IMPROVEMENTS IN EMBROIDERING APPARATUS FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
"
& Co, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN EMBROIDERING APPARATUS FOR SEWING MACHINES
Communicated to him from abroad by Franklin Howard Chilton of the
City and State of New York United States of America
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st August 1882.
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent
Agents Southampton Buildings, London, " IMPROVEMENTS IN EMBROIDERING
APPARATUS FOR SEWING MACHINES [A communication to him from abroad by
Franklin Howard Chilton of the City and State of New York United States of
America]
This Invention relates to improvements in embroidering attachments for sewing
machines; the general construction and arrangement of the operative parts and
the specific construction of the foot of the attachment, are hereinafter described.
According to one part of the said Invention the foot of the attachment is firmly
secured to a part by which the attachment may be connected with the presser-bar
of the sewing machine. The said part which is composed of a horizontal bar and
a vertical hollow standard is, by preference, cast in one piece, and in the front end
of the said bar is provided a vertical aperture and appropriate set-screw for
applying the attachment to the machine. The foot is secured at its rear portion
to the lower side of the said bar, the front portion being left entirely open so that
the operator may be able to observe the formation of the stitches, and upon one
side of the foot is provided a lip arranged in suitable relation for the reception of a
thread eye and to constitute a bushing which will assist in preventing the
embroidering thread from getting beneath the thread-carrying devices.
Within the aforesaid hollow standard is placed a vertical post having secured
upon its upper end, either by rivetting, or by a screw, or otherwise, a horizontal
arm, the outer extremity of which is rounded and placed between jaws at the

page_text: upper end of the short arm of a lever, which lever is pivotted on the side of the
said standard, and has on the extremity of its long arm which extends toward
the front of the device, a pivotted loop, which, when the attachment is put into
practical use, is secured upon, and moves with, the screw which holds the needle
bar, whereby movement is communicated to the operative parts of the attachment.
Upon the side of the said standard is secured a brace or similar contrivance which
extends upward above the sweep of the said lever and is supplied with an eye for
the reception of the embroidering thread.
Upon the lower end of the said post is secured, by rivetting or otherwise, the
rear ends of two forked arms which extend forward encircling the vertical portion
of the foot and supporting in their front extremities a segmental rack the teeth of
which mesh with a pinion upon a screw or pivot in about the centre of the foot.
The forked arms carrying the rack are firmly secured upon, and at right angles to,
the said post, thus as the post is caused to have a semi-rotary movement by the
operation of the said lever, the said rack will oscillate back and forth over the
presser-foot from one side thereof to the other, and impart a rotary movement to
the said pinion and its connecting devices. Upon the lower surface of the pinion
is rigidly affixed the shank of an oscillating thread-carrier. From the shank of
the said carrier extends outward an extension which is in the form of an arc of a
circle or a hook. The point of the hook-shaped extension is specially constructed
with a view to prevent the embroidering thread from getting beneath the carrier,
and is provided at its lower edge with a long arm and at its upper edge with a
short arm. Immediately beneath, and arranged to move simultaneously with,
the said carrier is a cam which passes outward from the centre to the circumference
of the shank of the carrier, its sides being flat and its outer edge in the form of a
segment of a circle. I prefer to construct the aforesaid pinion with a squared shank,
or a sbank of other angular form, and to provide corresponding apertures in the
thread-carrier and cam, whereby, in securing the same to the foot, the shank can be
passed through the apertures in the carrier and cam and through an aperture in
the foot, and rivetted on the lower side thereof.
Upon the upper surface of the foot is placed a movable thread-detainer pivotally
secured in place by a pin or pivot situated upon the rear portion of the foot. The
central portion of the shank of the thread detainer is removed to form an aperture
having flattened sides and front edge, its rear edge being rounded. At the front
portion of the thread-detainer is a hook-shaped extension provided with a vertical
lip, formed by turning a portion of the blank upward at right angles to the
extension. When the thread detainer and thread-carrier are in position the
aforesaid cam is enclosed within the said aperture.
In practice the attachment is applied to the presser-bar of the sewing machine
and the aforesaid lever connected with the needle-bar by means of the aforesaid
loop. The sewing needle is threaded in the usual manner and the embroidering
thread is brought from a suitable tension and passed through an eye in a bracket
after which it enters an eye on the aforesaid lever and is then returned to the eye
in the bracket and afterwards carried downward and inserted through a thread eye,
the end of the thread being then passed under the front portion of the foot, and the
work placed in position, the machine is set in motion.
The above described construction of the thread-carrier and thread-detainer, is
designed to produce a perfect embroiderer with the consumption of the least amount
of metal, labor, and expense. The extensions on the ends of both the carrier and the
detainer co-operate to prevent, at any stage of the operation, the embroidering
thread from getting improperly caught or from slipping beneath the operative parts
of the attachment.
According to a modification of the said Invention the foot is covered at its sides.
These sides cover the oscillating toothed rack and prevent the contact there with
of the fabric being treated.
I sometimes modifiy the means employed for giving motion to the rack which
operates the pinion. The rack is secured or formed on the lower end of a bar

page_text: pivotted at its upper end and having a longitudinal cam-slot, in which slot a lug
extending from the sides of a lever is made to travel and cause the said bar to
vibrate, whereby the rack is given its movement back and forth against the side of
the pinion. The said lever receives its motion from the needle-bar in the customary
inanner and the movements of the thread-carrier and detainer are the same as in
the attachment hereinbefore described.
According to another part of the said Invention the foot of the attachment
consists simply of a plain flat disc or piece having an aperture for the passage of
the needle and attached to the lower portion of a sleeve, by which the embroiderer
is attached to the presser-bar of a sewing machine in the customary manner. Upon
the side of the said sleeve is secured a bracket in the rear portion of which is
pivotted the rear end of a lever which passes forward and has pivotally secured in
the front end, a loop or ring. When the attachment is in use the said loop or ring
is arranged over the screw which secures the needle in place, thus the lever has an
oscillating motion corresponding with the movement of the needle-bar.
Upon the foot is secured a stationary thread-detainer, being a small projection or
bar arranged to extend partially in front, and to one side, of the aperture in
the foot.
At about the centre of the foot is set the lower end of a vertical spiral or twisted
shaft, the upper end of which is held in a horizontal extension of the aforesaid
bracket. The said spiral shaft is arranged to have a free rotary movement when
actuated, and carries upon its lower portion close to the upper surface of the foot a
thread-carrier, which consists of a shank and a circular hook-shaped portion the
point of the hook-shaped portion being notched and forming two lips. Upon the
inner side of the front end of the said lever is a shoulder or extension having an
elongated aperture of sufficient width to move readily over the said spiral shaft, the
object of the movement being to cause the shaft to rotate in the customary
manner.
At the extremity of the upward movement of the said lever the point of the
thread-carrier will come opposite to an eye in proper position to catch the
embroidering thread which extends from the said eye into the aperture in the foot
and to draw it at the succeeding upward movement of the lever, around the thread-
detainer, and to a point in rear of the vertical line of the sewing needle, whereby a
loop is formed which is drawn to the proper size and sewn down at the next
following stroke of the needle-bar and lever.
The principal feature of this part of the said Invention is the operation of the
spiral shaft by a lever, by which arrangement I accomplish various objects which
have been thought to be impossible in attachments where the thread-carrier is
operated by a spiral shaft. Among other advantages which I gain in driving the
spiral shaft by a lever, is the adaptabilily of the attachment to any of the machines
now in use. It is well known that the spiral shaft driven by a traveller or fixed
connection cannot be applied to many machines owing to the fact of the needle and
presser bars being too close together to permit of the spiral shaft being inserted
between them, and the interference of the head of the needle-screw, thread cutters,
and other parts. By the use of the lever for the purpose described, the spiral shaft
may be thrown out from the needle-bar and operated without interference, and
with ease and rapidity. A further and very important fact to be mentioned is
that by employing the lever having a loop or ring the attachment may be applied
to machines varying in the stroke of the needle-bar without altering the length of
the spiral shaft, the difference in stroke being regulated by the lost motion in
the loop.

page_text: 1
•
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
1st February 1883.
"
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London "IMPROVEMENTS IN EMBROIDERING
APPARATUS FOR SEWING MACHINES A communication to me from abroad by
Franklin Howard Chilton of the City and State of New York United States of
America
This Invention relates to improvements in embroidering apparatus for sewing.
machines and consists in various combinations and arrangements of the operative
parts, and in the specific construction of the foot of the attachment, all as herein-
after described.
In the accompanying drawings Figures 1 to 6 are detached views hereinafter
described of various parts of the embroidering attachment constructed according to
this Invention
Figure 7 is a top view or plan of an embroidering attachment
Figure 8 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 9 is a view of a foot and devices showing the first position of the carrier
and detainer
Figure 10 is a similar view showing the last position of the said carrier and
detainer.
Figure 11 is a detached view of the lever
Figures 12 and 13 are views of a modified form of presser foot
Figure 14 is a front view of a modified form of embroidering attachment
Figures 15 to 18 inclusive illustrate the second part of the said Invention
Figure 15 being à side view and
Figure 16 a top view of an attachment
Figures 17 and 18 detail views of the same, drawn to an enlarged scale
Referring to Figures 1 to 14 which illustrate one part of the said Invention
A indicates the foot of the attachment which is firmly secured to the part B by
which the attachment may be connected with the presser bar of the sewing
machine. The part B which is composed of a horizontal bar a and a vertical
hollow standard b is, by preference, cast in one piece; in the front end of the bar a
is formed a vertical aperture provided with a suitable set-screw, for applying the
attachment to the machine. The foot A is secured at its rear portion to the lower
side of the bar a the front portion being left entirely open at x so that the operator
may be able to observe the formation of the stitches; upon one side of the foot is
provided a lip a suitably arranged for the reception of a thread eye e and to
constitute a bushing which will assist in preventing the embroidering thread from
getting beneath the thread-carrying devices..
Within the hollow standard b is placed the vertical post C having secured upon
its upper end, either by rivetting or by a screw or otherwise, the horizontal arm D
the outer extremity of which is rounded and placed between the jaws fat the
upper end of the short arm of the lever. E which is pivoted on the side of the
standard b and has on the extremity of its long arm which extends toward the
front of the device, the pivoted loop E' which, when the attachment is put into
practical use, is secured upon, and moves with, the screw which holds the needle
bar whereby movement is communicated to the operative parts of the attachment.
Upon the side of the standard b is secured a brace g or similar contrivance which,
extends upward above the sweep of the lever E and is supplied with an eye for
the reception of the embroidering thread.

page_text: Upon the lower end of the post C, secured by rivetting or otherwise, are the
rear ends of the forked arms h, which extend forward encircling the vertical portion
of the foot A and supporting on their front extremities the segmental rack i the
teeth of which engage with the pinion H upon a screw or pivot in about the
centre of the foot A the forked arms h carrying the rack i are firmly secured
upon, and at right angles to, the post C; thus as the post is caused to have a semi
rotary movement by the operation of the lever E the rack i will oscillate to and
fro over the presser foot from one side thereof to the other and impart a rotary
movement to the said pinion H and its connecting devices. Upon the lower
surface of the pinion is rigidly affixed the shank of the oscillating thread
carrier I the form of which is shewn in Figure 6. From the shank of the carrier I
extends outward an extension J which is in the form of an arc of a circle or a
hook. The point of the hook shaped extension J is specially constructed with a
view to prevent the embroidering thread from getting beneath the carrier, and is
provided at its lower edge with a long arm m and at its upper edge with the
short arm n. Immediately beneath, and arranged to move simultaneously with,
the carrier I is-a cam L which passes from the centre to the circumference of the
shank of the said carrier, its sides being flat and its outer edge in the form of a
segment of a circle. I prefer to construct the pinion H with a square shank or
with a shank of other angular form and to provide corresponding apertures in the
thread-carrier I and cam L, whereby in securing the same to the foot A the shank
can be passed through the apertures in the carrier and cam and through an
aperture in the foot and rivetted on the lower side thereof
Upon the upper surface of the foot A is placed a movable thread detainer M
pivotally secured in place by a pin or pivot situated upon the rear portion of the
foot. The central portion of the shank of the thread-detainer M is removed to
form an aperture m¹ having its sides and front edge flattened and its rear edge
rounded. At the front portion of the thread-detainer M is the hook-shaped
extension N provided with a vertical lip n as shown in Figure 2, the lip n being
formed by turning a portion of the blank upward at right angles to the extension.
When the thread-detainer M and thread-carrier I are in position the aforesaid
cam L is enclosed within the aperture m', and by moving against the sides of the
said aperture when moved by the thread-carrier, will cause the detainer to oscillate
upon its pivot, whereby the said carrier and the detainer will have a simultaneous
movement, with the effect upon the embroidering thread hereinafter set forth.
In practice, the attachment is applied to the presser-bar of the sewing machine
and the lever E is connected with the needle-bar by means of the loop E. The
sewing needle is threaded in the usual manner, and the embroidering thread is
brought from a suitable tension and passed through the eye in the bracket g after
which it enters an eye on the lever E and is then returned to the eye in the
bracket g and afterwards carried downward and inserted through the thread eye e;
the end of the thread being then passed under the front portion of the foot and
the work placed in position, the machine is set in motion. The first downward
movement of the needle-bar and lever E causes the rack i to move across the
pinion H; this movement carries the thread-carrier I away from the front of the
foot A towards the lever E, the point of the thread-carrier, at the end of this its
backward movement, being in proper relation to the eye e to catch the embroidering
thread upon its return towards the front of the foot. Simultaneously with the
movement of the carrier I, the cam L which is rotated by the pinion H, strikes
against the side of the aperture m!, and imparts to the thread-detainer Ma
backward movement on its pivot in a direction opposite to that of the thread-
carrier. Thus when the lever E is depressed, the thread-carrier and thread-detainer
have opposite movements, that is to say, they rotate in opposite directions, whereby
their hook-shaped points separate from each other and pass to the sides of the
presser-foot. The succeeding upward movement of the needle-bar and lever E
operates to produce a contrary movement of the thread carrier and detainer; that
is, they are caused to rotate on their pivots towards each other, whereby, at the

page_text: proper time, the points of the carrier and detainer pass each other across the
opening completely closing the same. When the upward movement is imparted
to the needle-bar and lever E the thread-carrier I catches the embroidering thread
and carries it past the centre of the foot A, at the same time the thread detainer
moves towards and past the point of the carrier I, and in doing so its lip n¹ moves
against that portion of the embroidering thread which extends from beneath the
foot A, to and around the shorter point of the hook on the end of the carrier I,
whereby a loop is formed as indicated, which, when the needle-bar descends
thereby separating. the thread carrier and detainer, is drawn to the proper size and
sewn to the goods. Each downward stroke of the lever E separates the thread
detainer and carrier as described, so as to allow the embroidering stitch to be
made, and each upward stroke of the lever E brings them forward again across the
front of the foot A whereby the embroidering thread is placed in the position
above described for the formation of another loop. The movements above set
forth are repeated with every stitch, one complete stitch being formed with each
full movement of the lever E.
The above described construction of the thread-carrier and thread-detainer is
designed to produce a perfect embroiderer with the consumption of the least
amount of metal, labor, and expense. The extensions on the ends of both the
carrier and the detainer co-operate to prevent, at any stage of the operation, the
embroidering thread from getting improperly caught or from slipping beneath
the operative parts of the attachment.
According to a modification of the said invention shown in Figures 12 and 13
the foot A is covered at its sides. These sides cover the oscillating toothed rack,
and prevent the contact therewith of the fabric being operated upon.
I
I sometimes modify the means employed for giving motion to the rack which
operates the pinion H as shown in Figure 14; in this attachment the rack is
secured or formed on the lower end of a bar B' pivoted at its upper end and
having a longitudinal cam-slot D, in which slot a lug extending from the side of the
lever E is made to travel and cause the said bar B¹ to vibrate, whereby the rack
receives its movement to and fro against the side of the pinion H. The said lever
receives its motion from the needle-bar in the customary manner and the
movements of the thread carrier and detainer are the same as in the attachment
herein before described..
Referring to Figures 15 to 18 illustrating another part of the said invention
A represents the foot of the attachment, which, in the present instance, consists
simply of a plain flat disc or piece having an aperture a for the passage of the
needle, and is attached to the lower portion of a sleeve B, by which the embroiderer
is attached to the presser-bar of a sewing machine in the ordinary manner. Upon
the side of the sleeve B is secured the bracket D, in the rear portion of which is
pivoted the rear end of a lever E which passes forward and has pivotally secured
in its front end the loop or ring d. When the attachment is in use the said loop d
is arranged over the screw which secures the needle in place, thus the lever has an
oscillating motion corresponding with the movement of the needle-bar.
Upon the foot A is secured the stationary thread-detainer e which is a small
projection or bar arranged to extend partially in front, and to one side, of the
aperture a in the foot.
At about the centre of the foot A is set the lower end of the vertical spiral, or
twisted, shaft M, the upper end of which is beld in a horizontal extension f of the
bracket D. The said spiral shaft is arranged to have a free rotary movement
when actuated, and carries upon its lower portion close to the upper surface of the
foot A the thread-carrier N which consists of a shank and a circular hook-shaped
portion n, the point of the hook-shaped portion n being notched as indicated at x
Figure 17 forming two lips. Upon the inner side of the front end of the lever E
is a shoulder or extension m, having an elongated aperture of sufficient width to
move readily over the spiral shaft M the object of the movement being to cause
the shaft to rotate in the customary manner.

page_text: At the extremity of the upward movement of the lever E the point of the thread-
carrier will come opposite to the eye h in proper position to catch the embroidering
thread which extends from the eye into the aperture a, and to draw it at the
succeeding upward movement of the lever E, around the thread-detainer to a point in
the rear of the vertical line of the sewing needle as indicated in Figure 16 whereby
a loop is formed which is drawn to the proper size and sewn down at the next
following stroke of the needle-bar and lever E.
The principal feature of this part of the said invention is the operation of the
spiral shaft by a lever, by which arrangement I accomplish various objects which
have been thought to be impossible in attachments where the thread-carrier is
operated by a spiral shaft. Among other advantages which I gain in driving the
spiral shaft by a lever, is the adaptability of the attachment to any of the machines
now in use. It is well known that the spiral shaft driven by a traveller or fixed
connection cannot be applied to many machines, owing to the fact of the needle
and presser bars being too close together to permit of the spiral shaft being inserted
between them, and the interference of the head of the needle-screw, thread-cutters,
and other parts. By the use of the lever for the purpose described, the spiral
shaft may be thrown out from the needle-bar and operated without interference,
and with ease and rapidity. A further and very important feature is that by
employing the lever having a loop d the attachment may be applied to machines
varying in the stroke of the needle-bar without altering the length of the spiral
shaft, the difference in stroke being regulated by the lost motion in the loop.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I Claim in an embroidering apparatus or attachment for a sewing machine.
First-The presser-foot, the oscillating thread-carrier and the thread-detainer,
the said carrier and detainer being connected by mechanism so as to have a
simultaneous movement imparted to them by means of a rack and pinion,
substantially as set forth.
Second: The open presser-foot, the movable thread-carrier I having at its end
the elongated point m and the shorter point n¹ and the thread-detainer having the
lip n, and extended portion N, the whole adapted to operate substantially in the
manner hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2, 6, 7, and 9 of the
accompanying drawing
Third: The presser-foot, the oscillating thread-carrier, and the pivoted thread-
detainer having a movement simultaneous with that of the carrier and cut to
receive the actuating cam, substantially as set forth.
Fourth-The oscillating thread-carrier, the thread-detainer, and the pinion and
rack operated by the vertical post, the horizontal arm and the actuating lever, the
said carrier and detainer being so connected by mechanism as to have a simul-
taneous movement imparted to them by means of the said rack and pinion,
substantially as set forth.
Fifth The actuating lever having jaws to receive the end of the horizontal arm
connected with the vertical post, the rack and pinion, the thread-carrier and the
thread-detainer, the said carrier and detainer being so connected by mechanism as
to have a simultaneous movement imparted to them by means of the said rack and
pinion, substantially as set forth.
Sixth-The actuating lever having jaws to receive the end of the horizontal
arm connected with the vertical post, the rack and pinion, the thread-carrier and
the thread-detainer, substantially as set forth.
Seventh-The thread-carrier I consisting of the shank and the hook-shaped
extension J having at its end the elongated point m and immediately above it the
shorter point n', the said carrier being arranged to move in the arc of a circle so
that the elongated point m will sustain the embroidering thread, and the shorter
point n' will carry it against a thread-detainer, substantially as described with
reference to Figures 6, 7 and 9 of the accompanying drawing.
Eighth The thread-detainer and thread-carrier arranged to be operated by

page_text: means of the spiral shaft; in combination with the lever whereby motion is imparted
to the said shaft, substantially as set forth:
Ninth The lever E having the loop d and the extension or shoulder m, in
combination with the shaft M, and with a thread-carrier and thread-detainer,
substantially as described with reference to Figures 15 to 18 of the accompanying
drawing
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of February in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three