to Sewing machines for knitted and woven fabrics and
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM EDWIN HEYS of New Bridge Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster 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:―
The improvements relate to Sewing machines for knitted and woven fabrics and
have for their object; (1) To transform or convert machines working at a high
speed with a single thread, as for instance the .Willcox and Gibbs machine
(making about 3000 stitches per minute) into sewing machines producing a double
chain stitch with two threads and a much more durable and secure sean without
reducing the speed of the machine. (2) To cut off the woven or knitted fabric
whilst the machine is at work at a certain exact distance from the seam by means
of a simple and perfectly reliable attachment, instead of shearing them off as is
done with the apparatus hitherto in use for this purpose; and (3) To fold over
separately the edges of each of the two pieces of fabric to be sewn together and
stitch them close to the edges while laid together so as to stitch through four layers
of fabric and obtain a firm sean, this part of the improvements being especially
serviceable for sewing closely fitting under garments.
On the accompanying drawings these improvements are shewn with the addition
of parts of a sewing machine itself to shew their application and render the
improvements more readily understood.
Fig. 1, shows a front view of a sewing machine fitted with the improvements.
Fig. 2, an end view of the same (in half size) Fig. 3, a side view of the mechanism
producing the interlacing of the threads of the double chain stitch seam (in full
size as are the subsequent figures). Fig. 4, a plan of Fig. 3, Fig. 4ª details of the
excentric and hoop at the end of the main spindle. Figs. 5, 5 and 5 the positions
of the different parts of the interlocking mechanism. Figs. 6, 6ª and 6 the
positions of these parts after the needle has been drawn out of the fabric and before
and during the formation of the loops respectively. Fig. 7, a perspective view of

page_text: the thread hook. Fig. 8, a front view of Fig. 3, with the cutting off apparatus.
Fig. 9, a side view of the cutting off apparatus as seen from the right hand side.
Fig. 9, a plan of the same. Fig. 10, a plan of the cloth plate with the apparatus
for folding over the edges attached.
The following different motions take place on the machine:
1. The vertically ascending and descending motion of the needle, which is
effected in the usual manner by means of an excentric fixed on the main shaft A,
the excentric rod B,.and the bent lever C.
2. The motion of the thread hook which oscillates simultaneously in a horizontal
and vertical direction.
3. The simultaneous motion of the cutting knife, which ascends and descends,
and oscillates in a vertical plane.
The simultaneous oscillation of the thread-hook S in different horizontal and
vertical directions is effected by the following mechanism :
The front end of the main spindle A is drilled out centrally to the requisite
depth (Fig. 4a) and in the hole so formed the shank e of an excentric pin E is fixed
by means of a set screw c¹. The excentric pin Ę is formed solid and in one piece
with the broad centrally rotating disc D and the pivot e.
The disk has on its
front part D a groove d cut out for allowing the needle to pass into it, while in the
back part D¹ a circular groove is turned out which forms a seating for the .clip F
which is bolted together in two halves, and can oscillate on D'. The threadhook S
is attached to this clip F by means of the screw 8 so that it can oscillate on 8, while
diametrically opposite, a lug g is firmly attached to the clip F and carries a pin G.
.(Figs. 5, and 4). The excentric H also formed on e controls in the usual manner
the motion of the cloth feed bar H¹, which is well known and is indicated in
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 only, and omitted altogether in the other figures.
A pivot J is screwed by its threaded portion i into the end W of the frame
carrying the cloth plate P. On the pivot a lever K with a curved part is free to
oscillate. The curved edge lc is acted upon by the excentric pin E, a spring blade
being attached to the lever to hold it up against the pin, while the slot in the
front end of K embraces the pin G attached to F. The excentric pin E in
connection with the lever K and the pin G causes the threadhook S carried by
the clip F to be moved forwards and backwards according to the excentricity
of G and E when the spindle A is rotated (Figs. 5, 5, 5b, 6, 6, 6b). The thread-
hook S shewn separately in Fig. 10 is as hereinbefore described free to oscillate on
the screw 8 and consists of an upper part forming the thread hook or loop-catcher
proper and a lower part S' carrying the roller 8. The threadhook S' has a long
groove n on its upper surface with an eyelet at each end of the same, of being the
eyelet at the back and o that at the front close to the point of the hook (Fig. 10).
The second sewing thread N2 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8) is conducted from below through
the eyelets o*, os, o and through o¹ and o and the groove n on the hook S.
As the
needle descends, it passes into a loop held open by the thread hook, which is caught
by the needle and slips towards the upper part of it. As soon as the needle has
caught the loop formed by the threadhook, the latter moves backwards (by the
movement of the excentric pin E and the lever K, by which the pin G is lifted and
the clip F and hook S thereby moved backwards, Figs. 6, 64, 6b) in order to catch
in its succeeding forward movement the loop formed by the needle thread N¹ during
the ascent of the needle N. This loop is pushed by the threadhook S so far on the
book, that between this loop and the front eyelet o on S with the under thread an
'opening is formed, into which the needle passes in its next descent.
In order to make the catching of this loop certain, the threadhook is slightly
bent at its point and receives in addition to its forward and backward motion a
simultaneous lateral motion whereby it passes partly round the needle. This
lateral motion of the hook S is caused by the lower part S¹ of the same, on the
end of which the screw 82 with the roller s¹ is fixed. This roller works in a
curved groove which is cut out in the cylindrical segment L fixed to the frame
below the clip F by screws 1. By these means the hook S receives an oscillating

page_text: lateral motion on the fulcrum formed by the screw 8 simultaneously with its
forward and backward motion.
As the
The complete stitch is consequently formed in the following manner:
needle N descends and ascends, the thread N¹ passed through its eye, which is held
by a spring fattached to the needle bar guide (Fig. 1, 2 and 8), forms a loop into
which the thread hook S with the second thread N' passing through the eyelet o
as its point enters and catches this loop. As the hook advances, this loop slides
backwards, so that between the eyelet at the point of the hook and this loop a
large opening is formed, which is bounded on one side by the hook S and on the
other by the second thread N which passes from the eyelet o in the hook to the
needle hole in the cloth plate P in a slanting upward direction. Into this wide
opening the needle on its next descent can always enter with certainty. In this
manner the thread hook S receives its loop by the needle N and the latter its loop
by the thread hook S and by this alternation the double chain stitch is formed.
In order to cut the sewn fabrics during the sewing at a uniform exact distance
from the seam and with a clean cut, the mechanism shewn in Figs. 8 and 9 is
applied. This cutting apparatus is attached to a Tee shaped bracket T, fixed to
the inside of the needle bar guide by the screws (Fig. 2) and 2 (Fig. 9), and
consists of the boot shaped knife M, the knife carrier M¹ with the inclined edge m¹
on the continuation Mª of the carrier M³, and the spring blade m² which is fixed
to the bracket T by the screws t³ ³ and presses against the pin m³ on M². In the
bracket T a stud m is fixed on which the boss m of the bell crank shaped knife
carrier M is placed and secured by the nut m³ but so that it can oscillate on the
stud m.
The knife M is placed into a recess in the carrier M¹ and fixed to it by
the screw m (Fig. 9º). The continuation M with the inclined edge m¹ is screwed
to the upper arm of the bellcrank shaped carrier M¹ by the screws m m. The
lever C which actuates the needle bar carries at its front end a pivot r with a
roller R, the foot of being fixed to C by the screw r As the lever C descends,
the roller R, which is always in contact with the incline m¹ presses the con-
tinuation M² of the knife carrier M' and thereby also the knife M downwards, the
position of the pivot m and the form of the knife carrier M causing the knife to
make simultaneously with its downward motion also a backward movement in a
vertical plane, and by this combined motion and the inclined cutting edge of the
knife M a real cutting and not a squeezing off of the fabric is obtained. The
amount of the stroke of M³ depends on the inclination of the edge m¹ towards the
vertically descending roller R. The knife M is formed with a broad surface at
the lower end placed parallel to the cloth feeder. The spring blade m² effects by
means of the pin m³ fixed on M the ascent of M' and therewith that of the
knife M. The cutting edge is also inclined, so that the front end stands higher
than the back end, and is well tapered so as to form an acute cutting angle. On
the cloth plate P of the machine a steel plate p of a width corresponding to the
width of the knife is fastened by the screws p¹ and p³ in such a position that the
thinned edge of p always closely touches the knife (Fig. 10). To facilitate guiding
the cloth, p is tapered off towards the front (Figs. 1, 2, 7). The back end of the
knife M remains in contact with p even in the highest position of the lever C so
that, when looked at from the end, a wedge shaped opening is formed by the edge
of the knife M and p and at each stitch the knife M slides with its cutting edge
along the edge of p with a backward and downward motion as hereinbefore
described, whereby a correct and clean cut of the fabrics, is obtained and all
detrimental pressures or shocks are avoided. A cut of this kind has not been
obtained with any previously known or used cutting apparatus. A further
advantage of this cutting apparatus is that the cutting edges do not become dulled,
as by the exact angular drawing of M along p the cutting edges are automatically
sharpened. This circumstance is of the greatest importance with the high speed
of the machine (3000 revolutions per minute).
The cutting apparatus is applicable not only to the sewing machine shewn as an
example for the better explanation of these Improvements but it may be arranged

page_text: :
on any other kind of sewing machine for this purpose and the method of forming
the stitch may also be applied to any other style of machine.
As shewn by Fig. 10, a taking in apparatus u is attached to the angle bracket U
fixed on the cloth plate in front of the machine, which folds over the edges of the
two pieces of fabric to be sewn together during the sewing and conducts them laid
together under the needle so that they can be stitched close to the edge, whereby
four layers of fabric are stitched through and a very firm seam is produced without
greatly protruding. This flat seam consequently obviates in all closely fitting
undergarments the disagreeable pressure or friction of the seam.
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 high speed sewing machines for knitted and woven fabrics, the com-
bination of the excentric pin E fixed to the main spindle A by the shank e, and
the set screw e¹, with the bearing D₁ for the clip F made in two parts, and the
disc D having a groove d, substantially as described.
(2.) The combination of the thread hook S S¹ with the pin G on the clip F, so
arranged that the hook S with its lower guide part S¹ may oscillate on the screw 8,
while the pin G with the lug g is firmly fixed to F, substantially as described.
(3.) The lever K oscillating on the stud I and having a curved surface k upon
which the excentric pin E may act, and a slot for the pin G and the spring k³,
substantially as described.
(4.) The cylindrical segment L fixed to 'the frame of the machine and having
the curved slot for the guide roller on the part S₁ of the thread hook."
(5.) The combination of the excentric pin E fixed to the main spindle A by the
shanke and the set screw e¹ combined with the bearing D¹ for the clip F, the
disc D having the groove d, the thread hook S S¹ and pin G on the clip F,
the lever K, having the curved surface and slot and oscillating on the stud 1,
and the cylindrical segment. L having a curved slot for the guide roller s¹ of the
thread hook, substantially as described.
(6) The curved thread hook S with a front eyelet o and a back eyelet o¹ at the
ends of a groove n, carried at S₁ by the screw 82 provided with the roller 8¹ to
work in the slot 7 of the cylindrical segment L, substantially as described.
(7.) The combination of the oval eccentric pin E with the lever K having the
curved contact surface lc, substantially as described..
(8.) The knife carrier M' having on an extension the inclined surface m¹ and on
its lower portion the knife M the whole oscillating on the pivot m, in combination
with the roller R attached to the lever C and acting on the incline m and operating
the knife M, substantially as described.
(9.) The combination of the eccentric pin E fixed to the main spindle A by the
shanke and the set screw e¹ combined with the bearing D for the clip F, the
grooved disc D, the curved thread hook S, S¹, the clip F and pin G, the lever K
having a curved surface k and slot k¹, the cylindrical segment L having a curved
slot l, the knife carrier M¹ having an inclined surface m¹ and the kuife M oscillating
on the pivot m, and the roller R attached to the lever C, substantially as described.
noted this eighteenth day of December A.D: 1885