Improvements in Boot and Shoe Sewing Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1892-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1892
CUMI LEIE
Improvements in Boot and Shoe Sewing Machines.
I, DANIEL MILLS, of Philadelphia, United States of America, but now residing
at 33 Bloomsbury Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick Mechanical
Engineer, 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 invention relates to improvements in boot and shoe sewing machinery more
especially to machinery of the kind or class described in the British Patents No. 1237
of 1870 Nos. 937 and 2899 of 1871 No. 4279 of 1875 and No. 1160 of 1876.
The machinery described in the Specification of the Letters Patent before
alluded to, is designed for sewing a welt to the insole and upper, for stitching the
outsole to the welt, and also for sewing the soles to the uppers of "turned shoes."
The characteristic features of the mechanism are a curved needle which has an
oscillatory motion and operates either with or without an awl, and with a looper,
feed dog, and back or bottom gauge, and in the case of the lock-stitch machines,
with a discoidal bobbin, a book for carrying the thread over the same and other
devices actuated by suitable cams, the whole of the mechanism being supported in a
strong head placed on a stand in such a manner as to permit the work to be properly
presented to the sewing mechanism.
An important feature of my present invention consists in mounting the head of
the machine in such a manner that the said machine can be used for sewing on welts
or for "turned" work, and also for "fair stitching" or sewing outsoles to welts with
the sole in the same relative position to the operator in all cases and further in a
special arrangement of levers, rollers and wax pot, whereby the action of the
machine is not affected, nor is any change in the position of the wax pot rendered
necessary when the head of the machine is shifted in changing from one class of
work to another. Another important feature of my invention relates to devices for
ensuring such rigid guidance of the needle shield as will maintain it at all times in
proper relation to the needle. Also mechanism for operating the needle and awl so
that the same will pass through the work point to point on the return movement of
the awl, also a device for controlling the operation of the needle shield more
effectively than before and a laterally moving thread holder for carrying the needle
and bobbin threads out of the path of the rotating hook during a portion of the
rotation of the latter, said thread holder also serving as a guide to hold the needle
and bobbin threads in a certain position in respect to the work while said needle
thread is being taken over the bobbin by the rotating hook.
Some further improvements relate to means for preventing the needle thread from
cutting the welt, and comprise a device for imparting a yielding tension to the
needle thread only during the time that the same is being laid in the barb of the
needle so as to cause the thread to be properly placed in the barb of the needle,
mechanism for locking the needle thread during the time when the loop which has
been passed over the bobbin is being partly pulled back and also during the time
that the looper is applying the thread to the barb of the needle so that the spring
tension will work properly, a welt protector for preventing the pulling of the needle
thread upon and over the welt while the proceeding stitch is being drawn tight or
set" and the thread is being drawn from the tension devices for the new stitch and
a device for regulating or adjusting the movement of the take up or pull-back lever
so as to correctly determine the amount of slack thread and thereby regulate the
embedding of the thread in the welt as it is set.
Another part of my invention has reference to the mechanism for rotating and
longitudinally moving the hook which carries the loop of needle thread over the

page_text: discoidal bobbin and comprises mechanism for imparting to the hook intermittent
movements of rotation in the same direction and for locking it between such move-
ments, also means for imparting the lateral movement to the hook shaft, and
permitting the adjustment of the hook from or towards the needle, with means for
starting the rotation of the hook shaft by a gradual or accelerating motion so as to
prevent shock or jar in the movement of the same or in the action of the gearing for
operating it.
In the accompanying drawings
:-
Figure 1 is a side view of the machine shewing the head in the position to which
it is adjusted when the machine is used for sewing welts or turned work.
Figure 2 is an end view of the supporting frame or stand for the machine in the
position shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side view shewing the head of the machine in the position to which
it is adjusted when the machine is employed for fair stitching or sewing welts to
outsoles.
Figure 4 is an end view of the supporting frame or stand in the position shewn in
Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a front view of the head of the machine drawn to a larger scale.
Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line 1-2 Figure 5 looking in the direction
of the arrow I the parts being in the position when the needle is through the work.
Figure 7 is a similar view parts of the mechanism being removed in order to clearly
show the devices for controlling the needle and awl and needle shield which are in
a different position from that shewn in Figure 6.
Figure 8 is another sectional view on the line 1-2 Figure 5 but looking in the
opposite direction to the arrow.
Figures 9 to 18 are detached views of parts of the mechanism.
Figure 19 is a section on the line 3-4 Figure 5 the parts being in position for
sewing welts or turned work.
Figures 20 and 21 are sections taken respectively on the lines 5-6 and 7-8
Figure 5 the parts being in the same position as in Figure 19.
Figure 22 is a similar section of part of the mechanism with the head adjusted to
a different position and with a certain change in the needle back gauge and in the
position of the welt protector to adapt the machine for "fair" stitching or sewing
soles to welts.
Figures 23 to 30 are detached views of parts of the machine and
Figures 31 to 35 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the welt protector.
Figure 36 is another front view of the machine head, certain of the parts in
connection with the hook which carries the needle thread being shown in section.
Figure 37 is a transverse section on the line 9-10 Figure 36 looking in the
direction of the arrow.
Figure 38 is a side view looking from the left of Figure 36.
Figure 39 is a transverse section on the line 11-12 Figure 36 looking from the
right.
Figure 40 is a section on the line 13-14, Figure 5.
Figure 41 is a plan view of part of the feeding mechanism showing the device for
effecting the change in the length of stitch.
Figure 42 is a perspective view of said device detached from the feed lever.
Figures 43 and 44 are sectional plan views illustrating the relation of the feed
back gauge and needle back gauge, and
Figure 45 is a side view showing part of the feed lever and the feed back gauge
secured thereto.
Like letters represent corresponding parts in each figure.
The head is composed of the two parts A¹ A2 secured together by transverse
bolts, the various parts of the operating mechanism being mounted on said head the
parts A A2 of which have bearings formed in them for the reception of the main
shaft C to which are secured the various cams for operating the working parts of
the machine.

page_text: The needle is shown at b; c is the awl; d is the needle shield; e the feed dog;
ff respectively the feed back gauge and needle back gauge; g the back gauge
lever; the looper; i the take-up or pull-back lever; the hook for carrying the
needle thread over the bobbin k; and n the holder for carrying the needle and bobbin
threads laterally and holding them out of the way of the hook, it being understood
that these parts are constructed and operated in the same or substantially the same
manner as in the machines shown in the Specifications of the Patents before referred
to unless special reference is hereinafter made to the construction and operation of
these parts or to some alteration or modification therein.
Referring now to Figures 1 to 4 the two parts A' A of the frame or head are
firmly bolted together by the bolts a, a' a' the bolts a, a¹ serving also to secure the
head to the stand. The bolt a forms an axis upon which the head and the whole of
the mechanism carried thereby can be turned from the position shown in Figure 1,
to that shown in Figure 3. without deranging any of the parts of the mechanism.
When the machine is in the position shown in Figure 1 the parts of the sewing
mechanism are in position for sewing "turned" work, or for sewing a welt to an
upper and insole the needle in this case travelling in a plane substantially parallel
to the "between substance" or that part of the sole between the inside and outside
channels. For "fair stitching" however, that is to say, for sewing an outer sole to
a welt the head of the machine is swung around as indicated in Figure 3, so that
while the needle works in a plane almost at right angles to the sole as is necessary
in this class of work, the boot or shoe is held in the same position as when sewing
"turns or "welts" that is to say, with the sole uppermost, which is the most
convenient position for the operator.
"
One machine by the adjustment of the head, is thus adapted for the proper
performance of two different classes of work, which have hitherto required separate
machines.
It is well understood by those familiar with the state of the art, that a welting
or "turn" machine requires to be mounted on a high stand or support, while for
stitching the outsole to the welt a low stand or support is used. In my present
invention I make the stand in two parts X X¹ so as to be adjustable the lower
part X' being secured to the floor in the usual manner and the upper part X
carrying the sewing mechanism and also the wax pot so that when the sewing
mechanism is raised or lowered for the different classes of work the wax pot always
occupies the same relative position thereto.
The thread after passing through the wax pot 20 on the upper or adjustable
member of the standard or column of the machine passes around a roller to the
tension device (24 and the thread locking drum" thence around the grooved
roller 25 on the pull back lever i thence to the roller 20 secured to the frame or
head, and from there to the looper h. The thread thus passes in the same course
from the wax pot to the looper in whichever of its two positions the head of the
machine happens to be, as will be evident on reference to Figures 1 and 3.
Referring now to Figures 5 to 18 the needle lever b' is formed or rigidly fixed upon
the end of a shaft or axis which is supported so as to vibrate freely in a sleeve 6ª
said lever b¹
secured to the part A2 of the frame or head as shewn in Figure
being provided with a flattened roller for adaptation to the slot in the end of
the operating lever 6 (see Figure 6). The lever is hung to the bolt a² and
vibrated by a cam groove 68 in the disc B' acting on a roller carried by the lever,
as shewn by dotted lines in Figure 6 the cam being also shown by full lines in
Figure 8.
The needle b is mounted on one end of the lever and is secured thereto by a
suitable screw.
The needle shield d Figure 10 is secured to the needle shield
lever d' and the latter is mounted so as to turn freely on the hub or shaft of the
needle lever so as to swing concentrically with the axis of said lever and said
needle shield lever is held in close working contact with the needle lever by the
screw d² this screw passing through a segmental slot d³ in the lever d' as shown in
Figures 67 and 10. Another segmental slot in the lever' d' receives the small

page_text: J
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end of a fixed stud 9 projecting from the frame. A² as shown in Figure 6, the
object of this construction being to prevent the needle shield from being forced
against the sole so that the needle shield descends with the needle only to the
desired limited extent.
By the provision of the segmental slot and screw d² whereby the needle shield
lever is pressed against the side of the vibrating needle lever at a point close to
the outer edge of said shield lever the proper lateral position of the needle shield
in respect to the needle is always maintained which cannot be effectively accom-
plished in all cases where the pivotal bearing of the needle shield lever is the only
means relied upon for preventing lateral twisting or distortion of said needle shield
lever and consequent shifting of the needle shield.
Contact of the needle lever and needle shield lever causes the latter to descend
with the needle lever until such descent is arrested by the stud 9 as shown in
Figure 7, whereupon the needle continues through the work. On the return
stroke, the needle shield lever is locked as described hereafter until the needle is
withdrawn from the work, whereupon the needle shield lever is unlocked, and the
contact of the screw with the upper end of the slot d³ will cause any further
upward movement of the needle lever to be imparted to the lever d' and its needle
shield, hence the latter rises from the work with the needle after the latter has been
drawn through the work.
In order to hold the needle shield downward positively until it has to be again
lifted I provide the needle shield lever d¹ with an arm d³ (see Figs. 7 and 11)
which is acted upon by a cam do on the cam disc B². This cam being such that it
will hold the needle shield rigidly in position while the needle after receiving the
thread is returning and drawing the loop through the work, the arm d³ of the
lever being at the proper time released from the control of the cam de so that
said lever can be raised by the screw d² on the further rise of the needle lever.
The looper lever is journalled in the part A' of the frame or head and on
the front end of the looper lever is the looper h the rear end of the looper
lever being controlled by a cam 2 on the cam disc B' and held against said cam
by a spring ³ attached to the said looper lever ' (see Figure 8).
The awl lever c¹ is independent of the needle lever and the shaft or spindle c²
of said awl lever c¹ passes through the hollow shaft 2 of the needle lever 6' which
is mounted in the sleeve 3 on the head as before described and as shown in
Figure 9.
The sleeve is confined laterally to the frame A2 by a nut c° (Figures 5 9
and 12) and on the projecting rear end of the shaft or spindle c² of the awl lever is
a disc c which serves to hold both the awl lever and needle lever in proper
longitudinal position in the sleeve and said disc c is grooved for the reception of
the friction band c which, in the present instance consists of a wire bent so as to
partially encircle said grooved portion of the disc, and having at its opposite ends
eyes for the reception of a clamping screw c which is adapted to a threaded opening
in the part A2 of the head of the machine, so that any desired degree of friction
can be imparted to the disc and the awl lever thus retained in any position to
which it may be moved (see Figures 9 and 12).
The arm of the needle lever 6' plays between the two arms of the awl lever c²
(Figures 6 and 7) so that there is a certain amount of dwell in the movement of the
awl, that is to say as the needle rises from the work the awl is thrust through the
same and remains in that position until the needle in its descent almost touches
the point of the awl, the latter being then withdrawn from the work and the needle
following it point to point.
A set screw c is carried by one of the arms of the awl lever so as to regulate
the distance apart of the points of the needle and awl on the downward movement.
The thread holder which serves to hold the needle and bobbin threads out of the
path of the rotating hook while the hook is advancing into position to receive a
fresh loop of needle thread is shown in Figures 13 to 17 and consists of a plate n
having a laterally projecting finger n¹ behind which the needle and bobbin threads
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page_text: are received, the plate n being secured to the front end of a lever n² which is hung
to a suitable bearing ³ in the head of the machine, and has an antifriction roller n*
bearing upon a side cam n' on the cam disc B¹ (see Figure 8).
As the hook rotates a cam n¹º in advance of the same (see Figure 18) acts upon
a lug on the plate naud moves the latter outwardly towards the needle as
shown in Figure 17, so as to carry the bobbin thread and loop of needle thread out
of the path of the hook and as soon as the hook has advanced sufficiently the
cam no restores the plate n to its normal position (Figure 13).
The needle and bobbin threads have a bearing behind the projecting finger
or hook n' of the plate n, while the loop of needle thread is being drawn around
the bobbin hence the changing position of said loop due to the rotation of the
hook does not cause any material stretching or spreading of the hole in the work
through which the stitch is formed.
The plate n also has an outer projecting plate or guard n as shown in
Figures 13 and 14 and on the outer side of this guard plate is mounted a coiled
spring n the point of which projects through an opening in the plate and
forms a finger n for engaging with the loop of needle thread after it is pulled
off the hook, said spring finger yielding as the loop is pulled down so as to freely
discharge the same.
The operation of the above described mechanism is as follows:-
Commencing at the point where the needle has just reached the limit of its
forward movement as shown in Figure 6 the looper rises up, carrying the thread
in position to be caught by the barb of the needle, which then begins its backward
movement taking the thread within its barb, and as soon as the barb is well within
the work the looper drops to its normal position, the needle still receding. Before
the barb of the needle reaches the needle shield the arm has been released from
control of the cam do and the needle shield is caused to rise with the needle in the
usual way by the screw d² striking the end of the slot d³ in the needle shield lever.
The rotating hook having commenced to rotate, the movement of the needle is so
timed that the rotating hook will enter the loop held by the needle and the needle
then makes a slight forward movement to release the loop, and the hook shaft
recedes from the needle with the needle thread on the hook carrying the same over
the bobbin. The pull back then pulls the loop of needle thread off the rotating
hook after which the needle resumes its backward movement forcing the awl
through the work. The needle again descends and when it almost reaches the
point of the awl the latter recedes and the needle passes through the work
with it.
The thread holder n lies under the rim of the bobbin face, as shown in
Figures 13 and 14 and prior to the hook reaching the needle and bobbin threads
said plate is pushed laterally towards the needle by the action of the cam 10 in
advance of the hook thereby placing both needle and bobbin threads out of the way
of said hook as shown in Figure 17.
"
In machines of the class to which my invention relates the stitch is drawn tight
or "set
by the hook pulling upon the needle thread in order to carry it over the
bobbin for the succeeding stitch and if the thread from the stitch which is being
pulled tight or " set "
is drawn over the welt it has a tendency to draw into or
embed itself in said weit to such an extent that the welt is damaged and the line of
stitches does not stand up on the face of the welt as prominently as it is desirable
that it should.
גי
In my present machine, therefore, I provide what I call a "welt protector
which is simply a finger inserted between the needle thread and the face of the
welt and serving as a bearing for said needle thread while the needle is rising and
drawing the thread being delivered by the pull-back lever, and while the hook is
pulling upon the loop of thread taken from the needle so as to draw tight or set
the preceding stitch and pull the thread required from the tension device this welt
protecting finger being withdrawn and releasing the needle thread just before the
hook reaches the limit of its upward movement, whereby in connection with means
66

page_text: hereinafter set forth, sufficient thread is left to be drawn down properly upon the
face of the welt by the hook in completing its movement.
In Figures 19, 21, 22, 27 and 28 the welt protecting finger is shown at M and
is carried by a lever M which has an upwardly projecting arm M' and is hung by
means of a stud M³ to a link M the latter being pivoted by means of a bolt M
to the back gauge lever as shown in Figures 19 and 22, so that the welt protector
is always maintained in the same relative position to the bearing face of the back
gauge or table f² as shown in Figure 22 hence whatever the thickness of the sole
and welt may be, the distance of the welt protector from the face of the welt is
always the same.
The arm M² of the protector lever M is controlled by an arm M7 on a rock
shaft M suitably mounted in the frame of the machine, another arm M8 on the
shaft M being under the influence of the cam M" on the side of the cam disc B³
so that a rocking movement is imparted to the shaft M and thence to the lever M
so as to raise and lower the protector M for the purpose hereinafter set forth.
The protector also has a lateral motion which is effected by means of a rod or
shaft M' which passes through the hollow shaft M6 and has at its inner end a
forked or bifurcated head M embracing the arm M2 of the lever, as shown in
Figures 27 and 28 the outer end of said rod M' having an adjustable head or
cap M2 which is acted upon by a lever M3 hung to a stud M on the portion A²
of the head and having an antifriction roller M15 acted upon by a cam M on the
side of the cam dise B³, this cam being in the form of a depression in the disc, as
shown in Figure 28, and the antifriction roller M being caused to
this depression by reason of the action of a spring M" interposed between the
head M12 and a shoulder in the tubular end of the rocker shaft Me as also shown
in Figure 28.
enter
When sewing welts or "turned" shoes the finger M is raised on the lever M.
as shown in Figure 19 so as to be out of the way of the needle thread and above
the needle back gauge used in this class of work, but in "fair" stitching or sewing
soles to welts, the needle back gauge and feed back gauge are changed and the
finger is projected, as shown in Figure 22.
The operation of the welt protector under these circumstances will be understood
on reference to Figures 31 to 35.
When in its normal position the protector is in close contact with the needle back
gauge or table f and when the needle passes through the work occupies a position
between the needle and the preceding stitch, so that when the thread is laid in the
barb of the needle by the looper, it will be engaged by the protector, as shown in
Figure 31.
As the needle rises through the work it forms above the latter, a loop which is
caught by the rotating hook as shown in Figure 32 and said hook then carries
this loop up over the bobbin, and during this movement pulls tight or "sets
the preceding stitch in the channel of the sole, as shown in Figure 33 and also pulls
a certain amount of thread from the tension devices for the stitch.
The welt protector remains in the under loop of needle thread during the time
that the preceding stitch is being drawn or "set" and the thread drawn from the
tension devices, but before the hook reaches the limit of its upward movement the
protector is withdrawn from the under loop of needle thread as shown in Figure 34,
so that in completing its movement the rotating hook draws up this loop against
the surface of the welt, there being just enough thread in the loop in connection
with the thread given off by the pull-back lever as hereinafter set forth to permit
of the drawing of the thread properly upon the surface of said welt.
As there is practically no drawing of the thread over the surface of the welt from
one awl hole to the other in drawing up or "setting" the stitches and pulling the
thread from the tension devices there is no wearing away or indenting of the welt at
or near the awl hcles, hence each stitch stands up on the face of the welt without
undue embedment in the welt, and the welt is not partially cut through or damaged
...by the needle thread.

page_text: After being withdrawn from the underloop of needle thread the protector goes
back and over the needle thread and is then depressed in front of the thread (running
to the looper, as shown in Figure 34, so as to engage with said thread, and projected
again to its normal position, as shown in Figure 35 before the awl punctures .the
work for the formation of a new stitch hence on the next descent of the needle
the parts are in the position shown in Figure 31, and the operations above described
are repeated.
I am aware that various methods have been devised for the purpose of accomplishing
the object of this feature of my invention, such for instance as measuring off the
various lengths of thread to suit the various thickness of work, but such devices are
complicated as they require automatic adjustment, whereas in my case the welt
protector does not require adjustment but acts in precisely the same manner without
regard to the thickness of the work.
It is manifest that the welt protecting finger can be used in connection with
machines having equivalent devices for performing the functions of the rotating
hook and bobbin, for instance a vibrating hook or a shuttle acting in conjunction.
with a suitable take-up; the rotating hook and bobbin being however preferred as
the simplest device for the purpose.
It is desirable, to deliver to the hook a certain amount of slack thread when the
hook is passing the loop of needle thread over the bobbin so that there will be no
undue strain on the thread, and the loop will not be pulled too tightly upon the
face of the welt after the withdrawal of the protector. For this reason the take-up
or pull-back lever is journalled at on the side of the head A¹ of the machine:
and has an antifriction roller which is acted upon by the cam B on the main
shaft C, but this cam instead of being single as in the former machine is made in
two parts B B the latter being pivoted to screw stud so that said portion B*
which constitutes the tail end of the cam can be adjusted to a position nearer to or
further from the axis of the cam and thus regulate the amount of slack thread
delivered to the hook when the roller of the take-up lever finally leaves the
cam B*.
In the front portion of the cam B* is a spring tongue also journalled on the
stud, this tongue being pressed outward by a spring in such a manner that
when the spring tongue is passing under the roller the lever i is subjected to a
yielding upward pressure and at this time the looper is applying the thread to the
barb of the needle so that said thread is drawn tightly across the face of the
needle and its engagement with the barb of the needle is thus ensured.
It is desirable to lock the thread at the time when the loop which has been passed
over the bobbin is being pulled back and also during the time that the looper is
putting the thread in the barb of the needle so that there will be no delivery of
thread from the tension devices during such times and the spring tension can be
properly exerted upon the thread. The thread, therefore, after leaving the tension
devices and before being acted upon by the roller on the outer end of the take-up.
lever, is passed several times around a drum i¹¹ which is mounted upon a stud or
spindle on the frame of the machine and is recessed for the reception of a split
ring (Figures 29 and 30) which has near its free ends two openings, one for the
reception of a pin on the frame, and the other for the reception of a pin 15
carried by a lever which is slotted for the passage of said pin and the lever (16
is mounted upon the stud " as shown in Figure 20.
This lever is acted upon by a spring 17 and carries an antifriction roller 18
which is acted upon by a cam 19 as shown by dotted lines in. Figure 20.
When the arm of the lever is being acted upon by the high portions of said
cam the split ring ¹³ is contracted, and hence the drum ¹¹ is free to turn on the
stud so as to permit the free delivery of thread but whenever the roller i¹s passes
from the high portion of the cam 19 the spring " causes such a movement of the
lever as to expand the split-ring 13 and thus prevent any rotating movement of
the drum and any further delivery of thread therefrom.
The bobbin (Figure 26) is adapted to a bobbin case k¹ which fits within the

page_text: bobbin holder (Figures 23 and 24) the latter entering the recess at the front
end of the hook shaft 2 so that an ordinary flat bobbin can be used, the case k¹
having a bevelled edge over which the loop of needle thread can be drawn
whereby the necessity of forming the bobbin with bevelled periphery is avoided.
The bobbin case, however, is not bevelled throughout its entire periphery, a
portion of this periphery being flat, as shown at 3 Figures 25 and 26 so that when
the bobbin case rests within the bobbin holder this flat portion of the case will
form the bearing against the pull of the thread, and hence there will be no tendency
for the bobbin case to slip down from the holder and wedge itself between the
holder and the retainer las might result if the bobbin case has a bevelled or
tapered periphery throughout. On the flat part of the bobbin case is a small
tension spring which constitutes a tension device for the bobbin thread.
The intermittently rotating hook j for carrying the thread around the bobbin k
is secured to the front face of the hook shaft and on said hook shaft is a spur
gear which is provided with a certain number of teeth and a concave blank
space the radius of the blank space corresponding with the convex radius of
the driving disc B' on the shaft C (see Figures 38 and 39). The disc B¹ is provided
on its periphery with a number of teeth equal in number to the number of teeth
in the hook shaft spur gear 73, so that as the said disc B' is continuously rotated,
intermittent forward rotating movements will be imparted to the hook shaft, and
the latter will be locked between such movements, by reason of the engagement of
the curved face of the disc B¹ with the concave face j* of the hook shaft
spur gear.
In order to prevent the wearing of the parts and the noise which would result
from the direct engagement of the rotating spur segment 1 with the pinion while
the latter was at rest, I impart movement to said spur pinion j³ before the spur
teeth reach such position as to intermesh therewith, this movement being effected
by means of a lever hung to a stud j¹ on the frame and adapted to act upon a
lug or projection ja on the face of the pinion this lever having an antifriction
roller acted upon by a cam 14 (Figure 37) and by a spring 16 which serves to hold
the lever normally in position for the action of said cam.
Just before the first tooth of the spur segment reaches a position to strike the
end of the concave portion of the pinion 3 the lever is acted upon by the cam j¹4
and in turn acts upon the lug or projection of the pinion j³ so as to impart a
slight forward motion thereto such motion being permitted owing to the fact that
there is in advance of the first tooth of the segment " a recess.
The cam is so formed that the first movement imparted to the lever j" is a slow
and gradual movement which rapidly increases in speed after the lever is in contact
with the stud so that while the lever is brought slowly into contact with said stud
and starts the movement of the pinion j slowly the movement of said pinion is
accelerated after the start and by the time the spur ¹ begins to mesh with the
pinion the latter is travelling at the same surface speed as the spur segment, hence
the movement of the hook is started easily and gradually and without any jerk or
noise.
To still furthur lessen the tendency to noise, the concave portion of the
pinion is composed in part of a raw-hide block jis and when after the rotation of
the pinion, the concave portion of the same is brought into position to receive the
convex portion of the drive disc, the block 18 prevents any noise such as would
be caused if the convex surface and concave surface were both wholly
of metal.
The hook shaft 2 has a motion towards and from the needle, so that the book
will approach the centre of the needle path to catch the loop of needle thread and
will then be withdrawn to its normal plane of rotation and this lateral movement of
the hook shaft is effected by means of a cam je formed upon the shaft, as shown in
Figure 36 said cam engaging with a tongue or finger which is carried by a set
screw adapted to a threaded opening in the side of the head, a second set screw j¹
being adapted to a threaded opening in the finger and being seated in a recess. in

page_text: the head as shown in Figure 36 so that it not only serves to hold the finger and
prevent it from turning when the screw jis turned but also serves to lock the
finger longitudinally, that is to say, in the direction of movement of the hook
shaft hence the said finger is rigidly held in position.
By manipulating the set screws, however, the finger can be very accurately
adjusted so as to effect a correspondingly accurate adjustment of the hook shaft and
its hook, and thus cause the latter to work up to the centre of the needle path
whatever the size of the needle may be, this movement of course being entirely
independent of, and having no effect upon the in and out movement of the hook
shaft due to the engagement of the cam with the finger.
By imparting an intermittent rotating movement in the same direction to the
hook whereby the thread is passed over the bobbin, I am enabled to operate the
machine more rapidly than those in which a vibrating or back and forth movement
is imparted to the hook, as no time is lost while the hook is receding to its first
position after passing the thread over the bobbin. The hook having intermittent
rotating movements always in the same direction moreover, causes less wear of
parts and less noise than a vibrating hook.
The hook shaft spur pinion is made hollow or recessed at the face for the
reception of the bobbin holder which has a spindle 12 extending through the hook
shaft. On the rear end is mounted an arm 3 which is prevented from turning by a
pin which is screwed into the frame through a plain hole in the said arm as
shown in Figure 38. The bobbin holder partakes some of the end wise movement
of the hook shaft and the object of screw 4 is to prevent rotation of the bobbin
holder, the arm 13 sliding back and forth on the set screw .
Through the spindle 2 extends a pin which has near its front end a collar k
and at the rear end a pin k' which is adapted to the slotted arm of a lever 48 hung
to a pin and acted on by a side cam ko and by a spring " as shown in Figures 5,
36 and 38. A longitudinal reciprocating movement is thus imparted to the pin k
and the collar of the same is caused to press the bobbin k firmly against the
retainer plate while the rotating hook is first applying the loop of needle thread
to the bobbin, the subsequent retraction of the pin allowing the bobbin to lie
loosely and permitting the passing of the thread between the bobbin holder and
retainer so that the loop can be readily drawn over the bobbin.
Referring to Figures 19 and 40 to 45 the feed dog lever el is journalled to turn
freely on a bolt e carried by the bifurcated front end of the feed lever et the upper
end of said feed dog lever el being provided with an anti-friction roller e which
projects into and is controlled by a suitable groove in the cam disc B² as shown
in Figure 19.
The rear end of the feed lever et is journalled on the stud screw e secured to
the part A of the frame or head, as shown in Figure 19 and upon this feed lever e
is mounted the stitch regulating levere which is journalled on the screw stud e
carried by the feed lever, the front end of said lever e being provided with an anti-
friction roller e actuated by a grooved cam e12 in the periphery of the cam disc B³.
The rear end of the stitch regulating lever e is provided with a set screw e¹³ and
the feed lever et has stop lugs e one of which serves to limit the movement of the
stitch regulating lever upon the feed lever in one direction while the other serves
in connection with the set screw 13 to limit such movement in the opposite
direction, so that by adjustment of said set screw e¹³ the lost motion of the stitch
regulating lever can be increased or diminished and the movement of the feed lever
thus caused to be as much less than the positive throw of the cam as is required for
the amount of feed desired for each stitch.
It is occasionally necessary, however, to quickly vary the length of stitch, for
instance when sewing in the shank portion of the shoe the stitch is much longer
than in sewing around the fore portion and as it is usual to begin the sewing at the
5 heel end of the shank at one side of the shoe, it is desirable to start with a long
stitch and to quickly change from said long stitch to a short stitch in passing from
the shank to the fore part of the shoe, and back again from a short stitch to a
B

page_text: long stitch in passing from the fore part to the shank on the opposite side of
the shoe.
In order that this may conveniently be done I provide the feed lever et with a
wedge e for interposition between the short arm of the lever e and the corre-
sponding lug e on the lever e¹ so as to reduce the lost motion of the lever e³ and
thus cause a longer stroke of the feed lever as long as the wedge is thus
interposed.
The wedge el in the present instance forms part of a plate ele provided with a
suitable operating handle e projecting at the right hand side of the machine,
said plate being retained in the position to which it is adjusted by reason of the
friction of a spring e interposed between the plate and the head of a set screw el
carried by the feed lever et as shown in Figure 41.
The feed back gauge fis mounted on an arm f which is fitted to work freely in a
segmental recess in the side of the feed lever e* said segment being concentric with
the axis of the needle lever, as shown in Figure 19 and the arm is retained in the
recess by a cover plate secured by screws f. The feed back gauge f is bent
forward so as to bear upon the face of the needle back gauge f2 as shown in
Figures 43 and 44 said gauge f being secured directly to and projecting forward
from the back gauge locking lever g, which is mounted to turn freely on the outside
of the sleeve b³. The upper end of the lever g is connected by a spring g' to a
lever g³ which carries an anti-friction roller o acted upon by a peripheral cam g² on
the disc B2 so that when the roller is acted upon by the high portion of the cam
the lower end of the back gauge locking lever is pressed forward but when said
roller is acted upon by the low portion of the cam, there is no pressure upon the
lever g.
The backward motion of the feed lever is effected while the awl is in the work
and the spring g' of the back gauge lever is relieved from pressure, so that there is
no bearing of the back gauges upon the work which would tend to pucker the same,
but as soon as the rearward movement is completed the lever g is subjected to the
tension of the spring g' and the back gauges are thereby pressed against the work
so as to properly support it during the feeding movement.
spring can be regulated by the adjustment of the bolt g*.
The tension of the
The lower end of the back gauge locking lever g is provided with a radial slot g
through which passes the locking screw g' which by preference is square threaded,
and screws into a threaded opening in the part A² of the frame or head. On the
inner end of the locking screw 97 is mounted a lever 98 on the upper end of which
is an antifriction roller g which is acted upon by the cam g10 on the cam disc 132,
and against the upper end of this cam lever 98 bears one arm of the spring g¹ whose
other arm is attached to the stud upon which the lever g³ is mounted (see Figure 40).
When the lever is released from the control of the cam go the spring g" causes
the lever gå to turn the locking screw and force a collar g¹² on the same against
the lower end of the back gauge locking lever g with a force equal to the strength
of the spring g¹¹ so as to firmly secure said lever g in position in a manner fully set
forth in my British Patents of 1871 and 1876 before alluded to.
The needle back gauge f2 occupies a position in line with the needle and in
advance of the feed back gauge and is recessed for the passage of the needle and
awl, as shown in Figures 19 and 44 this needle back gauge being secured to the
back gauge locking lever g and moving with said lever so as to firmly support the
work against the feed dog while the feeding operation is taking place, thus insuring
the firm bite of the feed dog in the channel formed in the work, and resisting the
thrust on the work caused thereby and by the projection of the awl through the work,
and the withdrawal of the needle therefrom.
By mounting the feed back gauge f on the feed levere and making the locking
lever for said feed back gauge independent of the latter, I am enabled to permit
the feed back gauge to partake of the feed movement and yet lock it firmly in
position when rigidity is necessary.
In the Specification of British Letters Patent No. 937 A.D. 1871 granted to me,

page_text: the feed back gauge is described as being connected with the feed lever by a link
in a manner similar to that just described.
Part of the face of the needle back gauge f2 serves as the backing for the feed
back gauge f, the latter travelling on the face of the needle back gauge from the
position shown in Figure 43 to that shown in Figure 44.
-
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination, with the fixed frame or stand, of the operating mechanism,
and the frame or head carrying the same hung to the fixed frame or stand, so that
said operating mechanism can be adjusted to different positions and the machine
thus adapted for performing different classes of work with the sole uppermost,
substantially as specified.
2. The combination of the shifting head of the machine, the pull back and tension
mechanism, the wax pot, the standard carrying said shifting head and wax pot, and
a thread guide located on said wax pot and serving to permit the delivery of thread
from the wax pot in the same direction in either position of adjustment of the
shifting head, substantially as specified.
3. The combination with the head carrying the sewing mechanism, of the
supporting stand comprising a lower fixed member, and an upper vertically
adjustable member to which the head is pivoted, and the wax pot likewise
carried by said upper member of the stand substantially as described, and for the
purpose specified.
4. The combination of the needle lever, the needle shield and its lever, and
a segmental slot and set screw close to the outer edge of the needle shield lever,
for preventing the lateral separation of said levers and consequent displacement
of the needle shield in respect to the needle, substantially as specified.
5. The combination of the needle, the vibrating needle lever, the needle shield
and its lever, a slotted connection between said levers whereby the needle shield
lever is raised by the needle lever, and a cam bearing directly upon one arm of the
needle shield lever when said shield is down, thereby positively locking the shield
in the depressed position, substantially as specified.
6. The combination of the needle lever, the awl lever independent thereof, and
having arms between which an arm of the needle lever can play, and a frictional
retaining device for the shaft of said awl lever, substantially as, and for the purpose,
specified.
7. The combination of the needle lever, the awl lever having arms between
which an arm of the needle lever can play, a grooved disc applied to the shaft of
the awl lever and serving as a longitudinal retainer therefor, and a friction band
applied to the grooved portion of the disc and serving to retain the same and the awl
shaft in circumferential position, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
8. The combination of the needle, needle shield, looper, discoidal bobbin, and
rotating hook for carrying the loop of needle thread over the bobbin with the
laterally moving thread holder located above the work and projecting forward in
front of the rotating hook to such an extent as to engage with the bobbin thread
and with the discharged loop of needle thread, whereby they are pushed out of
the way of the hook as the latter advances to catch a fresh loop of needle thread,
substantially as specified.
9. The combination, with the laterally moving thread-holder, of a laterally
projecting finger or hook forming a bearing for the needle and bobbin threads,
and preserving the same in proper relation to the work while the loop is being
drawn, substantially as specified.
10. The combination, with the laterally moving thread holder, of an outer guard
plate, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
11. The combination, with the laterally moving thread holder, of a projecting
spring finger for engaging with the loop of needle thread, substantially as, and for
the purpose, specified.

page_text: 12. The combination of the feeding devices, the needle, the looper the bobbin
and the bobbin hook or shuttle with a welt protector consisting of a finger so located
in respect to said hook or shuttle as to perinit of the passage of the work between
them, and means for moving said finger so as to cause it to first engage and then
release that portion of the thread which is between the stitch being formed and
the preceding stitch, substantially as specified.
13. The combination, with the welt protector finger, of means for moving the
said finger both transversely and longitudinally, substantially as, and for the purpose,
specified.
14. The combination of the feeding devices, the needle, the looper, the bobbin
and the bobbin hook or shuttle with the welt protecting finger, the needle back
gauge or table and a lever carrying said welt protecting finger and hung to the
back gauge carrier whereby said welt protecting finger always retains the same
relative position to said back gauge or table irrespective of the thickness of the
work, substantially as specified.
15. The combination of the feeding devices, the needle, the looper, the bobbin
and the bobbin hook or shuttle, with the welt protecting finger, the pivoted lever
carrying the same, a secondary lever acting on the said welt protector lever to
vibrate the same, a sliding shaft having a head engaging with said welt protector
lever to swing the sanie longitudinally, and means for operating said secondary
lever and sliding shaft, substantially as specified.
16. The take-up or pull-back lever in combination with the two-part operating
cam therefor and means for adjusting the tail part of the cam whereby the
extent of movement of the take-up or pull-back lever for the delivery of slack
thread may be regulated, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
17. The thread-locking device in combination with means for operating the
same so as to lock the thread during the action of the pull-back and while
the looper is applying the thread to the needle, substantially as specified.
18. The combination with the cam for operating the take-up or pull-back lever
of a spring tongue whereby a yielding pressure or draft is imparted to the
thread when the looper is laying the same in the barb of the needle, substantially
as specified.
19. The combination of the needle, the bobbin, the hook, the hook driving
mechanism for intermittently rotating said hook in the same direction around the
bobbin, and mechanism for longitudinally reciprocating the hook shaft in its bearings,
substantially as specified.
20. The combination of the needle, the bobbin, the hook shaft and its hook, a
pinion on the shaft having alternating toothed portion and plain concave segment,
a driving gear having alternating toothed portion and plain convex segment for
engaging with the toothed portion and concave segment of the pinion, and means for
rotating said drive gear whereby the hook shaft has intermittent forward movements
of rotation around the bobbin with periods of dwell, during which it is locked,
substantially as specified.
21. The lever and cam for imparting initial movement to the hook shaft before
the driving spur segment engages with the pinion on said shaft, substantially as,
and for the purpose, specified.
22. The combination, with the hook shaft, of a cam, a stud or finger engaging
with said cam, and screw stems for adjusting and locking said stud or finger,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
23. The machine constructed substantially as described with reference to the
drawings, and operating as, and for the purpose, specified.
D
1
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.