMSDEN of Albion Works Leeds in the County of
York, Foreman Mechanic, and HARRY SENIOR ELLIS, also of Albion Works
Leeds in the County of York, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of boot and shoe sewing machines in which
the operation of what is known as "stitching" is performed upon a yielding work
support, stitching being the trade term for attaching the boot or shoe sole to
the welt.
The chief object of the invention is to regulate the supply of needle thread for
each stitch, to suit the varying thickness in the material that is to be sewn
through.
To this end the regulation of the supply of thread is determined by the position
taken up by the yielding work support, as the varying thickness of the material to
be sewn is presented to the action of the needle.
In describing our invention, we will assume that it is applied to a machine fitted
with a reciprocating curved barbed needle, and with a curved reciprocating awl,
which serves both to pierce the work and to feed it forward under the needle.
The shuttle is a reciprocating shuttle working in a curved race situated above the
work, and the stitch-tightening mechanism is of the ordinary construction.
For laying the thread under the barb of the needle, we employ a looper and a
hook, as heretofore, but we somewhat modify the form and movements of these
parts. The thread from the thread wheel passes, as usual, through the eye of the
looper to the work, and as the needle descends through the work, to receive the
thread under its barb, the hook is advanced to take hold of the thread and draw it
to a proper.angle to provide for the necessary slack required for the needle in its
ascent. To enable the hook to move forward, for this purpose, past the thread, it
receives a slight rocking motion, which ensures its point passing under and missing
the thread. On the completion of its advance, the hook is rocked backward, and
at its recession the hook catches the thread and draws a fresh supply through the
eye of the looper. As the needle descends, the looper moves round towards the
back of the needle, and lays the thread under its barb. Concurrently with
the ascent of the needle through the work, the hook advances to give slack
thread to the needle, and again rocking, disengages itself from the thread.
When the needle has risen out of the work, a pulling-up hook advances, takes
the loop from the needle, and draws it up to a suitable length for allowing of the
passage of the shuttle through the loop.
On the completion of loop by the rise of the pulling-up hook, a divider
advances, and opens the loop, while at the same time the shuttle advances to take
the loop and free it from the pulling-up hook.
In order to provide for this extension of this loop of thread after it is released
from the needle, the take-up lever yields to the drag of the thread, and the
pulling-in lever being advanced by a cam, a further supply of thread will be
yielded up to form the loop. In addition to this, however, there will be required
a fresh supply of thread equivalent to that which will be used in the formation of
the stitch, and as the amount of this supply will vary with the thickness of the
parts to be sewn through, the amount of that supply must be variable. To
provide for this, we utilise the movements of the yielding work support, which
grips the work between the presser or channel guide and itself,-the work-support

page_text: being maintained in position by its connection with a sliding bar that is temporarily
locked in its guide by a locking lever.
The needle thread taken from the ball or bobbin, is lapped around a delivery
wheel, which receives an intermittent motion, variable in amount as the thickness
of the material to be sewn varies, by the following or equivalent means:-
-The
thread delivery wheel is keyed to a horizontal shaft, which receives its intermittent
motion preferably from a silent clutch, or it may be a pawl and ratchet wheel.
This clutch or its equivalent is actuated by a reciprocating bell-crank lever having
for its fulcrum the shaft of the thread wheel. The tail of this bell crank lever
carries a stud, which is embraced by the forked end of a rock lever actuated by a
cam on the cam shaft. Mounted loosely on the fulcruin of this forked lever, is a
vertical lever connected adjustably to the sliding locking bar, which is coupled with
the work-support, and is actuated thereby.
To the upper end of the vertical lever is pivoted a forked stop rod, in the fork of
which plays a stud carried by the upper end of the bell-crank lever.
It will now be understood that when, by the depression of the work support, the
locking bar is pressed backward against its tension spring, it will, by reason of its
connection with the vertical lever, draw the forked stop rod which that lever
carries, back from the bell-crank lever, and allow the stud which works in the fork
an extended action. Thus, at the next impulse given to the thread wheel by the
advance of the sliding clutch, the wheel will be moved to an increased extent, and
caused to deliver a larger proportion of thread. On the contrary, when the work
to be sewn through is diminished in thickness, the spring which draws back the
locking bar will cause that bar to lock the work support, and grip it firmly against
the channel guide. This movement of the locking bar will cause the forked rod
of the vertical lever to advance, and thereby shorten the stroke of the silent
clutch, and proportionally contract the thread supply. An automatic brake is
applied to the shaft of the thread-supply wheel, to hold the same firmly when the
tightening of the stitch takes place. The wheel is theu released, to be free to
answer to the action of the clutch.
Dated this 15th day of February 1892.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Sewing Machines.
We JOHN WILLIAM RAMSDEN of Albion Works, Leeds, in the County of York,
'Foreman Mechanic, and HARRY SENIOR ELLIS, also of Albion Works, Leeds in
the County of York, Mechanical Draughtsman, 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 that class of boot and shoe sewing machines in which
the operation of what is known as "fair stitching" is performed upon a yielding
work support, "stitching" being the trade term for attaching the boot or shoe sole
to the welt.
The chief object of the invention is to regulate the supply of needle thread for
each stitch, to suit the varying thicknesses in the material that is to be sewn
through.
To this end, the regulation of the supply of thread is determined by the position
taken up by the yielding work support, as the varying thicknesses of the materials
to be sewn are presented to the action of the needle.
Our invention further relates to improved mechanism for operating the
instruments employed in laying the thread in the barb of the needle; also to the
meaus used for taking the loop from the needle, extending it, and presenting it to
the reciprocating shuttle.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings we have shewn our improvements as applied to a
machine fitted with a reciprocating curved barbed needle, and with a curved
reciprocating awl, which serves both to pierce the work and to feed it forward under
the needle.
Fig. 1 is a front view of the machine.
Fig. 2 is an end view.
Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the upper portion of the machine.
Fig. 4 shews in plan view, taken on the line 1. 2 of Fig. 2, the mechanism used
for the regulation of the supply of thread to the needle ;-and.
Fig. 5 shews in sectional elevation, on the line 3, 4 of Fig. 3, looking in the
direction of the arrow, the hook for drawing a supply of slack thread through the
looper.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A is the bed plate, upon which are erected the
standards for carrying the various parts of the mechanism. B B is a pair of
standards, fitted with bearings to receive the cam shaft C. B' is the standard on
which the work rest D is fulcrummed. E is the curved shuttle race, bolted at one
end to the standard B³, and at the other to a horizontal guide F fixed to the
standard B.
E' is the shuttle, and E' the shuttle driver, fulcrummed on the standard B'.
Pirotted to the shuttle driver by a short link, is a slide E³, which moves in fixed
guides carried by the standard B. Connected to this slide, is a rock lever E,
fulcrummed on the standard B³, and carrying a bowle which enters the groove of a
peripherical cam E' on the cam shaft C. By the rotation of this shaft, a reciprocating
motion is imparted to the shuttle. Fitted to the guide F, is a slide F, which serves
to carry the awl F" for piercing and feeding forward the work, and to it is affixed
a vertical guide F for receiving the presser foot or channel guide for holding down
the work upon the rest D. The awl F is mounted loosely on a stud axle carried
by a pendent portion of the slide F, and its holder is formed with a toothed
quadrant, which takes into a segment rack carried by a lever F', fulcrummed on the
standard B. This lever is furnished with a bowle, which enters the groove of a
face cam F of the cam shaft, and through that shaft a reciprocating axial motion
is imparted to the awl holder. For giving to the awl the feed motion, the slide F
in which the awl is mounted, is fitted with a hand lever F, which is locked by an
adjustable nut to a slotted lever F', fulcrummed on the guide F, and carrying &
bowle which enters a groove of a peripherical cam F on the cam shaft C.
G is the presser foot or channel guide, which slides in the vertical guide F³,
carried by the slide F¹, and it consequently follows the lateral movements of the
awl during its feed motions. The presser foot is held down by the pressure of a
forked lever G¹³, pivotted to the presser foot stem, and fulcrummed ou the slide F¹.
The rear end of this lever G₁ carries a bowle which bears on a peripherical
cam G', it being held in contact therewith by a coiled tension spring.
H is the curved barbed needle, mounted loosely on a stud axle carried by the
standard B. The needle holder is, like the awl, formed with a toothed quadrant
which takes into a segment rack carried by the lever H', fulcrummed on the
standard B', and carrying a bowle on its side, which bowle enters a groove of a face
cam H. By this means, a reciprocating axial motion is imparted to the curved
needle, independently of the motions of the awl. The needle, as it passes down
through the work, to receive a loop of needle thread, comes into the plane of move-
ment of the looper I, which, assisted by a reciprocating hook K, lays the thread
in the barb of the needle, as will be hereafter explained with reference to
diagrams.
The stem of the looper I slides in a horizontal guide formed in an oscillating
frame I, fitted to a pin 12, which is socketted in the standard B'. The object of
thus mounting the looper, is to give it a compound traverse motion around the barb
of the needle. The stem of the looper is slotted vertically, to receive a pin
projecting from the lower end of a pendent rocking arm 13, fulcrummed on the
standard B. A projection from this arm carries a bowle which enters the groove

page_text: of a face cam I on the cam shaft C, the rotation of which imparts, through the
arm 13, a reciprocating motion to the looper I. Mounted on the oscillating
frame I', is a bowle which enters the groove of a peripherical cam I', which, by its
rotation, reciprocates the frame 1', and thus produces the compound motion required
for traversing the looper.
The reciprocating hook K also receives a compound motion, it being designed
to pass behind the taut thread extending between the last stitch and the looper at
its advance, then to rock forward, and, in its retreat, catch hold of the thread, and
draw out a suitable amount of slack from the looper, for the rising needle to take
up through the work. For this purpose, its stem is mounted in guides formed in a
rocking frame K, (see Figure 5) having trunnions which rest in bearings on the
bed plate A. The to and fro motion of the hook K is obtained from a peripherical
cam K, into the groove of which enters a bowle carried by a rock lever K³, which
is pivotted to the stem of the hook, and fulcrummed on a bracket projecting from
the standard B. Affixed to the rocking frame K', is a bent arm K³, carrying a
bowle which bears upon a peripherical cam K, it being held up in contact therewith
by a coiled spring. The rocking, therefore, of this frame will tip the hook K in
its advance, and allow it to clear the thread, and then return it to the position for
catching the thread on its return motion. The barbed needle, having received its
thread, rises up through the work, and it is then approached by a pulling-up
hook L, which relieves the needle of its loop, and elongates the loop sufficiently to
enable the shuttle to pass through it. Before, however, this occurs, a divider M
advances to open the loop held by the pulling-up hook L. The stem of this
hook L slides in a pendent guide L₁, pivotted on the standard B³, and receiving
motion from a cam L2 on the cam shaft C. The groove of this cam is entered by
the bowle of a rock lever L', fulcrummed on a bracket of the standard B³, and
pivotted to a slide L', which connects, by a short link, with the rocking slide L'.
To give a compound motion to the pulling-up hook L, its stem is connected by a
swivel link to a rock lever L, fulcrummed on the standard B, and carrying a
bowle which enters the grooves of a face cam L. The rotation, therefore, of the
cams L and L will cause the pulling-up hook to take the loop from the needle,
draw it up to the required extent, hold it open by the aid of the divider, for the
shuttle to pass through, and then retire, for the shuttle to pass through the slack
loop, and leave its locking thread therein. The stem of the divider M is pivotted
to a bracket projecting from the feed slide F, and it is formed with a tappet which
overlies another tappet near the fulcrum of the shuttle driver E. As, therefore,
this driver is advanced to move the shuttle up to the loop, the divider will approach
the loop in the opposite direction, so soon as the loop has been drawn up to its
full extent, and entering the loop, will serve to present it to the nose of the
advancing shuttle. A coiled spring attached to the stem of the divider, returns
it to its back position, when released from the pressure of the shuttle driver
tappet.
The needle thread is drawn from a ball of thread (not shown in the drawings)
by means of an intermittently driven grooved wheel N (Fig. 4), around which the
thread is laid. This wheel is mounted on a shaft N, which receives an axial
motion from a silent clutch, as hereafter explained. The thread from the thread
wheel N passes to and around a pulley mounted on a take-up lever N, fulcrummed
on the bed plate A, a coiled spring serving to hold down the lever in its normal
position. The thread from this pulley passes to and around a pulley mounted on
the pulling in lever N³, fulcrummed on the standard B³. This pulling-in lever is
actuated by a face cam N on the cam shaft C, a bowle carried by the lever
entering, for this purpose, a groove in the face cam. From the pulley of the
lever N, the thread passes to a fixed guide pulley N', and thence, through the
looper I, to the work. The extension of the loop, by means of the pulling-up
hook L, is provided for by the take-up lever N2, which yields to the drag of the
thread. At the same time, the pulling-in lever N is advanced by the cam N
towards the take-up lever, and thereby produces slack, which is taken up to form

page_text: the loop. In addition to this, however, there will be required a fresh supply of
thread, equivalent to that which will be used in the formation of the stitch, and
as the amount of this supply will vary with the thickness of the parts to be sewn
through, the amount of that supply must be variable. To provide for this, we
utilise the movements of the yielding work support D, which grips the work
between the presser foot or channel guide G and itself. This work support is
maintained in position by its connection, through interlocking parts, with a sliding
bar D', that is temporarily locked in its guide by a locking lever D', fulcrummed
on a bracket mounted on the bed plate. This locking lever carries a bowle which is
held by a coiled spring in contact with a peripherical cam D³ on the cam shaft C,
and it is retained in action by the cam until a variation in the thickness of the
work occurs.
The thread delivery wheel N receives its intermittent motion (variable in amount
as the thickness of the material to be sewn varies) by the following means:-'
:-The
shaft N', carrying the wheel N, turns in bearings formed in brackets bolted on the
bed plate A. Keyed to this shaft is the fixed portion of the silent clutch N,
the loose portion of which is also carried by the shaft, and has a projection on its
periphery, for connecting with the bell crank lever N' through a forked extension
of that lever. The lever N' is fulcrummed on the shaft N', and receives a rocking
motion in the manner and for the purpose to be presently explained. It carries,
at its upper end, a pin that enters a slot in a horizontal bar No, that serves to
limit the back or return motion of the bell crank lever. This bar N³ is pivotted
to the upper end of a vertical rock lever N, fulcrummed on a bracket bolted to
the bed plate. The lower end of this lever is connected adjustably through a slide,
actuated by a hand screw N1, to the sliding bar D'. The bell crank lever N'
receives a rocking motion from a peripherical cam N" on the cam shaft, a bowl
carried by a rock lever N, fulcrummed on a bracket bolted to the bed plate,
serving to transmit the motion to the bell crank lever, through a pin and slot
connection. The return motion of the bell crank lever is effected by a coiled
spring connected with a fixed point on the bed plate.
It will now be understood, that when, by the depression of the work support, the
locking bar D' is pressed backward against its tension spring, the work rest D will,
by reason of its connection with the vertical lever N°, draw the slotted bar N³ which
that lever carries, back from the bell crank lever N', and allow the pin which works
in the slot an extended action. Thus, at the next impulse given to the thread
'wheel N by the advance of the sliding clutch, the wheel will be moved to an
increased extent, and caused to deliver a correspondingly larger supply of thread.
On the contrary, when the work to be sewn through is diminished in thickness, the
spring which draws back the locking bar D¹ will cause that bar, through its locking
lever D', to lock the work support D, and grip it firmly against the presser foot or
channel guide G. This movement of the locking bar D' will cause the forked
slotted bar No to advance, and thereby shorten the stroke of the silent clutch, and
proportionally contract the thread supply.
O is a brake applied to the shaft of the thread supply wheel N, by means of a
spring, to prevent the silent clutch from giving off too much thread when the
machine is running at a high speed. This brake is thrown out of action by a pin on
the sliding bar D coming into contact with the bell crank lever O'.
Before describing the action of the machine during the formation of a stitch, we
may remark that the standard B', which is of peculiar construction, is shewn in side
elevation in Fig. 6. The shuttle is also somewhat peculiar, and to make its
construction clear, it is illustrated in side, plan, and sectional views at Figs. 7. The
loop divider we have shown in partial plan view at Fig. 8, which indicates its
peculiar wedge-shaped formation, for holding the loop open.
The various cams above mentioned for imparting the requisite motions to the
operating parts of the machine, are grouped into one sheet of drawings, and bear
respectively the letters applied to them in the foregoing description.
Referring now to the diagrams which illustrate the movements of the several

page_text: instruments employed for laying the thread in the barb of the needle, feeding the
work, elongating and opening the loop, and laying the locking thread into the loop,
we will proceed to explain the course of the relative movements effected in these
operations.
Diagram I shows the position of the looper I and hook K while the loop of the
needle thread is being drawn down, and the stitch tightened by the back motion of
the pulling-in or stitch-tightening lever N. The looper I, at this time, remains
stationary directly underneath the needle. The hook K, when advancing in the
direction of the arrow, rocks so as to miss the needle thread.
Diagram II shows the feed of the work by the simultaneous action of the awl F²,
and the presser foot or channel guide G. The awl is shewn as having just pierced
the leather in advance of the previous stitch, and ready, by traversing in the
direction of the arrow, to present the pierced bole in the work to the needle H.
The hook K, having been rocked in the reverse direction, now catches the thread,
ready to draw a fresh supply through the looper.
Diagram III shows the looper I moving round the back of the needle.
Diagram IV shows the position of the parts when, the looper having passed round
and laid the thread into the barb of the needle, the hook K commences to move up
towards the needle, to give slack, as the needle rises.
Diagram V shows the loop lifted from the barb of the needle by the pulling-up
hook L.
Diagram VI shows the pulling-up hook L in its highest position, holding the loop
which is entered by the divider M and the shuttle E from opposite directions, the
positions of the pulling-up hook and the divider, when withrawn from the loop,
being indicated by dotted lines. Immediately on the passage of the shuttle through
the loop, to lay the locking thread therein, the pulling-up hook takes the dotted
position of Diagram VI, and the divider retires. The pulling-in lever N³ now
retires, draws down the loop, and tightens the stitch, and while this is proceeding,
the awl F strikes into the work (see Diagram II), to take up the position for
feeding the work forward, as indicated at Diagram Ill, which shows also the
needle as having passed through the hole last pierced in the work, to receive its
thread from the looper.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The arrangement of mechanism above described, for forming the loops of
needle thread and presenting the same to the reciprocating shuttle.
2. The arrangement of mechanism above described for regulating the supply of
thread to the needle, to suit the varying thicknesses of work to be stitched.
3. The arrangement and combination of parts above described, whereby the
requisite slack is provided to form the needle thread loop, and the strain on the
thread to effect the proper extension of the loop, is removed from the needle.
Dated this 15th day of November 1892.