IMPROVE- MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Emil Cornely, of the City of Paris, Department of
the Seine, Empire of France, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Emil Cornely at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
August 1867.
I, EMIL CORNELY, of the City of Paris, Department of the Seine, Empire
of France, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain additions in the construction of the
"Willcox and Gibbs" sewing machine, whereby the same machine may make
either the single thread stitch as beretofore or a two-thread stitch known as
the "Grover and Baker" stitch. The principal element of the "Willcox
and Gibbs" sewing machine is its revolving looper for making the single
thread stitch, and upon said looper is founded the superiority of the machine,
as by means thereof the machine not only makes no drop stitches, but a
great speed also is attained, as all the movements of the machine are made
by the action of circular excentrics or crank motions in contradistinction to
irregular excentrics or cam motions which permit of no great speed on any

page_text: mechanical construction. These advantages I have maintained in my im-
provements for making the single as well as the double thread seam.
The first modification which I make on the "Willcox and Gibbs" machine
is that I increase the length of the looper in the direction of its geometrical
axis, which increase is necessary for making the double thread seam, but by
said increase the principle of the original looper is not changed, as the
proportions of its relative parts are maintained by corresponding changes,
and the looper therefore performs its work with the same regularity, speed,
and perfection for making the single-thread seam as in the original machine.
On the accompanying three Sheets of Drawing, forming part of this my
Provisional Specification, Fig. 1 (Sheet 1.) represents a front elevation
of the machine; Fig. 2 (Sheet I.) represents a side view thereof; Figs. 3.
and 4 (Sheet. II.) represent top views of the lower part of the frame and
its working parts; Figs. 5, 6, 7 8, 9, and 10 (Sheet II.) represent various
positions of the two loopers for making the double thread seam. The
"original" Willcox and Gibbs"-sewing machine for making a single thread
seam being described in the Specification of the Royal Letters Patent,
No. 1971, dated July 15th, 1857, a full description thereof is not required
here. I have found by experiments that by making an elevation r upon
the "Willcox and Gibbs" looper, and by increasing its 'volume as above
described, the said looper will make the single thread seam as heretofore
when working by itself, but when working in combination with an
oscillating threaded looper B, as represented in the Drawing, the latter
will displace the needle thread on. the looper. A in such a manner. that the
needle on descending will not pick into the loop of its own thread as it does
.when making a, single thread seam, but into the extended loop of the
horizontal oscillating looper B, the operation resulting in a double thread seam
known as the "Grover and Baker stitch.
The movement of the horizontal oscillating looper B is effected in the
following manner: Á horizontal lever N is pivoted by means of the shaft M
upon the frame L of the machine; its rear portion supports a cylindrical rod o
which is accurately adjusted therein so that it can turn and also slide therein
longitudinally. To the pitman G, which connects the excentric on the shaft E
with the needle arm, H of the machine, I attach a piece whose lower
cylindrical part Q enters into the fork-shaped end O of the rod o, and thus
drives said lever by giving it a horizontally vibrating movement' on it's
vertical shaft M. To the front end of the lever N is secured a rack R which
drives a pinion S of the vertical shaft C, on to which is also secured' the
horizontally revolving looper B; the shaft C is supported by brackets T.

page_text: The operation of the two-loopers in combination with the needle is as
follows: When the needle D commences to rise from its lowest position
a loop is formed thereon into which enters the point of the looper A, Fig. 5
(Sheet II.), turning in the direction of the arrow. The horizontal looper B
begins its movement in the direction of the arrow; the looper A spreads the
loop of the needle thread (marked in red lines), and the threaded looper B
(its thread being marked in blue) enters the spreaded loop of the needle thread, "
Figs. 6 and 7, and passes through it to the end of its course, Figs. 3 and 8;
the needle which has been rising during said time now descends and picks
into the spreaded loop of the blue thread, Fig. 3, and when it has picked
therein the looper B commences its retrograde movement, Figs. 9 and 10, its
thread surrounding the needle and being itself within the loop of the needle
thread. During all this time the looper A has been turning, and the operation
recommences as shewn in the position Fig. 5.
By the above description it will be seen that the looper A is used for
taking, the loop from the needle and for spreading the same, while the
looper B is used only for entering into the spreaded loop of the needle
thread, and in its turn for spreading its own thread so that the needle on
descending may pick into its loop. The question may be posed what
advantage is obtained in performing the above-described operation by means
of two loopers, inasmuch as the same stitch has been produced heretofore
by means of one looper only? To this I answer that by using the two loopers,
as above described, I can operate each looper by means of a circular excentric
or crank motion, and without changing said movement into an irregular one,
as must be done when one. looper only is used in combination with a needle
for producing the double thread seam above described. The other advantage
is, that in arresting the notion of the horizontally oscillating looper B
the looper A working singly will make the single thread sean as does the
original. "Willcox and Gibbs" machine, and thus the machine can make
two different stitches, and all the advantages of speed, noiselessness, facility
of movement, durability, and the use of its short needle are maintained.
It will further be observed by the above description that not even a new
excentric is added to the original "Willcox and Gibbs" machine for driving
the horizontal looper B, but that the excentric which operates the needle
arm of the machine also serves for operating the lever N which drives the
looper B, but as the movement of said looper does not correspond with the
horizontal movement which the excentric of the machine would give if the
prolongation Q was in line with the pitman G, I have given to said piece Q
an inclined position so that the excentric acts vertically as well as horizontally
.

page_text: upon the lever N, and thus I have succeeded in timing the movement of the
looper B in combination with the movement of the looper A and of the
needle D.
By reference to Fig. 6 (Sheet II.) it will be observed that when the
point of the looper A has taken the loop of the needle thread; and
continues to revolve, the preceding loop y which has been upon the looper
slides over the rear hook of said looper previous to being released; during
said operation the looper B advances, and its point would enter the loop y
and break the thread thereof unless said loop is kept outside of the course of
the looper B. To effect this I have shaped a ridge m upon the looper Aj
which ends to the rear in the point u; the entire ridge m lies outside the course
of the looper B, and therefore retains the loop y so that the looper B canvin
no manner enter or even derange the same. When it is desired' to sew at
one thread only, with this machine the lever N must not only be uncoupled,
but it must also be held in a fixed position and the looper B kept outside of
the course of the looper A such as is represented at-Fig. 4 (Sheet II.). To
effect this I have constructed a coupling which can be operated at such a
moment only when the looper B is in the. position represented at Fig. 4, as
will be understood by the following description:-p represents a slide or rod
which is adjusted upon the lever N in such a manner that it can be operated
thereon longitudinally by operating the lever T, a pin 3 of said lever entering
a notch 4 of the slide p. The end of the slide p-extends into a notch in the'
piece o, Fig. 2 (Sheet I:), and consequently 'said piece moves' longitudinally.
with the slide, whereby it can be uncoupled, as shown at Fig. .4 (Sheet 11.),
where the part Q is outside the fork O, and consequently in that position the
lever N, the gearing, and the looper B remain stationary. I have made an
elevation 5 on the slide p, which is just in the rear of the pin 6 on the
frame of the machine, and said pin prevents the slide from being moved
forward, unless the lever N is outside of the pin 6, as shewn at Fig. 4, and
then the lever N can be uncoupled only in one certain position. I have
found by experimenting that by increasing the elevation on the looper A
beyond what I have done as above described the needle thread on said
looper is displaced to such a degree that the needle on descending will never
pick into its buckle, and that such a looper will therefore never make a single
thread seam, but can be used only in combination with an oscillating looper.
för making the double thread seam. I have described above the mechanism
which serves for operating the oscillating looper B by means of an excentric
which already does exist on the original "Willcox and Gibbs". machine, but
I do not limit my Invention to that arrangement, inasmuch as a special

page_text: excentric can be secured on to the shaft E for operating the looper B, and
even the small excentric of said shaft which operates the feed bar may be
used for that purpose.
As an instance I will give the description of another construction operated
by means of an excentric secured to the shaft, E, as shewn at Figs. 11 and 12.
(Sheet III.). A regular excentric V.is secured to the shaft E, and a fork-
shaped piece W pivoted on the shaft vis oscillated by means of the excentric V.
The arm of a toothed sector X is secured to the shaft v, and communicates its
movement to the pinion S and to the looper B which results in the movement
above described. The coupling and uncoupling in this case may be effected
by means of a screw Z by which the excentric V is screwed to the
shaft E, and which screw can be screwed into a hole w of the cloth
plate t to uncouple the looper B.; the screw Z in this case will release the
excentric V from the shaft E and hold it in a fixed position..
+
In Figs. 13 and 14 an excentric V secured upon the shaft E operates a
pitman U, the end of which is secured by means of a ball joint 8 to the
shorter, arm of a lever Y whose vertical shaft 9 is mounted upon the frame Z
of the machine. The toothed sector R secured to the longer arm of the
lever Y operates the pinion S and the oscillating looper B as above described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Emil Cornely in the Great' Seal Patent Office on the
4th February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EMIL CORNELY
of the City of, Paris, Department of the Seine, Empire of France, Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand: eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her, heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Emil Cornely,. Her special licence that I, the said Emil Cornely,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Emil Cornely, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with,,and, no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein, expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Emil Cornely, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
. the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent. .
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Emil Cornely, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention relates to certain additions in the construction of the
"Willcox & Gibbs" sewing machines, whereby the same machine may make
either the single thread stitch as heretofore or a two-thread stitch known as
the "Grover & Baker's" stitch. The principal element of the "Willcox &
Gibbs" sewing machine is its revolving looper for making the single thread
stitch, and upon said looper is founded the superiority of the machine, as by
means thereof the machine not only makes no drop stitches, but a great speed
also is attained, as all the movements of the machine are made by the action
of circular excentrics or crank motions in contradistinction to irregular
excentrics or cam motions which permit of no great speed on'.
any mechanical
construction. These advantages I have maintained in my improvements for
making the single as well as the double thread seam.
The first modification which I make on the "Willcox & Gibbs" machine
is that I increase the length of the looper in the direction of its geometrical
axis which increase is necessary for making the double thread seam, but by said
increase the principle of the original looper is not changed, as the proportions
of its relative parts are maintained by corresponding changes, and the looper
therefore performs its work with the same regularity, speed, and perfection
for making the single thread seam as in the original machine.
.
On Sheet 1 of the accompanying Sheets of Drawing, forming part of this my
Specification Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the machine; Figure 2
represents a side view thereof; Figures 3 and 4 represent top views of the
lower part of the frame and its working parts; Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10
represent various positions of the two loopers for making the double thread
seam. The original "Willcox & Gibbs" sewing machine for making a single-
thread seam being described in the Specification of the Royal Letters Patent
No. 1971, dated July Fifteenth, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven,.a
full description thereof is not required here. I have found by experiments.

page_text: that by making an elevation upon the "Willcox & Gibbs" looper, and by,
increasing its volume as above described,, the said looper will make the single
thread seam as heretofore when working by itself, but when working in
combination with an oscillating threaded. looper. B, as represented in the
Drawings, the latter will displace the needle thread on the looper A in such a
manner that the needle on descending will not pick into the loop of its own
thread, as it does when making a single thread seam, but into the extended
loop of the horizontal oscillating looper B, the operation resulting in a double
thread seam known as the "Grover & Baker" stitch.
.
The movement of the horizontal oscillating looper B. is effected in the
following manner: A horizontal lever N is pivoted by means of the shaft M
upon the frame L of the machine, its rear portion supports a cylindrical rod o,
which is accurately adjusted therein, so that it can turn and also slide therein
longitudinally. To the pitman G which connects the excentric on the,
shaft E with the needle arm H of the machine I attach a piece P whose lower,
cylindrical part Q enters into the fork-shaped end O of the rod o, and thus,
drives said lever by giving it a horizontally vibrating movement on its
vertical shaft M. To the front end of the lever N is secured a rack R which
drives a pinion S of the vertical shaft C, on to which is also secured the.
horizontally oscillating looper B; the shaft C is supported by brackets T..
The operation of the two loopers in combination with the needle is as
follows: When the needle D commences to rise from its lowest position a
loop is formed thereon into which enters the point of the looper A (Figure 5)
turning in the direction of the arrow. The horizontal looper B begins its
movement in the direction of the arrow; the looper A spreads the loop of
the needle thread (marked in red lines), and the threaded looper B (its thread,
being marked in blue) enters the spreaded loop of the needle thread, Figures 6,
and 7, and passes through it to the end of its course, Figures 7 and 8; the
needle which has been rising during said time now descends and picks into
the spreaded loop of the blue thread, Figure 3, and when it has picked.
therein the looper B commences its retrograde movement, Figures 9 and 10,
its thread surrounding the needle and being itself within the loop of the
needle thread. During all this time the looper A has, been. turning, and the
operation recommences, as shewn in the position, Figure 5.
By the above. description it will be seen that the looper A is used for
taking the loop from the needle and for spreading the same, while the
looper B is used only for entering.into the spreaded loop of the needle thread,
and in its turn for spreading its own thread, so that the needle on descending
may pick into its loop. The question may be asked what advantage. is

page_text: obtained in performing the above-described operation by means of two loopers
inasmuch as the same stitch has been produced heretofore by means of one
looper only? To this I answer that by using the two loopers as above
described I-can-operate each-looper by means of a circular excentric or
crank motion and without changing said movement into an irregular one
as must be done when one looper only is used in combination with a
needle for producing the double thread seam above described. The other
advantage is that in arresting the motion of the horizontally oscillating
looper B the looper A working singly will make the single.thread seam 'as
does the original "Wilcox & Gibbs" machine, and thus the machine can
make two different stitches, and all the advantages of speed; noiselessness,
facility of movement, durability, and the use of its short needle are maintained!
It will further be observed by the above description that not even a new
excentric is added to the original "Willcox & Gibbs "machine, for driving
the horizontal looper B, but that the excentric. which operates the needle
arm of the machine' also serves for operating the lever N which drives the
looper B; but as the movement of said looper does not correspond with the
horizontal movement which the excentric of the machine would give if the
prolongation Q was in line with the pitman G I have given to said piece Q
an inclined position so that the excentric acts vertically as well as horizontally
upon the lever N, and thus I have succeeded in timing the movement of the
looper B in combination with the-movement of the looper A and of the needle D.
By reference to Figure 6 it will be observed that when the point of the
looper A has taken the loop a of the needle thread and continues to revolve the
preceding loopy which has been upon the looper slides over the rear hook
of said looper.previous to being released; during said operation the looper B
advances, 'and' its-point would enter the loop y and break the thread thereof
unless said loop is kept outside of the course of the looper B. To effect this I
have shaped a ridge' m upon the looper A, which ends to the rear in the
point u, 'the entire ridge m. lies outside the course of the looper. B, and
therefore retains the loop y, so that the looper B can in no mauner enter or
even derange the same. When it is desired to sew at one thread only with
this machine the lever N must, not only be uncoupled, but it must also be
held in a fixed position, and the looper B kept outside of the course of the
looper A, such as is'represented at Figure 4... To effect this I have constructed
á coupling which can be operated at such a moment only when the looper B
is in the position represented at Figure 4. as will be understood by the following
description:p represents a slide or rod which is adjusted upon the lever N in
such a manner that it can be óperated thereon longitudinally.by operating the

page_text: lever T', a pin 3, of said lever being pivoted to the slide p. The end of the
slide P extends into a notch in the piece. o, Figure 2, and consequently said
piece moves. longitudinally with the slide, whereby, it can be uncoupled as
shewn at. Figure 4, where the part Q is'outside the fork. O, and consequently.
in that position the lever N, the gearing, and the looper B remain stationary.
I have extended the pin 3 on the slide p; downward, and I have secured a
notched piece 6 on the frame of the machine, and said pin. prevents the slide
from being moved forward unless it stands opposite the notch 5, of piece 6, as
shewn.at. Figure 4, and thus the lever N can be uncoupled only in one, certain
position, namely, when the looper B is in the position represented, Fig: 4:
I have found by experimenting that by increasing the elevation on the
looper A beyond what I have done as above described the needle thread on
said looper is displaced to such a degree that the needle on descending will
never pick into its buckle, and that such a looper will therefore never make
a
single thread seam, but can be used only in combination with an oscillating
looper for making. the double, thread seam. I have described above, the
mechanism which serves for operating the oscillating looper, B by means of
an excentric which already does exist on the original "Willcox & Gibbs"
machine, but, I do not limit my Invention to that arrangement, inasmuch as
a special excentric can be secured on to the shaft E for. operating the
looper' B; and even the small excentric of said shaft which operates the feed
bar. may be used for that purpose.
As an instance I will give the description of another construction operated
by means of an excentric secured to the shaft E, as shewn at Figures 11 and
12 (Sheet II.) A regular excentric V is secured to the shaft E, and a fork-
shaped piece W pivoted on the shaft v is oscillated by means of the excentric V.
The arm of a toothed sector X is secured to the shaft vand communicates
its movement to the pinion S and to the looper B, which results in the
movement above described. The coupling and -uncoupling in this case may
be effected by means of a screw, by which the excentric V is screwed to
the shaft E, and which screw can be screwed into a hole u of the cloth plate t
to uncouple the looper B; the screw z in this case will release the excentric V
from the shaft E and hold it in a fixed position.
In Figures 13 and 14 (Sheet II.) an excentric V secured upon the
shaft E operates a pitman U, the end of which is secured by means of a
ball joint 8 to the shorter arm of a lever Y whose vertical shaft 9 is mounted
upon the frame of the machine. The toothed sector R secured to the
longer arm of the lever Y operates the pinion S and the oscillating looper B,
as above described.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood that I
do not confine myself absolutely to the precise details herein set forth and
shown on the Drawings, as modifications may be made therein without
essential departure from the principle of my Invention, and that I claim,-
First. The combination with the revolving looper of the "Willcox &
Gibbs" machine of an auxiliary looper under the arrangement described,
whereby a Willcox and Gibbs " machine without changing its functions as a
single thread machine may be used as a double thread machine substantially
in the manner and for the purposes described.
Second. Operating the reciprocating auxiliary looper as above described
by means of a circular excentric, substantially as and for the purposes set.
forth. :
Third. The combination of the oscillating lever which drives the recipro-
cating looper with the pitman and its extension, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination of the driving mechanism of the reciprocating
looper with, the driving mechanism of the rotary looper and of the needle by
means of a reciprocating. lever receiving its movement by means of an
oblique pin on the connecting rod of the eccentric of the main shaft, sub-
stantially as described.
Fifth. In combination with the lever N for driving the reciprocating looper.
the coupling and uncoupling device, substantially in the manner and for the
purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Emil Cornely, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of January; in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight..
EMIL CORNELY. (L.S.)