IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Robert Rossiter, of the City of Bristol, Engineer
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 12th March 1880, and dated the 16th September 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. left by the said Thomas Robert Rossiter at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th September 1879.
THOMAS ROBERT ROSSITER, of the City of Bristol, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES."
My Invention relates to sewing machines to be employed for the production of
what is known as the "herring-bone" stitch, and of a modification thereof, the
same being intended more particularly to be applied to the ornamentation of corsets
and other like articles.
In carrying out my Invention I mount the feeder by preference on a vertical
centre or fulcrum which is capable of a to and fro sliding motion, so as to move the
feeder forwards and backwards, whilst at the same time the feeder may be turned
on its centre or fulcrum in such a manner that its feeding end shall perform a
lateral motion. The to and fro motion is obtained by means of a circumferential
cam mounted upon a shaft driven from the main shaft, and the lateral motion is
derived from a face cam fast upon a shaft driven from the shaft upon which the
circumferential cam is mounted. The cams are so timed that the cloth is caused to
move diagonally in one direction, then forwards, then backwards again to the pre-
ceding point, and then diagonally in the opposite direction, and then forwards and
backwards and diagonally in the direction first mentioned, the needle having simply
a vertical motion, and passing through the cloth at each point. The thread may be
of any color desired for ornamental purposes; and as a modification of the stitch
with the view of securing further ornamentation I may lay on thread of a different
color, so as to form diagonals connected with the points to which the respective
forward motions of the cloth 'extend; by the employment of a vibrating lever which
receives thread from a spool and passes the same under the other thread just as the
needle is descending, the motion of such lever derived from a cam being so arranged
that the lever follows the feeder in such a manner that the additional thread is
supplied to the needle when the cloth is in both its lateral positions
.:
'

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Robert Rossiter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
March 1880.
THOMAS ROBERT ROSSITER, of the City of Bristol, Engineer,
SEWING MACHINES."
.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
.
My said Invention relates to sewing machines to be employed for the production
of a stitch similar to what is known as the "herring-bone" stitch, and of a modifi-
cation thereof, the same being intended more particularly to be applied to the
ornamentation of corsets and other like articles.
In carrying out my Invention I mount the feeding bar in or on a vertical centre
or fulcrum, so as to be capable of a longitudinal to and fro sliding motion, whilst at
the same time it may be turned on its centre or fulcrum in such a manner that its
feeding end shall perform a lateral motion.
The longitudinal to and fro motion is obtained by means of a circumferential cam
mounted upon a shaft driven from the main shaft, and the lateral motion is derived
from a face cam fast upon a shaft driven from the shaft upon which the circumfe-
rential cam is mounted. The cams are so timed that the cloth is caused to move
diagonally in one direction, then forwards, then backwards again to the preceding
point, and then diagonally in the opposite direction, and then forwards and back-
wards and diagonally in the direction first mentioned, the needle simply having a
vertical motion, and passing through the cloth at each point. The thread may be
of any color desired for ornamental purposes; and as a modification of the stitch
with the view of securing further ornamentation I may lay on the material being
sewn a thread of a different color, so as to form diagonals connected with the points
to which the respective forward motions of the cloth extend. This may be accom-
plished by the employment of a vibrating lever, which receives thread from a spool
and, passes the same under the other thread just as the needle is descending, the
motion of such lever derived from a cam being so arranged that the lever follows
the feeder in such a manner as to lay the additional thread in position to be secured
by the needle thread when the cloth is in both its lateral positions..
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the accompanying Drawings, the same letters of reference on which indicate corre
sponding parts in all the Figures. I wish it however to be understood that my said
Invention is applicable to other types of sewing machines than that which I have
illustrated, and that as the mechanism for actuating the needle and shuttle forms no
part of my present Invention, I have not considered it necessary to illustrate nor
describe the same in detail.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of a lock stitch sewing
machine with my improvements applied thereto; Figure 2 is a corresponding plan
of the underside thereof, and Figure 3 is a transverse section; Figures 4 and 5 are
diagrams of the stitch produced,
VA is the feed bar mounted in a stud B, which is fitted to turn on a vertical axis
in an arm C attached to or formed on the bed plate D of the machine.
The end a of the feed bar is connected to the stud B by means of a pin c, which
passes through a slot c. in the end a, the slot being of sufficient length to admit of
the bar sliding to and fro upon the pin ca distance equal to the greatest amount of
feed required. The sliding horizontal to and fro motion of the bar is obtained by
means of a cam or wiper E in combination with a spring E¹; the cam E is fast on
a shaft F, which is mounted parallel with the driving shaft G in bearings H secured
to the underside of the bed plate D, motion being transmitted from the shaft G to
the shaft F by means of the spur gearing I. The cam E imparts a longitudinal
motion to the feed bar A by acting against the projection d on the feed bar, whilst

page_text: the elevating of the feed bar to cause it to feed the material being sewn is effected
by a cam or wiper K fast on the shaft G. In addition to, the sliding longitudinal
to and fro motion herein before described, the feed bar has a lateral motion imparted
to it in the following manner.:-
:-L is a bar centred at e to the under side of the bed
plate D, and connected by means of a rod M to the feed bar A. The bar L carries a
friction stud or roller f, which under the action of a spring is always maintained in
contact with a face cam N. keyed on a shaft O, the latter being arranged parallel
with the shaft F, and actuated therefrom by means of gearing P. The cam N as it
rotates, by acting in combination with the spring g on the bar L, causes the feed
bar A to move to and fro laterally, the stud B turning on its axis to admit of such
motion, whereby, in conjunction with the longitudinal to and fro motion herein-
before described, the stitch illustrated by the diagram, Figure 4, is produced,
The apparatus operates in the following manner :-
1.
The material having been placed beneath the presser foot Q, the needle R is
caused to descend and carry a loop through the material, say, for example, at i,
Figure 4, which loop is secured by passing the shuttle thread through it in the
ordinary manner. The needle then rises and the material is caused to travel in a
diagonal direction, when the needle at its next descent will enter the material at.
the point k. This diagonal motion of the material is effected by the combined
action of the cains E and N, which are suitably timed to impart to the feed bar a
longitudinal and lateral motion simultaneously. The needle having passed a loop
through the material at the point k, and the loop having been secured by the shuttle
thread, the needle again rises, and the material is then moved under the action of
the cam E in a longitudinal direction, so as to cause the needle to next enter the
material at the point 1, after which (the loop having been secured) the needle again
rises, and the material is then (under the action of the spring E³) caused to move
back ward or return to its former. position, when the needle will again enter the
material at the point k. A diagonal movement in a reverse direction to that before
described is next imparted to the material, so as to cause the needle to enter it at
the point m, after which the material is fed longitudinally to and fro, so as to cause
the needle to enter the material at the points n and m in succession, and thus com- -
plete one series of movements, which may be repeated any number of times for
producing the ornamental stitching illustrated by Figure 4.
With the view of producing increased ornamentation on the material I apply to
the surface thereof another or additional thread, as shewn in Figure 5, which thread
may be of any desired color, and is attached or secured to the surface of the
material by the stitches produced in the manner herein before described.
The additional thread is fed or arranged in position to be secured by the other
thread in the following manner :-S is a lever centred at T to the overhanging arm
or goose neck U, and provided at its lower end with an eye o, through which the
additional thread from a spool or bobbin is passed, and by which it is conducted
into position to be secured. This lever is connected by means of a rod V to the
upper end of another lever W, centred at X and carrying at its lower end a rod Y,
which is maintained by means of a spring Z in contact with a face cam p keyed on
the shaft O, herein before referred to. This cam is suitably shaped and timed with.
reference to the motion of the cams K. and N to act upon the lever S, so as to cause.
its lower end to move laterally, and lay the additional thread in the proper position
to be secured on the surface of the material by the needle thread. When making
the longitudinal portions of the stitches, for example, just immediately before the
material is moved from the position where the needle enters it at k (Figure 5) to the
position where the needle enters it at 7, the lever S by the action of the cam p
conducts the additional thread q across the material, so that when the needle
descends at the point the thread r which it carries will lie on top of and
secure the additional thread q, the lever S still remaining in this position until the
material has made its backward movement or returns to its former position, and
also its diagonal motion, as hereinbefore described, for the needle to descend next
at the point m. When these motions have been made the lever S by the action of

page_text: the cam p is caused to move back again across the material, so as to lay the thread q
in the position for the thread r to lie on top thereof, when the material is next
caused to move to and fro longitudinally for the needle to enter at the points n and
m, the repetition of these movements thus producing the ornamental stitching illus-
trated by Figure 5.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The employment in sewing machines of a feeder arranged and operating
so as to produce in conjunction with sewing mechanism the peculiar stitch illus-
trated in Figure 4 of the accompanying Drawings, substantially in the manner and
for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Second. The combination with a feeder, arranged as herein set forth, of a
vibrating lever or device for laying on the material an additional thread to be
secured by the needle thread in the manner illustrated in Figure 5 of the accom-
panying Drawings, all substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Robert Rossiter, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.