An Improved Tambour or Chain Stitch Embroidering Machine.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Tambour or Chain Stitch Embroidering Machine.
I, THOMAS ECKERSLEY PERKINS, of 20, London Road, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer and Sewing Machine Maker, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to an improved machine for producing tambour or
chain stitch embroidery in multiple lines on fabric at one operation, and is
applicable for various purposes such as embroidering and producing ornamental
borders or edges upon cotton or other pile and piece goods.
In such goods it is customary to provide the edges with ornamental borders
of several rows or lines of stitching in silk disposed closely together to imitate
the borders woven in silk goods, so as to enhance the appearance of the goods.
This is at present effected in chain stitch by a combination of machines the
material being stitched reverse side upwards so as to disclose the chain stitch upon
the face side.
One of the objects of my improved machine is to produce at one operation the
necessary number of lines of stitching by means of a tambour or chain stitch
embroidery and to effect this directly upon the face of the fabric.
To effect this I employ the well known tambour stitch and provide the machine
with any suitable number of needles supplied with silk, or any other required
material, from a corresponding number of spools or bobbins.
In a machine constructed in accordance with my invention I provide the lower
end of the needle bar with a sleeve capable of being rotated on the needle bar
and fixed at any required position and height by means of binding screws.
The bottom of the sleeve or needle carrier is formed solid preferably of a rect-
angular shape and is drilled out for the reception of any desired number of
needles, seven being a convenient number although more or less than seven may
be employed. To secure the needles to the carrier the carrier is slotted across cach
hole and being thus rendered to some extent elastic the needles are secured
within their holes by a binding clamp.
The needles employed are the hooks or needles of the well known Bonnaz
type. The needle bar is reciprocated by the top shaft of the machine as usual
but I provide the needle bar with a heart cam to allow for a dwell of the bar at
the top of its stroke to give time for the feed to feed forward the material.
The feeding mechanism and the presser foot are of the usual type employed
in chain stitch machines.
I also provide the usual nipples or guides to hold down the last stitch whilst
the needles are rising. I employ novel means to effect this, the nipples or guides
being secured to an independent vertical spindle operated through the top
driving shaft.
The top shaft is provided with a cam revolving within an internal square cam
surface formed in a plate secured to the vertical spindle of the nipples. This
plate is provided with a bearing face in the head of the machine and serves also

page_text: to secure the parallel movement of the nipple spindle. The cam engaging with
the internal square or other suitably shaped cam surface formed in the plate,
assisted by a spring operates to hold the nipples down upon the last stitch whilst
the look needles are rising, and then raises the nipple spindle at the required
times.
To guide each thread around its corresponding hook needle I provide a new
arrangement consisting of a row of short needles or guides one for each hook
needle employed. Eyes are drilled through the guides and the threads are passed
through the eyes. The guides are disposed below the perforated needle plate
and are operated from the bottom shaft of the machine as follows
I mount the guides upon a bracket carried on the end of a short shaft mounted
in suitable bearings below the bed plate of the machine. The shaft is recipro-
cated in its bearings by means of a cam on the bottom shaft acting upon an
anti-friction bowl whilst another cam upon the bottom shaft acts against a bracket
or projection secured to the short shaft and oscillates the same. By these motions
the bracket carrying the guides is reciprocated and rocked so that the threads
are carried around the hook needles. Springs are employed to return the short
shaft to its normal position when unacted upon by the cams, or cam grooves may
be employed and the springs dispensed with.
The bobbins or spools containing the silk, cotton or other material are carried
by a quadrant bracket which is also provided with the usual tension and check
springs.
The rows of stitches produced by my improved machine can be either directly
superimposed one upon the other or spaced a distance apart as desired. This is
readily effected by means of the needle carrier. By turning this so that one
needle is disposed immediately in front of the other the resulting stitches would
be arranged one upon the other. On the other hand by arranging the needle
carrier at an angle the rows of stitches may be placed closely side by side so as
to form a broad band shewing seven lines of stitching more or less according to
the number of needles employed. This would be very suitable for stitching at
one operation the ornamental edging to cotton pile and other goods, or the
needle carrier may be turned to an angle so as to show a space between the rows
of stitching. The nipples or guides and the guides for wrapping the threads
around the hook needles are also made adjustable to correspond with the position
of the needle carrier.
It will be understood that by the use of silk, cotton, wool or other threads,
either all of one colour or of various colours, and by manipulating the needle
carrier to obtain more or less space between the rows of stitching, an ornamental
effect useful for embroidery and similar purposes can be readily obtained.
Dated this 30th day of January 1800
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Tambour or Chain Stitch Embroidering Machine.
.f
I, THOMAS ECKERSLEY PERKINS, of 20, London Road, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer and Sewing Machine Maker, 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
and accompanying drawings:-
My said invention relates to an improved machine for producing tambour or
chain stitch embroidery in multiple lines on fabric at one operation, and is

page_text: To guide each thread around its corresponding hook needle c I provide a row
of short needles or guides ; one for each hook needle employed. Eyes are drilled
through the guides and the threads are passed through the eyes. The guides are
disposed below the usual needle plate which is perforated to permit of the
passage of the needles as will be understood, and are operated from the bottom
shaft of the machine by a novel arrangement as follows.
I mount the guides upon a bracket k carried on the end of a short shaft
mounted in suitable bearings provided by a bracket m secured below the bed
plate n of the machine. The shaft 7 is reciprocated in its bearings by means of
a camo on the bottom shaft acting upon an anti-friction bowl q carried by a
bracket whilst another cams upon the bottom shaft acts against the bracket r
secured to the short shaft and oscillates or turns the same on its axis. By these
motions the bracket carrying the guides jis reciprocated and rocked so that the
threads are carried around the hook needles c. Springs t t are employed to main-
tain the bowl g and bracket r in contact with their respective cams o s. Fig. 8
shows a separate detached plan view of the underside of the thread guide
mechanism Fig. 9 is an end view thereof partly in section to show more clearly
the cams os, and Fig. 10 is a plan of the underside of the bracket r and shows
the bowl and cam o. The bottom shaft 2 is revolved by the usual or suitable
means from the top driving shaft 2.
The bobbins or spools containing the silk, cotton or other material are
mounted on spindles carried by a quadrant bracket which is secured to the
wooden base or table of the machine.
The tension on each bobbin is applied by means of a pivotted finger w thrust
against the spool u by means of a coiled spring w2.
One end of the coiled spring w is passed round a stud z secured to a projec-
tion on the pivotted finger wo whilst the other end is secured to a pin y³ carried
on a pivotted lever y. By turning the pivotted lever y the spring w² can be
coiled or uncoiled to some extent upon the stud upon which the spring is
carried so that the pressure of the finger w upon the spool can be increased or
decreased as desired.
The thread passes to the guides j through an eye z of a spring ¹ as shown in
Fig. 13.
The rows of stitches produced by my improved machine can be either directly
superimposed one upon the other or spaced a distance apart as desired. This is
readily effected by means of the needle carrier. By turning this so that one
needle is disposed immediately in front of the other the resulting stitches would
be arranged one upon the other. On the other hand by arranging the needle
carrier at an angle the rows of stitches may be placed closely side by side so as
to form a broad band showing seven lines of stitching more or less according to
the number of needles employed. This arrangement is shown in the drawings.
This would be very suitable for stitching at one operation the ornamental edging
to cotton pile and other goods. The needle carrier may be also turned to such
an angle as to show a space between the rows of stitching.
It will be understood that at whatever angle the needle carrier may be turned
the holding down nipples 9 and the thread guides must be adjusted at a corre
sponding angle.
Further by the use of silk, cotton, wool or other threads, either all of one
colour or of various colours, and by manipulating the needle carrier as described
to obtain more or less space between the rows of stitching an ornamental effect
useful for embroidery and similar purposes can be obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1) The improved tambour or chain stitch embroidering machine constructed
and arranged in the manner for the purposes and substantially as described and
shown.

page_text: 2) In a machine of the indicated nature providing the needle bar with a
rotatable needle carrier the bottom of the carrier being provided with holes for
the reception of a plurality of hook needles and slotted so as to render it elastic,
the needles being secured in position by means of a binding clamp substantially
as described and illustrated.
3) In a machine of the indicated nature carrying the holding down nipples
or guides g upon an independent spindle operated by means of a cam on the top
driving shaft engaging with a cam surface carried by the nipple spindle in the
manner and substantially as described and shown.
4) The improved method of operating the under thread guides in which the
guides are carried by a bracket mounted on a shaft arranged to be reciprocated
and rocked by means of cam surfaces and springs so that the threads are carried
around the hook needles substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 28th day of October 1899.
For the Applicant,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 5, John Dalton Street, Manchester.