Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1891-Accepted, 6th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, MARSHALL GARDNER of Aurora Kane County, Illinois United States of
America, Mechanical 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 :-
This invention relates to sewing machines, and more particularly to the feed and
stitch forming devices of such machines. The invention is herein shown as applied
to a sewing machine having a plurality of needles and shuttles, such as is commonly
denominated a gang machine, but some of the improvements herein described may
be applied as well to single needle machines.
In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention:
Figure 1 is a central, vertical section of a sewing machine embodying my
invention, taken longitudinally through the frame arm thereof.
Figure 2 is a vertical, transverse section taken upon line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a similar section taken upon line 3-3 of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a central section taken upon line 4-4 of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a rear view of the parts shown in Figures 3 and 4.
Figure 6 is a detail face view of the take-up device for the upper threads.
Figure 7 is a detail perspective view of the presser foot and upper and lower feed
dogs as seen from beneath.
Figure 8 is an enlarged detail section of the stitch-forming devices, taken upon
line 8-8 of Figure 3.
Figure 9 is a side elevation of one of the shuttles removed from the machine.
Figure 10 is a sectional view of the shuttle taken upon line 10-10 of Figure 9.
Figure 11 is a side view of the shuttle showing the side thereof opposite to that
seen in Figure 9.
Figure 12 is a sectional view of the shuttle taken upon line 12-12 of Figures 9
and 11.
Figure 13 is a view from beneath of a part of the throat plate adjacent to the
needles.
Figure 14 is a sectional view taken upon line 14-14 of Figure 13.
Figure 15 is a plan view of the shuttle race and other parts beneath the work-
plate.
Figure 16 is a detail view of the shuttle driver.
Figure 17 is a section of the shuttle-driver taken upon line 17-17 of Figure 16.
Figure 18 is a sectional, perspective view, illustrating the work-plate, the shuttle
guides, the shuttle carrier and one of the shuttles in place within its guide.
Figure 19 is a perspective view of one of the shuttles with the cover thereof open
and the thread cop removed.
In said drawings A indicates the work-plate of the machine, B a supporting
frame or arm extending over said plate, and C (Figure 3) a vertically reciprocating
needle bar having bearings in the said frame. D is a horizontal crank shaft having
suitable bearings in the frame B, said shaft being provided with the usual drive
pulley D' outside of the frame and with a crank D² engaging a pitman D³ (shown
in dotted lines in Figure 3) by which the crank is connected with the needle bar C.
The machine herein shown is what is known as a gang machine or one adapted
for sewing a number of lines of stitches side by side, and said machine is provided
at the lower end of the needle bar with a series of needles EEE and with a
corresponding series of shuttles FF F. G G are two castings located beneath
the work-plate A of the machine and provided with a series of circular guide
grooves forming guides or races for the shuttles which are circular or of disk

page_text: shape and the peripheries of which are engaged with the said guide-grooves or
races. The part or casting G which embraces about one-half of the diameter of
the circular shuttle races (Figure 3) is permanently affixed to the work-plate of the
machine while the other part or casting Gis movable and is pivotally connected
with the stationary part G so that said movable part may be swung outwardly to
allow the insertion and removal of the shuttles. As shown in the drawing the
casting G is connected by a pivot pin g' with the casting G and is provided with a
spring catch or detent G2 adapted to engage with the work-plate for holding the
said casting G in place. Said shuttles contain central, circular recesses F² con-
centric with the axis of rotation of the shuttles, for containing a closely wound
mass of thread or cop FI (Figure 8) which fits closely within said recess and is so
wound that the thread may be freely drawn from the center thereof. Each of the
shuttles F is provided with hook or prong adapted to engage the loop of the
needle thread when said hook is carried past the needle in the oscillatory movement
of the shuttle. The said shuttle is cut away or recessed at its margin through a
part of its circumference, the cut away or recessed part extending desirably from
the said hook through about one-third of the circumference of the shuttle, as
clearly shown in the drawing (Figures 9 and 11). The outer margin of the hook
conforms to the circular exterior curve of the shuttle while the margin of the
shuttle at its recess or cut away part desirably conforms to the curvature of the cop
recess F2.
The several shuttles are actuated by means of an oscillating shuttle driver H of
segmental form in cross section, said driver being constructed to fit within the space
formed by the cut away portion of the shuttle exterior to the shuttle and inside of
the guide grooves or races. Said shuttle driver is made of approximately the same
width as the said cut away part of the shuttle and when oscillated bears alternately
against the hook and against the opposing rib or shoulder at the opposite end
of the cut away part. The driver proper is herein shown as connected with and
actuated by a shaft H' to which power is applied for moving the shuttle, by any
suitable means not shown. Said shaft is mounted in a bearing A² attached to the
work-plate. The opposite end of the driver is, in a gang machine having a number
of shuttles, desirably connected with a shaft H2 mounted in a bearing A³ whereby
pivotal support is afforded for both ends of the shuttle driver. The said shuttle
driver is arranged, in the machine shown, to oscillate through an arc of somewhat
more than half a circle and is usually given about three-fourths of a complete
rotation. The said shuttle driver being made of such width as to cover about one-
third of the circumference of the shuttle the edges of the said driver overlap or
pass the needles and said driver is therefore provided with a series of notches
forming teeth or prongs hh the ends of which engage the hooks and
shoulders of the shuttles, the prongs passing between the needles at each
limit of the movement of the driver.
At the time the needles descend the shuttle driver stands at the extreme limit of
its movement in one direction, with the hooks of the shuttles in position to advance
through the loops of the needle thread, as clearly shown in Figure 3. To avoid
possibility of the needles striking the prongs hh which engage said hooks, said
prongs are provided with beveled surfaces 2 (Figures 8 and 18) at the point at
which the needles pass or overlap said prongs as said needles descend. The sides
of said prongs being located in the same plane with the points of the shuttles said
prongs serve as guides to hold the needles in proper position for engagement of the
points of the shuttles with the loops of the needle thread. With a shuttle driver
of the usual thickness, such as is shown in the drawing, however, the side faces of
the prongs will not be sufficiently wide to provide a vertical guide surface for the
needle while at the same time having a beveled surface ². I therefore construct
each of the prongs with an inwardly extending flange or lip ³ affording a flat
guide surface for the needle inside of the beveled surface 2, as clearly shown in
Figures 8, 16 and 18. Aside from its function of guiding the needle point the
beveled surface ² also affords a larger space or opening for the expansion of the

page_text: thread loop as the needle begins its upward movement, thereby making more
certain the engagement of the shuttle hook with the upper thread. The shuttle is
shown more clearly in Figures 9, 10, 11, 12 and 19, and is constructed in detail as
follows: The shuttle is beveled at its outer margin or periphery at its side opposite
that engaged by the needle, thereby making the shuttle thinner at its edges than at
its center and providing a large space for the thread cop at the middle of the
shuttle, as clearly shown in the sectional views, Figures 10 and 12. The shuttle is
provided with a cover F³ for the recess, said cover being flat and hinged to the
shuttle in such manner that it may be easily opened and closed for inserting the
cop. As herein shown the cover F3 is mounted upon a pivot 12 at one side of the
cop and so arranged that it will swing in the same plane with the side of the shuttle
when open. For holding the cover closed is employed a set-screw f3 which is
adapted to engage and overlap a projection upon the cover, as clearly shown in
Figure 19. Any other form of catch or locking device may, however, be employed
with practically the same result.
At
is the exit thread guide of the shuttle which is located at the center of
the bottom wall of the recess so that said thread guide is located at the
center of oscillation of the shuttle. Tension devices adapted to engage the thread
in its passage from the cop to the said exit thread guide are provided as follows:
F is a curved recess or cavity formed in the metal of the shuttle between the cop
recess F2 and the exterior margin of the shuttle in that part of the shuttle opposite
the cut away portion. Said cavity F in connection with the cop recess F forms
a cylindric flange or wall F constituting a part of the wall of the said recess.
one point the said wall F is provided with a notch f reaching to the bottom of
the recess F2 and in said recess is formed a shallow depression which extends to
the said notch and beneath the flange Fº so as to leave a free projecting point or
prong F, as clearly shown in Figures 10 and 19. F is a leaf spring secured to
the outer surface of the wall F and bearing at its free end against the outer surface
of the projecting part or prong F. At the upper or outer side of said prong is
formed a guide notch f and at the inner side thereof adjacent to the depression F
is a similar guide notch /. Said prong F is desirably pointed or tapered in the
manner illustrated (Figure 19). The cop F¹ is fitted closely within the recess F2
and is arranged to unwind from the center, as before described. The thread from
the interior of the cop is led outwardly over the same at the side of the cop adjacent
to the cover F3 and is then passed around the prong Is, passing beneath the spring F
and engaging the guide notches 6. From the guide notch the thread
passes through the depression F' to the exit thread guide through which it
passes to the outside of the shuttle. The depression F is merely for the purpose
of affording space for the thread to prevent the latter rubbing against and displacing
the cop. The thread may rest against the cop at the opposite side of the shuttle
without detriment, for the reason that at this point the thread is moved outwardly
and will have no tendency to displace the cop when the latter is nearly used up and
has the form of a thin ring. The purpose of the notch is obviously to allow the
shuttle to be easily threaded, a loop of the shuttle thread being passed through
said notch and over the prong F beneath the spring F in threading the cop, in a
manner readily understood. The said prong F is desirably made pointed to
facilitate this operation. 18 is an adjusting screw inserted through the spring F' and
engaging the flange F for the purpose of adjusting the pressure of the tension
spring. A hole f" is formed in the outer part of the shuttle opposite the said
screw which enables the latter to be easily turned for adjusting the pressure of
the spring. In the shuttle constructed as herein described the thread guide, being
located in the bottom of the recess F, is at the side of the shuttle remote from the
hook so that the thread passes from the shuttle at the side thereof opposite the
face of the shuttle engaged with the needle. This construction, however, makes
no material difference in the operation of the stitch-forming devices.
The throat-plate A' of the machine embraces certain novel features of construc-
tion and is made as follows: The said throat-plate is made considerably thicker at

page_text: the point above the shuttle than heretofore common, and within the same, adjacent
to the needle apertures a' a', are formed a series of narrow recesses a² a² (Figures 13
and 14) extending from the needle apertures transversely to the direction of
motion of the shuttle hook, or in other words, parallel with the axis of rotation of
the shuttle. Said recesses extend upwardly to points near the upper surface of the
throat-plate, as clearly shown in the drawings, Figures 8 and 14. The purpose of
said recesses is to hold or guide the thread loop as the latter is formed by the
lifting of the needle, in the usual manner, in position at right angles to the shuttle
hook, so that the said thread loop can under no circumstances become displaced or
thrown around parallel with the face of the shuttle and thereby allow the hooks to
pass the loop without entering the same. As a further improvement in the con-
struction of the throat-plate I provide the same with depending flanges a³ a³
extending below the lower surface of the thickened part of the plate containing
the recesses and forming a series of grooves of the proper size to engage the
margins of the shuttle, the lower surface of the said plates in this construction
forming a part or continuation of the several guide grooves, for the shuttle. The
apertures a¹ of course extend downwardly at the sides of said flanges a³ so as to
form guide grooves of sufficient depth to enable the needles to pass to the points of
the shuttle hooks without striking the same. The presence of the guide grooves
formed by the said flanges a³ ³ obviously insures the retention of the shuttle hooks
accurately in position to engage the thread loops as the said hooks pass the needle. The
said flanges ³ ³ upon the throat-plate, taken in connection with the recesses ²²,
serve to insure the engagement of the shuttles with the needle threads and
thereby obviate, in a great degree, liability of failure to complete every stitch at
cach reciprocation of the shuttles.
The operation of the parts above described in making the stitch is as follows:
At the time the needle descends, the point of the hook of the shuttle stands
beneath the throat-plate of the machine slightly at the rear of the needle. As
soon as the needle has reached the lowermost limit of its movement and begins its
upward movement to form a loop the point of the shuttle begins to advance and
engages said loop. The continued forward movement of the shuttle hook draws
out the loop until the latter has passed beneath the shuttle, this requiring a move-
ment in the shuttle of somewhat more than half but not three-fourths of a turn.
When the hook has reached the extreme limit of its forward movement the needle
thread loop is drawn upwardly out of the hook and the loop will have thus been
carried around the lower thread of the bobbin. The cut away part of the shuttle
is made of such length that when the look is at the forward limit of its movement
the shoulder will stand slightly forward of the needle so that the loop of the
needle thread may be drawn freely upward through the opening or space afforded
by the said cut away part of the shuttle.
The feed devices of the machine embrace feed-dogs located both above and
below the work and arranged to grip and carry forward the same, in connection
with a presser-foot located above the work-plate and acting against the latter to
hold the work from backward movement during the time the feed-dogs are being
carried backward preparatory to each advance movement thereof. Said parts are
constructed in detail, and means for actuating the same are provided, as follows:
I is a presser-foot located above the work table, and J is a vertically and horizon-
tally reciprocating feed dog operating in the manner of what is commonly known
as a four-motion feed. K is a second feed-dog acting through slots or openings in
the work-plate and operating upon the under surface of the cloth in opposition to
the feed-dog J. Means are provided for actuating the said presser-foot and feed-
dogs in such manner that the feed-dogs are brought together and moved forward
at the time the presser-foot is lifted to release the material beneath it, and the
presser-foot is thrust downwardly to firmly hold the material at the time the feed-
logs are separated and are being carried backwardly preparatory to another
forward movement thereof.
The said presser-foot and feed-dogs embrace in themselves certain features of

page_text: construction adapting them for use in gang machines and for this purpose are made
with interpenetrating projections or fingers so that they may act upon the material
being operated upon at points adjacent to and between each of the several needles
of a gang machine. Said presser-foot I is made of suitable width to embrace the
several needles of the machine and is provided with holes (Figures 1 and 8)
severally receiving the needles. In the lower surface of the presser-foot, in the
same vertical planes with the needles, are arranged a series of downwardly pro-
jecting teeth or flanges (Figures 1, 7 and 8) arranged to bear upon the
material both at the front and in the rear of the needles.
In case the machine having a presser-foot thus made is employed for sewing
bones in corsets or corset-stiffening, the said ribs or flanges will enter and press
upon the layers of cloth in the spaces between the bones at the points where thie
rows of stitches are inserted, thus drawing and holding the said layers close together
at this point and causing the cloth layers to be drawn and held tightly about the
bones by the rows of stitching. The main part or body of the upper feed-dog J
extends continuously across behind the presser-foot I, and attached to the said feed-
dog are a series of projections or fingers jjj which extend beneath the body of
the presser-foot and into the spaces between the projections or flanges thereof,
and between the needles, the said fingers jij being roughened or serrated upon
their lower surfaces in a familiar manner. By this construction of the feed-dog,
the latter is caused to press upon the work at both sides of each needle, so that
said presser-foot operates to press upon the work and hold it in place at the time
the presser-foot is lifted to allow tlie forward movement of said work under the
action of the feed-dog. The lower feed-dog K herein illustrated is constructed in
the same manner as the feed dog J, being provided with a series of projections
or fingers kkk which enter openings or slots at a formed in the throat plate A' of
the machine between the needle apertures a' a' of said throat-plate, as clearly shown
in Figures 1, 8 and 14.
The devices herein illustrated for supporting and actuating the presser-foot
are made as follows:
are vertical rods mounted to slide in guide
recesses of the frame B and rigidly secured at their lower ends to the presser-
foot I. 13 13 are spiral springs applied to throw the presser-foot downwardly,
said springs being located, as herein shown, in the guide recesses bb of the frame,
above the rods II'. (Figure 3) is a bell crank lever mounted upon a pivot 2
and provided with a horizontal arm which extends inwardly through a slot or
opening in the frame casting and engages the center rod 12. Said lever I* has an
upwardly extending arm which is engaged with a depending rigid arm 15 upon a
rock shaft 1 which is mounted at the upper part of the frame arm at the rear
side of the latter. Said rock shaft is provided with a second rigid arm 1' which
extends inwardly to a point beneath the crank-shaft D and is adapted to engage a
upon said shaft, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3. In the operation of
this device the cam 18 acting upon the arm gives an oscillatory motion to the
rock shaft I which is transmitted through the medium of the arm 1° and lever I
to the presser-foot. As herein shown the lever I is provided at its upper end
with an adjustable bearing point conveniently made in the form of a set-screw 3
inserted through the said lever and bearing against the lower end of the arm I³,
said set-screw serving as a means whereby the extent of movement of the presser-
foot may be controlled as desired.
cam 18
To enable the presser-foot to be lifted from the work-plate independently of the
actuating devices described, devices are provided as follows: L is a rock shaft
mounted upon the frame arm at the rear of the latter. Said rock shaft is provided
with a cam L' at a point opposite the upwardly extending arm I of the lever I*,
the parts being so arranged that when the shaft is turned the upper end of the
lever will be thrust outward by the action of the cam, with the effect of lifting_the
horizontal part of said lever and thus raising the presser-foot. The shaft Lis
provided with a button or handle L2 (Figure 1) by which it may he turned for
lifting the presser-foot.
-

page_text: The
upon
The devices employed for sustaining and actuating the upper feed dog Jare
made as follows: Said feed dog is attached to the lower end of a vertical bar J¹
which extends upwardly through the frame arm and the upper end of which is
located adjacent to the shaft D. Said bar J is supported upon the frame arm by
engagement with a block j (Figure 4) which fits and slides in a longitudinal slot j
in the bar, said block being mounted on a stationary pin 2 which forms a pivotal
support for the block and about which the said bar turns or oscillates as said
bar is moved for actuating the feed dog, in the manner hereinafter described.
vertical movement of the feed-dog is afforded by the sliding of the said bar.
the block while the horizontal movement of the said dog is afforded by the
swinging of said bar upon the pivot pin j². The devices for giving motion to the
said bar are constructed as follows: M is a spiral spring located within a
recess 2 (Figure 5) of the frame and acting against a lugupon the plate to
thrust said plate downward and carry or hold the feed-dog against the work. Said
spring is herein shown as placed around a vertical pin m which extends through a
guide aperture formed in the upper end of the recess 2, said rod being provided
above said aperture with a collar or projection m³ (Figure 1) secured thereto and
adapted for contact with the frame to limit the downward movement of the pin,
and at its lower end with a head m² (Figure 5) against which the end of the spring
acts and which is adapted to rest in contact with the upper surface of the lug j³.
The spring must of course be arranged to allow fr. e lateral movement of the plate J'
as the latter is turned or swung about the pivot, and the pin m is for this purpose
provided with the head m² which has a flat face resting in contact with the lug j³
and adapted to slide freely on said lug as the latter is moved with the plate. This
construction in the spring M affords one convenient way of applying a spring to
throw the bar J' downwardly, but it will of course be understood that a spring
for this purpose may be constructed or applied in any other convenient manner.
The plate J is provided at its upper end with a yoke J2 (Figures 1 and 4)
which surrounds the crank shaft D. Said yoke is constructed to engage with two
cams N N upon said crank shaft, said cams being so arranged to give a combined
horizontal and vertical movement to the yoke, which movement is transmitted to
the feed-dog by means of the bar J' connecting said parts. One, N, of said cams
is arranged to act upon opposite vertical bearing faces of the yoke J² in such
manner as to move the said yoke horizontally and to thereby swing the plate J'
about the pivot. The cam shown is shaped in a well known manner to remain
constantly in bearing with both of the bearing faces of the yoke but any other
form of cam or other device adapted to give the necessary horizontal movement to
the yoke may be employed without departure from my invention. The other
cam, N¹, operates upon a horizontal surface of the yoke 12 located above said
cam in such manner as to lift the bar J'against the action of the spring M. The
cams N and N' are located side by side and the bearing surfaces of the
yoke J2 are arranged in different vertical planes so that the cams may operate
thereon independently of each other.
In order to enable the feed-dog J to be lifted clear of the work for removing or
inserting the latter at a time when the cam N¹ is free from the yoke and said feed
dog is held downwardly by the action of the spring M, I have provided a lifting
device acting on the plate J' to raise the latter against the action of the spring
and hold it in its elevated position. Inasmuch as the said feed dog J will commonly
need to be lifted at the same time the presser-foot is lifted I have provided in
addition to the cam upon the rock shaft L by which the presser-foot is actuated,
devices for also lifting the feed dog when said shaft is turned. For this purpose
said shaft is provided with an eccentric L³ (Figure 4) which is adapted to act upon
the lower surface of a lug or arm J which extends rearwardly from the bar Jat
a point over or above the said eccentric L³. This construction is of great convenience
for the reason that by turning the handle L2 both the presser-foot and the upper
feed dog will be lifted free from the work.
Devices for giving motion to the lower feed-dog K are constructed as follows:

page_text: Said feed dog is attached to and supported by a horizontal bar K, which bar, in
the particular construction shown, is located beneath the work-plate of the
machine at the rear of the shuttles, this construction being necessary for the fact
that the series of shuttles in a gang machine prevent the parts which support
the feed dog being located immediately adjacent to the throat-plate. The feed
dog is connected with the said bar K₁ by means of an arm extending through
an opening or recess in the casting G, as clearly shown in Figure 3. The bar K
is supported at its outer end by means of a stationary pin O which is sustained
in brackets O¹ O¹ at a point beneath the work-plate and parallel with the latter
and with the drive shaft D of the machine. Said pin is adapted to engage a
horizontal slot 2 formed in the said bar K¹ in such manner as to hold the said
bar from twisting while at the same time allowing the bar to slide longitudinally
and permitting a vertical movement in its free end, or that to which the feed-
dog is attached. At its ends adjacent to the feed-dog said bar K¹ is supported
by means of a horizontally arranged lever P (Figure 1) which is connected
between its ends to the work-plate or machine frame by a universal joint and is
engaged at one end with the said bar K' and at its opposite end with a device
by which vertical and horizontal oscillatory movement is given to the lever and
to the end of the said bar K' engaged therewith. In the particular construction
illustrated, the lever P is mounted on a vertical stud P1 which is pivotally
connected with the work-plate by means of a horizontal pivot pin p. The end
of the said lever engaged with the bar K' is made spherical or provided with a
ball p which is engaged with an aperture k³ formed in said bar. A set-screw *
(Figure 3) passing through the bar and entering the recess ³ serves to take up
any lost motion in a vertical direction caused by the wearing of the parts. The
opposite end of the lever P is provided with a similar spherical part or ball p¹
(Figure 1).
being located
Horizontal and vertical movement is given to the end of the lever P by devices
made as follows: Q is a vertically arranged bar engaged at its lower end with
the lever P and extending upwardly through the hollow standard of the frame
arm to a point adjacent to the shaft D where it is provided with a yoke Q
surrounding said shaft. At its middle part the bar Q is provided with a vertical
slot which is adapted for engagement with a block R which is mounted on a
horizontal pivot R₁ attached to the frame arm. The lower end of the plate Q
is provided with a recess q¹ within which the ball p² is located, said recess being
conveniently provided with a cushion 92 of leather or similar substance located
against its upper wall to afford a slightly yielding bearing for the ball p². The
yoke Q is provided with two opposite vertical bearing surfaces 93 93 and with
two horizontal bearing surfaces q*, said surfaces q³ q³ and *
in different vertical planes. S is a cam attached to the shaft D and engaging
the opposite vertical bearing surfaces ³ ³ so as to give horizontal motion to the
upper end of the plate Q. S' is a cam or eccentric also secured to said shaft
and engaging the horizontal bearing surfaces so as to give vertical movement
to the said plate Q. The cams S and S₁ are so located on the shaft D with
reference to the cams N and N' by which the upper feed dog is actuated that
the upper and lower feed dogs are moved in unison, the upper dog being
depressed when the lower dog is elevated, so that the dogs are separated and
brought together in a manner to alternately grip and disengage the cloth and
are at the same time moved backward and forward so as to carry forward the
cloth when engaged therewith. As hereinbefore described, the presser-foot I is
raised free from the throat-plate at the time the upper feed dog is depressed so
that the said presser-foot is lifted at the time the feed dogs are engaged with
and are carrying forward the cloth and is depressed to hold the cloth against
the throat-plate and thereby prevent movement thereof during the time the feed
dogs are separated and are moving backward.
The pivot R which supports the bar Q is shown as made adjustable on the
machine frame in a direction longitudinally of the said bar, and the pivot pin

page_text: which similarly supports the bar J is similarly made adjustable in the same
manner, the object of this construction being to enable the throw of the feed
dogs horizontally to be changed so as to make a longer or shorter stitch, it
being entirely obvious that by shifting said pivot pins R¹ and 2 which form the
fulcruuns of the bars J and Q the extent of horizontal movement in the ends
of said plates remote from the driving-cams may be varied as desired. For
effecting the adjustment described the pin is inserted through a vertical slot 6*
(Figure 5) in the frame arm B and is provided outside of the frame-arm with
a thumb nut by which a collar or shoulder on the pin may be clamped against
the frame at the side of, the slot and the pin thereby secured in position. The
pivot pin R' is similarly secured in a slot in the vertical standard of the frame
arm by means of a thumb nut R2 which acts to clamp a shoulder or collar
of said pin against the frame at the sides of the slot.
T is the take-up arm for the upper threads. Said arm is attached to a rock-
shaft T mounted in bearings t t within the hollow interior of the frame B, and
is constructed to pass through a central opening of the pitman D³ and through
a slot in the front wall of the frame arm. Said arm T is provided at its
outer or free end with a horizontal bar T (Figure 6) provided with a series of
thread guides t¹t severally engaging the upper threads. For actuating the said
take-up arm T the rock shaft T is provided with a rigid arm T3 having upon
its free end a pin 2 which engages a cam-slot u formed in a cam U which is
attached to the crank shaft D. VV indicate a series of spring take-up devices
for use in connection with a positively actuated take-up, such as is above described.
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 combination with a series of parallel, circular shuttle races, of a series
of circular hooked shuttles engaged therewith, and a segmental, oscillating driver
engaged with said shuttles, said shuttles being each provided with a central
recess concentric with the axis of rotation of the shuttle for containing a flat
cop, an exit thread-guide passing through the side wall of the shuttle at the
center of said recess, and a flat cover for closing said recess, substantially as
described.
2: The combination with the needles of a gang sewing machine, of a presser-
foot provided with apertures for the needles and having projections on the under
face thereof located in alignment with said apertures at the front and rear of the
needles, an upper feed-dog having fingers extending between the said projections
of the presser-foot, a lower feed-dog having fingers opposite to those of the
upper feed-dog, means giving a vertical reciprocatory motion to the presser-foot,
and means giving a combined horizontal and vertical motion to both of said
feed-dogs, substantially as described.
3: A feed device for sewing machines, comprising a presser-foot, means giving
vertical reciprocatory motion to said presser-foot, two feed-dogs, one located
below, and the other above, the work, and means for actuating said feed-dogs
comprising two bars pivotally supported at points between their ends and
severally connected with and actuating said feed-dogs, a single driving shaft
provided with cams engaging said bars and giving both longitudinal and lateral
motion thereto, and shifting pivots severally engaging and supporting said bars
whereby the length of the stitch may be changed, substantially as described.
Signed at Chicago, County of Cook, and State of Illinois, this 21st day of
anuary
MARSHALL GARDNER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.