Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 18th July, 1889-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
We, JOHN WILLIAM RAMSDEN, of 2, Tennant Place, Armley, Leeds, in the County
of York, Mechanic, and HARRY SENIOR ELLIS, of Hope Cottage, Hanover Lane,
Leeds, in the said County, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows :-
In the Specification of Letters Patent granted to us No. 10,042. dated August
25th 1885, are described certain Improvements in Sewing Machines of the kind in
which two waxed threads are used by means of a curved hooked needle and a
shuttle operating above the work or material to be sewn, and adapted for the manu-
facture of welted boots and pumps or turn shoes.
In the invention referred to in the abovenamed Specification, the radius of the
curved needle named therein had to be sufficiently large to admit of the shuttle
passing through or within the segment of the circle ilescribed by such curved
needle, and although for certain classes of work the radius of the said curved neeille
was suitable, it was too large or the curve too flat for it to get close to the bottom
of the channel, especially at the waist of a boot under treatment.
Now our present invention has for its object to make further improvements in
machines such as above referred to and which comprise a curved hooked needle of
smaller radius than heretofore and mechanism whereby the loop is transferred from
the hooked needle to a position across the path of or in, a shuttle race placed in a
horizontal position behind and outside of the radius of or the segment described by,
such hooked needle. Also in addition to the above, other improvements herein-
after referred to are used in combination with mechanism described in the abovenamed
Specification.
When sewing in the welt of welted boots through the upper leather to the insole,
the latter of which may be of any description and either heavy or light; the boot
requires to be lasted and prepared for the machine in a manner as nearly as can be to
that required when the welt has to be sewn in by hand.
The insole is bevilled on the outer edge and flanged or grooved. Upon the welt
guide as used in this class of machine, we place a suitable guard consisting of a plate
having a projecting finger, which during the movement of the welt guide to which
it is attached and when the thread has been passed through the insole, the upper and
the welt of a welted boot or the material of a turn shoe, and becomes formed into
a loop so acts upon such loop as to place it in a suitable position for being
drawn or transferred as abovementioned, by a suitable hook (hereinafter referred to)
to a position across the path of the shuttle or its race for the shuttle to pass
through.
And in order to avoid injury to the thread such as usually takes place by its
sliding and chafing movement across the narrow surface formed by the barb of the
needle in its passage therewith through and beyond the material, and the loop being
now formed we provide a peculiarly shaped hook, having a larger surface than that
of the neeile barb, this hook has a reciprocating movement across and through the
shuttle race and is so timed in its action that on the needle having passed through
the material with the newly formed loop upon its barb, the loop is at once entered by
the above mentioned reciprocating hook which during its movement passes round the
point of the curved needle, and on further movement of the needle the loop becomes
stripped from its barb and by the sliding movement of the said hook also becomes
elongated and drawn across the shuttle race and at the same time the sides of such
loop are sufficiently separated to allow the shuttle to enter and pass through it, and
immediately it has passed through the motion of the shuttle is arrested and the

page_text: shuttle driver makes a slightly retrograde movement thus leaving a space between it
and the rear of the shutile, at which moment the aforesaid hook makes a lateral
movement and causes the loop to strike against a finger attached to the shuttlo
driver and to become stripped from the hook, atter which it is caused to pass between
the rear of the shuttle and its driver and by means of a tightening device such or
similar to that described in our former Specification above referred to. In order to
prevent the loop from coiling around the neck of the said hook on being entered
thereby we provide a projecting pin or fence thereon against which the uppermost
side of the loop hears and presents the said loop in a proper attitude for buing stripped
therefrom as above described.
Dated this 7th day of February 1889.
JOHN WILLIAM RAMSDEN.
HARRY SENIOR ELLIS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
We, JOHN WILLIAM RAMSDES, of 2 Tennant Place, Armley, Leeds, in the County
of York, Mechanic, and HARRY SENIOR ELLIS, of Hope Cottage, Hanover Lane,
Leeds, in the said County, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the Specification of Letters Patent granted to us No. 10,042, dated August
25th, 1885, are described certain Improvenients in Sewing Machines of the kind in
which two waxed threads are used by means of a curved hooked needle and a shuttle
operating above the work or material to be sewn, and adapted for the manufacture of
welted boots and pumps or turnshoes.
In the invention referred to in the abovenamed Specification, the radius of the
curved needle named therein had to be sufficiently large to admit of the shuttle
passing through or within the segment of the circle described by such curved needle,
and although for certain classes of work the radius of the said curved needle was
suitable, it was too large or the curve too flat for it to get close to the bottom of the
channel, especially at the waist of a boot under treatment.
Now our present invention has for its object, further improvements in machines
such as above referred to, and such improvements comprise a curved hooked needle
of smaller radius than heretofore and mechanism whereby the loop is transferred
froin the hooked needle to a position across the path of the shuttle or the shuttle race
in which it travels, placed in a horizontal position behind and outside of the radius of
or the are described by such hooked needle.
Also in addition to the above, other improvements hereinafter referred to are used
in combination with mechanism described in the abovenumed Specification.
When sewing in the welt of wolted boots through the upper leather to the insole,
the latter of which may be of any description and either heavy or light, the boot
requires to be lasted and prepared for the machine in a manner as nearly as can be
similar to that required when the welt has to be sewn in by hand.
The insole is bevilled on the outer edge and flanged or grooved. We provide a
boot guide which is mounted upon a slide, this is actuated in a forward direction by a
spring.
The welt guide is mounted upon a lever and connected to a similar slide and is
similarly actuated; both slides ara locked when required by a lever taking into
them simultaneously, the said lever being moved for this purpose by a spring
attached thereto; and both slides are unlocked at the same time by a cam provided
herefor.
When the operator commences to sew, the welt being in its guide, he presses the
lasted bont against the welt guide and the boot guide, (which at the time have their
rust active slides unlocked,) these move backward to such an extent as to permit of

page_text: both the pressure foot and the feeding pricker taking into the groove or channel of
the insole. The said slides are hoth locked while the needle is making its backward
stroke and the looped thread is heing drawn across the path of the shuttle and the
latter passes through it.
Upon the welt guide as used in this class of machine we place a suitable guard
consisting of a plate having a projecting " finger.”
The office of this finger is as follows:-
.6
During the movement of the welt guide to which it is attached and when the
needle has passed through the welt, the upper and the insole, and has been supplied
by the looper with thread and then makes its backward stroke, drawing the thread
through the work this thread becomes formed into a loop which the abovenamed
projecting finger" acts upon in sucliwise as to maintain it in a position for being
further drawn or transferred by a suitable and peculiarly formed hook, (hereinafter
referred to,) to a position across the path of the shuttle and its race so that the shuttle
may pass through it and place the shuttle or locking thread within the said loop.
The boot in the incantime is backed up by a suitable pressure foot which is mounted
freely upon an axis and takes into the channel or groove of the insole and forms a
guide for the hoot during the feeding thereof; but the said pressure foot retires
slightly just before the feeding takes place so that it may proceed easily.
And in order to avoid injury to the first named thread such as usually occurs by
its sliding and chafing movement across the narrow surface of the barb or hook of the
needle in its passage therewith through and beyond the material, there now comes into
operation our peculiarly formed hook above referred to, having a greater surface on
its barh for the thread to glide over than that of the needle.
This book has a reciprocatory movement across and through the shuttle race and
is so timed in its action that the loop on the needle is at once entored by the now
advancing hook.
This also has a lateral movement, during which it passes round or behind the point
of the needle and at the inside of its curve. After these movements have taken place
the needle makes a slight advance or "dip," and the loop becomes stripped therefrom
and left upon the hook, which is provided with a projecting pin or fence for preventing
the loop from passing around the shank or neck thereof and for facilitating its stripping
therefrom at the required moment.
By the retirement of the said hook with the loop thereon, the loop becomes
elongated and drawn across the shuttle race. The sides of the loop are sufficiently
separated to allow the shuttle to enter and pass through it; immediately the
shuttle has passed through its motion is arrested and the shuttle driver makes a
slightly retrograde movement, thus leaving a space between it and the rear end of
the shuttle.
At this moment the aforesaid hook makes a lateral movement and causes the loop to
strike against a finger attached to the shuttle driver and to become stripped from the
hook and to pass between the rear end of the shuttle and its driver, after which the
stitch becomes tightened by means of a tightening device such as or similar to that
described in our former Specification above referred to.
The advancement or feeding of the boot for the succeeding stitches is effected by
means of a "pricker" taking into the channel of the insole. This pricker is firmly
fixed upon the same axis that carries the pressure foot, and has a lateral movement
imparted thereto immediately after the tightening of a stitch.
These movements complete the cycle of the sewing operation and the feeding, after
which the pricker retires so far out of the way as to allow the looper to again place
the thread into the barb or hook of the needle for another stitch.
In the annexed drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2, is a plan, and
Fig. 3, a front elevation of a sewing machine in accordance with our invention.
Figs. 4 to 10, both inclusive, illustrate to a large scale various details of the machine.
Similar letters and 1.umerals indicate like parts throughout all the Figures,
A, is the standard (in part) upon which the machine is mounted. B. the headstock
of the machine. C, the curved shuttle race partly in section. 01. the shuttle,

page_text: (2, and 03, are guards over the race to prevent the shuttle from leaping during its
movement. 04, is the shuttle driver, (5, a finger thereon by which the loop of
thread is stripped from the hook K, 1, is the main or driving shaft upon which the
cams for actuating the various mechanisms are mounted, E. the curved hook needle
which together with its carrier is mounted upon the fixed stud F, and netuated by the
cam a, lover G, with its toothed sector G 1. intermediate wheel ( 2. on the axle G 8.
on the other end of which is a corresponding wheel or sector (4. taking into the
pinion or sortor G 5 on the needle carrier (6, to which is attached the needle guide
or stay (7, for supporting the needle while entering the work. H, is the welt guide
lever. 1, is centre of motion, H 2 the welt guide. 113, the guard plate with its
"finger" or pin 114, attached to the welt guide. These are connected to the slide 11 5,
I, is the boot guide connected to the slide 11. This slide and the slide 115, are
mounted side by side in the headstock B, and actuated or controlled in the direction
of the arrow 12, by springs 13, (one to each) and are simultaneously locked by the
lover J, during tho backward stroke of the needle and the drawing of the thread
through the work and afterwards released by the cam d, acting on the locking lever J,
so as to admit of the placing of a boot into position for being operated upon and of
every part of its variable figure being presented to the proper action of the needle.--
K, is the reciprocating hook with the projecting pin or fence K 0, for taking the loop
from the needle and drawing it further through the work and across the shuttle
race, and is actuated by the cam e, and bellerank lever K 2. The part K 8,
carrying the slide K 1, in which the hook is fixed is mounted upon the centro
at K4, and is actuated Interally for stripping the loop from the hook K, by
the cam, and lever K 5, the latter taking on the stud K, of the part K 8.—L, is
the stitch tightening lever actuated by the cam j. M, is an arm carried by the
swivelling fork Q8, and rendered somewhat elastic by the spring M 1, its function
being to take up slack" in the looper thread u, as it passes from the reel M 2. around
the pulley M 8, then over the pulley L1 of the stitch tightening lever L, to the
looper QN, is the foeding pricker carried by the lever N1, mounted on the axle N2,
and actuated by the cam h. through the lever N3, in connection with the lever Ni
on the axle N 2. A sidowise action is imparted to this axle and the pricker, equal to
the required pitch of the stitches, when the pricker is in the channel of the insole,
by means of the cam i, and lever O, on the tulerum stud 01. such ondwise action
being variable by changing the position of the stud 01. P. is the pressure foot
carried by the lever 11, and actuated by the cam g, on the periphery of the cam f
Q, is the looper carried by the lever Q1, mounted on the axi- Q2, in the swivelling
fork Q3, whose swivelling axis is Q4. The lever Q1, is actuated on the axis Q2.
(in an angular direction) by the cam h, and sidewise on the axis Q4, of the swivelling
fork, by the grooved cam 61.
H
These combined or compound motions cause the looper to approach and move
around the point of the needle when it has ninde its forward stroke through the
work and to place the looper thread u, into the hook thereof, after which the looper
retires to the position shewn in Figs. 5 and 6.
Fig. 4, shews the curved hooked needle E, having passed through the material or
boot "
with the looper Q, in the act of placing the thread », into the hook of the
needle E, and the feeding prickor N, out of the way to admit of this.
Fig. 5. shews the curved booked needle E, in its backward position, having drawn
the thread, through the material z. and the hook K, just entering the loop u,
thereof, and by the aforesaid "dip" or slight advance of the needle E, the hook K,
takes the loop out of the needle.
drawn
Fig. 6. shows the hook K, in its backward position with the looped thread
further through the material .. and across the path of the shuttle 01.-the stitch
tightening lever L, having been moved to a position nearer the work to give out
sufficient thread in addition to a portion from the reel for this purpose.
the
Fig. 7. shews the shuttle (1. within the loop u. placing the locking thread r, from
cop within it into the loop, after which the shuttle C1, completes its forward
stroke and also a slight retrograde movement to allow the loop to pass over its rear

page_text: end, and by the lateral movement of the hook K, to become stripped therefrom b
the stripping finger 05, on the shuttle driver C4.
Fig. 8. is a plan of the curved shuttle race C, and slide K 1, carrying the hook K,
and shews the shuttle (1. through the loop u, and the said loop in the act of being
stripped from the hook K, hy the stripping finger C5. on the shuttle driver C4,
after which the stitch tightening lever L, draws back the loop u, and completes the
stitch.
Figs. 9. and 10. shew detached views of the shuttle driver C4, the shuttle C1.
within it and the stripping finger C5. attached to the said driver.
Fig. 11. shews the development of the actuating cams, a, is the needle cam,
b. and the looper cams,c, the shuttle cam,d, the cam for unlocking the boot
guide and the welt guide, e, the cam for the reciprocating action of the hook K,-
, the cam for imparting lateral action thereto, g, a cam on f, for easing the pressure foot
at the time of feeding, h, the cam for placing the pricker into the channel of the
boot for feeding,-. the cam for giving the feeding motion to the pricker, j the
stitch tightening cam.
Fig. 12. is an end view of the cams, the various forms or paths on the face of each
are shewn by their centre lines only. R. is a pulley on the cam shaft D, by which
the machine may be driven by hand or power.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. In a sewing machine of the kind wherein two waxed threads are used, the
combination with the welt guide, of a guard plate H 3. having a projecting finger H 4.
for maintaining the needle thread u, in a suitable position for being drawn or trans-
ferred across the path of the shuttle substantially as described.
2. In a sewing machine of the kind wherein two waxed threads are used, a
shuttle operating in a curvilinear shuttle race placed behind the work substantially as
described.
3. In a lockstitch sewing machine having its shuttle race behind the work, a sliding
hook for stripping the looped thread u, from the curved needle and drawing it across
the path of the shuttle.
4. In a lockstitch sewing machine having its shuttle race behind the work, a sliding
hook K, for stripping the looped thread, from the curved needle and drawing the
same across the path of the shuttle, in combination with a pin KU, on the said hook
for preventing the loop w, from passing round the shank or neck of such hook.
5. In a lockstitch sewing machine having its shuttle behind the work, the com-
bination with the shuttle driver C4, of a dependent finger C 5, for stripping the loop ",
from the hook K.
6. The improved lockstitch sewing machine, constructed, arranged and operating sub-
stantially as describer with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 11th day of July 1880
Witness:
THOS. E. CRAVEN, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
24, Victoria Chambers, Leeds.
JOHN WILLIAM RAMSDEN.
HARRY SENIOR ELLIS.