Improvements in Button-hole Sewing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st Jan., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Button-hole Sewing Machines.
I, FREDERICK SIMMONS of 39 Marshall Street, London Road, Southwark in the
County of Surrey, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
品
This invention relates chiefly to improvements in automatic button-hole sewing
machines in which a reciprocating movement is imparted to the needle for sewing button-
holes which have been cut before being placed in the machine.
The improvements consist firstly of certain alterations in the mechanism for
imparting the necessary reciprocating movement to the needle, whereby both the
efficiency and accuracy of the machine are increased and the wear of the working
parts much lessened.
The cut button-hole after having been placed in the machine, will not need to be
turned or shifted in any way by hand until finished.
A further improvement consists in fitting to the machine (in addition to the
ordinary cramp for holding the work) a presser foot, which is slotted longitudinally of
the machine to permit of the passage of the needle.
At the side nearest the operator a small slit or cut is formed in the presser foot,
which serves to indicate the position the cut in the button-hole should occupy when
placed under the cramp.
The presser foot lies centrally in the cramp and is kept down on the work by a
spring lever actuated by a cam on the driving shaft.
The necessary traversing motion for feeding the work under the needle is imparted
to the work plate by a screw cam and lever such as those described in the specifi-
cation of Letters Patent granted to me, and dated March 12th 1879 No. 975.
This screw cam is formed on its circumference at or near its front end with a
removable and adjustable plate, which extends somewhat less than half way round the
circumference and forms two steps.
Mounted in guides in the frame of the machine, and situate at the level of the
centre of the feed cam shaft, is a slide I. This slide carries at one end on a stud
pin, a toothed cam wheel, which rotary motion is communicated by a pinion on the
driving shaft.
The needle bar is also attached to this slide.
A projection on the side of the slide I lies in the path of the plate on the screw
feed cam, and is caused to bear on the periphery of this cam by a spring. The pro-
jection on slide 1 lies within a U shaped projection formed on a slide 1I which
overlies slide I and is kept in position in its guides by the screw feed cam.
Mounted on a stud pin on slide II is a roller which lies in the path of the cam on
the toothed wheel.
On rotary motion being imparted to the cam wheel through its pinion: the cam
will bear on the roller carried by slide II and cause the two legs of the U shaped
projection to bear on the periphery of the feed cam, thus forcing back slide I a
distance equal to the width of one side of a button hole, there being sufficient play
between the projection on slide I and the bend of the U shaped projection on slide II
to allow of this movement.
To form the opposite side of a button-hole, both projections will by the rotation of
the screw cam be caused to bear on the plate on the feed cam, thus moving
both sides back the necessary distance, when the operation described above will
be repeated.
In forming the bar of the button-hole, only one of the legs of the U shaped
projection (say the upper one) will, at the proper moment rest on the plate of the

page_text: screw feed cam: thus allowing the projection on slide I to be forced back
a distance equal to the full width of the button-hole and so form the bar.
This movement will continue until the upper leg of the U shaped projection
falls past the step formed by the plate, and reduces the space between the two
projections to its original width.
To form the second bar, the lower leg of the U shaped projection bears on the plate
on the feed cam and allows the projection on slide I to be drawn back by the cam
the necessary distance until in its rotation, the plate on the feed cam brings one of
the steps behind the projection on slide I and so reduces the travel of that slide.
By substituting a larger roller and correspondingly increasing the thickness
of the plate on the feed cam by liners or otherwise, the width of the button-hole
may be increased.
The needle bar is carried in a slide in the head of the machine.
The presser foot above mentioned is so mounted in the head of the machine as to
be capable of slight axial motion in the direction of the feed and is adjusted by a
spring. This is for the purpose of preventing the work having any tendency to
pucker under the drag of the feed. The presser foot being formed with the least
possible opening for the passage of the needle, all tendency for the sides of the cut
but tonhole to curl up will be prevented.
The top of the work plate on which the work is secured is of a
section, for
the purpose of opening the button-hole to be sewn: thus ensuring a clean edge for
the same when finished.
In applying this invention to a machine in which both a traversing movement for
the feed and a reciprocating movement are communicated to the work table, the
slides, cam, roller and plate on the screw feed cam, will be fitted and operate as above
described.
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7 3000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Button-hole Sewing Machines.
I, FREDERICK SIMMONS of 39 Marshall Street, London Road, Southwark, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to he performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates chiefly to improvements in automatic Button-hole sewing
machines, in which a reciprocating movement is imparted to the needle, for sewing
button-holes which have been cut before being placed in the machine.
The improvements consist firstly of certain alterations in the mechanism for
imparting the necessary movement to the needle: whereby both the efficiency and
the accuracy of the machine are increased, and the wear of the working parts much
reduced. The cut button-hole after having been placed in the machine will not need
to be turned or shifted in any way by hand, until finished.
A further improvement consists in fitting to the machine (in addition to the ordinary
cramp for holding the work), a presser foot which is slotted to permit of the passage
of the needle, and serves to prevent the edges of the cut button hole from curling up
under the drag of the needle.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a plan view of an automatic Button-hole sewing machine fitted according
to my invention ;
Fig. 2 a sectional elevation, and

page_text: In these figures, A is the frame of the machine, B the driving shaft, and C the
cam shaft. Secured to this shaft is a screw feed cam C¹ similar to that described in
the specification of letters Patent, granted to me and dated March 12th 1879
No. 975.
The feed cam C¹is rotated by the usual feed wheel, the tail lover of which overlies
a cam D on the driving shaft B. A bowl on one end of a lever E takes into the
groove in the screw feed cam C, while the other end of this lever is adjustably
attached to the work plate F. The rotation of the feed cam C will thus impart the
necessary feed movement to the work plate F.
At or near the front end of the feed cam C¹ is secured by screws or otherwise a
half hoop or plate of steel c which extends somewhat less than half way round the
circumference of the feed cam (and forms with the circumference of the cam two
steps.
Mounted in guides in the frame A, and situate at the level of the axis of the cam
shaft C is a slide 1. This slide carries at one end on a stud pin, a toothed cam
wheel Fi to which rotary motion is communicated by a pinion B' on the driving
shaft.
To the opposite end of the slide 1 is attached an arm G carrying the needle bar.
This arm is provided with a slide G¹ in the head of the machine."
A stop a on the side of slide 1 lies in the path of the plate c, and is caused to bear
on the periphery of the feed cam C by a spring a¹.
The stop a lies within a U shaped projection b formed on a slide 2, which overlies
slide 1 and is kept in position in guides in the frame A by the feed cam C¹.
Mounted on a stud pin on slide 2 is an antifriction roller H which lies in the path of
the cam F2 on the toothed cam wheel F¹.
Rotary motion having been imparted to the cam wheel F¹ through the pinion B¹,
the cam F2 will bear on the antifriction roller H and cause the two legs of the
U shaped projection to bear on the periphery of the feed cam C¹ (see Fig. 4), thus
forcing back slide 1 and with it the arm G carrying the needle bar against the
spring a', a distance equal to the width of one side of a button hole. There being
sufficient play between the projection a on slide 1 and the bend of the U. shaped
projection 6 on slide 2 to allow of this movement.
b
On the cam F ceasing to act on the roller H the spring a' will return the slide 1
to its original position. This movement will continue until one side of a button-
hole is completed; when the screw feed cam C¹ in its rotation will cause one of the
steps formed by the plate c and the periphery of this cam, to slide under one of the
legs of the projection & (see Fig. 5) thus forcing back slide 2 and roller H a distance
equal to the width of one side of the button-hole.
The cam F2 continuing to rotate will strike the antifriction roller H, and force
back slide 1 against the spring a¹ a distance equal to the full width of the button-
hole and so form the "bar." This movement will continue until the plate e slides
under the stop a on slide 1 (see fig. 2.) and so reduces the throw of the cam F2 to a
distance equal to one side of a button-hole only.
The action of the cam F2 and spring a' will continue to impart a reciprocating.
movement to the slide 1, until the further side of the button-hole is completed: when"
the stop a will drop past the second step on the cam (see fig. 6) and allow a
double throw to the cam F2. This movement will form the second "bar" of the
button-hole.
It will be seen that the number of stitches in the "bar" is regulated by the width
of the legs of the U shaped projection b. The width of the button-hole may be
increased by replacing the antifriction roller H by a larger one, and correspondingly
increasing the thickness of the plate by placing liners underneath it or otherwise;
the plate c being attached by screws to the feed cam for this purpose.
In order to prevent the edges of the cut button-hole from curling up under the'
drag of the needle, a presser foot J is provided, the base of which lies within the
cramp J. This presser foot is slotted at ; Fig. 7 to permit of the passage of

page_text: the needle, and at the side nearest the operator a small slit or cut j¹ is made to
indicate the position of the cut in the button-hole.
Thus when the cut in the button-hole is in line with the slit the operator will be
sure the button-hole is in the requisite position for sewing.
A lever K actuated by a cam B2 on the driving shaft is caused to bear on
the top of the presser foot J by a spring k and thus keep the presser foot down on the
work.
The presser foot J is mounted loosely in guides in the head of the machine just in
rear of the slide of the arm G, and is retained in position by a spring k¹ mounted on
a screw screwed into the head, and passing through a block which rests on the
back of the upper part of the presser foot J. Thus the presser foot is capable of a
slight movement in the direction of the line of feed, for the purpose of adjusting
itself to the work, and preventing the work having any tendency to pucker under
the drag of the feed. A lever J₁* serves to raise the presser foot off the work.
It will be seen on reference to the plan view Fig. 7, that the slot j in the presser
foot allows the smallest possible space for the passage of the needle, and so will
prevent the sides of the button-hole from curling up.
at
The top of the work plate on which the work is secured is of a
section as
fig. 2, for the purpose of slightly opening the button-hole to be sewn, ensuring
a clean edge for the same when finished.
Figs. 8 and 9 shew respectively in sectional elevation and partial end view as
much of a button-hole sewing machine as is necessary to illustrate the application of
my Invention to a machine in which a traversing movement for the feed, and a
reciprocating movement are communicated to the work plate.
In this example the slide 1 instead of carrying the needle bar as in the first
described arrangement, is attached to a guide G in which works a slide G³ carrying
the work plate F, and slide 2 is carried in guides on slide 1. A lever E and screw
feed cam Cimpart the necessary traversing movement to the work plate for giving
the feed, as in the former arrangement.
It will be seen on reference to Fig. 8 that the stops a bon slides 1 and 2 are some-
what modified in shape; thus the stop bis wider than stop a. This answers the
same purpose as the legs of the U shaped stop described above.
The action of this machine is similar to that described with reference to figs. 1
to 6 of the accompanying drawings, and is adapted to sew button-holes before they
have been cut.
A modification of the last described arrangement is shown in elevation in the
detached view fig. 10. In this figure the roller H is carried by slide 1 and is
placed at the rear of the cam F2, while slide 2 is mounted in guides on the frame A
of the machine and carries the cam wheel F¹. In other respects this machine
resembles that shown at fig. 8, the action being the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a button-hole sewing machine the means above described with reference to
figs. 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings, for imparting to the needle bar a varying
reciprocating motion in a horizontal direction for the purpose set forth.
2. In a button-hole sewing machine the means above described with reference to
figs. 8, 9 & 10 of the accompanying drawings, for imparting to the work plate a
varying reciprocating motion at right angles to the line of feed for the purpose set
forth.
3. In a button hole sewing machine a presser foot such as J constructed and
operating in the manner above described and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 21st day of January 1890.
FREDERICK SIMMONS.