Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd June, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, RUFUS CHANDLER, of 153, John Street, Bridgeport, County of Fairfield, State of
Connecticut, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare, the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to Sewing Machines, and particularly to that class of said
machines known as double-acting inasmuch as they contain two separate systems of
sewing nechanism which operate conjointly to form simultaneously two parallel rows
of stitching, the object being to provide an improved machine of this class in which
provision is made for operating two sewing mechanisms jointly, and for removing one
of said mechanisms to convert the machine into a single right or left hand vertical one,
and the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the various
parts of the machine, all as hereinafter fully described.
In the drawing forming part of this specification,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a double-acting sewing-machine constructed according
to the invention, said Figure showing a portion of one side of the standards containing
the sewing mechanism also partly broken away.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the front end of the needle-bar arm and its connected
parts and of the base portion of the frame of the machine having one of the hollow
standards containing one of the sewing mechanisms removed.
Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper end of one of the
mechanism-containing standards showing portions of the sewing mechanism herein-
after fully described.
Figure 4 is a top plan view, partly in section, of the front end of the needle-
bar arun and of take-up, tension, and thread-checking devices hereinafter fully
described.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the front end of the needle-bar arm, showing thereon
portions of the take-up and tension mechanisms and take-up regulating mechanism, all
of which are hereinafter fully described.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of portions of the sewing mechanism hereinafter
fully described.
Figure 7. is a side elevation of a portion of one of the shafts of the machine and a
section of an adjusting collar thereon, all fully described below.
Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale of the two
hollow standards and of the duplicated sewing mechanisms contained therein.
In the drawing is shown a frame for containing and supporting the operating parts
of the machine, consisting of a hollow base 2, a hollow vertical post 3, and a needle-
bar arm 4, extending horizontally over said base, together with two hollow vertical
standards A B, secured by their bases or lower ends on the upper side of said hollow
base 2 of the frame, by screws passing through suitable flanges ou the lower ends of
said standards, or by other suitable means, whereby provision is made for conveniently
applying and removing either one of said hollow standards, the latter being, when used
in conjunction, secured together side by side by screws passing through suitable
holes in flanges thereon, portions of which flanges are shown in Figure 3.
The main driving mechanism of the machine consists of a horizontal shaft 5,
extending through said arm 4 and having suitable bearings therein, and a driving
pulley 6 fixed on the rear end of said shaft. A crank 7 is fixed on the opposite end of
said shaft, whereby a vertically reciprocating motion is imparted to the needle-bar 8,
said bar having a collar 9 adjustably secured thereon, and a connection is formed
between said collar and said crank 7 by means of a link 10, pivotally connected by its
ends to s.id collar and crank.

page_text: A take-up actuating cam 12 is secured on said shaft 5 near its crank-
bearing end.
The hollow post 3 has within it, rotating in suitable bearings therein, a vertical
shaft 13, having a geared connection with said shaft 5, and also a like connection with
a horizontal shaft, shown in dotted lines in the base 2 the frame, on which latter
named shaft, under said. hollow standards, is fixed a double bevel-geared pinion, also
there indicated in dotted lines.
Each of said hollow standards contains within it a, vertical shaft 14, having on its
lower end a bevel-geared pinion engaging with the aforesaid double bevel-geared
pinion in the base 2, all as clearly indicated in Figure 1, whereby said shafts 14,
separately or jointly, are given the requisite rotary motions for actuating the below
described sewing mechanisms, which act in conjunction with the needle-bar and needle
or needles, and the presser bar and foot of the machine.
Each of said shafts 14 is supported in its hollow standard, to be rotated and
adjusted, as follows:-
The base of the standard A or B is perforated to receive a sleeve 15, which con-
stitutes the bearing for the lower end of said vertical shaft, said sleeve being tapered.
externally or of greater diameter at its lower end whereby its opposite end is made capable
of a slight degree of vibratory movement, to permit the upper end of the shaft 14, and
the sewing devices connected therewith to be adjusted laterally relative to the axial
line of the needle-bar 8, for the purpose of varying the degree of separation of the two
lines of stitches that may be sewn by the use of the said two mechanisms, contained in
said standards A and B.
A screw 16 in the base of the said standard is screwed against said sleeve 15, to
hold it rigidly after it shall have been freed to permit said shaft-adjustment.
The upper end of said shaft 14 is of semi-spherical form and has formed thereon a
series of gear-teeth 17, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, which engage with similarly
formed teeth on the rear end of the rotary loop-carrying hook 18. The latter named
hook is that well known to those familiar with sewing machines, as the Wilcox
& Gibbs hook.
The upper end of each of said shafts 14 is supported in its hollow standard A or B
by a transverse journal-bar 19, one end of which enters the outer side of said standard,
as shown in Figures 1 and 8, and is adapted to have a degree of endwise movement
therein to provide for the above referred to lateral adjustment of the upper end of the
shaft 14 and the sewing devices attached thereto.
The said bar 19 has a bearing through it for said shaft 14, and the yoke 20 is, by
its lower end secured thereon by the nut 21, and said yoke is further secured in a rigid
position when the parts of the machine are adjusted for sewing, by a screw 22, which
passes through a slot in said yoke into a boss 23, on the inside of the hollow
standard, shown in Figure 3. The said slot in yoke 20 permits the latter to be moved
with the shaft 14, when the shaft is adjusted laterally as aforesaid. The adjoining ends
of the journal bars, 19, of the two hellow standards are, when the said standards and
the two systems of sewing mechanism are used conjointly, united by a coupling-
nut 24, the latter and said shafts being screw-threaded right and left handed, and said
nut is turned by inserting the point of an instrument in holes therein or in any other
suitable way, to separate or approach the ends of said journal-shafts, for adjusting the
separation of the sewing mechanisms as aforesaid. By removing the said screws
which secure the hollow standards together, and from the foot of one standard, one
thereof may be removed from the base 2 of the frame of the machine, leaving one (a
right or left hand as may be desired) standard and its sewing mechanism only,
to be used singly for stitching hats, and other articles that require such an
arrangement of sewing devices for convenient manipulation, as clearly shown in
Figure 2.
In Figure 7 is shown a portion of one of the shafts, 14, near the upper end of the
above described bearing-sleeve 15, in which is formed an annular groove 27. Said
groove is, as shown, on the portion of the shaft 14, covered by the collar 25, and the
point of an adjusting screw, 26, in said collar bears on the surface of that part of said

page_text: shaft within the limits of said groove to the end that when said collar is adjusted up
and down (for the purpose below described) such barr as may be formed by the point
of said screw bearing on the shaft 14 in the groove 27 will be below the surface of
the shaft, and any burr formed by said screw 26 will not interfere with the proper
action of the spring as below described. The collar 29 provides a fixed abutment for
the upper end of the spring 28, and is, in practice, rigidly fixed on the shaft 14 by its
set-screw. The spring 28 is in a normally compressed state between the collars 29
and 25, and to cause the said shaft to be automatically adjusted or lifted to carry it's
upper toothed end more closely into engagement with the toothed end of the hook 18,
the screw 26 in the collar 25 is suitably loosened, letting said spring force the latter
named collar down against the end of the sleeve, 15, thereby causing the shaft 14 to
be raised for the purpose aforesaid, after which the screw 26 is tightened. This
operation for adjustment, vertically, of shaft, 14, may be effected as often as incon-
venient wear shall have taken place between collar 25 and sleeve 15, or in the tooth-
engaging parts above referred to. The annular groove 27 in shaft 14, permits the
above-mentioned movement, vertically, of the collar 25.
On the side of each hollow standard A and B is a sliding plate 30 which covers the
sewing mechanism therein when working, and the upper ends of said standards,
one or both, are covered by a suitable cloth-plate 31.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the said yoke 20, and in said Figure is indicated
the position of the feed-step 32, in dotted lines, and Figure 3 shows, said step in
perspective view. In Figure 6 is also shown a feed-adjusting arm 33 (this arm not
being shown in the other Figures) whose lower end engages with a pin 34, in the
edge of said yoke and its upper end is made adjustable towards and from the edge of
said feed-step to vary the position of the starting point of its feed-movement, when
actuated as below described. The arm 33 is adjusted as aforesaid by a screw 35,
which passes loosely through said arm into the edge of the yoko 20. A coil-spring
between the arm 33 and the edge of said yoke serves to hold said arm in position
against the head of screw 35.
The yoke 20 has a pin 36 in one side thereof, which engages in a vertical slot in the
lower end of the feed-step 32, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 8, said pin serving as
a pivot on which the feed-step has a vibratory motion in a vertical plane and said "slot
also permits said step to have the reciprocating vertical motion requisite to a sewing-
machine feed.
The said feed-step is placed against the upper bifurcated end of the yoke 20 and the
shank of the rotary hook 18 is passed horizontally through the yoke and through the
said end of the yoke into engagement with the upper end of the shaft 14, and the rear
side of the head of the said hook is thus brought against the side of said step and
holds the latter in operative position. The shank of said hook is suitably grooved
annularly, as shown at in the sectional view Figure 8, for engagement with said
forked end of yoke 20, and its rear toothed end is perforated to receive the end of a
bearing-pin 37, which is screwed through the side of the standard A or B and has a
smooth inner end which enters said hook-shank and the hook rotates thereon. A
set-nut 38 on said pin 37 holds the pin 37 rigidly in place when once adjusted. The
yoke 20, by its said engagement with the hook, holds the latter in operative position
on the pin 37. The part of the shank of the hook 18 within the feed-step has a
cam 39 thereon, which rotates in said step to raise it, and to swing its upper serrated
end in the direction in which the teeth of said serration point and the feed-step is
moved downward and backward after a forward feed-motion by a coil spring 40 held
in the standard A or B, one angularly extended end portion of which engages with
said step, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The spring 40 is coiled about a vertical post
set in a suitable recess in the standard, said spring having its lower end fixed against
movement, and its upper angularly extended end portion has a reaction in a downward
direction, and the said angularly extended end portion or arm, acted on by the coils,
also has a reaction in a direction the reverse to that of the forward motion of the
feed-step. In other words, the angularly extended arm of the spring 40, which

page_text: engages the rear part of the feed-step, exerts a pressure both rearwardly and
downwardly, and after the feed-step has been moved upwardly and forwardly by the
cam on the hook-shank (as the width of the opening in the frame shaped feed-step is
greater than the lateral throw of the cam) on the retreat of the cam the same
does not positively inove the feed-step, but the feed-step, by the said spring, is
retracted to its rearward limit, as determined by the position of the feed-adjusting
arm 33.
The above-described feed-adjusting arm 33, regulates the degree of said backward
movement of the feed-step which the spring, 40, imparts to it, and thereby the feed-
movement of the material being operated upon by the machine is regulated, and
consequently the length of the stitches is determined.
The needle-bar 8, derives its reciprocating vertical movements from the shaft 5; as
above described, and is provided with any suitable head for holding the needles more
or less separated to conform to the requirements of the varying positions of the sewing
mechanism in said standards, as above described. Said needles pass through the
presser-foot 41 in the usual manner.
The presser-foot bar 42 is thrown downward against the work on the cloth-plate 31
by a spring 43, a collar 44 on said bar serving as a bearing for the lower end of said
spring. A common hold-up catch 45 for the presser-bar is pivoted on the side of the
head of the needle-bar arm.
The above referred to take-up and tension devices consist of a shaft 46 adapted to
have a free rocking motion in the needle-bar arm, on which are fixed one or two
take-up levers 47 (the number being determined by the number of needles used)
preferably of the elbow-lever form, one arm of which has a perforation through which
the thread passes on its course from the spool 48 to the needle or needles 49. One
arm of one of the said take-up levers (see Figures 1 and 2) has a stud fixed thereon
which extends in front of the face of the take-up cam 12, on shaft 5, on which stud is.
an ordinary friction sleeve indicated by a dotted circle in said Figures. A retracting
spring 50 has one end attached to said stud-bearing arm of the take-up lever, and
serves to hold said stud against the face of said cam, and thus the latter acts positively
in one direction only on the take-up lever, and that is, to take up the thread, or draw
the loop into the material on which sewing is being done, and said spring throws the
thread-bearing end of the take-up lever downward and also serves to correspondingly
rock the shaft 46.
Figure 5 shows the opposite side of the needle-bar arm, to that shown in Figures 1
and 2, and the down-hanging arm y of the take-up lever 47, shown in said Figure 5,
is utilized to co-operate with an automatically operating take-up regulating lever 51,
which is pivoted on the side of the head of the needle-bar arm as shown in Figure 5,
one end of said lever 51, having a slotted engagement with a pin on the collar 44,
on the presser-foot bar 42, and the opposite end of said regulating lever extends to
the rear side of said arm, y, on the take-up lever 47.
The above-described arrangement of said regulating lever 51, in conjunction with
the presser-foot bar, provides for automatically governing the degree of the take-up
motion of the levers 47, by the vertical movement of the presser-foot bar, the operation
of which is as follows:
When the presser-foot 41 is bearing on normally thick material between itself and
the cloth-plate 31, the presser-foot is thereby moved so far upward as to swing the
upper end of the lever 51, far enough away from the arm, y, of the take-up lever to
permit the latter to be freely acted on by the cam 12, and the spring 50; but when
normally thin material is being sewn upon, the presser-bar drops lower and swings
the upper end of said lever 51 towards the arm, y, of the take-up lever to such a
degree as to limit or regulate the downward motion of the last named lever, thus
proportioning the take-up of the thread to the thickness of the material sewn, and
when a seam or fold in thin material passes under the presser-foot, the bar 42 is
lifted higher, thereby so operating lever 51 as to allow a greater degree of oscillating
motion to the take-up levers proportioned to the said increased thickness. By means

page_text: of said take-up regulation as described, the frequent breaking of the thread during the
passage of material of varying thickness under the presser-foot, is avoided, and the
stitches are more evenly drawn into the material.
The tension devices consist of the usual tension-rolls 52, around which the thread
passes, said rolls being placed on said rocking shaft 46 and held frictionally thereon by
means of the usual washers, the springs 53 and nuts 51 whereby said springs are
suitably compressed against said rolls.
A thread-checking bar 55 is placed between the spools 48 and the tension rolls,
having slots through which the thread runs at an angle and nuts are placed on the
ends of said bar to contract said slots more or less to properly check the movement of
the thread, as well known for sewing machine purposes.
The above-described arrangement of the tension rolls 52 on the rocking-shaft 46
provides for an oscillating tension by giving an oscillating motion to said rolls, and
thereby thread is drawn from the spool or spools when the thread-carrying end
of the take-up is moved downward, and said rolls also rotate in the ordinary
way when thread is drawn over them by the action of the rotary hooks, in the
usual way.
Thus the usual requirement of a long stroke in the take-up lever which is very
objectionable in a sewing machine is avoided, by the oscillating action of the tension
roll, whereby a slack portion of thread (as shown in Figure 2) is brought over to be
acted on by the thread-engaging end of the take-up lever, 47, and by this means also
an easier working take-up-driving cam is employed, and furthermore, by the action of
the said oscillating tension, when it returns, on the upward motion of the take-up
lever, the commencement of the drawing in of the stitch is delayed until the needle is
out of the work.
Dated this 9th day of December 1889.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I. Rufus ChandlER of 153 John Street, Bridgeport, County of Fairfield, State of
Connecticut, 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 particularly to that class of said
machines known as double-acting inasmuch as they contain two separate systems of
sewing mechanism which operate conjointly to form simultaneously two parallel rows
of stitching, the object being to provide an improved machine of this class in which
provision is made for operating two sewing mechanisms jointly, and for removing one
of said mechanisms to convert the machine into a single right or left hand vertical one,
and the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the
various parts of the machine, all as hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the
claims.
In the drawing accompanying and forming part of the provisional specification :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a double-acting sewing-machine constructed according
to the invention, said Figure showing a portion of one side of the standards containing
the sewing mechanism also partly broken away.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the front end of the needle-bar arm and its connected
parts and of the base portion of the frame of the machine having one of the hollow
standards containing one of the sewing mechanisms removed.
Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper end of one of the mechanism-
containing standards showing portions of the sewing mechanisms bereinafter fully
decoribed

page_text: Figure 4 is a top plan view, partly in section, of the front end of the needle-
bar arm and of fake-up tension, and thread-checking devices hereinafter fully
described.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the front end of the needle-bar arm, showing thereon
portions of the take-up and tension mechanisms and take-up regulating mechanism, all
of which are hereinafter fully described.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of portions of the sewing mechanism hereinafter
fully described.
Figure 7 is a side elevation of a portion of one of the shafts of the machine and a
section of an adjusting collar thereon, all fully described below.
Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale of the two hollow
standards and of the duplicated sewing mechanisms contained therein.
In the drawing is shown a frame for containing and supporting the operating
parts of the machine, consisting of a hollow base 2, a hollow vertical post 3, and
a needle-bar arm 4, extending horizontally over said base, together with two
hollow vertical standards A B, secured by their bases or lower ends on the upper
side of said hollow base 2 of the frame by screws passing through suitable flanges
on the lower ends of said standards or by other suitable means whereby provision
is made for conveniently applying and removing either one of said hollow standards,
the latter being, when used in conjunction, secured together side by side, by screws
passing through suitable holes æ in flanges thereon, portions of which flanges are
shown in Figure 3.
The main driving mechanism of the machine consists of a horizontal shaft 5
extending through said arm 4, and having suitable bearings therein, and a driving
pulley 6 fixed on the rear end of said shaft. A crank 7 is fixed on the opposite end of
said shaft, whereby a vertically reciprocating motion is imparted to the needle-bar 8,
said bar having a collar 9 adjustably secured thereon, and a connection is formed
between said collar and said crank 7 by means of a link 10 pivotally connected by its
ends to said collar and crank.
A take-up actuating cam 12 is secured on said shaft 5 near its crank-bearing
end.
The hollow post 3 has within it, rotating in suitable hearings therein, a vertical shaft
having a geared connection with said shaft 5 and also a like connection with a
horizontal shaft shown in dotted lines in the base 2 of the frame, on which latter
named shaft, under said hollow standards, is fixed a double bevel-geared pinion,
also there indicated in dotted lines.
Each of said hollow standards contains within it a vertical shaft 14 having on its
lower end a bevel-geared pinion engaging with the aforesaid double bevel-geared
pinion in the base, 2, all as clearly indicated in Figure 1, whereby said shafts 14
separately or jointly are given the requisite rotary motions for actuating the below
described sewing mechanisms which act in conjunction with the needle-bar and needle
or needles, and the pressure bar and foot of the machine.
Each of said shafts 14 is supported in its hollow standard to be rotated and adjusted
as follows:-
The base of the standard A or B is perforated to receive a sleeve 15 which constitutes
the bearing for the lower end of said vertical shaft, said sleeve being tapered externally
or of greater diameter at its lower end whereby its opposite end is made capable of a
slight degree of vibratory movement, to permit the upper end of the shaft 14 and the
sewing devices connected therewith to be adjusted laterally relative to the axial line of
the needle-bar 8 for the purpose of varying the degree of separation of the two lines of
stitches that may be sewn by the use of the said two mechanisms, contained in said
standards A and B.
A screw 16 in the base of the said standard is screwed against said sleeve 15 to hold
it rigidly after it shall have been freed to permit said shaft-adjustment.
The upper end of said shaft 14 is of semi-spherical form and has formed thereon a
series of gear-teeth 17 as shown in Figures 1 and 3, which engage with similarly

page_text: formed teeth on the rear end of the rotary loop-carrying hook 18. The latter named
hook is that well known to those familar with sewing machines, as the Wilcox and
Gibbs hook.
The upper end of each of said shafts 14 is supported in its hollow standard A or B
by a transverse journal-bar 19, one end of which enters the outer side of said standard,
as shewn in Figures 1 and 8, and is adapted to have a degree of endwise movement
therein to provide for the above referred to lateral adjustment of the upper end of
the shaft 14 and the sewing devices attached thereto.
The said bar 19 has a bearing through it for said shaft 14, and the yoke 20 is,
by its lower end, secured thereon by the nut 21, and said yoke is further secured in a
rigid position, when the parts of the machine are adjusted for sewing, by a screw 22
which passes through a slot in said yoke into a boss 23 on the inside of the hollow
standard, shown in Figure 3. The said slot in yoke 20 permits the latter to
be moved with the shaft 14 when the shaft is adjusted laterally as aforesaid.
when
By
The adjoining ends of the journal bars 19 of the two hollow standards, are,
the said standards and the two systems of sewing mechanism are used conjointly,
united by a coupling-nut 24, the latter and said shafts being screw-threaded right and
left handed, and said nut is turned by inserting the point of an instrument in holes
therein or in any other suitable way to separate or approach the ends of said journal-
shafts for adjusting the separation of the sewing mechanisms as aforesaid.
removing the said screws which secure the hollow standards together, and from the
foot of one standard, one thereof may be removed from the base 2 of the frame of
the machine, leaving one (a right or left hand as may be desired) standard and its
sewing mechanism only, to be used singly for stitching hats, and other articles that
require such an arrangement of sewing devices for convenient manipulation, as clearly
shown in Figure 2.
In Figure 7 is shown a portion of one of the shafts 14 near the upper end of the
above described bearing-sleeve 15, in which is formed an annular groove 27. Said
groove is, as shown, on the portion of shaft 14, covered by the collar 25 and the point
of an adjusting screw 26, in said collar, bears on the surface of that part of said shaft
within the limits of said groove, to the end that, when said collar is adjusted up and
down (for the purpose below described) such burr as may be formed by the point of
said screw bearing on the shaft 14 in the groove 27 will be below the surface of the
shaft, and any burr formed by said screw 26 will not interfere with the proper action
of the spring as below described. The collar 29 provides a fixed abutment for the
upper end of the spring 28 and is, in practice, rigidly fixed on the shaft 14 by its set-
screw. The spring 28 is in a normally compressed state between the collars 29 and 25,
and to cause the said shaft to be automatically adjusted or lifted to carry its upper
toothed end more closely into engagement with the toothed end of the hook 18, the
screw 26 in the collar 25 is suitably loosened, letting said spring force the latter
named collar down against the end of the sleeve 15, thereby causing the shaft 14 to be
raised for the purpose aforesaid, after which the screw 26 is tightened. This operation
for adjustment, vertically, of the shaft 14 may be effected as often as inconvenient
wear shall have taken place between collar 25 and sleeve 15 or in the tooth engaging
parts above referred to. The annular groove 27 in shaft 14 permits the above
mentioned movement, vertically, of the collar 25.
On the side of each hollow standard A and B is a sliding plate 30 which covers the
sewing mechanism therein when working, and the upper ends of said standards, one
or both, are covered by a suitable cloth-plate 31.
Figuro 6 is a perspective view of the said yoke 20, and in said Figure is indicated
the position of the feed-step 32 in dotted lines, and Figure 3 shows said step in
perspective view. In Figure 6 is also shown a feed-adjusting arm 33 (this arm not
being shown in the other Figures) whose lower end engages with a pin 34 in the edge
of said yoke and its upper end is made adjustable towards and from the edge of said
feed-step to vary the position of the starting point of its feed-movement, when actuated
as below described. The arm 33 is adjusted as aforesaid by a screw 35 which passes

page_text: loosely through said arm into the edge of the yoke 20. A coil-spring between the
arm 33 and the edge of said yoke serves to hold said arm in position against the head
of screw 35.
The yoke 20 has a pin 36 in one side thereof, which engages in a vertical slot in the
lower end of the feed-step 32, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 8, said pin serving
as a pivot on which the feed-step has a vibratory motion in a vertical plane, and said
slot also permits said step to have the reciprocating vertical motion requisite to a
sewing-machine feed.
The said feed-step is placed against the upper bifurcated end of the yoke 20, and
the shank of the rotary book 18 is passed horizontally through the yoke and through
said end of the yoke into engagement with the upper end of the shaft 14, and the rear
side of the head of the said hook is thus brought against the side of said step and
holds the latter in operative position. The shank of said hook is suitably grooved
annularly, as shown at vin the sectional view Figure 8, for engagement with said
forked end of the yoke 20, and its rear toothed end is perforated to receive the end
of a bearing-pin 37 which is screwed through the side of the standard A or B and
has a smooth inner end which enters said hook-shank, and the hook rotates thereon.
A set-nut 38, on said pin 37, holds the pin 37 rigidly in place when once adjusted.
The yoke 20, by its said engagement with the hook, holds the latter in operative
position on the pin 37. The part of the shank of the hook 18 within the feed-step
has a cam 39 thereon which rotates in said step to raise it, and to swing its upper
serrated end in the direction in which the teeth of said serration point, and the feed-
step is moved downward and backward after a forward feed-motion by a coil spring 40
held in the standard A or B, one angularly extended end portion of which engages
with said step, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The spring 40 is coiled about a vertical
post set in a suitable recess in the standard, said spring having its lower end fixed
against movement, and its upper angularly extended end portion has a reaction in a
downward direction, and the said angularly extended end portion or arm, acted on
by the coils, also has a re-action in a direction the reverse to that of the forward motion
of the feed-step. In other words the angularly extended arm of the spring 40, which
engages the rear part of the feed-step, exerts a pressure both rearwardly and down-
wardly, and after the feed-step has been moved upwardly and forwardly by the cam
on the hook-shank (as the width of the opening in the frame shaped feed-step is
greater than the lateral throw of the cam) on the retreat of the cam the same does not
positively move the feed-step, but the feed-step, by the said spring, is retracted to its
rearward limit, as determined by the position of the feed-adjusting arm 33.
The above described feed-adjusting arm 33 regulates the degree of said backward
movement of the feed-step which the spring 40 imparts to it, and thereby the feed-
movement of the material being operated upon by the machine is regulated, and
consequently the length of the stitches is determined.
The needle-bar 8 derives its reciprocating vertical movements from the shaft 5, as
above described, and is provided with any suitable head for holding the needles more
or less separated to conform to the requirements of the varying positions of the sewing
mechanism in said standards, as above described. Said needles pass through the
presser-foot 41, in the usual manner.
The presser-foot bar 42 is thrown downward against the work on the cloth-plate 31
by a spring 43, a collar 44 on said bar serving as a bearing for the lower end of said
spring. A common hold-up catch 45 for the presser-bar is pivoted on the side of the
head of the needle-bar arm.
The above referred to take-up and tension devices consist of a shaft 46 adapted to
have a free rocking motion in the needle-bar arm, on which are fixed one or two
take-up levers 47 (the number being determined by the number of needles used)
preferably of the elbow-lever form, one arm of which has a perforation through which
the thread passes on its course from the spool 48 to the needle or needles 49. One
arm of one of the said take-up levers (see Figures 1 and 2) has a stud fixed thereon
which extends in front of the face of the take-up cam, 12, on shaft 5, on which stud

page_text: is an ordinary friction sleeve, indicated by a dotted circle in said Figures. A retract-
ing spring 50 has one end attached to said stud-bearing arm of the take-up lever, and
serves to hold said stud against the face of said cam, and thus the latter acts positively
in one direction only on the take-up lever, and that is, to take up the thread, or
draw the loop into the material on which sewing is being done, and said spring throws
the thread-bearing end of the take-up lever downward and also serves to correspondingly
rock the shaft 46.
Figure 5 shows the opposite side of the needle-bar arm to that shown in
Figures 1 and 2, and the down-hanging arm y of the take-up lever 47, shown in
said Figure 5, is utilized to co-operate with an automatically operating take-up
regulating lever 51, which is pivoted on the side of the head of the needle-bar
arm as shown in Figure 5, one end of said lever, 51, having a slotted engage-
ment with a pin on the collar 44 on the presser-foot bar 42, and the opposite
end of said regulating lever extends to the rear side of said arm y on the take-up
lever 47.
The above-described arrangement of said regulating lever 51, in conjunction with
the presser-foot bar, provides for automatically governing the degree of the take-up
motion of the levers 47, by the vertical movement of the presser-foot bar, the
operation of which is as follows:-
-
When the presser-foot 41 is bearing on normally thick material between itself and
the cloth-plate 31, the presser-foot is thereby moved so far upward as to swing
the upper end of the lever 51 far enough away from the army of the take-up
lever to permit the latter to be freely acted on by the cam, 12, and the spring 50;
but when normally thin material is being sewn upon, the presser-bar drops lower
and swings the upper end of said lever 51 towards the arın y of the take-up
lever to such a degree as to limit or regulate the downward motion of the last named
lever, thus proportioning the take-up of the thread to the thickness of the material
sewn, and when a seam or fold in said thin material passes under the presser-
foot, the bar 42, is lifted higher, thereby so operating lever 51, as to allow a
greater degree of oscillating motion to the take-up levers proportioned to the
said increased thickness. By means of said take-up regulation as described, the
frequent breaking of the thread during the passage of material of varying thickness
under the presser-foot is avoided, and the stitches are more evenly drawn into the
material.
The tension devices consist of the usual tension-rolls 52, around which the thread
passes, said rolls being placed on said rocking shaft 46, and held frictionally thereon
by means of the usual washers, the springs 53, and nuts 54, whereby said springs are
suitably compressed against said rolls.
A thread-checking bar 55 is placed between the spool 48 and the tension rolls.
having slots through which the thread runs at an angle, and nuts are placed on the
ends of said bar to contract said slots more or less to properly check the movement
of the thread, as well known for sewing machine purposes.
The above-described arrangement of the tension rolls 52 on the rocking shaft 46,
provides for an oscillating tension by giving an oscillating motion to said rolls,
and thereby thread is drawn from the spool or spools when the thread-carrying end
of the take-up is moved downward, and said rolls also rotate in the ordinary
way when thread is drawn over them by the action of the rotary hooks, in the usual
way.
Thus the usual requirement of a long stroke in the take-up lever, which is very
objectionable in a sewing-machine, is avoided by the oscillating action of the tension
roll, whereby a slack portion of thread (as shown in Figure 2) is brought over to be
acted on by the thread-engaging end of the take-up lever, 47, and by this means also.
an easier working take-up-driving cam is employed, and furthermore, by the action
of the said oscillating tension, when it returns, on the upward motion of the take-up
lever, the commencement of the drawing in of the stitch is delayed until the needle is
out of the work.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A twin sewing machine having a post consisting of two separable standards each
of which contains one of two systems of the sewing mechanism comprised under the
cloth-plate of the machine, whereby, on the removal of one of said separable standards,
said twin machine, may be converted into a single right or left hand machine having
its cloth-plate located at the top of a standard, and having an unobstructed space at,
below and entirely around the borders of said cloth-plate, substantially as described
and for the purpose set forth.
2. In combination, a yoke, adjustably connected to the standard of the machine, a
feed-step having a pivotal engagement with the side of said yoke, a rotating hook,
having its shank extending through said feed-step and yoke and having a cam
thereon engaging with said step, and gear teeth on the rear end of said hook, a
spring engaging with said feed-step to move it in one direction and to force it down-
ward, and a driving-shaft having a gear-engagement with said hook-shank, substan-
tially as set forth.
3. In combination, a yoke adjustably connected to the standard of the machine, a
feed-step having a pivotal engagement with the side of said yoke, a rotating hook,
having its shank extending through said feed-step and yoke and having a cam thereon
engaging with said step, and gear-teeth on the rear end of said hook, a spring
engaging with said feed-step to move it in one direction and to force it downward, a
feed-adjusting arm, 33, engaging said feed-step, and a driving-shaft having a gear-
engagement with said hook-shank, substantially as set forth.
4. In a sewing machine, the journal-bar, the shaft 14, having a bearing in said bar,
the yoke 20, attached by one end to said bar and having a slot therethrough trans-
versely to said bar, and a screw passing through said slot into the standard A combined
with the hook 18, having the cam and the feed-step arranged and operating substan-
tially as set forth.
5. In a sewing machine, two hollow standards A and B each containing sewing
mechanism substantially as described, a driving-shaft for and in connection with each
of said mechanisms, each of which shafts by its lower end is in substance pivotally
mounted, whereby it may swing laterally from said pivotally mounted end, two
journal-bars extending transversely of said standards, in each of which journal-bars
is a bearing for one of said shafts, combined with a screw-threaded coupling, sub-
stantially as described, engaging the adjoining ends of the two journal-bars, and
providing means for regulating the distance between said two sewing mechanisms,
substantially as set forth.
6. In a sewing machine, in combination with a standard A, the bearing-pin 37
secured in said standard, the rotary hook. 18 having a socket in its shank to receive
said pin, the yoke, 20, engaging with said hook-shank, the journal-bar 19, the feed-.
step, and the shaft 14, engaging with said hook-shank, substantially as set forth.
7. In a double acting sewing machine, in combination, two hollow standards A
and B, each containing sewing mechanism substantially as described, vertical driving
shafts for, and in connection with, each of said mechanisms, externally tapered sleeves
set in the bases of said standards forming bearings for the lower ends of said shafts
substantially as described, and means substantially as described applied with relation.
to the upper end portions of said driving shafts for regulating the distance between
said shafts and that of the sewing mechanisms connected therewith, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
8. In a sewing machine, in combination, the hollow standard containing sewing
mechanism substantially as described and particularly comprised in which sewing
mechanism is the rotary hook axially horizontally supported and having its shank
formed with the cam 39 and the gear teeth, a vertical driving shaft and a bearing for
its lower end supported from said standard, said shaft at its upper end having gear
teeth engaging the gear teeth on said hook-shank, and having the annular groove, 27,

page_text: therein above its lower bearing, the collar 25, a screw passing through said collar
having its inner extremity of a less diameter than the width of said annular groove,
the collar 29, fixed on said shaft and a spring interposed between said collars sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
9. In combination, the yoke 20, the feed-step operating on said yoke, the arm, 33,
adjustably connected to said yoke and a portion thereof extended opposite and to act
as a limiting abutment for the edge of said feed-step, and a screw for operating the
said arm for its adjustment, substantially as set forth.
10. In a sewing machine, the combination with the standard and the hook, 18,
rotatable therein, provided with the cam, a yoke 20, the feed-step mounted and guided
on said yoke and engaging said hook cam, the spring 40, fixed in said standard and
having the arm engaging said feed-step for retracting the same, and the adjustable
plate 33, for limiting the retracing movement of said feed-step, arranged for operation
substantially as described.
Dated thin and day of June 1800
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.