Improvements in Sewing Machines for Heavy Work.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1896-Accepted, 27th June, 1896
New York, United States of America, Sewing Machine Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Sewing Machines for Heavy Work.
I, WILLIAM HARVEY INSLEE, Manager of The Singer Manufacturing Company,
Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to that class of sewing machines intended for heavy work,
and more particularly to a machine for forming lock-stitch seams with waxed
thread, although my machine is also adapted for sewing with dry thread, if
desired.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a front side view of my improved machine with the frame work thereof
partly in section.
Fig. 2 is a rear side view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view and Fig. 4 a front end elevation of the same.
Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are detail views to illustrate the shuttle mechanism and
the device co-operating therewith to form the loops of needle thread for the
entrance of the shuttle.
Fig. 10 is a sectional view illustrating the mechanism in the forward end of the
arm of the machine.
Fig. 11 is a detail view illustrative of the take-up and thread controlling devices,
and their operating mechanism.
Figs. 12 and 13 are detail views showing the awl bar and a portion of its
operating mechanism, as also a part of the thread controlling mechanism.
Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are detail views illustrative of the feeding mechanism and
the means for giving the proper clearance movement to the awl bar.
Figs. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 are detail views illustrative of the needle thread
controlling and needle threading mechanism.
Fig. 23 is a detail view to show the presser bar and connected parts.
Fig. 24 is a sectional elevation illustrative of the presser bar mechanism, and
also the needle bar and the thread guide bar carried by the latter.
Fig. 25 is a detail view of the presser foot lifting device and the means whereby
the presser bar automatically adapts itself to different thickness of work.
Figs. 26, 27 and 28 are detail views of the presser foot and its connections with
the presser bar.
Fig. 29 is a sectional elevation on line 29-29, Fig. 1.
Fig. 30 is a detail view illustrative of a portion of the thread-controlling and
pull-off mechanism, and Fig. 31 is a detail view of the pull-off devices.
Fig. 32 is a detail side view of the thread guide and needle brace, and
Figs. 33, 34 and 35 are detail views of the needle.
Fig. 36 is a detail view showing a portion of the presser foot lifting mechanism.
A denotes the brace and B the bracket arm, these parts constituting the frame-
work of the machine.
Journalled in the upper portion of said bracket arm is the driving shaft C
provided with the usual fly-and-pulley wheel c and with a series of cams from
which all the movements of the machine are derived. The shuttle operating

page_text: mechanism is essentially that of the well-known "Singer" oscillating shuttle
machine, and comprises the rock-shaft D journalled in the base A and operated
from the cam-groove in the cam-disc c through the rocking arm or lever d,
pitman d and rocker d2, the shuttle E at the forward end of said rock-shaft D
working in a suitable race formed at the forward end of the base A.
F is the needle-bar reciprocating vertically in a suitable fixed bearing at the
forward end of the arm B'and operated from the cam c² on the shaft C through
the bell-crank lever F connected at its forward end to said needle-bar through the
short link. The needle fis forked or recessed to form an open eye at its lower
end to push the thread through holes in the work previously made for it by an
awl 9 carried by a clamp adjustably connected with an awl-bar G reciprocating
vertically in a sliding head b which moves horizontally in suitable guide-ways
formed at the forward end of the arm B; the horizontal movements of the said
head and of the awl-bar mounted therein being for the purpose of feeding the
work and for moving the awl-bar out of the way of the needle-bar. The needle f
is grooved on both sides for the entire portion thereof which enters the thickest
work, so that not only may a needle of the smallest possible size for a given size
of thread be employed, but the thread is well housed in the needle so as to be as
well protected as possible, the groove on the front side of the needle, in which the
thread lies as it comes down from above, preferably extending to the centre of the
needle, as more clearly shown in Fig. 35.
08
The awl-bar is reciprocated vertically from the cam c3 through the bell-crank
lever g', lever and link 93, the latter having a swivel connection with the forward
end of the said lever through the fork g' formed at the forward end of the
swivel bolt g fitting in a suitable socket in the said lever g, this connection
permitting of the horizontal or feeding movements of the awl-bar with the sliding
head b without bindings. The upper end of the link g is jointed to a bracket or
slide fitting in a suitable vertical guide-way formed in the head b, said bracket
or slide being formed in two parts connected together and clamped to the
awl-bar by a bolt g7 passing through a slot in said bar the latter being thus rigidly
held from any turning or torsional movements. The slot in the awl-bar through
which the bolt g' passes permits of a vertical adjustment of the awl-bar to vary
the position of the awl according to the length of the awl or the position desired
therefor.
The horizontal movements of the sliding head band of the awl-bar and awl
carried thereby are preferably greater than the feeding movements of the awl, for
the purpose of giving a suitable clearance between the awl and needle, and I will
now describe the mechanism by which these feeding and clearance movements are
effected. At the forward end of the shaft C is a cam cylinder e having in its rear
face a cam groove e and in its front face a cam groove c, the latter being what
may be termed the clearance cam and the cam-groove c being the feeding cam.
H is an angular clearance lever having a pivot sleeve / journalled in the forward
part of the bracket arm B, said lever having a pin or roller stud entering the
cam groove c. 1 is a rock-shaft extending through the sleeve and having at its
rear end an arm i having a pin or roller studentering the cam groove e, said
shaft having at its forward end an arm . J is the feed-lever jointed at its
lower end to the lower end of the arm 2, this joint being preferably an extended
one to give strength of movement and avoid wear, and said lever J is forked at its
upper end to embrace a fulcrum block or pin 2 carried at the upper end of the
clearance lever H. The feed-lever J is slotted to receive a roller stud 6 carried
by a vertically adjustable block which is received in a slot in the head b and is
engaged by a screw 2 mounted in the said head, and thus by turning said screw
the said block may be moved nearer to or farther from the pin or block 2 at
which the said feed lever has its fulcrum, so that the movements of said slide or
head b, imparted thereto from the said feed lever, which latter is operated from
the arm of the rock-shaft I, may be varied to vary the horizontal feeding
Inovements of the awl-bar and awl movable with said slide or head.

page_text: To avoid abrasion of the thread by reeving the same back and forth in contact
with the needle I prefer to employ the open-eyed or forked needle hereinbefore
mentioned. This open-eyed or forked needle must be threaded, or have its thread
drawn across its line of descent at each stitch, and this result is effected by
mechanism which I will now describe.
K is a thread-guide bar placed in the hollow needle-bar F and held in frictional
contact with said needle-bar by means of a shoe k carried by a spring which is
attached at its upper end to the needle-bar and which presses said shoe against
said thread guide bar so that the latter will reciprocate with said needle-bar during
a part of the travel of the said needle-bar; the upward movements of the said
thrend guide bar with the needle-bar being limited by a fixed stop attached to a
stationary part of the easing or frame and the downward moveinents of said thread-
guide bar being limited by a stop attached to the presser-bar L, said stops being
arranged in the path of movement of a lug on the thread guide har. The thread
guide is made in the form of an eye surrounding the needle and is carried by a...
shank attached to the said thread guide bar. The stop is so placed that the
thread guide will be lifted high enough so that the needle, in rising, will never be
lifted clear of the same but will have the thread recess or "eye" at its lower end
within said thread guide when said needle is in its highest position. The vertical
position of the presser bar is governed by the thickness of the work beneath the
presser-foot, and thus the position of the variable stop 6 which limits the down-
ward movement of the thread guide with the needle-bar and which is attached
to the presser bar will also be governed by the thickness of the work, so that the
thread guide, in its lowest position, is always at a uniform height above the upper
surface of the work, thus securely holding the thread in such position that it must
1e forced into the work by the needle. The thread guide 3 also serves as a needle
1 race and steadies the needle as the latter passes through the work.
To draw the thread (which runs down the front side of the needle) across the
path of the latter in its descent, so that the thread will be securely placed in the
thread recess or eye at the lower end of the needle, I provide a looping or thread
drawing device, or needle-threading take-up consisting proferably of a pair of
nippers or jaws m m at the lower end of a lever M pivoted to swing toward and
from the needle longitudinally of the machine, said lever having in its upper arm
a slot m² entered by a pin or roller stud y8 carried by a slide 9 attached to the
awl-bar. The jaw m of the needle-threading take-up is rigid with the lever M
and the jaw m is carried by a shank or bar m³ within the hollow lower part of the
said lever M and is normally held against the fixed jaw m hy a torsional coil
spring m. To the upper end of the bar m³ is attached a collar me having
arms m6 m², the arm me being so placed as to engage an incline formed at the end
of a latch m8 when the upper end of the lever M moves backward, so that the
contact of said arm with said incline will turn the bar m³ slightly against the
stress of the torsional spring m to move the jaw m away from the jaw m and
thus open the nippers to receive the needle thread as snid jaws, during the descent
of the awl-bar, are swung forward beneath the needle which is at this time lifted
to its highest position. After the nippers have thus received the thread the arm m
rides over the incline at the end of the latch m8 and the nippers are then closed
by the spring m', holding the thread between them. The awl-bar now rises and
the roller stud 9 moving therewith causes a reverse movement of the lever M, the
nippers m m moving backward drawing a loop of needle thread with them, the
upper limb of said loop being directly beneath the lower end of the eye or thread
guide at this time moving downward with the needle and through which thread-
guide the needle thread runs so that when the said thread guide is arrested in its
downward movement by a stop 66, and the open eye of the needle emerges from
said thread guide, said open eye will receive the thread thus held directly in its
path by the said thread guide and the nippers; the latter drawing out a loop
and thus taking up the slack given up by the needle as the latter descends.
The latch m, which caused the nippers m m' to open when they moved forward,

page_text: is engaged by the arm me when the nippers move backward, but as said latch is
upwardly yielding (being pivoted at m and pressed downward by a spring m¹0) it"
is now lifted by the said arm so that the latter can pass it without opening the
nippers.
It is desirable that the thread held by the nippers should be released just when
the open eye of the needle enters the work, whatever may be the thickness of the
latter, and to this end I have provid ed means whereby the arm m' of the bar m³
by which the thread is relensed, may be operated by a device the position of which
is controlled by the presser-foot.
To the presser bar L is clamped a collar n having an upwardly extending arm
to the upper end of which is pivoted a lever m" having an incline m arranged to
be engaged by a stud or roller / carried by the needle bar F. The outer end of
arm m is contiguous to the lever m" so that when the incline 13 on said lever is
struck by the roller stud f2 said lever will move said arm and open the nippers m m¹
to release the thread held thereby. As the lever m" is connected with the presser-
bar it will be higher or lower according to the thickness of the work beneath the
presser-foot, and it will thus be obvious that the incline ml will be engaged earlier
in the downward movement of the needle-bar when the work is thick than when it
is thin, and thus when the machine is once properly adjusted the thread held by
the nippers will always be released just when the eye of the needle enters the
work.
e³
Co-operating with the forked or open-eyed needle and the shuttle I employ a
loop-spreading device consisting of a yielding or spring-pressed plunger e supported
by a carrier e having a shank e entering a socket formed for its reception in the
forward end of the shuttle-operating rock-shaft D and connected to said shaft, to
rock therewith, by a spring d' which normally holds the said carrier el in contact
with the horn of the shuttle driver E'. Within the cavity of the work-support A¹
at the forward end of the base A in which the shuttle driver works is arranged a
stop a which limits the backward movement of the carrier e' with the shuttle
driver, arresting said carrier in its backward movement when the plunger e is
directly in line with the vertical path of movement of the needle, the spring d
which forms a yielding connection between the shank of the carrier e and the
shaft D yielding to permit the loop-spreading device thus to stop while the said
shaft and the shuttle driver continue their travel to complete the backward move-
ment of the shuttle. The loop-spreading device thus remains stationary while the
needle descends against the spring-pressed plunger e and forces the latter downward
for about one-fourth of an inch, and as the needle rises the plunger, under the
stress of its spring e, follows it upward, thus spreading the loop laterally to open
it out for the entrance of the beak of the shuttle. To ensure the proper spreading
of the loops toward the rear side of the needle, or that side thereof from which
the shuttle takes the said loops, the carrier el has a projection e placed closely
adjacent to the plunger e and which extends for some little distance above the top
of the said plunger when the latter is at the limit of its upward movement.
When, in the forward movement of the shuttle driver, the horn of the latter
again comes in contact with the carrier e' said carrier is forced forward away from
the stop a and continues to move with the said driver first forward and then again
backward until said carrier again comes in contact with said stop.
The presser bar L, which is normally forced downward by the plate-spring L',
has attached to its lower end a collar or bracket O to which the shank o of the
presser foot o¹ is adjustably secured by means of the screw o2 passing through a slot
in said shank. To provide for a strong rigid connection of the said shank with the
arm o of the said bracket or collar said arm is preferably provided with a horizontal
groove in which fits a horizontal lip of formed at the top of said shank. The
presser-foot is provided on its under side with stitch setting teeth o and the
borizontal adjustment of the said foot on the arm o of the collar O is for
the purpose of bringing said teeth into proper position, longitudinally of the seam,
relative to the stitches. To provide for a fine torsional or lateral adjustment of

page_text: the presser-foot, to bring the teeth o' into exact alignment with the awl and needle,
the collar O is preferably attached to the presser bar by two set screws of slightly
separated from each other and engaging a flattened surface formed by cutting out
or notching the round presser-bar. Thus by slackening one and tightening the
other of said screws the collar O may be adjusted torsionally to move the presser
foot slightly laterally one way or the other to bring the stitch-setting teeth o into
perfect alignment with the seam. The awl is preferably connected with the awl
bar in the same manner that the presser-foot is connected with the presser-bar, as
just described, so that the awl may be adjusted similarly to the presser-foot, and
for a similar purpose.
The presser-foot o' is lifted at each stitch, when the feed occurs, and is then
suddenly dropped to give a suitable blow or stroke to cause the stitch-setting
teeth o to operate properly. It is desirable with a certain class of work that
the presser-foot lift should be uniform regardless of the varying thickness of
the work, and it is also desirable that the presser foot lift should be adjustable, so
as to vary the impact or blow given to the stitch setting teeth for different classes
of work, and I will now describe the means by which these results are secured.
The needle-bar operating cam cylinder is provided in its rear face with a cam
groove entered by a pin or roller stud p carried by a swinging arm or lever p¹
pivoted to the arm B and loosely connected at its lower side to the rear arm of a
lifting lever P preferably provided at its forward end with a grooved roller p.
The presser-bar L is preferably provided, for a portion of its length, with a toothed
or serrated surface o' herein shown as being formed on a plate o attached to said
bar. Qis a tilting gripping dog having an opening loosely receiving the presser
bar and its attached serrated plate os, said dog carrying on its upper side a gripping
lug or block q adjustably attached to said dog and preferably having a roughened
or serrated face for engagement with the roughened or serrated face of the plate o³.
The tail portion of the gripping dog Q extends inwards above the grooved roller p
at the forward end of the lifting lever P. Above the gripping dog Qis a block
or collar g' loosely embracing the presser bar and the plate o, and pressing on the
said collar and the gripping block y is a spring q' which serves, through its
pressure on said collar and block, to release the gripping dog from the presser-bar
at the proper times.
When
Attached to a fixed part of the head or frame of the machine, beneath the outer
end of the gripping dog Q, is a grip-arresting plate 3 having a shank q* extending
through a slot a in the said head and provided with a set nut q, said plate having
an opening through which the presser bar and the plate os can freely pass.
the gripping dog Q is resting on the plate q³ the spring q' holds the said dog
horizontal with the block q disengaged from the plate o and the presser-bar is free
to rise or fall to adjust itself to the thickness of the work passing beneath the
presser foot.
When the tail of the gripping dog is engaged by the lifting lever P,
or rather by the roller carried thereby, the said dog is tilted and the block or
lug y bites the serrated plate 08 and the continued upward movement of the lifting
lever now raises the presser bar and holds the presser foot above the work while
the awl feeds it laterally; and when this feeding operation has been effected a
quickly acting part of the cam e causes the forward end of the lifting lever to fall
suddenly so that the spring q' releases the gripping lever from the presser-bar, and
the latter is then forced downward by its spring L' quickly enough to cause the
presser foot to strike a stitch-setting blow, the force of which depends on the
height to which the presser-foot has been lifted above the work, and this can be
regulated by vertically adjusting the grip-arresting plate q³ which stops the down-
ward movement of the gripping dog with the downward movement of the forward
arm of the lifting lever P. Thus if the greatest possible lift of the presser foot, to
give a very strong stitch-setting blow, is desired, the plate q3 is placed low enough to
permit the dog Q to follow the full throw of the lever P, but if a lighter stitch-
setting blow is desired the plate q³ will be adjusted higher so that when the dog Q
is resting thereon there will be more or less lost motion between said dog and lever

page_text: and thus the lift of the presser bar may be as much less than the full throw of said
lever as may be desired.
The presser-bar lifting lever P has a rearwardly extending tail piece p
connected by a pitman p to one arm of a bell-crank lever p the other arm of
which is jointed to the rear end of a horizontally sliding rod p' having at its
forward end an arm p8 provided with an inclined slot p receiving a roller stud p10
on a vertically sliding bar pl carrying an under stitch setting device consisting of
the arm prigidly but preferably adjustably attached to said sliding bar p", and
having stitch setting teeth p" extending upward through an opening in the work-
plate N and working in opposition to the stitch-setting teeth on the bottom of the
presser-foot, so that as the latter falls the stitch-setting teeth p rise to engage the
work.
I will now describe the take-up and thread controlling mechanism for the needle
thread herein shown, although I do not wish to be understood as limiting my
invention to the details of this mechanism as herein illustrated, as such details may
be varied widely in practice.
R denotes the take-up lever operated from the cam groove in the cam
cylinder c which has in its ends the feed and awl clearance cam grooves c and c.
The said take-up lever has at its free or operating end a grooved roller r, over
which the waxed thread runs, and r¹ denotes a second take-up roller suspended
from a bracket attached to the needle-bar, the said take-up roller r, in the
take-up or stitch-tightening operation moving in opposition to the take-up
roller r.
Within the wax pot W is a thread guide w from which the tbread runs through
a stripper S to a thread grip consisting of a levers and a stud 2 on which
the forked end of said lever nearest the stripper bears. T denotes a second
thread gripping lever pivoted at t and bearing at its gripping end against the
underside of a resistance stud t' carried by a bar or plate t2 pivoted at its lower
end at t to the machine frame. The gripping end of the lever T is pressed
against the stud t¹ by a spring t bearing on the forward end of said lever. By
mounting the resistance stud on the pivoted plate 2 said stud will be free to
adjust itself to the curved gripping seat of the lever T to accommodate different
sizes of thread or to compensate for wear, and thus a stronger grip on the thread
is at all times secured than would otherwise be effected.
Between the thread grips just described is a pull-off device consisting of a rod u
attached at its lower end to the take-up lever R and having a depending arm u
provided with a thread slot or eye and interposed between two resistance pins v
carried by a bracket vl attached to an arm 2 extending laterally from the presser
bar; the height of said pins v being thus governed by the thickness of the work
beneath the presser-foot so that more thread will be drawn from the thread supply
by the uniformly reciprocating pull-off when the work is thick than when the work
is thin; the increased amount of thread thus drawn by the pull-off for thicker
work being twice that of the increased thickness of the work, owing to the use of
the two resistance pins vertically movable with the presser-foot.
The depending arm u of the pull-off is surrounded by a coil-spring u the upper
end of which is beneath a tail-piece s of the gripping lever s, and thus when the
pull-off is in its elevated position the stress of said spring will be applied to said
lever to cause the latter to grip the thread against the stud 2; but when the said
pull-off is in its lowered or pull-off position the stress of said spring will be removed
from said tail-piece leaving the thread free to be drawn from the wax-pot by the
pull-off; the thread gripping lever T being at this time in clamping position to
prevent the pull-off from drawing the thread backward.
The gripping lever T is released on the extreme upward movement of the
take-up lever R, after a stitch has been set by the engagement of said lever with a
slide V the upper end of which engages the forward end of said lever T and lifts
the same to lower the rear gripping arm of said lever out of contact with the
stud t'. The take-up lever remains elevated and the gripping lever T remains

page_text: released from the thread until the needle, which was rising during the stitch
tightening operation, shall have again descended to its lowest position and then
partly risen and its loop has been fully expan led by the entrance of the shuttle
therein, so that all of the slack thread drawn from the wax-pot by the pall-off and
required for the passage of the shuttle will have passed by the forward thread
grip, and the latter will then again clamp the thread when the take-up commences
its operation of setting the next stitch.
It will thus be understood that the forward or take-up thread gripping lever T
will be closed against the thread when the take-up is operating to tighten a stitch
and also when the pull-off is operating to draw thread from the wax-pot, an that
the rear thread gripping levers will clamp the thread to prevent the shuttle from
drawing down too much slack when the gripping lever T is released from the
thread.
The gripping lever s is provided with a hook s extending up over the presser-
foot lifting lever L so that said gripping lever will be raised to release the thread
when the presser-foot is lifted by the operator (by means of the treadle-operated
rod L³, or otherwise) to remove the work, this being done when the needle and
awl bars are above the work and when the take-up lever is in its highest position
so that the gripping lever T is released from the thread by the slide V.
In the operation of my machine the awl first descends and is then moved
horizontally, to feed the work, with the slide b, operated by the feed lever J
receiving its feeding movement from the cam through the rock-shaft I. While
the awl was descending the thread nippers m, m³, carried by the lever M moved
forward and seized the needle thread and as the awl bar rises, and is moved back-
ward by the feeding and clearance mechanism above described, the thread nippers
swing back carrying a loop of thread with them, this loop representing slack partly
given up by the take-up and partly given up by the needle which begins its descent
just before the awl-bar has completed its upward movement. As the needle-bar
and needle move downward the thread-guide k³ moves with them until the lug k
on the thread-guide bar K strikes the stop 6 attached to the presser bar at which
time the eye or lower end of the needle has nearly reached the work, so that the
thread passing through the thread guide and drawn across the path of the
descending needle by the nippers is securely maintained in the recess or eye of
the needle and is, by the latter, forced into and through the hole in the work
previously made for it by the awl. Just as the needle enters the work the roller
stud on the needle-bar engages the incline m3 on the lever m¹ and said lever
now moves the arm mas hereinbefore described to open the nippers and release
the thread so that the slack drawn out by said nippers, and which is sufficient to
afford a loop of proper size for the passage of the shuttle, will be free to be drawn
down by the latter at the proper time. When the needle rises after having reached
its lowest point and depressed the yielding loop-spreading plunger e the latter,
under the stress of its spring, follows the needle upward for a limited distance and
opens the loop which is immediately entered by the beak of the advancing shuttle,
and the latter now draws down the slack needle thread and passes through the
loop; and as the needle continues its upward movement the take-up operates to
tighten the stitch before the awl has closed up its clearance movement and again
descends to puncture the work for the next stitch. In other words, each stitch is
fully set before the awl enters the work to form the hole for the next succeeding
stitch; and thus the objectionable crowding of the stock toward a stitch being
tightened while the take-up is still drawing thread, which occurs in all lock-stitch
wax-thread machines now in use, so far as I am aware, is avoided; such crowding
of the stock towards the drawing thread causing too much friction on the thread
and requiring the use of an awl of considerably larger diameter than the needle,
while in my machine, operating as just described, I am able to use an awl having
the same diameter as the needle.
Although I have herein described my invention as a wax-thread sewing machine
it will be understood that it is also adapted for dry thread sewing in leather or

page_text: other heavy work; and that some features of my machine may be used indepen-
dently of others in machines for heavy work.
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. In a sewing machine, the combination with an awl to perforate the work, of a
needle having an eye or thread-receiving recess at its extreme end, a device
co-operating with said needle to form stitches, a yielding loop-spreader movable in
the same plane as the needle and against which the end of said needle impinges,
and operating mechanism for said awl, needle and co-operating device.
2. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle having an eye or thread-
receiving recess at its extreme end, a complementary stitch-forming device
co-operating with said needle and means for operating said device and needle, of
a yielding loop-spreader movable in the same plane as the needle and against
which the end of the needle impinges, and means for threading said needle at each
stitch.
3. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle having an open eye at
its extreme end, a shuttle, and operating mechanism for said needle and shuttle, of
means for threading the said needle at each stitch, and a yielding loop-spreader
movable in the same plane as the needle and against which the end of the said
needle impinges, said loop-spreader following the needle in its upward or retreating
movements to open the needle loops for the entrance of the point of the shuttle.
4. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle having an open eye at its
extreme end, an awl, a shuttle, and operating mechanism for said needle, awl and
shuttle, of means for threading the said needle at each stitch, and a yielding
loop-spreader movable in the same plane as the needle and against which the
end of said needle impinges, said loop-spreader following the needle in its upward
or retreating movements to open the needle loops for the entrance of the point
of the shuttle.
5. In a sewing machine, the combination with au open-eyed needle, an awl and a
shuttle and their operating mechanism, of means for threading the needle at each
stitch, said mechanism comprising a reciprocating eye or thread guide surrounding
the needle and a loop-former engaging the thread between the needle and the work
and serving to draw the thread across the path of the descending needle and
hold the slack thread until the eye of the needle reaches the work, when the
thread is released.
6. In a sewing machine, the combination with an open-eyed needle, an awl and a
shuttle and their operating mechanism, of means for threading the needle at each
stitch, said mechanism comprising a reciprocating eye or thread guide surrounding
the needle and a loop-'ormer engaging the thread between the needle and the
work and serving to draw the thread across the path of the descending needle and
hold the slack thread until the eye of the needle reaches the work, when the thread
is released, a presser-foot and connections between the latter and said loop-former,
so that the latter is operated to release the thread earlier or later according to the
thickness of the work.
7. In a sewing machine, the combination with an open-eyed needle and a
complementary stitch-forming device, of a needle threading and slack thread
drawing device arranged to engage the thread between the needle and the work
and draw the thread across the path of the descending needle and also take up
the slack needle thread, and a yielding loop-opener serving to spread the loops
of needle thread.
8. In a sewing machine, the combination with an open-eyed needle, and a
shuttle, of means for threading the needle at each stitch and for drawing out
the slack thread given up by the stitch-tightening take-up and the descending
needle, and a yielding loop-opener below the work-plate against which the needle
impinges and which spreads the loop for the entrance of the point of the shuttle.

page_text: 9. In a lock-stitch sewing machine, the combination with the stitch-forming
mechanism thereof, of two independent stitch setting devices placed on opposite
sides of the work-plate and operating mechanism for said devices to cause them to
reciprocate towards and from the work.
10. In a sewing machine, the combination with the stitch forming mechanism
and the presser-bar and presser-foot, of a reciprocating pull-off and a resistance
device connected to the said presser bar and thus varied in position according
to the thickness of the work beneath said presser-foot, said device comprising two
resistance pins or parts placed on opposite sides of the path of movement of the
said pull-off, so that the latter, as the thickness of the work is increased, will pult
off an increased amount of thread double that of the increased thickness of
the work.
11. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate thereof, of awl
and needle bars both arranged above or on the same side of the work-plate, a fixed
bearing in which the needle bar reciprocates vertically, a horizontally movable
slide or bearing in which said awl-bar reciprocates vertically, operating mechanism
for reciprocating said awl and needle-bar, a work-feeding awl carried by said
awl-bar, and operating mechanism for said horizontally movable slide or bearing
whereby a horizontal movement, in excess of the work-feeding movement, is
imparted to said slide or bearing to give a suitable clearance between said awl and
needle bars.
12. In a sewing machine, the combination with the work-plate thereof, of awl
and needle bars both placed above or on the same side of said work-plate, a fixed
bearing in which said needle bar reciprocates vertically, operating mechanism for
said needle-bar, a work-feeding awl carried by said awl-bar, a horizontally
movable slide or bearing in which said awl bar reciprocates vertically, feed and
clearance levers suitably connected to said awl-bar, and a cam for operating each
of said levers, to impart, at suitable times, independent feeding and clearance
movements to said levers.
13. The combination with the needle provided with an open eye or thread
receiving recess at its end, of a shuttle co-operating with said needle, operating
mechanism for said needle and shuttle, and a yielding or spring-pressed plunger e
arranged and operated so as to be in the path of movement of said needle when the
latter is making the last part of its down stroke and first part of its up stroke, said
plunger following said needle upwards so as to throw out a loop to be engaged by
the beak of the shuttle.
14. The combination with the needle fhaving an open eye or thread receiving
recess at its end, of the shuttle E, operating mechanism for said needle and shuttle,
the carrier el having a yielding connection with the shuttle operating shaft, the
spring pressed loop forming plunger e mounted in said carrier, and a stop, as a',
placed in the path of movement of said carrier and serving to arrest the same whea
the said plunger is in the line of movement of the needle, so that the latter will
descend against said plunger which will follow the needle upward and throw out a
loop for the entrance of the beak of the shuttle.
15. In a sewing machine, the combination with the needle fhaving an open eye
or thread receiving recess at its end, the needle bar by which said needle is carried,
a thread guide a surrounding said needle, a bar by which said thread guide is
carried and which has a frictional connection with said needle bar, stops to limit
said thread guide bar so that it will have reciprocating movements of less extent
than said needle bar, and a loop forming device consisting of a pair of nippers
which are caused to move beneath the needle, when the latter is lifted, to seize a
oop of needle thread and are then moved backward to hold said loop in such
position beneath the needle that when the latter descends the eye or thread
eceiving recess of said needle will not fail to engage the thread thus held in its
ath of movement.
16. In a sewing machine, the combination with the needlef having an open eye
r thread receiving recess at its end, a needle bar by which said needle is carried,

page_text: a shuttle co-operating with said needle, and operating mechanism for said needle
and shuttle, of the lever M carrying a pair of nippers consisting of the jaws m
and m' one of which is movable toward and from the other, and means for
vibrating said lever and for operating said movable jaw so that said nippers will be
caused to move forward beneath the needle in an open condition, when the needle
is lifted, and then be moved backward in closed condition, drawing a loop of
thread with them, after which said jaws are opened to release said loop.
17. In a sewing machine, the combination with the needle f having an open eye
or thread receiving recess at its end, a needle bar by which said needle is carried,
a shuttle co-operating with said needle and operating mechanism for said needle
and shuttle, of the lever M carrying a pair of nippers consisting of the jaws m
and m one of which is movable toward and from the other, and means for
vibrating said lever and for operating said movable jaw so that said nippers will
be caused to move forward beneath the needle in an open condition, when the
needle is lifted, and then be moved backward in a closed condition, drawing a loop
of thread with them, and means, controlled as to time by the vertical position of
the presser-foot, whereby the said jaws will be opened to release said loop earlier
or later according to the thickness of the work.
18. In a sewing machine, the combination with the needle-bar F carrying the
open eyed needle f and provided with the stud or roller f2, of the thread controlling
lever M provided with the fixed jaw m, the torsionally movable bar m³ provide l
with the movable jaw m¹ and with the arms m, m', the torsional spring m acting
on said bar m³, a latch, as m³, arranged in the path of movement of the arm me and
serving to move said jaw m' away from the fixed jaw m, the presser bar L, the
collar n² attached to said presser bar and having an upwardly extending arm, the
lever m pivoted to said arm and provided with an incline m13 arranged to be
engaged by said stud or roller f2 carried by the needle bar, said arm m' being arranged
to be engaged by said lever m¹ so that when the latter is operated by said stud or
roller the nippers, consisting of the jaws m and m', will be opened to release the loop of
needle thread held thereby, and means for vibrating said lever M on its pivot to
cause the said jaws to move forward beneath the needle and then backward out of
the way of the needle.
19. In a sewing machine, the combination with the needle bar F carrying the
open eyed needle and provided with the stud or roller f, of the thread controlling
lever M provided with the fixed jaw m having at its upper end the slot m³, the
torsionally movable bar m³ provided with the movable jaw m' and with the
arms m, m, the torsional spring m acting on the said bar m³, a latch, as m³,
arranged in the path of movement of the arm me and serving to move said jaw m
away from the fixed jaw m, the presser bar L, the collar attached to said presser
bar and having an upwardly extending arm, the lever m pivoted to said arm and
provided with an incline m¹s arranged to be engaged by said stud or roller f2 carried
by the needle bar, said arm m' being arranged to be engaged by said lever m so that
when the latter is operated by said stud or roller, the nippers, consisting of the jaws m
and m', will be opened to release the loops of needle thread held thereby, the awl
bar G provided with the bracket 9 carrying the stud or roller 98 working in the
said slot m², and means for lifting the said awl bar at intervals.
20. The combination with the presser foot provided with the stitch setting
teeth o, the presser bar by which said foot is carried, and means for lifting said
presser bar at intervals, of the lower stitch setting device p13 provided with teeth p,
and operating mechanism for said lower stitch setting device whereby the same is
reciprocated toward and from the work.
21. The combination with the presser foot provided with the stitch setting
teeth o, the presser bar by which said foot is carried, and means for lifting said
presser-bar at intervals, of the lower stitch setting device provided with
teeth pa vertically movable sliding bar pl provided with the stud pl, the
longitudinally movable sliding bar p' having the arm provided with the inclined
slot p receiving said stud p10, and means for reciprocating said sliding bar p'.

page_text: 22. In a sewing machine, the combination with the stitch forming mechanism
and the presser bar and presser foot, of a bracket, as ¹, connected to the said
presser bar so as to be controlled in its vertical position according to the thickness
of the work beneath the presser foot, two pins or resistance devices, as v, carried
by said bracket, and a reciprocating pull-off working between said pins and serving
to draw more or less thread according to the thickness of the work beneath the
presser foot.
23. In a sewing machine, the combination with a stitch-forming mechanism, of a
horizontally movable sliding head or slide b, a vertically reciprocating awl bar
mounted in said slide and thus horizontally movable with the latter, the feed-
lever J connected with said slide, the clearance lever H connected with said feed
lever, the feeding rock-shaft I having an arm connected with said feed-lever, and
cams for operating said clearance lever and said feeding rock-shaft, whereby
independent feeding and clearance movements may be imparted to said slide or
sliding head b, substantially as set forth.
24. The combination with the presser bar L, of the gripping dog
having a
portion loosely surrounding said presser bar and provided with the gripping lug or
block
.9 the lever Parranged to engage said gripping dog, operating mechanism
for said lever, a block or collar q2 also loosely surrounding the said presser-bar, the
spring exerting a pressure on said block and said gripping dog, and the grip
arresting plate q3 arranged below said gripping dog and also loosely surrounding
said presser bar.
25. The combination with the presser bar L, of the presser foot provided with
stitch setting teeth, the gripping dog Q having a portion loosely surrounding said
presser-bar and provided with the gripping lug or block q, of the lever P arranged
to engage said gripping dog, operating mechanism for said lever, a block or
collar 2 also loosely surrounding said presser bar, the spring 9' exerting a pressure
on said block and said gripping dog, and the grip-arresting plate q3 arranged below
said gripping dog and also loosely surrounding said presser bar, said plate being
vertically adjustable so that the stitch setting blow of the presser foot may be
varied.
26. The combination with a bar, as L, notched to form a flattened portion, of a
collar or bracket, as O, having two separated adjusting and attaching screws o, and
a device or presser foot connected with said collar or bracket, and capable of being
varied in position, torsionally, relative to said bar, by means of said adjusting and
attaching screws.
27. The combination with the presser bar L notched to form a flattened portion,
of the bracket or collar O provided with two separated adjusting and attaching
screws and with the arm o3, the presser foot o' provided with the stitch setting
teeth o and having a shank o which is to be attached to the said arm o³.
28. The combination with the presser bar L, of the bracket or collar O attached
to said bar and provided with the arm of having a groove, of the presser foot
having a shank o provided with a lip of entering said groove and with a horizontal
slot, and the screw o' tapped in the said arm o³, and by means of which the presser
foot shank may be adjustably secured relative to said collar or bracket O.
29. In a sewing machine, the combination with the stitch-forming mechanism
thereof, of a thread gripping device consisting of a lever and a resistance stud
between which the thread runs, of a pivoted bar or plate, as t, by which said stud
is carried, so that the latter may adjust itself to compensate for wear or to
accommodate different sizes of thread.
30. The combination with the awl bar G provided with a slot, of a bracket or
slide 9 formed in two parts arranged on opposite sides of said bar opposite said slot,
and the screw or bolt g' passing through said slot, and serving to adjustably secure
said bar and said slide or bracket together.
31. The combination with the sliding head or slide 6 provided with a slot, of the
block b' arranged in said slot, and provided with the roller stud 68, the screw 6*.

page_text: mounted in said head and passing through said block, the feeding lever J having a
slot receiving said roller stud, and means for operating said feeding lever.
Dated this 5th day of May 1896.
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agent,
62 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant.