Improvements in Sewing or Stitching and in the means or Apparatus Employed therein.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1890-Accepted, 27th Sept., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing or Stitching and in the means or Apparatus
Employed therein.
1, WILLIAM FURMAN BEARDSLEE of Abingdon Square, New York, in the State of
New York, one of the United States of America, Machinist do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the manufacture of knitted goods into garments, it is a great desideratum to
form a strong, safe, and smooth seam by straight-ahead stitching, and the machine
berein to be described has been devised for that especial purpose.
The stitch made is a peculiar one, it being composed of two threads carried by two
eye-pointed needles, one or both needles penetrating the material.
The threads referred to are concatenated both above and below the material by the
action of two loopers which coöperate with the threads carried by the said needles.
The threads are manipulated in a peculiar and novel manner, as will be hereinafter
described and illustrated.
The cutter blade is made adjustable with relation to the needle by an adjusting
screw and a backing screw to be described.
My invention consists in a sewing machine containing the following instru-
mentalities, viz:-Two eye-pointed thread carrying needles, one or both of which
are adapted to penetrate the material from its upper side; a looper above the material;
and a looper below the material, the looper above the material engaging the thread
between the eye of one needle and the material and spreading the said thread into
loop form under and to be entered by the other needle; the looper below the material
taking the loops of both threads and holding them below the material while both
needles rise and until the next descent of the said needles, when one of the said
needles passes a loop of its thread through both of the said loops.
Also in a sewing machine, two reciprocating eye-pointed thread carrying needles to
penetrate the material to be stitched; a looper above the material to concatenate the
said needle threads above the material; a looper below the material to concatenate the
said threads below the material and form a seam composed of two threads made to
form two parallel lines of stitching, the threads being mutually interlocked above and
below the material, and a trimming cutter.
Also in a sewing machine, a lever adapted to be oscillated in a horizontal plane
about a vertical pivot, combined with a looper carrier pivoted on the said lever and
adapted to be oscillated independently of the said lever.
Also, a presser-foot; a presser-bar; a connected plunger forming a pivot, a lever
mounted to turn thereon and adapted to be oscillated in a horizontal plane about a
vertical pivot, combined with a looper, and looper carrier pivoted on the said lever
and oscillated independently of the said lever, to operate, substantially as will be
described.
Also, a needle-bar; a cutter; and a needle holding clamp having a recess for the
reception of the upper end of the cutter; combined with a hollow backing screw, and
a set screw having a teat to enter a hole in the said cutter, substantially as will be
described.
Also, a cutter; a clamp to hold it at its upper end; and a presser-foot; combined
with an adjustable guide for the cutter near its lower end, substantially as will be
described.
Also, in a sewing machine containing the following instrumentalities, viz. :-Stitch-
forming mechanism; a throat plate having a tongue; a presser-foot having a tongue;
a cutter; and means to actuate it to trim the material at one side of the seam,
substantially as will he described.
My invention also includes an improved seam for knitted goods, the same including

page_text: two parallel rows of straight ahead stitches made from two threads carried by two eye-
pointed needles, one or both of which penetrate the material, one of the said threads
from one of the said rows.of stitches being carried over to the other row of stitching
at the upper side of the material, while the other thread of the other row of stitching
but at the underside of the material is carried across to the stitches of the line of
stitches parallel to it, as will be described.
Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a sewing machine embodying my invention,
part of the machine being broken away to save space upon the drawing.
Figure 2, a partial left hand end elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3, a detail chiefly to show the two loopers, the bed plate, the two needles,
and the trimming blade or cutier.
Figure 4, is an enlarged sectional detail showing the lower end of the needle bar
and the clamping device to hold the needles and cutter in place.
Figure 5, is a section of Figure 4 in the line a looking toward the screw f', the
said section line cutting partially through the shank of the needle g¹.
Figure 6, an enlarged sectional detail showing the top of the presser foot with its
needle hole, and the adjustable cutter guide attached to the said foot, the cutter being
shown in section in place.
Figure 7, is a partial plan and section of the machine shown in Figure 1, the
section being below the line ².
Figure 8, is a detail showing the upper looper, its actuating devices, the two needles,
and the cutter in section.
Figure 9, an enlarged top view of the throat plate, the scale being however smaller
than that for Figure 6.
Figures 10, 11 and 12, are diagrams showing the method of manipulating the thread
of the needle g above the material, the said figures not however showing with
particularity the exact shape of the looper b.
Figure 13 is an underside view enlarged of the material showing the formation of
the stitch.
Figure 13", a detail enlarged showing the upper side of the fabric shown in
Figure 13.
Figure 14 shows a modification of the stitch at the underside of the material.
Figure 15, a detail similar to Figure 2, but showing the serrated cutter and the
guide for it on the presser foot.
Figure 16, an enlarged detail of the lower end of the needle bar, and attached
needle and blade.
Figure 17, shows an edge and rear side view of the blade.
Figure 18, a modified form of blade, and
Figure 19 is an enlarged detail showing part of the presser-foot and throat plate
with two thicknesses of material between, said figure being made chiefly to show the
tongues 13 and 14 and the stitch made about them.
The frame-work A, A1, but partially shown, (A representing a portion of the over-
hanging arm,) the needle bar actuating lever A2, partially shown in Figure 1, the
main shaft A³ represented in Figures 1 and 7, it having an eccentric embraced by the
strap of the link A* connected in practice at its upper end to the lever A², to move it,
the needle bar As, the presser bar A, and the presser foot A', are all substantially
as common to the well known Wilcox and Gibbs sewing machine.
The mechanism by which to feed the material being stitched may be of any usual
construction.
The only parts of the feeding mechanism shown are the cam A22 and the usual
feed dog carrier A10, the latter being in section Figure 3.
Parallel to the main shaft and in suitable bearings, I have mounted a short rock-
shaft d provided at one end with an arm d³ having a stud to enter a cam groove
cut in one end of the cam hub D fast on the main shaft A³, so as to rock the said
shaft.
The shaft d has a toothed arm d', see Figure 2, which engages a pinion c¹ on the
shaft c mounted in a suitable bearing b¹.

page_text: The rock-shaft c has at one end a holder in which is secured the under looper c³,
shown best in Figure 3, the latter being so located and moved as to enter the loops
of thread thrown out from both needles, as will be described.
The needle bar A' is provided with a clamping collar having two set screws f',ƒ³
to act respectively upon the needles g, g¹, and hold them in adjusted position in the
needle bar.
This clamp also has at its rear side a suitable slot, see Figure 4, in which is
placed the upper end of the blade or cutter f³, the thickness of the cutter being
considerably less than the width of the slot.
This cutter has a projection f at its upper end which abuts against a projection 8
forming part of the clamp, and the cutter has a hole for the reception of a teat 10,
herein shown as projecting from the inner end of a clamping screw f' which is
employed to hold the cutter in place.
The clamp receives a second screw fe which I call a backing screw, it being shown
as adapted to be screwed in or out and form a backing for the cutter 3, the position
of the backing screw determining the distance from the line of stitching at which the
cutter will trim the material being stitched.
To enable the screws to be moved while the cutter is being adjusted and yet
prevent the cutter from dropping, the teat 10 is made to extend through the cutter
and into a hole in the screwƒ°.
The lower end of the cutter is shown reduced in width and is extended through a
guide attached in an adjustable manner to the presser foot A' by means of a screw h¹,
the cutter below the said guide passing through a slot 2 in the presser-foot and
through a slot 3 in the usual throat plate shown separately in Figure 9, the
said throat plate having usual feed slots h³ and a double throat bx, bx, separated by
a tongue 14.
The plate h rests in usual manner on the cloth plate A¹².
The presser foot has a double needle hole få separated by a tongue 13, the needles
descending at opposite sides of the said tongues 13, 14, the threads carried or crossed
from one to the other needle, or from one to the other line of stitching being carried
across the said tongues one above and the other below the said material and being
fed off the said tongues as the material is moved by the usual feeding device.
The periphery of the cam hub D is provided with two irregular cam grooves, one
of which receives a suitable roller or other stud D' extended from a suitable lever D³,
the upper end of the said lever having jointed to it a link D3 which is jointed at 141
to a plate D having as its centre of motion a screw or other stud 15 carried by a
lever D having its fulcrum on a plunger or carrier De arranged in the head of the
machine parallel to the presser-bar, see Figure 2, and connected rigidly to the
said presser-bar by a screw D' so that the plunger and presser-bar rise and fall in
unison.
The plate 1 has connected to it by screw 25 the looper b suitably notched at its
outer end, as best shown in Figure 8, to engage the needle thread 3 of the needle g,
as will be hereinafter described.
The other groove 17x in the hub D receives in it a roller or other stud 16 of a
lever 17 to the upper end of which is attached loosely a link 18 connected by screw 19
loosely to one end of the lever D³.
As will be understood the lever D in its movements about the presser foot will
carry the stud 15 with it and at the same time the plate D carrying the looper b
will be vibrated through the link D³ and lever I so that the said looper is thereby
made to travel in a somewhat irregular or elliptical or oval path, its movement being
such as to engage the loop of thread 3 of the needle g between the material and the
eve of the said needle when the latter is elevated, as in Figure 10, and carry a bight.
of the said loop across to the line of stitching to be formed by the needle g and its
thread 2, and spread the same open under the said needle g¹ so that as the said two
needles descend, the needle gl will pass through the loop in the thread 3 then held
pread by the looper b, as in Figure 12, after which both needles in their further
lescert will pass through the material.

page_text: The looper 6 retires after the needles g and g¹ have penetrated the cloth, so that
the said looper may be again in position to engage the thread 3 when the needles
again rise.
After the needles g, g' have descended below the material they rise a little to
throw out loops of thread from their eyes, and at the same time the looper centers
both loops of needle thread, and in its backward stroke draws both loops of needle
thread aside with it, the looper taking the loop of thread 2 from the needle g¹ and
carrying it across at the underside of the throat plate and material to the line of
stitching made by the needle g.
Both needles are elevated above the material and the feed takes place while the
looper holds both loops of needle thread below the material, and at the next
descent of the two needles, the needle g passes a loop of its thread 3 through not
only its own loop held by the looper 2 but also through a loop of the thread 2,
the said needle g¹ in its descent with the needle y as before described passing
through a bight of the thread 3 coming from the needle g and laid upon the
material by the looper b.
This process of stitching is continued stitch after stitch, the feed taking place
at the proper time, and two parallel rows of. straight-ahead stitching are formed
connected at bottom and top by loops of the threads 2 and 3 used in the two
parallel rows of stitching, one thread in one parallel row crossing over to the
other row of stitching at the top of the material, while the other thread which
sews a straight row at the upper side of the fabric, is laid across from one to the
other row of stitches at the lower side of the material, as will be understood by
inspection of Figures 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the drawing.
The lower end of the lever 17 has a stud 20 projecting from it at right angles,
which enters a bearing 21 connected to a stand 42 by a screw 22.
The needle threads will in practice be led through usual and suitable tension
devices.
The cutter f having its flat side nearest the line of stitching has its edge
serrated or notched to present a series of saw-like teeth much resembling the teeth
of a sickle, the said serrations or notches being preferably diagonal or inclined,
as shown in Figures 16 and 17, but they may be straight across the blade, as in
Figure 18.
An edge of this kind cuts into the fabric, especially knitted goods, very rapidly
and with less strain on the machine than when the edge is as usual.
While I prefer to employ a cutter with serrated edge I do not intend to limit my
invention to the use of only such a cutter, for the cutter may have a plain edge as in
Figure 2.
By making the serrations on but one side of the cutter, it is possible by grinding
the cutter at only its unserrated side to keep the cutting edge always in good cutting
condition.
The cutter f³ may be made to trim the material parallel with and close to the line
of stitching made by the needle g', so close as to just remove the material and not cut
the threads, leaving the said threads exposed at the cut edge, so that when the
material so cut is opened or laid out flat and subjected to a little strain, the stitches,
especially the loop portions thereof lying upon the upper and lower sides of the
material as fully described, will stretch across and cover the material at its upper and
lower sides between the two lines of stitching, making a finished, safe, flat, smooth
seam especially adapted for knitted goods.
I do not desire to limit my invention to the exact shape of the loopers b, c², or to
the exact mechanical devices employed to give to them their proper movements to
coöperate with the threads of the two needles and form two parallel rows of stitching
concatenated above and below, substantially as represented.
Referring to Figure 19, it will be seen that the stitch produced by the use of two
threads is made about the tongues 13 and 14 which lie in the stitch when being
made. The thread 3 crosses over tongue 13, while thread 2 crosses under tongue 14,
and as the material is fed between the presser-foot and throat-plate the stitches slip

page_text: off the tongues. By forming the stitches about the tongues, a uniform amount of
thread is left to enable the two thicknesses of material when trimmed or cut off
parallel to one seam, to be laid or opened out flat and leave a smooth, flat, elastic
seam.
The stitch forming parts will operate and form stitches even when the material is
removed from between the foot and throat plate, and as a result thereof should there
be a space between one and the next garment to be stitched, the machine need not be
stopped and the lifting even of the presser-foot by a garment coming under it will
not break or cause the stitch to be entangled as would be the case if but one tongue
should be used.
The two tongues co-operating with the stitch hold the material firmly while being
stitched and enables the blade or cutter to cut or trim the fabric substantially in the
line of one of the rows of stitching, for the thread drawn taut from one to the other
tongue pulls on the fabric held by the presser-foot and throat plate at one side the
tongues, and draws the fabric sufficiently to leave a thin space for the entrance of the
blade or cutter.
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. A sewing machine containing the following instrumentalities, viz. :-Two eye-
pointed thread carrying needles one or both of which are adapted to penetrate the
material from one side; a looper above the material; and a looper below the material,
the looper above the material engaging the thread between the eye of one needle and
the material and spreading the said thread into loop form under and to be entered
by the other needle; the looper below the material taking the loops of both threads
and holding them below the material while both needles rise and until the next
descent of the said needles when one of the said needles passes a loop of its thread
through both of the said loops, substantially as described.
2. In a sewing machine, two reciprocating eye-pointed thread carrying needles to
penetrate the material to be stitched; a looper above the material to concatenate the
said needle threads above the material; a looper below the material to concatenate
the said threads below the material and form a seam composed of two threads made
to form two parallel lines of stitching, the threads being mutually interlocked above
and below the material, and a trimming cutter, substantially as described.
3. In a sewing machine, a lever adapted to be oscillated in a horizontal plane about
a vertical pivot, combined with a looper carrier pivoted on the said lever and adapted
to be oscillated independently of the said lever, substantially as described.
4. A presser-foot; a presser-bar; a connected plunger forming a pivot; a lever
mounted to turn thereon and adapted to be oscillated in a horizontal plane about a
vertical pivot, combined with a looper, and looper carrier pivoted on the said lever
and oscillated independently of the said lever, to operate, substantially as described.
5. A needle-bar; a cutter; and a needle holding clamp having a recess for the
reception of the upper end of the cutter; combined with a hollow backing screw,
and a set screw having a teat to enter a hole in the said cutter, substantially as
described.
6. A cutter; a clamp to hold it at its upper end; and a presser-foot; combined
with an adjustable guide for the cutter near its lower end, substantially as described.
7. A sewing machine containing the following instrumentalities, viz. :-Stitch
forming mechanism; a throat plate having a tongue; a pressor-foot having a tongue;
a cutter; and means to actuate it to trim the material at one side of the seam, sub-
stantially as described.
8. An improved seam for knitted goods, the same including two parallel rows of
straight ahead stitches made from two threads carried by two eye-pointed needles,
one or both of which penetrate the material, one of the said threads from one of the
said rows of stitches being carried over to the other row of stitching at the upper side

page_text: of the material, while the other thread of the other row of stitching but at the underside
of the material is carried across to the stitches of the line of stitches parallel to it,
substantially as described.
Uated the 21st day of August 1890
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.