MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Grellier at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th August 1883.
HENRY GRELLIER of, York Villas Brixton.in the County of Surrey
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES"
" IMPROVE-
My Invention relates to a construction and arrangement of those parts of a
sewing machine which deal with the thread below the table, so as to make lock
stitch employing an ordinary reel for the under thread, or to make chain stitch
without an underthread, or to make several kinds of compound lock and chain
stitches, at the will of the operator. For this purpose, I provide, instead of the
disc shaped spool such as is used in sewing machines of the Wheeler and Wilson
kind, a spool approximately spherical in shape, which can be taken apart in
halves, so as to introduce into it a reel of thread. This thread is passed through
suitable guide eyes and tension guides in the spool and issues through a hole at
its upper part adjoining another hole into which descends the needle. At the side
of this latter hole there is a projecting horn, and a revolving hook is made to
pass over this horn so as to seize the loop of the needle thread and carry the loop
round the spool, while the loop is still held by the horn. Thus, at every stroke
of the needle the spool thread is engaged in the loop of the needle thread making
a lock stitch. In order to keep the loop which is in its passage over the spool
clear of the next stitch, the spool is made with a protuberance, chiefly on its
upper front side so as to fill out the loop. To prevent the spool from turning
round, levers worked by cams engage in notches of the spool, these being moved
aside to allow the loop thread to pass. The spool is held in position by an
equatorial rim on it engaged in a groove in the cylindrical casing which carries
the hook.
When it is desired to make simple chain stitch, the lower thread is dispensed
with, and a catch is slid forward under the table into such a position as to retain

page_text: the loop of the needle thread with which the revolving hook engages it, until the
needlo at its next descent passes through the loop.
A compound lock and chain stitch can be made by retaining the underthrend
while the catch above mentioned is in use for effecting the chain stitch. Also the
spool may have placed in it two reels of thread, and these threads suitably guided
constitute double under threads for lock stitch, or they may be used along with a
catch fixed on the spool so as to make a stitch compounded of chain stitch with
double lock stitch. Chain stitch, with a twist in each stitch can also be made by
modifying part of the revolving hook so that the needle is made to pass through
the previous loop before it becomes untwisted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Grellier in the Patent Office on the 27th February 1884.
HENRY GRELLIER of York Villas Brixton in the County of Surrey
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES"
"IMPROVE-
My invention relates to a construction and arrangement of those parts of a
sewing machine which deal with the thread below the table, so as to make lock stitch,
employing an ordinary reel for the under thread, or to make chain stitch without
an under thread, or to make several kinds of compound lock and chain stitches, at
the will of the operator. For this purpose, I provide, instead of the disc shaped
spool such as is used in sewing machines of the Wheeler and Wilson kind, a spool
approximately spherical in shape, which can be taken apart in halves so as to
introduce into it a reel of thread. This thread is passed through suitable guide
eyes and tension guides in the spool and issues through a hole at its upper part
adjoining another hole into, which descends the needle. At the side of this latter
hole there is a projecting horn, and a revolving hook is made to pass over this horn
so as to seize the loop of the needle thread and carry the loop round the spool,
while the loop is still held by the horn. Thus at every stroke of the needle the
spool thread is engaged in the loop of the needle thread making a lock stitch. In
order to keep the loop which is, in its passage over the spool, clear of the next
stitch, the spool is made with a protuberance, chiefly on its upper front side so as to
fill out the loop. To prevent the spool from turning round, levers worked by cams
engage in notches of the spool, these being moved aside to allow the loop thread to
pass. The spool is held in position by an equatorial rim on it engaged in a groove
in the cylindrical casing which carries the hook.
.
"
When it is desired to make simple chain stitch, the lower thread is dispensed
with, and a catch hook is slid forward under the table into such a position as to
retain the loop of the needle thread with which the revolving hook engages it, until
the needle at its next descent passes through the loop.
A compound lock and chain stitch can be made by retaining the underthread while
the catch above mentioned is in use for effecting the chain stitch. Also the spool
may have placed in it two reels of thread one above the other, and these threads
suitably guided constitute double under threads for lock stitch, or they may be
used along with a catch fixed on the spool so as to make a stitch compounded of
chain stitch with double lock stitch. Chain stitch with a twist in each stitch can
also be made by modifying part of the revolving hook so that the needle is made
to pass through the previous loop before it becomes untwisted.
In the accompanying drawings I shew those parts of a sewing machine which
embody my improvements, omitting parts to which my invention does not relate,
such as the mode of working the needle, and of feeding the fabric, it being
understood that these operations. may be effected by the usual mechanism, and that
the fabric is fed in a direction opposite to that in which the revolving hook moves
in the upper part of its revolution.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section taken in the plane of the needle N, shewing the
apparatus according to my invention which is arranged under the cloth table T,
Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatus, the cloth table being supposed to be removed so
as to shew the mechanism under it, Fig. 3 is an elevation taken on the line X X
looking towards the left, Fig. 4 is a elevation on the line Y Y looking towards
the right, Fig. 5 is a vertical section on ZZ looking to the left, Fig. 6 is a sectional
plan of the spool, and Fig. 7 is a plan of the lower part of the mechanism shewn in
Fig. 3. In this apparatus an ordinary cotton reel R is contained within a hollow

page_text: spool, which is made to take apart for admission of the reel, and therefore consists
of a lower part Stand an upper part S¹. To the upper part S' is attached a tube r
which passes down the centre of the reel. R and into a recessed hole in the bottom
of S in which it is held with a certain tightness by bulging the end of the tube
and splitting it some distance upwards, so that it is sprung into its place, the bulge
of the tube engaging in the recess of the hole. The upper part S of the spool has
aleo on its front side two prongs with a slit between them projecting
downwards into a recessed notch of the lower part S, and these prongs are swelled
a little at their lower ends so that they have to be sprung into their sent when
the upper part S' is pushed on to the lower part S. The two parts S and S¹ when
put together with the reel R inside constitute the spool which remains stationary
during the working of the machine, and this spool is so shaped as to present in its
middle an equatorial rim or ridge s having its edge in a vertical plane nearly
coinciding with but a little in front of that of the needle N and of the centre of
the reel tube r, down into which the point of the needle descends at each
downstroke. This rim terminates at the side of the needle hole with a point 8³
slightly undercut so as to form a hook. Within the spool are suitable guide
oyes by which the thread from the reel R is led up through a slit at the
top so as to be in the line with but a little in front of the needle N
when it descends. The tension of the spool thread can be increased by
scrowing down from the top a piece so as to bend the thread over a
pin p. In the axial line of the equatorial rims of the spool is mounted
a spindle A which is connected to the other moving parts of the sewing
machine by any convenient gear so as to revolve uniformly with the shaft or
spindle that works the needle, and therefore to make one revolution while the
needle N makes an up and a down stroke. On the shaft A is fixed a disc B on
which is fitted the shell H of the revolving hook so as to revolve with the disc B.
Fig. 8 is a developed plan of the shell I as it would appear if it were cut across
at the part which is shewn highest in Fig. 1, and were flattened out. It is hinged
to the disc B by a hinge at h and held in position on the disc by a spring latch
at entering a hole in the disc B. By pressing a stud projecting up from tho
spring of h, the catch can be released and the shell can be folded down to lio on a
stop which may be fixed to any part of the machine. In order to give access to
the parts below, the part (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2) of the cloth
table T is fitted to slide transversely, and another part t is fitted to slide
longitudinally. On a bracket attached to is mounted a lever L which has a
long arm extending backwards below the spool and the revolving hook, and has two
projecting edges and which are fitted to enter rectangular recesses in the front
of the spool, the one l'in its lower part $ and the other in its upper part S¹ as
indicated in Fig 4. A spring draws the lever L so as to keep the edge
engaged in the spool, except when is disengaged and is engaged by the action
of a cam C fixed on the spindle A. This cam acts on a roller o mounted on a
lever which carries another roller c¹ that bears on the end of the lever L; the lover
carrying these two rollers is kept up by a counterweight c² a little in excess of their
weight. By withdrawing the slide t the lever L is withdrawn with the bracket
that carries it, and the face of the spool being thus left exposed, the slide t can be
withdrawn and the catch can be released by pressing down the stud h³,
whoreupon the hook shell I can be turned down on its hinge h to rest on the
stop ³, the spool consisting of the two parts S'and S¹ and containing the reel R
can be laid into the hook shell Hits rim & bearing against the front inwardly
turned edge of the book shell. The shell containing the spool can then be again
turned up on its hinge and fastened by the latch, the slides t and t¹ can be
replaced, and thic apparatus is ready for action, in the following manner. The
Deedle N descends, its point entering some depth into the tuber, and as it begins
to ascend a bulgo is formed of tho needle thread. The point K of 'the revolving
hook enters this bulge and draws one limb of a loop of the needle thread to ono
Bide, while the other limb of the loop is caught on the point 2 of the equatorial

page_text: rims at the side of the needle hole. The hook K continuing to revolve carries the
loop of the needle thread round to the underside of the spool. One limb of the
loop namely that which extends from the hook. 82, passes behind the spool between
it and the disc B and this loop is released from 82 when the hook has made about
half a revolution. The other limb slides off the rounded face of the hook shell H
and passes along the front of the spool till it reaches l, when the hook K, having
left this loop behind, enters another loop of the needle thread.
At this moment
the cam C acts on the lever L so as to move the edge out of the lower recess of;
the spool and the edge into the upper recess, the one edge entering before the
other is out, so that the spool is never left free to turn by both and being out
of its notches at the same time. The edge being thus moved a little away from
the face of the spool allows the thread of the loop to pass, and before.it reaches
the cam C allows the spring ² to bring the lever L back to the position shown in
Fig. 1 with the edge inserted and clear of the spool so as to allow the thread.
loop to pass it. The spool is made as shewn with a considerable bulge on its front
side so as to occupy the expanded loop while it is being drawn up by the action of
the hook K expanding the succeeding loop.. Each loop is thus made to embrace
within it the thread from the reel R, forining lock stitch. The. positions of ther
hook K on its shell H and of the backward slope K¹ are arranged to suit the,
movement of the needle, K¹ being a little clear of the needle as it descends and
the root K2 of the hook being clear of it as it ascends. The disc B has a projecting
annular flange F which over part of its circumference bears against the shoulder
of the rim 8 of the spool keeping the spool in position, but which is in other parts
cut away in correspondence with the hook shell surrounding it as shown in the
developed view Fig. 9. A piece F¹ instead of being made as part of the annular
flange is made as part of and solid with the inside of the hook shell H as
indicated by the dotted lines F" in Fig. 8, so that there may be no slit at the point
of the hook K such as might catch and entangle the thread.
When it is desired to make chain stitch, the reel R and its thread are dispensed
with, and a catch hook is fixed to the underside of the slide t as shewn in Figs 10,
11 and 12, Fig 10 being part of a transverse section taken on P P of Fig. 12 which,
is a part plan, and Fig. 11 being a part longitudinal section on QQ of Fig. 12,
This catch hook D projects down so as almost to touch the rounded face of the
hook shell H, and it has a horizontal lip D' projecting from its hinder side to.
prevent the thread from passing over it. The main book K catches the loop of the
needle thread and carries it round under the spool as already described, but instead
of the limb of the loop being allowed to slip off the rounded face of the hook.
shell H, it is held by the catch hook D until the part K of the hook shell comes
round and then the needle descends in front of the limb of the loop so held and
consequently inside the loop, so that when the hook K returns to form a succeeding
loop it forms it inside the previous loop which is then drawn up as described
above, completing the chain stitch. In order to ensure the action of the catch
hook D, I form on part of the rounded face of H near K¹ a projecting ridge K
which has the effect of keeping the thread up on the catch hook D until the
ridge K has passed and the needle descends.
While the catch hook D is used as described, the reel R with its thread can also
be used, and thereby a stitch is produced which is a combination of lock stitch and
chain stitch, each loop of the needle thread engaging within it the shuttle thread
as well as the next succeeding loop of the needle thread. The chain stitch or the
combined lock and chain stitch may be produced as above described by employing,
instead of the catch hook D which is fixed to the table, a catch hook E suewn in
elevation at Fig. 13 and in plan Fig. 14, which is fixed to the upper part S¹ of the
spool. By employing the hook E and two reels within the spool a compound stitch
can be formed in the following way. One of the reel threads is led in the usual
direction to the front side of the needle, the other is brought round a guide
groove e sunk in the upper face of the hook E so that it has to lie on the hinder
side of the needle. Thus, as the chain stitches are formed, they embrace within
:

page_text: them the two spool threads which appear symmetrically arranged in the chain
stitches.
A twisted chain stitch, which may be termed cable stitch, can be produced by
adding to the hook shell H a back hook K³ projecting from the part K¹ whore the
needle descends. This back hook K prevents the limb of the loop of the needle
thread from sliding back along the inclined edge K until after the descent of the
needle, so that the needle enters a twisted loop, which when drawn up gives the
appearance of a cable to the chain. This action is rendered more certam by the
shoulder of a depression that is formed in the upper hinder part of the spool.
When the back hook K³ is employed, the hook E shewn in Figs 13 and 14 is
modified as shown in Fig. 15 by making it without the part that projects down-
wards at its outer end, and then, with the hook E so modified, acting in
combination with the back hook K, and using two spool threads, there is formed
a twisted or cable chain with the two spool threads passing along it.
-
As the ridge 8 of the spool is always between the turned in part of the hook
shell H which bears on its sloping front side and the edge of the flange of the
dise B which bears against its hinder face, in order to provide for wear of these
rubbing parts and to prevent shake, I prefer to place within the hollow of the
disc Ba shell b. having its flunge bearing against 8, this shell being capable of being
advanced a little so as to take up the wear by placing behind it, between it and
the face of B, a thin packing of paper or other material. In order that the shell b
may always turn with B it is held in position on B by steady pins such as b¹
leaving it free to advance but not to revolve independently of B.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim in respect of sewing machines:-
First. The combination of a revolving hook with a stationary spool 'shell
containing a reel of thread; the said spool shell having an equatorial rim engaged
in a groove in the revolving hook shell and having notches to receive two parts of
a lever that are moved away successively to permit passage of a thread over the
spool, substantially as herein described.
'
Second. In combination with the revolving hook and stationary spool shell, the
catch hook D or E for producing chain stitch, substantially as described.
Third. In combination with the revolving hook and stationary spool shell, the
back hook K for producing twisted chain stitch, substantially as herein described.
In Witness whereof I the said Henry Grellier have hereunto set any hand and
seal this Twenty Fifth day of February in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-four.
TIEND V