Overseam and Overedge Sewing Machine for Producing the same.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Oct., 1897-Accepted, 22nd Oct., 1898
[Communicated from abroad by The SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, of New
York, United States of America, Sewing Machine Manufacturers.]
Overseam and Overedge Sewing Machine for Producing the same.
I, WILLIAM HARVEY INSLEE, Manager of The Singer Manufacturing Company,
Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed as.communicated to me, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide a novel over-edge stitch seam which
will have a purl along the edge of the work at the upper side thereof, and if the
novel feature of my invention be employed in connection with an old form of
overedge or button-hole stitch which provides a purl at the edge of the material
at the lower side of the work a double purl-edged over-seam will be produced,
so that when the same is utilized for button-hole or other similar overedge work
a double face or finish will be given to the work and it will thus present sub-
stantially the same appearance on both sides. A further object of my invention
is to provide an improved purling device for use in conjunction with any suitable
over-seaming stitch forming mechanism, and by means of which the said purl
may be formed along the edge of an overseam.
In carrying my invention into effect I employ a suitable stitch-forming
mechanism for producing alternate overedge and depth stitches, said depth stitches
passing through the material or work adjacent to the edge thereof and said overedge
stitches, as the name implies, passing over the edge of the material. To produce
the purl at the edge of the material on the upper side of the work I employ a
purling thread which is carried entirely around the needle or other overedge
thread of each overedge stitch on the upper side of the work, and as the loops or
circles of this purling thread are tightened around the needle-thread of the over-
edge stitches they give, in connection with the overedge thread, a purl finish to
the upper side of the overedge seam.
In the preferred form of my improved purling device I provide for use in con-
nection with an overseaming or stitch-forming mechanism of otherwise ordinary
or suitable construction a thread eye or thread guide and two thread arms which
latter are forked or provided with open recesses or notches at their ends, and one
of which thread-arms has, in operation, rocking or vibrating movements. By
the conjoint operation of the thread-eye and the two thread arms a triangular
loop of the purling thread is formed just prior to the descent of the needle, pre-
ferably at the time when it is to make each overedge stitch, and this loop is so
held by the thread
thread arms that the needle will pass
eye and
into it so that when the loop or purling thread is tightened it will
be drawn up around the needle thread to form a purl along the upper
side of the overseam, the overedge stitches of the overseam being, as usual, alter-
nated with the depth stitches thereof. The purling loops may, however, he pre-
sented for the passage of the needle when the latter is descending to make the

page_text: depth stitches, in which case the purling loops will, in being tightened, be drawn
over to the edge of the work, and this can be partly or wholly effected by tighten-
ing the over-seaming stitches. In thus operating to form the purling loops the
thread eye is preferably (although not necessarily) given a slight vibrating move-
ment, and for the purpose of affording convenient clearance from the work, so
that plenty of room will be afforded for the convenient manipulation of the latter
in handling, the thread arms are preferably given reciprocating movements up
and down or toward and from the work, these arms descending close to the work
when a purling loop is to be formed around the needle-thread, and then rising
so as to be out of the way except when purling loops are to be formed. If my
invention be used in connection with an overseaming mechanism in which the
overedge stitches are produced by a looper or needle rising from below, and pass-
ing by the edge of the material, the overedge thread will be carried upward,
instead of downward, through the purling loops.
.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective diagrammatic view and
Fig. 2 a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the improved overseam constituting
part of my invention. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating a slightly
modified form of the overscam. Figures 4 and 5 are side views, partly broken
out, of a well-known form of button-hole sewing machine with my purling device
applied thereto. Fig. 6 is a front end view of the upper part of the same. Figs. 7,
8 and 9 are detail views of the purling mechanism.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, X denotes the material and Y the needle thread
of an overseam in the production of which either the needle or the material is
shifted horizontally between the descents of the needle to produce alternate depth
stitches W through the material, adjacent to the edge thereof, and overedge
stitches V over the edge thereof.
To produce the purl on the upper side of the material I employ the purling
thread which is looped entirely around the needle thread of each of the over-
edge stitches on the upper side of the work and which, when suitably tightened
or drawn up around the needle thread of the said stitches, produces a purl edge
on the upper side of the work, and if this upper purl be employed in connection
with an ordinary double chain stitch button-hole seam, into which is incorporated
a looper thread T, manipulated in the ordinary manner to produce a purl edge
on the lower side of the work, a double purl-edged or double-faced overseam will
result.
My improved overseam, instead of being made by an over-seaming mechanism
in the production of which either the needle or the work is reciprocated hori-
zontally, may be produced by an overseaming stitch-forming mechanism in which
the overedge stitches are formed by a lower needle or looper rising from beneath
the work at the edge of the material and the thread loops of which are carried
over the edge so that the needle, in making the depth stitches, can pass down-
ward through the same, the loops of the upper purling thread U being, in such
instance, so presented to the lower needle or looper that the latter will rise and
carry its thread through the purling loops which are subsequently tightened
around the loops of overedge thread thus brought up from beneath the work.
Although I have hereinbefore described the upper purling thread as passing
around the thread of the overedge stitches of an overseam composed of alternat-
ing overedge and depth stitches, my invention is not to be understood as being
limited to this manner of forming the upper purl edge, as this may be produced
by passing the purling thread around the thread of the other alternating stitches,
to wit, the depth stitches, of the overseam, and then properly tightening the purl-
ing loops by drawing them towards the edge of the material. This modified
form of my invention is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3.
It will, of course, be understood that, if desired, one or more gimps or cords
may be laid along either the upper or the lower side, or both, of my improved
overseam, without changing the essential features of my invention.
My improved overseam is or may be produced by means of the purling

page_text: mechanism hereinafter more fully described or by any other equivalent or suit-
able mechanism.
Referring to Figs. 4 to 9 of the drawings, A denotes the work-plate and B the
arm of a button-hole sewing machine. C is the driving shaft journalled in the
upper part of the arm B, and D is a vertical shaft connected by bevelled gears c, d,
with the shaft C so as to rotate at half the speed of said shaft O.. The shaft !)
carries a cam d' operating a bell-crank lever E joined by a connecting rod e with
a swinging frame F in which the needle-bar f reciprocates vertically, thus caus-
ing said needle-bar to descend alternately in different vertical planes.
Attached to the lower part of the depending head B1 is a bracket b on which
is pivotally supported a thread-eye lever g the upper bent end of which is held
in contact with the swinging needle-bar frame F by a spring g', said lever having
at its lower end a hole or aperture through which the purling thread passes and
which thus serves as an eye or guide for said thread.
I is a bracket supported by the head B and provided with a sleeve or bearing
portion in which reciprocates a rod or bar i jointed at its upper end to the
forward end of a lever I the rear end of which lever is provided with a pin or
roller-stud entering a cam groove d in the hub or cylinder on which is formed
the bevel gear d. Rigidly attached to the lower end of the rod or bar i is a
thread-arm the extreme end of which is notched or recessed to engage the
purling thread. Also secured to the lower part of the rod or bar i is a bracket k
having an upwardly extending sleeve in which is journalled a vertical rock-
shaft m to the lower end of which is attached the thread arm m¹ the extreme
end of which is notched or recessed so that it can engage the purling thread. The
rock-shaft m has secured to its upper end a cam m² which, as the said shaft is
caused to descend with the rod i (with which rod said shaft is connected thron
the bracket ) comes in contact with a stationary roller-stud__h1_no===
end of the sleeve to impart a rocking motion-w-the-smart--10-vibrate the
thread-arm m' in one direction, the return movements of these parts being effected,
when the rod rises, by a torsional spring k³.
wer
In the operation of my invention the purling thread will be led from a spool L
through a tension device M to a guide eye n thence through an eye in the lower
end of the take-up spring or controller N to a second guide-eye n¹, and thence
through the thread-eye in the lower end of the lever g to the work. The take-up
movements of the take-up or thread controller N are preferably limited by a
stop N. This take-up or thread-controller does not, however, tighten the loops
of purling thread around the needle or overedge thread, each loop of purling
thread being tightened or drawn up when the next subsequent loop is formed,
and this take-up or thread controller, while useful and desirable, is not an indis-
pensable part of my purling mechanism. As the shaft D, from which the thread-
arms, m, are operated, rotates but once to two rotations of the driving shaft C,
from which latter the needle-bar is operated, the said thread arms i¹, m²,
will be operated to form a loop of purling thread around the vertical
path of the needle f¹ only at each alternate descent of said needle, and preferably
at the descents thereof at which the overseam stitches are made. The swinging
needle-bar frame F will be in its outer position, or farthest to the left, Fig. 1,
when the needle descends to make an over-edge stitch, and in this position of
the said needle-bar frame the upper end of the thread-eye lever g will be moved
outward and the lower or thread-eye end of said lever inward, to bring the thread-
guide or eye at said lower end towards the needle. The thread arms i¹ and m
are now so operated that their notched or recessed ends bend the purling thread
into a triangular loop extending about the vertical path of the needle fi so that
the latter, in descending, passes with its thread into said loop of purling thread,
and the needle thread, being caught by the looper or shuttle thread, remains in
the work and thus the loop of purling thread is fastened into the overseam and
is later tightened around the needle thread, a succession of these loops of purling

page_text: thread forming a purl along the edge of the overseam on the upper side of the
work.
My improved purling device may, as has been stated, be used in connection
with any desired form of overseaming stitch forming mechanism. In the button-
hole machine herein illustrated the looping mechanism is or may be the same as
that shown in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 5078 of 1887, which produces
an overedge or button-hole seam having a purl along the edge of the lower side
of the work, and when my improved purling mechanism for the upper side of
the work is used in connection with the looping mechanism referred to, or any
other similar overseaming looping mechanism forming a purl at the lower edge
of the overseam, a double-faced, or double purl-edged overseam will be produced.
This is particularly desirable for button-hole work in coats and other garments
in which the button-holes are more or less exposed on both sides.
While it is desirable that the thread-eye or thread-guide co-operating with the
thread arms of my improved purling mechanism, should be formed on a moving
part, so as to be reciprocated towards and from the needle, in order to afford a
better clearance to the needle at the times when the purling loops are not being
formed, still I have found that good results may be secured by the use of a
stationary thread-eye, and I do not therefore wish to be understood as limiting
my invention to a movable thread-eye in my improved purling mechanism. Also,
although I prefer to reciprocate the thread arms of my purling mechanism towards
and from the work, so that they will be lifted out of the way to afford a con-
venient clearance for the work or button-hole clamp when not actively employed
in forming purling loops, I do not wish to be understood as limiting my inven-
tion to the rising and falling thread arms, as these thread-arms can still perform
their functions properly if not thus moved up and down.
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. An improved overseam having a purl edge on its upper side comprising a
series of alternating overedge and depth stitches suitably concatenated at the lower
side of the work, combined with a purling thread passing completely around
the thread of alternate stitches of said overseam at the upper side of the work.
2. The herein described overseam, comprising overedge and depth stitches suit-
ably interlocked or interlooped at the lower side of the work, combined with a
purling thread passing completely around the needle thread of each of the over-
edge stitches at the upper side of the material to form a purl along the edge of
the latter on the upper side of the work.
3. The herein described overseam, comprising a series of alternating overedge
or depth stitches suitably interlocked or interlooped to form a purl along the
edge of the material, on the lower side of the work, combined with a purling
thread passing completely around the needle thread of alternate stitches of an
overseam at the upper side of the material, to form a purl along the edge of the
latter at the upper side of the work, thereby forming an overedge seam with purl
edges on both sides.
4. In a sewing machine, the combination with an over-seaming stitch-forming
mechanism of otherwise ordinary or suitable construction, of a purling mechanism
for producing a purl edge on the upper side of the work and comprising a thread-
eye or thread-guide, and two co-operating thread-arms, and means for imparting
rocking movements to one of said arms; whereby by the combined operation of
said thread-eye and thread-arms a loop of purling thread, through which the over-
edge stitch thread is carried, is produced.
5. In a sewing machine, the combination with an over-seaming stitch-forming
mechanism of otherwise ordinary or suitable construction, of a purling mechanism
for producing a purl edge on the upper side of the work and comprising a vibrat-
ing thread-eye or guide and two thread-arms both of which are movable towards

page_text: and from the work, and means for imparting vibrating movements to said thread-
eye and reciprocating movements, towards and from the work, to both of said
thread arms, and also for imparting rocking movements to one of said thread
arms in addition to its reciprocating movements.
6. In a sewing machine, the combination with an over-seaming stitch-forming
mechanism, of a purling mechanism for producing a purl edge on the upper side
of the work and comprising a thread-eye or thread-guide, two thread-arms, means
for imparting rocking movements to one of said thread-arms, and a spring take-up
or controller for the purling thread.
7. The combination with stitch-forming mechanism of an overseaming sewing
machine, of a purling mechanism for forming a purl edge on the upper side of
the over-seam and comprising the vibrating thread-eye lever g, the lever I its
operating cam, the rod jointed at its upper end to said lever, the thread arm a
carried at the lower end of said rod, the sleeve ¹ connected to said rod, the rock-
shaft m journalled in said sleeve and provided with the cam m², the thread arm m¹
at the lower end of said rock-shaft, a stationary stud or roller against which said
cam impinges, and a spring for effecting the return movements of said rock-shaft.
01
£ Autoba 1807
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Of the Firm of Cruikshank & Fairweather,
Chartered Patent Agents, 62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Agent for the Applicant.