Improvements in Fanoy Stitch Sewing Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1897
facturers.]
Improvements in Fanoy Stitch Sewing Machines.
I, WILLIAM HARVEY INSLEE, Manager of The Singer Manufacturing Company,
Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to that class of sewing machines in which the needle-bar
and needle are moved horizontally for the purpose of producing overseaming or
fancy stitching, and has for its object to provide an improved automatic mechanism.
for controlling the horizontal movements of the needle-bar and needle to produce
different patterns of fancy or ornamental stitching.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figs. 1 and 2 are side elevations illustrating a well-known type of sewing,
machine embodying the invention, the parts being in different positions in the two
views, and Fig. 3 is a front end view of the same.
Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views illustrating more particularly the attachment to
which the invention relates, and Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate different forms of
templets or pattern cams or wheels which may be used interchangeably with the
attachment.
Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 illustrate a few of the different forms of fancy stitching.
which may be made with the machine to which the invention relates.
A denotes the bracket arm and B the workplate of. the machine. Journalled in
the upper portion of the bracket arm is the driving shaft C operatively connected
in the usual manner at its forward end with the needle bar a 'which reciprocates
vertically in a horizontally swinging frame b pivoted on centre screws c, and
provided with a lug or projection extending outward through a slot in the frame
of the machine, and to which is jointed the forward end of a connecting rod d, the
rear end of which is provided with a pin d' on which is a slide or block entering
a slot or groove e in a lever e' pivoted at its lower end, at e', to the frame of the
machine, said lever being operated by means of a came into the groove of which
a pin on the said lever extends. The came is geared to the driving shaft so as to
make one rotation to each two rotations of said shaft. The lever is provided with
a series of holes, as 0, 2, 5 at varying distances from its fulcrum and any one of
which may be entered by an attaching screw at the rear end of a link to join said
link to said lever. The forward end of the link lis jointed to a lever swinging on
a stud supported by the plate F which is in turn secured to the forward end of
the arm A, said lever g being provided with a spring-pressed pawl engaging a
ratchet wheel. Connected with said ratchet-wheel, to rotate therewith, is a disc
or plate m with which rotates a cam or pattern-wheel n, and the periphery of the
latter is engaged by a lug or projection o on a lever o, said lug or projection being
held in contact with said cam or pattern-wheel by a spring o. The free end of
the lever o extends beneath a lug d' on the connecting rod d, and thus as the said
lever o is raised and lowered during the rotation of the cam or pattern-wheel the
sliding blook d will be raised and lowered in the slot of the lever e, thereby

page_text: moving the said block nearer to or farther from the fulcrum of said lever for the
purpose of imparting variable horizontal movements to the needle-bar frame,b and
to the needle-bar reciprocating vertically therein.
Fulcrumed on the stud is a lever gi provided with a spring-pressed pawl h
engaging the ratchet wheel. The lever g is provided with an arm g having a
pin or roller-stud i entering a slot g of a bell-crank lever g' pivoted at g³ to the
plate F. The lever 9 is provided with a plate of which may be secured in any
desired position of adjustment, relative to the bell-crank lever 9' by means of the,
set screws:g passing through a slot in said plate. To the outer end of the lever g'
is jointed one end of a link k the other end of which may be attached to the
plate Fat the boss if the said lever gl is to be held stationary, and in such case
the pawl will merely serve as a detent pawl to prevent the backward rotation
of the ratchet-wheel. If, however, it be desired to rotate the ratchet-wheelf more
rapidly than would be done by the pawl h carried by the lever g the lower end of
the link is uncoupled from the boss and is attached to the plate 9', which is
a rigid part of the bell-crank lever g, and in such case a vibrating movement will
be imparted to the lever' g so that the pawl h' carried thereby will serve as a
feeding-pawl, acting alternately with the pawl h; and thus said ratchet-wheel will
be turned more or less at each stroke of the needle-bar, the extent of the feeding
movements of the said ratchet-wheel imparted thereto by the pawl depending
upon the position of adjustment of the plate 9' on the lever g. Thus if it be desired
to impart a feeding movement equal to two teeth of the ratchet-wheel by the
pawl ' at each vibration of the lever e the said plate g will be so adjusted that.
the index thereon will be opposite the mark 2 on the lever g, but if it be desired
to impart a feeding movement equal to five teeth on the ratchet-wheel at each
vibration of the said lever g the said plate g will be so adjusted that the index
carried thereby will be opposite the mark on the said lever g³.
The extent of the vibrating movements of the lever g, and consequently, of the
feeding movements of the pawl carried thereby, inay be varied or entirely
suspended, according to the position of connection of the rear end of the link to
the lever e. Thus if it be desired to entirely suspend the feeding movements of
the ratchet-wheel by said lever g the link may be attached at its rear end to the
lever eat the hole 0; and if it be desired to impart a feeding movement to the
said ratchet-wheel by the said lever g of either two or five teeth of said ratchet-
wheel at each vibration of the lever e the rear end of the link I will be attached
to the said levere either at the hole 2, or the hole 5, as the case may be.
It will thus be understood that the invention provides means whereby a large
range of feeding movements, differing in extent, may be imparted to the cam or
pattern-wheel by which the horizontal movements of the needle-bar and needle are
controlled, so that a large range of automatically varied ornamental stitching inay
be produced, and this range of ornamental stitching may be widely varied to any
desired extent by providing interchangeable cam or pattern-wheels of different
shapes, as will be readily understood. The cam or pattern whoel shown in
Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 is made as a plain eccentric with a slight notch or indentation
at one portion of its periphery, and by means of this cam or pattern wheel ornamental
stitching, such as is shown in Figs. 8 and 9, may be produced, the different figures
depending upon the extent of the feeding movements imparted to the ratchet
wheel by which the said cam or pattern-wheel is controlled. The pattern-wheel
shown in Fig. 7 is constructed as a star-wheel, and by means of this last-named
pattern wheel ornamental stitching, such as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, may be
produced, according to the kind of feeding movements which may be imparted to
the said ratchet-wheel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inveur
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 horizontally movable needle-bar

page_text: frame and a needle-bar to reciprocate vertically therein and to be moved horizontally
thereby, of a vibrating lever, a connecting-rod joining said lever to the said
needle-bar frame, a ratchet-wheel, a cam or pattern-wheel rotated by said ratchet-
wheel, intermediate connections controlled by said cam or pattern-wheel whereby
the extent of the horizontal movements of the said needle-bar may be automatically
varied, two pawl-carrying levers connected with said vibrating lever, and meaus by
which one of said levers may be thrown out of operation while the other continues
to work; whereby, at the will of the operator, feeding movements may be imparted
to said ratchet wheel either at each vertical reciprocation of the needle-bar or at
each alternate reciprocation thereof.
2. In a sewing machine, the combination with a horizontally movable needle-bar
frame and a needle-bar to reciprocate vertically therein and to be moved
horizontally thereby, of a vibrating lever, a connecting-rod joining said lever to
the said needle-bar frame, a ratchet-wheel, a cam or pattern-wheel rotated by said.
ratchet-wheel, intermediate connections controlled by said cam or pattern-wheel
whereby the extent of the horizontal movements of the said needle-bar may be
automatically varied, two pawl-carrying levers connected with said vibrating lever,..
means by which one of said levers may be thrown out of operation while the other
continues to work, whereby, at the will of the operator, feeding movements may be
imparted to said ratchet-wheel either at each vertical reciprocation of the needle-bar
or at each alternate reciprocation thereof, and means for varying the throw of
that one of the said pawl-carrying levers which is adapted to be thrown out of
operation.
3. In a sewing machine, the combination with a horizontally movable needle bar
frame and a needle-bar to reciprocate vertically therein and to be moved
horizontally thereby, of the vibrating lever e, the rod d by which said lever is.
operatively connected with the said needle-bar frame, the ratchet-wheel f, the cam
or pattern-wheel 'n rotating with said ratchet-wheel, the pawl-carrying lever g, the
link by which said pawl-carrying lever is connected with the said lever e, the-
pawl-carrying lever and the bell-crank lever g operated from the said lever g
and operatively but detachably connected with the said lever gl.
4. In a sewing machine, the combination with a horizontally movable needle-bar
frame, and a needle-bar to reciprocate vertically therein and to be moved
horizontally thereby, of the vibrating lover e, the rod d by which said lever is.
operatively connected with the said needle-bar frame, the ratchet-wheel, the-
cam or pattern-wheel n rotating with said ratchet-wheel, the pawl-carrying lever g,
the link by which said pawl-carrying lever is connected with the said lever e³, the
pawl-carrying lever gland the bell-crank lever.g' operated from the said lever g and
operatively but detachably connected with the said lever gl, the said lever g' being
provided with the adjustable plate g the position of which determines the extent.
of feeding movements imparted to said ratchet-wheel by the said pawl-carrying:
lever g.
Dread thin goth dor of December 1806
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Of the Firm of Cruikshank & Fairweather,
Chartered Patent Agents,
2 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant..