Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th July, 1891-Accepted, 15th Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
We, JOHN FORBES and ALEXANDER KYLE FORBES both of Moy in the
County of Tyrone in Ireland Handkerchief Manufacturers do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the feeding and guiding of fabrics to be stitched, in the
web or piece, by a sewing machine and is especially intended to be used for broad
hemming or hemstitching such fabrics.
For these purposes we employ a rotary feeding apparatus, to be connected with
and actuated by a sewing machine by means of a lever and cam or worm wheel
and screw or other equivalent mechanism, and a guide or guides placed on the
machine.
The feeding apparatus is supported by brackets, hangers or pedestals and
consists of two parallel rollers, kept pressing towards each other by springs, screws
or weights and carrying forward the fabric between them towards the needle.
For broad hemming and hemstitching we employ a guide placed as close as
practicable to the needle and adjustable to the width of the hem and the position of
the needle for the purpose of keeping the hem in position.
It consists of a plate or strip of metal flanged forked or otherwise suitably bent
at one end to receive the inner edge of the hem and of a forked tongue to receive
the outer edge of the hem and pressed towards the inner edge by a spring.
We may also use one or more additional and similarly adjustable guides placed
on the machine or the bench supporting it to bring the hem into approximate
position before reaching the previously mentioned guide or guides.
By modifications of the guides above described we may adapt our apparatus to
other kinds of stitching.
Dated this 10th day of September 1890.
HYNDMAN & DICKSON,
6, Waring Street, Belfast, Agents for Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
We JOHN FORBES and ALEXANDER KYLE FORBES both of Moy in the
County of Tyrone Handkerchief Manufacturers 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 :-
Our invention relates to the feeding and guiding of fabrics to be stitched in the
web or piece by a sewing machine and is especially intended to be used for broad
hemming or hemstitching such fabrics.
For these purposes in addition to the ordinary feed mechanism we employ a
rotary feeding apparatus which we connect with the sewing machine and actuate
preferably by it by means of a cam lever and ratchet or worm wheel and screw or
other equivalent mechanism and a guide or guides placed on the machine.
The feeding apparatus is supported by brackets, hangers or pedestals attached to
the bench on which the machine is placed or other convenient foundation and
consists of two parallel rollers rotating in suitable bearings and of sufficient length
to carry the fabric forward uniformly throughout its entire width. One, preferably
the inner of these rollers is furnished with a flanged wheel and with a vibrating

page_text: lever and a clamp or pawl which grips the flanged wheel when the vibrating lever
moves in one direction and ruus loose the other way this turning the roller.
This action of the clamp or pawl is assisted by a spring attached to a pin or hook
fixed to the lever.
The speed of the rollers can be adjusted to the feed by altering the amount of
vibration of the lever which is actuated by a cam upon the main shaft or other
available or convenient part of the machine.
The second or outer roller is kept pressing towards or against the one so rotated
as above mentioned by means of springs screws or weights and the fabric which is
held between these rollers is thus carried forward towards the needle.
We do not claim for the means we have described of actuating the inner roller
any novelty being adaptations of the mechanisins employed in the Howe wheel feed
and other well known machines; nor do we confine ourselves to them, as they are
but one of several ordinary and effective mechanical arrangements which may be
adapted for that purpose.
And instead of a pair of rollers we may employ two parallel shafts furnished with
bosses which may be shifted along the shafts so as to hold the fabric at suitable
distances from its selvages or edges.
For broad hemming and hemstitching we employ a guide placed as close as
practicable to the needle and adjustable to the width of the hem and to the position
of the needle.
This guide consists of a plate or strip of brass or other suitable substance flanged
forked or bent at one end to receive the inner edge of the hem and of a forked
tongue made to receive the outer edge of the hem supported on a frame of brass
and pressed towards the flange or bend receiving the inner edge by a spring so that
the hem passes between them.
By reason of the adjustability of the guide the line of stitching can be made as
near as desired to the inner edge of the hem for broad hemming and for hem-
stitching partly on the inner edge of the hem and partly on the single ply of the
fabric adjacent to the hem as ordinarily practised.
The flanged forked or bent plate or strip of brass which receives the inner edge
of the hem is made capable of adjustment by means of a slot working on a vertical
screw fixed to the plate of the machine and of a horizontal screw passing through a
bracket or snug attached to the plate of the machine and engaging the slotted plate
or strip of brass at the end opposite to the flange fork or hend, and the forked
tongue which receives the outer edge of the hem is also made capable of adjustment
by means of a bracket or snug carrying a vertical screw which slides in the slot of
the flanged, forked or bent plate or strip and of a spring by which the forked end
is pressed towards the inner edge of the hem passing between the two parts of the
guide. The spring on the forked tongue also enables the tongue to adjust itself
automatically to any irregularity in the width of the hem.
The vertical screws are furnished with thumb nuts to hold the parts in position
when adjusted.
We may however modify the parts of the guide so that they or either of them
may be attached to the arm of the machine instead of to the plate as above
described.
We may morcover in various ways modify the arrangements we have described
for application to different makes of machines and adaptations to different classes
of work.
And in order that our said invention may be more fully understood we shall now
refer to the drawings upon the two slicets hereunto annexed the same letters of
reference being used throughout all the figures to indicate the same or corre-
sponding parts thereof.
Figure 1. is a plan of our feeding apparatus as applicable to Forbes' hemstitching
machine made under Letters Patent number Two thousand eight hundred and
forty three of One thousand eight hundred and eighty six and shows two parallel
shafts furnished with bosses and supported by brackets attached to the bench, with

page_text: the flanged wheel, part of the clamp or pawl with its spring, the vibrating lever and
the springs pressing the outer roller towards the inner one.
Figure 1. is an end view of the apparatus shewn in Figure I. and shews the
rollers, a bracket and a spring pressing the outer roller towards the inner one and
the flanged wheel, clamp or pawl and vibrating lever on the shaft of the inner
roller.
Figure III. is a plan of the plate of the machine to which our guide has been
attached and shews the flanged and slotted plate or strip of brass held thereto by a
vertical screw and thumb nut with a horizontal screw at the end opposite the flange
whereby it may be adjusted to the position of the needle; and the forked tongue
kept pressing towards the flanged end of the strip of brass by a spring and adjustable
to the width of the hem by a vertical screw and thumb nut.
Figure IV. is a side elevation of the plate of the machine and shews the
vertical screw and the bracket or snug which receives the horizontal screw and
Figures V. and VI. are side elevations and plans of the parts of the guide shewn
in Figure III.
aa are the parallel shafts furnished with bosses b b b¹ b¹ and supported by
horizontal brackets c c-attached to a machine bench d and forming bearings
for the shafts. e. e. are the springs pressing the outer roller towards the
inner one. is the flanged wheel upon the inner shaft a. g is the vibrating lever
and is the clamp or pawl which engages the wheel and turns the inner shaft a,
and is the spring which assists the action of the clamp or pawl h. i is the plate
of the machine to which the parts of the guide or the guides are attached by the
screw and thumb nut kand bracket or snug . m is the flanged and slotted plate or
strip of brass adjusted by means of the horizontal screw n, passing through the
bracket or snug and o is the forked tongue supported on a frame of brass, p, and
kept pressing towards the flanged end of m by the spring, r, and adjusted by the
screw and thumb nut s working.in the slot of the plate or strip of brass m.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is,
1. The feeding of fabrics in the web or piece in sewing machines substantially in
the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and shewn in the drawings
hereunto annexed.
2. The guiding of fabrics in the web or piece in sewing machines substantially in
the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and shewn in the drawings
hereunto annexed.
3. The feeding and guiding of fabrics in the web or piece in sewing machines
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and shewn
in the drawings hereunto annexed.
4. The use in sewing machines of a rotary feeding apparatus constructed actuated
and employed substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
5. The use in sewing machines of a guide or guides, constructed and employed
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and shewn
in the drawings hereunto annexed.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting our improved feeding
and guiding apparatus constructed, actuated, adjusted and employed substantially
in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 10th day of July 1801