Improvements in Button-hole and other Sewing Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1899
LOGO
L
1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Button-hole and other Sewing Machines.
We, THE THOMAS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LIMITED, of No. 6, Dowgate
Hill, in the City of London, Manufacturers, and THOMAS CONNERY, in the employ
of the said Company, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to sewing machines which are primarily intended to
make button holes but which with or without slight modifications may also be
adapted to for instance hemstich, herring bone, zig-zag, feather stich, revere
thread drawn, revere imitation, top and plain sewing and imitation or shire.
The machine is mounted on a cast iron or other suitable frame and is provided
with a horizontal main shaft in bearings which shaft is provided at one end with
a pulley or caused to revolve in any convenient manner. This shaft is at the
other end provided with a mitre wheel which gears with another mitre wheel
mounted on a short shaft running in bearings in the frame. On this short shaft
is mounted a cam and a crank pin which crank pin has connected thereto a
connecting rod connected at the other end to the needle bar at the lower extremity
of which is the needle holder for the needle. The head of the machine carrying
the needle bar is pivotted to the frame. The cam before referred to has a cam
groove therein for operating a double armed lever for effecting the take which
is provided at its extremity with a fork and a grooved roller held by a pin
therethrough as is usual.
up
The main shaft is further provided with a spur wheel which gears with another
spur wheel mounted on a counter shaft which latter also carries three cams which
are or may be made in one. The first of these cams is for operating the movement
of the head of the machine and the parts supporting the hook so that both the
head and the hook swing or move together.
The first cam just referred to is for regulating the size of the stitch and is or
may be an outside cam and in the latter event in revolving comes into contact
with a roller mounted on the top of a plunger which plunger is mounted in a
barrell attached to the frame and the other end of the plunger is attached to
one arm of a double armed lever hereinafter called the throw lever. The other
arm of the said throw lever is provided with a long slot and adjustably mounted
in this slot is a link the other end of which is connected to a bow-shaped
double armed slide. One arm of the latter is connected to a pivotted or sliding
frame carrying the hook, the other arm is connected by a stud to the pivotteil
head and preferably a spring keeps the double armed slide in position. The
size of the stitch is regulated by varying the distance of the link from the
centre and this is effected by means of another link connected to a lever mounted
on the frame and suitably provided with a weighted arm so as to remain by
gravity in one or two positions on either side of its centre, such positions being
however capable of adjustment by means of set screws or other stops. By this
means the swing or movement of the head and hook and consequently the size
of the stitch may be regulated it being evident that a small stitch is required

page_text: for example for the sides of a button hole and a long stitch for the barring and
the reversing of the weighted lever alters the stitch from one to the other
instantaneously.
The second cam is for effecting the lift of the feed foot and it is
suitably provided with a cam groove into which takes a roller mounted on
a stud on a bar sliding in bearings on the frame. The other end of this sliding
bar is made with an inclined face which on sliding forward engages with a
roller mounted on the upper part of the feed foot the latter being guided in
the frame of the machine near the head thereof.
The third cam is for effecting the feed and it is or may be an outside cam.
It is suitably made somewhat in the form of a truncated cone with one side
more or less flattened and cut away. Engaging therewith is a roller mounted
on a stud on a rod sliding in bearings on the frame. The stud of the roller
is made adjustable so that the roller may be made to approach the axis of the
cam more or less and the nearer the roller is to the axis of the cam the greater
the motion communicated to the sliding rod. The other end of the sliding
rod is provided with an inclined plane which takes into a slot or recess in the
head end of the frame. The feed foot is made very much in the form of a
presser foot but with serrations underneath and it is near its upper part slotted
and mounted on a pivot and guided as aforesaid being held in position by a
spring. The inclined plane just referred to is operated in such manner as to
make the feed foot move in one direction to take the feed when the said feed
foot is raised by the second cam and the spring causes it to come back to its
normal position as soon as the third cam releases- the roller on the sliding
rod. There is also a spring actuated presser foot to hold the work while the
feed foot is raised.
L
The main shaft is further provided-with-a-crank connected thereto is a con-
necting rod having a slot in the middle and in this slot is a pivot on the frame.
The other end of the connecting rod is by a link connected to a crank on
lower shaft mounted in bearings under the base of the machine. The effect of
using this link will be to cause the lower shaft to dwell once in a revolution and
to give the hook a quicker motion when it has caught the loop of cotton. This
lower shaft is made with a feather or otherwise so that a mitre wheel may
slide on it and revolve at the same time said mitre wheel being kept in proper
position by an arm or a fork taking into a groove in said wheel mounted on
the sliding or swinging frame for the hook. Gearing with this mitre wheel is
another mitre wheel mounted on a spindle running in bearings on the sliding
or swinging frame and this spindle carries at its other end a hook of a suitable
form having a bobbin guide. This latter is arranged to take the bobbin case
and the bobbin contained therein and the two latter are normally held in
position against the hook by means of a hinged arm provided with a spring
or other catch.
If desired the centre of the cloth plate may be made to revolve to permit of
the work being turned or the cloth plate may be fixed and the foot of the
presser foot may also be made capable of revolving.
The driving pulley may be attached to the main shaft by means of a friction
clutch provided for example with a milled head nut so that the said pulley may
revolve independently of the main shaft and a bobbin winder is mounted on
the frame in such manner that a pulley or friction wheel on the spindle of the
winder may be brought into contact with the strap or belt on the driving
pulley or with the driving pulley itself.
The tension is constructed in any convenient or well known manner.

page_text: Improvements in Button-hole and other Sewing Machines.
We, THE THOMAS MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED, of No. 6, Dowgate
Hill, in the City of London, Manufacturers, and THOMAS CONNERY, in the employ
of the said Company, 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 sewing machines which are primarily intended to
make button-holes but which with or without slight modifications, for example,
to the cams, or one or more of them and to the proportion of gearing between
the mainshaft and the shaft. on which the cams are mounted may also be
adapted to sew for instance either hem-stitch, herring-bone, zigzag, feather-
stitch, revere thread drawn, revere imitation, top and plain sewing, and imita-
tion or shire.
Figure 1 on the drawings is an elevation partly in section.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line AB Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an inverted plan.
Figure 4 is an elevation.
Figure 5 is a vertical section on line CD of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a detail of two of the cams for effecting the feed.
Figure 7 is a part vertical section on line EF of Figure 2.
Figure 8 is a part vertical section on line G H of Figure 2 and
Figure 9 is a detail relating to the feed mechanism in inverted plan.
The machine is mounted on a cast iron or other suitable frame 1 and is
provided with a horizontal main shaft 2 in say three bearings 3 which shaft
is provided at one end with a pulley 4 or caused to revolve in any convenient
manner.
This shaft 2 is at the other end provided with a mitre wheel 5 (see
Figures 1,2, 8) which gears with another mitre wheel 6 mounted on a short
shaft 7 running in bearings in the frame of the machine. On this short shaft
is mounted a cam disc 8 and a crank pin 9 which crank pin has connected thereto
a connecting rod 10 (see Figure 2) connected at the other end to the needle
bar 11, at the lower extremity of which is the needle holder and clamping
screw 12, for the needle. The head 80 of the machine carrying the needle
bar 11 is pivotted to the frame by the screw 13 (see Figure 2 & 4).
The cam disc 8 before referred to has a cam groove 14 therein for operating
a double armed lever 15 Figures 1 and 4 for effecting the take up which is
provided at its extremity with a fork and a grooved roller 16 Figure 4 held by
pin or screw through same as is usual.
The main shaft 2 is further provided with a spur wheel 17 which gears with
another and larger spurwheel 18 mounted on a counter shaft 19 which latter
also carries three cams two of which are shown made in one but if desired they
may all be made in one. The first cam herein referred to as 20 is for operating
the movement of the head of the machine and the parts supporting the hook
and shuttle so that both the head and hook swing or move together. This
cam 20 just referred to has working in its groove a roller 21 mounted on a
double armed lever 22 pivotted to a fulcrum pin or stud 23. There is a slot 24
in this lever 22 wherein works a link 25 which is jointed to a short arm 26
said arm being in one with a bow shaped or double armed slide or frame con-
sisting of a bent arm 27 and a straight bar 28. One arm 28 of this slide or
frame is connected to a sliding frame 31 and the said arm 28 works in bearings 29
on the underside of the bed plate 30. The frame, or block 31 carries the hook

page_text: and shuttle indicated at 32. If desired a spring keeps the double armed slide
or frame in position but as it is not essential it is not shown on the drawing.
The block 31 works or slides in V shaped slides or guides 33 on the under-
side of the bed plate 30.
The other end of the bent arm 27 is connected to the pivotted head by a
stud 34 (see Figure 4).
The size or breadth of the stitch is regulated by varying the distance from
the centre of the pin or stud in the link 25 working in the slot 24 of the
double armed lever 22 this is effected by means of another link 35 connected
to a throw lever 36 mounted on the frame I and suitably provided with a
weighted arm 37 so as to remain by gravity in one of two positions on either
side of its centre such positions may however be capable of adjustment by
means of set screws or other stops in any convenient manner.
By this means the swing or movement of the head and hook and consequently
the breadth of the stitch may be regulated, it being evident that a small stitch
is required for example for the sides of a button-hole and a long stitch for the
barring and the reversing of the weighted arm 37 alters the stitch from one
to the other instantaneously. The weighted arm 37 is also provided with a
projection 83 which takes against the stop 82 on the rod 51 to be hereinafter
described.
Instead of using a roller 21 mounted directly on the double armed lever 22,
it is evident that the roller may be mounted on the top of a plunger which
plunger is mounted in a barrel or guide attached to the frame and the other
end of the plunger is then-attached or connected to the double armed throw
lever 22.
The second cam which is suitably a face cam-38-is-mounted on the counter
shaft 19 and is for effecting the lift of the feed foot 44. It is suitably provided
with a cam groove or path on which runs a roller 39 mounted on a stud on a
sliding bar 40 working in bearings both marked 81 in the frame I. The other
end of this bar 40 is made with an inclined face 41 which on sliding forward
engages with a roller 42 (see Figs. 1, 2 and 7) mounted on the upper part of
the feed foot 44 the latter being guided in the head part of the frame of the
machine.
The bar 40 has a spring 45 for keeping the roller 39 up against the cam 38.
The third cam marked 46 (see Figs. 1, 5 and 6) is for effecting the feed and
is in one with the before mentioned cam 38. It is a face cam and is suitably
made in the form of a truncated cone with one portion more or less cut away
or flattened as shown at 47, Figure 6. Engaging therewith is a roller 48
Figures 1 and 5 mounted on a stud 49 passing through a block 50 which latter
is capable of adjustment on a sliding rod 51 which is partly tubular and works
on an adjustable pin 52 which latter is clamped by set screws in a lug or
projection 53 on one of the bearings of the counter shaft 19. The other end
of the sliding rod 51 is mounted on stud 54 which has a helical spring 55 (see
Figure 8) to keep the cam roller 48 up to its eam. The stud 49 in the block 50
being adjustable permits the roller 48 to approach the axis of the cam 46 more
or less and the nearer the roller is to this axis the greater is the motion com-
municated to the sliding rod 51, consequently the coarser is the feed.
The
other or bent end of the sliding rod 51 is provided with an inclined plane 56
(see Figures 1, 2, 4, 8 and 9) which takes into a slot or recess in the head end
of the frame. The feed foot 44 is made very much in the form of an ordinary
presser foot, but with serrations underneath and is near its upper part slotted
at 57 (Figures 2 & 7) and mounted or has its fulcrum on a pivot 58 and held
in position by a spring stud 59 fitted in the frame of the machine. There is
also a spring 84 which takes against a projection on the feed foot.
The inclined plane 56 on the rod 51 just referred to is operated in such
manner as to make the feed foot 44 move in one direction to take the feed when
the said feet foot 44 is raised by the second cam 38 and the spring 45 causes

page_text: it to come to its normal position as soon as the cam 46 releases the roller 48
on the sliding rod 51.
During the barring, that is to say when the stitches made are broad, the
feeding movement is to be stopped and this is attained automatically when
moving the weighted lever 37 over to the left (for causing the pivot of the
connecting rod 25 to be moved as far as possible down the slot 24 in the lever 22)
by means of the projection 83 on the weighted lever 37 which comes into
contact with the stop 82 on the rod 51 thus causing the latter to be moved to
the left so that the roller 48 is moved away from the cam 46, the effect of
which will be that the presser foot will continue to lift but not to feed along
the material being operated on. There is also a presser foot 60 actuated by a
spring 78 to hold the work while the feed foot 44 is raised.
The main shaft 2 is further provided with a crank 61 and connecting rod 62
having a slot 63 in the middle the length of which is indicated by dotted lines
and in this slot there is a sliding block 64 pivoted to a projection 65 on the
frame 1. The other end of the connecting rod 62 is by a short link 66 connected
to a crank pin 67 on a disc G8 on a lower shaft 69 mounted in bearings under
the base 30 of the machine. The effect of using this link 66 will be to cause
the lower shaft 69 to dwell once in a revolution and to give the hook 32 a
quicker motion when it has caught the loop of the cotton. The other end of
this shaft 69 is made with a feather 70 or otherwise so that a mitre wheel 71
may slide on it and revolve at the same time, said mitre wheel being kept in
proper position by an arm or fork 72 taking into a groove 73 in the said mitre
wheel, said arm or fork being adjustable by a set screw in the block 31 carrying
the hook and shuttle. Gearing with this mitre wheel 71 is another mitre
wheel 74 mounted on a spindle 75 running in bearings in the frame or block 31
and this spindle carries at its other end the hook 32 which is of suitable form
having a rotary shuttle or bobbin guide or case. This latter is arranged to
contain the bobbin and the two latter are normally held in position against the
hook by means of a hinged arm 76 provided with a spring or other catch 77.
The driving pulley may be attached to the main shaft by means of an ordinary
friction clutch provided for example with a milled head nut 79 so that the said
pulley may revolve independently of the main shaft and a bobbin winder of
ordinary construction is mounted on the frame in such manner that a pulley
or friction wheel on the spindle of the winder may be brought into contact
with the strap or belt on the driving pulley or with the driving pulley or with
the fly wheel in the well known manner.
The tension also is constructed in any convenient or well known manner.
This invention has been described and shewn more particularly as adapted
for securing button holes because that is its most complicated form, but such
a machine may with slight alterations be adapted for sewing hemstitch by
altering the proportion of the gearing 17 and 18 from 2 to 1 to 3 to 1 and
providing the cam 46 with two "cut away" or flattened parts 47 instead of
with one.
To make herring bone stitch the gearing and cam 46 are as just described
for hem stitching and in addition thereto there will be two projections on the
cam 38 instead of one for effecting the lift of the feed foot 44.
To make zig-zag stitch the same arrangement is used as described with
reference to the herring bone stitch except that the stitches are made coarser by
bringing the roller 48 on the rod 51 nearer to the axis of the cam 46.
To make feather stitch the cam 46 is provided with two depressions or cut
away parts 47 instead of one as aforesaid and there are also two depressions
as well as two lifts or projections in the cam 38.
To make revere thread drawn, a larger needle is employed, and there are two
projections on the cam 38 and two depressions 47 on the cam 46 similar to
those used for a feather stitch.
To make revere imitation the machine is naturally as described with reference

page_text: to revere thread drawn, the only difference being in the manipulation of the
material before sewing, that is to say, threads are not previously drawn out
of the material before sewing to form a shire.
To make top sewing the machine is used exactly as for button hole stitch
except that no barring is done.
To do plain sewing the connecting rod 25 is disconnected and the swinging
head 80 and the hook frame 31 are fixed or clamped to prevent any movement
thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
11
1. In a sewing machine the combination of a frame, a main shaft, means
for revolving same, a pivotted or swinging head, a needle bar capable of recipro-
cating therein, means for communicating reciprocating motion from the main
shaft to the needle bar, a take up device, a feeding device, a lower shaft, means
for communicating revolving motion from the main shaft to said lower shaft, a
hook with a bobbin receiving revolving motion from said lower shaft and
adapted to slide backwards and forwards bodily while revolving and means for
causing the pivotted head to swing and for causing the hook to move with the
pivotted head substantially as set forth.
2. In a sewing machine the combination of a frame (1) a main shaft (2)
mounted in bearings (3) therein, a pulley (4) on said shaft, a-connter shaft (19),
gearing for communicating motion from the main shaft to the countershaft, a
swinging head. (80) pivotted to the head part of the said frame a needle bar (11)
sliding in bearings in the said swinging head, a short shaft (7) mounted in the
head part of the frame-a-hook (32) with a bobbin mounted in a movable frame (31),
bevel gear (5) and (6) for communicating motion from the main shaft (2) to
the short shaft (7), a crank (9) mounted on the short shaft, a connecting rod (10)
connecting the said crank and the needle bar, a take up lever (15), a cam (8)
on the short shaft for operating said take up lever, a presser foot (60) operated
by a spring (78), a cam (20) on the said countershaft, a double armed lever (22)
receiving motion from said cam, a bow shaped frame (27 and 28) connected to
said lever to the swinging head and to the movable hook frame, a cam (38) on
the said countershaft, a sliding bar (40) sliding in bearings in the frame operated
by this cam, an inclined face (41) on the said sliding bar, a pivotted feed
foot (44) adapted to be raised by the inclined face on the sliding bar, against
the pressure of a spring, a cam (46) on the said countershaft, a rod (51) sliding
in bearings in the frame, and an inclined plane (56) on said rod adapted to
move the feed foot against the pressure of a spring to feed substantially as
described and shewn.
3. In a sewing machine the combination of a swinging head (80) pivotted to
the head part of the frame, a hook (32) mounted on a sliding frame (31) and
a bow shaped frame (27 and 28) connecting the said swinging head and the
said sliding frame substantially as described and shown.
4. In a sewing machine the combination of a swinging head (80) pivotted
to the head part of the frame, a hook (32) receiving revolving motion from a
lower shaft (69), a how shaped frame (27 and 28) suitably guided, a cam (20),
a double arined lever (22) operated by said cam, a connecting rod (25) from
said double armed throw lever to the bow shaned frame, and means for altering
the position of the point of attachment of the connecting rod in one of the
arms of the said throw lever for the purpose of altering the breadth of the stitch
substantially as described and shewn.
5. In a sewing machine, the combination of a cam (8) mounted on a short
shaft (7) and a take up lever (15) operated by said cam substantially as described
and shewn.
6. In a sewing machine the combination of a cam (38) mounted on a counter-

page_text: shaft (19), a sliding bar (40) sliding in bearings in the frame and operated by
said cam, an inclined face (41) on said sliding bar and a feed foot (44) adapted
to be raised by the inclined face on the sliding bar substantially as described and
shewn.
7. In a sewing machine, the combination of a feed foot (44), a cam (46) on
a countershaft (19), a rod (51) sliding in bearings in the frame, and an inclined
plane 56 on said rod adapted to move the said feed foot substantially as described
and shewn.
8. In a sewing machine, the combination of a main shaft (2) having a
crank (61), a connecting rod (62) adapted also to oscillate on a fixed centre, a
link (66) connected to said connecting rod and to a crank (67) mounted on a
lower shaft (69) in order to communicate revolving motion to said lower shaft
but so that the latter may dwell once in a revolution and also have a quicker
motion at another part of its revolution substantially as described and shewn.
9. In a sewing machine the combination of a throw lever (36) adapted to hold
the connecting rod (25) either near the centre of the double armed lever (22)
or further away therefrom for the purpose of regulating the breadth of the
stitches substantially as described and shewn.
10. In a sewing machine the combination of a throw lever (36) a pro-
jection (83) on said lever, a rod (51) for operating the feed of the feed foot (44)
and a stop (82) on said rod with which stop the projection (83) comes into
contact when the double armed lever (36) is thrown over for the purpose of stop-
ping the feeding movement of the feed foot when the barring is to take place
substantially as described and shewn.
11. The construction of sewing machine as described and shewn on the
drawings.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.