and for similar Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1887
Specification Accepted, 13th Dec.,
1887
and for similar Purposes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
My machine consists in the combination:with a needle, shuttle, tension, and take
up, (all much resembling an ordinary sewing machine) of a device for forming a
bight of thread, through which the needle passes in order to form a knot and tie the
ends of the thread at each complete. stitch. While this combination is the main
novelty of my invention, yet the bight former is also wholly new.
In that form of my machine shown in the drawings, the needle must pass three
times through the material in order to make one complete stitch; but it will be obvious
that the same stitch may be made with the needle passing but twice through the
material and also that a continuous knotted lock stitch, may be made if my bight
former be caused to operate at each stroke of the needle, and an ordinary shuttle
carrying a bobbin be used.
While I have contemplated this latter form of machine and believe it will be
highly useful in a large variety of work, I yet have preferred to show a single thread
machine requiring a special shuttle to take the first loop of thread thrown out by the
needle and to carry that thread through the other loops, thereby making a stitch
especially adapted for pamphlets.
In the drawings I illustrate that form of my machine especially adapted for
stitching pamphlets and the stitch made.
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 are half size. Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18 19, 20, 21 22,
26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 are full size.

page_text: 2
Figures 10, 11, 12, 23, 24, 25, 37 and 38 are enlarged.
Figure 1 is a plan with presser and slide broken away.
Figure 2 is a side elevation with side frame removed.
Figure 3 is a front elevation with front plate and presser broken away.
Figure 4 is a vertical cross section on line 4, 4 of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a back elevation of gear of bight former.
Figure 6 is a front elevation of Figure 5.
Figure 7 is an elevation of Figure 5.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of rack for giving sidewise motion to bight former.
Figure 9 is a plan of Figure 8.
Figures 10 and 11 are side views of the shuttle.
Figure 12 is a section on line 12, 12, of Figure 10.
Figure 18 is a detail, showing hook-plate opened ready to take thread.
Figuros 14 and 15 show modifications of shuttle.
Figuro 16 shuttle and shuttle race.
Figure 17 is a top plan of bight former after having grasped thread.
Figure 18 is a side elevation of jaws of Figure 17.
Figure 19 is a side elevation with jaws drawn back showing method of preventing
thread from pulling jaws open while rotating.
Figure 20, is a section of bight former after bight has been formed.
Figure 21 is a top plan of bight former, after it has been withdrawn from needle.
Figure 22 is a section on line 22, 22 of Figure 21 also showing needle with bight
formed around it.
Figure 23 is an enlarged front elevation of jaws of bight former with knot formed
around them.
Figure 24 is a side elevation of Figure 23.
Figure 25 is a top view of Figure 23.
Figure 26 is a top view of presser and cut off.
Figure 27 is a bottom view of Figure 26.
Figure 28 same as Figure 27 with plates y removed and pins 13 withdrawn.
Figure 29 is a section on line 29, 29, of Figure 28, showing catches.
Figure 30 is a top view of one end of presser, showing cut off blade in position
occupied by it when presser is in condition shown in Figure 28.
Figure 31 is a section on line 31, 31 Figure 26 showing standard operating cut
off blade.
Figure 32 is a plan of plate 113.
Figure 33 is a perspective showing a part of a pamphlet or other material to be
stitched.
Fig. 34 is an edge view of Fig. 33.
Figure 35 is an edge view showing the needle or thread carrier passed through a
bight of the needle thread and through the pamphlet, with ono end of the needle
thread drawn through a loop thrown out from the side of the needle.
Figure 36 is a section illustrating the complete stitch.
Figures 37 and 38 illustrate the knot.
2
In the drawings I have shown the pamphlet Z or other material to be stitched,
with three holes,¹, that being the usual number of needle holes in stitching
pamphlets.
The novelty of my invention consists in a full turn g formed in the needle thread Q
on the needle side of the material to be stitched, through which the neodle N passes
carrying the needle thread through that full-turn and through the material; the usual
loop is then thrown out from the side of the needle and a thread Q¹ is carried
through that loop, so that when the needle is withdrawn, the loop g¹ pulls thread Q¹
and forms a bight in thread Q which is securely tied by a pull upon the outer part q
of the needle thread Q. The knot q³ may be tied close to either side of material Z,
or within the material, depending upon the relative tension of the threads and Q
The finished knot is the familiar weaver's knot, but I am the first, so far as I know,
to form a stitch by forcing the needle down through a bight in the needle thread, and
1.

page_text: then pulling up an under thread passed through a loop in the upper thread as
explained.
In pamphlet stitching, the under thread Q' should be at the free end of the needle
thread as shown in the drawings, but in case my stitch be used for continuous sewing,
the thread Q must obviously be a shuttle thread.
My machine is threaded as follows:-The thread is passed from a spool or ball
through the tension T and thence through the take up t³, from there through the
guide in needle sleeve, and thence through eye of needle N. Machine as shown in
drawings, exhibits position of parts as needle is, about to make its first downward
stroke. A is the lower or shuttle shaft, having upon it frog cam a for opening latch
in shuttle, shuttle cam a' and toothed wheel a², taking motion from toothed wheel a³.
The latter is driven by a pulley and clutch not shown. This driving pulley and
its clutch is old, its function is to allow the machine to be started at will, and
to cause toothed wheel a³ to stop in a certain position at each revolution. The
upper or needle shaft B has upon it the toothed wheel a, connecting it to a³;
the feed cam b, the needle cam b', the bight former cam and the tension and
take-up cam 6, cams a, b, b', 3 are so cut as to cause the various parts connected
to them to make three full movements for each revolution of the shaft, this
combination affects only the inachine shown in the drawings, as the combination
may be made to suit the number of stitches to be made, be it two or more.
I is the slide carrying needle block f. This slide is operated by cam through
levers, and link. This cam is cut to provide first, for tho full downward
stroke of the needle, second for lifting the needle enough to cause it to throw
out a loop, third for holding it in that position while shuttle takes its thread in
the first movement, or passes through the loops in the other movements, fourth
for raising the needle to its extreme height; fifth for holding it in that position
while the needle is being carried from the first to the second position; these
movements are repeated three times with slight variations in time to allow for
other operations, as for instance, after the second upward and sidewise movement
of the needle, it is held longer in that position while the bight former does its
work, and again after the last upward movement, time is given to carry the
needle back to its first position.. The movement of needie from left to right and
back again from right to left is brought about in the following manner.
The needle block f has a free longitudinal movement upon the slide and is
controlled by cam through the levers, and the link f, the rod attached to,
and extending upwards from needle block, is free to slide up and down through
the slotted end of lever . When needle is raised the first time, the block is carried
to its second position, remains stationary while needle descends and rises the second
time; is next carried to its third position, remaining there until stitch is completed,
when it is carried back to its first position. The needle having made its first
downward stroke, and the first part of upward movement having thrown out a loop,
the tension device T holds the thread, preventing any more thread being pulled
from the spool. This tension device T consists of two small plates, placed one
above the other, through which the thread is passed in small holes ; between these
plates a lever bears upon the thread more or less according to the action given it
by tension and take up cam 3 through levers t, t¹ and link t².
The shuttle H now being moved backwards by cam a' through the medium of
levers and and link 2, the hooked latch hon shuttle passes through the loop,
the latch or tension plate being opened by plunger 5 operated by frog cam a
through lever hº, the take-up 3, actuated by cam 6ª (this cam is a double one,
i.e., cut on its face for take up, and on its periphery for tension) takes up the
slack of the loop formed at the eye of the needle thus drawing the thread under
the tension plate h and back of hook h³ in the shuttle H. At this point the frog
cam a releases the plunger h, and its lever h, and the thread is held behind the
hook hand under the tension plate *, tension being given by spring h². Tho
needle now makes its upward movement, being carried over the second throat,
Figure 16 by action of cam 6 already described.

page_text: As soon as the needle starts on its upward movement, the tension cam ³ releases
the tension, thus allowing the necessary amount of thread to render off the spool,
and the shuttle moves up into position to take second loop by action of cam a.
The needle now makes its second downward and slight upward movement, which
is like that already described, and having thrown out its loop, the shuttle with the
thread it carries, is passed through the loop by action of shuttle cam a³. As the needle
passes through the pamphlet to make the second puncture, the take-up t³ makes a
short stroke, thus drawing from the spool thread enough to enable the shuttle to
ass easily through the loop, while thread is given to the shuttle by the upward
of the short stroke of the take-up at the time the shuttle is passing through
the loop. As the heel of the shuttle passes the second throat, the tension cam 63
acts on the tension, thus preventing any more thread from coming from the spool
and a movement of the take-up 3 draws up thread which had formed the loop,
making a lock-stitch. The tension is then once more released so as to give thread
required by next movement of needle. After the shuttle has passed through the
second loop and taken up its position ready for the third loop, the needle com-
pletes its second upward movement and while needle is at rest over the third
throat, the bight-former advances, takes the thread extending from the middle
throat to needle and makes a bight by means described below. The needle now
makes its last downward stroke, through the bight formed around bight-former K,
and the bight-former withdraws leaving the bight around the needle (Figure 22)
which now passes through the pamphlet, then slightly withdraws to throw out the
loop, and the shuttle passes through the loop, the action of the needle, shuttle,
tension and take-up, being the same as in the previous stitch, up to point where
shuttle has gone through the loop thrown out by the needle. A grip is once more
taken on thread by tension T.
The thread, held by hook and tension plate in shuttle H has now rendered
until it is held only by its extreme end. The needle starts in its upward movement,
the take-up 3 drawing up the loose thread which had formed the loop, as fast as
the needle will allow it to. This pull on the thread has a tendency to draw the
lower thread from the shuttle up through the knot around the needle shown at
Figure 22, which knot around the needle slips off the end of the needle as the
needle rises and the lower thread is drawn into that knot around the needle
and a quick motion of take-up tightens the knot forming the well known weavers
knot. The needle having reached its uppermost position again, a projection on the
cam acting on lever cuts off the thread and raises the presser, as herein-
after described. Tho needle going back to its first position as described above,
the presser comes down, clamping the pamphlet at first movement of the machine.
The bight-former is constructed and operated as follows, viz: The jaws K of
bight former are, by means of cam 62 (a double cam, cut on face for rotating jaws
and on periphery for advancing them) acting through lever k³ as shown in
Figures 2 and 4 caused to advance under the needle, but a little to the loft of it;
the jaws K having now reached their position and closed around the thread as
shown at Figure 17; the rack is moved to the right by means of cam 62 acting
upon it through lever and link ²; this rotates gear k¹³.
The gear
meshes with a stationary rack " and controls the rotary motion of the
jaws of the bight-former and also their side movement as follows; The hub of
gear is slotted as shown in detail in Figures 6 and 7, to allow of a free advancing
and retreating movement of the shaft of the bight-former, and this slot is made of
such a width as to allow gear 1 to turn seven-fortieths of a revolution without acting
on the shaft upon which it turns. This seven-fortieths of a revolution moves the
gear, its carriage 18 and the bight former five-sixteenths of an inch to the right, by
reason of gear k¹³ meshing with the rack 7, stationary but adjustable by the screw
When the smooth surface of this wheel Figs. 5, 6 and 7 (which has been taken off
by turning as far as the pitch line of the wheel ) has reached its extreme position
which takes place when the jaws K are brought directly under the needle at the
moment when the said needle performs its last upward motion the smooth surface k
2

page_text: 17
bears against the last tooth 2 of rack " (Figures 8 and 9) and is thus held in position
while the bight-former completes its work. Carriage 18 having been thus moved to
its second position by the action of the teeth on gear A, the edge of the slot in the
hub of gear (Figures 6 and 7) now comes in contact with roller in bight-former
shaft, and causes that shaft to revolve until it assumes the position shown at Figure 20.
This partial revolution of the jaws K of the bight-former (about five-eighths of a full
revolution) forms a bight in the thread by turning the thread around one of the jaws
as shown in Figures 23, 24 and 25.
Just after the jaws K of the bight-former have taken the thread they are drawn
back one-eighth of an inch or under the needle by the action of the cam 6². These
movements have been accomplished while needle, at its last upward position, remains
stationary.
The bight being now upon the needle, that is the needle having passed down
through the bight, the jaws K. of bight-former are made to resume the position shown
in Figures 2 and 21, leaving the knot formed by them around the needle, as shown
in Figure 22.
When
surface car 15 has revolved to point 2, the teeth shown as cut through the smooth
engage the rack kat k² and the continued revolution of gear 1 draws
it back to its former position, and it carries with it the bight-former and carriage 18.
The presser L is operated by a projection on cam 6. This is timed in such a
manner as to raise the presser just after knot has been tied and to lower it at first
movement of the machine. Connection is made between cam 6¹ and presser L through
lever 1, the end of which is in contact with roller on rod 13. This rod connects
the lower ends of quadrants . These quadrants actuate the gears 15, in presser
standards 16 (Figure 3). These gears are feathered on to shafts 17 in. such a manner
as to allow complete freedom of end wise motion to the shaft through the gear, but
compelling the shafts to rotate with the gears. A left hand thread is cut on cach
shaft (see Figure 3). This screw works in nuts 1ª. The lower extremity of shafts
carry within the prosser the gears 19. Within the presser is the plate 1, fitted upon
its edge, with pins 13. These are to prevent undue tension by the thread on the holes
in the material worked upon. This plate 112, also carries the standard 1 actuating
the cutting off blude . Upon the ends of this plate are pinions 16, the one on the
right of presser gearing in one gear, 1º, and the one on the left of the machino,
gearing in intermediate, which, in turn, gears into the other gear 1º.
The blade is connected by lever 18 and its link to standard on plate 12 and
operates inversely to the plate, i.c. when plate 12 moves back, the blade moves
towards plate and when plate moves forward, blade 11 moves back.
Pawls are fitted to pinions 716. These pawls are held in the position shown in
Figure 27 (locking the pinions) by blocks 122, but in the position of plate (12, shown
in Figure 28, they are thrown out of contact with the pinions by springs allowing the
pinions to rotate either way without acting on plate "Figure 32.
After the stitch is completed and the knot tied, cam b' acts on lever and through
it on rod, thus working the quadrants and thereby rotating shaft 17. During the
first part of this rotation, the gears 1, act on pinions, but as these pinions f are
firmly held by their pawls they cannot rotate but must act as racks, hence the
plate is carried back into the position shown at Figure 28. In this position,
the latches Figure 29, are allowed to spring out by the withdrawal of plate 11 and
by tension of spring 12 hold plate back in the position shown in Figure 28.
At the same time, the butt ends of pawls 2 have cleared blocks 122, and are
consequently thrown from contact with the pinions to by their springs, Figures 28
and 32; the pins aro withdrawn from under the stitches, the blade 11 has been
brought in contact with plate 19, as shown and described above; and the thread is
nipped between blade (15 and plate 1. This movement of plate 12 is accomplished by
the rotation of shaft then the presser rises to its extreme height which is, in this
case, five eights of an inch from bed plate.
During this operation, the needle in machine is moving back to its first position,
the thread rendering through the eye of the needle, and at the proper moment, a

page_text: sudden gripping of tension t³ causes a pull on thread sufficient to cut it off where
nipped between blade 1, and plate 1. At the first movement of the machine,
projection on cam 1 rotating out of contact of lover l, allows springs 125, Figure 4
which have been wound up by the previous movement of segments to bring down
.the presser, by throwing segments in the opposite direction. During this down-
ward movement, plate 11 is still held back by latches 123, thus allowing pinions (16 to
rotate freely about their axis, until such time as the presser comes down upon the
gools to be stitched.
Now the plates 120 Figure 29 fast to latches 123, are forced back into the presser,
forcing latches 23 back and releasing plate 112, and allowing spring 17, Figures 27
and 28, to force plate 12 ahead, thus throwing pawls into pinions and converting
them into racks and carrying plate and blade 11 and pins 13 into positions shown
in Figures 26 and 27. The springs 125 acting on quadrants *, allow the presser to
stop at any point between its two extreme positions, according to the thickness of
goods or material placed under it; projection on cam b¹ will always bring it up to its
extreme height. The combination of gears, pinions, pawls and blocks, described
above allows the plate 12 and blade to be acted upon as shown above at the first
movement of shafts regardless of the position of presser, be it down on plate or up to
its extreme height.
The simplest forms of the shuttle are the modifications shown in Figures 14 and 15,
where the self threading device is a hook, which in Figure 14 is back of the needle
when it passes through first throat, just before the loop is thrown out, so that when
the shuttle is moved forward the hook catches the loop.
In Figure 15 the shuttle occupies the same position before the first stroke of needle
as the first shuttle, but the hook ³ is not actuated by a plunger, lever and cam, but
is moved by coming in contact with the thread, and is thrown back into position
shown in drawing, by a light spring, after the thread has passed it.
The general operation is as follows;
The pamphlet is placed on the table and under the presser so that the needle is
vertically over that part of the pamphlet in which the first needle hole is to be made ;
the position of the pamphlet being determined by the eye or by suitable gauges.
The presser is then forced down, clamping the pamphlet between the presser and
the table and the downward movement of the presser also brings the thread holding
pins in place near the throats and draws back the cut-off blade. The needle then
descends making its first puncture, and is drawn slightly back to throw out the loop;
the shuttle is then moved heel first until its hook grasps the loop thrown out by the
slight backward movement of the needle; and then moved point first until it comes
into proper relation with the second throat; and during this time the, needle rises
and moves bodily sidewise over the second throat; the needle then descends through
the second throat, is slightly withdrawn to throw out the second loop, and the shuttle
is passed nose first, through the second loop, carrying with it the needle thread which
it pulls down through the first puncture. As the shuttle gets through the second
loop, the needle rises and moves sidewise over the third throat, the shuttle taking
proper position in relation to the third throat as it passes through the second loop.
The bight former then moves forward and straddles the thread extending from the
second throat to the needle, moves sidewise under the needle and over the third
throat, then turns on its axis to forin the bight, and the needle descends through the
bight held in place by the jaws of the bight-former and continues descending down
through the material and the third throat. As soon as the point of the needle has
passed through the bight, the bight-former moves back rapidly out of the way;
leaving the bight around the needle and thereby forming a single bow knot in the
needle thread, the bow of that knot extending down through the material along each
side of the needle and through the eye of the needle.
The needle is then slightly drawn back to throw out the loop, and the shuttle passes,
nose first, through the loop, carrying with it the shuttle thread which is that part of
the needle thread pulled down through the first puncture; and as the needle rises up
through the third throat the thread of the shuttle is pulled up towards the bight formed

page_text: in the upper needle thread, and then tightened by the take-up, the lower thread carried
by the shuttle is doubled up through that bight, forming a weaver's knot. Of course
the take-up operates at each stroke of the needle, much as in the common shuttle
sewing machine.
The needle as it rises from the third throat moves back over the first throat ready to
make a new stitch; the presser also rises and just before it releases the pamphlet, the
thread holding pins are pulled out from between the thread and the pamphlet and the
cut off blade is thrown forward with its cutting edge against the thread which extends
from the knot up through the slot in the presser to the eye of the needle. I prefer to
have the edge of the cut off blade grip the thread just before the needle gets back over
the first throat; and then to tighten the tension so that the latter part of the move-
ment of the needle sidewise will pull the thread against the edge of the cut off .blade;
as this means a perfect operation of the cut off, and also because the proper length of
thread from the free end of the thread to the eye of the needle is left hanging from
the needle and ready to be used as a shuttle thread in making the next stitch.
In case a knot is desired at each puncture of the needle the shuttle should carry a
bobbin as in common shuttle sewing machines; and in that case the bight-former
should operate to form a bight around the needle at each descent of the needle and
the needle would move up and down only, as in the ordinary sewing machine. It will
also be clear that the bight-former may be made to operate once for every two, three,
four, or other desired number of punctures.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The bight former above described composed of two slotted or forked jaws in
combination with mechanism substantially such as is described to open and close the
jaws to seize and release the thread, and to rotate the jaws to form a half turn in
the thread, substantially as and for the purposo set forth.
Second. The presser, two or more throats, the single needle, means substantially
such as described for advancing the needle from one throat to another, the shuttle and
the bight former, combined and operating substantially as described.
Third. The presser L in combination with the plate and cut off blado 115, and
actuating meclianism substantially such as is described, whereby the plate 12 and cut
off are moved as the presser L rises; and remain stationary until the latches 123 are
forced back by the clamping of the work by the downward movement of presser L,
all substantially as described.
Fourth. In a sewing machine the combination of the needle with two or more
throats and with two slides F and land means substantially as described for
moving the main slide F to cause the needle to work forward and back through each
throat and for moving the second slide 1 to cause the needle to travel from the first
throat over the second and form the last throat, back over the first throat, all
substantially as described.
Fifth. The shuttle above described made up of a body portion having a heel and point
and provided with a self-threading device arranged and operating substantially as set
forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.