Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1899
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, JAMES AUGHILTREE CAMERON, of No. 62, Seventh Avenue, in the Borough of
Brooklyn, in the County of Kings and State of New York, United States of
America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained, in and by the following statement; -
The invention relates to improvements in sewing machines and consists in the
novel features and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly
pointed out in the claims.
The object of my invention is to produce an efficient and commercially prac-
ticable machine for simultaneously sewing two parallel rows of stitches or the
hems at the opposite edges of a piece of fabric. I have more especially designed
the machine for use in the manufacture of hem-stitched handkerchiefs, and in
carrying on this manufacture in connection with the machine made the subject
hereof, the length of linen leaving the bolt is fed to the machine and has its
opposite longitudinal edges folded to form the hem and stitched, the operation
continuing until the entire length of fabric has been thus treated.
A duplex sewing machine intended for sewing on both edges of a strip of fabric,
has heretofore been produced and hence it is not proposed in this application to
broadly claim a duplex sewing machine, but simply certain novel features and
constructions embodied in such a machine whereby the machine may be, rendered
commercially useful and efficient.
The duplex sewing machines of the character heretofore known to me were
seriously defective in at least two important particulars, the first being that one
entire single machine or sewing mechanism and all its connected driving gear
had to be moved or adjusted toward or from the other sewing mechanism when
adapting the machine for the varying widths of fabric, this adjustment being a
delicate operation and requiring the services of a skilled mechanic, and the second
defect in the said machines being that they were so geared that they, of necessity.
were either both in motion or both idle at the same time. In theory the said
former machines were to sew two rows of stitches corresponding, stitch for stitch,
throughout, but in practice no commercial machines can be built to carry out
such theory, and hence whenever the sewing mechanism at one edge of the fabric
advanced its work ahead of the sewing mechanism at the other edge of the fabric
the entire machine had to be stopped, the advanced edge of the fabric withdrawn
from its mechanism and the entire machine then started and run until the other
edge of the fabric had caught up with the said advanced edge, whereupon the
machine had to be again stopped until said advanced edge had been restored to
its mechanism, the machine thereafter being again set in motion and operated
until the unevenness in the fabric again necessitated the stoppage of the machine.
It is one of the main purposes of my invention to remedy the two above men-
tioned objections to the duplex machines of the prior art, and the first of said
objections I obviate entirely by providing suitable means, capable of adjustment
by the usual operative, for caring for the slack along the middle of a length of

page_text: fabric of greater width than the distance between the two sewing mechanisms,
thus dispensing with the former necessity of adjusting an entire sewing machine
head and its connected parts, and the second of said objections I overcome by
providing two sets of certain clutch mechanism intermediate the main driving
shaft of the duplex machine and the driving shafts of the separate sewing machines,
the parts of said clutches remaining separated from one another and thus prevent-
ing a transmission of the power from said main driving shaft, except when brought
together by the pressure of the feet of the operative on the foot treadles, whose
rods are utilized, when pulled down, to effect the engagement of the two parts of
the clutches with one another and thus secure the transmission of power from the
said main driving shaft to the sewing mechanism. The said clutches are inde-
pendent of one another and each is operable by an independent foot treadle, one
foot treadle and one clutch being provided for each sewing mechanism. By
reason of the special power mechanism I provide, the two sewing mechanisms may
be operated simultaneously or either one separately, either one being capable of
being brought to a stop by the operative removing her foot from the appropriate
foot treadle, while the main driving shaft continues in motion as before. Thus
when the work at one edge of the fabric has advanced ahead of the work at the
opposite edge of said fabric, the operative will simply stop the machine which has
been running ahead and allow it to remain at rest, without disturbing the fabric,
until the other machine has caught up with its work. The two individual machines
embraced in the duplex machine are both driven from the one main shaft but
either may be conveniently stopped without interfering with the other or the
said main shaft. The fabric for hem-stitched handkerchiefs is usually formed
into bolts, and the creases or folds present in said fabric, due to the bolting, serve
as guides to the operative in determining when one edge of the fabric, during
the passage of the latter through my duplex machine, has advanced ahead of the
other edge thereof.
My invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter
presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with and
embodying the invention;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged detached front elevation of an adjustable frame over which
the fabric is fed to the sewing mechanism of the machine;
Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the machine on the dotted
line 3-3 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse section through a part of the machine,
taken on the dotted line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and illustrating on an enlarged scale an
adjustable frame located intermediate the sewing mechanisms of the duplex
machine for controlling the width of fabric intermediate the hems at each side of
the length thereof; and
+
Fig. 5 is an enlarged rear end view of same.
In the drawings 10 denotes a substantial supporting table mounted upon legs
or frames 11 and firmly supporting the sewing machines 12, 12, which may be of
any suitable character. The machines 12, 12, illustrated in the drawings, are the
well-known types of Wheeler & Wilson hem-stitching sewing machine, the said
machines being arranged in alignment with and to face one another. The feeding
mechanisms, not shown, of the sewing machines 12, 12, are arranged to feed in the
same direction, and this result may be accomplished, in a well-known manner,
by reversing the throw of the feed of one machine. The present invention is not,
of course, limited to the employment of the Wheeler & Wilson hem-stitching sewing
machines, and I refer to this special type of machine because of the fact that the
trade is thoroughly familiar with it and that it is especially adapted for the making
of hem-stitched handkerchiefs. Adjacent to the presser foot of each of the heads
or machines 12, 12, will, in use, be placed a hem-stitching attachment 13 of any
suitable or known form or construction, adapted in the usual manner to form the
folds or hems at the edges of the fabric preparatory to the stitching of the same.

page_text: I have not illustrated the hem-stitching attachments 13 in detail, since the inven-
tion is not confined to any special form or construction of such attachment.
Below the table 10 is mounted in suitable bearings the main driving shaft 14
which receives its power from a suitable belt 15 and has mounted upon it the
drive wheels 16, 17, through the medium of which and suitable belts 18, 19,
motion is communicated from the shaft 14 to the mechanism by which power is
imparted to the driving shafts 20, 21, of the sewing machine heads 12. The
driving shafts 20 and 21 are provided with belt or pulley wheels 22, to receive
the belts 23 by which said wheels 22 are connected with the intermediate drive
wheels 24 mounted in suitable bearings 25 intermediate the supporting table 10
and the main driving shaft 14. Upon the axles 26 of the wheels 24 are also
mounted the pulley wheels 27 which receive the belts 18, 19, and are by said
belts directly connected with the main drive wheels 16, 17. The pulley wheels 27
are free upon the axles 26 and only communicate their motion to the wheels 24
when they are pressed against said wheels by the pressure of the feet of the
operator upon the treadles 28. The wheels 24 and 27 constitute the two parts of
a clutch, and hence the wheel 24 will remain idle except when the' wheel 27 is
pressed into engagement with it by the means to be presently described. The
wheels 27 are provided with the projecting studs 29, which form contacts for the
inclined cams 30 which may be pulled downward by the foot treadles and which,
when pulled downward, will press against the studs 29 and move the wheels 27
into engagement with the wheels 24, with the result that so long as the pressure
of the cams 30 remain on the studs 29, the wheels 27 will maintain their contact
with the wheels 24 and impart motion to said wheels 24 and through said wheels
and the belts 23 to the mechanism of the sewing machines or heads 12. The
cams 30 are secured to or formed on the crank armis 31 which are connected at
their outer ends with the usual pitman or treadle rods 32, and at their other end
are secured upon rock shafts 33 which constitute the axes upon which said crank
arms 31 may turn. The rock shafts 33 are mounted in suitable bearing sleeves 34
connected with the bearing frames 25, and have at their outer end a brake arm 35
and lip 36, the brake arm 35 being adapted when the treadle rods 32 are released to
move upward, to impinge the periphery of a plain portion 37 of the pulley
wheels 24, in order that, upon the removal of the feet of the operative from the
treadles, the said brake armis 35 may aid in bringing the sewing mechanism to a
stop. Intermediate the lip 36 and a projecting portion 38 of each bearing
frame 25 is arranged a coiled spring 39 whose force is normally exerted to main-
tain the treadle rods 32 and cams 30 in their upward position, thus normally
leaving said cams 30 relieved from the studs 29 and permitting the pulley
wheels 27 to rotate without imparting their motion to the pulley wheels 24.
When the foot treadles 28 are depressed to pull downward on the rods 32 and
cams 30, the force of the springs 29 is thereby overcome and the cams 30 will
remove the pulley wheels 27 into engagement with the wheels 24 and thereby
the motion of the main power shaft 14 may be communicated to the sewing
mechanisms. Upon the release of pressure from the foot treadles 28, the springs 39
will, by pressing downward on the lips 36 elevate the rods 32 and cams 30, and
at the same time cause the brake arms 35 to operate against the pulley wheels 24
for the purpose of checking the latter.
From what has been explained above it is to be understood that both sewing
machines 12 are simultaneously driven from the main power shaft 14, through the
medium of the transmitting mechanism intermediate said power shaft 14 and the
shafts 20, 21, of the sewing machines 12, said sewing machines being set in motion
by the pressure of the feet of the operative upon both of the treadles 28. The
removal of pressure from one of the treadles 28 will result in one of the sewing
machines automatically coming to a stop, while the motion of the main driving
shaft 14 and the operation of the other sewing machine will continue. When
pressure is relieved from both of the treadles 28 both of the sewing machines 12
will automatically come to a stop. Thus while both of the sewing machines are

page_text: operated from the one main driving shaft 14, either of said machines may, should
the occasion arise, be stopped without interfering with the continued operation
of the other sewing machine. This feature of the construction herein before
described is of great importance since it is practically impossible for the sewing
mechanisms to be so finely made, adjusted and maintained that both machines
will, while sewing a long length of fabric, exactly and uniformly feed forward the
edges of the fabric. The differing characteristics of the fabrics to be sewed, and
other circumstances, render it substantially impossible for the two machines to
maintain a uniform rate of feed, although by the proper adjustment of the machine
this result should be sought to be accomplished as far as possible. The power
transmitting mechanism, hereinbefore described, renders it entirely practicable
to make use of the two sewing machines 12 for the sewing of the opposite edges
of the fabrics, since when one edge of the fabric advances ahead of the other
edge thereof, one sewing machine may be quickly and automatically stopped
while the other sewing machine continues until it has caught up with its work,
whereupon the operator by means of her foot will start the arrested machine in
order that both machines may then continue their work until it is discovered that
one of the machines is again in advance of the other machine. The length of
fabric fed to the machines usually contains transverse creases or folds, due to the
bolting of the fabric, and these creases or folds may be readily utilized as guides
to the operative in determining when one edge of the fabric has advanced ahead
of the other thereof.
I have pointed out herein before the advantages derivable from the employment
of the power transmitting mechanism of the character hereinbefore described over
the prior art disclosing a duplex machine in which both of the sewing mechanisms
are driven from one driving shaft, with no provision for the stopping of one of
the machines while continuing the operation of the other machine.
It is necessary also, for greater efficiency and practicability, to supply the
duplex machine with means for caring for the slack along the middle of the length
of fabric when the latter is greater in width than the distance between the two
sewing mechanisms, and also for properly feeding away the forward portion of the
fabric without creating any undue amount of strain upon the same, and to these
ends I provide on the front of the table 10 the adjustable bracket 40 and upon the
upper surfaces of said table and intermediate the machines 12, 12, the adjustable
frame 41, while in the rear of the machine I provide a roller or wheel 42, over
the latter of which the fabric will pass on its way from the machine
The roller 42 is secured upon a shaft 43, and the latter is mounted in suitable
bearings 44 provided in the upper ends of the rigid arms 45 which are secured
at their lower ends to the legs or frames 11. Upon one end of the shaft 43 is
mounted the belt wheel 46 which is connected by the belt 47 with a belt wheel 48
mounted upon the main power shaft 14. The roller or wheel 42 receives its motion
through the belt wheels 46, 48, and belt 47 from the main power shaft 14, and
when the shaft 14 is in motion the roller or wheel 42 will revolve without regard
to the position of the foot treadles 28 or their connections. It is desired that the
roller 42 shall revolve with a slow rate of speed, and hence the belt wheel 46 is
of greater diameter than the belt wheel 48. The roller 42 has a plain smooth
surface and the fabric simply rests upon said roller, and therefore the roller 42
will not exert any undue pulling action on the fabric, but, under its frictional
contact with said fabric, will gently draw the fabric rearward and permit it to
descend beyond the influence of the machine. The roller 42 is illustrated in the
drawing as being of some considerable length, but I desire it to be understood that
the present invention is not limited to giving the roller 42 any special length,
the essential consideration being that the roller shall engage the central longi-
Audinal portions of the strip of fabric. Hence the length of the roller 42 may
vary at will in accordance with the judgment of the manufacturer and the nature
of the special fabric under treatment.
The bracket 40 is in the nature of a wire loop or frame held at its ends upon

page_text: adjusting screws 50, which pass through the ears 51, of the brackets 52 which are
secured to the front edge of the table 10. By tightening the screws 50 to a
greater or less extent, the degree of clamping action on the lower ends of th:
frame 40 may be regulated at will. It is intended that the frame 40 shall be
adjusted upward or downward in accordance with the degree of slack which may
be along the middle of the length of fabric to be treated, the greater the amount
of slack in said fabric, the higher the frame 40 is to be elevated. When there
is no great amount of slack in the middle of the length of fabric to be treated, the
frame 40 will be lowered and the fabric will be fed over it, the middle of the
fabric moving against the middle portion of the frame 40 and the latter auto-
matically serving to keep the fabric spread and to thereby aid the operative in
properly feeding the same to the machine. It is my purpose to hold the lower
ends of the frame 40 by frictional contact so that the operative may adjust said
frame without loosening the screws 50.
The frame 41 is preferably composed of the horizontal bar 53 having down-
wardly extending front and rear ends 54 and mounted upon the upper ends of the
loops 55, which will preferably be made of wire and be held by staples 56 extend-
ing downward through the table 10 and secured by thumb nuts 57. The loops 55
have lower horizontal portions, as shown in Fig. 5, to receive the staples 56 and
to afford a firm bearing for the rod 53. The loops 55 while tightly held by the
staples 56 are capable of having an oscillatory motion imparted to them, the pur-
pose of this feature being to enable the operative to raise or lower
the rod 53 in accordance with the amount of slack present along
the center of the fabric to be treated. When the fabric to be
treated is only slightly greater than the distance between the sewing mechanisms
of the two machines, the rod 53 will be pushed downward, and when there is a
large amount of slack along the middle portion of the fabric the rod 53 will be
pulled upward so as to take up the said slack. The rear end of the rod 53 will
preferably be supplied with the diverging and downwardly extending fingers 58
in order to the more readily direct the fabric in an even manner from the machine,
the opposite sides of the length of fabric riding down said fingers 58 and being
kept in a spread condition until after the fabric is away from the rear end of the
bar 53.
The fabric to be sewed is fed over the frame 40 and frame 41, its edges being
passed through the hem-stitching attachments 13 and folded and sewed in a
well-known manner.
The adjustment of the frame 40 should be in harmony with the adjust-
ment of the frame 41, and hence the higher the frame 41 is elevated
the more should the frame 40 be moved upward, the best results being attained
when the upper edge of the frame 40 is about on a level of the rod 53 of the frame 41.
The frame 41 is particularly advantageous in that it keeps the fabric in a
substantially smooth condition while being fed through the machines and relieves
the operative from devoting considerable time and attention to the middle portion
of the fabric to the sacrifice of attention which should be given to the operation
of the hem-stitching attachments and the sewing mechanisms.
The frame 41 is also of great advantage in that by reason thereof the varying
widths of fabric may be fed to the machine without requiring any adjustment of
the sewing machines 12, 12, toward or from one another, as has been required of
the prior art, as I have hereinbefore explained.
I regard the adjustable frame 41 in the combinations herein before described,
as entirely new and as presenting a substantial advance in this art.
The operation of the machine herein before described will probably be sufficiently
understood from the foregoing explanation, and hence a further detailed descrip-
tion of such operation is probably not necessary. It may be stated, however,
that the main driving shaft 14 is utilized for driving the shaft of the roller or
wheel 42 and the driving shafts 20, 21, of the sewing machines 12, 12 that by
reason of the intermediate clutch mechanism connected with the foot treadles 28,

page_text: both of the machines 12 will remain idle until the operative places her feet upon
said treadles, and that either of said machines 12, 12, may be temporarily stopped
at any time by simply the removal of the foot of the operative from the appro-
priate treadle 28. Both of the machines may be stopped by the removal of the
feet of the operative from both of the treadles 28.
The fabric to be treated is fed over the frames 40 and 41 and is finally carried
over the roller 42 to a point of final delivery. The frame 41 is exclusively used
for taking up the slack in the middle portions of the fabric and may be raised
or lowered at will. When there is no slack in the fabric the frame 41 will be
pushed rearward until it rests down upon the table 10, where it will be idle and
out of the way. The frame 40 is also adjustable and it will be of benefit both
when the frame 41 is in and out of use, since it will engage the middle portions
of the fabric and keep the same in a desirable spread condition and aid the opera-
tive in seeing that the fabric is properly fed to the machine.
The clutch mechanism, herein before described, represented by the pulley-
wheels 24, 27, and cams 30, is not per se claimed therein, since said features are
not new with me and constitute a familiar form of clutch device which I have
utilized in carrying my invention into effect. My invention is not limited, there-
fore, to the special construction of clutch device herein before described.
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:
1. In a sewing machine having the two sewing mechanisms independent of one
another and feeding in the same direction, for sewing two parallel seams, the main
driving shaft 14, to which power is applied, and the driving shafts 20, 21, of the
indépendent sewing mechanisms, combined with power transmitting mechanism
intermediate said shaft 14 and said shafts 20, 21, for communicating motion from
the shaft 14 to said shafts 20, 21, clutch mechanisms interposed in said trans-
mitting mechanism and normally interrupting the transmission of power from
the shaft 14 to said shafts 20, 21, and the foot treadles independent of one
another and each connected with a set of said clutch mechanism and adapted to
place said clutch mechanism in operative condition so that during and only during
such time as pressure is applied to said foot treadles, the motion of the main
driving shaft 14 may be imparted to said shafts 20, 21; substantially as set forth.
2. In a sewing machine having the two sewing mechanisms independent of one
another and feeding in the same direction, for sewing two parallel seams, the main
driving shaft 14 having the belt wheels 16, 17, and the shafts 20, 21, of the said sew-
ing mechanisms and having the belt wheels 22, combined with the belt wheels 24, 27,
for each sewing mechanism, the belts 23 connecting the said wheels 22 with said
wheels 24, the belts 18, 19, connecting said wheels 27 with said wheels 16, 17,
the independent foot treadles 28, and means connected with and operable from
said foot treadles for controlling the union of said wheels 27 and 24 with one
another and thus completing the power transmitting connection from the said
shaft 14 to the said shafts 20, 21; substantially as set forth.
3. In a sewing machine having the two sewing mechanisms independent of
one another and feeding in the same direction, for sewing two parallel seams, the
main driving shaft 14 having the belt wheels 16, 17, and the shafts 20, 21, of the
said sewing mechanisms and having the belt wheels 22, combined with the belt
wheels 24, 27, for each sewing mechanism, the belts 23 connecting the said
wheels 22 with said wheels 24, the belts 18, 19, connecting said wheels 27 with
said wheels 16, 17, the independent foot treadles 28 and means connected with said
foot treadles for forcing said wheels 27, 24, into union with one another so that
the motion of the wheels 27 may be imparted to the wheels 24, the said
wheels 27, 24, being normally disconnected from one another and incapable of
communicating motion to one another; substantially as set forth.
4. In a sewing machine comprising the two independent sewing mechanisms

page_text: adapted to feed in the same direction and to sew two parallel seams, a vertically
adjustable frame located intermediate said mechanisms for taking up the slack
along the longitudinal middle portions of the length of fabric to be treated;
substantially as set forth.
5. In a sewing machine comprising the two independent sewing mechanisms
feeding in the same direction and adapted to sew two parallel seams, the bar or
rod 53 extending above the supporting table of the machine and intermediate
said sewing mechanisms, combined with means supporting said rod or bar 53
and permitting the same to be raised or lowered in accordance with the amount
of slack to be taken up by the same; substantially as set forth.
6. In a sewing machine comprising the two independent sewing mechanisms
adapted to feed in the same direction and adapted to sew two parallel seams, the
bar or rod 53 extending above the supporting table of the machine and inter-
mediate said sewing mechanism, and fingers connected with the rear end of said bar
for keeping the fabric spread as it passes over the end of said bar or rod, combined
with means supporting said bar or rod and permitting of the vertical adjustment of
the same in accordance with the amount of slack to be taken up; substantially
as set forth.
7. In a sewing machine comprising the two independent sewing mechanisms
adapted to feed in the same direction and sew two parallel seams, the bar or rod 53
extending intermediate the said sewing mechanisms and above the supporting
table of the machine, and the loops 55 sustaining said bar or rod 53, combined with
the staples 56 binding said loops to said table and permitting of a hinge-like
movement to said loops for raising and lowering said bar or rod 53; substantially
as set forth.
8. In a sewing machine comprising two independent sets of sewing mechanisms
adapted to feed in the same direction and sew two parallel seams, the adjustable
frame 40 over which the length of the fabric is to be fed and which is secured to
the front of the machine; substantially as set forth.
9. In a sewing machine comprising the two independent sets of sewing
mechanisms adapted to feed in the same direction and to sew two parallel seams,
the adjustable frame 40 secured to the front of the machine and over which the
middle portions of the length of fabric are to be fed, combined with an adjustable
frame intermediate said sewing mechanisms and in line with said frame 40, to
take up the slack along the middle portions of the said fabric; substantially as
set forth.
10. In a sewing machine comprising the independent sets of sewing mechanisms
adapted to feed in the same direction and to sew two parallel seams, power
mechanism for driving said machine, combined with a substantially smooth sur-
faced roller 42 in the rear of said machine and over which the fabric passes on its
way from said machine, and means connecting the shaft of said roller with said
power mechanism for driving said roller at a slow rate of speed; substantially as
set forth.
Data 911 1
1000
JAMES AUGHILTREE CAMERON.
By Day, Davies & Hunt,
Chartered Patent Agents, 321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.