AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN SEWING MACHINES" communicated to him from abroad by Samuel Young
Love of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in the United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th November 1883.
JOHN IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES" [communicated to him
from abroad by Samuel Young Love of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in the United
States of America]
For certain kinds of work such as button hole stitching, and varieties of
ornamental stitching, it is necessary to make the needle of a sewing machine
descend through the fabric alternately on opposite sides of the central line of feed,
so that the needle bar, besides having the usual vertically reciprocating movement,
must also have a horizontal reciprocation transversely to the line of feed of the
fabric operated on. This invention relates to an arrangement of mechanism for
giving this combined movement to the needle bar, this mechanism being so
contrived that the horizontal transverse movement may be dispensed with when
the machine is used for straight sewing. For this purpose, the needle bar, instead
of being made in one piece, is made in two pieces, both fitted to slide in vertical
guides in the head of the machine frame. The front bar to which the needle is
fixed is guided sideways, but is free to have a to and fro front to back movement
transversely to the line of feed, and it is connected to the back bar by pins passing
through holes in the front bar, so that the two bars must move up and down
together. The back bar is guided both at the sides and also at back and front, so that
it always moves in the same vertical line, being driven, as usual, by a crank pin on
the machine shaft working in a curved slot at the back of the bar. In one side of
the front bar there is a vertical groove into which enters a crank pin projecting
from a short spindle that is mounted in a bearing in the head of the machine, the
axis of this spindle being horizontal, and at right angles to that of the machine

page_text: shaft. On this short spindle is fixed a toothed pinion and on the machine shaft is
fitted a wheel or disc, having on part of its circumference teeth which engage with
those of the pinion, the number of these teeth being half the number of the teeth
on the pinion. As the wheel and the pinion are at right angles to one another,
the teeth may be bevil teeth or the wheel may be a crown wheel acting on an
ordinary pinion. It is preferred to make the wheel of such diameter that the
teeth on it occupy only about one quarter of its circumference, so that it drives
the pinion only while the needle is passing through the upper part of its
movement, when it is clear from the fabric. The partly toothed wheel is fitted
with a feather on the machine shaft so that it can be moved into or out of gear
with the pinion by a clutch lever projecting through the framing and taking into
either of two notches. When the lever is in one of the notches, the wheel being in
position to engage with the pinion, the action is as follows. The needle ascends
vertically, the pinion and its crank pin being at rest, but as the needle is
approaching the upper part of its stroke, the teeth on the wheel engage those on
the pinion, and then, during part of a revolution of the machine shaft, while the
needle is passing through the upper part of its movement, the pinion is turned
half round and its crank pin, acting in the groove of the front needle bar, causes
it to move backwards from its extreme forward position to its extreme backward
position. The pinion and crank pin now remaining stationary, the needle descends
vertically at some distance behind the line of its previous descent, and then ascends
vertically in the same line. But as it again approaches the upper part of its
course, the wheel and pinion again become engaged, and the crank pin, being
turned half round, moves the front needle bar to its forward position, so that the
'needle now descends in front of the line of its previous descent. Thus, at every
up and down stroke of the needle, it receives in the upper part of its course, while
it is clear of the fabric, the required to and fro movement across the line of feed.
When straight stitching is desired, the clutch lever is moved to the other notch, so
as to keep the partly toothed wheel disengaged from the pinion, and then by
turning eccentric headed screws on the back bar half round, the front needle bar is
kept against its front guides, so that it descends and ascends continually in the
same vertical line.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Imray in the Patent Office on the 12th May 1884.
"
JOHN IMRAY of N° 28. Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES A Communication to me.
from Abroad by Samuel Young Love of Pittsburg Pennsylvania in the United
States of America
C
For certain kinds of work such as button hole stitching and varieties of
ornamental stitching, the needle of a sewing machine must descend through the
fabric alternately on opposite sides of the central line of feed, so that the needle
bar, besides having the usual vertically reciprocating movement, must also have a.
horizontal reciprocation transversely to the line of feed of the fabric operated on.;
This invention relates to mechanism for giving this combined movement to the
needle, as I will describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section on y y of Fig. 2 of the head of a sewing
machine bracket with mechanism according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal,
vertical section taken on xx Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan, Fig. 4 is a plan of
the head, and Fig. 5 is a detached front view of the wheel H with crank pin c¹.
'A is part of the bracket arm and head of a sewing machine frame, and A¹ the
cap or face plate, which is secured to the face of the head by screws a in the usual
manner, as illustrated in Fig. 2.
A needle-bar B, by preference of rectangular section is passed through
openings b in the top and bottom plates of the cap. These openings are of greater
width than the bar from front to back, so that freedom is provided for the
needle-bar, not only to move vertically, but also horizontally, at right angles to the.
direction of feed.
The needle-bar B is connected to a vertically reciprocating bar C which passes.
through guide-openings 6¹ adjoining the openings b. Vertical movement is given-
to this bar C in the usual way by a crank pin c¹ working in a curved slot C' at
the back of the bar C.
The bars C and B are connected, so as to move vertically together, by means of
pius c² fixed in C and projecting through holes 62 in the needle-bar B, which, while.
it must move vertically with the bar C, is free to slide to and fro on the guide
pins This horizontal movement is given to the needle bar B independently of
the bar C by means of an intermittently rotary crank pin e which projects from a
spindle E and works in a groove b³, cut in the side of the needle-bar B, of sufficient
length to allow full stroke of the needle.
The spindle E works in a bearing a¹, and the crank pin e has a throw equal to
one half the horizontal movement to be given to the needle bar. The normal
position of the crank pin when at rest is level with the axis of the shaft D, one
half rotation of the crank pin shifts the needle bar to one side of its groove or
opening b, and the succeeding half rotation shifts it back or to the other side of the
opening. In order to impart these movements intermittently while the needle is
raised, a pinion F fixed on the shaft E is driven at intervals by teeth occupying
part of the circumference of a crown wheel H which is fitted on the shaft D by a
feather sliding in a groove'h. The number of teeth on the crown wheel H is one-
half the number on the pinion F, so that one complete rotation of the crown wheel,
gives a half rotation to F effecting one horizontal movement of the needle bar B,
as above described, and the succeeding rotation of the crown wheel effects the.

page_text: reverse horizontal movement. Thus successive rotations of the driving shaft and
crown wheel shift the needle-bar B horizontally to and fro, first in one direction,
then in the other, at right angles to the line of feed.
By arranging the toothed part of the crown wheel in proper relation to the
crank pin c¹, the horizontal movement of the needle-bar may be given while it is
performing the upper part of its vertical motion, being then out of the cloth.. In
order to effect this movement quickly, before the needle re-enters the cloth, the
crown wheel H is, by preference, made of considerably greater size or diameter than
the pinion F, so that the toothed part of its periphery is considerably less than a
half circumference, but I do not limit myself to these proportions. Bevel gear may
obviously be substituted for the spur and crown wheels F, H.
When it is desired to do straight sewing, the needle bar B may be moved to one
side of its guide openings b, the wheels F, H, being put out of gear. For this
purpose, screws 8 having eccentric heads are screwed into the ends of the bar C, so
that by turning these screws, their one sided heads press the needle-bar over to the
front side of the guide openings b, and hold it there while it reciprocates vertically
in unison with the bar C. Also, to move the crown wheel H out of gear, a
groove h¹ in its boss receives the forked ends 7 of a lever R, which is pivotted on a
stud. The lever protrudes through a slot at 3 having two notches to hold the
lever in either of two positions, keeping the wheels HF either in or out of gear,
the lever having either spring, action, or-being acted upon by a spring to hold it in
the notches. Any other known arrangement may be employed for shifting the
driving mechanism.
Having thus described the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
wish it to be understood that I do not claim generally the combination of a needle
bar with a second vertically reciprocating bar in such manner that the needle bar,
while partaking of the vertically reciprocating motion of the second bar, also has a
lateral to and fro motion imparted to it, as I am aware that such an arrangement
has been proposed before, but I claim in respect of sewing machines having such
combination of a laterally reciprocating needle bar with a vertically reciprocating
second bar:
First. Arranging the vertically and horizontally reciprocating needle bar B to
slide upon pins c² fixed to the vertically reciprocating bar C, the said bars B and C
being made to work in an enclosing head having guide openings 6 b of sufficient
width to allow of the lateral motion of the needle bar, substantially as herein
described.
Second. Imparting the lateral motion to the needle bar B by means of a crank
pin e working in a vertical groove of the needle bar, the said crank pin being so
actuated by the mechanism imparting the vertical motion to the needle bar, as to
impart the lateral motion thereto when it is in the raised position, substantially as
herein described.
Third. Actuating the crank pin e, that imparts the lateral motion to the needle
bar, by toothed gear F and H, of which has teeth only on part of its circum-
férence, and is carried by the driving shaft having the crank pin c¹, that imparts
the vertical motion to the bars B and C, substantially as herein described:
Fourth. In combination with the bars B and C, the use of screws 8 with eccentric
heads, by turning which the needle bar B is held against its front guides when it
is disconnected from the gear for imparting lateral motion thereto, substantially as
described.
Fifth. The combination of the vertically reciprocating bar C, vertically and
horizontally reciprocating needle bar B, with groove b³, crank pin e, toothed gear
F and H, and crank pin c¹, working in the slot C¹ on the bar B, arranged and
operating substantially as herein described.
Sixth. In the mechanism for imparting a combined vertical and horizontal
reciprocating motion to the needle bar referred to in the preceding claims, arranging

page_text: the toothed wheel H to be slid out of gear with the wheel F by a lever R or
equivalent device, when it is required to impart only a vertical reciprocating motion
to the needle, substantially as herein described.
In Witness whereof I the said John Imray have hereunto set my hand and seal
this seventh day of May in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
eighty four.
JOHN IMRAY (L.S.)