IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SEWING TWO OR MORE ROWS OF STITCHES AT ONCE
Year: 1885

page_text: WILLIAM WHITMORE JONES Belle Vue Ashbourne Derbyshire Sewing Machinist
WILLIAM BRADBURY GARNISS Dove House Green, Ashbourne, Derbyshire Clerk
do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR SEWING TWO OR MORE ROWS OF STITCHES AT ONCE to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of two or more needle bars fixed in separate or one
common head and driven independantly or together by two or more horizontal
shalfts and usual hart cam motion, the said horizontal shafts are driven from
opposite end to needle bar by another horizontal shaft running at right angles to
the same and connected by bevel gear.
The second needle is placed behind and to the left of the first needle, the third
needle is placed behind and to the left of the second needle and so on for any
number of, needles, the distance the second needle is set to the left of the first
needle and the third needle is set to the left of the second needle and so on for any
number of needles, will regulate the distance between each row of stitching, thus
the first needle comes into action before the second needle and the second needle
comes into action before the third needle and so on until all the needles are in
action. We can also attach to each needle a cording arm and grooved foot thus
making a combination sewing or sewing and cording machine.
This combination applies to "lock stitch,” "chain stitch" and "double chain
stitch."

page_text: and the others be capable of being worked independently of it. The needle bars
are driven by the horizontal shafts C, C¹, C¹¹ with bevel wheels D, D' Dч. The
three longitudinal shafts are driven from the transverse shaft E by the bevel
wheels F, F, Fu. These can be thrown into and out of gear by means of clutches
HHH. Either can be thrown out of gear and the others allowed to remain
at work.
It is necessary that the working parts of each head should move synchronously.
Each needle bar G, G¹ G should rise and fall, and each feed bar should have the
same movement at the same time; for this reason it is necessary that the clutch by
means of which the bevel wheels are thrown in and out of gear should only be
able to engage again at one given point. A clutch H shown in Figures 3 and 4 has
been designed for the purpose. The bevel wheel D is loose on the shaft and the
clutch His keyed to the shaft C fitting loosely over the end of the bevel wheel D.
A hole or slot is cut in the outer surface of the boss of the wheel. A pin I passes
through the clutch, and engages with the wheel. When out of gear, the pin I is
raised until the smaller pin i is raised out of the hole in which it rests, and
is turned slightly round, the smaller pin then preventing it returning into genr
until again turned. A small spring holds the pin in position. No specific claim is
herein made for the clutch, and any other form of clutch may be employed which
is found to answer the requirements. The transverse shaft E is supported in
brackets J at either end. Between the brackets J, cast to the base of the machine
are snugs K, through which screws LL¹L", one attached to each head, pass. These
screws are provided with a winged nut on both sides, or their mechanical equi-
valent, by the turning of which the position of the heads may be altered and
adjusted. In order that any movement of the heads shall not throw the bevel
wheels out of gear, a stationary fork or lever M passes along and around the head
of each. Any movement that takes place will be that of the end of the shaft,
through the bevel wheel.
.
When the invention is applied to the cording of corsets, we attach to the machine
a frame N carrying a number of cord carrying or cording arins 0, 01 011, one for
each needle and provide the presses P P¹, P" with a foot grooved on the underside
beneath which the cord passes. The frame N shown in the drawings is a double
frame carrying a second set of cord carrying arms Q, Q1, Q. The frame slides
either to left or right to bring one set of the cord carrying arms into position
for work. The advantage of the double frame is, that cords of different sizes may
be carried and brought into use without the delay of removing and replacing
those carried by the other set of arms-R are the spindles which carry the spools
or reels.
Instead of the three or more separate and independent heads carrying the
needles, one head only may be employed, carrying the three or more needles, the
needle bars in which case might either be actuated independently by separate
longitudinal shafts, or by one longitudinal shaft gearing into pinions communi-
cating the motion from it to the actuating mechanism of each needle bar. The
exact details may be varied according to the class or make of sewing machine
employed, the essential feature of the invention consisting in arranging the needles
or needle heads, so that the several needles will sew simultaneously at different
rows on the cloth or material.
The distance the second needle is set to one side of the first needle, and the third
needle is set to one side of the second needle, and so on for any number of needles,
will regulate the distance between each row of stitching. Thus the first needle
comes into action before the second needle, and the second needle comes into action
before the third needle, and so on, until all the needles are in action.
Three heads only are shown in the drawings, but any desired number of heads or
needle bars, set one behind the other may be employed. We think that four or
five will be found to be the most that can practically be used, as it will be difficult
for the operator to pay attention to a greater number, but a greater number may
be employed, if desired.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be
understood that we do not claim broadly the use of a sewing machine with a
number of needles as we believe that a sewing machine has been made with
a number of needles attached to or carried by a single horizontal needle bar, but
what we believe to be new and claim is :-
1. A sewing machine having two or more needle bars working synchronously, so
placed that the needles will not be in the same vertical plane taken either longi-
tudinally or transversely, for the purpose of producing two or more parallel rows
of stitching at the same time.
2. A sewing machine having two or more heads and sewing mechanism, each
with the necessary parts to form an independent machine actuated from one
driving shaft, any one of which may be thrown out of gear and remain stationary
whilst the others are in action, substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. A sewing machine having two or more needle bars placed in one head
working separately and synchronously with independent sewing mechanism for
each, actuated from one driving shaft, and arranged that one needle bar may be
thrown out of gear, and allowed to remain stationary whilst the others are in
operation, substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. The combination with a sewing machine, having two or more needle bars with
or without separate heads, of the cord carrying arms, substantially as described and
shown.