Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, .31st Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 29th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 30th Nov., 1888
A communication from abro
Hanover, in the Empire of Germany, Merchants.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.L.M.E of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both in the
County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to render the Singer or other sewing machines
now so extensively used, applicable for braiding work and such like by utilising all
the existing parts thereof. This is effected by applying certain devices for lifting the
presser foot, either when the needle is in the material which is operated upon, or at
the moment when the needle leaves or has left it. Hitherto devices for altering
existing machines were sometimes applied to the arm of the machine causing difficult
and expensive alterations of the parts, and after all did not produce such a satis-
factory result as is attained by this invention.
Devices applied to sewing machines for fulfilling the purposes such as are now
rendered possible by the present invention were hitherto unknown.
The accompanying drawings represent the headplate of a Singer sewing machine
with and without the mechanism herein described.
In these Figure 1 represents the well known front plate of the sewing machine
unaltered. Figure 2. the same with the improvements added. Figures 3 and 4
respectively cross sections through Figures 1 and 2. Figure 5 is a longitudinal section
through Figure 2. Figure 6 front and side elevation of the altered presser foot rod.
Figures 7 to 11 details of the new auxiliary parts required for braiding work. Figure 12
the ordinary front plate of a Singer machine with the parts required for ordinary

page_text: sewing. Figure 13, the same altered for executing braiding work, provided with the
parts needed therefor. Figure 14 the same with presser foot raised while the needle
is in the material operated upon. Figure 15. a modified arrangement.
The alteration of the well known front plate A of the Singer sewing machine, (Figure 1)
consists simply in cutting out a portion a (Figure 2) of the guiding web b between the
needle bar and the rod of the presser foot.
By cutting out these portions there still remains sufficient material (Figures 4 and 5)
for guiding the rods. In the lower part of the hollowed portion a, a small bell crank c
(Figures 9 and 13) is pivotted by means of a screw. The longer arın of this bell
crank lever bears against the rod B of the presser foot, the shorter arm being turned
towards the needle bar, (Figure 13).
The presser foot rod B has a recess cut out of it near the pivot of the lifting lover D.
A small plate E provided at its lower end with a projection e, the underside of which
is sloping, is introduced into the aforesaid recess, and firmly screwed therein. The
recess can be made rather longer than shown, so that the small plate E and its projec-
tion e can be adjusted vertically. The said projection rests on the upper edge of the
long arm of the bell crank lever e, whereby the spring of the presser foot is easily
compressed, and the presser foot F presses on the material to be sewn.
A small thumb piece (Figures 10 and 13 is screwed in the needle bar C, and serves
to actuate the bell crank levere and through it the presser foot rod B.
The alteration of the front plate with a view to forming a braiding machine is now
completed. It will be seen that this alteration simply consists in removing a part of
the well and a part of the presser foot rod C, and also in the arrangement of the
small auxiliary parts E c and f
In braiding and all sewing work, the material operated upon must be moved or
shifted whilst the needle is therein and it is necessary (in the Singer sewing machine
for instance) to lift the presser foot in order to move the material and make the design
thereon. In this kind of work it is also necessary that the presser foot should press
upon the work both when the needle penetrates the material, and when it leaves it.
The presser foot must consequently during that time be down."
.
All the above conditions are fulfilled by this invention, in the following manner, but
it is no longer necessary to raise the presser foot by the lifter D, for the movement is
effected automatically by the machine itself.
In Figure 13, the needle bar is about to commence a stroke, and the needle is above
the material ready to descend and pierce it. The presser foot F presses on the
material. If the needle bar is caused to descend, the small thumb piece f strikes the
short arm of the bell crank lever c presses it down, and the long arm slides on the pro-
jection e of the small plate E and lifts the presser foot rod B. The stroke of the presser
foot is very small, but it is sufficient to free the material so that it can be turned in
every direction. When the needle is withdrawn from the material, the needle bar
rises, but the presser foot remains raised until the thumb has moved back the long
arm of the bell crank lever c.
The spring of the presser foot then presses it down on the material and holds it
firmly whilst the needle is drawn out. If on the contrary, the material operated upon,
is to be moved or shifted in any direction so that any part thereof can be brought
under the needle, an arrangement is provided for raising the presser foot automatically
at the moment the needle leaves the inaterial.
This is represented in Figure 15. The small plate E is removed from the rod B
of the presser foot and replaced by another E' (Figure 8) the projection e' of which
is at its upper part. The thumb piece is removed from the needle bar and the
tappet (Figure 11) screwed in instead, so that it lies under the projection e¹.
When the needle bar is raised, the needle comes out of the material and the tappet fl
comes in contact with the projection e¹ in the rod B of the presser foot and raises it
under pressure of the spring to such a height that the material is freed and can
independently of the feed motion he moved or folded in any desired direction.
When the needle bar descends, the presser foot F descends also (assisted by the action
of its spring) and holds the work firmly, whilst the needle pierces the material, and

page_text: the stitch is made. The presser foot is put out of action when required by raising the
lifting lever D in the ordinary manner.
The devices, which form the essential part of the invention, are easily adapted to the
front plate without it being necessary to effect an external change in the machine.
If the thumb for the tappet f¹ be removed from the needle bar, the sewing machine
is transformed again into an ordinary sewing machine.
Dated this 30th day of January 1888.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
A communication from abroad by MORITZ EHRLICH and LEONOR BENDIX, both of
Hanover, in the Empire of Germany, Merchants.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.L.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the
County of Lancaster, & 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer 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 :-
The object of this invention is to render the Singer or other sewing machines now
so extensively used, applicable for braiding work and such like by utilizing all the
existing parts thereof. This is effected by applying certain devices for lifting the
presser foot, either when the needle is in the material which is operated upon, or at
the moment when the needle leaves or has left it.
Hitherto devices for altering existing machines were sometimes applied to the arm
of the machine causing difficult and expensive alterations of the parts, and after all
did not produce such a satisfactory result as is attained by this invention.
Devices applied to sewing machines for fulfilling the purposes such as are now
rendered possible by the present invention were hitherto unknown.
The drawings accompanying the provisional specification represent the head plate
of a Singer sewing machine with and without the mechanism herein described.

page_text: Figure 1 represents the well known front plate of the sewing machine, unaltered.
Figure 2 the same with the improvements added.
Figures 3 and 4 respectively cross sections through Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 5 a longitudinal section through Figure 2.
Figure 6 front and side elevation of the altered presser foot rod.
Figures 7 to 11 details of the new auxiliary parts required for braiding work.
Figure 12 the ordinary front plate of a Singer machine with the parts required for
ordinary sewing.
Figure 13 the same altered for executing braiding work, provided with the parts
needed therefor.
Figure 14 a modification of the arrangement.
Figure 15 the arrangement of auxiliary parts for ordinary sewing work.
The alteration of the well known front plate A of the Singer sewing machine,
Figure 1, consists simply in cutting out a portion a, Figure 2, of the guiding web
between the needle bar and the rod of the presser foot. By cutting out these
portions there still remains sufficient material, Figures 4 and 5, for guiding the rods.
In the lower part of the hollowed portion a, a small bell crank c, Figures 9 and 13, is
pivoted by means of a screw. The longer arm of this bell crank lever bears
against the rod B of the presser foot, the shorter arm being turned towards the
needle bar, Figure 13.
The presser foot rod B has a recess cut out of it near the pivot of the lifting lever D.
A small plate E provided at its lower end with a projection e, the under side of which
is sloping, is introduced into the aforesaid recess, and firmly screwed therein. The
recess can be made rather longer than shown, so that the small plate E and its projec-
tion e can be adjusted vertically. The said projection rests on the upper edge of the
long arm of the bell crank lever c, whereby the spring of the presser foot is easily
compressed, and the presser foot F presses on the material to be sewn.
A small thumb piece, Figures 10 and 13, is screwed in the needle bar C; and
serves to actuate the bell crank lever c and through it the presser foot rod B.
The alteration of the front plate with a view to forming a braiding machine is now
completed. It will be seen that this alteration simply consists in removing a part of
the web and a part of the presser foot rod C, and also in the arrangement of the
small auxiliary parts B, c and f
In braiding and all sewing work the material operated upon must be moved or
shifted whilst the needle is therein, and it is also necessary (in the Singer sewing
machine for instance,) to lift the presser foot in order to move the material and make
the design thereon. In this kind of work it is also necessary that the presser foot
should press upon the work both when the needle penetrates the material and when it
leaves it. The presser foot must consequently, during that time, he down.
All the above conditions are fulfilled by this invention, in the following manner, but
it is no longer necessary to raise the presser foot by the lifter D, for the movement is
effected automatically by the machine itself.
In Figure 13, the needle bar is about to commence a stroke, and the needle is above
the material ready to descend and to pierce it. The presser foot F presses on the
inaterial. If the needle bar is caused to descend, the small thumb piece strikes the
short arm of the bell crank lever c, presses it down, and the long arm slides on the
projection e of the small plate E, and lifts the presser foot rod B. The stroke of the
presser foot is very small, but it is sufficient to free the material so that it can be
turned in every direction. When the needle is withdrawn from the material, the
needle bar rises, but the presser foot remains raised until the thumb ƒ has moved back
the long arm of the bell crank lever c.
The spring of the presser foot then presses it down on the material and holds it
firmly, whilst the needle is drawn out. If on the contrary, the material operated upon
is to be moved or shifted in any direction so that any part thereof can be brought
under the needle, an arrangement is provided for raising the presser foot automatically
at the moment the needle leaves the material.

page_text: This is represented in Figure 15. The small plate E is removed from the rod B of
the presser foot, and replaced by another E¹, Figure 8, the projection e', of which is
at its upper part. The thumb piece f is removed from the needle bar C and the
tappet Figure 11, screwed in instead, so that it lies under the projection e'.
When the needle bar is raised, the needle comes out of the material and the
tappet comes in contact with the projection e¹, in the rod B of the presser foot
and raises it under pressure of the spring to such a height that, the material is freed
and can, independently of the feed motion, he moved or folded in any desired direc-
tion. When the needle bar descends, the presser foot F descends also (assisted by the
action of the spring), and holds the work firmly whilst the needle pierces the material
and the stitch is made. The presser foot is put out of action when required by raising
the lifting lever D in the ordinary manner.
The devices which form the essential part of the invention are easily adapted to the
front plate without it being necessary to effect any external change in the machine.
If the thumb, or the tappet f' be removed from the needle bar, the sewing machine
is transformed again into an ordinary sewing machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In combination with sewing machines, the devices inside the front plate, for the
purpose of raising the presser foot automatically when the needle is in the material,
and thereby freeing the latter from the pressure of the foot, said devices consisting
of a bell crank lever c, pivoted in a recess or gap a cut out of the web between the
needle bar and the presser foot, a projection e on the presser foot-rod and a thumb
piece on the needle bar, the whole arranged in such a manner that on the down
stroke of the needle, the bell crank is turned and thereby lifts the presser foot rod,
whilst during the upward motion of the needle bar it is turned back again against the
said rod, so that the presser foot yielding to the action of its spring, is pressed on the
material, substantially as and for the purpose described, in reference to Figures 13
and 14 of the drawings accompanying the provisional specification.
2. In a sewing machine the means provided for raising the presser foot when the
needle has left the material, which consists in the combination of a projection e¹
attached to the presser foot rod, and a tappet f¹ attached to the needle bar, these parts
being so arranged thereon that when the needle has left or is leaving the material, the
tappet strikes the projection e¹ and thereby raises the presser foot, the latter
descending again under the action of a spring when the needle enters the material,
substantially as and for the purpose described and shown on Figure 15 of the drawings
accompanying the provisional specification.
Datal thi. 97th dore of Oatahar 1888
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.