Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 20th Mar., 1897
Communicated from abroad by ALBERT OTIS TOWNS, of Hudson, in the
County of Hillsborough, and State of New Hampshire, United States of
America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
This invention relates primarily to means whereby the stitch forming capacity
of a fancy or ornamental stitch sewing machine is multiplied or increased, without
increasing the number of reciprocations of the needle bar or the speed of the
shuttle.
My invention is carried into effect by mounting upon a reciprocating needle bar
two eye-pointed needles which are arranged one behind the other transversely of
the machine or in line with the path or line of movement or action of the rotary
shuttle, and in such a manner that the loops of the needle threads are successively
engaged by the shuttle, and with this is used an irregular feed, which may not
only move the work directly forward but which may also move it sidewise, or
diagonally forward, so that the fabric is advanced or fed, in the main, transversely
of the machine or upon the line of the needles and the line of movement of the
shuttle. As there are, it may be said, two sets of stitch forming devices, in line
with each other, doing full and complete work, it follows that the length of the
feed can be increased, when desired, from that which would be employed if only
one needle were used.
This invention so far as it relates to ornamental stitching, is a marked improve-
ment upon all prior machines, in that it gives a far greater range for ornainental
and diversified stitching, not only as to the style or character of the stitches, but
also in the speed with which they may be made.
Referring to the drawings,
Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a machine embodying my invention, a
portion of the frame being broken out to show the manner in which the feed cam
is made easily removable.
Figure 2 is a view principally in front elevation of my improved machine, the
face plate of the head being removed to show the mechanism behind it, and the
throat-plate being broken away upon the line of the needles to represent their
relation to the cloth feed and shuttle.
Figure 3 is a detail view enlarged, partly in elevation, of the stitch forming
devices.
Figure 4 is a detail view in plan representing the relation which the needles
bear to the throat plate, feed dog and fabric.
Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating some of the ornamental stitching
done upon the machine.
Figure 6 is a plan view of the bed of the machine showing the feed bar, feed
dog, throat plate and the feeding cams, the latter and their connections with the
feeding devices being shown in dotted lines.

page_text: Figure 6 is a detail plan view of the presser foot.
Figure 7 is a central vertical section of the throat plate, shuttle race and the
shuttle, to show the relation of the latter to the needles.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the shuttle race and shuttle and
Figure 9 is a perspective bottom view of the throat plate, to show the loop
deflector.
The needle bar A is reciprocated vertically in any desired manner. Its lower
end carries the straight eye pointed needles a, a¹. These are preferably set so that
the eye of one is a trifle below the eye of the other, the eye of the needle whose
loop is first engaged by the shuttle being a little higher than the eye of the
second needle. These needles are mounted upon the needle bar one behind the
other in the line of the work-advancing movement of the feed, or transversely of
the machine.
B is the feed bar and B' the feed dog. The pattern cam C is connected with the
feed bar and dog as represented in the drawings, Figure 6, and is arranged below
the shaft C' which rotates the shuttle. The cam grooves of the wheel C are
represented as connected with the feed dog B' in the following manner; the under
cam groove 1, Figure 1, gives said feed dog a back and forth movement lengthwise
of the bed of the machine by the lever g, which is connected with another lever h
pivoted to the bed of the machine and connected with the end of a slide which in
turn is connected with the feed dog B' and the plate surrounding it. The upper
cam groove of the wheel C is connected by the lever i shown in full by dotted
outlines, and this lever is in turn connected by a link k with a slide m movable
transversely to the length of the bed and across this slide the arm B connected
with the dog B' and the plate surrounding it extends. The undermost cam
groove Figure 1 moves the said plate lengthwise of the bed. The upper cam
groove moves it transversely to the bed. The extent of throw or movement is
varied in the levers by the adjustable connections shown and the cains may be
varied to give any combination of these two movements in the feed which may be
required for producing the stitch and progression of feed required. The said
cam C has a bearing upon the post or stud c attached to the work-plate centrally
of the said shaft, said cam being held on said stud, against the shoulder c', by a
nute which screws on the threaded end of the said stud. This stud has an
upward extension which enters a hole e' in the boss c on the under side of the
bed; and its enlargement e, which provides the shoulder c', bears against the
under surface of the boss, and is secured thereto by screws c, said enlargement c
having the hole c8 through which the shaft C¹ extends.
It will thus be seen that the pattern cam is held in place on the stud c by a nut
only, and is therefore easily detachable from the machine and from the bevelled
gear which actuates it. This construction permits the ready removal of the
cam for the purpose of substituting another having cam grooves of a different
pattern.
The throat plate D of the machine has the elongated throat or slot d of sufficient
length to receive both needles. The throat plate also has the downwardly
extending loop deflecting plate d', the office of which is to cause the loops to be
thrown or turned always in the same direction from the eyes of the needles. (See
Figures 3, 7 and 9.) The feed dog B' has a feeding surface entirely surrounding
the needle opening or slot in the throat plate, and is thus the better adapted to
feed the work in any direction.
E is the rotary shuttle. It engages in successive order the loops of the needle
threads; the needle a being set a trifle lower than the needle a', so that the loops
are caused by the lifting of the needle bar, to be engaged at about the same level
or line of movement of the beak of the shuttle.
F is the presser foot provided with a slot or elongated opening for the
passage of the needles. The feed levers are of such relative proportion as to
give somewhat long feed movements to the feed dog B' at the forward end of the

page_text: lever B. The object of this increased feed will be apparent upon inspecting the
diagrams in Figures 4 and 5 where the heavy lines indicate the seam or stitches
sewed by one needle, and the shuttle, and the light lines show the stitches sewed
by the other needle and the shuttle, and as the two needles are simultaneously
sewing their respective lines it follows that the feed should be greater than the
length of that employed when a single needle is used.
It will be understood of course, that the increased feed herein spoken of would
be entirely inapplicable for use in connection with a single needle, as it would
make stitches which would be too long. But where there are three threads, and
the stitch is formed by the overlapping of the two needle threads, a strong,
serviceable and durable seam is made, and one which is also very elastic, and
which, therefore, renders the line of stitching especially useful in sewing fabrics
which require a flexible or elastic stitch.
I do not limit this invention to an organization which employs two needles, as
three needles may in some instances be used, but where they are used the principle
of the invention is not changed. The feeding movement of the feeding devices
would then be correspondingly increased. The number of needles so employed is
linsited only by the ability of the shuttle to take successively the various loops.
It will be observed that the stitch which is thus sewn is made up of three
tbreads, two of which are needle threads, and the third the shuttle thread; or,
in other words, the single shuttle thread concatenates at each rotation of the
shuttle, or at each reciprocation of the needle-bar, with the two needle thread
loops, the shuttle thread bearing the same relation to the needle-threads in the
seam which is being made whether said seam be a straight line or in a diversified
or irregular line.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a sewing machine, the combination with an automatic irregular or fancy
stitch feeding mechanism, such as described, of a plurality of needles arranged
one behind the other transversely of the machine or in the line of the general
work-advancing movement of the feed, a shuttle co-operating with said needles
and mechanism for operating said needles and shuttle, whereby a double seam of
irregular or fancy stitches may be made.
2. In a sewing machine, the combination with a reciprocating needle-bar, of a
plurality of needles carried by said bar and arranged one behind the other
transversely of the machine or in the direction of the general work-advaucing
movement of the feed, a shuttle co-operating with said needle, the presser foot F
having the opening f for the passage of said needles, the throat plate D having the
slot. d also for the passage of the said needles, the feed dog g' having a feeding
surface entirely surrounding the slot in the said throat plate, and automatic
mechanism for imparting irregular or fancy feeding movements to the said
feed dog.
3. In a fancy stitch sewing machine, the combination with a stitch forming
mechanism comprising a shuttle-operating shaft C¹ arranged below the work-
plate of the machine, of a stud or post c attached to said work-plate, and an
irregular or fancy stitch feeding mechanism comprising the pattern cam C
removably mounted on the said stud or post below the said shaft so as to be
conveniently detached from the machine when it is desired to change the said
pattern cam.
4. In a fancy stitch sewing machine, the combination with a stitch forming
mechanism comprising a shuttle operating shaft C' arranged below the work-
plate of the machine, of a stud or post c attached to said work-plate centrally
of said shaft and having an enlargement through which said shaft passes, and
an irregular or fancy stitch feeding mechanism comprising the pattern cam C

page_text: removably mounted on the said stud or post below the said shaft, so as to be
conveniently detached from the machine when it is desired to change the said
pattern cam.
Dated this 11th day of August 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicaut