Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, JOHN FORBES of The Square Moy in the County of Tyrone in Ireland
Handkerchief Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to certain sewing machines employed for the production of
the French vein or hemstitch especially (but not exclusively) the Wheeler &
Wilson machine in which the hook is brought into position relatively with the
needle by means of bevelled gearing or has a transverse movement corresponding
with that of the needle and the Singer machine in which the oscillating hook is
given such transverse movement.
According to my invention the hook is actuated directly from the driving shaft
by ordinary means and by an arrangement of parts which dispenses with such
gearing and such transverse movements as have been employed hitherto and the
transverse movement of the needle is effected by a cam on a counter shaft.
For this purpose I place the main driving shaft and the hook shaft preferably
under the bed plate of the machine and parallel to the line of stitching the face
of the book being at right angles to such line. The needle bar is attached to
a needle arm and this and the hook shaft are actuated by cranks or eccentrics
and connecting rods from the main shaft.
1 effect the requisite movements of the needle bar and feed dog by means of
cams on a countershaft, and I provide the cam which moves the feed dog with
an adjustable section by which the throw of the feed dog may be regulated in
one of its movements.
The arrangement I have indicated above has reference to the Wheeler & Wilson
and other machines in which a rotating hook is employed, but may be adapted with
slight modifications to the Singer and other machines in which an oscillating hook
is employed.
JOHN FORBES.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, JOHN FORBES of The Square, Moy, in the County of Tyrone in Ireland
Handkerchief Manufacturer 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 certain sewing machines employed for the production
of the French vein or hem stitch, especially, but not exclusively, to the
Wheeler and Wilson machine in which the rotary hook is brought into position

page_text: relatively with the needle by means of bevelled gearing or has a transverse
movement corresponding with that of the needle, and the Singer machine in which
the oscillating hook is given such transverse movement.
According to my invention the hook is actuated directly from the main driving
shaft by ordinary means and by an arrangement of parts which dispenses with such
gearing and such transverse movements as have been employed hitherto and the
transverse movement of the needle is effected by a cam on a countershaft engaging
with and oscillating a shaft connected with the needle bar.
For this purpose I place the main driving shaft and the hook shaft preferably
under the bed plate of the machine and parallel to the line of stitching, the face of
the hook being at right angles to such line.
The needle bar is attached to a needle arm and this and the hook shaft are
actuated by cranks or eccentrics and connecting rods from the main shaft.
I effect the transverse movements of the needle bar and the backward and
forward movements of the feed dog by means of cams on a countershaft, and
I provide the cam which moves the feed dog with an adjustable section by which
the throw of the feed dog may be regulated in one of its movements.
But in order that my said invention may be more fully understood I shall now
proceed to refer to the sheets of drawings hereunto annexed the same letters of
reference being used throughout all the figures to indicate the same or corre-
sponding parts of my machine.
Fig. I is a front elevation of a hem-stitching machine shewing the ends of the
main shaft, hook shaft and countershaft ordinarily employed, but all placed under
the bed plate and parallel to the line of stitching; the face of the rotary hook at
right angles to the line of stitching; the needle bar attached to the needle arm by
means of a link which permits of the transverse movements of the needle bar; the
connecting rods for actuating the needle arm and the hook shaft; a horizontal rod
connecting the needle bar by an arm with an upright oscillating shaft which carries
another arm at its lower end and a stud secured to such arm to engage with a cam
on the countershaft for effecting the transverse movements of the needle bar; the
feed cam for effecting the backward and forward movements of the feed dog; and
the adjustable section in such feed cam for regulating the throw of the feed dog
in one of those movements; the oscillating shaft for actuating the feed dog and the
oscillating arm for engaging with the feed cam; the take-up lever pivoted to the
bed plate of the machine and the side grooved cam (in dotted lines) on the main
shaft for actuating such lever.
Fig. Il is a plan of a hem stitching machine looked at from beneath, shewing
the several shafts under the bed-plate and parallel with the line of stitching; the
rotary book at right angles to the line of stitching; the crank and connecting rod
for actuiting the hook shaft; the eccentric for actuating the needle arm through
its connecting rod; a connecting rod from the feed cam transmitting the necessary
backward and forward movements through a horizontal oscillating shaft to the
feed dog; the feed cam for effecting those movements of the feed dog, and the
adjustable section therein for regulating the throw of the feed dog in one of its
movements; the lower end of the upright oscillating shaft; the arm and stud
secured to it; and the cam on the countershaft from which it receives motion;
the connecting rod for transmitting the transverse movements to the needle bar;
the arm by which the needle bar is attached to an upright oscillating shaft,
and the side grooved cam for actuating the take-up lever.
Fig. 11 is a back view of part of a hem stitching machine shewing the upright
oscillating shaft; the arm and stud engaging with the cam by which the transverse
motions of the needle bar are effected and the arm at the top of the upright
oscillating shatt with part of the connecting rod attached to it.
Fig. IV is a plan of the parts shown in Fig. III.
Fig. V is an enlargement of the feed cam showing an end view of the adjustable
section for regulating the throw of the feed dog in one of its movements, and the
several parts connected therewith.

page_text: Fig. VI is a top view of the feed cam and adjustable section.
a is the main shaft, having a crank, b, and connecting rod, c, transmitting motion
to the hook shaft, d, (all of which are of ordinary construction); e is an eccentric
upon the main shaft, a, which actuates the nee lle arm, f, through a connecting
rod, g; h is a take-up cam having a grooved side which engages with the take-up
lever, i, the groove being formed so as to actuate the lever, i, for taking up the-
thread suitably to the hook which is employed; j, is a toothed pinion arranged to.
drive the counter-shaft, k, at a third of the speed of the main shaft, a, through.
the toothed wheel, 1; m is a cam for imparting the transverse movements to the
needle bar, n, through the upright oscillating shaft, o; p is a stud secured to the
oscillating shaft, o, by an arm, q; and engaging with the cam, m, r is an arm at
top of the oscillating shaft, o, and imparting motion through the connecting rod, r,
to the needle bar, », which is carried by a pivoted carriage as commonly practised;
s is a feed cam with an adjustable section, sl, arranged with a thrust screw, t, and
plate, t, by which it may be adjusted for the purpose of causing the feed dog to
place the material beneath the needle for the second time in the same position as
that in which it first entered the same hole as required in each series of stitches to
produce a hem-stitch; is an adjustable connecting rod having an oscillating
arm, u', which is pivoted to a snug attached to the bed plate of the machine and
engages with the feed cam and through this arm, u', motion is transmitted to a
horizontal oscillating shaft, v, and the feed dog by ordinary means. The oscillating
arm, u', is grooved to receive a T shaped end of the stud, u, by which it is attached
to the connecting rod, u, and I furnish this stud with a thumb screw for securing
the connecting rod when adjusted to make a long or a short stitch as required.
I may also effect the transverse movement of the needle bar by a cam grooved
on its side instead of on its periphery (like the cam m) and actuating an arm-
attached to a horizontal oscillating shaft working in a bearing on the arm of the
machine and connected with the carriage of the needle bar by a horizontal rod as
previously stated.
The improvements I have described above refer to the Wheeler & Wilson and
other machines in which a rotating hook is employed but they may be adapted
with slight obvious modifications to the Singer and other machines in which an
oscillating hook is employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I would have it to be
understood that I do not claim as of my invention or the exclusive use of main
shafts, countershafts, and hook shalts, rotary or oscillating hooks, needle bars,
cranks, or eccentrics, oscillating shafts, connecting rods, arms, and cams, or
adjustable sections thereof except when the same are employed in hem-stitching
machines, and constructed arranged and employed in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described, nor do I claim needle arms, feed dogs, bed plates,
or any of the separate mechanical parts of a sewing machine, but I declare that
I claim in sewing machines employed for the production of the French vein or
hem stitch and having rotary or oscillating hooks
1. The use of main shafts, countershafts, and hook shafts parallel to the line
of stitching, constructed and employed substantially in the manner and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
2. The use of the cam, m, ou
a countersbaft constructed and employed
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and shewn
in the drawings hereunto annexed.
3. The imparting of a transverse movement to the needle bar by an oscillating
shaft engaging with a cam on a countershaft constructed and employed substantially
in the manner herein before described and shewn in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
4. The use of rotary and oscillating hooks arranged actuated and employed

page_text: substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and shewn
in the drawings hereunto annexed.
5. The use of a feed cam with an adjustable section constructed and employed
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and shewn
in the drawings hereunto annexed. And
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting my improved sewing
machine constructed disposed and employed substantially in the manner and for
the purposes herein before described and illustrated by the several drawings hereunto
annexed.
JOHN FORBES.