USRE1388E - Improvement in sewing-machines - Google Patents

Description

I K 2 Sheets-Sheet I. AKlNS L FELTHOUSEN.

Sewing Machine.

Reissued Jan. 20,

2 Sheets-'Sheet 2.

AKINS & -FELTHOUSEN.

Sewing Machine.

Reissued Jan. 20, 1863.

No. 1,388. l

- ,UNITEDI STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JAMEs c.; wiLsON, OE NEW YORK, AssIeNEE OE w.-n. AKiNs AND J; D.

` FELTHOUSEN, OF ITHACA, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT/IN SEWING-MACHIlN ES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 8,282, dated August 5, 1851 Reissue No. 1.388, dated January 20, 1863.

.said invention as secured to the, said AKINs and FELTI-IoUsEN by the said Letters Patent; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a view from the rear of the machine with a portion of the parts on the opposite side removed. Fig-2 is a view ofthe front'of the machine with'a portion of the rear (which is represented in Fig. 1) removed. Fig. 3 is an end view from the left ofthe machine. Fig. 4 is a top view of the interior of the machine, taken underneath the table and shield. Fig. 5 is a top view ofthe machine with the table and shield in place. Fig. i is a view exhibiting the parts underneath the table of the machine as'tliey would be seen ontheremoval of the left-hand end of the box in which theyareinclosed. Fig. 7 is aview ofthe shuttle, taken on the side which works next the needle.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The said invention c'onsists in the employnient, in combination with a flat surface which supports the cloth or other material to be sewed and a reciprocating needle for the purpose of feeding the cloth or other material to be lsewed, of arotating toothed wheel or other equivalent device which does not require the attachment to it of' the cloth, and a holder which holds the cloth against the said feeding device with a yielding pressure; also, in providing for the operation of such means of leediug in such manner as to renderit capable of moving the cloth from either right to left, or vice versa., and of reversing the direction of the-movement at the pleasure of the operator also, in a manner of e'ecting and controlling the relative movements ofthe needle and shuttle so that the shuttle enters between the needle and its thread, while the needle is arrested after a short retrograde movement, as hereinafter described; also, in the employment, in a sewing-machine, of a table which presents a surface for the support of the cloth on every side of or all around the needle, in combination with a feeding device; also, in the use of `a circular rest, w', applied in front of the machine, substantially as described, for the purpose of supporting articles of hollow form and affording convenience for sewing all around them also, in so operating the needle by a device hereinafter to be decribed as to bring it up with a sudden jerk after the stitch has been formed, for the purpose of tightening the stitches, after the manner of handsewing; also,in producing friction upon or gripping the needle-thread between the seam and the hobbin or its equivalent, from which the thread is supplied to it by a device, and for the purposes hereinafter specified.

The said invention further consists in theA combination, inthe same machine, of mechanism for the purpose of producing a more perfeet and ei'ective sewing-machine than any previously known or used for sewing a continuous and other seams.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

0n a column, A, erected upon the stand or bed-piece of the machine,.is arran ged an aXle,'B, which carries the main driving-wheel U, which may be turned by the handle E or driven by any other suitable means, and which carries a belt, D, running over and driving a pulley, F,

which is fast on a horizontal shaft, Gr, which carries -a cam, s, to beehereinafter more fully dcscribed,for driving down the needlethrough the cloth and governing its retraction therefrom, and a iiy-wheel, H, whichhas on its periphery a cam, I, for operating the feeding apparatus, and has attached to one of its armsa wrlstpin, a, for operating the shuttle-driving apparatus. ings in nprights V W, which are secured to a horizontal plate, X, supported upon and firmly secured to a pillar, Y, standing ou the top of the stand or bed-piece of the machine.

Through the center of the stand or bed-pece The said shaft G is fitted to bearthere passes the horizontal shaft 7a', Figs. 1,2, 4, and 6, which carriesthe toothed feedingwheel k2, and which has its bearing in a har, t', Fig. 1, in the rear of the stand, and in a har,

m', in the front thereof. The toothed feeding l wheel Wis so arranged and applied that its toothed peripherical surface projects upward through a slot or opening of suitable size in the hearing-surface on which the cloth or material to be sewed is supported during the sewing operation, just far enough to catch the under side ofthe said material when the latter is held in contact with it by suitable pressure applied above it, and to enable it to move the said material along the said surface by its revolntion. the exterior ot' a circular-shaped rest, w,Figs. 2, 3, and 5, attached to the front of the bed-v piece ot' the machine in such a manner as to incase the feed-wheel like a box; or it maybe the upper surface f a dat table, w', which forms a continuation of the plane upper surface ot' the bed-piece ot the machine. Either the table x or the rest 'w' provides a support -for the cloth all around the needle'and the operating-surface of the feed-wheel.

The rest/tv is principally intended to be used in sewing curved seams in articles ofcir- `y y'. The feeding-wheel r2 should operate as close as practicable to the needle.

z is what l term the cloth-hoider,7 consisting of a small plate attached to a forked arm, which is connected with the pillar YI by center screws or hinges, and which hasaspring, f, applied to itin such a manner as to exert a downward pressure upon it to make it bear upon [he cloth or other material with sufficient force to conline it to the part of the toothed Surface of the feeding-wheel which projects above the surface of the table w'or rest w',- but. the saidspring allows the said cloth-hold'- er to yield to permit the passage under it ot' cloth ot' dilierentorvarying thicknesses. This cloth-holder has the surface which hears upon n the material made quite smooth, in order that the material may slide freely under itwhen moved by the revolution ot' the feeding-wheel, and this surface being smooth, and the teeth ot' the feed-wheel beingmade only prominent enough to catch the cloth, and not to penetrate through it, permit 'the material to be turned `by hand in any direction without intertering withv the feed for the purpose ot' sewing curved' seams or performing tancy stitcliin'g of various designs. The said cloth-holder has its hearing-surface larger than is necessary to confine the material to the feed-wheel, as it serves,

also, to prevent the needle from raising up vthe material in drawing up the stitch; andin or- This bearing-surlace may be either` feed-wheehit has a hole provided in it just A large enough for the needle to pass through.

On the rear end of thc feeding-wheel shaft k',

is secured arag-wheehn", and close to this wheel an arm, o', is iitted to the' said shaft. 'lo the said arm o is attached a pawl, p', which engages with the said rag-wheel for the purpose of producing the necessary movement of the shaft for feeding the material lo be sewed, as will be presently described. Y

yOn the extreme end ot' the arm o' is placed a friction-roller, q', which is struck by the cam I on the iiy-wheel H during every revolution of the latter, and thereby caused to move the pawl p over the teeth of the rag-wheel, at the same time elongatinga spiral spring, r', which connects the said arm o with the pillar A ot' the machine, and after the cam passes the roller the pawl catches into the teeth of the rag-Wheel n', and the contractionof the spring r draws the arm o in the opposite direction to that in which it was moved rby the cam, and causes the pawl to move the rag-wheel the nec essary distance-to cause the toothed wheel k to feed the material the necessary distance for the length of a stitch. The pawl p is a donhle one-that is to say, has a tooth at each endand it is attached to the `arm-o midway between its teeth or extremities by a pin which passes through the said arm, and which has secured to its other end an arm, s', which pro- 'bring either tooth or extremity of the pawl seams to be sewed without cutting the thread or changing the material end for end in the machine, and.besides, enables the operator always to dispose ot' the bulk ot' material out-v side ot' the line of sewing by turning it from instead ot' into or toward the machine.

lt may also be remarked in this connection that in sewing'back and forth, and also in sewing curved seams, it is necessary that the pressure-pad or cloth-holder should be made so as to press on the cloth on all sides of the needle, since if a very small opening or slit .between it andthe needle.

were left in the cloth-holder the cloth would be liable to catch or be wrinkled up when sewing curved seams, 85e., by being caught against the edge thereof. 1

The upright W, before mentioned as containing one of the bearings ot' 4the shat't G, is extended upward above the said shaft, and has attached to it an arm, t, which contains one of the guides for the upright needle-bar Z, aiiother guide l'or the said bar being provided inthe plate X. This bar .has its lower end slotted and bored out to receive the straight needle b', which has its eye in or near the-end thereof, and a recess immediately behind said eye for the purpose of al'ordiug an entrance for .the point of the shuttlen between the said needle and the thread which it carries, and when the needle is in proper place in the needle-bar a nut, c', is screwed onto the end of said needle-bar for the purpose of holding y the needle in place. The needle-bar has an arm, c, passing through and secured to it, and the said arm carries behind the bar a frictionroller, to, Fig. 3, upon which the cam, rotating in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2, operates to drive down rthe needle through the cloth and govern its retraction therefrom, which is el'ected hy a spiral spring, t, one end of which connects with the arm c and the other with a goose-iieck ou the top ot`- the upright to, the said spring keeping the friction-roller te in Contact with the cam until the needle is drawn up clear ofthe cloth, when the friction-roller fw is suddenly drawn into a recess, w, Fig. 2, in the cam, allowing the springto suddenly contract and jerk the needle'-` thread to tighten 'up the stitch. The needleoar is arrested iii its upward motion by coming in contact with the end of a set-screw titted into an arin, z, attached to the upright XV, and this screw may be adjusted to arrest the needle in a higher or lower position,'according as lthe thickness of the cloth is greater or less. The cam s is so formed with a step, as shown at wz, Fig. 2, that after it has forced the needle down to the lowest position it permits it to rise or make a retrograde movement very suddenly, and from this step it is concentric with the shaft G for a considerable distance, so that by its continued revolution iii Contact with the roller to it arrests the needle-bar for some time, during vwhich the. point of the shuttle U passes between the needle and the thread which lies beside it. By the slighretrograde movement above mentioned the needle and thread are brought to a more favorable position for the shuttle to pass between them,and by the arrest of the needle the needle-thread, which is represented in blue color, is prevented having any upward movement, which might interfere with the entry of the shuttle The thread is stipplied to the needle from a spool, A', which turns on a spindle attached tothe upright W.

The needle-bar Z has hinged to itat ashort distance above' the needle an arm, d', which extends upward beside the needle-bar, and

whose'upper'end passes through an eye to a curved arm, e', whichpasses freely through .the needlehar, and which has a spiral spring coiled round it and applied in such a manner as to draw its eye toward the needle-bar. The thread ou its way from the spool A to the eye of the needle passes. through'the eye of the curved springarni e', between the said eye and y which is secured to the plate X before mentioned, and forces out the said arm d in the arc of a circle, audrthereby strains or coutracts the spring on the curved arm e', and by that means causes the thread which is passing through the eye of the said curved arm to be clamped by the friction ot' the upright arm d upon it. 'The spring on the curved arm e always causes sonie friction to be produced on the. thread passing through its eye, but most ofthe time the needle is at its lowest position. The object ot' this friction upon the thread between the spool and the seam is to keep it under control and prevent any more being drawnotftroin the spool than is necessary t6 produce the stitch, so that the thread for the successive stitches may be drawn from the spool in measured length by the act of mak` ing the stitches.

The roller g' may be so adjusted that the wedge-shaped or cam-like projection f on the arni d may be acted upon at the proper time for producing the greatest friction or pressure on the thread'by means of a set-screw, t", Fig. 3, screwing through the plate X and ,bearing upon the spring-arm It", so that'the spring-arm h may be iaised or lowered.

The thread, insteadA ot passing through the u enough to receive the needle, the side ot' the shuttle-racein whichit is formed being flat,

and its object is twot'old--viz., tirst, to prevent l the needle interfering with the flight of the shuttle, and, second. to prevent the thread winding round the needle or getting out of a favorable position for the shuttle to pass between it and its thread. The raceway is eX- hibited in Figs. 4 and b and the recess 'm in Fig. 4. The shuttle is made hollow, and with the open side, which woiks next the liat side of the raceway in which the recess mis formed, perfectly straight, and the other three sides sloped orf to form a thin and pointed or nearly pointed -front extremity, capable *of entering wise, and by this means obviates the necessity sui-licient friction on the thread to prevent. it

' 'the rear end of a shaft, L, having its bearing at that end in a bolster, M, secured to the ing its opposite end resting in the lopposite pin.

" and consequently the shuttle which it drives,

connecting-rod has made its entire stroke an-d Y line in Fig. 4,) where they are held by the said freely between the needle and its thread. The l rear extremity ot' tne shutte may be square or 'rounded On theinsidc of the shuttleis placed a spindle, n, for carrying the locking-thread, which is represented in green color, the said spindle beingl secured in place by a nut, o, in rear ot' the shuttle, on the outside thereof, as shown in Fig. 7.

In the front part of the 4inside ofthe shuttle isa bar, p, through a hole in which passes the shuttle-thread, which passes from thence behind a spring, r, on the side ot' the shuttle, also in the inside, and then through a ho'lein the top ot the shuttle, as' shown in Fig, 4. rlhe thread is drawn ott'y from the spindle lengthot a bobbin on the spindle and admits oi" the use of a smaller shuttle.

The bar and spring above mentioned afford from drawi'hg ott' any faster than it is required for catching the needle-thread and forming its part ot the stitch. I

The shuttle is driven inthe following manner: The wrist-pin a, before mentioned, is'connected by a roti, J, with an arm, K, secured toy outside ot' the bed-piece of the machine, said shaft passing through the bed-piece and havside thereof, and which said connecting-rod gives to said shaft L a vibrating motion. To the shaft L is secured an arm, N, which is slotted in its end to receive one end of the connecting-rod O, Which is attached by a joint-v '.lhe other end of said connecting-rod O is also slotted, and receives one end of the driving-bar P, Fig. 4, which is attached by a pin, b. 0n the connecting-rod O is arranged a collar, c, against which rests one end ot' a spiral spring, d, the other end of which rests against and travels in the slot in the connecting-rod, and is forced up tight by said spring d against the pin b, so that the said pin will carry the driving-bar P back and forth as it is operated upon by the connecting-rod until the driving-bar P strikes against the end of a set-screw, Q, in the end of the bed-piece ot'the machine, when the spiral spring Will be permitted to-yield bythe key c and pin b passing through the slot in the connecting-rod', which allows a continuous motion ot' the connectingrod'to be kept up, while the driving-bar j?,

remain for a moment stationary, so that the needle may draw up that portion of the stitch made simply by passing the shuttle through between the needle and its thread. At'ier the is returned by theoperation ot the arm N, to which it is attached, the spiral spring d expands, forcing up the key e and-pin b through the slot before described until they reach the end ot the said slot, (which slot, or rather the end of said slot, is represented by a dotted spring, and the connecting-rod, in returning, brings back the driving-bar and the shuttle with it. By means of the set-screw Q before mentioned the distance which the shuttle shall travel and then stop may be regulated so that it shall only move far enough to clear the needle, or the precise time it shall remain still kmay be regulated to suit the motion of the needle, when the movement ot' thelatter is adjusted by the set-screw provided for that purpose, t'or sewing thicker or thinner material.

The driving-bar P is guided in its proper direction by and moves in a support,f, fastened to the inside ofthe bed-piece et" the machine in rear ofthe shuttle, and its front end is bent down at right angles to the said bar and' slides in la giroove in a support, g, which is hinged to the bottom of the bed-piece ofthe t 'becomes necessary to take out the shuttle for the removal ot` the thread thereirnandy When the shuttle is replaced the said springR forces up the arms t' i into place again.

On the rear ot' the support g is secured a curved guide, h, along which move the arms t' 7l, said arms being notched near their rear end, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to span said guide and be governed in their movements by it. The said arms' are fitted to work through a slotted sleeve, 7c, which is secured to the driving-'bar P, and by that means their points are permitted to be moved into anddratvn out from the holes or recesses-'provided in the back side of the shuttle to receive them, as they are directed by the curve in the guide h. rlhe arms t' al are caused to be carried by the driviug-barvby being fitted to notchest-herein.

The curvel in the guide his for drawing the arms t' alternately ont of the shuttle for the purpose of allowing them to pass or step over the needle-thread as the shuttle passes between the needle and its thread, and when the said arms come to the straight partof the guide h they are immediately entered again, so that one ot' said arms is always in position to drive the shuttle. The curve in the guide ismadeimmediately opposite theneedle, so Ias-to draw back the arm at'that point.

To provide for the removal ot` the shuttle from the raceway, a slot is provided in the table above the raceway, and this slot is titted with a movable plate, Y, which may be in one or more pieces, and which, when in place, has its upper surface iiush with the upper surface ot' the table 4r,so as to constitute in effect a portion of the said table.v When this plate is removed `and the pointed arms 'i `are thrown lthread the shuttle-thread is left ruiming dibut when the feed movement is in the reverse back the shuttle may be taken out; but when the plate is in place and the machine in operation the said plate protects the shuttle-race from dirt and prevents the cloth or material being seived from interfering with the shuttle.

The seam produced in this machine has the shuttle-thread running directly through the loops ofthe needle-thread or Wound round each loop, according to the direction of the feed movement. When the feed inovementis in the opposite direction to that in which the shuttle enters between the needle and its rcctly through the loops of the needle-thread;

direction the shuttle-thread is left wound once round each loop of the needle-thread, making a stitch of quite dit'terent character.`

Ido not claim the use in a sewingmachine otl an eye-pointed needle or a shuttle or the combination ot the eyepointedrneedle and shuttle, as that combination is described inA the patent of Fisher and Gibbons, dated 1844, and will be found among the English patents; but I will proceed to state what I claim as assignee cf WILLIAM H: AKrNs and JACOB D. FELTHOUSEN, and desireto secure by Letters Patent.

l. The employment, in combination with a reciprocating needle and atlat surface vwhich supports the material to be sewed, of a rotating toothed feeding-wheel or other equivalent feeding deviceto which the cloth is not attached, and a holder which holds the material against the said feeding device with a yielding pressure, substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

L. The combination of a toothed feed-Wheel or its equivalent with a driving apparatus which provides forits operation to feed the material to be sewed either from right to left, or vice versa, and to reverse the direction of the feed without stopping the machine, substantially as and for the purpose herein described. f

3. The above-'described devices for eecting and controlling the relative movements ot' the needle and shuttle, whereby the shuttle enters between the needle and its thread While the needle is arrested after a short retrograde movement1 substantially as and for the purpose herein specilied. e

4. The employment, in a sewing-machine, of'

a table which presents a surface for the support ofthe material to be sewcd on every side l ience for sewing articles of circular or tubular form, as herein set forth.

6. Bringing up the needle after the stitch is Y formed by a spring, t, or its equivalent, operating, substantially as herein described, for the purpose ot' tightening up the stitch, after the manner of hand-sewing.

7. Ptroducing frictionv upon or gripping the needle-thread between the seam and the bobbin or spoolfrom which the said thread is supplied by means ot' the spring and catch or its equivalent, substantially as and for the purposes herein specitied.

8. In a sewing-machine, feeding the cloth or other substance to determine the space hetween the stitches by the friction of the surface of the periphery of the feed-wheel or any equivalent feeding device, substantiallyL as specified, in combination with aspring pressure plate or pad which grips the cloth or other substance against. such feeding-surface, substantially as specified, and for the purpose set forth.

9. Prpjecting the operative part of the surface ot' the feeding apparatus through the sur.

face of the table, substantially as described, S0 that such feeding-surface may act ou aportion ot' the under surface ofthe material to gire the required feeding motion to space the stitcheS,\vhi-le the other portions ofsaid material slidel on the table, which answers the purpose ot' freeing the said material from the feeding-surface and to cover and protect the parts of the feeding device which are below the table.

10. 'Ihe combination oi' mechanism substantially such as is herein described, so that the cloth or other material to be sewed, beingplaced upon the machine Linder the pressurepad, will be automatically carried forward to receive the stitches, substantially as herein described, and so that seams of any desired length may he conveniently sevred into curves or figures, at the will of thefoperator.

JAMES G. WILSON, Assignee of Wm. H. Akas and J .1). Felthousen.

YVitnesses S. H. WALES, J. D. BUCKLEY.

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