IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I EDWARD KOHLER of 319 Taylor Street in the City and County of San
Francisco State of California one of the United States of America Gentleman do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to sewing machines and is especially designed for Sewing
heavy fabrics, such as carpets bags etc. It consists in certain improvements in
detail, and in various novel features of construction and comprises :-
A sewing machine having a vertically reciprocating needle carrying a single
thread and a two part threadless hook mounted upon a horizontal rack shaft below
the table and adapted to enter the loop formed by the vertical needle, together
with a mechanism by which the two parts of the hook may be separated while it
is passing above the table, and drawn together as it returns below the table.
A sewing machine having a vertical reciprocating needle carrying a single thread,
a two part threadless hook mounted upon a horizontal rock shaft below the table
and a reciprocating rack bar engaging a pinion upon the rack shaft and having an
incline or cam upon its outer end, together with a shaft with an arm which engages
one part of the hook, a pin or roller upon which the cam acts to separate the parts
of the hook, and a spring to close the parts when released by the cam.
A sewing machine having a vertically reciprocating needle carrying a single
thread with a tension device for the same, a two part threadless hook mounted
upon a horizontal rack shaft beneath the table, with mechanism for separating the
parts of the hook after it has entered the loop formed by the vertical needle,
together with a guard mounted upon à reciprocating shaft, a pin projecting from
the shaft and guided by a spiral slot in a guide plate.
The sewing mechanisin is mounted upon and beneath a stand on a table, and
consists of a needle and needle arm, a feed mechanism, and a driving shaft having
cam cylinders fixed to it, the whole being driven by power applied to a pulley
wheel upon the outer end of the shaft.
A threadless hook is fixed to a partially rotating shaft beneath the cloth plate or
table, in such a relative position to a vertically reciprocating needle as to enter the
loop formed below the plate as the needle descends and carry said loop above the
table (the needle having been withdrawn) to a point which allows the descending
needle to pass through it and form a stitch, together with the necessary connecting
mechanism. I prefer to employ a hook.composed of two similarly curved parts, one
part being fixed to the outer end of a shaft beneath the table, while the other part
fits a feather or an angular part of the shaft so as to be turned simultaneously
with the part on its outer end while it is drawn away from it by a mechanism
hereafter described.
By this construction the two parts lie close together and form a single hook
while they are below the table, and when the needle descends with the thread and

page_text: forms a loop as it begins to ascend, this hook passes through the loop so formed
and begins to carry it upward in the arc of a circle through a slot in the table, so
that it is carried over the edge of the. fabric into position for the needle to pass
through it upon its next descent. Simultaneously with its movement upward, the
two halves begin to separate side wise and thus spread the loop; so that when it
has reached a point beneath the needle the loop will be so spread that the needle
passes between the two points of the book. These points again close when they
are returned below the table. They have short fingers which serve to hold the
loop and carry it above the cloth plate..
An arm or guard projects from a shaft to lie across the thread loop after the hook
has taken hold of it, and to follow it in its upward movements so far as to ensure
its being carried over the edge of-the cloth.
The partial rotation of the shaft carrying this arm or guard is effected by means
of a pin projecting from one side of it and entering spiral slot in a guide plate
through which the shaft passes, and which is moved back and forth along the shaft
by a slide bar. This bar is actuated by a cam slot in a cylinder. The slide bar
has an arm projecting horizontally at right angles beneath the table, and this carries
.a. rack bar which engages a pinion upon the shaft carrying the divided hook. The
reciprocating movement of the rack bar thus causes the shaft carrying the divided
hook to perform partial rotations alternately in each, direction and thus carry the
double hook below. and above the cloth plate. In order to separate the part of the
hook on the feather from the part on the outer end of the shaft as it rotates,
a shaft is supported in guides at short distance from and parallel with the shaft
carrying the divided hook and an arm projects from first mentioned shaft so that
its end lies between the hooks when they surround the shaft there being sufficient
space left for this purpose. The outer end of the shaft carrying the arm is
flattened and carries a pin or anti-friction roller. The rack bar extends beneath
this roller and has a curved edge which acts as a cam when the rack bar recipro-
cates, and passing beneath the aforesaid anti-friction roller, it draws it and the rack
bar back, and thus withdraws one part of the hook as before described while it is
carrying the thread loops above the table. As the hook returns beneath the table
the rack bar moves so as to, leave space for the anti-friction roller and the shaft
carrying it to move, back again. A spiral spring surrounds the shaft carrying the
divided hook and pressing upon the back of the hook on the feather or on an
enlargement of the shaft acts to return it to its position close to the other part as
soon as the parallel shaft and arms are released by the cam. In this manner the
hook is alternately opened and closed while the stitch is being formed.
A vertical moving bar carries the needle and it is caused to reciprocate by means
of a bell crank lever having its long arm connected with the needle bar and its
angle fulcrumed in the arm of the machine while its short arm extends downward
and is actuated by a cam slot in a cylinder.
The thread or twine is brought through guides upon the arm of the machine
thence down around a wheel and up through an eye or over a hook on the end of
a lever which is fulcrumed within the said arm. A bell crank lever has its angle
fulcrumed in this arm so that one end extends down and is actuated by a cam slot
in a cam cylinder. The opposite arm is connected with the aforesaid lever with
hook or eye and thus causes it to oscillate by the action of the cam and this acting
upon the thread or twine produces the proper tensions.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, EDWARD KOHLER of N° 319 Taylor Street in the City and County of San
Francisco, State of California one of the United States of America, Gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
My Invention relates to Sewing-Machines and is especially designed for sewing
heavy fabrics, such as carpets, bags, etc. It consists in certain improvements in
detail, and in various novel features of construction wbich will be more fully
described by reference to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure 1. Is a transverse section through the machine, showing the operating
mechanism underneath the table.
Figure 2. Is a longitudinal section through the machine.
Figure 3. Is a plan looking up from underneath of the machine.
Figure 4. Is a perspective view of the operating mechanism, showing how the
stitch is formed.
Figure 5. Is a perspective view of the operating mechanism, the parts in this
view being shown turned on edge.
The sewing mechanism is mounted upon and beneath a stand on table A, and
consists of a needle and needle arm, a feed mechanism, driving shaft B having cam
cylinders C, D and E fixed to it, the whole being driven by power applied to the
pulley wheel F upon the outer end of the shaft.
I have shown a threadless hook fixed to a partially rotating shaft beneath the
cloth plate or table, in such a relative position to a vertically reciprocating needle
as to enter the loop formed below the plate as the needle descends and carry said
loop above the table (the needle having been withdrawn) to a point which allows
the descending needle to pass through it and form a stitch, together with the
necessary connected mechanism. I prefer to employ a hook composed of two
similarly curved parts a a¹, and part a being fixed to the outer end of a shaft G
beneath the table, while the other part a¹ fits a feather or an angular part of the
shaft so as to be turned simultaneously with the part a, while it is drawn away
from it by a mechanism hereafter described.
By this construction the two parts lie close together and form a single book
while they are below the table, and when the needle H descends with the thread
and forms a loop as it begins to ascend, this hook passes through the loop so formed
and begins to carry it upward in the arc of a circle through a slot in the table, so
that it is carried over the edge of the fabric into position for the needle to pass
through it upon its next descent.
Simultaneously with its movement upward,, the two halves begin to separate
sidewise and thus spread the loop so that when it has reached a point beneath the
needle H the loop will be so spread that the needle passes between the two points a a¹
of the hook. These points again close when they are returned below the table.

page_text: They have short fingers as shown, which serve to hold the loop and carry it above
the cloth plate.
·
I. is an arm or guard which projects from a shaft to lie across the thread loop
after the hook has taken hold of it, and to follow it in its upward movement, so
far as to insure its being carried over the edge of the cloth.
The partial rotation of the shaft J is effected by means of a pin K projecting
from one side of it and entering spiral slot in the guide plate L through which the
shaft passes, and which is moved back and forth along the shaft by the slide bar M.
This bar is actuated by a cam slot c¹ in the cylinder C. The slide bar M has an
arm M projecting horizontally at right angles beneath the table, and this carries
the rack bar O which engages the pinion P upon the shaft G carrying the divided
hook.
The reciprocating movement of the bar O thus causes the shaft G to perform
partial rotations alternately in each direction and thus carry the double hook below
and above the cloth plate. In order to separate the part a¹ from the part a as it
rotates, a shaft Q is supported in guides at short distance from and parallel with
the shaft G, and an arm R projects from the shaft Q so that its end lies between
the hooks a a¹ when they surround the shaft there being sufficient space left for
this purpose. The outer end of the shaft Q is flattened and carries a pin or anti-
friction roller S.
The rack bar O extends beneath this roller and has a curved edge at T which
acts as a cam when the bar O reciprocates, and passing beneath the roller S, it
draws it and the bar O back, and thus withdraws the part a¹ of the hook as before
described, while it is carrying the thread loops above the table. As the hook
returns beneath the table the rack bar O moves so as to leave space for the roller S
and the shaft Q to move back again.
A spiral spring U surrounds the shaft G and pressing upon the back of the
hook a¹acts to return it to its position close to the part a as soon as the shaft Q
and arms R are released by the cam T. In this manner the hook is alternately
opened and closed while the stitch is being formed. V is the vertical moving bar
carrying the needle H and it is caused to reciprocate by means of a bell crank lever
having its long arm connected with the needle bar and its angle fulcrumed in the
arm while its short arm extends downward and is actuated by a cam slot E' in
the cylinder E.
The thread or twine is brought through guides upon the arm X thence down
around the wheel Y and up through an eye or over a hook on the end of the
lever b, which is fulcrumed at c, within the arm X. A bell crank lever d has its
angle fulcrumed in this arm so that one end extends down and is actuated by the
cam slot D¹ in the cam cylinder D. The opposite arm is connected with the lever b
as shown, and thus causes it to oscillate by the action of the cam D¹ and this acting.
upon the thread or twine produces the proper tensions.
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°. A sewing machine having a vertically reciprocating needle carrying a single
thread and a two part threadless hook mounted upon a horizontal rack shaft below
tlie table and adapted to enter the loop formed by the vertical needle, together with
.n mechanism by which the two parts of the hook may be separated while it is
passing above the table, and drawn together as it returns below the table.
2. A sewing machine having a vertical reciprocating needle carrying a single
thread, a two part threadless hook mounted upon a horizontal rack shaft below the
table and a reciprocating rack bar engaging a pinion upon the rack shaft and having
an incline or cam upon its outer end, together with a shaft with an arm which
engages one part of the hook, a pin.or roller upon which the cam acts to separate
the parts of the hook, and a spring to close the parts when released by the cam.

page_text: 3º. A sewing machine having a vertically reciprocating needle carrying a single
thread with a tension device for the same, a two part threadless hook mounted
upon a horizontal rack shaft beneath the table, with mechanism for separating the
parts of the hook, after it has entered the loop formed by the vertical needle,
together with a guard mounted upon a reciprocating shaft, a pin projecting from
the shaft and guided by a spiral slot in the plate L.