Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Oct., 1994-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894'
COMPLETE DI MULTATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE SINGER. MANUFACTURING COMPANY,
of New York, Sewing Machine Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of The Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, 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 :— .
In that class of sewing machines in which an irregular feeding mechanism
capable of moving goods backwards as well as forwards is employed in connection
with the mechanism for moving the needle bar laterally for the purpose of
performing fancy stitching, and in which the lateral movements of the needle bar
are controlled by a pattern cam having an intermittent rotating movement imparted
thereto from the continuously rotating driving shaft, more or less difficulty has
been experienced with the use of an ordinary pawl and ratchet mechanism for
rotating the said pattern cam by reason of the fact that where the cam is used in
connection with a feeding mechanism for making a particular pattern, an accidental
backward turning of the driving shaft by the operator, or an accidental over-
throwing of the pawl and ratchet mechanism for operating the pattern cam, will
place the pattern cam out of proper timing with the feeding mechanism, and thus
render the machine inoperative for making the particular fancy stitch desired.
My invention has for its object to obviate the difficulty referred to, and this object
is effected by the use of what may be termed a "positive ratchet mechanism,'"
whereby a toothed wheel, to which the pattern cam is attached and by which it is
intermittingly rotated, is at all times held positively either by its operating dog or
by a holding dog which is caused to engage the teeth of the said wheel when the
teeth of the operating dog are released therefrom. The operating dog and the
teeth of the intermittingly rotated wheel are of such construction that if the direction
of rotation of the driving shaft should be accidentally reversed, the movements of
the toothed wheel and pattern cam will also be reversed, and thus it will be
impossible to get a pattern cam, which has once been properly set relative to the
feeding mechanism and other parts of the machine, out of timing.
In the accompanying drawings
"
Fig. 1 is a side view partly in section of a fancy stitch sewing machine embodying
my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 3 is a partial front view
of the same.
Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinal section through the arm, showing the mechanism
enclosed therein in side elevation.
Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views on line 5-6, Fig. 4, the parts being in slightly
different positions in the two figures.
Fig. 7 is a detail view of the swinging sector and the dog carried thereby.
A devotes the bed plate and B the bracket arm of a well-known type of sewing
machine. Journalled in the upper part of the bracket arm is the driving shaft C
provided at its rear end with the fly wheel and pulley c, and at its forward end
with a crank disc e' connected by a liuk d with the block attached to the needle
bar D, said needle bar having its vertical bearing in a laterally movable frame D'.
Secured to the driving shaft C is a cam oylinder B' provided with cam grooves.b
and 6'. Mounted on a stud C screwed into a web in the bracket arm B is a
toothed wheel D' to which is attached a pattern wheel D³ having a pattern cam

page_text: i.
groove d³ which is entered by a pin or roller stud e on the lever E pivoted at its lower
end at e' in a suitable bearing in bracket arm B, and provided in its front face with a
groove in which is adjustably secured a pin connected by a pitman F to au
arm on the pivoted needle-bar carrying-frame D' so that vibrating movements
of the said lever E will impart lateral movements to the needle bar frame and the
needle bar carried thereby.
Pivoted on the hub of the toothed wheel D is a vibrating lever or sector G
which carries the operating dog Ghaving at one end a rectangular tooth g for
engagement with the rectangular teeth of the wheel D³, and having at its other
end a pin g which enters the cam groove & in the cam cylinder B', said dog being
pivoted at g² to the said vibrating lever or sector G and the latter being connected
by a link with a lever H having a pin entering the cam groove b, to impart
vibrating movements to the said lever or sector G, and thus carry the said dog G
back and forth to intermittingly rotate the toothed wheel D, the vibrating
movements of the said dog on its pivot (imparted thereto by the grooved cam b')
causing the tooth 9 to be engaged with and disengaged from the teeth of the said
wheel at proper intervals.
I is a holding dog pivoted at i to the bracket arm B, and provided at one end
with a rectangular tooth for engagement with the 'teeth of the toothed wheel D³,
and having at its opposite end a slot entered by a pin g³ on the operating dog Gi
so that the said dog G', as it is vibrated by the cam ', will reversely operate the
holding dog, and thus as the tooth of the operating dog is lifted from the teeth of
the wheel' D the tooth of the holding dg will be engaged with the teeth of said
wheel, and rice versa. It will thus be seen that a tooth of either the holding dog G' or
the operating dog I will always be in engagement with the teeth of the said wheel,
and the latter will therefore always be positively held. The rectangular shape of
the teeth of the wheel D and of the tooth g of the operating dog Gensures a
positive hold by the tooth of the said operating dog upon the teeth of the said
wheel at all times, and if the shaft C be turned backwards, the operating dog will
therefore merely be reversed in its movements, and will rotate the wheel D'
backwards, thus always keeping the pattern cain wheel D, which is attached to
said wheel D, in proper timing with the other parts of the machine.
J is a vertical shaft placed within the vertical part of the bracket arm B, and
provided at its upper end with a bevelled gear wheel j meshing with a similar
bevelled gear wheel et on the driving shaft C, the said vertical shaft J having at
its lower end a crank connected by a pitman J' with the shuttle operating shaft K
at the forward end of the machine in the usual manner with this style of machines.
The shaft J is provided, above the crank j, with a pinion k which is connected by
a train of gearing with the cam wheel L having a suitable cam groove entered by
a pin m on the bell crank lever M which latter serves to impart vibrating
movements to the feeding lever N; longitudinal movements being imparted to said
feeding lever by the usual cam on the shaft J, for the purpose of raising and
lowering the feed-bar O. The vibrating movements of the said feeding lever N to
move the teed-bar back and forth horizontally are controlled by the cam wheel L
which may be provided with a cam groove of any desired pattern, according to the,
fancy stitch which it may be desired to produce. This particular feeding mechanism
is the same as heretofore employed in the fancy stitch Singer machine, and is'
merely herein shown and described for the purpose of a full understanding of my
invention, the essential feature of which is in the positively rotated wheel D² which
controls the pattern cam for moving the needle bar laterally, and which is capable
of being moved either backwards or forwards according to the direction of rotation
of the driving shaft, so that it will always be kept in time with the feeding
mechanism controlled by the cam wlieel N.
From the foregoing it will be understood that when the machine is in operation
intermittingly rotating movements will be imparted to the toothed wheel D' by
the operating dog G, said wheel being positively held either by the tooth g of the
anid dog or by the tooth of the holding dog I, the pin and slot connection of the

page_text: said: dogs G and I causing the tooth of the holding dog to be engaged with
the teeth of the said wheel when the tooth of said holding dog Gis released
therefrom, and vice versa. The swinging movement of the lever or sector G,
imparted thereto from the cam groove through the lever H and link h carries the
operating dog G' bodily back and forth, and therefore imparts an intermittent
rotatory movement to the said wheel; the vibrating movements of the said dog G¹,
imparted thereto from the grooved cam 61, causing the tooth of the said dog to .be
alternately engaged with and disengaged from the teeth of the said wheel. Owing
to the fact that the toothed wheel D² will always be rotated either backward or
forward according to the direction of rotation of the driving shaft, and also owing
to the fact that said toothed wheel is always positively held by its operating
dog G or by the holding dog 1, it will be impossible for the cam wheel operated
by the said toothed wheel to get out of timing with the feeding mechanism or any
other parts of the machine, either by overthrowing movements of the said toothed
wheel, or by accidental reverse movements of 'the driving shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, (as communicated to me),
I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a sewing machine, the combination of a horizontally movable needle bar, a
pattern device or wheel connected with said needle bar to impart lateral movements
thereto, a toothed wheel by which said pattern device or wheel is operated, a
toothed operating dog for intermittingly rotating said wheel, a toothed dog for
holding the said wheel when the said operating dog is disengaged therefrom,
actuating mechanism whereby both of the said dogs will be alternately and
positively noved in two directions so that their teeth will be alternately in
engagement with the teeth of said wheel, and means whereby said operating dog
will also be moved bodily backward and forward to intermittingly rotate said
wheel.
2. In a sewing machine, the combination with an irregular or fancy feeding
mechanism, of a horizontally movable needle bar, a pattern device or wheel
conoceted with said needle bar to impart lateral movements thereto, a toothed
wheel by which said pattern dövice or wheel is operated, a toothed operating dog
for intermittingly rotating said wheel, a toothed dog for holding the said wheel
when the said operating dog is disengaged therefrom, actuating mechanism whereby
both of the said dogs will be alternately and positively moved in two directions so
that their teeth will be alternately in engagement with the teeth of said wheel, and
means whereby said operating dog will also be moved bodily backward and forward
to intermittingly rotate said wheel.
3. In a sewing machine the combination with an irregular or fancy feeding
mechanism, of a needle bar, a swinging frame in which said needle bar has its
vertical novements, a cam wheel connected to said needle bar to impart lateral
movements thereto, a toothed wheel by which said cam wheel is operated, a toothed
operating dog for intermittingly rotating said wheel, a swinging sector or lever, a
pivoted operating dog carried thereby and having a tooth for engagement with the
teeth of the said wheel, two rotating cams one of which serves to vibrate said
operating dog on its pivot to cause its tooth to be engaged with and disengaged
from the teeth of said wheel, and the other of which is connected with said swinging
sector to move the latter and the operating dog carried thereby back and forth to
intermittingly rotate said wheel, a holding dog having a tooth for engagement with
the teeth of said wheel, and means for operating said holding dog so that its tooth
will be in engagement with the teeth of the wheel when the tooth of the operating
dog is disengaged therefrom, and vice versa.
4. In a sewing machine, the combination with the shaft C, of the needle bar
operatively connected with the forward end of said shaft to be reciprocated
vertically, a swinging frame in which said needle bar has its vertical bearings, the
toothed wheel D³, the pattern cam-wheel D³ operated by said toothed wheel and

page_text: •
connected with said needle-bar frame to move the latter horizontally, the cam
cylinder B carried by said shaft and having the grooved cams 6 and 6', the
swinging sector or lever G, the lever H operated by the grooved cam 6 the link h
connecting said lever H with said sector or lever G, the dog G¹ pivoted to said
sector or lever and vibrated on its pivot by the grooved cam t, and the pivoted
holding dog I having a slot and pin connection with said dog G', to be reversely
operated thereby.
5. In a sewing machine the combination with a shaft, as C, to be continuously
rotated, of a toothed wheel, as D, to be intermittingly rotated a toothed operating
dog, as G¹, for rotating said wheel, and a toothed holding dog, as I, actuating
mechanism whereby the said dogs G³ and I will be operated so that their teeth will
be alternately in engagement with the teeth of said wheel,, and means whereby also
said dog G will be moved bodily back and forth to intermittingly rotate said
wheel.
6. In a sewing machine the combination with a rotating shaft, as C, provided
with two cams, of a toothed wheel to be intermittingly rotated, a moving device or
lever, a pivoted operating dog carried thereby, connections between said cams and
said moving device or lever and the said pivoted dog, whereby said device or lever
will be moved to rotate said wheel and said dog will be vibrated on its pivotal
point to cause its tooth to be alternately engaged with and disengaged from the
teeth of the said wheel, a holding dog having a tooth for engagement with the
teeth of the said wheel, means for operating said holding dog so that its tooth will
be in engagement with the wheel when the tooth of the operating dog is disengaged,
and' vice versa.
7. In a sewing machine the combination with the shaft C provided with the
cylinder Bhaving the cam grooves 6 and 7, of the toothed wheel' D², the swinging
sector or lever G, the lever H operated by the cam groove b, the link connecting.
said lever with the said-swinging sector or lever G, the operating dog G' having at
one end a tooth for engagement with the teeth of said wheel, and on the opposite
side of its pivot a pin for engagement with the cam groove b', and the holding dog
having a tooth for engagement with the teeth of the said wheel, and having a slot
and pin connection with the said operating dog G¹
Dated this 8th day of October 1894
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agent,
62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant.
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