Improvements in Pad Stitching Attachments for Sewing Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1896-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1896
[Communicated from abroad by THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, of
New York, United States of America, Sewing Machine Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Pad Stitching Attachments for Sewing Machines.
I, WILLIAM HARVEY INSLEE, Manager of The Singer Manufacturing
Company, Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to that class of appliances to be used for sewing machines
for the purpose of stitching buffing pads and similar circular articles by a series of
circular seams.
In the devices heretofore employed for this purpose the buffing pads were
stitched by helical seams running spirally from the peripheries or outer parts of the
pads inward towards their centres, but the pads stitched in this manner were open
to the objection of always having more or less of the sewing threads extending
loosely from their outer edges as they were worn away in use, as some part of
the spiral or helical seam of a pad was necessarily always exposed at the edge
thereof as the pad was worn down.
This invention has for its object to provide a mechanism whereby buffing pads or
similar articles may be stitched by a series of concentric parallel seams, the work
being automatically shifted, after each circular seam is completed, for the sewing
of the next circular seam.. When a pad which has been stitched in this manner is
worn down in use until the sewing threads of a circular seam are exposed at the
edge or periphery thereof, the entire circle of stitches may be pulled out or removed
so that there will be no further annoyance to the user of the pad until the latter is
worn down to the next seam, when the pulling-out operation may be repeated, and
so on until the pad is worn out.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side view illustrating the invention and Figure 2 is a plan thereof.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the attachment.
Figure 4 is a partial end view of the machine, with the frame in section, to show
the feeding devices.
Figure 5 is a detail view of the pivoted presser-foot.
A denotes a portion of the work plate of a sewing machine to which is attached,
as by brackets a, the table B provided with standards b, apertured at their tops for
the reception of rods c the inner ends of which enter hollow ears or projections d
formed on a sleeve D through which passes a tube E, thereby pivotably supporting
said sleeve and tube on said standards. Within the tube E is enclosed a screw
shaft F provided at its inner end with a bevel gear f meshing with a second bevel
gear connected by intermediate gears f, g, with a short vertical shaft g¹
journalled in a box or casing E' supporting the inner end of the tube E. The
shaft g' is provided below said box or casing El with a disc g' having pins ³ to
enter holes in the top member or disc of a rotating and sliding clamp which holds
the pad H to be stitched; said clamp, as herein shown, comprising the screw h¹, the
disc, through which aud the collar interposed between said disc and the,
head of said screw the screw shank loosely passes, and the said disc h. The central.
hole in the dise h is tapped for the reception of the threaded shank of the screw h
so that the material to be stitched may be clamped between the discs and ..

page_text: The
either by tightening, said screw, or by turning the disc down on the screw.
head of the screw fits in a guideway or groove i formed in a plate i' attached to
the table B.
The construction thus far described is well known and on it the present invention
is an improvement; "consisting of means whereby the tube E may be moved or fel
intermittingly, with relation to the sleeve D, instead of continuously, as heretofore.
To this end the tube E is provided with a bar e having a series of notches e' to be
successively engaged by a pin or lug k on a lever K pivoted at ¹ to the sleeve D,
the outer or free end of said lever being pressed downward, to hold said lug or pia
in engagement with said notches, by a plate spring pressing on the lug at the
inner end of said lever.
C is a sleeve or traveller surrounding the tube E and enclosing a. toothed dog c
normally held in engagement with the screw F by a spring c but capable of being
disengaged from said screw, when desired, by turning the handle e fast on a small
cam shaft c. When the dog c¹ is in engagement with the screw shaft F and the
latter is in rotation a continuous travelling movement will be imparted to the
sleeve C; but as the tube E slides freely through said sleeve, or more properly; as
said sleeve is free to travel loosely longitudinally of said tube, the latter will remain
at (rest until such time as. the feeding movement is to occur to shift the work
after the completion of a circle of stitches, for the purpose of making a new circular
seam.
The pad H, it will be understood, is rotated for the circular stitching by the
sewing machine feed, as heretofore, and when a circle of stitches has been
completed the sleeve C, caused to travel longitudinally of the tube E by the
screw shaft F, will have moved far enough to engage the forward end of the lug c
at the top of said sleeve with the depending projection k at the forward end of the
lever K, and thereby lift said lever to disengage the lug or pink thereof from a
notch of the bar e, thus unlocking the tube E from the stationary sleeve D and
leaving said tube free to be fed along to shift the work for a new circle of stitches,
this shifting operation being effected by lateral movements of the presser foot and
feed of the machine preferably assisted by a spring d' yieldingly connecting the
sleeves D and C and exerting its force to move the sleeve and the sliding
tube E inward when not prevented from so doing by the locking lug or pink.
The feed dog m the feeding movements of which are or may be those of the well
known Singer oscillating shuttle machine is carried by an arm m¹ pivoted at its
lower end to a rigid arm n depending from the feed bar n', so that said feed dog is
adapted to be moved laterally. The presser foot p is carried by a swinging. bar p
pivoted at its upper end to a bracket o secured to the presser bar O, said swinging
bar pl permitting the presser foot to move forward with the work as the latter is
moved by the feed; the said presser bar being lifted at each stitch by the lever, R
operated by the cam so that the swinging bar p' may be returned to its initial
position by a suitable spring. The roller stud with which said lever R is provided
is held in contact with said cam by the action of the spring o' which depresses.the
presser bar. The presser foot p is pivotally attached to a block or bracket at the
lower end of the bar pl by a più or screw p which is located: eccentrically to and
outside of the line of the centre of said foot, so that when the latter is forced down
upon the work with the usual spring pressure it will have a tendency to tilt laterally
inward and thus move the work laterally, the pivoted feed dog moving freely
laterally therewith. The pivot of the feed dog arm is also preferably eccentric to
or outside of the vertical line of the centre of said dog, to facilitate this lateral
movement.
When the locking lug or pin k is engaged with a notch of the bar e the work is
restrained thereby from any lateral movement by the presser foot and feed, but
when said locking lug or pin is withdrawn from a notch of the bar e at the completion
of a circle of stitches the lateral movements of the presser foot and feed, assisted by
the spring d³, cause the work to be moved diagonally for two or three stitches, or
until the next notch e¹ of the bar e comes beneath the pin t.when the latter snaps

page_text: into such notch, thus again locking the tube E to the fixed sleeve D so that the.
pad being stitched will now rotate without lateral movement until the next circle
of stitches is completed, when the shifting operation will again be repeated, and so.
on until the pad is fully stitched by concentric rows of stitches.
After the presser foot has tilted laterally and been moved forward with the work,
it will, when lifted from the work, be returned laterally to its normal vertical,
position by the spring pressed pin p, and the laterally moving feed dog is
also returned to its normal lateral position, when the presser foot is lifted, by the
spring m.
To hold the box E' at the inner end of the tube E down on the work, to keep the.
pins 9 of the disc g in engagement with the disc h of the rotary work clamp, the.
collar s, rigidly connected with the sleeve D, is joined by a torsional spring with
one of the standards b.
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 the stitch-forming and feeding mechanism of a sewing
machine, of means for pivotally holding a pad or other article so that it may be-
rotated by said feeding mechanism, to produce circular rows of stitches, and automatic
mechanism, operating intermittingly or at the completion of each,circle of stitches,
to shift the work laterally; whereby an article may be stitched by a continuous
seam consisting of concentric circles of stitches joined by lateral or diagonal.
stitches.
2. The combination with a pad stitching attachment comprising a rotary work.
holder, a screw shaft, and gearing and intermediate devices connecting said work
holder and screw shaft, whereby the latter may be rotated by the former, of a.
sewing machine provided with a laterally movable presser foot and feed dog, means
for locking said screw shaft from end wise movement to prevent the work from being.
moved laterally by said presser foot and feed dog, and automatic mechanism for
releasing said locking device at intervals to permit the said presser foot and feed
to shift the work laterally after each rotation of said work holder by the feed of
the machine.
3. The combination with a pad stitching attachment comprising a rotary work
holder, a screw shaft, gearing and intermediate devices connecting said work holder
and screw shaft, whereby the latter may be rotated by the former, a sliding tube
enclosing said screw shaft and connected with said work holder, a fixed sleeve or-
support in which said sliding tube can move, a locking device for connecting said
tube with said support, and a traveller, moved by said screw shaft, for releasing
said locking device at intervals, of a sewing machine provided with a laterally
movable presser foot and feed dog serving to shift the work laterally when said.
locking device is released.
4. The combination with a pad stitching attachment comprising a rotary work
holder, a screw shaft, gearing and intermediate devices connecting said work holder
and screw shaft whereby the latter may be rotated by the former, a sliding tube
enclosing said screw shaft and connected with said work holder, a fixed sleeve or
support in which said sliding tube can move, a locking device for connecting said
tube with said support, and a traveller, moved by said screw shaft, for releasing:
said locking device at intervals, of a sewing machine provided with a laterally
movable presser foot and feed dog serving to shift the work laterally when said
locking device is released, and a spring yieldingly connecting said traveller with said.
fixed support or sleeve and serving to assist said presser foot and feed dog to shift.
the work laterally.
5. The combination with a sewing machine provided with a presser foot pivoted.
eccentrically or at one side of the line of its centre, and with a pivotally supported
feed dog, of a pad stitching attachment comprising a rotary work holder, a sliding.
tube connected with said work holder, a stationary sleeve or support for said tube,

page_text: a locking device for connecting said sleeve and tube, a screw shaft in said tube,
gearing connecting said work-holder and screw shaft, whereby the latter may be
rotated by the former, and a traveller moved by said screw shaft and serving to
disengage said locking device at intervals to release said tube from its stationary
support or sleeve when the work is to be shifted laterally.
6. The combination with a sewing machine provided with a presser foot pivoted
eccentrically or at one side of the line of its centre, and with a pivotally supported
feed dog, of a pad stitching attachment comprising a rotary work holder, a sliding
tube connected with said work holder, a stationary sleeve or support for said tube,
a locking device for connecting said sleeve and tube, a screw shaft in said tube,
gearing connecting said work holder and screw shaft, whereby the latter may be
rotated by the former, a traveller moved by said screw shaft and serving to
disengage said locking device at intervals to release said tube from its stationary
support or sleeve when the work is to be shifted laterally, and a spring yieldingly
connecting said traveller and stationary support, and serving to assist the presser
foot and feed dog in shifting the work.
Dated this 27th day of July 1896.
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agent,
62 Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant.