Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Sewing Machines.
We, PERCY HUGHES HEWITT, Barrister-at-Law, of Oakley House, Spring Grove,
Isleworth, London, W., EDWIN ALLEN COCKLE, Bootmaker, and CHARLES
MATTHEWS, Bootmaker, both of 34, Victor Terrace, Harrow Road, Willesden,
London, N.W., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to sewing machines of the rotary-reciprocating or oscil-
lating shuttle type and it has for its object to adapt the shuttle to receive an
ordinary full size reel of thread so as to avoid the disadvantages incidental to the
use of a special spool of small capacity such as is generally employed; these
disadvantages being the loss of time in winding the thread from the reel on to the
spool, in stopping, removing, and accurately replacing the work during such wind-
ing, and the necessity of providing winding mechanism for the purpose, and so
adding to the complication and initial cost of the sewing machine.
The shuttle is a box of nearly circular form in face view (being flattened for
about one-third of its periphery where it lies against the shuttle driver) the
circular portion having a peripheral rib terminating at one end in the form of a
point or hook which projects beyond the flattened part of the body of the shuttle
and is adapted to engage with the loop of the needle thread, this rib being adapted
to run in the circular shuttle race in which it receives alternate rotary motion
through the medium of an oscillating shuttle carrier or driver. The body of the
shuttle is approximately of bi-convex lenticular form in cross-section, the sides
of the shuttle sloping away in opposite directions from the peripheral rib so as to
cause the loop of needle thread caught by the hook of the shuttle to be spread out
and slipped over the body of the shuttle as the latter continues its forward
rotation. The front side of the shuttle body is formed by a lid or cover which may
either be hinged or be detachable and be secured by a snap fastening..
Within the body of the shuttle (which is made of suitable dimensions for this
purpose) a commercial reel is mounted to rotate upon an axis diametrically placed
within the shuttle, the thread as it is drawn from the reel passing directly beneath
a combined thread guide and tension spring and out through a central hole in the
cover. The diametrical axis on which the reel revolves consists of a spindle lying
as nearly as possible in the central plane of the shuttle and adapted to receive
reels of full size or of less length, the spindle being removably mounted between
spring centres so as to admit of being easily removed from the shuttle in order to
insert a new reel. Or the reel may be removably mounted between spring centres
without any spindle, the axis of the reel being always diametrical of the shuttle so
that the reel oscillates to and fro with the shuttle about the axis of rotation of the
latter, the springs which press the centres into the bore of the reel serving also
to impart tension to the thread.
The lid or cover of the shuttle is readily removable through the open front side
of the annular shuttle race so that the shuttle itself need not be removed for the
purpose of changing the reel. In order however, to permit of the easy insertion

page_text: and removal of the shuttle without the necessity of dismounting the shuttle race,
a segment of the front side of the race is so arranged as to be capable of being
swung aside on a pivot to give passage to the shuttle and access to the interior of
the race, and is normally secured in position by means of a spring latch or thumb
screw.
The only further alteration involved in the construction of the machine is the
provision of a shuttle race and carrier of a size corresponding to that of the shuttle,
and such a proportioning of the mechanism as to increase the range of the "take
up" sufficiently to enable it to take up the increased slack of the needle thread
loop consequent on the increased size of the shuttle and otherwise to adapt the
mechanism to the altered dimensions of the shuttle; all these alterations being
merely a matter of calculation not necessarily involving any change in the design
or operation of the machine.
Dated this 7th day of March 1908
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
We, PERCY HUGHES HEWITT, Barrister-at-Law, of Oakley House, Spring Grove,
Isleworth, London, W., and EDWIN ALLEN COCKLE, Bootmaker, and CHARLES
MATTHEWS, Bootmaker, both of 34, Victor Terrace, Harrow Road, Willesden,
London, N.W., 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:
This invention relates to two-thread sewing machines of the rotary-reciprocating
or oscillating shuttle type and it has for its object to adapt the shuttle to receive
an ordinary full-sized reel of thread so as to avoid the disadvantages incidental to
the use of a special spool of small capacity such as is generally employed; these
disadvantages being the loss of time in winding the thread from the reel on to
the spool and in the various operations involved in exchanging the empty for
the full spool, and further the necessity of providing spool-winding mechanism
and so adding to the initial cost of the sewing machine.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein Figure 1 is a face view of the shuttle separately. Figure 2
is a similar view (with the front cover removed) shewing also the shuttle-driver.
Figure 3 is a cross-section of the shuttle on the plane of the reel axis. Figure 4
is a top edge view of the shuttle, shewing also the race in section at the plane of
the joint of the removable portion of said race. Figure 5 is a face view of the
shuttle race and driver and Figure 6 is a central vertical cross-section of the same,
the shuttle being indicated in broken lines. The same letters of reference indicate
the same parts in all the figures.
The shuttle A is a box of partly circular form in face view (being flattened for
about one-third of its periphery, as at A¹, where it lies against the shuttle driver B)
the circular portion having a peripheral rib C terminating at one end in the form
of a point or hook c which projects beyond the flattened part of the body of the
shuttle and is adapted to engage with the loop of the needle thread, this rib C
being adapted to run in a groove in the circular shuttle race N in which the
shuttle receives rotary-reciprocating motion through the medium of the oscillating
shuttle carrier or driver B whose horns bb¹ engage with the point and heel ends
of the peripheral rib of the shuttle, as shewn in Figures 2 and 5. The body A

page_text: of the shuttle is approximately of bi-convex lenticular form in cross-section, the
sides of the shuttle sloping away as at a a¹, in opposite directions from the
peripheral rib C so as to cause the loop of needle thread caught by the hook c of
the shuttle to be spread out and slipped over the body of the shuttle as the latter
continues its forward rotation after the hook has caught the loop. The front side A³
of the shuttle body is formed by a removable lid or cover which may either be
permanently hinged to the shuttle body or detachably connected thereto as for
instance by lugs engaging with the flattened side A' of the body portion, as at a²,
the lugs acting also as springs to retain a nib a at the opposite side of the cover in
engagement with an aperture at in the body of the shuttle.
Within the body A of the shuttle (which is made of suitable dimensions for this
purpose) a commercial reel of thread E is mounted to rotate upon a spindle F
diametrically placed within the shuttle, the thread as it is drawn from the reel
passing directly beneath a thread guide and tension spring G mounted on the
inside of the cover A2 and out through a central hole g in the cover. The spindle F
on which the reel revolves, lies as nearly as possible in the central plane of the
shuttle and it is adapted to receive reels of various lengths up to the ordinary full-
sized commercial reel generally used, the spindle being removably mounted between
spring centres so as to admit of being easily removed from the shuttle in order to
insert a new reel. For this purpose the spindle F has a conical bearing of counter-
sunk in its lower end to fit on a conical centre H carried by a stem h fitted to
slide in a socket in the peripheral rib of the shuttle and pressed upward by a
bowed spring h¹. Upon the spindle F, which may be of square section for this pur-
pose, a sleeve I is fitted to slide without turning, said sleeve having a coned portion i
adapted to fit in the bore of the reel E and a disc portion between which and a
flange on the foot of the spindle is confined a spiral spring J. Upon the opposite
end of the spindle and fitted to turn as one therewith, is mounted another loose
sleeve K having a conical portion k adapted to fit the opposite end of the bore of
the reel, the outer end of the sleeve K being closed and provided with a coned
centre K which is received and rotates in a conical bearing in the rim of the
shuttle body, as shewn in Figure 3. By the arrangement described the reel is
held between the two cones ik by the pressure of the spring J whilst the spindle F
with the sleeve K is held between the coned centres H and K¹ by the pressure of
the spring h The spring h¹ admits of the spindle F with the reel and coned
sleeves fitted upon it, being easily and as a whole, introduced into, or removed
from, the shuttle, the same spring also serving to impart tension to the thread;
whilst the spring Jensures adequate pressure of the cones ik against the ends of
the reel when the latter is of a length less than the full-sized reel shewn.
shoulder f on the spindle is engaged by the sleeve I when the reel is depressed
during insertion or removal, and thus ensures at the proper time such compression
of the spring h¹ as is required to permit of the centre K¹ entering or leaving its
bearing in the shuttle body. Or the reel may be removably mounted between
spring centres without any spindle, the axis of the reel being always substantially
diametrical of the shuttle, so that the reel oscillates to and fro with the shuttle
about the axis of rotation of the latter, the springs which press the centres into
the bore of the reel serving also to impart tension to the thread.
A
The thread guide and tension spring G is a bowed wire whose two limbs are
clamped against the inside of the cover A2 with more or less pressure by the screwing
together of the inner and outer members g¹, g³, of an eyelet or bush through the
bore g of which the thread passes, one end of the spring G being looped and secured
by a stud g³ on the inside of the cover to retain the spring in place, whilst the other
end of the spring is left free in order to permit of the bight of the thread m being
passed under the wire in the operation of threading the shuttle. The bush g', g³,
is concentric with the axis of rotation of the shuttle, and that portion of the
spring G which forms a guide for the thread is curved to a radius concentric with
the same axis, as indicated in Figure 1. The body of the shuttle has a peripheral
slot at to ensure the shuttle clearing the point of the needle.

page_text: The lid or cover A2 of the shuttle is readily removable through the front aperture
of the annular shuttle race N so that the shuttle itself need not he removed for
the purpose of changing the reel. In order, however, to permit of the easy inser-
tion and removal of the shuttle, a segment N' of the front side of the race is made
removable, preferably by being swung aside on a pivot n, and is normally secured
in position by means of a thumb-screw n². The shuttle race N and shuttle
driver B correspond in dimensions to the shuttle and the mechanism of the
machine is so proportioned as to increase the range of the "take up" sufficiently
to enable it to take up the increased slack of the needle thread loop consequent on
the increased size of the shuttle, these alterations being merely a matter of calcula-
tion not necessarily involving any change in the design or operation of the
machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
-
1. In a two-thread sewing machine a rotary-reciprocating shuttle constructed
of a shell of approximately bi-convex lenticular form in cross-section with a
peripheral rib extending about two-thirds of the circumference and terminating
at the front end in a hook adapted to catch the needle thread loop, the front of
the shell being formed of a removable cover giving passage to an ordinary com-
mercial reel of thread substantially as specified.
2. In a two-thread sewing machine the combination with a rotary-reciprocating
shuttle, of a commercial reel of thread mounted to revolve about an axis substan-
tially diametrical of and in the central plane of the shuttle substantially as
specified.
3. In a two-thread sewing machine the combination with a rotary-reciprocating
shuttle constructed of a shell of approximately bi-convex lenticular form with the
front portion removable, of a commercial reel of thread mounted to revolve about
an axis substantially diametrical of the shuttle and of a thread guide hole in the
front cover of the shuttle coincident with the axis of rotation of the shuttle sub-
stantially as specified.
4. In a rotary-reciprocating shuttle (for a two-thread sewing machine) wherein
a commercial reel of thread is mounted to rotate about an axis substantially
diametrical of the shuttle, the combination with a removable spindle journalled
between spring-pressed cone-shaped end bearings, of sleeves fitting on and turning
with the spindle and coned to fit in the ends of the bore of the reel, the one sleeve
being adapted to form the coned centre for the one end of the spindle, and of a
spring confined between the other sleeve and an abutment on the spindle sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
5. In a rotary-reciprocating shuttle (for a two-thread sewing machine) wherein
a reel of thread is mounted to rotate about an axis substantially diametrical of the
shuttle, the combination with the removable front cover of the shuttle, of a thread
guide and tension device consisting of a bowed spring in combination with a
screw-threaded eyelet or bush whereby the limbs of the bow spring are clamped
with adjustable pressure against the inside of the cover of the shuttle, the bore
of the eyelet or bush being concentric with the axis of rotation of the shuttle sub-
stantially as specified.
6. In a two-thread sewing machine having a rotary-reciprocating shuttle formed
of a bi-convex lenticular shell with a peripheral rib, an annular grooved race
adapted to receive and guide said shuttle, having one half of its front wall made as
a separate removable segment to permit the insertion and removal of the shuttle
as described.
7. In a two-thread sewing machine having a rotary-reciprocating shuttle formed
of a bi-convex lenticular shell with a peripheral rib, an annular grooved race
adapted to receive and guide said shuttle having one half of its front wall made as
a separate removable segment, said segment being pivoted at one end to the fixed

page_text: portion of the race and secured at the other end by a thumb-screw substantially
as specified.
Dated this 22nd day of April 1898.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.