Improvements in Sewing-machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 13th Dec. 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing-machines.
I, NATHANIEL WHEELER, of Bridgeport, County of Fairfield, Connecticut,
United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to sewing-machines and has for its object to lift the presser-
foot automatically at each stitch while the needle is in the goods, the needle at such
time furnishing a pivotal point about which the work may be turned without the
friction upon it of the presser foot.
This invention may be applied to any well-known sewing machine, and I have used
it in connection with the so called Wheeler and Wilson machine to great advantage.
In accordance with this invention, I have provided the presser-bar with a grip-
lever, to the outer end of which is attached a link actuated through proper mechanism
from a cam set in motion by one of the main shafts of the machine, preferably the
needle-bar actuating shaft, the inner end of the said grip-lever being normally acted
upon by a spring which returns or depresses the inner end of the said lever to a
fixed point at each descent of the presser-bar.
The grip-lever has a hole through it a little larger in diameter than the presser-
bar, so that when the outer end of the grip-lever is lifted, it cramps or bites the
presser-bar and lifts the same with it.
In practice the presser-bar descends upon the work and stops as the outer end of
the grip-lever is depressed, no matter what is the thickness of the material, and the
grip lever when its outer end is lifted, acts to lift the foot a certain distance from the
surface of the material, no matter what is the thickness of the material.
The invention consists essentially in a sewing machine containing a pressor-bar, a
grip-lever loosely surrounding the same, a spring to normally depress the inner or
short end of the said lever, a link connected to and adapted to lift the outer. or long
end of the said lever, and a cam and intermediate devices to actuate the said link to
lift the outer or long end of the grip-lever and cause the same through the resistance
of the spring bearing upon the short end of the said lever to grip and lift the
presser-foot.
With these devices above stated, I have combined means whereby the extent of
movement of the link and grip-lever may be varied according to the distance it is
desired to lift the presser-foot above the surface of the material.
Dated this 11th day of January 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing-machines.
I, NATHANIEL WHEELER, of Bridgeport, Fairfield County, Connecticut United
States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
0 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 sewing machines and has for its object to lift the presser-
foot automatically at each stitch while the needle is in the goods, the needle at such
time furnishing a pivotal point about which the work may be turned, without the
5 friction upon it of the presser-foot.

page_text: My invention may be applied to any well known sewing machine, and I have
used it in connection with the so-called Wheeler and Wilson machine with great
advantage.
In accordance with my invention, I provide the presser-bar with a grip-lever, to
the outer end of which is attached a link actuated through proper mechanism from a
cam set in motion by one of the main shafts of the machine, preferably by the
needle-bar actuating shaft, the inner end of the said grip-lever being normally acted
upon by a spring which returns or depresses the said inner end to a fixed point at
each descent of the presser-bar.
The grip-lever has a hole through it a little larger in diameter than the presser-
bar, so that when the outer end of the grip-lever is lifted, it clamps or bites the
pressor-bar and lifts the same with it.
In practice the presser-bar descends upon the work and stops as the outer end of
the grip-lever is depressed, irrespective of the thickness of the material, and the
grip-lever when its outer end is lifted, acts to lift the foot a certain distance from
the surface of the material.
My invention consists essentially in a sewing machine having a presser-bar, a grip-
lever loosely surrounding the same, a spring to normally depress the inner or shot
end of the said lever, a link connected to and adapted to lift the outer or long end of
the said lever, and a cam and intermediate devices to actuate the said link to lift the
outer or long end of the grip-lever and cause the same, through the resistance of the
spring bearing upon the short end of the said lever, to grip and lift the presser-
foot.
With the devices above stated, I have combined means whereby the extent of
movement of the link and grip-lever may be varied according to the distance it is
desired to lift the presser-foot above the surface of the material.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a Wheeler and Wilson sewing machine
with my improvements applied thereto, the face-plate of the head being omitted.
Figure 2 is a detail showing the rock-shaft, which is supported in bearings at the
side of the over-hanging arui, and is actuated by a cam to operate the grip-lever,
and
Figure 3 shows the grip-lever detached.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
A is the bed-plate. A¹ the upright A² the overhanging arm having suitable
bearings for the needle-bar and presser-bar, B is the needle-bar B³ the main shaft of
the machine, B³ is the hub attached to its front end a the link connected to the said
hub and to a collar a¹ on the needle-bar b the take up lever actuated by a cam-
groove in the periphery of the said hub B³, c the presser-bar, e¹ the collar thereon,
c² the swinging foot pivoted on the said collar, c₁ the guide-foot attached to the
lower end of the presser-bar, d the spring surrounding the presser-bar and acting to
depress the presser-foot, and d' the feeding device extended up through the usual
throat-plated. All the above mentioned parts are made as is usual in such
machines.
The overhanging arm and head of the machine have two similar bearings e, one
being shown in Figure 1:
The bearings e receive a rock-shaft e having at its rear end an arm e³ provided
with a stud e having thereon a shoe or block e which enters a cam groove e shown
in Figure 1, the said groove being formed in the inner side of the wheel D secured
to the rear end of the main shaft B².
This wheel D may be a belt pulley or fly wheel of any usual construction.
The forward end of the shaft e¹ has an arm f, which in practice is provided with a
stud f¹ which enters an elongated hole made in the upper end of a link f³, the
lower end of the said link being jointed at f³ to the outer or long arm of a grip-
lever f¹.
The said grip-lever has an opening 2, see Figure 3, for the passage through it of

page_text: the presser-bar c, the said opening being a little larger in diameter than the presser-
bar.
The grip-lever near its opposite end has a hole 3 through which is passed a stud 4,
shown as a screw, which is surrounded by a spiral spring 5, the said spring resting
upon the short arm of the grip-lever or upon a washer thereon, as represented in
Figure 1, the said spring keeping the short end of the lever down upon the bearing g
at the lower end of the head to permit the inner end of the grip-lever to rise with
the presser-foot, as will be hereinafter described.
The upper end of the link f* is provided with an adjusting screw h which is
screwed into the oblong slot so as to enable the effective length of the slot to be
adjusted or to lessen the amount of lost motion of the stud in the said slot. As
the lost motion of the stud f' is diminished, the stroke given by the link to the outer
or long arm of the grip-lever is increased.
When the presser-foot is to be lifted, the rock shaft is turned so that the stud f¹
rises, and acting upon the link f³, causes the latter to lift the outer end of the grip-
lever and cause the same, through the resistance of the spring 5 bearing upon the
short end of the said lever, to grip and lift the presser-bar and its foot during the
further rise of the said stud f¹ and link.
As soon as the stud f¹ begins to descend to depress the outer end of the grip-
lever, the said grip-lever is brought into horizontal position, and instantly the presser-
bar through the spring d thereon acting on a collar p fast to the bar, causes the
presser-bar to descend until it meets the upper side of the material being stitched,
whatever may be its thickness, and the presser foot will remain there until it is again
lifted.
In this invention it will therefore be seen that the presser-foot always ascends from
the surface of the material for a definite distance, this lift taking place while the
needle is in the material, so that the material may be turned about the needle as a
pivot, as when stitching curved seams.
The lift may be made more or less by turning the adjusting screw h in one or the
other direction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. In a sewing machine, the following instrumentalities, viz. :-the presser-bar,
the grip-lever loosely surrounding the same, the spring to depress the inner or short
end of the said grip-lever, a link connected to and adapted to lift the outer or long
end of the said grip-lever, a cam on the main shaft of the machine, and intermediate
devices to actuate the said link to lift the outer or long end of the grip-lever and
cause the same, through the resistance of the spring bearing upon the short end
thereof, to grip and lift the presser-bar with its attached foot, substantially as
described.
Second. In a sewing machine, the following instrumentalities, viz. :-the presser-
bar, the grip-lever loosely surrounding the same, the spring to normally depress the
inner or short end of the said grip-lever, a link connected to and adapted to lift the
outer or long end of the said grip-lever, and provided with an adjusting device, a
cam on the main shaft of the machine, and intermediate devices to actuate the said
link to lift the outer or long end of the grip-lever and cause the same through the
resistance of the spring bearing upon the short end thereof, to grip and lift the
presser-bar with its attached foot, substantially as described.
11
1
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.