Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th July, 1895-Accepted. 14th Sept., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of London
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been com-
municated to me from abroad by The Philadelphia Barring Machine Company
a corporation organised under the laws of the State of New Jersey United
States of America and having an office in the City of Camden in said state) and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to that class of sewing machines which are employed for
forming a strengthening or staying bar at the end of a buttonhole, or for forming
a "tack or group of stitches where the two edges of the material to be sewed
Such machines are usually
meet or overlap, as in shoe uppers and the like.
constructed so as to form the desired group of stitches and then stop automatically
in order to permit readjustment of the material preparatory to the formation of
another group of stitches at another part, and each group of stitches usually
comprises two or more long stitches extending in one direction and a series of short
stitches extending in the opposite direction and formed over the said long stitches,
the latter thus serving as a core for the "bar" or "tack" and the short stitches
extending from end to end of this core.
Usually when the work is shifted after the completion of a group of stitches the
needle thread lies on the face of the work, and the shuttle thread on the back of
the same from said group of stitches to the point at which the next group is to be
formned, and the loops of needle thread on the face of the work must be subsequently
trimmed off by hand.
One object of the present invention is to effect the automatic cutting of the
needle thread on the completion of each group of stitches so that this subsequent
trimming is rendered unnecessary, and a further object is to effect the automatic
release of the work after each group of stitches is completed so that it can be
readily moved to its new position, the mechanism used for starting the machine also
effecting or permitting the closing of the clamp which carries the work, whereby
the latter will be properly held and guided during the formation of the new group
of stitches.
These objects are attained in the manner which will now be described; reference
being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is an exaggerated view of a group of stitches such as the machine is
intended to produce.
Figure 2 is a plan or top view of the machine with part of the arm broken away
and part of the machinery removed so as to illustrate the parts beneath;
Figure 3 is a side view of the machine looking in the direction of the arrow x,
Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a side view of the machine looking in the direction of the arrow y,
Figure 2;
Figure 5 is an end view of the machine looking in the direction of the arrow w,
Figure 2;
Figure 6 is an inverted plan or bottom view of the machine;
Figure 7 is a. similar view of part of the machine illustrating some of the
mechanism in a different position from that shown in Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6 but illustrating the mechanism in‘another
different position ;

page_text: is a sectional view of part of the automatic stop nechanism of the
machine;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of part of the mechanism employed for nipping
the needle thread; and
Figures 11 and 12 are views illustrating modifications in the construction of the
thread cutting devices.
The base plate or table of the machine is represented at 1 and is mounted by
means of hinges 2 upon supporting frames 3 which are intended to be properly
secured to a suitable work table or bench so that the base plate 1 and all of the
machinery mounted thereupon can be thrown backward when desired, in order to
permit ready access to the mechanism which is beneath the base plate.
Secured to the base plate 1 and extending upward therefrom is a standard 4 from
which projects the hollow arm or goose neck 5 which has suitable bearings for the
main driving shaft 6, the latter being provided at the front end with the ordinary
mechanism for imparting a vertical reciprocation to the needle bar 7 and for
operating the take-up arm 8, while the rear end of the shaft projects beyond the
standard and is provided with a fast pulley 9 and a loose pulley 10 for receiving
a driving belt.
On the shaft 6 is a worm 11 which engages with teeth on an annular disc 12
secured to or forming part of a compound cam 13 which operates the clamp bar
whereby the work is carried backward and forward beneath the needle, it being
understood that the work is rigidly held in the forward end of this clamp bar so as
to partake of the movements of the same and so that it cannot be accidentally
displaced from its proper position thercin.
The cam 13 has a rib 14 provided with the necessary projections and recesses,
this rib acting upon an anti-friction roller 15 adjustably mounted upon the upper
end of an arm 16 which is secured to a rock shaft 17 free to turn in a suitable
bearing secured to the base plate of the machine, the said rock shaft 17 having an
arm 18 which engages with a block 19 vertically adjustable upon a pin 20 projecting
upwardly from the rear end of the clamp bar 21 so that as the cam 13 is rotated,
the said clamp bar will be caused to move back and forth in the direction of the
length of the machine.
The cam 13 has a cam groove 22 formed in it for the reception of an antifriction
roller on an arm 23 which is mounted upon the upper end of the vertical rock-
shaft 24, the lower end of said rock shaft having a slotted arm 25 for the reception
of a bolt 26 which engages with the slotted arm of a lever 27 pivoted upon the
base plate I of the machine, the other arm of said lever 27 projecting through an
opening 28 in the base plate and being connected by a rod 29 to a plate 30 which
is secured to the clamp bar 21 by means of screws 31 passing through an
opening 32 in the base plate. The slotted cam 22 therefore causes movements of
the clamp bar in a direction crosswise of the length of the machine, and the said
cam slot 22 and the cam rib 14 are so formed that there will be a limited number
of such transverse movements of the clamp bar in order to form the long or core
stitches of the group and then a series of short longitudinal movements of the
clamp bar accompanied by a slow transverse movement of the same so as to form
the short stitches and lay them over the core stitches from end to end of the
group.
All of these parts are substantially similar to those described in the Specification
to Letters Patent No. 13766 dated August 15th 1891 and form no part of the
present invention, but are described simply in order to give a general under-
standing of the purpose of the machine.
During the operation of the machine the belt shifter 33 is held in the position
shown in Fig. 3 (so as to direct the driving belt onto the fast pulley 9) by means
of a retaining lever 34 which is normally held in engagement with the arm 35 of
the belt shifter by means of a spring 36.
Just before the group of stitches is completed, however, a lug 37 on the cam 13
trips the lever 34 and thereby permits the shifter arm to move outward under the

page_text: nfluence of a spring 38 so as to carry the driving belt from the fast puney
he loose pulley 10, so that there will be no further application of power to the
machine. At the same time the bolt 39 carried by the shifter arm 35 and
rojected by means of a spring 40 is brought into the path of a cam 41 on the
riving shaft of the machine and the momentum of the parts causes the shaft to
evolve in the direction of the arrow Fig. 9 until the shoulder 42 of said cam
comes into contact with the upper end of the bolt 39.
A slight lateral movement is thus transmitted to the bolt 39 and shifter arm 35
wing to the fact that the said shifter arm is hung to a block 43 pivotted by a
stud 44 to the standard 4 of the machine.
This lateral movement of the arm 35 is transmitted to a sliding bolt 45 adapted
to a suitable bearing in a bracket 46 forming part of the fixed frame of the machine,
this bolt being constantly kept in contact with the arm 35 by the action of a
spring 46 bearing against a collar 47 on the bolt 45 and adjustable in strength by
screwing up or unscrewing a nut or sleeve 48 adapted to a threaded opening in the
bracket 46.
The bolt 45 projects through this nut 48 and the said projecting end of the bolt.
acts upon a set screw 49 carried by the upper end of a lever 50 which is secured
to a rock shaft 51 carried by a bracket on the standard 4.
The lower end of the lever 50 is perforated for the reception of a rod 52 which
has a collar 53 on which the said lower end of the lever acts and on the said
rod 52 is an adjustable collar 54 adapted to act upon one arm of a bell crank,
lever 55 which is hung to a bracket 56 on the base plate, the upper arm of the
said bell crank lever 55 being connected by a link 57 to the rear end of a lever 58
hung to a bracket 59 on the base plate of the machine, the front end of said lever
being bent laterally so as to project under a pair of hooked pins 60 carried by
the elastic upper clamp plate 61 which serves to confine the material to a plate 62
secured to the forward end of the clamp bar 21, the said plate 62 being properly
recessed at the front edge so as to permit of the desired play of the clamp bar in
respect to the needle. When, therefore, the machine is stopped by contact of the
shoulder 42 of the cam 41 with the upper end of the bolt 39, there will be a
simultaneous lifting of the upper or spring jaw of the clamp so as to release the
work and permit it to be moved forward in order to bring a fresh portion of the
work into position beneath the needle for the formation of the next group of)
stitches.
In order to retain the clamp jaw in this elevated position until the machine is
again ready to start, the lower arm of the bell crank lever 55, when pushed outward
by the action of the collar 54 on the rod 52 is caught and held in this position by a
catch plate 63 which is adjustably mounted upon an arm 64 hung to the base
plate 1 of the machine and acted upon by a spring bolt 65 which tends to press
the arm 64 backward so as to cause the catch plate 63 to have a normal tendency
It is therefore necessary to impart a forward move-
to engage with the lever 55.
ment to the arm 64 in order to release the catch plate 63 from engagement with
the lever 55 and thus permit the descent of the clamp before starting the machine,
5 and this is effected in the following manner:
Mounted in suitable hangers 66 at the back of the machine is a rock shaft 67
The arm 68 is intended to be connected to a
which has three arms 68, 69 and 70.
treadle or other suitable starting device whereby downward pull upon the said
arm can be caused. The arm 69 has a bevelled front end acting upon the outer
0 end of the arm 64 and the arm 70 is connected by a chain 71 to a lever 72 hung
to a bracket on the fixed frame and acting upon the arm 35 of the belt shifter.
There is a slight amount of slack in the chain 71, hence when the outer end of the
arm 68 is drawn downward the first effect of the operation will be to lift the
arm 69 and thereby cause its bevelled end to push forward the arm 64 and thus
5. move the catch plate 63 out of engagement with the lever 55 in order to permit
the clamp to close upon the work. Continued movement of the arın 68 causes
like movement of the arm 70 and tightens the chain between the same and the
I

page_text: lever 72, and the latter is thus caused to act upon the arm 35 of the belt shifter s
as to move the upper end of the latter forward and carry the belt onto the fast
pulley 9, the arm being retained in this position by engagement with the catch
lever 34 until said catch lever is again tripped by the lug 37 of the cam 13 afte
the new group of stitches 'has been completed.
A crank 73 on the driving shaft 6 is connected by a rod 74 to an arm 75 on a
rock shaft 76 beneath the base plate 1 of the machine, and said rock shaft has an
arm 77 with plate engaging a pin on an arm 78 of a shaft 79 which is mounted in
bearings beneath the base plate 1 and has at its forward end the shuttle carrier 80
to which vibrating movement is thus imparted, the said shuttle carrier being
provided with any ordinary form of shuttle adapted to operate in conjunction with
the needle to form a lock-stitch.
Hung to the underside of a throat plate 81 which is adapted to a recess in the
front end of the base plate 1 is a lever 82 which has a curved finger 83 blunt at
its forward end but sharpened at 84 so as to form a cutting edge.
Another arm of the lever 82 is connected by a link 85 to one arm of a lever 86
which is hung to a stud 87 on the underside of the base plate 1, the rear end of
said lever 86 having a projecting pin 88 which is connected by a link 89 to the
lower or long arm of a lever 90 the latter being loosely mounted on the rock
shaft 51 and having at the upper end of its upper or short arm an antifriction
roller 91 which is adapted to be acted upon by a cam 92 adjustably secured upon
the face of the cam 13.
Hung to the stud 93 behind the lever 90 is a bell crank lever 94 one arm of
which carries a pin 95 which serves as a stop to prevent undue inward movement of
said lever 90 such as might be caused by momentum when the antifriction roller 91
is struck and moved outward by the cam 92.
The other arm of said bell crank lever 94 has a bevelled pin 96, as shown in
Figure 5, which is acted upon by a plate 97 adjustably mounted upon an arm 98
secured to the forward end of the rock shaft 51, the said arm also carrying a pin 99
which is adapted to strike and move inward the lever 90.
The operation of these parts is as follows:-
Just as the needle ascends in forming the last stitch of the group and before the
stop motion devices herein before described act to arrest further movement of the
machine the finger 83 is swung forward from the position shown in Figure 6 to
that shown in Figure 7, so as to enter the loop of needle thread and permit the
same to be drawn tight around the finger as the needle continues to rise. This
movement of the finger is effected by the cam 92 acting through the medium of
the lever 90, link 89, lever 86, link 85 and lever 82, the stop pin 95 on the lever.94
preventing such movement of these parts as would bring the cutting portion 84 of
the finger 83 into position to act upon and cut the loop.
When the stop motion acts, however, the lever 50 is moved thereby in the
manner before described and a rocking motion is imparted to the shaft 51.
The first effect of this motion is to cause the plate 97 to act upon the bevelled
pin 96 of the lever 94 so as to cause the said lever to swing and carry the stop
pin 95 from behind the lever 90 and, as the arm 98 continues to swing inward,
the pin 99 finally comes into contact with the lever 90 and moves the same inward
still further so as to cause a further forward movement of the finger 83 sufficient
to bring the cutting portion 84 of the same into the tightened loop of needle thread,
which is thereby severed, as shown in Figure 8.
After the loop of needle thread has been cut in the manner described, it is
advisable to clamp the thread to the needle bar at a point above the needle so as to
prevent the pulling of the loose end of the thread out of the eye of the needle by
the action of the take-up or other part of the machine and so as also to insure
the proper carrying down of the needle thread with the needle when the latter
descends in starting a new group of stitches. For this reason there is mounted
upon the needle bar just above the needle a thread clamping plate 100 slotted as
shown at 101, Figure 10, so that thread can be readily passed behind the same

page_text: before being passed through the eye of the needle, and on the head of the machine,
adjacent to the needle bar, is mounted a lever 102 having a pin 103 adapted to bear
upon the outer face of the clamping plate 100, the upper end of this lever being
acted upon by the forward end of a rod 104 which is normally pushed rearward
by means of a spring 105 adapted at one end to a socket in the head of the
machine and bearing at the other end against an adjustable collar 106 on the
rod 104.
The rear portion of the rod however, has an adjustable collar 107 Figure 4
which is acted upon by a spring 108 interposed between the said collar and the
lower end of an arm 109 through which the rod 104 passes, the said arm 109 being
secured to a rock shaft 110 Figure 3 mounted in a bracket 111 secured to the
arm 5 of the machine, the said rock shaft having another arm 112 which is
provided with an antifriction roller 113 adapted to be acted upon by a cam 114
on the cam disc 13.
As the needle is rising after its thread has been cut by the finger 83 this cam 114
acts on the roller 113 and causes forward movement of the arms 112 and 109,
thereby pressing forward the rod 104 and causing the lever 102 to rock so that its
pin 103 presses upon the clamp plate 100 and confines the thread firmly between
the same and the needle bar 7, this operation taking place just before the machine
is stopped and continuing until the needle has started the first stitch of the new
group, the cam 114 then passing beyond the roller 113 so as to permit of the
retraction of the rod 104 by the spring 105 in order to release the lever 102 from.
pressure.
It will be observed that the finger 83 has a two-stage movement, that is to say,
a first stage due to the action of the cam 92 whereby the blunt portion of the
finger is caused to enter the loop of needle thread before the same is drawn tight,
and a second stage due to the action of the devices operated by the stop motion
whereby the sharpened portion of the finger is carried forward through the
tightened loop of needle thread so as to cut the same.
This feature of the invention may be carried out by the employment of different
means than the vibrating finger 83, carried forward through the tightened loop of
needle thread so as to cut the same, for instance, in Figures 11 and 12 are shown
two modified forms of device for effecting the desired result.
In the construction shown in Figure 11, a finger 116 having its forward end
blunt and the portion adjacent thereto sharpened is mounted upon a slide 117
suitably guided beneath the base plate 1 of the machine, this slide having a pin 118
which enters a slot in the forward end of the lever 86 so that by the movement of
the latter two successive forward movements are imparted to the slide 117, the
first of these movements carrying the blunt end of the finger 116 into the loop of
needle thread and the second carrying the sharpened portion of the said finger into
and through the tightened loop so as to cut the same.
In the modification shown in Figure 12, there is the same slide 117 but in this
case the finger 119 for receiving the loop of needle thread is formed upon the
throat plate 81 and projects into a recess 120 in said throat plate, the slide 117
having in place of the finger a simple shoulder 121 which serves to push the loop
of needle thread forward first onto the blunt portion of the finger 119 and then
onto the sharpened portion of the same.
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. The combination with a machine for forming successive groups of stitches
with intervening spaces, of mechanism adapted to sever the needle thread beneath
the work, said mechanism comprising a device for entering the loop of needle
thread of the last stitch of the group before the same is drawn tight, and a cutting
blade or knife for severing the thread after the loop is tightened, substantially as
herein before described.

page_text: 2. The combination with a machine for forming successive groups of stitches.
with intervening spaces of mechanism for severing the needle thread beneath the
work after the formation of each group: off stitches, the said severing mechanism
comprising a finger for entering the loop. of needle thread before the same is drawn
tight to complete the last stitch, a knife and devices acting either upon the knife
and its finger or upon the loop of needle thread, the said devices having a two
stage movement, the first for causing the blunt finger to enter the loop of thread
and the second for causing the knife to cut the said loop, substantially as herein-
before described.
3. The combination with a machine for forming successive groups of stitches
with intervening spaces, of mechanism for severing the needle thread on the
completion of each group of stitches, the said mechanism comprising cutting
devices having a two stage movement, the first stage of the movement being
caused by a cam working in unison with the cam which controls the work, feeding
devices, and the second stage of the movement being caused by devices operated
by a yielding stop motion substantially as herein before described.
4. In a machine for forming successive groups of stitches with intervening
spaces, the combination of a cutting device for severing the loop of needle thread
on the completion of a group of stitches, operating mechanism for the said device
having as elements a lever and a cam acting thereon and serving to impart to the
cutting device the first stage of its movement a second lever having a stop pin for
arresting the movement of the first, a rock shaft having a plate adapted to move
the said second lever so as to carry its stop pin out of the way of the first lever,
and a pin for striking the said first lever and continuing its movement, and
connections whereby the said rock shaft is operated by the moveable stop motion
of the machine substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The combination in a machine for forming successive groups of stitches with
intervening spaces of an automatic stop motion a work clamp having a movable
jaw and connections between said stop motion and the movable jaw of the clamp
whereby the latter is automatically opened on the stoppage of the machine
substantially as hereinbefore described.
6. The combination in a machine for forming successive groups of stitches with
intervening spaces, of an automatic stop motion, a work clamp having a movable
upper jaw, connections between the said stop motion and the said upper jaw,
whereby the clamp is automatically opened on the stoppage of the machine, a
catch for holding the said jaw in the open position, and a starting device con-
structed So as to first release the said catch and then reset the stopping
mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described.
7. The combination in a machine for forming successive groups of stitches with
intervening spaces of mechanism for cutting the needle thread on the completion
of each group of stitches and an automatic clamp on the needle bar for confining
the needle thread to the said bar until the new group of stitches has been started,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
8. In a machine for forming successive groups of stitches with intervening
spaces, and for cutting the needle thread on the completion of each group, the
special form of cutter comprising a swinging lever with finger partly sharpened,
and partly blunt, and means for rocking the said lever, substantially as herein before
described.
Dated this 15th day of July 1895
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.