Improvements in Sewing Machines for Use in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 8th Jan., 1898
[Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH ELI BERTRAND, of 23 Pinckney Street,
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Machinist.]
Improvements in Sewing Machines for Use in the Manufacture of
Boots and Shoes.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
of 45 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 Chain-stitch Wax-thread Sewing Machines, and
it consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination
of parts, relating especially to the thread pull-off and measuring devices and the
stitch setting mechanism, which will be readily understood by reference to the
description of the accompanying drawings and to the claims hereto appended and
in which my invention is clearly pointed out.
Figure 1 of the drawings is a front elevation of the head of a chain-stitch wax-
thread sewing machine embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same looking towards the left of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the opposite side of said machine with a portion of
the frame broken away.
Figure 4 is a plan of the thread pull-off and measuring mechanism, drawn to an
enlarged scale.
Figure 5 is an elevation of a portion of the thread pull-off mechanism.
Figure 6 is an elevation of a portion of the pull-off bar and an end view of the
lever for operating the same.
Figure 7 represents an end elevation of the feed slide and pull-off bar and a
side elevation of the bar-operating lever.
Figure 8 is a pian or the back gage, its slide and the slide operating link.
Figure 9 is an elevation of a portion of the front end of the back gage slide.
Figure 10 is a longitudinal section of the radius arm for imparting an up and
down movement to the front end of the back gage.
Figure 11 is an elevation of the back gage removed from its carrier slide.
Figures 12 and 13 are two diagrams illustrating the operation of the back gage
for setting the stitch.
'
In the drawings A is the base of the head of the machine which in practice is
mounted upon a suitable supporting column or bench, not shewn, and has formed
in one piece therewith, or secured thereto in any suitable manner, the centrally
arranged and upwardly projecting frame section A' as shown.
The base A has formed thereon the two outwardly and upwardly projecting
arms a, a to receive and support the columns B, B, having suitable bearings
formed in their upper ends in which is mounted the driving shaft C upon which
are mounted the several actuating cams for operating the various moving parts of
the machine.
The parts above mentioned together with the feed slide D, its feed point or awl b,

page_text: the needle c, and its carrier, the looper d, the shoe supporting gage e, and all
other parts of the machine not more particularly referred to or described herein
are of well known construction and are not of my invention.
E is a lever fulcrumed at f to a fixed part of the frame of the head, and is
provided between its two ends with the fongitudinal slot 9 and is adjustably
pivoted by means of the stud h and clamping nut h² and the slot i to the pull-off
bar F mounted and movable endwise in a bearing in the stand G, as shown in
Figure 4.
The feed slide 1) has formed upon or firmly secured to its end the bracket H,
in which is formed a slot corresponding to the slot g in the lever E, said bracket H
being connected to the lever E by means of the stud j adjustably secured in said
slot and projecting into the slot in said stand, so that a greater or less vibration
may be imparted to said lever E, and a consequently greater or less movement of
the pull-off bar F according as the stud j is set at a greater or less distance from
the fulcrum of said lever.
The pull-off bar 1 extends from the stand G towards the left of Figure 1 and
between the two thread guiding pulleys or sheaves k and k¹, and has mounted in
a suitable longitudinal bearing therein the rod /, which has formed integral there-
with, at its outer end the ear 1, in which is set the pin , upon which is mounted
the thread guiding sheave m.
The rod and sheave m are normally held in the positions shown in Figures 4
and 5 by the tension of the spring I, connecting said rod and a fixed pin set in
the bar F as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
A stop-plate is adjustably secured to the bar F beneath the spring I, to limit
the movement of the rod and sheave m towards the right of Figure 5.
The thread guiding sheaves k, k¹ and are mounted upon studs upon or set in
the bracket J firmly secured to a fixed portion of the head frame as shown in
Figure 4.
K is the back gauge slide mounted in a guideway in the frame section A¹ in
a well known manner.
Lis the back-guage pivoted at its rear end to the slide K instead of being
firmly secured thereto in a fixed position as heretofore practiced, and is pivoted,
intermediate of its ends, to the lower end of the radius arm M made in two parts
adjustably secured together by the clamping screw n, see Figure 10, and pivoted
at its upper end to the frame section A as shewn in Figure 3, in such a position
that when the slide K is moved to the extreme of its rearward movement, the
front end of the back gauge L, will be depressed by the action thereon of the
radius arm M, the pin connecting the lower end of said arm to said back gauge
passing through the slot formed in the forward end of the slide K to permit
said depression of the front end of the back gauge.
The back gauge L presents about the usual breadth at the front to bear against
the work, but is cut away immediately in the rear of its bearing surface and upon
its left side to form the laterally projecting and rounded finger o, beneath which
the needle c passes to enter the work, and which engages the loop drawn out by
the needle when said needle is retracted, and draws said loop downward to set the
stitch after the needle has completed is rearward movement.
The back gauge slide K has pivoted thereto one end of the link N, the opposite
end of which is pivoted to the lower end of the lever 0 to which a vibratory
motion is imparted by the cam path P, shown in dotted lines in Figure 3.
The slide Khas set therein a stop pin r to limit the forward movement of said
slide and the back gauge by engaging a fixed portion of the machine.
The operation of my invention is as follows:-
The several parts being in the positions indicated in the drawings with the
point of the needle having just been withdrawn from the work, with a loop of
thread engaging the barb of the needle, if the cam shaft be revolved in the
direction indicated by the arrows in Figures 2 and 3 the needle will be moved to
the extreme of its rearward stroke drawing the loops of thread into the position

page_text: indicated in Figure 12. When this is accomplished the back gauge slide K is
moved back to the extreme end of its rearward movement by the action of the
cam path P upon the lever O, thereby causing the front end of the back gauge L
to be depressed thereby drawing the loop s into the position shown in Figure 13,
and firmly setting the stitch while said loop is still engaged by the barb of the
needle.
The needle and back gauge then commence to move forward and as soon as the
strain of the loop upon the needle is removed, the feed slide is moved towards the
left of Figure 1 to feed the work, which is completed before the point of the
needle reaches the work, and as the pull-off bar derives its motion directly from
the feed-slide through the medium of the lever E, it follows that the thread is
pulled off the tension wheel after the needle has commenced its forward movement
and while the loop is not held under tension by said needle.
When the needle commences to move forward the back gauge also moves
forward and its front end is raised before the point of the needle reaches the work,
so that the needle passes below the finger o of said gauge, the cams for operating
the needle, the back gauge, and the feed slide being so constructed and arranged,
relative to each other and to the levers upon which they act, as to cause the several
movements of said parts to take place in the order and time above described.
As the needle moves forward to pierce the work for the second stitch, the loop
of thread just previously engaging the barb of the needle remains on the shank of
the needle, but is released from the barb by the needle advancing through it, the
work is pierced by the needle, the looper carries the thread around the needle to
engage it with the barb, the needle is withdrawn from the work with the new
loop engaging the barb thereof, in such a manner that the new loop is drawn
through the next previous loop, without said previous loop being engaged by the
barb of the needle, and when the needle has reached the extreme of its backward
movement the back gauge slide is moved to the rear, the back gauge is depressed
engaging the new loop between the work and the barb of the needle, depressing it
into the position shewn in Figure 13, and setting the stitch as before.
The tension of the spring I tends to move the sheave m toward the left of
Figures 1, and 5, and serves to take up the slack of the thread and keep it taut
at all times, without danger of breaking the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to mo
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In a sewing-machine, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism, of
a feed-slide provided with a slot extending at an angle to the line of feeding move-
ment thereof, a thread pull-off, a slotted lever pivoted at one end to a fixed part
of the machine and at the other end to said pull-off, and means for adjustably
connecting said lever to said feed-slide through said slots, as set forth.
2. In a chain-stitch wax-thread sewing machine, the combination of the feed
point operating slide; a stand formed upon or secured to said slide and provided with
a slot extending at an angle to the line of movement of said slide; a thread pull-
off bar arranged parallel or nearly so to said slide; a lever pivoted at one end to
a fixed portion of the machine and at its other end to said thread pull-off bar;
means for adjustably connecting said lever to said bracket or flange; two thread
guiding pulleys or sheaves mounted upon fixed journals on opposite sides of said
pull-off bar; and a thread guiding sheave mounted upon said pull-off bar and
movable therewith.
:
3. In a chain-stitch wax-thread sewing machine, the combination of the
reciprocating feed slide D; the slotted stand H the lever E; the bar F, means
for adjustably connecting said lever E to said bar F and stand H; the thread
guiding sheave movably attached to said bar F; the spring I; and the two thread
guiding sheaves k and all constructed, arranged and operating substantially as
described.

page_text: 4. In a chain-stitch wax-thread sewing machine, the combination with a curved
barbed needle and a reciprocating back gauge slide, of a back gauge pivotally
connected to said slide and provided with the laterally projecting finger o arranged
to engage the loop of thread drawn through the work by the needle; and a radius
arm connecting said back gauge to a fixed part of the machine whereby the front
end of said gauge is depressed to set the stitch as it is moved towards the rear by
the action of its carrying slide after the needle has completed its rearward
movement.
5. In a chain-stitch wax-thread sewing machine, the combination with a curved
barbed needle, means for reciprocating said needle in a curved path, and a
reciprocating back gauge slide, of a back gauge pivotally connected to said slide
and provided with a laterally projecting finger at its front end; and means for
moving said back gauge about its pivotal connection to said slide as said slide is
reciprocated.
6. In a chain-stitch wax-thread sewing machine, the combination of a
reciprocating bar or slide arranged to be moved toward and from the front of the
machine; a back gauge pivotally attached to said slide and provided with a stitch
setting finger; a link or radius arm pivoted at one end to said back gauge and at
its other end to a normally stationary pivot; and means for adjusting the front
end of said back gauge to a higher or lower level when in its forward position.
7. In a chain-stitch wax-thread sewing machine, the combination with a curved
barbed needle and its carrier, of a back gauge provided with a laterally projecting
stitch setting finger at its front end; means for moving said gauge to and from
the work, and means for imparting to the front end of said gauge an up and
down movement to cause said stitch setting finger to engage the loop of thread
drawn from the work by the needle between the needle and the work, and thus set
the stitch.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.