Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Holding, Feeding, and Sewing Buttons to Fabrics.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Holding, Feeding,
and Sewing Buttons to Fabrics.
I JOHN FERGUSON HASKINS of 1144 Queen Victoria Street in the City of London,
Consulting and Mechanical Engineer 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 :—
In the Complete Specification accompanying another application for Letters Patent
left or filed by me at the Patent Office on this the 1st day of February 1887 and
numbered 1610 I have shown and described an apparatus or attachment in connection
with a sewing machine, whereby a button having four eyes may be stitched either
diagonally across the centre of the button in different diametrical lines or from eye
to eye in succession around the buttons.
In my present invention the apparatus for moving the button is so actuated that
the stitches for attaching the button to a fabric or other article are parallel, there
being two lines of stitches rather than four, as will be described.
In the invention herein to be described, the button is held in a button-holder or foot
mounted upon the end of a slide rod fitted loosely within a carrier bar, substantially
such as shown in my said application, the said rod having combined with it suitable
mechanism whereby the rod is retained within the carrier, while the needle is made to
descend alternately through one and the other of two holes in the button, and the
proper number of stitches having been taken, usually the number required to secure
the button to the fabric, the said rod is released, so that a suitable spring, or equivalent,
causes the rod and its attached button-holder or foot to be moved toward the operator,
to bring into position under the needle another hole of the button, and thereafter the
carrier-bar is vibrated, as before, while the needle descends alternately through one,
and then the other of the last two holes of the button, forming a series of stitches
parallel to those first made through the button.

page_text: The lifting of the carrier bar to provide for the insertion of a button forces the rod
carrying the button-holder or foot into the carrier-bar, where it is held automatically.
One half the number of stitches required to secure the button in place, or substan-
tially one half, having been made, the latch which holds back the slide-rod and button-
holder or foot is automatically released by a mechanism, which will be hereinafter
described, and as soon as the required number of stitches to secure the button in place
have been made, the rotation of the main shaft of the machine is automatically stopped.
My invention consists essentially in a carrier-bar, and means to vibrate it, combined
with a slide rod having an attached button-holder or foot, the said slide rod and foot
having a longitudinal motion independent of the carrier-bar as will be described.
Other features of my invention will be hereinafter described and specifically pointed
out in the claim.
Figure 1 represents in plan view the forward portion of the bed-plate of a sewing
machine having the main parts of my improved attachment applied thereto in working
position.
Figure 2 is an underside view of the greater part of a sewing machine to which my
invention is supposed to be applied, the said Figure showing the novel devices which
have been added to the machine to effect the release of the slide rod and button holder
or foot, when a button has been partially stitched in position, also the means employed
for stopping the rotation of the main shaft of the machine, when the button has been
fully stitched.
Figure 3 is a front or left hand end view of the parts shown in Figure 1, with the
upper portion of the machine added chiefly to show the needle bar, the usual crank to
operate it and the presser rod which acts to hold the carrier-bar and foot down in
position to retain the button close to the fabric, while the button is being stitched.
Figure 4 is a section of Figure 2 in the line a, a, looking toward the right, the bed
plate being however turned over and shown as right side up.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of Figure 2 in the line al looking toward the rear
side of the machine.
Figure 6 is a section of Figure 5 in the lotted line a³.
Figure 7 is a detail showing the button holder or foot and part of the, carrier bar
with the rod therein.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of the foot toe of the lifting lever.
The bed plate A, the main shaft A', the link a actuated by an eccentric on the said
shaft, the stud a², the crank a³ fast on the rock shaft a', the bearings a and a' for the
said shaft, the sector c8, the bevel gear c', the pawl c', the pawl carrier c6, the stud a,
the nut a¹, the collar c, the eccentric e therein, the carrier bar 64, point screws c¹ by
which to pivot the forked end of the said carrier bar to the said collar, the pivotted
guide 63, the bracket 6× to hold it, the base of the attachment or apparatus, the
screws or bolts to attach it to the bed plato A, the latch 68, the button holder or
foot held by it, the spring 6 to operate the said latch 68, the lever B³ having the
rod B, the worm d², the worm gear d', the bolt d' upon which it is mounted, the
finger B7 fast upon the hub of the gear d¹, the slide rod 19, its attached projection 18,
the stud m, the projection m¹ the presser bar A7, the needle cam actuated rock shaft A,
its link A, the bearings A3 for it and for the needle bar A having the needle 12, the
cam hub A2, the armf having its latch or dog f, the belt pulley C loose on the
shaft A', the pin or projection e extended from one side of the said pulley, the dog e
to engage the said pin or projection, the hub e³ to which the said dog is pivotted, the
spring to act upon the said dog, and a shipper lever 22, as well as the spring 23 are
all substantially as in my said application, so need not be herein specifically described.
Herein the carrier-bar is bored from its outer end to receive a rod h, provided at
its front end with a screw thread h³, upon which is screwed a nut 2 which enters a
hole in a shank of the button-holder or foot ', it having springs 3, 6, and suitable
slots to hold buttons of two different sizes, the shank of the said nut forming the
pivot for the button holder or foot as it is turned into one or the other of its two
positions to be held by the latch 68.
The end of the carrier bar nearest the operator is embraced by a bifurcated

page_text: head, which surrounds the screw threaded portion of the rod h, and is interposed
between the end of the carrier bar and the rear side of the button holder or foot, as
best shown in Figures 3 and 7.
The slide rod has fastened upon it between its ends by a set screw n, a stud n',
which, extended through a horizontal slot in the carrier-bar, has attached to it by a
screw n² a rod holding latch n³, the said latch having, see Figure 1, a shoulder or
projection to engage a pin or projection n', attached to the outer side of the carrier
bar 6, the said latch when engaged with the said pin or projection n as in Figures 1
and 3, causing the rod to be held back in the carrier bar, and pressing the spring no,
see Figure 7.
In this condition of the parts, the vibration of the carrier bar by an intermitting,
but semi-rotation of the eccentric c², will so move the button holder or foot as to
permit the needle 6 to descend, first through the hole 33, and then through the hole
34 in the button, thus forming between them a series of stitches, as 35, and the proper
number of stitches, as 35, having been made, the latch n³ is released by the action of
a suitable latch releasing device o, to be described, which permits the spring n
acting upon the rod h to throw it forward in the direction of the arrow thereon in
Figure 7, placing the hole 36 in the button, see Figure 1, in position to be entered by
the needle b, and thereafter, as the carrier bar bis vibrated by the eccentric c, the
needle will be caused to enter the hole 37, and then again the hole 36; until a certain
number of stitches have been made through or from one to the other of the said holes
making stitches parallel to the stitches 35, and a sufficient number of stitches having
been made to secure the button to the fabric or other article upon which it is to be
stitched, the rotation of the shaft A¹ is stopped, as will be described, and the lever o
will have its outer end depressed, which will cause the bevelled toe o³, adjustably
connected to it by the screw o³, to act against the stud n and force the rod back into
the carrier-bar, compressing the spring n³, and enabling the projection of the latch n³
to again engage the projection n of the carrier bar.
The latch releasing device o has its shank inserted into a split portion of the lever B³,
where it is adjustably clamped by the clamp screw o³, see Figure 3.
This lever B³ is pivotted at o, see Figure 1, and the projection Be at its rear end,
shown only in Figure 2, is struck by the projection B, when substantially half the
number of stitches needed to secure the button in place have been made, the move-
ment of the lever B³ actuated by the projection B7 causing the releasing device o to
be moved in such direction as to carry the rear end of the latch n³ away from the
carrier bar 4.
The bed plate and shaft A¹, as well as the cam A2, are common to the Wheeler and
Wilson sewing machine, style No. 10, I having selected that form of machine with
which to illustrate one practical embodiment of my present invention.
In practice the cam A² will actuate the usual take up, and in addition thereto the
groove of the said cam, as herein provided for, will receive in it a cam slide at the end
of a ball like stud p¹, made adjustable in the end of a pawl carrier 12, having its
fulcrum at p³, the said pawl carrier having attached to it a pawl pacted upon by a
spring, the spring normally keeping the free end of the pawl in engagement with
the teeth of a slide bar p, arranged between suitable guides at the lower side of the
bed plate, the said slide bar being normally held back against an adjustable stop p'
by a spiral spring 40 attached to the slide bar, and to a stationary part of the
machine.
The number of teeth in the slide bar pe equals the maximum number of stitches to
be made when attaching any one button, but the machine may be stopped before it has
made the maximum number of stitches, provided the backward throw of the toothed
slot is arrested, sooner or later by the stop p².
Directly above the pawl p, when at its backward throw, is pivotted a detent r, see
Figure 5, it being of the same shape as the pawl, and being acted upon by a spring r
which normally keeps the free end of the detent in engagement with the teeth of the
toothed slide p, the detent acting to prevent any backward movement of the toothed
slide p until after such time as the button shall have been fully stitched, at which time

page_text: the said detent is released, and at the same time the pawl is released, as will be described,
to permit the spring 40 to pull the toothed slide pe back against the stop p².
The guide in which the slide bar p is moved is marked P, and it consists essentially
of a bar of metal grooved for the reception of the slide bar, the guide being secured to
the under side of the bed plate by suitable bolts, one of which is shown at p.
The front end of the slide bar is bevelled, as shown at 42, Figure 2, the bevel
starting from the lower side of the bar and inclining upward toward the left end of the
machine.
The slide bar p when in its most forward position is retained in the groove of the
guide P by a plate 43, which is attached to the guide P by screws 44.
The guide frame P receives in it a short rock shaft 45, to one end of which is
attached an angular arm 46, see Figures 2 and 6, the said arm having attached to it in
the path of movement of the slide bar pa bevelled finger 47, which, when the inclined
portion 42 of the slide bar p meets the said finger, causes the arm 46 to be depressed
slightly, or for a distance far enough to enable a shoulder 48, see Figure 6, on the said
arm to be lowered below, and so as to release the shipper lever 22, so that the latter under
the action of the spring 23 attached to a portion of the slide rod 19, will cause the
shipper lever to be moved by its pivot or fulcrum 48.
During this movement of the shipper lever, it acting upon the inclined bridge of the
arm 46, causes the rock shaft 45 to be turned far enough to cause a finger 49 forming
part of collar attached to the rock shaft by a screw 50 to act against one end of the pawl
disengager 52 pivotted at 53 on the guide frame P, thus turning the said pawl disen-
gager far enough to remove both the pawl and the detent from the slide bar p.
The movement described as given to the shipper lever 22 by the spring 23 and
rod 19, throws the inner curved end, see Figures 2 and 4, of the said shipper lever
into position to strike the dog e¹ and release it from the pin or projection e of the belt
pulley C, thus enabling the latter pulley to run loose on the shaft A', and immediately
thereafter the arm, before described, and common to my said application, in its
rotation will engage the shipper lever, and the arm / being fast to the shaft A', will
immediately stop the rotation of the said shaft.
The bifurcated head is of sufficient width to act as a guide when the rod his
released, to maintain the button holder or foot in proper position.
The guide P, see Figure 2, is shown as provided with a scale 56, showing numbers
from eight to twenty two, the said numbers designating the minimum and maximum
number of stitches to be made when stitching the button to a piece of fabric or other
article.
The stop p may be adjusted opposite any one of the numbers referred to, and when
in that position, such number will designate the maximum number of stitches which
may be made in a button before the machine will be stopped automatically.
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. The carrier bar, means to vibrate it, the rod h, and the button holder or foot con-
nected therewith, combined with a latch and a projection to retain the button holder or
foot in locked position with relation to the said carrier during the partial stitching
of the button in place, substantially as described.
2. The carrier bar, means to vibrate it, the rod h, and the button holder or foot con-
nected therewith, combined with a latch and a projection to retain the button holder
or foot in locked position with relation to the said carrier during the partial stitching
of the button in place, and with means to release the said latch and move the rod with
its attached foot longitudinally with relation to the carrier bar, substantially as
described.
3. The carrier bar, means to vibrate it intermittingly, the button holder or foot, its
attached rod free to be moved longitudinally with relation to the carrier bar, and the
head to act as a guide, combined with means to hold, the rod in locked position with
relation to the said carrier bar to retain the button holder or foot in proper position
while part of the button is being stitched, substantially as described.

page_text: 4. In a sewing machine, the shaft A', a cam thereon, a pawl carrier actuated thereby,
a pawl connected to the pawl carrier, a toothed slide bar moved intermittingly by the
said pawl,
a shipper lever, and an arm to hold it, and a pawl disengaging lever,
combined with mechanism intermediate, the arm for holding the shipper lever to
operate the pawl disengaging device at the completion of the stitching of a button,
substantially as described.
5. In a sewing machine, the shipper lever 22, the notched and inclined arm 46 to
hold the said shipper lever, the rock shaft 45, its attached finger 49, the pawl dis-
engaging lever 52, the pawl carrier på, its attached pawl and the detent, and means
to move the pawl carrier, combined with the toothed slide pe moved intermittingly
by the pawl of the pawl carrier, and adapted to operate the inclined and notched
arm to release the shipper lever, and means to move the shipper lever to enable it to
continue the movement of the said inclined arm, to operate, substantially as described.
6. In a button stitching machine, a toothed slide bar pe, means to move it inter-
mittingly, a guide for the said slide coöperating with a scale to designate the number
of stitches to be made in securing a button in place, combined with an adjustable stop
to determine the maximum number of such stitches for any one button, substantially
as described.
7. The combination or arrangement, and use as and for the purpose set forth, of
apparatus for button stitching constructed and operating substantially as described and
shown