apparatus for sewing bags, sa and the like
Year: 1886

page_text: I, LOUIS BOLLMANN, of 93 Obere Donaustrasse Vienna, in the Empire of Austria
do hereby declare the nature of my invention 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 improvements in the method of and machinery or
apparatus for sewing bags, sails and the like by stitching the edges or selvages
of a web together with two rows of stitches at once. My said improvements
consist:-
"
1st. In a peculiar construction of the table on which the material to be sewn is
led towards the needles, so that the said table is freely suspended (like a stretched
arm) on a narrow connecting piece reaching out from its upper surface, the two
edges or selvages being led on this table lengthways, in such a manner that they
pass first one on each side of the narrow connecting piece, and then in passing
towards the needles on the further end of the table, are gradually laid one over
the other, the two needles entering closely to the edges or selvages of the web,
whereby a flat double seam is formed. The two selvages of an entire web can
thus be sewn together to form a tube as long as the web, which then can be cut
into proper lengths to form the sacks by sewing the bottoms separately, or the
material may also be previously cut into lengths and the sacks formed by sewing
the sides and bottoms in one operation.
If sails or similar large articles are to be sewn in the middle by such flat double-
seams, it is not necessary, by this method of leading the material towards the
needles, to use a very long needle arm as in other machines, because one side of the
material can pass freely below the suspended table, so that therefore a proportionately
short needle-arm can be used for such sewing.
2nd. In certain mechanism placed inside or below the sewing table and consisting
of two shuttles in combination with two hooks as hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings.
F
Figure 1 is a side view of the improved machine.

page_text: Figure 3 is a plan view of the material to be sewn with the table below it, and
the connecting piece on which the table is suspended, cut through on the line x, y
(Figure 1) to shew its section and the position of the shaft.
Figures 4 and 5 serve to explain the construction of the seam.
A is the standard carrying the entire machine; it is fastened on an under frame
or table not shewn. On the overhanging head of the standard is fastened the
needle-arm B, which carries the mechanism for giving motion to the needles and
the feeding apparatus for transporting the cloth towards the needles.
B is the sewing table on which the cloth lies. This table is cast integral with
the needle arm B, or it may be screwed to the latter. The piece B" which connects
the table to the arm is very narrow, as is shewn in the section Figure 3, and by
it the table hangs freely forward, so that the material to be sewn can be laid
around it in the form of a tube, the open and not yet sewn edges passing on each
side of the piece B¹¹. As the said edges pass towards the needles on the farther
end of the table, they are gradually laid one over the other as is illustrated in
Figure 3, which operation may be performed by hand or by proper self acting
guides.
The driving shaft C is driven by a pulley 0, and has on its right hand a bevel
wheel which meshes with another bevel wheel fastened to the shaft N, which
passes down to the table B¹, where it drives, by means of two pairs of bevel wheels,
the shafts O and P.
The two needles are fastened to the lower end of the needle bar F, that slides up
and down in proper guides formed in the arm B. This motion is produced by the
cam D on shaft C, in combination with the crank lever E and the joint link f.
The feeding of the cloth is accomplished by means of the presser feet H and G.
The foot H has four motions that is, up and down, and forward and backward
motions; while the foot G has no motion but is pressed downwards to hold the
cloth during the time that the foot H is raised, and lies only loosely on the cloth
while the latter is being moved forward by the presser H.
These actions and motions of the feet are produced by the cam J and eccentric.
discs G and H, which operate on the presser-bars by means of the two crank-
levers G and H, the double lever J and the spiral springs K. The lever J.is so
arranged that the length of the stitches can be regulated.
The lifter k serves to raise the pressers H and G, when the cloth is to be inserted
or removed.
:
The two needle-threads are wound upon bobbins which are placed in the double
case M; they then pass between friction plates and around the tension discs L
and through proper eye-pieces towards the sewing-needles.
I may here mention that I do not consider the mechanism for operating the
needles and producing the feed motions as new, and they may be replaced by any
other suitable mechanism.
°
The short shaft P is a crank shaft, on the crank p¹ of which bears the lower end
of the piece q to which are fastened the two hooks QQ. This piece q is jointed to
the lever R that swings in bearings p". Now if by the motion of the crank p,
the lower bearing of the piece q moves in a circle the arm R (which forms a
movable fulcrum for q) must move up and down, while the hooks QQ will move
in an ellipsis. These hooks are so situated that they pass closely on the outside of
the two needles (Figure 2) when they occupy their highest position.
tt are two guides fastened on the front part of the table and covered by a
needle plate.
T, T are two flat shuttles, moving in the guides t, t and driven by a common
shuttle carrier connected by a bar S11 linked to the lever S, which is mounted
upon the same shaft as the arm S¹. The arm S¹ is connected by a rod s to an eye
forming part of the piece q, so that the arm S¹, the lever Su and the shuttles T T
are driven by the motion of the crank p¹.
The shuttle-carrier is only partly seen in Figure 2; it slides in notches and
lengthway in the sides of the guides t t..

page_text: The shuttles are filled with flat oval bobbins from the centres of which the
threads pass out towards the seams.
The relative motions and actions of the parts are as follows: The needles having
entered the cloth, loops are formed on them, when they.commence to move
upwards, the same as in most sewing machines. These loops are seized by the
hooks QQ (which are at that moment in their highest position and moving to the
left) and then expanded, during the downward motion of the hooks, so far, that
the shuttles T, T which are then just commencing to move towards the left will
enter and pass freely through the loops. When the shuttles have moved fully to
the left, the hooks QQ have moved considerably to the right and will be in an
oblique position with their points upwards, so that the loops can slip freely off
from the hooks and shuttles. The loops are afterwards either fully drawn in by
means of proper thread-regulating arrangements situated above the needles, or
are left below until pulled up by the expansion of the loops for the next stitches,
which latter method I prefer for sacks.
The advantages of this construction and combination of the double hooks and
shuttles are (1st) very short needles; (2nd) large shuttles; (3rd) a very short
crank motion for the shuttles and (4th) the same for the needles; (5th) a favorable
method of expanding the loops downwards, whereby the needles require no stop
motion while the shuttles pass through (the loop; and (6th) very high speed and
quiet motion.
Figure 4 shews the positions of the double seamed edges of the cloth in section.
If these are selvages, then they are simply laid one over the other, and the stitches
are made in two lines Z, Z close to the edges as shewn in Figure 4. But, if the
edges are cut, then they are previously turned over more or less (as shewn in
Figure 4b) by means of hemmers or guiding apparatus not shewn in the figures.
The needles may either be placed relatively to each other so that they enter
the cloth in a line at right angles to the direction of the stitches (as shewn in
Figure 3); or they may be set in an oblique position to that line, so that the
stitches of both rows alternate (as shewn in Figure 5), whereby more of the
threads of the cloth are seized and bound by the seams, which is of importance for
Backs, especially if the edges are cut.
The motion of the shuttles T, T may also be a rotating one, either continuously
or back and forth, the hooks QQ transferring the loops to the shuttle after
expansion as described.
The transfer of the motion from the outside to the inside of the table may be
accomplished by a chain or other device instead of the shaft N.
It is self-evident that other mechanism may be employed for producing the
needle motion and the feeding motion than that herein described, I do not there-
fore claim these.
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
First. The method of forming a tube of unlimited length from a web of cloth by
uniting the edges or selvages by two rows of stitches at once as described, the
unsewn edges or selvages of the cloth passing first lengthways one on each side of
the narrow connection B on which the sewing table is suspended, and then
towards the needles on the other end of the table, during which passage the said
edges are gradually laid one over the other, so that the two needles must enter
closely, one the upper, and the other the under edges while the breadth of the cloth
forming the tube passes freely below the table.
Second. The application of this method for sewing sails or other like articles,
whereby a long needle-arm is not required, the breadth on one side of the seams
passing below the table as described.
Third. The arrangement of the two needles as described with reference to
Figure 5 so that the stitches of one row alternate with those of the other.

page_text: Fourth. The combination of two shuttles T T with two hooks QQ, both having
common motions, and each hook being situated between one needle and shuttle,
the hooks seizing and expanding the loops formed by the needles and then
transferring them to the shuttles, so that the latter can pass freely through the
loop as herein described.
D
...
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.