IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Friedrich Hermann Felix Engel, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, in the City of Hamburg, Germany, for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES." A communication from Eduard
Murjahn, of Hamburg, in the German Empire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Friedrich Hermann Felix
Engel at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th July 1880.
FRIEDRICH HERMANN FELIX ENGEL, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, in the
City of Hamburg, Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES." A com-
munication from Eduard Murjahu, of Hamburg, in the German Empire.
This Invention relates to shuttle machines, and consists mainly of the following
new parts:-
Firstly. The fly wheel, and accordingly the operating parts of the machine, may
bo turned in either direction without interrupting the sewing of the machine. The
shuttle passes in both cases at the proper time through the space between needle
and upper thread, whilst the feed lever of the machine acts always in one and the
same direction.
Secondly. The take up lever of the upper thread operates without the action or
influence of a spring by an excentric cam fastened to the main shaft, and is slotted
for passing the thread into the boring of this lever.
Thirdly. The axles and the needle bar of this machine work in metal boxes
having a slot in their longitudinal direction, and which can be adjusted by set
screws compressing the boxes more or less.
Fourthly. The arm for lifting the pressure foot turns on a fulcrum and can be
moved either way, to the left or right, in which cases the lift of the pressure foot is
of different size. The smaller lift is that required for removing the work from the
machine, whilst the greater lift is applied for removing the pressure foot from the
pressure rod and for fastening attachments, as for example, the hemmer, binder, and
so forth to the pressure bar. The purposes of this construction is to do away with
the unnecessary lift of the pressure bar whilst the machine is in uso for ordinary
sowing.

page_text: The up and down motion of the needle bar of this machine is produced by a
crank fastened to the free end of the horizontal main shaft of the machine, which is
driven by hand or treadle, as required. On this main shaft, and placed within the
hollow stand of the machine, a circular disc is fastened in an excentric position to
the axis of the main shaft, and the excentricity of this disc compared to the position
of the crank of the needle bar is set at right angle.
The outer face or edge of the circular disc gears with a forked crank lever of a
vertical shaft, to the lower free end of which the swinging shuttle lever is fastened.
The above described position of the crank for moving the needle bar in comparison
with the excentric position of the disc, and the circular shape of this disc secure
the exact and uniform operation of shuttle and needle independently of the direction
of the motion of the main shaft.
The motion of the feed lever must exactly correspond-to-the-motion-of-the-shuttle
lever, and for this purpose the crank which moves the feed lever swinging through
n swivel is fastened to the same vertical shaft to which the shuttle lever is
attached.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.filed by
the said Friedrich Hermann Felix Engel in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th January 1881.
FRIEDRICH HERMANN FELIX ENGEL, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
This Invention relates to certain improvements in shuttle sewing machines, and
consists mainly of the new parts, as herein after specified, and such parts in
combination with the rest part of the machine.
The fly wheel, and accordingly the operating parts of the machine, are fitted so
that they may be turned in either direction without interrupting the sewing by
the machine. The shuttle passes in both cases at the proper time through the
space between needle and upper thread, whilst the feed-lever of the machine acts
always in one and same direction.
The take up lever of the upper thread operates without the action or influence
of a spring by an excentric cam fastened to the main shaft, and is slotted for
passing the thread into tho boring of this lover; the rest part of the construction
will be clearly understood by the following particular description, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexod.
In the Drawings Fig. 1 represents a sectional side elevation of a machine
embodying this Invention; Fig. 2 represents a plan theroof seen from below;
Fig. 3 represents an outside view of the head of the machine, and Figs.
and 6 are
details of parts of the machino applied for transmitting motion from the main shaft
to the shuttle and lever feed mechanism.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
In the Drawings N is the needle bar, and o the needle, which is shown in its
lowest position at the moment when shuttle & passes between the needlo and upper
thread. The up and down motion of needle bar N is produced by crank pin a of
excentric b, which latter is fastened to the free end of the horizontal main shaft D
of the machine, which is driven by hand or treadle, as required.
On this main shaft D, and placed within the hollow frame or arm B of the machine
a disc cam c is fastened in an excentric position to the axis of the main shaft, as will
be understood from] Fig. 5 of the Drawings, which represents cam c secured on
shaft D, which latter is in section and seen from the hind end of the machine. The
cam c is placed in a forked crank lever E, which is in connection by means of an
angle lever F with an upright shaft H, the bottom end of which carries an arm K
which supports at its free end the shuttle 8, placed in its carrier p. From Fig. 5 it
will be seen that whatever direction may be imparted to the turning motion of
shaft D, the fork lever E and shaft H, as well as shuttle 8, will always move in tho
same direction at that moment when shuttle 8 has to pass behind the upper
thread; as fork lever E must in the position of Fig. 5, in consequence of the shape
and position of cam c, swing to the left hand side in either case, independently of
the direction of the motion given to shaft D.
To ensure the corresponding motion of the feeder to that of the shuttle, a driving
lever J which is connected to swinging arm R of the feeder is fastened to the same
vertical shaft H to which shuttle lever K is attached.
The purpose of the before described construction is partly to give greater comfort
to the operator of the machine, who need not look to or take care as to the direction
to which the fly wheel is turned; further, to prevent breaking of the needles which
formerly often occurred by turning the machine the wrong way; and, finally, to
prevent the machine from being damaged by the latter cause.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings shows the mechanism for moving the take up lever T of

page_text: the upper thread. This lever T swings on a pin v, and rests up in front upon a
cylindrical bolt h, which is guided within a slot of the machine frame. At the
free end of lever T is a boring for reception of the thread, which latter can be
introduced through a slot shown in the Drawing (Fig. 1). The lift of lever T is
produced by an oxcentric cam g which supports bolt h. When cam g, which is
attached to shaft B, is turned lever T is lifted, whilst it falls by its own over
weight and the tension of the thread.
The bearings of the shafts of this machine may, preferably, be formed by slotted
bushes x, as shown in Fig. 7 of the Drawings, which bushes fit into stands or parts
of the machine frame, and may be adjusted by set screws u if worn, and so
forth.
Fig.-3-and-4 represent an arm used for lifting the presser foot D¹. This arm
which can be turned on a pin carries -two-curvo_shaped projections (Fig. 4) of
different size. By turning either to the left or to the right an arm connected-
to presser foot D', which arm projects from the machine and rests upon the curved
edge of 2, gives the presser foot a smaller or greater lift.
Fig. 4 shows the smaller lift used during working the machine, whilst the
greater lift is used for removing the presser foot from the presser bar and for
fastening attachments to this bar.
Having now described the said Invention in such wise that the same may be
readily ascertained and carried into practical effect, I claim,-
First. The transmission of notion from the main shaft D to the swinging shuttle
lever K, fastened to a vertical shaft H by a circular shaped cam c excentric to the
main-shaft-D,-in.combination with a crank J fastened to the same shaft H and used
for driving the feed lever, for the purpose of-being-enabled to drive the machine in
either direction whilst the feeder works in all cases in one and same direction, as-
described.
Second. The application of the slotted take up lever T for the upper thread,
which lever is moved by an excentric cam, or crank and bolt, substantially for the
purpose and in the manner as herein described, and as explained in reference to
and shown by the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Friedrich Hermann Felix Engel, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty onc.