Improvements Relating to Machines for Sewing Straw Plait and like Material.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th June, 1899-Accepted, 15th July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements Relating to Machines for Sewing Straw Plait and
like Material.
I, GEORGE HUMPHREY, of the Straw Plait Sewing Machine Company, Limited, of
Springfield Street Engineering Works, Monument Lane, in the City of Birmingham,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of improvements relating to machines for sewing straw
plait and like material, such improvements being especially applicable to machines as
described in my Specification No. 14433 of 1893 on which Letters Patent have been
granted to me.
The object of my present invention is to produce convenient and durable machines
for efficiently working at a quick speed without damaging the material.
In the application of my invention I employ a feeder such as described in my
prior Specification herein before referred to and attach it in the same manner to the
fork shaped feed dog. But on the lower side of the feed dog I attach an arm having
on its outer projecting end a small roller for working against a jointed lever which is
rocked, by the action of the eccentric on the main shaft, for the purpose of raising
and lowering the feed. The stnall roller hereinbefore described is brought into
contact with the jointed lever once every revolution of the driving wheel, the feed
dog being reciprocated on such revolution by means of the main eccentric on the
driving shaft. The said contact of the roller with the jointed lever alters the angle
between the two parts of the lever and thus gives an additional lowering movement
thereby permitting the work to be more rapidly cleared from the feed.
For the purpose of connecting the threader shaft with its operating lever I employ
a hollow connecting rod having one end tightly clamped or otherwise secured to the
threader shaft. Such hollow rod I make to pass freely upon the stem of the ball
joint which works within an intermediate coupling piece. The ball joint is retained
in position without the use of a pin, or like retaining part, by forming a neck at one
side of the coupling piece and attaching a spring plate to the other side. I thus
obtain a free working and durable connection between the threader shaft and its
operating lever.
I mount or carry the foot at the front or working end of the machine upon a
horizontal lever pivotted to the cast iron or other casing or framing. The said lever
is provided with a vertical projection which is hollowed for the reception of a spring
and guide rod for the pressing of the straw plait or other material while the needles
are passing through it. Such pressure is released by the action of the top side of
the feed dog on a roller mounted upon a projection from the said vertical part of the
ever.

page_text: I make my needles both self threading and self setting by providing the pointed
ends with a diagonal slot for the insertion of the thread, whilst the opposite ends I
make of a shape other than round to fit into correspondingly shaped needle bars or
needle brackets.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.
Improvements Relating to Machines for Sewing Straw Plait and
like Material.
I, GEORGE HUMPHREY, of the Straw Plait Sewing Machine Company, Limited, of
Springfield Street Engineering Works, Monument Lane, in the City of Birmingham,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what inanner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This invention consists of improvements relating to machines for sewing straw
plait and like material, such improvements being especially applicable to machines
as described in my Specification No. 14433 of 1893 on which Letters Patent have been
granted to me.
The object of my present invention is to produce convenient and durable machines
for efficiently working at a quick speed without damaging the material.
In the three accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter
referred to.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a sewing machine constructed in accordance with
my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the machine, and Figure 3 a sectional side elevation on the
line A B Figure 2. The hinged top cover of the machine is not shown in the
Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 4 is an end view showing separately the jointed lever which is arranged for
effecting the rapid withdrawal of the feeder.
Figure 5 is a sectional side elevation showing separately the ball joint connection
between the threader shaft and its operating lever.
The same reference letters in the different views indicate the same parts.
In the construction of my machine I employ a pair of needles a and b fixed within
the clip bracket c which is formed with the vertically reciprocating bar d. The
reciprocation of the said bar d is effected by means of the lever e fixed on the shaft f
which has a rocking motion imparted to it by the rod g connected with an eccentric
on the main shaft h, such shaft being revolved in any ordinary manner.
The feeder by which the straw plait or other material is carried forward when the
foot or presser platej is raised, is fixed to the feed dog or block ke, as with the feeder
described in my aforesaid prior Specification. A combined horizontal reciprocating
motion and a vertical oscillating motion is imparted to the said block k; the
horizontal motion is given by the levers as fixed on the rocking shaft m and connected
with the block by the link n, whilst the vertical oscillatory motion is given by the
eccentric o mounted on the main shaft and working in a bearing piece which is free
to slide in the gapped or slotted end of the block k. The shaft mis rocked by means
of the rod p connected with an eccentric on the main shaft h.
On the lower edge of the block k I attach the arm q having on its outer projecting
end a small roller for working against a jointed lever 8 which is mounted loosely

page_text: on the rocking shaft m and is connected with the sliding bearing piece, in the gapped
or slotted end of the block k, by the link t. The roller is brought into contact
with the jointed lever once in every revolution of the main shaft h, and such contact.
by altering the angle between the two parts of the lever, as shown by the full lines
at Figure 4, produces an additional lowering movement of the block % to effect the
more rapid withdrawal of the feeder i after each advance of the straw plait or other
material. On the return movement of the roller the spring push piece u forces
back the jointed lever 8 to its normal position, as indicated by dotted lines at
Figure 4.
The threader shaft v I connect with the operating lever by means of a hollow
connecting rod x having one end tightly clamped or otherwise secured to the threader
shaft v, whilst its opposite end passes freely over the stem of the ball or spherical
joint which works within the intermediate coupling piece y. The ball joint is
retained in position without the use of a pin, or like retaining part, by forming a
neck at one side of the coupling piece y and attaching a spring plate z to the other
side, as shown at Figure 5. I thus obtain a free working and durable connection
between the threader shaft and its operating lever w.
The said lever w is rocked in
the ordinary manner by the rotation of the cam 1 on the main shaft h.
I mount the foot or presser platej at the front or working end of the machine
upon a lever or arm 2 pivotted to the iron casing or framing. The said lever 2
is provided with a projection 3 which is hollowed for the reception of a spring
and guide rod 4 for the pressing of the straw plait or other material upon the
working bed plate 5 whilst the needles are passing through the same. Such pressure
is released by the action of the top edge of the sliding and oscillating block kon a
roller 6 mounted on the projection 3; the plate j and its lever 2 being slightly lifted
against the action of the spring on the guide rod 4, by the vertical oscillating move-
ment of the said block. The lever 2 can be raised for the ready insertion of the
straw plait or other material in position on the bed plate 5 or for its withdrawal
therefrom, by means of the handle cam 7.
The ordinary hooker 8 for carrying forward the thread is mounted on the shaft 9
which is rocked by the action of the cam 10 on suitably arranged levers or linkage
connected with the said shaft 9.
The machine is provided with an ordinary thread releasing and tension device
consisting of dises as 11 mounted loosely upon a pin which is reciprocated by the
action of the lever 12, operated by the cam 13; the machine is provided also with
an adjustable guide 14 and with other ordinary fittings.
I preferably make my needles both self-threading and self-setting by providing the
pointed ends with a diagonal slot for the insertion of the thread, whilst the opposite
ends I make of a shape other than round to fit into correspondingly shaped needle
bars or needle brackets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In machines for sewing straw plait and like material, the combination with a
reciprocating and oscillating feed block as k, of a jointed levers and means for
altering the angle between the two parts of the said lever to effect the more
rapid withdrawal of the feeder i, substantially as described and as illustrated.
2. In machines-for-sewing straw plait and like material, the provision of a ball
joint-connection-between-the-threader-shaft connecting rod a and the operating lever
coupling piece-y, the said ball joint-being-retained-in-position-without the use of a
pin-or-like retaining part, substantially-as-described-and as-illustrated.
2. In machines for sewing straw plait and like material, the combination with
the foot or presser plate as j of an arm or lever 2 provided with a hollow projection
as 3 for the reception of a spring and guide rod 4 and carrying a roller 6 arranged
in contact with the top edge of the feed block k, substantially and as for the purposes
described and as illustrated.

page_text: 3. An improved machine for sewing straw plait and like material having the
general combination of parts constructed and arranged substantially as and for the
purposes described and as illustrated.
Dated thin 12th daw of Iun 1000
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and 25, Cross Street, Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.