IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRAID
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BRAID." A communication from abroad by George Rehfuss, of Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th October 1867.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BRAID," a communication to me from abroad by George Rebfuss, of Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the use in braid-making machines of a recipro-
cating latch needle operating in combination with a vibrating lever and
certain thread guides, so as to produce a braid from a thread carried by the
said lever; also of a certain plate and spring combined with the above in
order to flatten the braid as it leaves the machine. The frame of the machine

page_text: may be provided at one side with two projections and a thumbscrew for
attaching it to the top of a table or stand, the edge of which extends between
the projections. In arms or brackets projecting from the frame turns a
driving shaft to which are secured a grooved pulley and a crank wheel, a pin
on the latter projecting into a slot in the end of a lever hung to the side of
the frame. In a slot in the opposite end of this lever projects a pin on a
vertical rod which slides in suitable guides on the frame, and to the upper end
of which is secured an ordinary "latch" needle. To another arm or bracket
on the frame there is secured a horizontal disc or plate, in which, directly
above the end of the said vertical rod or needle carrier, is an opening for the
passage of the "latch" needle. To the inner side of one of the arms of the
frame there is hung a vibrating lever, the upper end of which passes through
a slot in the plate or disc and is curved towards the needle and has an eye in
the end thereof; a pin at the lower end of this lever projects into a cam
groove in one side of the grooved pulley before mentioned. A curved spring
plate is secured at one end to the upper side of the work plate or disc, the
opposite end bearing on the same. From the top of this plate or disc projects
an upright in which are holes at or near the upper and lower extremities
thereof. A thread from an adjacent bobbin is passed through the openings in
the said upright, through the eye in the end of the vibrating lever in the form
of a loop, round the shank of the needle, below the latch of the same, and
beneath the spring plate. A rotary motion is imparted to the driving shaft,
when the operation of the machine will be as follows:-The vibrating lever
with the eye in the end thereof will first move to one side of the needle which
is at that time elevated, the lever carrying the thread across the needle above
the latch of the same; the needle will then descend, its hook catching the
thread while the lever resumes its first position. As the needle passes down-
wards through the loop on the shank the said loop will first close the latch
and then slip off the upper end of the needle and on to the new loop,
which is held by the hook of the needle. The needle will now again
rise, the new loop as the needle rises through the same opening the latch
in order that the book may receive the thread, which is introduced into
the same by the movement of the lever as before. As the above-described
operations are repeated a succession of loops are made on and drawn from
the needle, a braid being thus formed which is flattened by the pressure
of the spring plate, between which and the work plate or disc it passes as it
is withdrawn from the machine.
The above-described apparatus is compact and well adapted for use in
connection with ordinary sewing machines, to the stand of any of which it

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the 31st year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRAID,"
a communication from abroad by George Rehfuss, of Philadelphia, in the
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, tho
said John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby declaro
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention consists in the use in braid-making machines of a
reciprocating "latch" needle operating in combination with a vibrating lever
and certain thread guides, so as to produce a braid from a thread carried by

page_text: the lever; also of a certain plate and spring combined with the above in
order to flatten the braid as it leaves the machine.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a side view of the improved braid-making
machine; Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the same; Figure 3 is an end
elevation; and Figures 4 to 7 inclusive are views illustrating the operation
of the machine.
A is the frame of the machine, at one side of which are two pro-
jections a, a', and through the lower projection passes a thumbscrew b, which
bears against the under side of the top X of a table or stand, the edge of
which extends between the projections. In arms or brackets c, c', projecting
from the frame, turns a driving shaft B, to which are secured a grooved
pulley C and a crank wheel D, a pin e on the latter projecting into a slot in
the end of a lever E hung to the side of the frame. In a slot on the opposite
end of the lever E projects a pin on a vertical rod F, which slides in suitable
guides on the frame, and to the upper end of which is secured an ordinary
"latch" needle f. To an arm or bracket g on the frame there is secured a
horizontal disc or plate G, in which directly above the end of the rod F is an
opening for the passage of the "latch" needle f. To the inner side of the
arm c of the frame there is hung a vibrating lever II, the upper end of which
passes through a slot in the plate or disc G, and is curved towards the
needle f, and has an eye y in the end thereof. A pin i at the lower end of
this lever projects into a cam groove m in one side of the grooved pulley C; a
curved spring plate o is secured at one end to the upper side of the work
plate or disc G, the opposite end bearing on the same. From the top of the
plate G projects a rod p, in which are holes s, s, at or near the upper and
Jower extremities thereof. A thread t from an adjacent bobbin is passed
through the openings in the rod p, through the eye y in the lever H in the
form of a loop, round the shank of the needle f, below the latch of the same,
and beneath the spring plate o; the parts of the machine are now brought to the
position shown in Figure 4. A rotatory motion in the direction of the arrow
is imparted to the driving shaft B, when the operation of the machine will be
as follows: The lever H and needle f will first move to the position shown
in Figure 5, the lever carrying the thread across the needle above the latch
of the same; the needle will then descend, its hook catching the thread, while
the lever resumes its first position. As the needle passes downwards

page_text: through the loop on the shank the said loop will first close the latch, and then
slip off the upper end of the needle and on to the new loop, which is held by
the hook of the needle. The needle will now again rise to the position shown
in Figure 5, the new loop as the needle rises through the same opening the
latch in order that the hook may receive the thread, which is introduced into
the same by the movement of the lever H as before. As the above-described
operations are repeated a succession of loops are made on and drawn from
the needle, a braid being thus formed, which is flattened by the pressure of
the spring plate o, between which and the work plate or disc G it passes as it
is withdrawn from the machine.
The herein-before described apparatus is compact and well adapted for use
in connection with ordinary sewing machines, to the stand of any of which
it may be attached so as to be driven by a band from the driving pulley of the
machine.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First. The combination of the reciprocating latch needle f, vibrating
lever H, and the thread guides or their equivalents, substantially as and for
the purpose herein-before described.
Second. The combination of the spring plate o with the reciprocating
latch needle f, the vibrating lever H, and the thread guides for the purpose
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Third day of April, One
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.s.)