IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS TO BE USED IN SEWING BY MACHINERY
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Wiseman, of Luton, in the County of Bedford,
Sewing Machine Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE
OF AND APPARATUS TO BE USED IN SEWING BY MACHINERY."
Sealed the 16th August 1878, and dated the 22nd June 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Wiseman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd June 1878.
EDMUND WISEMAN, of Laton, in the County of Bedford, Sewing Machine
Merchant. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS TO BE USED IN
SEWING BY MACHINERY."
This Invention relates to certain modes of and apparatus to be employed in
sewing by machinery, and is more especially applicable to the manufacture of straw
hats and bonnets, and other articles formed by sewing together braids or plaits of
straw and other material, although parts of the Invention are also applicable to
other purposes for which sewing machines may be employed.
The first head of my Invention has reference to arrangements of apparatus and
modes of making the stitch, whereby the stitch most nearly resembling that of hand
sewing is produced with greater simplicity of mechanism and greater ense to the
operator than by machines at present in use. The stitch used in sewing straw hats
nud bonnets by hand shows very little thread on the right side of the work, aud
that in short stitches as nearly as possible at regular intervals apart; the greater
amount of thread being shown on the wrong or under side of the work.
The stitches and modes of making the same are of single thread chain stitch
character in the first five of the six arrangements herein-after described.
The first, second, and third arrangements einbrace stitches of a chain stitch
character, the fourth and fifth of an interlooped chain stitch character, and the
sixth of what I call a single thread lock stitch character. All the stitches on the
right side of the work present the same appearance.
Under the first, second, and sixth arrangements two stitches, one long and the

page_text: other short (or a stitch and space on the right side of the work) are made with a
single motion of the feed, as herein-after described, resulting from the novel arrange-
ment of needles and the methods of passing the loop.
Under the third, fourth, and fifth arrangements the feed takes place at each
action of the needle, but produces alternately a long and short stitch, and the
needles are arranged above the work.
The feeders I prefer to use are of the character herein-after described under the
second head of my Invention, but I do not confine or restrict myself to the said
arrangements of feed mechanisin.
In all cases I unite the plaits by sewing from the centre of the work outwards.
According to the first arrangement of stitch producing mechanism, I employ,
mounted together side by side upon a needle bar actuated by a lever under the bed
or at the side of the machine, a needle which contains the usual thread eye near
the point, and a hooked needle. These are arranged in close proximity to each
other, and in a straight line, or thereabouts, behind each other in the direction in
which the feeder carries the work, and in stitching the two instruments are passed
upwards vertically or thereabouts through the plaits to be joined together. The
needle placed furthest from the operator, and which is an ordinary sewing machine
needle may be called No. 1, and the hooked needle placed nearest the operator No. 2.
The two needles when mentioned together are termed "instruments." When the
instruments have been carried upwards through the work, the needle No. 1, before
again retiring beneath the work, throws out its loop across the path of needle No. 2,
which then carries the doubled thread beneath the work and work plate; the said
loop having been made to pass into the hook of needle No. 2, either by a stationary
device for throwing the loop across its path (as herein-after described under the
second arrangement), by a spring brought to bear at the right time thereon, or by a
looper having a reciprocating or vibratory motion.
When the before-named instruments retire beneath the work they are then
caused to rise slightly, when needle No. 2 throws out its loop, which is retained by
a looper or hook, or other like device, by which the loop is held in such position
that the needle No. 1 (which continues its downward course after the before-
mentioned rise), on again rising passes with its thread through the said loop; the
looper now withdraws for the next stitch. By this means a chain stitch is formed
showing on the right side of the work short stitches at uniform distances apart.
According to the second arrangement 1 employ two sewing instruments of the
saine kind, and mounted in the same manner as described under the first arrange-
ment. These are arranged to be used without the aid or assistance of any needic,
guide, looper, or other like device below the plate, and are also used above the
plate without any complication whatever, the instruments being made to pass in
their upward ascent through a stationary device which consists of grooved needle
slots, holes, or guides situate above the work. On the descent of the sewing instru-
ments, and while they are still above the plate, needle No. 1 throws out a loop,
which, by the form of stationary device above referred to, is made to pass into the
hook of needle No. 2, by which the said loop is carried through the work. I may
affix to the said stationary device a spring or strip of metal to retain the loop in
position until the needle No. 2 has carried such loop into the work, or nearly so.
The sewing instruments having now retired below the plate, the loop which has
been previously carried down by needle No. 2 is now retained by the same
throughout the operation of feeding, or nearly so; when on the ascent of the two
instruments needle No. 1, which contains the thread, passes through the loop
mentioned as held by needle No. 2, which loop needle No. 2 releases either at or
before the time the instruments enter the work. Thus under this 2nd arrangement
the sewing instruments mounted together, and the stationary device (both already
described) are alone used, the stationary device being placed above the work, and
the sewing instruments beneath the work, in the positions described under the first
arrangement. By this arrangement great simplicity, compactness, and efficiency are
ɛecured.

page_text: The third arrangement consists of another mode of making the same stitch as in
arrangements 1 and 2, and is carried out as follows:-A needle bar or lever is placed
above the work, carrying a double hooked or barbed needle. Beneath the plate is a
revolving or other looper, the function of which is herein-after explained. There is
also a thread carrier for the purpose of placing the thread in the needle. The
needle passes beneath the work and brings up the thread brought to it by the
thread carrier, which is, by means of gear wheels or other convenient mechanism,
made to place the thread in the needle at every alternate descent. Whilst the
needle is now above the plate a short feed takes place, afterwhich the needle again
descends, carrying the doubled loop below the plate, the said loop being retained in
position whilst the needle is above the work by a spring or other equivalent
arrangement until the needle shall have entered the work, or nearly so. When the
needle arrives below the plate the looper takes the thread and retains it until let
off at the next stitch. The needle now ascends without any thread, the thread
carrier which supplies needle not having come into action at this time. When the
needle now rises above the plate a long feed takes place; the needle again descends
through the work, and at the same time through the loop which is still retained
by the looper when it takes the thread passed to it by the carrier, and brings it.
from the carrier up through the loop just mentioned as held by the looper, whereupon
the looper lets off its loop and ready to take the thread from the needle in its
next descent, and so on.
The fourth arrangement of stitch and stitch producing mechanism consists of a
stitch which, although closely resembling that of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd arrangements.
differs therefrom not only in the method of making the stitch but in the formation of
the stitch itself, as will be seen by the following description:A double hooked
needle vertically arranged is used above the work, and a single hooked needle
horizontally arranged, and also a looper, are employed beneath the work. These
are herein-after respectively described as "upper needle," "under needle," and
looper. The looper below the plate is used for the purpose of retaining the loop
which it takes from the upper needle during such time as the under needle passes
above the looper and through the loop held by looper, and until it has brought
backwards a loop of thread through the loop of thread held by the looper, when the
looper releases its loop, which loop is drawn up tight by the loop of the under
needle and the feed. The method of sewing is as follows:-The under needle.
travels over the top of the looper and seizes the thread pushed on to it by a carrier,
and again travels back to about the position whence it started, retaining the loop
of thread. The upper needle descends and takes the thread from the under needle,
which thread the under needle is now made to release. The upper needle carries
the loop above the plate, the short feed takes place, and the said needle carries the
loop down through the work again. The looper then takes the loop out of the
upper needle which rises without thread and the long feed takes place, during
which time the under needle has again advanced over the looper and through its
loop and brought back another loop through the loop held by the looper, when the
top needle again descends and takes the thread held by the under needle up through
the work. During the time of the short feed, which now takes place, the looper
and under needle are not in action, or at any rate so far as taking or retaining
thread is concerned.
The fifth arrangement is as follows:-The stitch is of identically the same
character as that last described, but is produced in a simpler manner. In this
arrangement a double hooked needle vertically arranged is used above the work, and a
single hooked needle horizontally arranged is used below the work. The under needle
moves forward and takes the thread pushed on to it by a carrier; it then returns with
its doubled loop. The upper needle then ascends without thread, and the long feed
takes place, the under needle meanwhile holding the thread until the next return
of the upper needle. The upper needle then descends and takes the loop from
the under needle, which loop the under needle now lets off, and the upper needle on
rising carries it upwards through the work and the short feed takes place. The

page_text: upper needle now descends again with its loop, through which loop the under needle
passes an:l takes as before the thread pushed on to it by a thread carrier, and carries
such loop backwards through the loop of the upper needle. The upper needle lets
off its loop, or is made to do so, and rises out of the work without any loop, and the
long feed takes place. The upper needle descends again and takes the loop from
the under needle, and so on, proceeding as before. It will thus be seen that the
under needle makes its traverse for the purpose of taking the loop from the spool
and drawing it through the loop of the upper needle at every other or alternate
descent of the upper needle only, that it retains the said loop during the time the
upper needle is above the work for the long feed to take place, and until it has
again descended and taken the loop from the under needle.
The sixth and last arrangement einbraces what I call a single-thread lock stitch;
the appearance of this stitch on the right side of the work is the same as in all the
before-described arrangements, hut on the reverse side of the work much less thread
is shown. In producing this stitch I employ two sewing instruments either in
combination with a shuttle or with a spool case and looper, the shuttle or the spool
case and looper, as the case may be, being operated beneath the plate. The sewing
instruments which I here describe as worked from beneath the plate are mounted
together as described under the 1st and 2nd arrangements; but in place of the
needle with ordinary thread eye and hooked needle two single-hooked needles are
used, cne having the barb pointing upwards and the other with its barb made in
the reverse direction, so that one needle can carry the thread up and the other
needle carry the thread down, or one or both instruments may be double-hooked or
barbed. The hooked needle with its harb pointing downwards is in this arrange-
ment placed at the back of machine and the ordinary hooked needle in front of the
machine. These may, for convenience, be called needle No. 1 and needle No. 2
respectively. When arranged in combination with a shuttle they act as follows:-
The thread from the shuttle being placed in needle No. 1 the instruments are
brought up through the work, and the thread is then thrown neross from needle
No. I into needle No. 2 either by a looper or stationary device, as described under
the first and second arrangements. The instruments now retire beneath the plate,
and as they descend together needle No. 2 carries the loop through the work and
plate, needle No. 1 having its hook reversed, releasing itself from the thread. The
shuttle now passes through the loop held by the needle No. 2, which is caused to
release its loop, and the stitch is thus locked. A thread carrier then passes the
thread from the shuttle on to the needle No. 1, which had descended empty. The
instruments then rise again through the work, and the loop is passed over from the
needle No. 1 to needle No. 2, as before. The feed takes place whilst the instruments
are below the plate. I may, if preferred, place the needles in a different position
to that above indicated. The needles are used in much the same manner with a
spool case and looper, or spool case and hook arrangement.
I shall now proceed to describe the second head of my Invention, which relates
chiefly to the feed mechanism of sewing machines, and to an improved presser foot
to be used in connection therewith.
According to one arrangement of feeder the serrated plate is carried by the upper
end of the feed bar, which consists of an arın free to vibrate on a centre at its
lower end, such centre being carried in a vertical reciprocating slide working in
fixed guides. A single eccentric or cam on the shaft of the machine works in an
opening in the feed bar, and imparts thereto the rising and falling and the to-and-
fro motion, the vertical motion being allowed by the rising and falling of the slide
through the action of the feed bar. In another arrangement of feeder an eccentric
imparts directly to the vertical slide the up-and-down motion for the feeder, the
feed bar being, as in the previous arrangement, free to vibrate on a centre at its
lower end carried by the said slide. The to-and-fro motion of the feeder is obtained
from a separate lever carried by preference on an adjustable sliding piece in the
vertical slide, and acted upon at its upper end by a cam or eccentric, whilst its
lower end bears against the side of the feed bar which is held in contact with the

page_text: said lever by the same spring which serves to impart the return or back motion to
the feeder. In adjusting the feeder it is simply necessary to raise or lower the
adjustable sliding piece by a thumbscrew or otherwise.
According to another arrangement of feeder, wherein the propelling motion is
horizontal and rectilinear in lieu of curvilinear, as in the previously described
arrangements, I pivot the end of the feed bar, which is bent to a right angle or
thereabouts, to the upper end of a vertical oscillating lever arm which works on a
fulerum at its lower end, carried in a vertical slide. The free end of the feed bar is
held down upon a fixed rest or support by a spring which also serves to give the
back or return motion. The vertical motion of the feeder is obtained from the up-
and-down motion of the vertical slide derived from an eccentric or cam working
therein, whilst the horizontal or to-and-fro motion is obtained in a somewhat similar
manner to the last-described arrangement, namely, from a lever acted upon by a
separate cam er eccentric, and pressing against the side of the vertical oscillating
lever. The amount of feed is regulated as in the arrangement last described.
For the sake of greater compactness I propose in some cases to actuate the needle
slide or carrier, which works in vertical guides below the cloth plate, by a short
vibrating lever arm working across the front of the feed mechanism, and fixed on
to the end of a separate rocking shaft. A third eccentric cam or crank pin carried
by the driving shaft imparts, through the intervention of a link or connecting rod,
the requisite motion to the needle-actuating lever.
In those cases where I produce an alternate long and short stitch by the feeder I
use a double-throw cam on the driving shaft, one side giving a short throw and the
opposite side a long throw. This cam should make one revolution to two revolutions
of the cam or eccentric which actuates the vertical slide carrying the feed mechanisın
as last described, such last-mentioned cam being mounted on a separate shaft.
Under another modification of parallel feeder I joint both ends of the feed
bar to two vertical oscillating lever arms working on fulcra in the before-
mentioned vertical slide, thereby dispensing with the fixed rest or support previously
referred to.
I use, by preference, in combination with any of the herein-before described
improvements the guides and presser feet set forth in the Specification of my
Patent, No. 3267, A.D. 1877, or a modified arrangement of presser foot which is
adjustable transversely or at right angles to the line of feed, two or more being
employed and readily changed to suit different thicknesses of plait, each foot
consisting of a plate grooved to suit the particular plait with which it is to be
employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edinund Wiseman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
December 1878.
EDMUND WISEMAN, of Luton, in the County of Bedford, Sewing Machine
Merchant. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS TO BE USED IN
SEWING BY MACHINERY."
My said Invention relates to an improved mode of sewing by machinery & to
certain peculiar arrangements of apparatus to be employed therein, & is more
especially applicable to what are known as straw plait machines employed in the
manufacture of straw hats & bonnets, & other articles formel by sewing together
braids or plaits of straw & other material, although parts of the said Invention
are also applicable to other kinds of sewing machines.
The first head of my Invention has reference to arrangements of apparatus &
modes of making in a straw plait machine the stitch which most closely resembles
that of hand sewing, & which I produce with a more simple arrangement of
mechanism & with greater ease to the operator than has heretofore been accom-
plished by the machines at present in use.
The second head of any Invention relates chiefly to the feed mechanism for sewing
machines, whether employed specially for straw plait work or for ordinary machine
stitching.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, & for that purpose shall refer to the
several Figs. on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the saine
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Fig. 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of my improved straw plait
machine.
Fig. 2 is a corresponding front view, and Fig. 3 is a corresponding elevation of a
portion of the side of the machine opposite to that shewn in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 represents the class of stitch produced.
Figs. 5 to 13 inclusive are separate details, which I shall herein-after more fully
describe & refer to.
The stitch used in sewing straw hats and bonnets by hand shews very little
thread on the right side of the work, & that in short stitches as nearly as possible
at regular intervals apart, the greater amount of thread being shown on the wrong
or under side of the work.
The stitch produced by my improved arrangement, & which is shewn at Fig. 4,
is of a single thread chain stitch character." As herein-after described, all those
stitches which are seen on the right side of the work presenting the same appear-
ance, that is to say, short stitches at long intervals. I do not claim separately this
particular form of stitch however apart from my peculiar arrangement for pro-
ducing the same. This kind of stitch is obtained by my Invention with a single
motion of the feed, as herein-after explained, in conjunction with a novel coin-
bination & arrangement of sewing instruments & loopers, & the methods of passing
the loop.
In using my machine the plaits are united or stitched together by sewing from
the centre of the work outwards, as is now well understood.
According to my improved arrangement of stitch-producing mechanism I employ
mounted together side by side upon a needle bar or slide A actuated by a suitable
lever in any convenient position, either under the bed or at the side of the machine,
a needle a, which contains the usual thread eye near the point & a hooked
needle (Figs. 5 and 6). For the sake of greater compactness I prefer in some
cases to actuate the needle slide or carrier A, which works in vertical guides below
the cloth plate B, by a short vibrating lever arm C, working across the front of the
feed mechanism, & fixed on to the end of a separate short rocking shaft or pin.
An eccentric cam or crank pin D (Fig. 8), carried by the driving shaft E, imparts
through the intervention of a link or connecting rod F the requisite motion to the

page_text: needle-actuating lever C, the free end of which lever is made hollow or carries a
short slide c, through which slide, & through slots in the end of the lever, passes
the pin which connects the arm with the needle slide. These two sewing instru-
ments, namely, the needle & the hook, are placed at a distance of about one-
eighth of an inch more or less from each other & parallel in a straight line, or
thereabouts, behind each other in the direction in which the feeder carries the work,
and in stitching the said instruments are passed upwards vertically or thereabouts
through the plaits to be joined together. The needle a is placed furthest from the
operator, & is an ordinary sewing machine needle, & the hooked needle b is
placed nearest the operator & with its hook directed towards the needle. These
two needles when herein-after mentioned together are termed "sewing instruments."
When the sewing instruments have been carried upwards through the work the
loop of the needle a before again retiring beneath the work is brought across the
path of the hook b, which then carries the doubled thread down beneath the work
&work plate, the said loop above the material having been made to pass into the
hook of the needle 6 by the combined action of two loopers c & d, having a
reciprocating or vibratory motion. The looper c is mounted on the end of a rocking
spindle h, which is actuated by the cam i shown in detail at Fig. 13 on the
driving shaft E. This looper takes the loop of thread which is thrown out by the
descent of the needle a and draws it sideways towards the hook b. The second
looper is actuated by the cam k, also carried by the driving shaft E. A plane
projection of this cam is shewn in detail at Fig. 12. The cam k operates through
the intervention of the sliding pin c, spring f, and lever or bent arm g on the axis
of the said looper d, & this looper moves between the two sewing instruments &
in a direction at right angles to the course of the looper c in order to draw the loop
already described by the looper c. & under the hook of the instrument b. The
instruments a & now descend together, & when they have retired beneath the
work the feed takes place. such feed being equal to the length of the short stitch
& space combined. The hooked needle 6 retains the loop, which loop is held in
such position that the needle a or. again rising passes with its thread through the
said loop, which is now thrown off from the hooked needle b as it passes up through
the work. By this means a chain stitch is formed, showing on the right side of the
work short stitches of a length equal to the distance between the points of the two
sewing instruments, & at uniform distances apart. (1, 1) are three stationary
thrend guides, & m is another guide attached to the slide carrying the sewing
instruments. Any suitable or well-known tension appliance may be used. The
presser foot is attached to an arm o which vibrates on fixed centres at P &
is drawn down if found desirable at the time the needles are entering the work by
a cam acting on a lever connected by a springs to the arm of the presser foot ;
t is the lever for elevating the presser foot when required.
In the feeder which I prefer to use in combination with the before-mentioned
arrangement of sewing instruments the propelling motion is horizontal & recti-
linear in lieu of curvilinear, as in the subsequently described arrangements. I pivot
at
the end of the feed bar o, Fig. 10, which is bent upwards to a right angle
or thereabouts to the upper end of an oscillating vertical lever arm w, which works
on a fulcrum x at its lower end carried in the vertical slide y working between
guides. The free end of the feed har v is held down upon a fixed rest or support
on the slide y by a spring 2, which also serves to give the back or return motion.
The vertical motion of the feeder is obtained from the up-&-down motion of
the vertical slide y, derived from an eccentric or cam 1 working in a slot therein,
as shown in the details Figs. 7 & 8, whilst the horizontal or to-&-fro motion is
obtained from a lever 2 shown in detail at Fig. 9, the fulcrum of which is carried
by a vertically adjustable slide 3 working within the first-mentioned slide y.
This lever is acted upon by a separate cam or eccentric 4, & presses against a
nose or projection 5 on the side of the vertical oscillating lever w.
of feed is regulated by raising or lowering the adjustable slide 3
lever 6 or otherwise.
The amount
by a small

page_text: By a modified arrangement of the above-described feeder, which is illustrated
at Fig. 14, the serrated plate is fixed directly to the upper end of the upright
vibrating lever win lieu of a separate feed bar vas in the previously described
arrangement, the feeding surface receiving a curvilinear motion. In other respects
the arrangement is substantially the same as that last described.
According to another modification, illustrated by Fig. 15, the serrated plate is
also attached directly to the upper end of the upright vibrating lever w, which is
free to vibrate on a centre at its lower end in the vertical reciprocating slide y,.
working in fixed guides as before described. A single eccentric or cam 7 on
the shaft of the machine works in a circular opening or bearing in the vibrating
lever, & imparts thereto the rising & falling as well as the to-&-fro motions,
the vertical motion being allowed by the rising & falling of the slide y through
the action of the vibrating lever wo, which acts as a connecting link.
I use by preference in combination with any of the herein-before described
improvements the guides and presser feet set forth in the Specification of any
English Patent, No. 3267, A.D. 1877.
Although as regards the loopers I bave described and illustrated two separate
loopers working independently in directions at right angles to each other or there-
abouts, it is obvious that the same result can be obtained by the employment of n
single looper having a compound or other motion, which draws the loop of needle
thread towards & under the hook of the instrument b.
Having now described & particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, & the manner in which the same in or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that I am aware that it has been proposed to
employ two eye-pointed needles working together side by side, & therefore I do
not claim such an arrangement, but what I consider to be novel & original, &
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters l'atent is,-
First. The application & use to & in machines for uniting together braids or
plaits of straw or other similar material by the particular kind of stitch herein
referred to of an eye-pointed needle a & a hooked instrument working together,
substantially in the manner herein-before described, & illustrated by my Drawings.
Second. The combination with the before-mentioned arrangements of eye-pointed
needle & hooked instrument working together of a looper or loopers for placing
the needle thread in such a position as to be caught by the hooked instrument when
withdrawing from the material, substantially as herein-before described, & illus-
trated by my Drawings.
Third. The peculiar adjustable feed mechanism, consisting of a combination of
the slides y & 3 with the levers w & 2, in conjunction with the pivotted feed
bar when arranged to operate together, substantially in the manner & for the
purpose herein-before described, and illustrated by my Drawings.
Fourth. The modification of the feed mechanism referred to in the preceding
claim, & herein-before described, & illustrated by Figs. 14 and 15 of my Drawings.
Fifth. The peculiar arrangement of needle-actuating mechanism, as herein-before
described, and illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Wiseman, have hereunto set my hand
& seal, this Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred & seventy-eight.
EDMUND WISEMAN. (L.S.)