Improvements in or connected with Sewing Machines for Lettering, Marking, or other Fancy Stitching.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 22nd July, 1895-Accepted. 14th Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Sewing Machines for Lettering,
Marking, or other Fancy Stitching.
I FREDERICK HARDWICK DODSON, of 31 Sheep Street, Rugby, Warwickshire,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with sewing machines for
producing letters, marks or other fancy stitching, and chiefly intended for the
repeat production of single, double, or triple &c. letters upon strips or tape, but
may be used for other similar purposes.
It consists as follows:-The ordinary pressure foot is removed and also the usual
underneath feeding teeth. The fabric to be operated upon is stretched and carried
upon a suitable frame, and this may be redone from time to time, as and when
necessary, the frame being so constructed that when the fabric is stretched thereon,
it may be clipped or held tightly during the stitching operation. This frame is
localized at the usual position of the pressure foot of the sewing machine. To this
frame is now given a compound motion, that is, it may be moved transversely or
longitudinally or with a combination of both. To effect this, the said frame is
carried upon the end of a slide working in a suitable slideway upon a secondary
slide. This first slide,-which I will term the depth slide inasmuch as it is usually
employed to give the depth of the letter &c., is operated at its rear end by a lever,
the other end of which engages with a cam which is usually in the plate shape, but
which in some instances may be more conveniently used in a wheel shape. Or
what is preferred this depth slide is supermounted by a slide moving upon a fixed
slideway, this superslide being itself operated by the lever aforesaid. In this case
the depth slide is connected to and operated by the superslide by means of a stud &c.
upon the depth slide engaging in a transverse slot in the superslide.
Again. The secondary slide is that which controls the length of the letters &c.
The motion of this slide is at right angles to the depth slide, and usually operated
from its one end by the one end of a lever whose other end engages with a cam
similarly as before described for the depth slide.
These cams are so shaped that as they are simultaneously advanced or fed they
produce a combined or compound movement of the frame carrying the fabric
according to the delineation required. These plate cams are carried upon a travelling
base which is of suitable size to carry one, two or more plates such plates being
placed in any desired position upon such base. This base is further provided with
a feed motion either of a single movement only or of a double movement. Usually
the latter is adopted in which a series of small teeth are prepared along the
longitudinal edge of the base into which engages a pawl carried upon or operated
by a reciprocating arm which latter is operated by the mechanisin of the machine.
This pawl gives the stitch feed. Alongside the aforesaid teeth is a second row of
intermittent teeth, which are considerably apart, and into which engages the fore
part of a second pawl. This second pawl may be adjustably secured to and operated
by the crank aforesaid or by independent means, its object being that at timed
intervals its forward movement shall carry forward the frame such distance as may
be required from one letter &c. to the next. The adjustment here referred to, is
for the purpose of increasing or diminishing such distance. The whole of this

page_text: mechanism is suitably carried adjacent to the main (ordinary) part of the machine.
It will be readily seen that the parts herein described may be considerably varied
in detail without departing from the nature of the said invention.
By these means the fabric is moved about in such a manner that as the
stitching of the needle takes place, such forms as may be determined are worked
thereon.
Dated this 21st day of September 1894
CHARLES T. POWELL,
Applicant's Agent.
Improvements in or connected with Sewing Machines for Lettering,
Marking, or other Fancy Stitching.
I FREDERICK HARDWICK DODSON, of 31 Sheep Street, Rugby, Warwickshire,
Mechanic, 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 to improvements in or connected with sewing machines for
producing letters, marks or other fancy stitching, and chiefly intended for the
repeat production of single, double or triple &c. letters upon strips or tape, but may
be used for other similar purposes.
In order to more clearly explain this my invention, I have appended hereunto an
illustrative sheet of drawings upon which are shown figures and numbers of
reference, similar numbers referring throughout the several views to the same thing
or part.
Fig. 1, is a general plan view of the mechanism.
Fig. 2, is a sectional side view of the cam arrangement and feed upon
line A-B Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, is a sectional side view on line C-D (Fig. 1) of the stitching frame,
pressure plate, and depth slide &c.
6, is the base plate of an ordinary suitable sewing machine (such for instance as
what is known as a Wheeler & Wilson). 7, is the arm or bracket, which at its front end
carries the needle bar &c., which latter are removed in the drawing for the sake of
clearness, except that the position of the needle is shown at 8, see Figs. 1 & 3.
The base plate 6, may be enlarged or may be supermounted upon a further plate
or table 6, to accommodate the further mechanism. The ordinary pressure foot is
removed and also the usual underneath feeding teeth. The fabric to be operated
upon is stretched and carried upon a suitable frame 9, within which the stitching
is done, the frame being so constructed that when the fabric is stretched thereon,
it may be clipped or held tightly during the stitching operation, by means of the
pressure foot 10, which is carried upon the spring 11, and operated by the gripping
cam lever 12. This frame is localized at the usual position of the pressure foot
of the sewing machine. To this frame 9, and plate 10, is now given a compound
motion, that is, it may be moved transversely or longitudinally or with a com-
bination of both. To effect this, the said frame is carried upon the end of
a slide 13, working in a suitable slideway 14, which is carried upon a secondary
slide 15. This first slide 13, which I will term the depth slide-inasmuch as
it is usually employed to give the depth of the letter &c. is preferably super-
mounted by the slide 16, carried upon slideways 17, 17. Upon the slide 13, is
the block 18, which engages and slides in the slot hole 19, formed in the slide 16.
These parts are operated by a lever 20, the other end 21 of which, engages with
a cam groove 22, which may be in the plate shape, but which may be more

page_text: conveniently used in a wheel shape. It will be seen 'however 'that the slide 13,
may be operated by the lever 20, without 'the slide 16, if desired.
Again. The secondary slide 15, is that which controls the length of the letters &c.
The motion of this slide is at right angles to the depth slide, and operated by
the one end 23, of a lever 24, whose other end 25, engages with a cam groove 26.
similarly as before described for the depth slide. These cams are so shaped
that as they are simultaneously advanced or fed they produce a combined or
compound movement of the frame 9 carrying the fabric, according to the
delineation required. These cams may be formed upon flat straight plates working
in suitable guides but I find it more convenient to form and arrange them as
illustrated, that is to say :-The cam plate 27, is made up of successive sections
which are suitably attached to each other chainwise, so that it can travel either
in a straight line or around a drum 28. This may be done by securing to the under-
side of these sections, a thin flexible piece of steel or glueing thereto a piece of
cloth or other flexible material. These sections are so made that their ends may
be readily connected to each other so as to form a continuous chain band; or other
lengths may be interposed and similarly connected together to form the continuous
band. In order to secure certainty of travel, I make recesses in the underside of
the parts of the cam plate 27, which coincide with and engage with projections 29,
upon the drum 28. 30, is a slideway to control the straight motion of the cam
plate during its operation upon the levers 20 and 24. 31, is an idle drum over
which the cam is carried around. The feed motion imparted to the cam is as
follows: Upon the spindle of the sewing machine proper is an eccentric which
operates the rod 32, at whose one end is a slot 33, in which is engaged the crank
pin 34, upon the rocking shaft 35. Upon this said shaft at 36, is a crank whose
pin 37, is connected to the pawl 38, which engages with the teeth upon the ratchet
wheel 39, and thus an intermittent stitch feed is given to the cams 22 and 26. At
the completion of a letter or other figure however, it is desirable to impart a longer
feed, so as to produce a desirable distance between such letters &c. To effect this,
1 further provide upon the shaft 35, another crank 40, which operates the recipro-
cating pawl 41, which latter acts upon intermittent teeth or projections 42. These
teeth are placed upon the cam plate at points corresponding to the completion of
a letter &c., and by imparting to the pawl 41, a longer stroke than is imparted to
the pawl 38, it follows that when the said pawl 41, falls behind the projection 42,
its next forward movement will carry the cam forward a corresponding extra
distance.
The whole of this mechanism is suitably carried adjacent to the main (ordinary)
part of the machine. It will be readily seen that the parts herein described may be
considerably varied in detail without departing from the nature of the said
invention.
By these means the fabric is moved about in such a manner that as the stitching
of the needle takes place, such forms as may be determined are worked thereon,
that is, the needle so to speak described the delineations of such letters, figures or
shapes as may be decided upon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
I claim is
1. The combination with sewing machine mechanism, of a fabric holder or frame
such as 9, and pressure plate 10, to which is imparted a compound movement by
two or more slides such as 13 and 15, substantially as described and shown and for
the purposes specified.
2. The combination in sewing machine mechanism, with the frame 9, slides 13
and 15, with or without slide 16, levers such as 20, and 24, of cams such as 22 and 26,
operating substantially as described and shown.
3. The general construction and combination of parts constituting these my

page_text: improvements in or connected with sewing machines for lettering, marking, or
other fancy stitching, substantially as herein described and illustrated upon the
drawings.
Doted this 20th dox of Tuly 1805
CHARLES T. POWELL,
12 Cherry Street, Birmingham, Applicant's Agent.