Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, JAMES TRIPP, of 64 East 11th Street, New York, United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer, 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 sewing machines and has special reference to rotary or
rotarily oscillating shuttles, particularly to the class of such shuttles that are bodily
carried by the shuttle operating shaft without the assistance of a race.
The principal object of this construction is to obviate the well known difficulties
incident to the employment of a race in connection with a rotating shuttle they being
essentially that the lint or flock, particularly of shoddy and woollen goods, gets into
the race and clogs the same, and the oil that is required to a free and easy running of
the shuttle becomes gummed and besides soiling the stitching threads collects
dirt and lint and causes friction and hard running of the shuttle and wear of
the parts.
Heretofore shuttles of this kind have been mounted on the shuttle shaft with a
view to overcoming these difficulties, and the parts that connect the shuttle to its
operating shaft have consisted of peripheral fingers or pawls grasping the shuttle and
actuated to loose it for the passage of the thread; also the shuttle has been driven by
lugs entering recesses therein, and the shuttle caused to move to and from the lugs
to permit the thread to pass; and the shuttle has been driven by a crank connection,
parts of which have been notched to permit the thread to pass.
In all these forms of shuttles and shuttle actuating devices, the necessary play or
looseness of the shuttle driving devices results in an undesirable irregular motion of
the shuttle and causes ratiling or shaking thus affecting the speed of the shuttle
and causing the thread to catch and be tangled and the parts to be clogged.
To overcome these objections, it is essential to support the shuttle so that it shall
have a steady and regular revolution and be not subjected to any peripheral or lateral
pressure tending to deflect it from its plane of revolution, as also to provide that
the needle thread shall have an unobstructed and regular passage around the
shuttle.
My invention consists, therefore, of cam actuated plungers mounted upon the
shuttle shaft and parallel therewith and reciprocating alternately into and out of
corresponding holes in the shuttle, whereby the shuttle revolves with the shuttle shaft,
and the needle thread is permitted to pass freely around the shuttle.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a front view of the shuttle, shuttle face plate and surrounding parts.

page_text: Figure 2 is a central section of the parts of Figure 1 on the plane v, v.
Figure 3 is a central horizontal section on plane ww. of the outer plunger sleeve
showing the inner plunger sleeve and shuttle shaft in full.
Figure 4 is a face or end view of the same.
Figures 5 and 6 are detail views of the plunger sleeves.
Figure 7 is a central longitudinal section on plane, of the cam bushing in
which the plungers work.
Figure 8 is a face view of the shuttle.
Figures 9 and 10 are reverse face views of the bobbin case, and
Figure 11 is a face view of the hobbin.
Referring to these views in detail, A represents the work plate of a sewing
machine, B is a journal lug depending from the underneath side thereof and which
serves to support the shuttle end of the shuttle actuating shaft C.
D is a cam sleeve which is fixed in the lug B, and has the internal cam groove E.
Upon the shuttle shaft is mounted the inner plunger sleeve F, and upon this sleeve F
is mounted the outer plunger sleeve G, which also fits closely in the cam sleeve or
bushing D. These sleeves are keyed to the shuttle shaft by key H which passes up
through slots in the sleeves and permits them to have independent longitudinal motion
on the shuttle shaft. They are also provided with cam-rollers I and J which extend
radially into the cam groove E, the roller I of the inner sleeve being mounted on a
pivot projecting from such sleeve up through a slot J¹ in the outer sleeve.
By this arrangement of these parts it will be seen that as the shuttle shaft revolves
these sleeves will be independently reciprocated longitudinally and parallel with the
shuttle shaft, according to the direction of the cam groove.
K is the shutile, which is pierced with longitudinal holes L, L. L to receive the
plunger pins M M M on the head of the plunger F, and with holes N N N which are
to receive the plunger pins 000 on the head of the plunger G. P is.a bracket. arm
extending forward from the lug B to just below the shuttle, and its office is to support
the face plate of the shuttle upon which arm this plate is adjustable to and from
the shuttle, the set screws R serving to hold it in any desired position. This face
plate simply bears against the shuttle, constituting its plane of revolution, and holds
it against the slight thrust forward due to the friction of the plunger pins entering
the holes therein. Upon the face of the plunger heads, and preferably fitted around
one or more of the pins thereof, are cushions S and T. I have shown these cushions
as being of leather, felt or a similar material, but they may be springs and constructed
of metal. Their office is to fill the slight space between the plunger heads and the
back of the shuttle, and to shield the shuttle from any possible shock, as well as to
hold it delicately pressed against its face plate and prevent any vibration, while still
permitting it to run with the greatest freedom and the least friction.
The shuttle is provided with a central hollow post U which receives a central pin M
of the inner plunger, thus affording a central bearing for the shuttle and further
insuring its steadiness of motion. This central pin is not, however, essential, though
it affords a convenient means for centering the shuttle and preventing eccentric
motion thereof.
The bobbin case V is provided with a hollow hub W adapted to slide over the
post U of the shuttle. The bobbin X is of the usual form and rides upon the hub W
of the bobbin case. The bobbin case is provided with a tension spring Y for the
bobbin thread, which spring may be of any approved form, and the bobbin case may
be held in the shuttle by any of the well known means.
In Figure 8 I have indicated the positions relatively to the shuttle, of the cam
surfaces by the lines a, b, and c, d, the shuttle being about to take the loop then
forming by the upward movement of the needle. In this position of the shuttle
the outer plunger is carrying the shuttle, and the inner plunger is advancing into it.
After the shuttle has taken the loop and turned to a position where the loop would
begin to strike the forward pin of the outer plunger, that is, a position where such
pin would be nearly under the needle, the cam roller of this plunger strikes the
backward incline of the cam groove and in passing between the positions a and e

page_text: withdraws the pins of this plunger from the shuttle. The cam roller of the inner
plunger has just previous to the beginning of the backward movement of the outer
plunger passed over the space b, d, which represents the forward incline of the cam
groove, and its pins have entered the shuttle and it is in position to carry the shuttle
before the pins of the outer plunger have begun to withdraw to permit the loop to
pass between them and the shuttle. When the shuttle has revolved to the position
that brings the outer plunger cam to the position b, d, the pins of this plunger again
enter the shuttle, and are in position to carry it by the time the shuttle has made
somewhat more than one-half of its revolution and when the loop will be about to
strike the centre pin of the inner plunger. At this time, the cam roller of the inner
plunger will strike the cam, incline a, c, and its pins will be withdrawn to allow the
loop to be taken off the shuttle by the take up mechanism.
It is to be noticed that at two points in the revolution of the shuttle, namely, the
points a b, both plungers are projecting forward into and pressing against the shuttle,
and that before either plunger begins to leave the shuttle the other plunger has
moved to its advanced position with its pins inserted in the shuttle ready to support
and carry it.
This ensures the shuttle being at all times held lightly against its face plate by one
of the plungers and concentric with the shuttle shaft, that is, it is held so that it
cannot move from its plane of revolution nor away from the axis of such shaft.
By these means, the shuttle is bodily carried with great steadiness and regularity,
and the use of, and objections to, a shuttle race are obviated. Furthermore, a shuttle
thus supported and actuated can be run at a high speed, and the wear of the same is
so slight as to be negligible.
It is obvious that various of the parts I have here shown are susceptible of altera-
tion and change, and that these improvements are applicable to either oscillating or
rotating shuttles. I do not, therefore, limit myself to the exact form and arrangement
here shown, which are designed and will suffice to explain the nature of the invention
to those skilled in the art.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. The combination, in a sewing machine, of a shuttle shaft, two plungers
mounted upon the same and each provided with two or more pins to engage and carry
the shuttle, with a shuttle provided with holes to receive the plunger pins a face plate
to hold the shuttle against the thrust of its carrying pins, and a cam for alternately
reciprocating the plungers to and from engagement with shuttle to permit the loop to
pass, the plungers of the cam being arranged so that one of the plungers will at all
times be advanced with its pins engaging and carrying the shuttle.
Second. In a sewing machine, the combination with the shuttle shaft carrying
plungers which are each provided with two or more shuttle supporting pins, a shuttle
provided with holes to receive the plunger pins, a shuttle face-plate, a cam constructed
and arranged to alternately hold one of the plungers in engagement with the shuttle
while the other plunger is being withdrawn from the shuttle to let the loop pass its
pins and again inserted therein, and a cushion arranged between the shuttle and the
plungers.
Dated this 10th of Fab 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicani.