Improvements in Apparatus to be Applied to Stitching and Embroidering Machines for the Production of Braided and other Embroidery.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 26th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 30th Nov., 1888
Improvements in Apparatus to be Applied to Stitching and
Embroidering Machines for the Production of Braided and
other Embroidery.
We, WILLIAM BIRKS, Lace Manufacturer of 90 Birkin Avenue and HENRY SMITH
CROPPER, Engineer, of Great Alfred Street, both in the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention consists in the application of certain mechanical appliances or
apparatus to sewing and embroidering machines, by which means we are enabled to
produce a greater amount of variety in embroidered articles than has hitherto been
produced by machinery.
By our invention wo are enabled to embroider with any kind of material such as
gold and silver thread (coarse or fine), chenille, thick cords, braids, beads, &c. The
above named materials are not passed through the eye of the needle, but are stitched
on the surface of the fabric by means of the needle, although the needle does not pass
through them.
When applying our invention to the shuttle embroidery machine, we achieve
the above results by the application of a small pinion or toothed wheel to each
needle.
These pinions or toothed wheels are placed in bearings with their flat surface to the
fabric, and are so arranged that each revolve on its own axis. The centres of the
axes of the toothed wheels are placed opposite to the points of the needles so that the
needles in their usual course of working can enter and pass through the pipes or axes
of the toothed wheels or pinions. On each of these toothed wheels we use a guide or
its equivalent through which we pass the cord, braid or other material which is to be
affixed to the fabric. These toothed wheels are geared into quadrants or other suitable
contrivances to which quadrants is imparted a simultaneous reciprocating movement
by means of a cam or other well known means and such reciprocating movement
being imparted to the pinions causes them to revolve, or partially revolve if necessary

page_text: at each stitch alternately to the right and left. The cord or other material that is
used to form the embroidery is passed through the guide on the toothed wheel and
thence to the fabric upon which it is to be stitched. The needles, which are threaded
with a fine thread, now make a stitch; the toothed wheels are caused to revolve by
the quadrants to the right or left as the case may be, thus passing the cord around
the needle thread. Another stitch is now made and the toothed wheels are caused to
revolve again, but in the opposite direction, thus passing the cord around the needle
thread in the opposite direction, and so on alternately at each stitch. It will be seen
from the foregoing description that the cord is attached to the fabric by the needle
thread passing over it, first on one side and then on the other side, thus firmly
attaching the cord or other material to the fabric without the needle having to pass
through such cord. At any time, if required by the design, the toothed wheels may
be thrown out of gear or otherwise caused to stand still whilst a certain part of the
pattern being formed by the needle threads in the ordinary manner, and may again
be brought into operation when required to finish the other part of the pattern by this
means producing a variety of effects of a novel character.
Dated this 26th day of January 1888.
WILLIAM BIRKS.
HENRY SMITH CROPPER.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus to be Applied to Stitching and
Embroidering Machines for the Production of Braided and
other Embroidery.
We, WILLIAM BIRKS Lace Manufacturer, of 90 Birkin Avenue, and HENRY SMITH
CROPPER, Engineer, of Great Alfred Street, both in the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings
and to the figures and letters marked thereon :-
Our invention consists in the application of certain mechanical appliances or
apparatus to sewing and embroidering machines, by which means we are enabled to
produce a greater amount of variety in embroidered articles than has hitherto been
produced by machinery.
By our invention we are enabled to embroider with any kind of material, such
as gold and silver thread (coarse or fine), chenille, thick cords, braids, threaded
beads &c.
The above named materials are not passed through the eye of the needle, but are
stitched on the surface of the fabric by means of the needle, although the needle does
not pass through them.
When applying our invention to the shuttle embroidery machine we adopt the
arrangement represented in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front
view and Figure 2 a cross section of parts showing so much of the machine as will
enable us to explain the application of our invention thereto, and Figures 3, 4, 5, 6
and 7 are separate views of parts.
a is the needle bar, a¹ is a needle, is the bar on which the shuttle race is formed,
are shuttles, 62 is the bar for giving motion to the shuttles through the medium
of the driver 63; the parts above described are common to this description of
embroidery machine, and the moving parts are operated by cams and levers in any
ordinary manner. The fabric to be embroidered is strained on a frame (not shown)
which carries the fabric in a vertical position between the needles a¹ and the face of
the shuttle race bar b, and such frame is operated by means of a pantagraph to move
the work in any required direction, according to the pattern to be produced, as is well
understood.
In achieving the object of our invention we apply a small pinion or toothed wheel c
to each needle a¹.
These pinions or toothed wheels c are each placed in bearings formed in a bracket c¹
fixed to a bar and they are arranged with their flat surface towards the fabric, and
so that each pinion or toothed wheel c revolves around its own axis within a bearing
formed in the bracket c'. The centres or axes of the toothed wheels or pinions care
placed opposite to the points of the needles a¹, so that the needles, in their usual
course of working, can enter and pass through the pipes or axes of the toothed wheels
or pinions c. In each of these toothed wheels or pinions we form a guide hole c³,
through which we pass the cord, braid or other material x, which is to be affixed to
the fabric. These toothed wheels care each geared into a toothed quadrant d (or other
equivalent contrivance). The quadrants d are each mounted on an axis d' carried by
a bracket c¹ and they receive a simultaneous reciprocating movement by means of a
came (or other well known means) acting, through suitable connections as will be
readily understood, on a bar f mounted in bearings formed in the brackets c'. The

page_text: bar is formed with slots f¹ to receive the studs or pins d2 at the lower ends of the
quadrants d and, in its to and fro motion, the bar gives a reciprocating motion to
the quadrants d around their axes d', and such reciprocating motion, being imparted
to the pinions or toothed wheels c, causes them to revolve at each stitch alternately to
the right and left.
The cord or other material that is to form the embroidery is contained on bobbins
placed near the bobbins which supply the needles and is passed through the guide
holó c in each toothed wheel e and thence to the fabric h upon which it is to be
stitched.
The needles a¹, which are threaded with a fine thread, make a stitch, the toothed
wheels or pinions c are caused to revolve by the toothed quadrants d to the right or to
the left as the case may be, thus passing the cord or other material around the needle
thread; another stitch is now made and the toothed wheels or pinions c are caused to
revolve again, but in the opposite direction, thus passing the cord or other material
around the needle thread in the opposite direction, and so on alternately at each stitch.
It will be seen from the aforesaid description that the cord or other material is
attached to the fabric by the needle thread passing over it, first on one side and then
on the other side, thus firmly attaching the cord or other material to the fabric without
the needle having to pass through it.
At any time, if required by the design, the toothed wheels or pinions c may be
thrown out of gear, or otherwise caused to stand still, whilst a certain part of the
pattern is being formed by the needle threads in the ordinary manner, and may again
be brought into operation when required to finish other parts of the pattern, by this
means producing a variety of effects of a novel character.
This putting out of action and again bringing into action of the toothed wheels or
pinions may be effected by simply disconnecting the moving parts or in any other
convenient manner.
We would here remark that our present invention is also applicable to other
descriptions of stitching and embroidering machine, such, for instance, as that in
which the production of the lace and the stitching and embroidering of the same
proceed simultaneously.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :--
1. The combination with stitching and embroidering machines, of a reciprocating
rotating guide to each needle, whereby materials that cannot be passed through the
eyes of the needles are placed in position to be stitched to the fabric by the needle
threads substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In stitching and embroidering machines, the combination therewith of recipro-
cating toothed wheels or pinions each formed with a central hole or aperture, through
which a needle passes, and with a guide for the cord, braid or other material, and so
operated as to lay the cord, braid or other material first on one side and then on
the other of the needle thread, whereby the same becomes stitched to the fabric
without the needle thread passing therethrough substantially as herein shown and
described.
T
acil 1
1000
WILLIAM BIRKS.
HENRY SMITH CROPPER.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.