IMPROVE- MENTS IN LOCK-STITCH SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, DANIEL JONES, of 27 Great Frederick Street, Cardiff, in the County of
Glamorgan, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOCK-STITCH SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows :-
This invention consists in improvements in lock-stitch sewing machines whereby
a greater length of the second or under thread may be used without necessitating
change of the reel on which it is wound than has hitherto been practicable with
the use of spools or shuttles. The reel carrying the second or under thread is
placed in a cup fitted to the machine at any convenient and suitable point and
open at the outer end, and made stationary either by means of set screws passed
through the bed plate of the machine, or by other means. At a desired point
behind the needle the cup is provided with a notch. Surrounding this first or
inner cup is a second or outer cup furnished with a groove extending around it
and fitting over a flange formed on the inner cup around which the outer cup is
free to be rotated by toothed gearing or other means. The outer cup is recessed at
two opposite points whereat hooks or noses are formed. The thread from the
upper or first reel being in position, as ordinarily, for working, one of the hooks or
noses aforesaid enters the loop formed at the side of the needle and the loop is
thereby carried to the notch of the inner cup. The notch acts as a stop to the
passage of the loop which is widened by the continued rotation of the hook or nose
aforesaid around the inner cup, the thread forming one side of the loop being
passed under the inner cup, and the thread forming the other side extending over
the outer end of the inner cup. The thread of the under reel, which after passing
round a suitable tension lies over the cups, is embraced by the loop and, as the
outer cup rotates, the second hook or nose enters a fresh loop and the first made
loop is tightened thereby. A locked stitch is thus made and tightened in the
material being sewn. The second nose or hook acts upon the fresh loop in a
manner precisely similar to that hereinbefore described with reference to the first
nade loop and the action is continued as the macliine is operated. To permit the
loops to be readily tightened by the engaged hook as they are in succession formed,
the inner cup is hollowed at a point under the needle.
Existing machines designed to produce lock or other stitches may be converted
to produce lock stitches in the manner herein before described by the application
thereto of the mechanism constituting this invention.

page_text: I, DANIEL JONES, of 27 Great Frederick Street, Cardiff, in the County of
Glamorgan, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOCK-STITCH SEWING MACHINES," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
! This invention consists in improvements in lock-stitch sewing machines whereby
a greater length of the second or under thread is available without a change of the
reel on which it is wound than is practicable with the use of spools or shuttles.
Instead of being contained on a spool or in a shuttle the second or under thread is
wound on a reel which reel is placed loosely on a spindle either attached to or 1
formed in one piece with a cup-shaped carrier which is hold stationary. Embracing
the carrier is a second or outer cup capable of being rotated around the inner cup
for which under one arrangement it serves as a bearing. The outer cup is recessed
at opposite points whereat hooks are formed which engage in turn with loops of
the upper thread as these are produced (as is well understood) at the side of the
needle. By the continued rotation of the outer cup each loop is in turn widened
and passed around the carrier. Each loop embraces the under thread, and as each
hook in turn draws up the loop. last formed by the other hook lock-stitches are
consequently produced and tightened in the material being sewn. Under modifi-
cations the outer cup which surrounds the reel carrier may be made to oscillate or
partially rotate around the carrier alternately in contrary directions.
On the appended sheet of drawings Fig. 1 represents a part vertical section and
part side elevation of a portion of a sewing machine designed for lock-stitch sewing
in accordance with one method of performing my said invention. Fig. 2 represents
a part end view. The second or under thread c is wound upon the reel b which is
loosely supported on the spindle s attached to or formed in one piece with the inner
cup or reel carrier a. The reel carrier a is embraced by the outer cup A whereon
are formed the hooks a¹ and a². The carrier is held stationary by the wire or
arm B one end of which is fixed thereto and the other end of which is secured in the
plate C fixed to the underside of the bed plate h. The carrier may, however, be
otherwise prevented from rotating. The outer cup A is free to be rotated around
the carrier a by the driving shaft e to which it is secured and which is carried in
bearings fextending downwards from the underside of the bed plate h.
The upper thread c² is contained as is usual on a reel carried at any convenient
point on the frame of the machine. It is held in a tension of any usual description
and is thence conducted to the needle N. As the loops in the upper thread are
produced by the descent and ascent of the needle they are engaged by the hooks a³
ana of the cup A, it being understood that each hook takes into a different loop.
By the continued rotation of the cup A the loops are in turn passed round the
carrier a, one side of a loop being passed over the back of the carrier, and the other
side over the front thereof.
The under thread c is embraced by the loops of the upper thread and is passed
through a suitable tension p conveniently fixed to the carrier. Each hook in turn
draws up the widened loop last engaged by the other hook. The inner cup or recl
carrier a is recessed towards the top below the needle to permit the loops to be

page_text: Thus the loops
The wires C
readily drawn up by the hooks as they engage with fresh loops.
are drawn up to form lock stitches in the material being sewn.
attached to the outer cup A serve to thrust aside the thread of a loop whilst the
hook following engages with a fresh loop.
To assist in widening the loops as they are passed over the reel carrier a, a
notch as, Fig. 2 is formed on the latter which notch acts as a stop to the passage
of the loop which as aforesaid is widened by the continued rotation of the outer
cup A:
It will be understood that the driving mechanism of the needle N is so arranged
and adjusted with relation to that by which the outer cup A is made to rotate, that
the needle descends to produce a loop for each hook as it is in turn presented for
engagement.
4
Instead of being carried on a horizontal axis, the carrier a and outer cup A may,
if desired, be disposed on a vertical axis.
At Fig. 1, Sheet 2, is represented a part vertical section and part side elevation
of a machine having applied thereto modifications of the improvements constituting
part of my said invention. Fig. 2 represents a part transverse section through the
reel carrier a, and Fig. 3 a part plan below the bed plate ha portion of which is
indicated by the dotted line drawn around the said figure. Fig. 4 shows an
elevation of the outer cup A, and Fig. 5 is a plan of the carrier a which is
stationary within the cup A of which Fig. 6 represents a plan. In this modification
the outer cup A is made to oscillate or partially rotate alternately in contrary
directions around the carrier a which encloses the reel b containing the second or
under thread.
One means of imparting the requisite motion to the cup A consists in the
employment of the rack G gearing with the pinion g secured upon the spindle B of
the cup A and actuated backwards and forwards by the connecting rod L connected
to the toothed disc crank H driven by tho pinion I carried upon the shaft K.
Other means, however, may be adopted for imparting the requisito motion to the
cup A. The reel carrier a does not rotate.
One means of preventing the reel carrier from moving consists in forming on
the carrier the nose or projection a* which extends between the ends of the
plates C fixed to the bed plate h. Other means to keep the carrior stationary may
be employed. Upon the nose a inay be conveniently carried the tension p for the
second or under thread. The outer cup A is provided with hooks a¹, a² for
engagement in turn with the loops of the upper thread as these are produced at
the needle N. The points of the hooks are towards one another. Each engages
with a fresh loop and draws up the slack thread from the other hook to tighten the
stitch previously formed. The arrangement of the driving mechanism is such that
when one hook is presented to engage with a loop the other hook has travelled
around the carrier to a degree which affords a sufficient supply of slack thread for
the loop now about to be engaged by the other hook,
Each slack loop is in turn drawn aside as the material being sewn is fed, the
feed being in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 3, and thus the engagement
of such loop with the hook next following is prevented.
At Figs. 7 and 8, sheet 2, is represented a horizontally arranged reel carrier a
around which the cup A having two hooks a², a is intended to be oscillated in a
manner similar to that above described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6 of the same
sheet. Fig. 7 is a part vertical section and Fig. 8 a part end view and part trans-
verse section. Fig. 9 represents an elevation of the outer cup A detached. The
hooks a', a may be finished with anti-friction rollers a³, a, Fig. 8, over which the
upper thread runs. Similar rollers are carried upon the plates C attached to
the underside of the bed-plate h, as shown. Between the inner ends of the plates C
extends the nose a* by which the carrier a is maintained stationary. In this
arrangement the feed is in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 8, and hence
the plate secured to the outer cup A, or an equivalent device, is required to draw
each slack loop aside to prevent its engagement with the hook next following.

page_text: At Fig. 10 is illustrated a method of supporting the reel carrier a apart from the
outer cup A as a bearing. The carrier is supported towards the front in the
bracket y attached to the underside of the bed plate h. The carrier is supported at
the back by the cup S bearing loosely against the rear of the carrier between which
and the cup S the thread is readily drawn as the loops are extended around the
carrier. The cup S is rigidly secured in position by the nut n fitting over the end
of the spindle a and bearing against the back of the bearing f. The outer cup A.
which surrounds the carrier a is driven by the rack G gearing with the pinion g of
the hollow shank of the cup A. The rack G is slotted to receive the bolt g¹ upon
which it works backwards and forwards. The bracket y may be readily unfixed
to permit removal of the carrier a.
It may be pivotted to the bed plate h and be turned outwards on its pivot clear
of the carrier.
At Figs. 1, 2 and 3, Sheet 3, is represented a modification in the shape of the
hooks a¹ and a by which the loops of the upper thread c¹ are taken round the reel
carrier a. The hooks are secured to a disc A which is caused to oscillate by means
of the pinion G and rack g.
In the operation of the machine the upper thread c is thrown back over the
point of the hook a' as the disc A moves from left to right. The hook a² then
enters a fresh loop and takes up the slack of the loop previously formed and carried
round the carrier by the hook a¹.
In the reverse motion of the disc A as the hook a re-approaches the needle to
engage with a fresh loop, the back part of the said hook a takes on the thread of
the loop which is around the point of the hook a' and keeps it sufficiently far back
as to prevent the hook following from engaging with a slack loop. Under this
arrangement the wires C' referred to in connection with Fig. 2, sheet 1, are dis-
pensed with.
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. In a lock-stitch sewing machine the use in lieu of a shuttle or spool for
carrying the second or under thread of a reel upon which that thread is wound
such reel being arranged within a carrier or container around which each loop of
the upper thread is in turn passed substantially as described.
2. In a lock-stitch sewing machine the combination of a carrier a containing a 3
reel b upon which the second or under thread is wound and a cup A, or the
equivalent thereof, with hooks whereby each loop of the upper thread is in turn
passed around the carrier a substantially in the manner and for the purpose
described and set forth above.
3. In a lock-stitch sewing machine the arrangement of a carrier or container for 4
a reel upon which the second or under thread is wound, a cup, or its equivalent,
with hooks whereby each loop of the upper thread is in turn passed around the
carrier or container and meaus for imparting rotary movements to the said hooks
substantially in the manner hereinabove described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2,
Sheet 1, Figs. 1 to 6 and Figs. 7 to 10, Sheet 2, and Figs. 1 to 3, Sheet 3, of the 4
drawings.