Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 30th Mar., 1895
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, ANDREW EPPLER, of Newton, in the County of Middlesex and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particn-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective curved-needle
double-thread sewing-machine adapted for stitching outer-soles to welts of welted
boots and shoes, which shall operate to interlock the needle and shuttle threads at
points close to the bottom surface of the outer-sole and at a uniform distance from
said bottom surface, whether the thickness of the work be greater or less, without
the employment of a special automatic thread-measuring device to proportion the
amount of thread drawn from the wax-pot to the thickness of the work, the chief
aim of my invention being to simplify the construction of a machine of this class
by eliminating said automatic thread-measuring device therefrom, and to cause the
shuttle and take-up and work-support to accomplish all that has heretofore been
accomplished by said device.
The invention consists, first, in a sewing-machine comprising in its construction a
feeding channel-guide, which in the present machine also forms the work-support
and is in effect a work-supporting channel-guide; an oscillating shuttle located at
one side of said work-support and arranged so that in engaging the shuttle-thread
with the needle-loop it will pull said loop below the bottom surface of the outer-
sole and thus draw thread from the thread-supply, which in the machine shown is
the slack thread provided by the pull-off arm r, which at each operation furnishes
thread to make a stitch through the thickest goods to be sewed, for the next stitch;
and a take-up adapted to take up the thread pulled down by the shuttle and thus
set the stitch, the two threads being interlocked at a uniform point with relation to
the bottom of the outer-sole without regard to the thickness of the work, because
the thread that is taken up to set each stitch was previously pulled down to an
exact and unvarying distance below the bottom of the outer-sole.
The invention also consists in certain improvements relating to various parts of
the stitch-forming mechanism, all of which I will now proceed to describe and
claim.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification,-
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a machine embodying my improvements.
Figure 2 represents a front elevation of the same.
Figure 3 represents an elevation of the opposite side from that shown in
Figure 1.
Figures 4 and 5 represent top views of the shuttle, showing its thread-pulling
action.
Figure 6 represents a partial side elevation and partial section, showing portions
of the machine.
Figure 7 represents an enlarged side elevation of the machine, taken from the
side shown in Figure 1, parts being broken away.
Figure 8 represents a partial side view and partial sectional view, showing
portions of the machine, from the side viewed in Figure 3.
Figure 9 represents a plan view of parts of the machine.
Figure 10 represents a side view of the looper and its actuating mechanism.
Figures 11 and 12 represent top views of the looper and its operating mechanism.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

page_text: In the drawings-
a represents the supporting frame or bed of the machine, having bearings for the
driving shaft b, which is provided with a series of operating cams, and discs
containing cam-grooves, all hereinafter specifically referred to, said cams and cam-
grooves giving motion to the various parts of the machine hereinafter described.
c represents the awl, which is of curved form and oscillates in a curved path.
Said awl is attached to an arm c, which is mounted to oscillate on a fixed stude
and is provided with a gear segment c'. Oscillating motion is imparted to the awl
by means of said segment; a lever having a gear-segment meshing with the
segment c¹ and pivoted at e' to a fixed support, a trundle-roll e³ on said lever, and
a cam-groove * receiving said trundle-roll."
d represents the curved needle, which is attached to an arm d³, which is also
mounted to oscillate upon the stud e and is provided with a gear-segment d
meshing with a similar segment on a lever d², which is pivoted at e and is provided
with a trundle-roll d³ entering a cam-groove d. The awl-arm c and needle-arm d
are formed and arranged so that the awl and needle occupy the same plane, neither
having any lateral movement, so that when they are oscillated the awl follows the
needle, and vice versa.
represents an oscillating thread-finger, which co-operates with the looper
hereinafter described in engaging the needle-thread g with the needle. Said finger
is attached to a lever, which is pivoted at 2 to a fixed support and is connected
by a rod with an arm attached to a rock-shaft, the latter having an arm f",
on which is a trundle-roll/ entering a cam-groove.
7
h represents the looper, which is affixed to a lever h', one end of which is
connected to a wrist-pin 2 on a crank ³ affixed to a pinion which is mounted on
a stud h³ journalled in a fixed bearing. represents a slide, which is reciprocated
in a fixed guide by the action of a cam-groove and a trundle-roll on the
slide 4, the latter having rack-teeth meshing with the pinion . The slide h
also has a stud 10, which enters an oblique slot 2 in the looper-lever h¹. The
reciprocating motion of the slide 6 causes it to act on the looper through the
pinion, crank ³, stud, and oblique slot h, in such manner as to give a
compound movement to the looper, as illustrated in Figures 11 and 12.
i represents a work-supporting channel-guide, which is preferably formed with a
protuberance adapted to enter the channel in the under surface of the outer-sole
of a welted shoe, said support being arranged to hold the work in the path of the
awl and needle. The work-support is affixed to a head or holder, which is
mounted to oscillate on vertical studs 3 affixed to the supporting-frame; hence
the work-support has a back-and-forth motion across the path of the needle,
whereby it in connection with the presser-foot also carried by the head
enabled to feed the work.
is
The mechanism for giving the described motion to the work-support is best
shown in Figure 9, and comprises an arm affixed to the head it, and a rod i
connecting said arm with a lever, which is pivoted at and has a trundle-roll,'
entering a cam-groove 10. The arm is adjustably connected with the connecting-
rod by means of a segmental slot in said arm, a bolt 3 on the rod i adapted
to slide in said slot, rack-teeth on the arm, and a latch or dog is affixed to a
handle which is pivoted to the connecting-rod and is adapted to engage the
teeth. By changing the point of connection of the rod with the arm i³,
length of the feed-movement may be increased or diminished.
the
represents a presser-foot, which is attached to a lever j pivoted at to the
head or holder and arranged so that the presser-foot has an up-and-down motion
toward and away from the work support, so that the foot is adapted to alternately
grasp and release the work, the foot moving back and forth with the work-support
and having an independent up-and-down motion.
The mechanism for giving the presser-foot its up-and-down motion, as here
shown, is as follows:-
On the lever is formed a rack-segment j³ meshing with a pinion **, which is

page_text: attached rigidly to a ratchet-wheel j³ affixed to a rock-shaft which is journalled
in a bracket represents a lever mounted to oscillate on the rock-shaft je and
provided with a spring-dog which normally engages the ratchet . The lever
is oscillated by means of a lever 10, which is pivoted at j and has a roll jis at one
end engaging a cam-groove 14, and a slot at the other end receiving a pivoted
Hock on the lever j³. A spring " connected at one end by a rod j¹ and nut j
with a fixed support on the frame and at the other end with an arm 20 affixed to the
lever normally holds the presser-foot yieldingly down upon the work interposed
between it and the work-support. When the lever is moved in the direction
indicated by the arrow in Figure 7, the dog acting on the ratchet j³, pinion jª,
and lever, raises the presser-foot to a height above the work determined by a
fixed shield which is arranged to hold the dog out of engagement with the
ratchet until the dog passes below said shield. The described mechanism is timed
so that the presser-foot is held down by the spring during the work-feeling
movement of the work-support and raised during the backward movement.
lever 22 pivoted at 23 is provided, to enable the operator to raise the presser-foot,
said lever having a handle 4 and bearing on a projection on the lever j'. The
extent of the downward movement of the presser-foot toward the work support
may be regulated by means of a set-screw 28 in an arm affixed to the lever,
said screw being a ljustable vertically in said arm and bearing at its lower end on a
fixed support on the frame of the machine.
A
k represents the shuttle, which is provided with a beak k adapted to enter the
needle-loop at a point below the work-support. Said shuttle is mounted to
oscillate in a fixed casing or holder ², and the path of its movement is such
relatively to the work-support that the shuttle in moving from the position shown
in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 5 considerably elongates the needle-loop by
pulling downwardly on the same and drawing thread from the supply-end to a
given point below the work-support and the surface of the work resting thereon.
The advantage of this arrangement is that the shuttle pulls from the supply-end
enough thread for the succeeding stitch, said thread being disposed below the
under surface of the sole, so that when the surplus thread is taken up to set the
stitch, the needle and shuttle threads will be interlocked at a fixed and uniform
point in relation to the bottom surface of the sole, without regard to the thickness
of the work through which the thread passes; so that, whether the work he thicker
or thinner, the thread will be interlocked at an unvarying point with relation to
the bottom surface of the sole, the varying amount of thread needed for the
varying thickness of the goods being taken from the slack thread above the goods.
I am therefore enabled to eliminate from the machine any special automatic thread-
measuring mechanism to compensate for variations in the thickness of the work.
The shuttle is provided with a suitable bobbin k³, and is engaged with a suitable
driver, the general construction of the shuttle, bobbin, and carrier being well
known and forming no part of my invention.
The shuttle-carrier is affixed to a shaft k³, which is journalled in a fixed
bearing and has at its lower end a bevel-gear k meshing with a bevel-gear **
affixed to a shaft k, which is provided at one end with a split gear-segment -10
adjustably mounted on said shaft and meshing with a gear-segment 2 affixed to a
lever k, which is pivoted at and connected by a rod with a lever A¹ pivoted
at 7 and provided with a trundle-roll 18 running in a cam-groove k¹, the described
mechanism imparting an oscillating motion to the shuttle. The adjustable gear-
segment 10 enables the position of the shuttle to be adjusted, as will be readily
seen.
m represents a loop-dividing finger, which is affixed to one arm of a bell-crank
lever m¹ m², which is pivoted to the frame of the machine at m³ and is connected
by a rod m¹ to a lever m which is pivoted to the frame of the machine at me and
has a trundle-roll m' entering a cam-groove m³. The finger m is formed to enter
the needle-loop at a point below the work-support and to hold the same open, as
shown in Figure 6, while the shuttle-beak enters said loop.

page_text: n represents the needle-guide, which is affixed to a segmental gear n' mounted to
oscillate on the awl and needle-supporting stud e. Said segment n' is oscillated to
give the needle-guide the usual motions, by a suitable series of devices receiving
motion from one of the cams on the driving-shaft; but as the needle-guide
operating mechanism involves nothing new and as its operation is well known, I do
not deem it essential to describe the said operating mechanism.
o represents the wax-pot, which may be of any suitable construction.
p represents the tension-wheel around which the thread passes on its way from
the wax-pot to the stitch-forming mechanism.
9 represents a thread-locking arm, which is adapted to be alternately pressed
against the convolutions of thread on the tension-wheel to lock the same, and
raised from said wheel to release the thread, said locking device being constructed
and operated substantially as shown in Letters Patent of the United States
No. 421,889, granted February 25, 1890 to Ezra P. Arnold, to which reference
may be made for a fuller description.
r represents a thread-pulling arm, which is adapted to oscillate vertically
between guides 1 (Figure 2), between which the thread passes from the wax-pot
to the tension-wheel. Suitable mechanism is employed to oscillate the said arm,
and thus cause it when moving downwardly to pull a supply of thread from the
wax-pot more than will be required for the next stitch, this motion taking place
when the thread is locked by the locking device g. The arm r is raised when the
thread is being pulled down by the shuttle, so that it offers no resistance to the
pulling out of the thread previously drawn by it from the wax-pot. There being
nothing new in this thread-pulling arm, I do not describe in detail the mechanism
for operating it.
The take-up mechanism shown in Figure I comprises a loose pulley & mounted on
a fixed bearing, a lever s pivoted at 2 and connected by a rod 3 with a levers,
which is pivoted at ss and has a trundle-roll & which enters a cam-grooves. The
levers has loose pulleys at opposite sides of the pulleys, the thread passing
over the pulleys and under the pulley s, as shown in Figure 1. The vertical
oscillating movements of the lever cause the pulleys to co-operate with the
pulley sin taking up the thread, in a manner which will be readily understood.
The extent of the take-up motion may be regulated by means of a slots in the
levers and a stud 10 adjustable in said slot and connecting the rod ³ with the
lever s¹.
The described mechanism is timed to operate as follows:-
The awl first advances and penetrates the material supported on the work-
support i, the presser j rising while the awl is in the material. While the presser
is raised, the work-support and presser receive their backward movement,
preparatory to the next feeding movement. The presser then descends upon the
work, and the thread-fingerf moves back, taking a sufficient quantity of thread
from the supply-end to enable the needle to go through the material without
causing the thread to slip or reeve in the hook of the needle. The awl then
retreats, and the needle advances, following as closely as possible behind the point
of the awl. The looper then presents the slackened thread to the eye of the
needle, and the needle is retracted, drawing a loop through the work. The loop-
dividing finger m then enters the loop and presents it to the beak of the shuttle.
The shuttle then moves from the position shown in Figure 4 to that shown in
Figure 5, exerting a pulling strain on the thread, which pulls from the supply-end
a sufficient quantity of thread to complete the stitch. The thread-finger and
loop-dividing finger m return to their starting positions while the shuttle is acting.
After the shuttle has released the elongated loop, the take-up acts to draw
said loop upwardly and interlock it with the shuttle-thread near the bottom
surface of the work. While the take-up is acting, the presser-bar is held
down upon the work with a sufficiently strong pressure to resist the pull of the
take-up on the thread. While the needle and awl are retracted and the presser-
foot is depressed, the work-support and presser are moved forward to feed the

page_text: work, after which the presser is raised and the work-support and presser again
move backward.
As already stated, the arrangement of the shuttle relatively to the work-support,
which has no vertical movement (and by "vertical" I mean in the direction of
movement of the needle) enables the shuttle to elongate or pull down the needle-
loop to a point at an unvarying distance from the bottom surface of the work, so
that the subsequent action of the take-up causes the locking or setting of each
stitch at a uniform relation to the bottom surface of the sole, without regard to the
thickness of the work, this uniform relation being caused by the action of the work-
support, shuttle, and take-up without any automatic special thread-measuring
mechanism to compensate for variations of thickness of the work. From the fore-
going, it will be seen that the amount of thread drawn off is varied automatically,
according to the thickness of the work and the length of the stitch, which are
inade the gage by which the required amount of thread is measured. The thread
is, however, always drawn to a uniform distance from the bottom surface of the work,
and as the stitches are interlocked at or near that surface, the action of the
take-up forms every stitch at a uniform point with relation to the bottom surface
of the work, a result that is very desirable in stitching outer-soles to welted boots
and shoes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a sewing-machine, the combination with a work-support having an
upwardly pointing channel-guide, of a shuttle and a curved needle located below
the work-support and a take-up above said work-support, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
2. In a machine for sewing shoes, in combination, a work-supporting channel-guide
fixed against movement in the direction of movement of the needle but capable of
movement in a direction at right angles thereto, a clamping part connected to sa:d
guide, means for giving said guide a feeding movement, a rotary shuttle and a
curved needle, both located on the same side of said guide, substantially as and for
the purpose described.
3. In a machine for sewing shoes, in combination, a work-supporting channel-
guide provided with a clamping part fixed against movement in the direction of
movement of the needle but capable of movement in a plane at right angles
thereto, means for giving said guide a feeding movement, a shuttle and a needle
on the same side of said guide, an awl on the opposite side of said guide
arranged to hold the work stationary while the clamping part shifts to its initial
position preparatory to feeding the work, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
4. In a machine for sewing shoes, in combination, a work-support fixed against
movement in the direction of movement of the needle but capable of movement in
a direction at right angles thereto, a clamping part connected to said work-
support, means for giving said work-support a feeding movement, a needle and a
shuttle on the same side of said support, and an awl on the opposite side of said
support arranged to hold the work while the clamping part shifts to its initial
position preparatory to feeding the work, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
5. In a sewing-machine, in combination, a work-feeding mechanism including
a clamping part, a curved oscillating awl and a curved oscillating needle, the
awl being adapted to hold the work while the clamping part takes its initial
position preparatory to advancing the work, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
6. In a sewing-machine, the combination of a curved oscillating needle and
work-holding and feeding mechanism comprising a work-support having a work-
feeding movement across the path of the needle, and a presser-foot which

page_text: moves with said work-support in feeding 'the work and has an independent
work-grasping and releasing movement, and a curved oscillating awl adapted to
hold the work while the work-holding and feeding mechanism takes its initial
position preparatory to advancing the work, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
7. In a sewing-machine for stitching outer-soles to welts of welted boots or shoes,
the combination with a work-support having a projecting channel-guide, of a
shuttle and a curved needle, said shuttle and needle being located on the same side
of said work-support, said channel-guide projection pointing away from said
shuttle and needle, whereby the shoe may be placed in position for stitching with
the tread of the shoe toward the shuttle and needle, and whereby the thickness
of the work and the length of the stitch are made the gage by which the required
amount of thread is measured, and whereby the stitch is set at a uniform
distance with respect to the base line, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
1000
ANDREW EPPLER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.