IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR STRAW BRAID WORK
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR STRAW BRAID
WORK." A communication from abroad by Mary Permellia Carpenter, of the
City and State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 1st October 1878, and dated the 8th April 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th April 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, CHIEFLY
DESIGNED FOR STRAW BRAID WORK." [A communication from abroad by Mary
Permellia Carpenter, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in the class of sowing machines described
in the Specification of my former Letters Patent, dated 22 March, A.D. 1876, No.
1226, and which are more especially designed for sewing straw braid.
The chief object of the said Invention is to render the parts of such machines
adjustable or variable in size or position, so that one machine will be more
conveniently capable of adaptation to various kinds or qualities of work than
heretofore.
One part of the machine described in the said former Specification is an oscillating
feeder, which is combined with an oscillating needle, having its shank or carrier
arranged to pass through the said feeder, and to work or oscillate between the
centre of motion of the feeder and its feeding surface. But according to my present
Invention I modify this device by arranging the needle shank to pass through the
axis or centre of motion of the said feeder. The said oscillating feeder is a "four
motion" device and is operated as follows, that is to say :-I use a lever pivotted to
Die 71

page_text: the main frame, and in which is secured the pivot of the said feeder. To this lever
I pivot another lever, on one end of which is a roller arranged to work on a cam on
the main shaft. The other end of the said lever is provided with an adjusting screw
which passes through the first-named lever and by which any movement of the
Becond lever is communicated to the said first-named lever. By this mechanism the
said feeder has imparted to it the peculiar movement commonly termed the "four
motion feed."
When the said machine is to be used for sewing very narrow braid I provide
special means for preventing lateral displacement of the braid and keeping it always
in the proper position for feeding. For this purpose I attach to the said oscillating
feeder a thin metal plate in such a position that during its motion it will always
pass through the work-table, above the surface of the same, and behind the braid.
This plate in the to-and-fro motion of the feeder also passes behind the guide roller,
which in the said former Specification is termed the free wheel or roller.
I use the peculiar form of needle described in my said former Specification, but
according to another part of my present Invention I form the said needle with a
shank or stem, and fit the same into a socket formed in the end of the needle-carrier
shaft. This socket which extends in a direction at a right angle to the plane of the
needles motion permits the said needle to be readily adjusted laterally with regard
to the work. When properly adjusted or set the said needle is secured by a screw
or other suitable device.
According to another part of this Invention I employ the following arrange-
ment of parts, that is to say:-The presser foot of the said machine is fixed on
the end of a shaft, which is adjustable endwise in a bearing, so that the said
presser foot may be readily adjusted to various widths of straw braid or other
inaterial being sewn. When the said shaft is properly adjusted it is made fast by a
screw; moreover I combine with the said presser foot and other parts of the
mechanism an adjustable auxiliary presser foot, preferably formed of a single thin
flat piece of metal, which is held by a screw passed through a slot in the same. This
screw is slackened to permit the said presser foot to be adjusted, and is then
tightened, to secure the same. This auxiliary presser foot is provided for the
purpose of holding the material being sewn if it does not properly fill the space
between the surface of the aforesaid roller and the work table, as would be the case
in sewing very thin braid.
As described in my said former Specification the presser foot is constructed with
a longitudinal groove in the under side of its face or forward bearing portion, and
within this groove the needle is free to move as it oscillates.
According to one part of my present Invention I form teeth or serrations on the
said presser foot at the sides of the said groove.
Another part of the mechanism described in the said former Specification
comprises a hook or looper, and devices for operating the same; and one part
of my present Invention relates to improved means for varying the throw or
movement of this looper to increase or diminish the width of the loops of thread
formed thereby. For this purpose I employ a wire finger, fixed on or in an
arm. The said looper, as it is termed, by its operative cam is moved by the
vibration of this wire finger in the direction of the feed to bring the loops of
thread into the proper position with regard to the needle. The said finger is held
in its arm by a pinching screw or other device which will permit its ready
adjustment.
According to another part of my said Invention I use a double or compound work
gauge or guide which is adjustable to different widths of braid or other material.
This gauge consists of two parts secured together in such a manner that one part
may be adjusted independently of the other, or the two parts may be adjusted
together. For this purpose I form both parts of the gauge of flat metal bars or
pieces and fit one part upon the other part. The lower part is fitted in a groove,
and has two jaws which project into a neck or between two collars on a longitudinal
screw, by means of which the said gauge or the lower part thereof is adjusted in its

page_text: groove when desired. The upper part or bar of the said gauge is formed with a
slot, through which a screw is passed into the lower part or bar. When the upper
part of the said gauge is to be adjusted separately the said screw is slackened, but
when the whole gauge, that is to say, the two parts of the same, are to be adjusted
the said screw is tightened, the gauge being then adjusted by turning the aforesaid
longitudinal screw.
The above-described presser foot needle, cams, and other parts may be readily
removed and replaced or exchanged for similar parts of different dimensions,
according to the quality or character of the work to be sewn in the said machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
October 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, CHIEFLY
DESIGNED FOR STRAW BRAID WORK." A communication from abroad by Mary
Permellia Carpenter, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America.
This Invention relates to improvements in the class of sewing machines described
in the Specification of my former Letters Patent, dated 22 March, A.D. 1876,
No. 1226, and which are more especially designed for sewing straw braid.
The chief object of the said Invention is to render the parts of such machines
adjustable or variable in size or position, so that one machine will be more conveni-
ently capable of adaptation to various kinds or qualities of work than heretofore.
The said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, which I will now
proceed to describe.
Figure 1 is a plan of a sewing machine constructed in accordance with this
Invention; Figure 2 is an inverted plan; and Figure 3 is a front elevation of the
same.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the said machine, a portion of the main frame
being broken away.
Figure 5 is a plan of the work-table detached.
Figure 6 shows a form of presser foot herein-after described.
Figure 7 is a front view of an oscillating feeder herein-after described.
A is the main frame of the machine, and B the main or driving shaft receiving
its motion by a pulley C or otherwise; D is the carrier or supporter of the work-
table and presser foot, which carrier is hinged at its back b to the main frame, and
passes over the top of the latter and down in front of it, forming a work-table D',
over and across which, in the direction indicated by the arrow x in Figure 3, the
braid or overlapping strips of braid are fed. The said table is provided with an
adjustable guide for the back or inner strip of braid, while the other or front strip
travels in front of and is guided by a free wheel or roller E. H is a swinging

page_text: clamp or lever pivotted at e for holding in place the work-table and presser foot
carrier D. The said carrier is adjustable vertically or relatively to the feeder I and
needle J by a screw f. The said needle is formed with a shank J' which is fitted
into a socket in the end of the shaft 0; this socket being at a right angle to the
line of the needle's motion permits the needle to be readily adjusted laterally to the
work. When properly adjusted or set the needle is secured by a screw J2, as shewn
in Figure 3. The guide wheel or roller E and the presser foot F under which the
braid is introduced are carried by a lever K pivotted at g to the work-table carrier D;
the said lever is held down to its place by a spring h, and is adjustable by a screw i,
and the presser foot is adjustable by a screw . The presser foot F is fixed on the
end of the shaft g, which is adjustable endwise in a bearing g', so that the presser
foot may be readily adjusted to any widths of straw braid or other material. "When
the said shaft is adjusted it is made fast by a screw g².
F is an auxiliary presser foot formed of a single slotted flat piece, which is
adjusted vertically, and is held, when adjusted or set, by the screw F which passes
through its slot. This auxiliary foot is provided for holding the braid should there
be too great a space between the wheel or roller E and the work-table D¹, as would
be the case in using very thin braid.
Lis a cam lever by which the lever K with its attachments, including the presser
foot, are raised when it is desired to introduce or remove the material to be stitched.
In some instances I use a rising-and-falling clamp formed by a lever pivotted to the
work-table carrier D; this clamp serves to hold the work or material firmly and
independently of the presser foot, and prevents it slipping or moving backward
while the curved needle passes through the said material in a reverse direction to
the feed; but the said clamp is released when the needle is out of the material and
the feed is taking place. This clamp is operated to rise and fall alternately by
means of a spring lifter controlled by a cam on the main shaft B, or by other
suitable devices.
I use a double or compound gauge or guide consisting of two parts fitted together
and made adjustable to suit braid of different widths, and to vary the distance of
the line of stitching from the edge of the work. These two parts are secured
together so that one may be adjusted independently of the other, or both may be
adjusted together. For this purpose I form both parts of the gauge of flat pieces of
metal X, X, and place one part X upon the other part X'. The latter is fitted in a
groove, and has two jaws at X* which project down into a neck or groove in a
screw X², whereby the said gauge is adjusted when it is desired to adjust the lower
part. The upper part is slotted, and a screw X3 passes through its slot into the lower
part. When the gauge has to be adapted to any width of braid the upper part is
adjusted independently of the lower part to set the parts a*, a', with the required
width between them. For this purpose the scrow X³ is slackened to permit the 4
required movement of the one bar upon the other and is then again tightened.
When the distance of the line of stitching from the edge of the work is to be varied
the two parts aro to be adjusted together, and the said screw X³ being tightened the
aforesaid groove-necked screw X2 is turned in the proper direction.
O is the needle carrier shaft or shank, which is an oscillating shaft extending 4
backward parallel with the shaft B, but above it and projecting sufficiently in front
of the main frame A, by which it is carried to provide for the attachment of the
needle J, as above described, in the proper relation to the presser foot F, and in
front of the oscillating feeder I. To thus arrange the needle in relation with the
oscillating feeder, which works on a centre at m, and is of a curved or arc shape on 5
its feeding surface, the needle carrier O or needle shank which forms an extension of
said carrier is arranged to work between the centre of oscillation m of the feeder
and the feeding surface or portion of the latter. The arc-shaped feeding portion of
the feeder is connected either by an arm at its one end or by arms at its opposito
ends with the centre boss or portion of the feeder, thus providing for the passage of 5
the needle carrier or needle shank through the feeder. In some instances I
the needle shank to pass directly through the centre of motion of the aforesaid
arrango

page_text: feeder I. When this machine is used for sewing very narrow braid, in order to
prevent any lateral displacement of such braid and always keep it in the proper
position to be fed forward, I attach to the oscillating feeder I a thin metal plate I',
as shewn in Figure 7. This plate is attached to the oscillating feeder in such a
position that during the motion of the said feeder it will always pass through the
work-table D' above the surface of the same and behind the braid. This plate
passes behind the roller E in the to-and-fro movement of the feeder.
The needle carrier or shaft O is primarily operated by means of a grooved cam P on
the main shaft B, the said cam being constructed to give the requisite intermittent
oscillating motions to the needle through a lever Q pivotted at n, and provided with a
roller Q'which gears with said cam. This lever Q carries a pin or stud 7 arranged to
cross the shaft or carrier O on one side of its axis, and to fit or gear with a spiral
grooves in the shaft O, thus causing the lever Q as it is moved to and fro by the
cam P to act as a sliding nut on the screw 8, and so oscillate the needle carrier or
shaft O as required. The oscillating feeder I, which is a four motion feeder, is
operated as follows:-R is a lever pivotted at t to the main frame A, and forming
a bearing for the pivot m of the oscillating feeder I. To this lever R is pivotted a
lever R', on one end of which is a roller R, arranged to be operated by the cam S,
on the main shaft B; the other end of this lever R¹ is made adjustable by means of
the screw R³, which passes through the lever R, and causes any movement of the
lever R¹ to be communicated to the lever R. The movement of the cam S through
the roller R and lever R¹ gives to the lever R an upward movement to cause the
feeder to rise and take hold of the material or goods when making the feed, the
falling motion of the lever R and the feeder to release the goods during its back-
ward motion being produced by a spring u. Another cam T, on the main shaft B
operates alternately with a spring to actuate a roller 12 attached to the feeder I
for the purpose of oscillating the feeder in the direction of the feed and back again
in conjunction with the rise and fall of the feeder to effect the feed as in other four
motion feeds. V is an adjustable stop or screw arranged in connection with the
extension I* of the feeder to regulate the length of feed.
The needle J is eye pointed and of curvilincar or circular form, and has a curvi-
linearly reciprocating or oscillating motion, as described, and works as it passes with
its thread during each stroke, first up through the goods, and then down through
them and back again.
With the parts arranged as above described the fair side of the stitch will be in
the upper or exposed sides of the goods or material, but the parts of the sewing
mechanism might be reversed, and the fair line of stitching be on the reverse side
of the goods. The thread is taken from a suitable spool on the main frame, and
thence through suitable guides to the needle, passing within the groove in the back
of the latter, and through the eye in the point of the curved needle. To provide
for the proper passage of the said needle with its threads through the portion of the
goods held down by the presser foot, the latter may be constructed with a longi-
tudinal groove F* in the under side, and its face or forward bearing portion on
each side of the said groove may be toothed or serrated as shewn in Figure 6. In
this groove the needle is free to move as it is oscillated from its centre or pivot.
B' is the looper, which in conjunction with the curved needle J and feeding
devices effects the sewing or stitching.
It will be observed that this hook and its operating devices, as also the feeder
and needle and their operating devices, or in other words the sewing mechanism
generally are all carried by the main frame A, while the work-table D' and the
presser foot F are carried by the hinged carrier or supporter D, so that on releasing
the latter by swinging back the lever clamp H, said supporter D, with its attach-
ments, and with the work or braid still in its place, may all be swung or thrown
back upon the hinge b to facilitate adjustinent or repair of the sewing mechanisin
or for any other purposes.
The action of the looper, B' is as follows:-The said looper, which occupies an
upright position in front of the feeder I and needle J, has its shank d'arranged to

page_text: oscillate in a socket e¹ of a horizontal lever C¹, whose fulcrum f¹ is on the under
side of the main frame; this lever is not only free to rock on said fulcrum but is
slotted, so that it may be capable of movement longitudinally. Thus supposing the
curved needle J to have completed its forward stroke through the goods, and to
have commenced to retire or make its back stroke, as shewn in Figure 3, leaving
an exposed portion of the needle thread for the hook to take hold of, the hook Br
then, or rather shortly before the needle J commences its back stroke, moves
together with its lever C¹ horizontally backward so as to enter between the needle
thread and needle; theu the needle makes its back stroke out of the material or
goods, and the hook B₁ is turned by the cam E' on the main shaft B on or by its
shank d¹, and by the vibration of a wire finger C², fixed in the arm C³, is moved in
the direction of the feed to spread or turn and adjust the loop into a suitable
position for the next passage of the needle with its thread through it. This wire
finger is made adjustable in the arm C' so as to vary the throw of the looper and
the width of the loop. The said finger is held in the arm C¹ by a screw C³. The
said hook B¹, after its last-described movement, is turned by the cam E¹ on or by
its shank d in a reverse direction, and moved horizontally outward by the forward
longitudinal sliding of the lever C¹ so as to carry it out of its loop; the lever C¹ is
then vibrated in a reverse direction to the foed to bring the hook into its normal
position after the needle has again passed through the goods and before the hook
is moved backward to enter again between the needle thread and needle. The feed
movement takes place when the needle is out of the material or goods, and when
the hook B¹ is travelling in the direction of the feed. The means for accomplishing
these several movements of the hook in relation to the needle may be varied, but
the devices here shewn consist of the aforesaid cam E¹, on the forward end of the
main shaft B operating on the wire finger C2 against a spring h³, to oscillate the
hook and an excentric F¹ and cam groove therein on said shaft B, to vibrate and
give the lever C¹ its requisite longitudinal movements. The spring h¹ serves to
keep the finger C in contact with the cam E¹, and a spring h² keeps the lever C¹ in
contact with its grooved excentric F¹. The wheel E, presser foot F, feeder I,
needle J, and cams P, F', i, are so constructed that they may be readily detached
and replaced by other parts similar in construction, but of different dimensions to
suit the size and quality of work to be produced.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as cominunicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The needle formed into a shank fitted with a socket in the end of a shaft,
whose axis extends at a right angle to the plane of the needle's motion, when the
said needle shank is arranged either to work between the centre of oscillation and
the surface of feeder, or to pass directly through the centre of motion of the feeder,
as above set forth, and for the purposes specified.
Second. Providing the feeder with a thin metal plate, as above described, and
shewn in Figure 7, and for the purpose specified.
Third. The presser foot fixed on the end of a shaft which is adjustable endwise
in its bearing, as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The auxiliary presser foot constructed and arranged in combination with
the wheel or roller and with the other parts of the mechanism, as above set forth
and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The wire finger carried adjustably in an arm, and arranged in combination
with the looper and its operating cam and other parts of the mechanism, as above
set forth and for the purpose specified.
Sixth. The double or compound gauge or guide consisting of the two bars or parts
so constructed and fitted to cach other and upon the machine, that they may be
adjusted separately or together by the devices specified or by other suitablo means,
as and for the purposes set forth.
Seventh. In a machine for sewing straw braid, and for similar purposes, and
which is constructed as or substantially as shewn in the Drawing, the incorporation

page_text: or combination with the old or ordinary parts of the said machine of the novel
devices set forth in the above claiming clauses in such a manner that various parts
of the said machine may be readily detached and replaced by similar parts of
different dimensions, as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.