Improvements in Button Hole Sewing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Oct., 1895-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1895
Improvements in Button Hole Sewing Machines.
A communication by THE CHAMPION BUTTON HOLE MACHINE COMPANY,
a corporation under the laws of the State of Maine, United States of
America, and domiciled in Boston, County of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts,
United States of America, Manufacturers.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent 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 button-hole sewing machines, and has for its object
more particularly the improvement of the feed mechanism, and the adaptation of
the machine for the formation of an overseam, means being herein provided for
laying the upper purl thread about the needle thread, and for adjusting the lower
gimp towards or away from the edge of the button-hole.
In accordance therewith the invention consists in the construction, arrangement
and operation of mechanism to be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed
out in the claims.
Fig. 1 is a rear side elevation, partly broken out, of a button-hole sewing machine
embodying the invention;
Fig. 2 is an underside view of the bed-plate of the machine, viewing it from the
front side, and shewing the feeding mechanism forming a part of the invention the
actuating cam being in section, taken on the line -x, Fig. 1;
Fig. 3, is a plan view of a portion of the top of the bed-plate at the right hand
end thereof viewing Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the head of the machine shewn in Fig. 1, looking
towards the left ;
Fig. 5 is a detail view of the upper gimp guide to be described;
Fig. 6 is a detail, to be described, of a portion of the connections between the
actuator for the needle-bar carrier and the said carrier ;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower gimp guide, and
Fig. 8 is also an enlarged view, partly in section, shewing the said guide in
place.
Referring to Fig. 1, the work supporting table or bed plate A, the overhanging
arm B, B, and the horizontal shaft B mounted in suitable bearings in the part B,
and provided with the usual balance or driving wheel 133 may be and are of usual
and well known construction.
The shaft B2 has on its outer end a disc b, see dotted lines Fig. 1, having thereon
a wrist pin to enter a cam slot in a block secured to the needle-bar C, to
reciprocate the needle bar in usual manner, the wrist pin being long enough
to permit the needle bar to be vibrated forward and back without being disengaged
from the block .
As shewn in Figs. 1 and 4 the needle bar carrier C¹ is mounted in the
head B to slide forward and back therein, ears c co-operating with the head
preventing any vertical movement of the carrier, which latter is preferably
slotted at c¹ see Fig. 4, into which extends the set screw 6x and its seat on the
block .
A bar secured to or forming a part of the carrier C'is extended therefrom

page_text: :
towards the upright portion B of the overhanging arm, and is connected by a bolt 2
to a casting chaving a journal c fitted to slide in a bearing c' in the upright, clearly
shewn in Fig. 1.
to
Referring to Fig. 6, the outer side of the casting c³ is grooved vertically at
receive therein a block e' pivotally mounted and adjustably held by a suitable bolt e
on a forked arm d¹ fast on a rock-shaft d, supported in bearings on the upright B
but not shewn.
An elbow lever d³, d³, is also secured to the rock shaft, the arm & being extended
through an opening in the upright and having thereon a roll or other stud d' to
enter a groove e¹ in a cam e fast on a vertical shaft ex mounted in bearings in the
upright B, said shaft having thereon at its upper end a bevel gear e³ in mesh with
a bevel gear 10 on the driving shaft B².
Rotation is thus imparted to the shaft ex and came to rock the lever d², d³, and
shaft d, and by the connections described the casting c³ is moved forward and back,
to impart similar vibrating movement to the needle-bar carrier ¹; to thus make
the depth and over-edge stitches when sewing a button-hole.
A rod c is connected to the bar c' and to the top of the needle-bar carrier C¹, to
impart a steady movement thereto at top and bottom.
Bearings B and B in the upright and on the head respectively support a
longitudinally movable and partially rotatable slide-rod 6, having secured thereto
.beyond the head a bent depending arm 6 to which is attached a guide 6 for the
upper purl thread p, preferably made tubular at its delivery bed, and which is
adapted to move from one to the other side of the needle-thread, and between
it and the operator, to lay the purl thread around the needle-thread above
the material, such movement of the guide being effected by means now to be
described.
As shewn in Fig. 1, a plate 68 is secured to the arm B', and it has therein a
substantially V shaped cam slot 6° to receive a stud 610 in the end of an arm biz
clamped on the slide-rod by a screw 3, so that when the rod is moved back and
forward in its bearings, it will be rocked.
The upper end of the arm of the elbow lever is forked to receive therein a
slide 613 having pivoted on its inner side by a suitable bolt 4 a block 6" provided
with a deep fin to enter a slot 6" in the arm 61, whereby the movement of the
'lever d³, d³, will reciprocate the slide-rod &³ while the latter is also rocked by the
.cam slot bº.
The fin is of such depth that it will not be withdrawn from the slot 6" when
the arm 6 is farthest removed from the end of the lever arm d³, but will remain in
constant operative connection therewith.
By means of the reciprocating and rocking movement of the slide rod 6 the
upper purl thread is properly laid around the needle-thread as desired, and there is
preferably secured to the outer end of said rod 6* a wire or other suitable guide 16
for the purl thread on its way to the guide b.
The vibration of the needle-bar carrier C¹ can be adjusted by raising or
lowering the block e' on the forked rocker-arm d', to thereby alter the stroke of
the casting c
As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, there is secured to the head B at one side of the
needle-bar carrier, a headed post 620, to which is pivoted at 6" a leg 6 having at
'its extremity a tubular guide 6" for the upper gimp, a flat springs bearing against
the upper end of the leg and maintaining it in operative position shown, and
when the gimp is not used holding the leg in substantially horizontal position, into
which it may be swung by the operator.
m, n, is a spreader-bar, and the part m is longitudinally adjustable, the cam o
shown being fast on the vertical shaft ex beneath the bed or basc-plate A, a spring 1
maintaining a roll n² on the member n in operative contact with the cam, while the
looper-bar M, shown only in Fig. 2, is actuated by a cam. o having a groove o
therein, see dotted lines Fig. 2.
The feed mechanism is best shown in Fig. 2, wherein a bracket F attached to a

page_text: cover plate A' beneath the bed-plate supports a short shaft f, to which is secured a
ratchet wheel f¹, a disc f surrounded by a brake-band f, and a pinion fin mesh
with the usual toothed feed cam disc f.
A pawl carrier g is pivoted loosely on the shaft adjacent the ratchet wheel f¹,
and a series of pawls, herein shown as three, 6, 7 and 8, are pivoted on the carrier
and spring-pressed into the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and they are of such relative
lengths that as one rests fully in one of the teeth of the ratchet, the others lie on
the inclines of other teeth, limiting the forward movement of the ratchet, which
advances by intervals of one-third of a tooth, the same effect being produced as if
the ratchet had three times the number of teeth.
The pawl-carrier g is rearwardly extended at g', and has an offset toe g' thereon
nearer the centre of oscillation of the pawl carrier, the parts g' and 9' being adapted
to be acted upon respectively, the one or the other, by rolls, h, adjustably
mounted on a swinging plate h, the roll being shown in the drawings in operative
position.
The swinging plate is pivoted at * to the underside of an enlarged flattened
arm secured to or forming a part of a hub h on a headed stud screwed into
the bed plate, a lever arm also fast on the hub being provided with a roll or
other suitable stud 17 held in a groove 48, see Fig. 2, in the upper side of a cam hª
fast on the vertical shaft ex.
One edge of the arm is provided with a longitudinal rib in parallelism with
two slots 10 and 12 in the arm, to receive the shanks of headed screws k¹ and k
mounted on a shifter-bar k, one edge thereof being guided by the rib 10, a roll
being mounted on the underside of the shifter-bar to enter a curved slot ¹³ in the
swinging plate h, whereby movement of the shifter in one or the other direction
will swing the plate to bring one of the rolls h¹ or 2 into position to actuate the
pawl-carrier g.
It will be obvious that the throw of the arm ³ is constant, governed by the cam
groove hs, and that when the roll ¹ is in position to engage the part g' of the pawl-
carrier 9: the latter will be oscillated through a certain arc, twice at each rotation
of the vertical shaft ex, to intermittingly rotate the feed plate f' while the side of
the button-hole is being stitched.
When the eye of the button-hole is to be stitched, the feed must be more rapid
as the work is turned beneath the needle, and for this purpose the shifter-bar k is
moved to the left Fig. 2, the roll acting on the plate to swing it on its pivot /*
and move the roll 2 into position to co-operate with the offset portion or toe g' on
the pawl-carrier.
As this roll is so much nearer the axis of the pawl-carrier and so much further
from the stud, the throw of the pawl-carrier 9 will be greatly increased, and
thereby the feed-plate will be moved through a greater arc, feeding the work more
rapidly beneath the needle at and about the eye of the button-hole, and thereafter
the shifter-bar k is moved back into the position shown in Fig. 2, while the other
side of the button-hole is stitched.
The shifter-bar k is moved automatically back and forth on the arm 3 by a link /
pivoted at one end to the retaining screw k¹ at the upper side of the arm and at its
other end to a lever l' pivoted to the cover plate A' at ', said arm having a roll or
stud which enters a cam groove f in the feed disc f, shown by dotted lines in
Fig. 2.
An ear on the lever has a curved slot therein through which a guide screw
is extended into the cover-plate, and the cam groove f is so shaped that at the
proper times the shifter-bar k will be moved as described.
The pawl-carrier g is kept against its actuating roll h¹ or h³, as the case may be,
by a coiled springs, see Fig. 1, one end of which is secured to the hub g* of the
pawl-carrier, the other end of the spring being attached to the bracket F.
In shifting the clamp-plate into proper position to start the work, the feed
may be rotated by hand by means of a hand pawl F, shown in Fig. 2.
The clamp plate E, shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is of usual construction, and it is
disc

page_text: moved beneath the needle by the operation of the feed disc f', which has on its
upper side the usual cam groove E. see dotted lines Fig. 3, which directs the
movement of the clamp-plate and the work held thereon, the clamp guide plate A²
also having the usual guide slot E³ therein, and as the clamp-plate, the mechanism
for holding the work thereon, and the connections between the clamp-plate and
feed disc are all of well known and usual construction it is unnecessary to herein
describe them in detail.
into
Referring now to Figs. 2, 3, 7 and 8, the usual button on the clamp guide
plate A is provided with the needle hole and also with an elongated slot
which the upturned nose of the lower gimp guide projects, the said guide being
shown separately in Fig. 7, wherein the nose vis represented as tubular to receive
the gimp, and said nose is provided with a hub v¹ having a hole therein through
which a suitable screw 30 is extended into the button or into the clamp guide plate,
as may be most convenient.
The slot is parallel to the needle-hole in the button, and by loosening the
screw 30 the gimp guide may be adjusted to bring the delivery end of its nose
nearer to or farther from the edge of the buttou-hole, according to the depth of the
stitching.
Preferably the lower gimp is laid at the underside of the work as far away from
the edge of the button hole as possible, to thereby obtain a smooth and finished
appearance of the stitching.
Referring to Fig. 2, the rolls and are shown as mounted on slide blocks 35
and 40 respectively, held in adjusted position on the plate h by set screws 45
and 50, passed through suitable slots in the slide blocks, and by loosening the set
screws, the rolls can be adjusted to swing through a larger or smaller are as they
are moved away from or towards the pivotal point of the arm h³.
In this manner I am enabled to regulate the length of the stitches with great
nicety and fineness of adjustment, according to the size of the thread being used
and the nature of the work, and the feed mechanism can be operated at very high
'speed without causing variation in the stitches.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The use in a button-hole sewing machine, of feed mechanism, including a
pawl-carrier, an oscillating support, projections movable therewith, one or the
other of which adapted to co-operate with and actuate the pawl-carrier at
different distances from its axis, and ineans to automatically bring said projections
singly into operative position, substantially as described.
2. The use in a button-hole sewing machine, of a pawl-carrier having a pawl to
move a ratchet wheel intermittingly, a plate mounted on an oscillating support and
provided with projections at different distances from the axis of the carrier,
shifting of the plate, effected automatically, moving one or the other projection
into position to engage and operate the pawl-carrier when the support is oscillated,
substantially as described.
3. The use in a button-hole sewing machine, of an oscillating support having a
constant throw and sustaining a roll-carrier which has adjustable rolls one or the
other of which is adapted to move a pawl-carrier having a pawl to actuate a
ratchet wheel, the ratchet wheel rotating a cam disc, automatic shifting of the
roll-carrier as determined by the cam disk altering the throw of the pawl-carrier
at predetermined times, substantially as described.
4. The use in a button-hole sewing machine, of feed mechanism including a
pawl-carrier having an extended arm and an offset toe, projections movable with
an oscillating support to co-operate one at a time with said arm and toc
respectively, to give the pawl-carrier a different stroke, one projection being moved
into operative position and the other into inoperative position automatically,
substantially as described.

page_text: 5. The use in a button-hole sewing machine, of a clamp plate having thereon a
button provided with an elongated slot to receive the delivery end of an adjustable
lower gimp guide, substantially as described.
6. The use in a button-hole sewing machine, of an adjustable lower gimp guide,
to regulate the position of the lower gimp, substantially as described.
7. The use in a button-hole sewing machine, of a lower gimp guide which has
an adjustable upturned tubular extension to deliver the gimp, substantially as
described.
8. The use in a button-hole sewing machine, of a vertically reciprocating,
vibrating needle, and an upper purl thread guide which is moved from one to the
other side of the needle path to lay the purl thread around the needle thread at the
upper side of the work, substantially as described.
9. The use in a button-hole sewing machine, of an upper gimp guide which can
be retained in operative or inoperative position as desired, substantially as
described.
Dated the 25th day of September 1895.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56 Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.