US417146A - chandler - Google Patents

Description

4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. CHANDLER.

SEWING MAOHINE.

Patented Dec. 10,1889.

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R. CHANDLER.

SEWING MACHINE. v No. 417,146. Patented Dec. 10,1889.-

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R. CHANDLER. SEWING MACHINE.

. Patented Dec. 10, 1889'.

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R. CHANDLER. SEWING MACHINE.

No. 417,146. I Patented Dec. 10, 1 889.

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U TTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUFUS CHANDLER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS E. S'LOAN, OF NE YORK, N. Y.

SEWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 417,146, dated December 10, 18839.

Application filed November 10, 1888. Serial No. 290,445. (No model) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUFUS CHANDLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Double-Acting Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sewing-machines, and particularly to that class of said machines known as double-acting, inasmuch as they contain two separate systems of sewing mechanism, which operate conjointly to form sin'iultaneously two parallel rows of stitching, the object being to provide an improved machine of this class in which provision is made for operating two sewing mechanisms jointly and for removing one of said mechanisms to convert. the machineinto a single right or left hand vertical one; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the various parts of the machine, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a double-acting sewingmachine constructed according to my invention, said figure showing a portion of one sideof the needle arm broken away and oneside of the standards containing the sewing mechanism also partly broken away. Fig. 2 the front end of the needle-bar arm and its connected parts and of the base portion of the frame of the machine, having one of the hollow standards containing one of the sewing mechanisms removed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper end of one of the mechanism-containing standards, showing portions of the sewing mechanism, hereinafter fully described. Fig. 4: is a top plan view, partly in section, of the front end of the needle-bar arm and of take-up, tension, and thread checking devices, hereinafter fully described. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the front end ofthe needle-bar arm, showing thereon portions of the taken and tension mechanisms and take-up-regulating mechan ism, all of which are hereinafter fully described. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of por tions of the sewing mechanism, hereinafter is a side elevation of.

fully described. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a portion of one of the shafts of the machine and a section of an adj Listing-collar .thereon, all fully described below. Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the two hollow standards and of the duplicated sewing mechanism contained therein.

In the drawings is shown a frame for containing and supporting the operating parts of the machine, consisting of a hollow base 2, a hollow vertical post 3,and a needlebar arm 4:, extending horizontally over said base, to-' gether with two hollow vertical standards A B, secured by their bases or lower ends on the upper side of said hollow base 2 of the frame by screws passing through suitable flanges on the lower ends of said standards or by other suitable means, whereby provision is made for conveniently applying and removing either one of said hollow standards, the latter being, when used in conjunction, secured together side by side by screws passing through suitable holes 00 in flanges thereon, portions of which flanges are shown in Fig.

The main driving mechanism of the machine consists of a horizontal shaft 5,extending through saidarm at and having suitable bearings therein, and a driving-pulley 6, fixed on the rear end of said shaft. A crank 7 is fixed on the opposite end of said shaft, whereby a vertically-reciproeating motion is imparted to the needle-bar 8, said bar having a collar 9, adjustably secured thereon, and a connection is formed between said collar and said crank 7 by means of a link 10, pivotally connected by its ends to said collar and crank. A take-up-actuating cam 12 is secured on said shaft 5 near its crank-bearing end. Thehollow post 3 has within it, rotating in suitable bearings therein, a vertical shaft 13, having a geared connection with said shaft 5, and also a like connection with a horizontal shaft, (shown in dotted lines in the base 2 of the frame,) on which latter-named shaft, under said hollow standards, is fixed a double bevelgeared pinion, also there indicated in dotted lines. Each of said hollow standards contains within it a vertical shaft 14, having on its lower end a bevel-geared pinion engaging with the aforesaid double bevel-geared pin- IOC ion in the base 2, all as clearly indicated in Fig. 1, whereby said shafts 1 L, separately or jointly, are given the requisite rotary motions for actuating the below described sewing mechanisms, which act in conjunction with the needle-bar and needle orneedles and the presser-bar and foot of the machine. Each of said shafts 1a is supported in its hollow standard, to be rotated and adjusted as follows: The base of the standard A or B is perforated to receive a sleeve 15, which constitutes the bearing for the lower end of said vertical shaft, said sleeve being tapered externally or of greater diameter at its lower end, whereby its opposite end is made capable of a slight degree of vibratory movement to permit the upperend of the shaft 14 and the sewing devices connected therewith to be adjusted laterally relative to the axial line of the needlebar. 8, for the purpose of varying the degree of separation of the two lines of stitches that may be sewed by the use of the said two mechanismscontainedin said standards A and B. A screw 16 in the base of the said standard isscrewed against said sleeve to hold it rigidly after it shall have been freed to permit said shaft adjustment. The upper end of said shaft l l is of semi-spherical form, and has formed thereon a. series of gear-teeth 17, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, which engage with similarly-formed teeth on the rear end of the rotary;loop-carrying hook 18. The latternamed hook is that well known to those fa? miliarwith sewing-machines as the W'illcox do Gibbs hook. The upper end of 1 each of said shafts 14: is supported in its hollowstandard Aor B by a transverse journal-bar 19,

oneend of which enters the outer side of said standard, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8, and is adapted to. have a degree of endwise movement therein to provide for the above-re ferredeto lateral adjustment of the upper end of the shaft 14 and the'sewin g devices attached thereto. The said bar 1 9 has a bearing through it for said shaft 14, and the yoke 20 is by its lower end secured thereon by the nut 21, and said yoke is further secured in a rigid position, when the parts of the machine are adjusted .for sewing, by a screw 22, which passes through, a slot in said yoke into a boss 23 on the inside of the hollow standard. (Shown in Fig. 3.) The said slot in yoke 20 permits the latter to be moved with the shaft 14 when the shaft is adjusted laterally, asaforesaid.

The adjoining ends of the journal-bars 19 of the" two hollow standards are, when the said standards and the two systems of sewing mechanism are used conjointly, united by'a coupling-nut 24, the latter and said shafts being screw-threaded right and left handed, and said nut is turned by inserting the point of an instrument in holes therein, or in any other suitable way, to separate or approachthe ends of saidjournal-shafts for adjusting the separation of the sewing mechanisms,as aforesaid. By removing the said screwslwhich secure the hollow standards together and from the foot of one standard one thereof maybe removed from the base 2 of the frame of the machine, leaving one (a right or left hand, as may be desired) standard and its sewing mechanism only to be used singly for stitching hats and other articles that require such an arrangement of sewing devices for convenient manipulation, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. '7 is shown a portion of one of the shafts lat near the upper end of the abovedeseribed bearing-sleeve 15, in which is formed an annular groove 27. is, as shown, on the portion of shaft 14 covered .by the collar 25, and the point of an adj Listing-screw 26 in said collar bears on the surface of that part of said shaft within the limits of said groove, to the end that when said collar is adjusted up and down (for the purpose below described) such burr as may be formed by the point of said screw bearing on the shaft 14 inthe groove 27 will be below the surface of the shaft, and any burr formed by said screw 26 will not interfere with the proper action of the spring, as below described. The collar 29 provides a fixed abutment for the upper end of the spring 28, and is in practice rigidly fixed on the shaft 14 by its setscrew. The spring 28 is in a normally-compressed state between the collars 29 and 25, and to cause the said shaft to be automatically adjusted or lifted to carry its upper toothed end more closely into .engagement with the toothed end of the hook 18 the screw 26 in the collar 25. is suitably loosened, letting said spring force the latter-named collar down against the end of. the'sleeve 15, thereby causing the shaft 14 to be raised for the purpose aforesaid, after which the screw 26 is tightened. This operation for adjustment vertically of shaft 11 may be effected as often as inconvenient wear shall have taken place between collar and sleeve 26 or in the tooth engaging parts abovereferred to. 4 The annular groove '27 in shaft ll permits the above-mentioned movement vertically of the collar 2". ()n the side of each hollow standard Aand B is a sliding plate 30, which covers the sewing mechanism therein when working, and the upper ends of said standards (one or both) are covered by a suitable cloth-plate 31. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the said yoke 20, and in said figure is indicated the position of the feed-step in dotted lines, and Fig. 3 shows said step .in perspective view. In Fig. 6 is also shown a feed-adjusting arm 33, (this arm not being shown in the other figures,) whose lower end engages with a pin 34 in the edge of said yoke, and its upperend is made adjustable toward and from the edge of said feed-step to vary the position of the starting point of its feed-movement when actuated, asbelow described. The arm is adjusted, as aforesaid, by a screw 35, which passes loosely through said arm into the edge of the yoke 20. A coil-spring between the arm 33 Said groove,

I latter in operative position.

permits said step to have the reciprocating vertical motion requisite to a sewing-machine feed. The said feed-step is placed against the upper bifurcated end of the yoke 20, and

the shank of the rotary hook 18 is passed horizontally through the feed-step and said' end of the yoke into engagement with the upper end of the shaft 14, and the rear side of the head of the said hook is thus brought against the side of said step and holds the The shank of said hook is suitably grooved annularly, as shown at "v in the sectional view, Fig. 8, for engagement with said forked end of the yoke 20, and its rear toothed end is perforated to receive the end of a bearing-pin 37, which is hook, holds the latter in operative position on the pin 37.

. The part of the shank of the hook 13 within the feed-step has a cam 39 thereon, which rotates in said step to raise it and to swing its upper serrated end in the direction in which i the teeth of said serration point, and the feedstep is moved downward and backward after a forward feed motion by a coil-spring 40, held in the standard A or B, one angularlyextended end portion of which engages with said step, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The spring 40 is coiled about a vertical post set in a suitable recess in the standard,.said

spring having its lower end fixed against movement, and its upper angularly-extended end portion has a reaction in a downward direetion, and the said angularly-extended end portion or arm, acted on by the coils, also has a reaction in a direction the reverse to that of the forward motion of the feed-step. In other words, the angularly-extended arm of the spring 40, which engages the rear part of the feed-step, exerts a pressure both rearwardly and downwardly, and after the feedstep has been moved upwardly and forwardly by the cam 011 the hook-shank (as the Width of the opening in the frame-shaped feed-step ment of the feed-step which the spring 40imparts to it, and thereby the feed movement of the material being operated upon by the machine is regulated, and consequently the length of the stitches is determined.

The needle-bar S derives its reciprocating vertical movements from the shaft 5, as above described, and is provided with any suitable head for holding the needles more or less separated to conform to the requirements of the varying positions of the sewing mechanism in said standards, as above described. Said needles pass through the presser-foot 41 in the usual manner. The presser-foot bar 42 is thrown downward against the work on the cloth-plate 31 by a spring 43, a collar 44 on said bar serving as a bearing for the lower end of said spring. A common hold-up catch 45 for the presser-bar is pivoted on the side of the head of the needle-bar arm.

The above-referred-to take-up and tension devices consist of a shaft 46, adapted to have a free rocking motion in the needle-bar arm, on which are fixed one or two take-up levers 47, (the number being determined by the nu mber of needles used,) preferably of the elbowlever form, one arm of which has a perforation through which the thread passes on its course from the spool 48 to the needle or nee.- dles 49. One arm of one of the said take-up levers (see Figs. 1 and 2) has a stud fixed thereon which extends in front of the face of the take-up cam 12 on shaft 5, on which stud is an ordinary friction-sleeve. (Indicated by a dotted circle in said figures.) A retractingspring 50 has one end attached to said studbearing arm of the take-up lever and serves to hold said stud against the face of saidcam, and thus the latter acts positively in one direction only on the take-up lever, and that is to take up the thread or draw the loop into the material on which sewing is being done, and said spring throws the thread-bearing end of the. take-up lever downward, and also serves to correspondingly rock the shaft 46.

Fig. 5'shows the opposite side of the needle-bar arm to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the downhanging arm .y of the take-up lever 47 (shown in said Fig. 5) is utilized to co-operate with an automatically-operating take-up-regulating lever 51, which is pivoted on the side of the head of the needle-bar arm, as shown in Fig. 5, one end of said lever 51 having a slotted engagement with a pin on the collar 44 on the presser-foot bar42, and the opposite end of said regulating-lever extends to the rear side of said arm y on the take-up lever 47.

The above-described arrangement of said regulating-lever 5'1, in conjunction with the Presser-foot bar, provides for automatically governing the degree of the take-up motion of the levers 47 by the vertical movement of the presser-foot bar, the operation of which is as follows: I

\Vhen the presser-foot4l is bearing on normally-thick material between itself and the cloth-plate 31, the presser-foot bar is thereby IIO moved so far upward as to swing the upper end of the lever 51 far enough away from the arm y of the take-up lever to permit the latter to be freely acted on by the cam 12 and the spring but when normally-thin material is being sewed upon the presser-bar drops lower and swings the upper end of said lever 51 toward the arm y of the take-up lever to suchadegree as to limit or regulate the clownward motion of the last-named lever, thus proportioning the take up of the thread to the thickness of the material sewed, and when a seam or fold in said thin material passes under the presser-foot the bar 42 is lifted higher thereby so operating lever5'1 as to allow a greater degree of oscillating motion to the take-up levers proportioned to the said increased thickness. By means of said takeup regulation, as described, the frequent breaking of the thread during the passage of material of varying thickness under th e presser-"foot is avoided, and the stitches are more evenly drawn into the material.

The tension devices consist of the usual tension-rolls 52, around which the thread passes, said rolls being placed on said rocking shaft 46 and held frictionally thereon by means of the usual washers, the springs 53, and nuts 54, whereby said springs are suitably compressed against said rolls. A threadchecking bar is placed between the spools 48 and the tension-rolls, having slots through which the thread runs at an angle, and nuts are placed on the ends of said bar to contract said slots more or less to properly check the movement of the thread, as well known for sewing-machine purposes.

The abovedescribed arrangement .of the tension-rolls 52 on the rocking shaft 46' provides for an oscillating tension by giving an oscillating motion to said rolls, and thereby thread is drawn from the spool or spools when the thread-carrying end of thetake-up moves downward, and said rolls also rotate in the ordinary way when thread is drawn over them by the action of the rotary hooks in the usual way. Thus the usual requirement of a long stroke in the take-up lever, which is very objectionable in a sewing-machine, is avoided by the oscillating action of the tension-roll, whereby a slack portion of thread, as shown in Fig. 2, is brought over to be acted on by the thread-engaging end of the take-up lever 47, and by this means also an easier-working take-up driving-cam is employed, and, furthermore, by the action of the said oscillating tension when it returns on the. upward motion of the take-up lever, the commencement of the" drawing in of the stitch is delayed until the needle is out of the work.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. A twin sewing-machine having a post consisting of two separable standards, each of which contains one of two systems of the sewing mechanism comprised under the clothplate of the machine, whereby on the removal of one of said separable standards said twin machine may be converted into a single right or left hand machine having its cloth-plate located at the top of a standard, and having an unobstructed space at, below, and entirely around the borders of said clothplate, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination, a yoke adjustably connected to the standard of the machine, a feed-step having a pivotal engagement with the side of said yoke, a rotating hook having its shank extending through said feedstep and yoke and having a cam thereon engaging with said step, and gear-teeth on the rear end of said hook, a spring engaging with said feed-step to move it in one direction and to force it downward, and a driving-shaft having a gear engagement with said hookshank, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination, a yoke adjustably connected to the standard of the machine, a feed-step having a pivotal engagement with the side of said yoke, a rotating hook having its shank extending through said feedstep and yoke and having a cam thereon engaging with said step and gear-teeth on the rear end of said hook, a spring engaging with said feed-step to move it in one direction and to force it downward. a feed-adjusting arm 33, engaging said feed-step, and a driving-shaft having a gear engagement with said hook-shank, substantially as set forth.

4. In a sewing-machine, the journal-bar, the shaft 14, having a bearing in said bar,

. the yoke 20, attached by one end to said bar and having a slot therethrough transverselv to said bar, and a screw passing through said slot into the standard A, combined with the hook 18, having the cam and the feed-step, arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

5. In a sewing-machine, two hollow standards A and B, each containing sewing mechanism, substantially as described, a drivingshaft for and in connection with each of said mechanisms, each of which shafts by its lower end is in substance pivotally mounted, where by it may swing laterally from said pivotallymounted end, and two j ournal-bars extending transversely of said standards, in 'each of which journal-bars-is a bearing for one of said shafts, combined with a screw-threaded coupling, substantially as described, engaging the adjoining ends of the two journalbars and providing means for regulating the distance between said two sewing mechanisms, substantially as set forth.

6. In a sewing-machine, in combination with a standard A, the bearing-pin 37, secured in said standard, the rotary hook 18, having a socket in its shankito receive said pin, the yoke 20, engaging wit-h said hookshank, the journal-bar 19, the feed-step, and the shaft 14, engaging with said hook-shank, substantially as set forth.

7. In a double-acting sewing-machine, in

combination, two hollow standa'trds A and 13, each containing sewing mechanism, substantially as described, vertical driving-shafts for and in connection with each of said mechanisms, externally-tapered sleeves set in the bases of said standards, forming bearin for the lower ends of said shafts, substantially as described, and means, substantially as described, applied with relation to the upper end portions of said driving-shafts for regulating the distance between said shafts and that of the sewing mechanisms connected therewitl'i, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

S. In a sewing-machine, in combination, the hollow standard containing sewing mechanism, substantially as described, and particularly comprised in which sewing mechanism is the rotary hook axially horizontally supported and having its shank formed with the cam 39 and the gear-teeth, a vertical drivingshaft, and a bearing for its lower end sup ported from said standard, said shaft at its upper end having gear-teeth engaging the gear-teeth on said hook-shank and having the annular groove 27 therein above its lower bearing, the collar 25, a screw passing through said collar, having its inner extremity of a less diameter than the width of said annular groove, the collar 29, fixed on said shat-t, and a sprin interposed between said collars, substantial 1y as and for the purpose specified.

fl. In combination, the yoke 20, the feedstep operating on said yoke, the arm adjustably connected to said yoke and a portion thereof extended opposite and to act as a limiting-abutment for the edge of said feedstep, and a screw for operating the said arm for its adjustment, substantially as set forth.

10. In a sewing-machine, the combination, with the standard and the hook 18, rotatable therein, provided with the cam, a yoke 20, the feed-step mounted and guided on said yoke and engaging said hookcam, the spring t0, fixed in said standard and having the arm engaging said feed-step for retracting same, and the adjustable plate 33, for limiting the retracting movement of said feedstep, arranged for operation substantially as described. I

RUFUS CHANDLER.

Witnesses:

WM. L. BELLoWs, II. A. CHAPIN.

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