Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 30th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 5th Apr., 1887.
WILLIAM HENRY BLAND of 20 Collindon Street,. Luton, in the County of
Bedford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates more particularly to that class of sewing machines and their
accessories, which are used in the manufacture of straw hats and bonnets and
analogous articles, but is also applicable to other purposes, for which sewing machines
may be employed; and consists of an improved arrangement of feeding apparatus,
whereby a high degree of steadiness and stability is imparted to the feeder, preventing
lateral play or looseness and securing a perfectly parallel feed motion, which by a
simple means of disconnection is converted into an ordinary feed motion. Also of
an improved raising separator which is capable of adjustment to suit the degree
of thickness of the plait or braid, or other materials being sown. Also an improved
attachment to the feed stem, whereby. it can be adjusted so as not to impede the
materials operated upon, whether coarse or fine, for the purpose of protecting
the presser from being cut or damaged by the feed, when stopping or laying down the
plaits, and when the machine is running with the presser down, and the material
removed. This arrangement is especially adapted for use in combination with the
machines known as the Willcox and Gibbs machines, but it is also applicable to other
forms of sewing machines. My improved parallel motion is constructed in the
following manner: Two eccentrics are fitted, one at each end of the revolving shaft,
both centres being at the same point of the circle. On the off side of the machine is
a double cranked feed arm, in a parallel line with the revolving shaft, the crank ends
of the feed arm being connected to and driven by the eccentrics. Another eccentric
is fitted to the revolving shaft, the centre of which is exactly opposite to the first
mentioned eccentrics, and is worked between an oscillating barrel or sleeve which is
mounted on a pin attached to the body of the machine, about half way between the
revolving shaft and the feed arm in a line with the same. A plunger is fitted into the
oscillating barrel or sleeve, which is connected to the feed arm, and is kept in position
by the two collars to prevent lateral play. The two eccentrics at the ends of the
revolving shaft furnish the propelling power for the feed arm, and the inner eccentric

page_text: is chiefly for the purpose of obtaining the parallel motion, that is, as the throw of the
inner eccentric is placed in an opposite direction to the two end eccentrics it is
capable of raising and lowering the feed arm bodily, corresponding with the raising
and lowering of the propelling eccentrics, and if it is desired to obtain an ordinary
feed motion, it is effected by disconnecting the middle eccentric which actuates the
oscillating barrel and plunger; the plunger will then simply act as a slide and rest
for the feed arm. Another part of my invention consists of a detachable and
adjustable separator, which may be used in motion or stationary. It is curved at one
end to correspond with the cover plate. The main portion consists of a spindle
inserted through the plate guide, and then through to the body of the machine; it is
actuated by a clamp fixed to the separator by the aid of a set-screw; and the clamp
then clutches the tail of a presser, it also operates jointly with the presser, and the
end of the curved separator nearest the needle, only rises half the height of the
presser thereby enabling the worker more easily to place in position the materials
about to be sown. The separator can be adjusted to any required position by the aid
of the clamp set-screw, and the separator can also be used as a stationary separator by
removing the clamp, the separator being fixed by a set screw attached to the body of
the machine, through which the separator passes. Another part of my invention is
intended for the protection of the presser. Having constructed the feed arm as
hereinbefore described I am able to attach to the feed stem a long set-screw, out of
the way of all the materials being sown, which is set in position by another set screw;
the long set screw can be set at any required height above the surface of the feed,
and it is then impossible for the feed to cut the presser, which is most essential when
fine materials are being sown, as, when the presser is cut it runs the material unevenly,
or damages the surface of the same.

page_text: WILLIAM HENRY BLAND of 20 Collindon Street, Luton, in the County of Bedford,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement: -
My invention relates more particularly to that class of sewing machines, and their
accessories which are used in the manufacture of straw hats and bonnets and
analogous articles, but is also applicable to other purposes, for which sewing machines
may be employed; and consists of an improved arrangement of feeding apparatus,
whereby a high degree of steadiness and stability is imparted to the feeder, preventing
lateral play or looseness and securing a perfectly parallel feed motion, which by a
simple means of disconnoction is converted into an ordinary feed motion.
Also of an improved raising separator which is capable of adjustment to suit the
degree of thickness of the plait or braid, or other materials being sewn. Also an
improved attachment to the feed stem whereby it can be adjusted so as to not to
impede the materials operated upon whether coarse or fine, for the purpose of
protecting the presser from being cut or damaged by the feed, when stopping
or laying down the plaits and when the machine is running with the presser down,
and the material removed. This arrangement is especially adapted for use in
combination with the machines known as the Willcox & Gibbs sewing machines, but
it is also applicable to other forms of sewing machines.
And in order that my said invention may be more particularly described and
ascertained, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings in which similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved parallel motion applied to the feeding
apparatus. Figs. 2 and 3 are parts of the same; Fig. 4 is a partial plan of the
presser plate, shewing the separator and other apparatus. Fig. 5 is a side view,
Fig. 6a front view, also shewing my improvements, and Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively
an elevation and plan of the separator p, bar q, and clamp w.
a is the shaft driven by the pulley b; ce are the two end eccentrics both of equal
throw, which drive the rod d by means of the links e e¹. is an intermediate
eccentric the throw of which is set exactly opposite to cc, in other words at an angle
of 180 degrees therefrom; so that the two outer eccentrics are rising while the centre
one is descending, and vice versa. is a centre which supports the sleeve h. This
sleeve also carries a fork in which the eccentric f works, and by which eccentric f
the sleeve is caused to vibrate. i is a plunger having a head which is bored to fit
the bar ; the bar working freely in the head k. mm are two blocks bored to fit the
bar d and faced to correspond with the faces of the head k. mm are also fitted with
set screws to keep the head k in position.
The joint action of the two eccentrics cc in one direction with that of the eccentric f
having an opposite throw, oscillates the plunger, thereby raising the feed arm d

page_text: bodily, in conjunction with the two outer eccentrics cc, and imparting parallel motion
to the feed surface. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the position of the various parts of
the intermediate actuating mechanism, shewn in Fig. 1; and Fig 3 is an end view of
the link e. By unscrewing the set screw d¹ the intermediate eccentric motion can be
disconnected; the feed throw then becomes one of the ordinary kind. Extra power
and great steadiness is imparted to the feed motion, which is kept in position by the
plunger i.
In Figs. 4 5 and 6 n is the presser which is sustained in, the ordinary manner.
But in order to regulate the same I fit a long set screw o (shewn in Figs. 45 and 6)
under the feed stem, which screw may be adjusted to any degree of height above the
surface of the feed plate, so that, when adjusted to any position above such surface the
presser is thereby prevented from contact with the feed surface which contact would
injure the presser.
This feed protector o acts in conjunction with the feed stem, and rises and falls
therewith. y is the feed stem which is clamped to the link e by the clamp screw x, by
which it is set in any position.
pgts and w form together my improved separator and bar, the bar passing
through the body of the machine at and actuated by the clamp w and set screw s,
the clamp being actuated by the tail of the ordinary presser n. The separator is set
in any required position relatively to the clamp w by the set screws. The separator
rises only half the height of the ordinary presser, above the surface plate, at the same
time leaving an equal space between the separator and the presser to that between the
separator and the surface plate; as shewn in Fig. 7; the length of the clamp wis
twice that of the separator p. This arrangement renders it easy.to insert the material
about to be sewn. If the set screws is unscrewed from the clamp and inserted in the
hole u so as to fix the separator bar, the separator then becomes (after being set in
position) stationary. is a spring attached to the clamp, which presses upon the
presser bar, as shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
1. The application and use, in connection with the feed apparatus of sewing
machines, of the parallel motion, driven by the eccentrics ec and f and otherwise
operating substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn on the drawings.
2. The application and use in sewing machines of the improved separator p attached
to the bar and operated by the screws spring t and clamp i substantially as
hereinbefore described and shewn on the drawings.
3. The application and use in sewing machines, of the screw o, for the protection
of the presser, substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn on the drawings.
4. The general construction combination and arrangement of the several and
respective parts, together constituting my improvements in sewing machines,
substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn on the drawings.
Dated 29th December 1886.
GEO. DOWNING,
Agent for Applicant.