Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
We, GEORGE HELLIAR COLLEY, of 222 West Franklin Street, Jackson, in
the County of Jackson, and State of Michigan, U.S.A., Machinist,, and THE
WEEKS COLLEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, a corporation organized and
existing under the laws of the State of Michigan, U.S.A., and. having its principal
place of business at 146 West Main Street, Jackson, in said State, 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 improvements in sewing machines, but more particularly
to such machines as employ an overseaming or zig-zag stitch.
Heretofore it has been customary in the manufacture of corsets and the like to
close by hand the open ends of the binding strips used on such articles. This
consumes considerable time, thereby involving extra expense which it is always
desirable to reduce to a minimum, and which is an important matter to be taken
into consideration in a manufactured article; and, moreover, such hand work is
usually uneven in finish and the work necessarily unsatisfactory.
The primary object of this invention is to provide means attached to a sewing
machine, whereby the ends of such binding strips may be readily and effectually
closed; to provide means for giving a step-by-step movement to the object; to
provide means for feeding the object in either direction, so that one row of stitches
may be made to cross. the preceding row to more effectually close the ends of the
strips; to provide means whereby the step-by-step mechanism may be automatically
shifted to change the direction of the feed; to provide a clamp which will rigidly
hold and align the object so as to be properly and positively fed; to provide a
thread tension releasing device operated simultaneously with the releasing of the
clamp and to provide means for retaining the clamp in a raised position. A
further object is to provide simple, effective and durable mechanism which may be
applied to various designs of machines; and which may be adjusted to different
requirements.
With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction
and combination of the several parts as will be more fully hereinafter described
and then particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification,
Figure 1 is a general perspective view of this invention as applied to a Singer
over-seaming sewing machine.
Figure 2 is a front end elevation with the overhauging arm removed, illustrating
the relative position of the needle bar and tension releasing device to the other
parts of the invention.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line III-III of Figure 4.
Figure 4 is a vertical longitudiual section through the clamp and feed operating
mechanism, with a portion of the machine broken away.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the forward end of the clamp.
Figure 6 is an inverted plan of the top-plate of the clamp.
Figure 7 is a plan of a portion of the foot-plate of the clamp.
Figure 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Figure 3, illustrating the means
for yieldingly retaining the pawl in different positions.
Figure 9 is a front elevation of a modified form of mechanism for giving a step-
by-step movement to the rack-bar.
Figure 10 is a plan view of the rack-bar; and

page_text: Figure 11 18 a transverse section of the rack-bar taken on the line II-II of
Figure 10.
In the drawings A may designate a work plate or bed, B the over-hanging arm,
C the head of the arm, D the needle bar having a reciprocating and vertical
movement and carrying the needle d, d¹ the link connected to a cam-actuated
lever, E the driving wheel secured to the driving shaft which operates the
needle bar, F the vertical shaft for operating the shuttle mechanism G through
the pitmang, all of which may be of any suitable construction and operated in
the usual and well-known manner.
The bed A has a frame H arranged upon the upper surface thereof provided
with a groove in which a rack-bar his adapted to slide back and forth as will be
more fully hereinafter described. At ¹ is a plate removably secured by screws
or otherwise to the upper surface of the rack-bar and having its inner end forming
one side of a dove-tailed recess in which is arranged the rear end or shank of the
foot-plate of the clamp I, so that by loosening or removing the screws which
secure the plate to the rack-bar, and thus loosening the clamp, the latter may be
adjusted lengthwise of the machine. This clamp has the top plate which is
secured by the spring or springs to the foot-plate supporting arm i, the foot-
plate serving to support the material and to align the same. The said foot-plate
supporting arm extends to the rack-bar parallel with but underneath the spring
which supports the top-plate, being secured to said rack-bar as described; said arm
being offset at so that its forward end, or the foot-plate secured to said end may
rest upon the bed of the machine. The foot-plate is provided with an L-shaped
end and an upwardly-extending lip which passes through an elongated slot
of the top-plate 2, and serves to align the material when placed between said top-
plate and foot-plate. This top-plate has a depending tooth-edged bar or rib on
the underside thereof which rigidly holds the material to the foot-plate, the
elongated slot of said plate being of sufficient length and width to permit proper
movement of the clamp and the needle d which passes through said slot.
The rack-bar h, before referred to, is provided with teeth which are in mesh
with a segmental or other form of gear ; secured to the end of shaft or stud ƒª
which is journaled transversely of the frame H; the said gear or stud, as the case
may be, having a handle for moving the rack in either direction independently
of any mechanism. On the stud, between the sides *,, of the frame H, are
secured a pair of ratchet wheels k, k¹, having oppositely arranged teeth which are
adapted to be engaged by the oppositely acting teeth 1, ', of the pawl L. The
pawl is pivoted to rocking-arm by a screw or bolt, and is held so as to cause
either of the teeth of said pawl to engage their respective ratchet wheels by a
spring-pressed pin 4, shown in Figure 8; said rocking arm being loosely
mounted or pivoted on the stud so as to move freely thereon. The pin is
pointed at one end and is supported on the rocking-arm by the recessed pro-
jection which is secured to said lever, the pin being normally pressed toward the
pawl by a spring which is arranged in the recess of the projection and which
surrounds said pin; the said pointed end of the pin being adapted to engage
indentations in the pawl so as to retain the tooth in contact with the teeth of the
ratchet wheel k, or the tooth in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet
wheel, according to the position of said pawl. The rocking-arm / has an
upwardly-extending arın which is provided with a slot is adapted to be engaged
by a bolt m carried by the end of a link m', the latter connecting the rocking-
arm with the rock-lever M, through which the said rocking-arm is moved
on its pivot. This link has its end radially adjustable in the slot 18 by simply
turning the thumb-nut m² arranged on the end of the bolt m, and which
serves to bind said bolt in the slot, so that different adjustments may be secured
to vary the throw of the pawl, and consequently the length of each movement of
the clamp.
The rock-lever M is pivoted to the frame H and has a forked lower end which
is passed through an elongated slot in the frame and the bed of the machine, and

page_text: ;
spans a cam n which is secured to a horizontal shaft n¹; said shaft being located
beneath the bed A, and journaled in brackets n³, n³, depending from said bed.
This shaft has a mitre gear n³ on one end thereof which is in mesh with a like
gear n secured to the vertical shaft F, by which the said horizontal shaft is rotated.
For automatically shifting the pawl L to change the direction of the
feed, there is provided a pair of standards o, o', arranged on opposite sides
of said pawl and carried by the rack-bar h. In these standards are arranged
the thumb-screws o³, o³, on which are the hand-lock nuts 0, 0%, which hold
the screws in a fixed position when once adjusted the said screws having
their inner ends in the path of a projection of which extends outwardly from
the pawl L, so that as the standards travel back and forth with the rack-bar, the
ends of said screws will contact with the projection of and shift the position of the
pawl according to the direction of movement of the rack-bar. The rack-bar is
prevented from moving too easily by a friction brake which may consist of a
curved spring o7, the ends of which contact with the upper surface of a portion of
said bar. This brake is provided with a central boss of which is engaged by the
end of a thumb-screw o° which passes through a threaded aperture of the boss o10,
so that the tension of the spring may be varied to secure the desired pressure on
said rack-bar.
The top-plate of the clamp I is preferably raised by the action of the cam-
block which is secured to the end of a shaft or stud pl; said shaft being
journaled in a bracket or upright p³ secured to and carried by the foot-plate i of
the clamp. The cam is provided with two flat surfaces so that by turning the
handle p³, which is secured to one end of the shaft, the cam will be caused to lift
the spring of the top-plate and retain the same in this position, owing to the
pressure of said spring, which rests on the flat surface of the cam, being in an
approximately vertical plane, as shown in Figure 4. This movement of the top
plate simultaneously operates on a tension releasing lever R, which is pivoted to
the head C of the overhanging arm. The lever R has its upper end wedge-shaped
so as to spread the tension disks r, r, apart to release the thread and to prevent
its breaking, the lower end of said lever being retained in contact with the top-
plate of the clamp by the spring . This arrangement prevents the thread
being broken while operating the clamp, and at the same time no separate movement
is necessary to release said thread.
The operation of the machine will be readily understood from the foregoing
description in connection with the accompanying drawings. It will be seen, when
the article is placed in the position shown in Figure 5, that by starting the machine
a vertical and reciprocatory movement will be given the needle and needle bar D,
at the same time rotary motion is imparted to the shaft n', which, by means of the
cam n, will rock the lever M on its pivot. This movement of the lever M gives
movement to the rocking arm 12 which carries the pawl L, causing the latter to
give movement to the stud by engaging the ratchet wheels k, k¹. In the position
shown, the tooth 1 of the pawl engages the ratchet wheel k giving
movement to the rack-bar toward the iront of the machine by
seginental gear which is in mesh with the teeth of said rack-bar.
will continue to move in this direction until the end of the screw o
the projection 08 of the pawl L, which will shift the latter on its
have the tooth engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel k¹, thereby causing the
rack to move in the opposite direction, so that the second row of stitches may cross
those already made; the said pawl being yieldingly retained in either position by
the spring-pressed pin . By this construction the rows of stitches may be caused
to repeatedly cross each other, or the feed may be stopped or started in any desired
position by the handle and segmental gear į.
a step-by-step
means of the
The rack-bar
contacts with
pivot so as to
It is not our intention to confine ourselves to the construction or arrangement
shown, as this may be varied and other means may be employed for giving the
step-by-step motion to the clamp. Nor do we confine ourselves in the application
of this invention to any particular kind of machine as the feed mechanism is
independent of any particular shuttle or needle operating mechanism. The ratchet

page_text: wheels and k¹ and the segmental gear may be dispensed with, in some instances,
and the double-acting pawl L made to engage directly with ratchet or o her teeth
arranged on the rack-bar. As shown in Figures 9 to 11, Sheet 4, the rack-bar.
has two series of teeth and 111 located on opposite sides of the face of said rack-
bar for the purpose of moving the same either forward or rearward according to
which series of teeth is engaged by the pawl; movement being imparted to said,
pawl in substantially the same manner as heretofore described. The adjustable
screws o² and o³, in this case, carried by the standards 0, o' as heretofore explained,
contact directly with the pawl, or against the teeth, thereof, as shown, so that
the pawl may be properly shifted for reversing the movement of the rack bar.
The rock-lever M may be operated in some instances directly from the shuttle-
driving mechanisin and the additional counter-shaft n' thereby dispensed with.
Other changes may be made if found desirable without departing from the spirit of
this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
-
1st. In a sewing-machine, the combination with suitable stitch-forming
mechanism, of a clamp adapted to hold the article to be stitched; said clamp
being arranged to move transversely of the machine toward either side thereof, and
mechanism for imparting a step-by-step movement to said clamp, comprising a
rack-bar for moving the clamp, a rocking-arm, a double-acting pawl pivotally
mounted upon said arm and adapted to impart motion to said rack-bar, and a
driving shaft and intermediate mechanism, for imparting movement to said pawl,
together with means for positively shifting the pawl at a predetermined point in
its movement in either direction so as to reverse the direction of motion of said
rack-bar and clamp, substantially as described.
2nd. In a sewing machine, the combination with suitable stitch-forming
mechanism, of a rack-bar arranged to move transversely of the machine toward
either side thereof, a clamp movable with said rack-bar and adapted to rigidly hold
the article to be stitched, a rocking-arm, a double-acting pawl pivoted to said rocking-
arm for giving a step-by-step movement to the rack-bar in either a forward or
backward direction, a rock-lever pivoted to the frame and a link connecting said
rock-lever and rocking-arin, together with mechanism for giving movement to said
rock-lever and rocking-arm and devices for reversing the movement of the rack-bar
as it reaches the limit of its movement in either a forward or backward direction,
substantially as described.
3rd. In combination, a clamp, a rack-bar carrying said clamp and slidingly held
in a frame, a gear engaging the rack-bar and secured to a shaft journaled in the
frame, ratchet wheels with oppositely arranged teeth rotating with said gear, a
rocking-arm loosely mounted on said frame, a double-acting pawl pivoted to the
rocking-arm and adapted to engage said ratchet wheels, and means for operating
the rocking-arm, together with means for reversing the pawl and ratchet mechanism,
substantially as described.
4th. In a sewing machine, the combination with suitable stitch-forming
mechanism, of a clamp adapted to bind and rigidly hold the article to be stitched,
a rack-bar to which the clamp is secured slidingly held in a frame, a gear secured
to a shaft journaled in the frame and in mesh with the teeth of said rack-bar
matchet wheels with oppositely arranged teeth secured to the shaft, a rocking-arm
and a double-acting pawl pivoted to said rocking-arm, a rock-lever connected to the
rocking-arm, together with a cam and operating mechanism therefor for operating
the rock-lever so as to give movement to said rack-bar, and means for shifting said
pawl so as to reverse the movement of the rack-bar, whereby a step-by-step motion
either forward or backward may be given to the clamp, substantially as described.
5th. In a sewing machine, the combination with suitable stitch-forming
mechanism, of a clamp adapted to bind and rigidly hold the article to be stitched

page_text: a rack-bar to which the clamp is secured, a rocking-arm, a double-acting pawl
pivotally secured to the rocking-arm for giving a step-by-step movement to said
rack-bar, means for operating said rocking-arm, together with means carried by the
rack-bar for automatically shifting the position of the pawl at a predetermined
point in its movement in either direction, whereby the direction of movement of
the clamp may be changed, substantially as described.
6th. In a sewing machine, the combination with suitable stitch-forming
mechanism, of a clamp adapted to bind and rigidly hold the article to be stitched,
a rack-bar slidingly held in a frame to which the clamp is secured, a rocking arm
pivoted to the frame, mechanism for rocking said arm, a double-acting pawl pivoted
to said rocking-arm so as to vibrate therewith and impart a step-by-step movement
to said rack-bar, and means for yieldingly retaining said pawl in different positions
on said rocking-arm, together with standards arranged on the rack-bar and having
adjustable means adapted to contact with a portion of the pawl at predetermined
points, whereby the direction of movement of the clamp may be automatically
changed, substantially as described.
7th. In a sewing machine, a clamp comprising a top-plate and a foot-plate
yieldingly connected together, the top-plate being provided with a depending
tooth-edged rib and a slot for the passage of the needle, and the foot-plate being
provided with an angular lip adapted to project upwardly through the slot of the
top-plate, whereby the article to be clamped may be rigidly held and properly
aligned, substantially as described.
8th. In a sewing machine, the combination with the frame and suitable
stitch-forming mechanism, of a rack-bar arranged to slide forward and back on
said frame, a clamp carried by the rack-bar and means for imparting a forward and
back step-by-step motion thereto, together with a spring friction brake arranged
to contact with a smooth surface of the rack-bar while the latter is moving in either
direction, so as to steady the same and prevent any uneven movement thereof, and
means for regulating the tension of said spring, substantially as described.
9th. In a sewing machine, a clamp for holding the material to be stitched,
consisting of a foot-plate or cloth support having a supporting arm which extends
to a movable clamp-carrying bar to which said arm is secured, a spring also secured
at one end to said bar arranged over and parallel with said arın but separated
therefrom between the extremities of the two parts and having a top-plate at its
free end arranged above and yieldingly pressed into close proximity to said
foot-plate so as to bind and hold the material while the clamp is being moved by
said clamp-carrying bar, and a cam rotatably mounted below. said spring and
between the same and said foot-plate supporting arm, and means for rotating said
cam so as to raise and hold the top-plate in an elevated position when desired,
substantially as described.
10th. In a sewing machine, the combination with suitable stitch-forming
mechanism, of a clamp adapted to hold the article to be stitched; said clamp being
arranged to move transversely of the machine toward either side thereof, and
nechanism for imparting a step-by-step movement to said clamp, comprising a
rack-bar for moving the clamp, a pawl adapted to impart motion to said rack-bar,
and a driving shaft and intermediate mechanism for imparting movement to said
pawl, together with means for positively shifting the pawl at a predetermined point
in its movement in either direction so as to reverse the direction of motion of said
rack-bar and clamp, substantially as described.
D
1 1
GEORGE HELLIAR COLLEY.
THE WEEKS COLLEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY,
Per Eugene James Weeks Prindal.
F. Wise Howorth,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.