IMPROVEMENTS IN. EMBROIDERY AND TUCK MARKER ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Norris Parmby Stockwell, of 61, Regent Street,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN.
EMBROIDERY AND TUCK MARKER ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINES,”-A
communication from abroad by The Howe Machine Company, of
Bridgeport, State of Connecticut, United States of America.
Scaled the 1st October 1872, and dated the 20th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Norris Parmby Stock.
well at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 20th April 1872.
I, NORRIS PARMBY STOCKWELL, of 64, Regent Street, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN EMBROIDERY AND TUCK MARKER ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING
MACHINES,"
." to be as follows :—
Heretofore in embroidery attachments for sewing machines embroidery
threads of various colors have been laid upon the surface of the fabric.
along the line of stitching which is being made, and have been crossed

page_text: which are socured to the fabric by the stitching; the embroidery threads
have for this purpose been passed through eyes at the lower extremity
of two vertical levers which are coupled together in such manner that
when one lever is inclined in one direction the other lever inclines in
the opposite direction.
Various ways of acting upon these levers have been proposed to cause
them to oscillate in opposite directions each time that the needle rises
so as to cross the embroidery threads before the next descent of the
needle.
According to this Invention this is effected by fixing to the top of the
needle slide or carrier a spring arm or rod which hangs downwards
parallel with the needle slide, and carries at its lower end a small tooth
to act alternately upon two opposite sides of a cam fixed upon the upper
arm of one of the levers before mentioned, the lower end of this cam
comes to a point on the central line of the lever and somewhat below
its axis. When the needle slide rises the small tooth comes against one
or other side of the cam and by acting upon it turns the lever to which
the cam is fixed and causes it to incline in one or other direction.
When the needle has again descended and again rises the small tooth
comes against the opposite side of the cam and oscillates the lever back
in the opposite direction, and so on continuously, thus crossing the
embroidery threads after each ascent of the needle.
When a sewing machine is to be used for sewing tucks and when
it is desired to make a number of tucks parallel with one another
tuck markers are now used by which at the same time that one tuck
is being sewn the fabric is also marked where it will have to be folded
for the next tuck. In such tuck markers a v-shaped tooth is commonly
caused to beat down on to the upper surface of the fabric, where it
will next have to be folded and bend it over a narrow edge or blade.
According to this Invention a tuck marker is constructed in the
following manner:-The narrow edge or blade is carried by a plate
which is to be clamped down to the bed of the sewing machine, and
to the back end of this plate is attached one end of a spring, carrying
at its opposite end the V tooth before mentioned. The guide, against
which the edge of the fabric is held, as it passes through the machine is
made to slide upon the plate and can be clamped down by the same
.

page_text: screw by which the plate is held. At the back of the plate is also fixed
one end of a coiled spring, from the opposite end of which a straight
wire or rod extends out to the front of the plate and is connected to
the lower end of the needle slide or carrier. The end of the wire or
rod is bent round so as to form it into a spring, and at each descent
of the needle it beats down on to the picce which has the V tooth
formed in it and so causes it to mark the fabric. By using a graduated
rule the guide for the edge of the fabric can
"
be set to any distante
desired from the crease or marker, and thus the tucks may be made at
any desired distance apart from one another:
SPECIFICATION in. pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Norris Parmby Stockwell in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NORкIS
PARMBY STOCKWELL, of 64, Regent Street; in the County of Middlesex,
bend greeting.
WHEREAS Her, most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Norris Pärmby Stockwell, Her special
license that I, the said Norris Parmby Stockwell; my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Norris Parmby
Stockwell, my executors, administrators; and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no 'other's, from time to time; and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, än Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN EMBROIDERY AND TUCK MARKER ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING
MACHINES;" a communication to him from abroad by The Howe Machine
Company, of Bridgeport, State of Connecticut, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Norris Parmby
Stockwell, my executors or administrators; by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly,

page_text: describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Norris Parmby Stockwell, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
Herctofore in embroidery attachments for sewing machines embroidery
threads of various colors have been laid upon tho surface of the fabric 1
along the line of stitching which is being made, and have been crossed
to and fro so as to form as it were a succession of loops like the figure 8,
which are secured to the fabric by the stitching. The embroidery
threads have for this purpose been passed through oyes at the lower
extremity of two vertical levers, which are coupled together in such 1
manner that when one lever is inclined in one direction the other lever
inclines in the opposite direction.
Various ways of acting upon these levers have been proposed to cause
them to oscillate in opposite directions each time that the needle rises,
so as to cross the embroidery threads before the next descent of the 2
needle.
According to this Invention this is effected by fixing to the top of the
needle slide or carrier a spring arm or rod which hangs downwards
parallel with the needle slide, and carries at its lower end a small tooth
to act alternately upon two opposite sides of a cam fixed upon the upper 2
arm of one of the levers before mentioned, the lower end of this cam
comes to a point on the central line of the lever and somewhat below
its axis. When the needle slide rises the small tooth comes against one
or other side of the cam, and by acting upon it turns the lever to which
the cam is fixed and causes it to incline in one or other direction.
When the needle has again descended and again rises the small tooth
comes against the opposite side of the cam and oscillates the lever back
in the opposite direction, and so on continuously, thus crossing the
embroidery threads after cach ascent of the needle.
In order that this part of the Invention may be fully understood, I
have at Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings hereunto annexod shewn part
of a sewing machine having an embroidery attachment constructed as

page_text: above described applied to it, the sewing machine may be of any
ordinary construction, that shewn in the Drawing is part of a shuttle
sewing machine well known as the Howe sewing machine, so that it is
unnecessary to give here any description of it. A front view of the
apparatus is shewn at Figure 1 and an edge view at Figure 2.
=
:
a and b are the two levers which are coupled together as above
described, and which have thread eyes a', 6', formed at their lower ends
through which the embroidery threads are to be led. Three thread
eyes are shewn at the end of each lever, and through each a separato
embroidery thread is led. The number of thread eyes at the end of
each lover may however be varied according to the number of embroidery
threads t is desired to employ. The several embroidery threads are as
usual led off from separate reels carried on spindles which stand out
from a bar a as shewn at Figure 3 of the Drawings, and the requisito
tension is put on to each thread by applying friction in the ordinary
manner to the ends of the reel from which it is drawn. The bar is
carried by a curved arm y the end of which is bent downwards and this
end of the arm drops into a hole shewn at Figure 1 in the fixed arm
of the machine. The threads are led down from the reels through the
guide eyes a* and **, and then through the eyes a¹, b¹ at the ends of the
levers. The lever a turns on a pin or axis at a² and the lever 6 on a
pin or axis at 6. These pins are carried by a plate c which can be
clamped by set screws d to the edge of the needle slide box of the
sewing machine as shewn. The lever a also carries a pin a³ which passes
through a slot in the plate c and enters a notch in the top of the lever b.
By this means when the lever a is turned in one direction upon its pin or
axis the lever 6 is caused to turn in the opposite direction, d is the pointed
cam fixed upon the lever a the point of the cam being downwards; e
is the spring rod which is clamped at its upper end to the needle slide
and which carries at its lower end the tooth e¹. When the needle slide
descends the tooth e¹ comes down below the bottom of the pointed cam
and the spring rod e then springs into its normal position. This brings
the tooth e vertically below the centro of the axis upon which the
lever a turns. When the needle slide again rises the tooth e³ comes
against the opposite side of the cam to that against which it previously
acted, and as it moves upwards along this side the tooth on the spring
rod presses against it and turns the lever on its axis. The pointed lower
end of the cam is thus thrown over to the opposite side of the centre

page_text: of the lever a, so that when the needle slido again descends the tooth e'
in place of again rising up along this same side of the cam rises up on its
opposite side, and so again rocks the lever in the opposite direction, and
so on continuously, the position of the levers being changed at each
ascent of the needle, and the embroidery threads crossed over one
another before the needle again descends to secure them on to the surfaco
of the fabric which is being embroidered.
Having thus described this part of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what is claimed
is, the combined arrangement of embroidery attachment for sewing 1
machines, substantially as herein described.
When a sewing machine is to be used for sewing tucks, and when it
is desired to make a number of tucks parallel with one another, tuck
markers are now used, by which at the same time that one tuck is being
sewn the fabric is also marked where it will have to be folded for the 1
next tuck. In such tuck markers a V-shaped tooth is commonly caused
to beat down on to the upper surface of the fabric where it will next
have to be folded, and bend it over a narrow edge or blade..
According to this Invention a tuck marker is constructed in the
following manner:-The narrow edge or blade is carried by a plate, 2
which is to be clamped down to the bed of the sewing machine, and to
the back end of this plate is attached one end of a spring carrying at
its opposite end the V tooth before mentioned. The guide against which
the edge of the fabric is held as it passes through the machine is made
to slide upon the plate, and can be clamped down by the same screw by 2
which the plate is held. At the back of the plate is also fixed one end
of a coiled spring, from the opposite end of which a straight wire or
rod extends out to the front of the plate, and is connected to the lower
end of the needle slide or carrier. The end of the wire or rod is bent
round so as to form it into a spring, and at each descent of the needle it B
beats down on to the piece which has the V tooth formed in it and so
causes it to mark the fabric.
By using a graduated rule the guide for the edge of the fabric can
be set to any distance required from the crease or marker, and then the
tucks may be made at any desired distance apart from one another.
A tuck marker constructed as above described is shewn at Figures
4 and 5 of the Drawings, Figure 4 being a plan view, and Figure 5 a
33

page_text: vertical section taken through the line A, B, Figure 4; fis the narrow
edge or blade above mentioned carried by the plate in which is a
slot g¹ through which passes the clamping screw by which it is to bo
clamped to the bed of the sewing machine; h is the tooth carried
by the flat spring %, which at its opposite end is fixed at k* to the back
end of the plate g; is the guide against which the edge of the fabric
is held; this guide is at the forward end of a plate m, in which is a
slot for the clamping screw before mentioned to pass through, the
plate mis kept parallel with the plate g by the guide being notched
เ
out to embrace the spring k, and by a stud n on the plate a passing up
through a slot m*' in the plate m, the stud being bent over so as to
overlap this plate, the plate can thus be slid to and fro parallel to the
plate g, and the guide for the fabric thereby set at any desired distance
from the narrow edge or blade f, according to the width of tuck to bọ
made. At the back of the plate g is fixed one end of the coiled spring o,
from the opposite end of which extends the straight wire p, which near
its forward end is connected to the lower end of the дeedle slide of tho
sewing machine by the small plater, which is bent around the wire and
can slide freely along it, The wire as shewn extends beyond the narrow
edge or blade f, and is bent back so that when the wire is pressed down-
wards its end comes on to the top of the toothed piece 7, and thereby
at each descent of the needle slide causes this tooth to beat downwards
towards the narrow edge or blades, and mark the fabric which is between
them.
Having thus described this part of the Invention I would have it
understood that what is claimed is the combined construction of tuck
marker substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Norris Parmby Stockwell, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
•