IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ginks, of Bulwell, in the County of
Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ginks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the.
25th October 1873.
I, WILLIAM GINKS, of Bulwell, in the County of Nottingham, do :
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR SEAMING OR STITCHING SKINS AND FABRICS," to be as follows:-
1
I employed machinery constructed of the following parts, namely,
an horizontal bar which is grooved on the side nearest to a shaft
carrying cams, hereafter refered to; at right angles to the grooved bar
are other grooved bars in pairs; in each pair slides a pair of clamps,
each of which clamps alternately carry a needle having an eye in the
centre of its length; these clamps may be moved inwards by means of
springs, and may be moved outwards by cams on the shaft above named,

page_text: or the clamps may be moved both ways by connecting levers carrying
trucks operated by the cams, or the clamps may be secured to and
carried by a bar or frame having a to-and-fro movement given it by
cams; the clamps are alternately opened by wedge pieces, which are
carried by or secured to the horizontal bar first named, and are closed
by a spring on each clamp; these clamps at each succeeding outward
movement move a shorter space than the preceding one; such move-
ments I obtain by having portion of the periphery of the cams con-
structed so that a contraction takes place, such contraction being caused
by a steped or notched plate or plates which slide in the groove of the
horizontal bar first named, and which are racked at the same time as a
point bar or clamping bars hereafter described; the portion of the
periphery of the cam so moved is provided with a double racked bar
held by two springs, one of which is released while the bar is moved one
tooth, or equivalent means may be used.
The horizontal bar first named carries vertically sliding holders,
brackets, or clips, which support and in which slides a point bar or
clamping bars; the said bar or bars is or are racked as required by com-
pound levers operated by other cams on a second shaft, or the whole of
the cams may be carried by one shaft; the vertical holders, brackets, or
clips have a rising and falling movement communicated to them by a
cam or cams on one or other of the shafts refered to.
In front of the point bar (when one is used) a wire or strip of metal
is placed for the purpose of preventing the thread or threads employed
with and carried. by the needles from being caught by the points.
The whole of the above parts are supported or carried by suitable
standards; & the machine may be provided with suitable gearing.for
driving it by hand or power.
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Ginks in the Great Seal Patent Office on 80
the 24th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GINKS, of Bulwell, in the County of Nottingham, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three; in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-.
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Ginks, Her special
licence that I; the said William Ginks, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such "others as I, the said William Ginks, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise;
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR SEAMING OR STITCHING SKINS AND FABRICS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Ginks, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Ginks, do hereby declare
the nature, of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and, by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings forming a part of this Specification :-
I employ machinery constructed of the following parts, namely, an
horizontal bar which is grooved on the side nearest to a shaft carrying
cams, hereafter referred to; at right angles to the grooved bar are other
grooved bars in pairs; in each pair slides a pair of clamps, each of
which clamps alternately carry a needle having an eye in the centro of
its length; these clamps may be moved inwards by means of springs,
and may be moved outwards by cams on the shaft above named, or the
clamps may be moved both ways by connecting levers carrying trucks.
operated by the cams, or the clamps may be secured to and carried by a
bar or frame häving a to-and-fro movement given it by cams; the
clamps are alternately opened by wedge pieces, which are carried by or
secured to the horizontal bar first named, and are closed by a spring on
:

page_text: A, A, are two standards connected together by four tie rods A'; each
standard has a pair of parallel bars of wrought iron A secured to.it,
between which slide carrying pieces B³ which are secured to clamping
bars B and B¹; the clamps B' are held close to the clamps B by a spring
on each bar, and are held clear at certain times to receive or release the
ends of the needles by means of inclines on the wheels G', which are
twice the diameter of the wheels G which drive them, and are secured
on the cam shaft I; the inclines operate upon arms B* on the bars B';
the clamping bar sliding pieces are connected to links B³ attached to
levers B* operated by cams D which give an inward' movement to the
clamping bars and hold them in while they release and clamp the
needles; the clamping bars are pulled outwards by springs secured to
each end and to the standards, such outward throw is gradually reduced
by the interposition of stepped cams E and E' at each end of the
machine; each pair of these cams are secured to a ratchet wheel F
having 72 teeth, which wheel has a step-by-step motion given it by a
driver carried by a bar F¹ operated by a stud on the wheel G'; the
bars F' slide in bearings secured to the standards; each standard has a
wrought-iron plate Cª secured to it, and is slotted to allow the bar C to
slide therein; this bar is provided with 4 studs which take into a
bar C, which is held up by two springs attached to the bar C which
carries a point bar C²; the bars C¹ and C³ have a downward movement
given them by means of two plungers K, each of which are depressed
by studs on the wheels G¹; the right end of the bar O is provided with
two racks G and G', and is moved one tooth at a time by a driver
carried by a rocking lever C³ provided with a stop, stud, and suitable
springs; the lever C³ is supported by a bracket secured to the standard,
and is operated by a stud on the cam D; there is a spring catch which
engages with the rack C' to prevent the bar Ċ being moved more than one
tooth at a time by the driver. The point bar C² and the racks G³ and G*
are cut to the same guage; the bar C² is cut on the upper edge and part
of the back to receive points which are soldered or otherwise secured in
it, and which have a recess on their upper side to allow of the passing
to and fro of needles which are pointed at each end and have an eye in
the centre of their length.

page_text: as. to prevent them catching the threads carried by the needles; the
plate H is of such length as to be carried by arms H¹ on a bar secured
to two arms H³.which turn upon the upper back tie rod A'; the plate H
is held up by two springs, one at each end, secured to the standards, and
being of such form that the plate H may be lowered so as to allow the
fabric to be stitched to be placed over it when on the point bar.
The seaming or joining of the edges of a skin, leather, or fabric is effected
as-follows:-If a skin or leather is to be operated upon the edges are to
be placed between a pair of clamping plates which are substituted for
the point bar, but if a looped fabric is required to be seamed the edges
or-selvages are run or otherwise placed upon the points of the bar C³,
the bar is placed in the position shewn in the section, and the needles,
each threaded with a thread and doubled, is placed in one set of clamps,
the fabric is thrown behind the plate H which is then raised to the
position shewn in section and the machine is started, being driven by
hand or other power, and operates as follows:-The whole of the needles
pass through the loops opposite to their points and are seized by the
other set of clamps, then being released by the first set they are carried
the required distance, and as they return the clamping bars or point bar
is depressed so as to allow the needles to pass clear over them, they or it
then rise and the movements are repeated until the double thread is
used up; the machine is then stopped and other bars or a point bar
carrying a skin, leather, or fabric is substituted, and the machine again
started. The above suffices for what is known as the English seam or
overstitch.
But for producing what is known as the French seam the machine is
slightly different in construction and óperation, as follows:-The studs
which depress the bars C¹ and C2 are unscrewed from the wheels G¹ so
that they cannot operate the plungers; the needles then carry the
threads through the skins, leather, or fabric each time of their passage,
and the bar C is racked two notchies forward and one notch backward
alternately by the racking wheel shown at Figure 6, which revolves
once round to two revolutions of the cam shaft.
The length of the machine between the standards will depend upon
the lengths of skin, leather, or fabric to be seamed or joined.
-
Having described, the nature of the said. Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim, the general arrangement

page_text: and combination of a seaming machine constructed as herein-before
described, and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ginks, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
H. W. GOUGH, C.E.,
Nottingham.
WILLIAM GINKS. (L.S.)