Improvements in or connected with Sewing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 12th Mar., 1892--Accepted, 16th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Sewing Machines.
I, FREDERIC OLDERSHAW JERRAM of 14 Lower. Breck Road, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Foreman Tailor, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to sewing machines and has more especially for its object
a device to draw upon the thread, and take up its slack while the needle is rising or
falling or resting at its highest point to tighten the stitch.
Hitherto the slack of the thread was taken up above the needle by means of a
vibrating arm or other device, and, at each stroke of the needle, the slack was
drawn through the eye. This constant passing and re-passing of the slack through
the eye was very apt to wear out or damage the thread, as the whole of the slack
had to be drawn through the eye in order to tighten the stitch.
By my invention, I take up the slack between the needle, and the top of the work
or the presser foot, and thereby overcome the disadvantage of having to draw the
thread backwards and forwards through the eye.
One way of carrying out my invention is as follows:-
I employ a vibratory or swinging arm having an eye loop, claw, or their
equivalents above the work, but below the needle when raised, through which
passes the thread. The arm is operated by a suitable cam or other device. The
tension disc is arranged to rise and fall in unison with the needle bar. When the
needle rises, the take-up arm with the eye loop or claw or their equivalents through
which the thread is passed swings transversely and takes up the slack, and, being
underneath the needle, no portion of the thread passes through the eye except what
is necessary to form a stitch. To prevent the needle being bent by the tension of
the thread when the take-up arm is swung sideways, I provide a guide immediately
beneath the needle when in its raised position, which is secured to and projects from
the presser bar, having an eye or U-shaped piece at its end, through which the
thread and needle are adapted to pass. As the thread passes through this guide,
the needle cannot be bent by the movement of the take-up arm, as the tendency is
to pull the needle downwards rather than sideways. The needle guard may be
fixed to any convenient part of the machine instead of the presser bar.
In another arrangement, the take-up arm has a horizontal movement and then a
vertical movement, instead of a swinging motion, this being effected by a suitably
shaped cam..
The invention may
ordinary "take-up."
be used, if desired, in conjunction or in combination with the
By this invention, considerably more slack thread can be taken up than by the
old arrangement, and a larger shuttle or reel holder can, therefore, be used than has
hitherto been the case.
17th 1an of Tune 1901
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Sewing Machines.
I, FREDERIC OLDERSHAW JERRAM of 14, Lower Breck Road, Liverpool in
the County of Lancaster Foreman Tailor do hereby declare the nature of thi
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 sewing machines, and has more especially for its object
a device to draw upon the thread and take up its slack while the needle is rising o
falling or resting at its highest point to tighten the stitch.
Hitherto the slack of the thread was taken up above the needle by means of a
vibrating arm or other device, and, at each stroke of the needle, the slack was
drawn through the eye. This constant passing and re-passing of the slack through
the eye was very apt to wear out or damage the thread, as the whole or nearly
the whole of the slack had to be drawn through the eye in order to tighten the
stitch.
By my invention, I take up the slack between the needle and the top of the work
or the presser foot, and thereby overcome the disadvantage of having to draw the
thread backwards and forwards through the eye.
In the accompanying drawings, the invention is shown applied, by way of example,
to a sewing machine of the rotatory hook lock-stitch type, but it must be understood
that the invention is not limited to this type of sewing machine alone, as it may
also be used in connection with a shuttle or other lock-stitch sewing machine.
In these drawings-
Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views showing the various positions
the take-up device assumes during the cycle of its operations; Figure 1 also
showing one form of cam and lever mechanism by which such device may be
operated.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a part of the sewing machine, showing the
take-up device.
Figure 6 an enlarged view of the claw of the take-up arm.
Figure 7 is a front elevation of a slight modification, in which the take-up
device describes a somewhat abrupt curve instead of an. are of considerable
radius.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of same.
Figure 9 is a front elevation of a further modification in which the take-up device
has a rectangular movement; and
Figure 10 is a side view thereof.
Referring to Figures 1 to 6 inclusive--
A is the cloth plate, B the frame-work of the machine, C the presser foot, D the
needle, E, the pivotted vibratory or swinging take-up arm, having a claw e above
the work but below-the point of the needle D when raised, through which passes the
needle thread. This claw is tapered or sloped in front (see Figure 6) so that
the thread shall slide along this tapered or sloping edge into the claw with the
arm E behind the thread, as shown in Figure 4. F is the needle bar, G the cam
for operating the swinging arm E, this cam being so formed that, during a part of
the movement of the needle, the arm E remains stationary, while, during the
remaining part of the needle's movement, the motion of the arm is accurately timed
to give out the needle thread for the rotating hook to carry over the bobbin and
afterwards to draw-upon-the-thread to take up the slack and complete the stitch.
H are the levers for communicating the motion of the cam to the take-up arm E,
J the tension disc arranged to rise and fall in unison with the needle bar, I the
point of the revolving look for seizing the needle thread and throwing its loop
over the circular bobbin containing the under thread, the dotted lines showing the
circular path of the hook. K is the guide for preventing the needle from being

page_text: bent by the tension of the thread when the take-up arm E is swung sideways. The
end of this guide has a U-shaped piece k through which the needle and its thread
are adapted to pass. The guide is secured to the frame-work B of the machine, or
to the presser bar. It will be seen, by reference to Figure 5, that the thread
passes through this U-shaped end, and the tendency is for the thread to pull the
needle downwards rather than laterally. The guide K, therefore, resists the
lateral pull of the take-up arm and overcomes whatever tendency may exist to
bend the needle. The bobbin is not shown, and certain other parts common to
sewing machines are omitted, in order not to complicate the drawings.
The mode of action is as follows-
The machine being put into motion, the needle descends, passing through the
material and carrying the bight of the thread through the material. The positions
of the various parts with the needle at its lowest dead point and beginning to rise
are represented in Figure 1, in which the take-up arm E is raised to its highest
position, taking up the slack in the thread, and the point of the rotating hook I is
approaching to enter the loop of the needle thread. As the needle rises and the
rotating hook I rotates, the take-up arm E begins to move, and, in doing so,
slackens the thread to form the loop, which is immediately engaged by the point of
the hook I, as shown in Figure 2. The hook now pulls and expands the loop of
the needle thread, while the take-up arm E still further moves forward and gives a
relative amount of thread (see Figure 3) to be carried over the bobbin. A little
further motion causes the take-up arm E to give out the whole of its slack thread,
as shown in Figure 4, in which position the claw of the arm stands clear of the
thread. The needle has now passed its highest point and is beginning to descend;
while in this position, the loop is ready to be cast off the hook I. As soon, there-
fore, as the loop is cast off the hook and passed over the bobbin or spool, the
take-up arm E moves rapidly back as the needle descends, drawing the loop upward
and completing the stitch, as shown in Figure 5.
I have mentioned the above way in which the take-up arm E may be operated,
but it will be readily understood that, once given the general idea, other forms of
cams or lever mechanism may be employed.
One of these arrangements is shown in Figures 7 and 8, in which the claw of the
take-up arm is caused to describe a somewhat abrupt curve instead of an arc of
considerable radius. L is the rotary plate in which is formed a cam groove of the
requisite shape; K is a pivotted block through which the take-up arm E slides ;
M levers connecting the take-up arm with the roller or stud working in the cam
groove. In the position shown on the drawing, with the cam plate L rotating in
the direction of the arrow, the take-up arm E assumes the position shown by full
lines, and pauses in that position until the point of the cam groove has rotated to
the cam pin N, when the take-up arm is caused at once to rise in an abrupt curve
as indicated by the dotted lines, the pivotted block K remaining stationary but
forming a guide for the take-up arm.
The claw at the end of the take-up arm E
is here bent into the form of a barb to prevent the thread slipping out when the
arm E rises.
Another arrangement is shown in Figures 9 and 10, in which two cam grooves
are formed upon the same cam plate L (one on each face), this cam plate being
fixed upon the driving shaft of the machine. The cam groove N actuates the
pivotted block K, giving a lateral movement to the take-up arm E, while the cam
groove O, shown by dotted lines, controls the vertical movement of said take-up
arm E. In the position shown in the figures, the take-up arm assumes the position
depicted by the full lines. When, however, the cam plate rotates in the direction
of the arrow, the cam groove N actuates the pivotted block K, causing it to move
the take-up arm laterally into the position shown by the dotted lines, Figure 9.
When the point n in the cam groove N is reached, the take-up arm is moved back
again to the position shown by the full lines, and almost simultaneously the take-up
arm is raised by the cam groove O in the path indicated by the dotted line.

page_text: The invention
may
be used, if desired, in conjunction or in combination with the
ordinary "take-up."
By this invention, considerably more slack thread can be taken up than by the
old arrangement, and a larger shuttle or bobbin can, therefore, be used than has
hitherto been the case.
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. The improvement in sewing machines which consists in providing them with
a take-up arm swinging transversely across the path of the needle and adapted
alternately to engage and pull upon the thread to take up the slack and to give out
and release the thread to be carried over the bobbin or shuttle, substantially as
described.
2. In a sewing machine, the improved take-up consisting of a rocking or moving
arm E, the claw of which is arranged to swing transversely across the path of the
needle, and take up the slack between the needle and the top of the work, in
combination with any suitable cam or the like for imparting to the said arm the
required motion.
3. The combination, with the take-up arm E, of the guide K, provided with a
U-shaped end constructed substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. In combination, for the purpose of operating a take-up in sewing machines, a
double cam L having a cam groove on each face, a pivotted block K forming a
guide for the take-up arm, and links or arms for operating the take-up by contact
with the cam grooves, whereby the take-up arm is given a lateral and vertical
movement, substantially as described.
5. The arrangement of the take-up arm E, cam L, pivotted block K, and links or
arms for operating the take-up arm by contact with the cam grooves, substantially
as described.
6. The several combined arrangements and construction of parts forming the
improved take-up device for sewing machines, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of March 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.