Improvements in or relating to Embroidery Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th June, 1891-Accepted 4th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Embroidery Machines.
I, RUDOLPH WEISS of 139 Noel Street, in the Borough of Nottingham.
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 further improvements in embroidery machines (such
as described in the Specifications of my applications Nos. 8669 dated 4th June
1890 and 11770 dated 28th July 1890) in which series of needles produce corre-
sponding designs on a tissue secured to a frame which frame is moved by a
pantograph or other means and it has for its object the production of an improved
quality of embroidery.
It will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in
which
Fig. 1 is an end elevation showing part of my invention, parts only of the
embroidery machine being shown.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section and Fig. 3 a front elevation, .
showing detail of the needle-thread-take-up-operating-cam and connections.
Fig. 4 is a front elevation showing detail of the shuttle-thread-locking-bar.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing how the cord is attached to the fabric
according to part of my invention.
Fig. 6 is a plan of part of a shuttle race showing position of the shuttle-thread-
locking-fingers, and
Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing improved arrangement for imparting motion to
the cording or braiding guides.
In order to produce greater regularity of work and what is known as a floss
stitch in shuttle embroidery machines I employ an automatic locking device in
connection with both the needle and shuttle threads, with this arrangement both
threads may be locked while the stitch is being made, and released during the.
movement of the tissue and the movement of the pantograph rendered much
easier. By the movement of the tissue sufficient of the shuttle and needle:
threads is drawn off to form the next stitch and by locking the threads before
the stitch is made it ensures that only the absolute length of thread drawn off;
is employed to make that stitch and I am thus able to obtain a regularity of
stitch which is impossible with the present thread tension arrangements.
By increasing or decreasing the movement of the needle-thread-take-up-bar:
and the length of traverse of the shuttles more or less thread is drawn off by
the movement of the tissue and I am thus enabled to make stitches either tight
or loose as required, by this means I am also enabled to vary the length of
needle thread and shuttle thread given off in proportion to each other so as.
to make stitches which produce different effects and also to compensate for
the difference in the quality of material used for the needle and shuttle threads
respectively.
The needle threads g on their way from the spools to the needles pass round the.
tension roller g' over the take up bar g² (both of ordinary construction) and under.
the bar . The tension roller g' is alternately locked (while the stitch is made)
aud released (during the movement of the tissue) by means of a brake or other:
suitable arrangement actuated preferably by a cam on the main shaft T' in the
usual manner.
The take up bar g² is carried by arms 9' secured to the rocking-shaft carried in
the bearings secured to the rail C of the framing and its movement is as
follows;-During the period in which the tension roller g' is released and the
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page_text: is
tissue is moved to make the next stitch, the bar ² remains at or near the extremity
of its outward movement, and during the period in which the tension roller
locked and the stitch is made, it is moved inward at the same time as the needle so
as to give sufficient thread requisite for the passage of the shuttle, and it is returned
to its outer position at the same time as the needle draws the thread g tight and
tightens the stitch. -
If it is desired to give more or less thread for the making of the stitch than
would be actually drawn off by the movement of the tissue, at the period when the
tissue is moved and the tension roller is released, the bar is moved outwards
beyond its normal position to draw off more thread or moved inwards so as to
counteract the movement of the tissue and give off less thread.
This movement takes place after the tension roller is released so that for the
purpose of tightening the stitch the bar always returns to the same position and
a stitch with a loose or tight needle thread may thus be made as required.
In order to impart a varying movement to the take up bar g² it is actuated by a
cam with varying cam surfaces at different parts of its length, which is carried
by and is capable of being moved along the main shaft T so that different parts of
its length may operate the antifriction roller in contact therewith. The anti-
friction roller is carried by the bell crank lever a pivotted at ³ to a bracket
secured to the lower of the two rails C, the inner end of the lever n being con-
nected by a link to arm a secured to the rocking shaft operating the
take up bar the take up bars of the upper tiers being similarly connected
by means of links a portion of one of which upper links is shown in Figs. 2
and 3.
The cam is moved laterally by the bracket nº provided with arms n' between
which the cam rotates and the said bracket is carried and actuated by the screwed
part of the shaft n³ carried in bearings 10 secured to the lower of the rails C.
The shaft n is preferably continued to the pantograph end of the frame and is
operated simultaneously with an indicator if desired, by a suitable arrangement so
as to be under the control of the pantograph operator.
The shuttle threads (see Figs. 1 and 6) are locked by the spring fingers
arranged on the longitudinal bar to correspond with the position of the shuttles.
Immediately the shuttles have passed through the loops in the needle threads the
bar descends and each thread is held immediately behind the shuttles between
the lower ends of the spring fingers and the surface of the shuttle race ¿¹; and is
retained while the needle-thread-take-up tightens the stitch.
The bar is raised to release the threads and permit of the return of the
shuttles at the same time as the needle threads are released and the tissue moved.
By returning the shuttles to a point at a greater or less distance from the needle-
holes in the cloth plate more or less thread will be given off than would be
actually drawn off by the movement of the tissue and by this means I am enabled
to make a stitch with a tight or loose shuttle thread as desired.
The shuttles are preferably actuated by a cam moved laterally on the main.
shaft T, similar to that described as operating the needle-thread-take-up bar so.
that the length of movement of shuttles may be in the same manner conveniently.
regulated by the pantograph attendant.
The bar is carried by arms (only one of which is shown in the accompanying
drawings) secured to the rocking shaft carried in the bearings secured to the
shuttle-race-wagon-framing and is actuated by a cam secured on the main
shaft T. The cam actuates through an antifriction roller the lever which is
pivotted to the framing at and is connected at 3 by one or more links
arms secured to the rocking shafts j³.
to
In the process of cording as hitherto practised the needle threads pass over the
cord and are consequently shown prominently, the cord also has a tendency to
follow a wavy course the curves of which correspond to the length of the
stitches.
'
To attach a cord to the tissue k so that this tendency is obviated and with
:

page_text: concealed stitches I employ two or more cording guides J actuating separate cords
or strands which may be carried on the same spool which spool may if desired be
sub-divided according to the number of strands. The cords or strands p (as shown
in Fig. 5) are twisted together to form a single cord by rotating the cording
guides J round the needle thread continuously in one direction, the tension of one
strand will counteract the tension of the other both being equal, and each strand in
turn will engage with the needle thread and be attached to the tissue the stitcher
being covered by the other strands.
When employing more than two cording guides to each needle less than half a
revolution each stitch will be sufficient to engage one of the strands with the needle
thread but in some cases it may be desirable to increase the movement of the guides
so as to give more twist to the cord.
When employing two cording guides J I place them preferably diametrically
opposite one another and when inore than two are employed I preferably place
them equidistant or nearly so.
The apparatus as described and shown in Fig. 7 for imparting motion to the
cording guides is applied to an embroidery machine with two tiers of needles the
cording or braiding guides in each tier being operated simultaneously by a longi-
tudinal shaft I as described in the Specifications of my applications No. 8669
dated June 4th 1890 and No. 11770 dated July 28th 1890.
Motion is imparted to the shafts I by a vertical shaft b carried in the bracket
bearings secured to the framing and secured to which shaft are bevel wheels h
in gear with bevel wheels 3 secured to the shafts I. Motion is transmitted from.
the main shaft T' to the shaft b by bevel wheel c secured to the said shaft T
bevel wheels c' and 2 rotating on the shaft c³ carried in the bearings c, beveĺ'
wheel e rotating on a pivot or short shaft co at right angles to and secured to the
shaft c³, bevel wheels and rotating on the shaft c³ the latter wheel c³ engaging
with the bevel wheel secured to the shaft b. By changing the position of the
wheel that is by turning it about the centre of the shaft c³ the movement.
imparted to the shafts I may be regulated so that the cording guides always bear
the same relation each stitch to the direction of that stitch. This may be effected
by turning the shaft to which the pivot c is secured by means of a worm
wheel secured thereto operated by a worm d on the shaft d which *is*
operated simultaneously with an indicator in the same manner as and by a similar.
arrangement to that described in my hereinbefore cited application No. 11770
dated 28th July 1890.
With the foregoing arrangement continuous rotary motion may be imparted to
the shafts and consequently to the cording guides by locking the wheels c² and e²
together by means of the pin elo passing through.the extensions c" and c¹ of the
bosses of the wheels c¹ c² or reciprocating motion may be obtained by means of an
eccentric secured to the wheel c' and the strap e of which is connected by a rode¹
to the lever pivotted to the framing e. The wheel is connected to the
lever by a link e pivotted to an extension of the wheel c which is thus
reciprocated by the eccentric, the pin c. being at this time and for this purpose
removed.
The link is also disconnected when the pin co is replaced for continuously
rotating the shafts 1.
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. In an embroidery machine such as described the combination with a shuttle
of an automatic shuttle-thread locking arrangement adapted to operate sub-
stantially as described.
2. In an embroidery machine such as described the combination with a shuttle
of a finger such as j substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 3. In an embroidery machine such as described the combination with the
shuttles of a bar such as provided with spring fingers such as substantially
as and for the purpose described. and illustrated in the accompanying drawings:
4. In an embroidery machine such as described the combination with an auto-
matic needle-thread locking arrangement of a take-up bar such as g² having a
varying movement substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
5. In an embroidery machine such as described the combination with a take-up
bar such as g of a cam such as n the surface of which varies at different parts of
its length substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
6. In an embroidery machine such as described the combination with a shuttle of
a shuttle-actuating cam whose surface varies at different parts of its length sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein described.
7. In an embroidery machine such as described the combination with a bar such
as of arms shaft j³ arms j lever and cam j substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
8. In an embroidery machine such as described the combination with each
needle of two or more cording guides such as J each guide operating a
separate cord or strand which is turned round the other or others and thereby
twisted together to form a single cord as it is secured to the tissue substantially
as described.
9. The method of cording by twisting together two or more cords or strands to
form a single cord which is secured to the fabric by the needle thread engaging
with part of its strands substantially as described.
10. In an embroidery machine the combination with wheels c²² of an inter-
mediate wheel such as the position of which is adjustable substantially as and for
the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
11. In an embroidery machine the combination with a wheel such as c³ of an
indicator and means for operating both simultaneously substantially as described. .
12. In an embroidery machine the combination and arrangement of parts for
imparting rotary or reciprocating motion to the cording-or-braiding-device-
operating shaft and means for governing such movement substantially as described
and illustrated in Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of June 1891.
.
RUDOLPH WEISS.