Improvements in Cross Hem Stitch Sewing Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Oct., 1893-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cross Hem Stitch Sewing Machines.
We FRIEDRICH GEGAUF and JOHAN GEORG GEGAUF of Steckborn,
Switzerland, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer
ained in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings
Our said invention relates to improvements in apparatus or appliances used to
ffect the cross hem stitch now so generally used in bordering or hemming hand-
erchiefs and for other purposes. The improvements relate primarily to a novel
rrangement in connection with the needles and secondarily to the feed and to the
resser plate appliances.
To render the invention clearly understood we will in the course of the following
escription refer to the annexed two sheets of illustrative drawings.
On Sheet 1
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cross Hem Stitch Sewing Machines.
We FRIEDRICH GEGAUF and JOHAN GEORG GEGAUF of Steckborn,
Switzerland, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings :-
:-
Our said invention relates to improvements in apparatus or appliances used to
effect the cross hem stitch now so generally used in bordering or hemming hand-
erchiefs and for other purposes. The improvements relate primarily to a novel
rrangement in connection with the needles and secondarily to the feed and to the
presser plate appliances.
To render the invention clearly understood we will in the course of the following
description refer to the annexed two sheets of illustrative drawings.
On Sheet 1
Fig. 1 is a side view of a sewing machine fitted with our improvements.
Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan of a portion of Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is a detail view relating chiefly to the feed mechanism.
On Sheet 2-
Fig. 4 contains enlarged views of the needle bar and needles.
Fig. 5 is a view at right angles to the chief view in Fig. 4.
Figs. 7 and 8 are views of the improved spring presser plate.
Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged diagrams of the cross hem-stitch, which we have
appended to render the description of the mechanism more clear.
Glancing for a moment at the stitch as shown at Figs. 9 and 10 it will be seen
that the stitch is at times thrown to one side. This is effected in our invention by
causing the needle which carries the thread to swing to one side at the proper times
and then to swing back again and the manner in which this is done is apparent from
a consideration of Figs. 4 and 5.
In the said figs. the reciprocating needle bar A is formed with an arm or pro-
jection A at the side.
Fixed to the needle bar and its projection A' are two vertical prickers B, B lying
in line with each other in the direction of the feed of the seam. The space between
the prickers B B is a multiple of the space covered by each advance of the feed so
that the second or following pricker will exactly enter one of the holes which has
already been made in the cloth by the leading pricker. The pointed foot of each
pricker B is enlarged as clearly shown in Fig. 4 and is formed with a little pocket b
to receive the point of a needle D, which, as will be explained, swings towards and
away from the pricker, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. This is necessary because
one needle forms the stitch on one side, and the other needle on the other side
and it is essential that the two side stitches should be exactly opposite to each
other.
In the front pricker the needle D is on the right hand side. In the other or
following pricker the needle is on the left hand side or vice versa. The needles D
are secured to the oscillating levers C which are pivotted upon the foot of the
needle bar A as clearly shown at Figs. 4 and 5. Discs on the levers C lie against
similar discs a on the foot of the needle bar and help to steady the levers C. The
levers C are mounted so as to cause the needles D, to swing towards and away from
the prickers B at the requisite periods.
The said levers C are operated from the driving spindle E of the machine. A
pinion F on the spindle E gears with a spur wheel H fixed on a stud supported in
suitable bearings. The number of teeth on the wheel F is one third of the number

page_text: of teeth on the wheel H, so that the wheel F revolves three times for each revolution
of the wheel H. The wheel H has a cam surface formed on its side and this cam
surface bears upon the end of a rod y which lies along the top of the machine and
is supported in bearings in the brackets G, g.
A spring i keeps the rod y against the cam h. As the cam revolves, the rod y
moves to and fro. Another rod y' lies parallel with the rod y and is oscillated in
contrary directions by a double lever M pivotted at and connected at m to the
respective rods y y' so that as the first rod y is moved in one direction the other
rod y' is moved in the contrary direction. It will be seen that the ends of the
rods yy are formed with eyes ¹ which engage with the upper ends of uprights K.K,
the lower ends of the said uprights being secured to the free ends of the levers C.
The consequence is that as the cam h revolves and the rods y y' work to and fro, the
levers C are correspondingly moved and the needles D are swung to the right and
to the left of each pricker B as already described. When the mechanism is put in
operation, the side needles D are swung to and fro once in each three strokes of the
pricker. We use two shuttles in conjunction with the two prickers and needles.
These are of the ordinary type and appear in dotted lines in Fig. 6. If the stitches
shown in Figs. 9 and 10 are considered in conjunction with the foregoing description
of the prickers and needles their formation will now be easily followed. It will be
understood that the crossed lines in Figs. 9 and 10 represent the material of the
handkerchief or other fabric which is being cross hemmed.
The first or leading pricker and needle, form the stitches on the right; the other
or following pricker and needle form the stitches on the left. The thread y is the
shuttle thread, while the thread a is the needle thread.
:
Looking at Fig. 9 and assuming that the stitch starts from "I," the first down-
ward stroke of the pricker B is taken when the needle D is lying close against the
pricker as in full lines in Fig. 4. The shuttle thread y locks the needle thread_
in the usual manner upon the upstroke of the pricker and needle. The hole made
in the material is widened and enlarged by the union of both pricker and needle.
On the completion of the upstroke, the needle D is moved out from the side of the
pricker into the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 4, by the mechanism herein-
before described, and upon the next downstroke, the needle D enters the material
apart from the pricker and somewhat to the right at the point marked "II." The
needle thread is again locked on the other side of the material by the shuttle thread,
and on the rise of the pricker and needle, the needle is again moved up against the
pricker and on the next downward stroke that is at the part marked "III"
the pricker and needle are united in their descent. This diversion of the needle to
the right and back again, lays the stitches 2 and 2', which appear in Fig. 9. On the
completion of the third stroke the feed mechanism moves the material forward to
an extent equalling the breadth of the part St and lays the stitch which is
marked Z across the yarns S t. The views in Figs. 9 and 10, which are
respectively views of the upper and under side of the seam, do not show the
material with absolute correctness, as the fibres of the material are only pushed
aside and crowded up on each side of the pricker and needle, not absolutely cut
away as shown in the figs.
The stitching operation which we have described with reference to the leading
pricker and needle in forming the stitches on the right side, are exactly imitated by
the succeeding pricker and needle in forming the stitches on the left side so that:
there is no need to repeat the description. The feed is so adjusted that the
succeeding pricker comes exactly over and enters a hole which has already been
made by the first pricker. The feeding motion recurs only after three strokes have
been made by the pricker and needle.
This feeding motion is brought about by the following mechanism. Upon the
spindle of the wheel H we fix an excentric N. We have already pointed out that
the wheel H makes one revolution only for three of the wheel F, therefore the
excentric N makes but one revolution for each three downward strokes of the.
needle bar.

page_text: One end of a pivotted double lever O is pressed against the excentric by a
spring P the other end being connected by a link Q to a rock lever S which carries
a pawls engaging with a ratchet wheel T fixed on a spindle R which extends to
the front of the machine. The front end of the spindle R carries a double flanged
pulley and there is a similar double flanged pulley mounted at the opposite side
of the front of the machine. Thin steel bands faced with emery or bands of
another suitable material extend between the pullies and pass beneath the presser
foot U. This presser foot U is shown to a larger scale at Figs. 7 and 8. To the
lower side we fix a thin steel plate U¹ formed with pressed out spring leaves or
tongues u which press with an elastic pressure upon the material passing beneath
the presser foot and carried forward by the steel bands. By means of these elastic
tongues allowance is made for variations in the thickness of the material or for extra
thickness on one side when a hem stitch border is being sewn.
We do not confine ourselves to the exact arrangements and details hereinbefore
described and shown. For example we might operate with one pricker and needle
instead of two, but in this case the stitching would be to one side only; or if it were
desired to make it complete the seam would require to be passed twice through the
machine so as to execute the stitching on both sides. Also instead of pivotting and
vibrating the needles D to right and left as described we might fix them to sliding
carriers and slide them to and fro.
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. The general arrangement construction and combination of parts composing
the improved apparatus for cross hem stitching substantially as described and
shown.
2. As an adjunct to apparatus of the indicated nature the combination of a
pricker B with a needle capable of being brought close up to the pricker and of
being moved away therefrom at the required intervals substantially in the manner
and for the purposes herein before described and as indicated.
3. In a cross hem stitch sewing machine, the employment of the prickers each
combined with its movable needle, and mounted upon the needle bar, the needles
being operated at the required times so as to develop the cross hem stitch, by the
hereinbefore described arrangement of gearing, rods and levers or any mere
mechanical equivalent therefor substantially as set forth and as illustrated.
4. The improved feed mechanism consisting of the feeding bands ¹¹ extending
between two carrier pullies and beneath the presser plate the said bands being
roughened on the face with emery or other suitable roughening medium and the
pullies being operated by ratchet or other suitable mechanism arranged so as to
give the necessary movements to the feed at the required intervals substantially as
described and shown.
5. As an adjunct to a sewing machine the improved presser plate fitted on its
under side with a thin steel plate baving spring tongues pressed out of the metal,
the object being to give approximately uniform pressure upon the material passing
beneath the plate, substantially as described and shown.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.