Machine Manufacturer
Year: 1885

page_text: .
I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of the Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilbowie Dumbartonshire do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
a communication to me from abroad by The Singer Manufacturing Company of
New York in the United States of America, Sewing Machine Manufacturers, to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to that class of button-hole attachments for sewing
machines having a vibratory and longitudinally movable feed plate carrying a
cloth clamp and operated by mechanism receiving its movements from the needle-
bar of the machine, the object of my invention being to produce a simple and
cheaply constructed but effective device, of the class referred to, in which all of
the movements necessary to work both sides and to bar both ends of a straight
button-hole will be automatic.
The base plate of the attachment is slotted to form a spring tongue, the free
end of which is provided with a T-shaped or overhanging lug extending upward
through a slot in the feed plate the arms of the said lug projecting over said plate
and thus serving to secure the latter to the base-plate of the sewing machine the
spring tongue forming a yielding connection for these parts to enable one to move
freely on the other.
The base plate is provided with a standard to which is pivoted a bell-crank
lever the longer arm of which is slotted for engagement with the needle-clamp
screw on the needle bar, the shorter or vertical arm of said lever having lugs
arranged on opposite sides of a driving lever pivoted to the fulcrum pin of the
bell-crank lever and slotted or forked at its lower end to embrace a spiral shaft.
One end of this shaft is journalled in a lug on the standard and the other end
thereof is pivotally connected with the forward end of a screw shaft journalled at
its rear end in a lug on the standard of the base plate. The screw shaft has a
double or right and left spiral groove, or screw thread extending, in the present

page_text: instance, the entire length of said shaft, the latter being provided at its forward
end with a ratchet wheel having six teeth, and at its opposite end with a three
pointed cam working in a sliding yoke.
To the spiral shaft is attached a pawl having an outwardly curved arm to
permit of the free movement of the slotted or forked end of the driving lever, said
pawl having a lip entering a small slot in a disc formed on the spiral shaft, the
end of said pawl projecting beyond said disc and engaging the teeth of the ratchet
wheel. By reason of the engagement of the lip of the pawl with the slot in the
disc of the spiral shaft, the said pawl is steadied or stiffened so that it will not be
in danger of being bent or twisted in turning the ratchet wheel with the spiral
shaft, the lip being of sufficient length so that it will not be disengaged from
said slot when the pawl rides backward over the teeth of the ratchet wheel.
A detaining pawl attached to the standard prevents the backward rotation of the
ratchet wheel.
The sliding yoke is provided with arms, one of which extends through an ear
on the lug and the other engages, by an upward projection or pin, a slot in the
bed plate, the pin entering the forked rear end of a vibrator. The said vibrator
has its fulcrum on a pin attached to the base plate, said pin also serving as the
fulcrum of the feed plate, said vibrator being provided at its forward end with an
irregular slot having two offset portions. . An operating plate is arranged beneath
the vibrator in the slot in the feed plate, said operating plate having a lug
extending upward into the slot of the vibrator. This plate is slotted at its rear
end for the passage of the fulcrum pin and is thus adapted to have a limited
lengthwise movement relative to the vibrator, to bring the lug into different parts
of the slot for the purpose of varying the vibrating of the feed-plate, as will be
explained.
"
The standard on the base plate is provided with two slots in one of which is a
slide carrying a pivoted switch engaging the spiral grooves of the screw shaft,
said slide being provided with an arm passing loosely through a slot in an up-
turned lip on one side of the feed plate. This arm serves as a connection between
the feed-plate and the slide so that the movements of the latter will be imparted
to the former, the slot being however large enough to permit the said arm to pass
loosely through the same, thus providing for a little lost motion" when the
direction of movement of the slide is changed, so that the feed plate may
momentarily remain stationary while the ends of the button-holes are being
barred. The switch is carried by a stud which is pivoted in the slide, and to the
end of said stud, on the side of the standard opposite to said switch, is attached a
reversing lever one arm of which projects upward so as to strike against stops
attached to the standard. The reversing lever is of spring metal and the outer
end of its horizontal arm is provided with a finger adapted to engage a projection
on the slide, the contiguous faces of said finger and projection being inclined so
that the former will be retained in position when on either side of the latter.
One of the stops is fixed to the standard but the other is carried by a movable
adjusting lever the point of which is adapted to slide in a slot said adjusting lever
being held in place by a lug thereon fitting between the teeth of a rack on the
standard. By lifting the free end of the adjusting lever by a handle the lug will
be disengaged from the rack and said lever will then be free to move to adjust
the movable stop to any desired distance from the fixed stop according to the
length of the button-hole to be worked. When in the movements of the slide
the vertical arm of the reversing lever strikes against either of the stops, the said
lever will be slightly moved and the position of the finger will be changed to the
side of the projection opposite to that which it previously occupied, this movement
of the lever changing the inclination of the switch so that it will run in the
reverse spiral groove of the double screw and thus reverse the movement of
the slide.
The feed plate forms the lower jaw of the cloth clamp and the upper jaw thereof
is pivoted to arms extending forward from a plate which in turn is connected by

page_text: spring arms with the feed plate. The feed plate is preferably formed with up-
turned edges or flanges struck up from the body of the plate, to give sufficient
stiffness, and the arms may be attached to said flanges which will afford a
convenient manner of connection. A clamping lever is pivoted to a post attached
to the feed plate, said lever having projections which impinge against the arm plate
when clamping, forcing the upper jaw downward against the stress of the spring
arms which serve to lift said jaw as soon as the clamping lever is turned to
disengage its projections from the arm plate.
The operating plate beneath the vibrator is provided with an upwardly pro-
jecting lug and also with a spring arm between the free end of which and the
said lug passes a friction rod or bar which is attached to the arm of the switch
slide the end of said arm and the upper end of the said lug being recessed to form
jaws embracing said friction bar. This frictional connection of the slide and the
operating plate enables the latter to be moved lengthwise for a limited distance
when the direction of movement of the slide is changed for the purpose of
changing the position of the lug on the operating plate in the slot of the vibrator.
The material in which the button-hole is to be worked being placed in the cloth
clamp and the attachment being secured in position on the sewing machine with
the bell-crank lever in engagement with the clamping screw of the needle-bar
thereof the said bell-crank will be set in motion and its movements will be
transmitted to the spiral shaft through the forked lever. The loose connection of
the bell-crank and the forked lever by reason of the space between the lugs on
the former being somewhat greater than the width of the latter admits of a certain
amount of lost motion between these two levers so that as the needle-bar rises
the needle can clear the work before the spiral shaft will be moved to operate the
screw shaft and its cam, One sixth of a revolution will be given to the screw
shaft at each upward movement of the needle-bar and thus the cam will cause the
yoke to slide to the right and left at each alternate stroke of the needle-bar, the
movements of the yoke being transmitted to the vibrator through the pin on said
yoke. The vibrator engages its slot with the lug on the operating plate and the
latter plate fitting in the slot of the feed bar causes said bar to vibrate on its
pivot pin with the vibrator to form the overedge stitches of the button hole.
As the screw shaft turns, the switch follows the spiral groove thereof and
moves the slide, and the latter in turn, through its arm forces the feed plate and
its cloth-clamp along to space the stitches. When the vertical arm of the reversing
lever strikes one of the stops on the standard said lever is moved as before
explained to reverse the position of the switch and cause it to follow the oppositely
running spiral groove, thus reversing the movement of the slide. Owing to the
loose connection between the arm of the slide and the feed plate the latter remains
at rest for a few stitches when the movement of the slide is reversed, and during
this period of suspension of the longitudinal movement of the feed plate the
friction bar connected to the said slide will move the operating plate along to
change the lug on said plate from one part of the irregular slot in the vibrator to
the other. The width of each part of the said slot is such that the entire move-
ment of the vibrator is not imparted to the operating plate and the feed plate
during the time when the sides of the button-hole are being worked, but during
the time when the lug is moving from one part of the slot to the other the said
lug will be in engagement with the opposite walls of said slot forming the neck
or connection between the two parts thereof, and as long as said lug thus touches
any part of said neck (which is only wide enough to permit the lug to pass
through easily) the entire vibrating movement of the vibrator will be imparted to
the feed plate which will double the vibratory movement of the latter so as to form
stitches entirely across the end of the button-hole and thus strongly bar the same.
As soon as the lost motion between the slide and the feed-plate is taken up the
feeding movements of the latter will be resumed and by this time the lug will
be entirely within the other part of the slot and the normal vibrations of the
feed plate and cloth-clamp will be resumed to form the proper over-edge stitches

page_text: along the side of the button hole opposite to that which has just been worked.
When the other end of the button hole is reached the barring operation again
takes place and the button hole is then completed.
Owing to the irregular form of the slot the feed plate will vibrate on one side
of a central line (which will correspond to the slit of the button hole) when the
lug is in one offset portion of said slot, but when said lug is in the other portion
of said slot said feed-plate will be shipped over to the other side of said central
line to bring the other side of the button-hole beneath the needle of the sewing
machine. The friction rod or bar will slide through the friction jaws afforded by
the lug and the spring arm on the operating plate, after the position of said plate
has been changed by said rod and friction jaws, to shift the lug on said plate from
one part of the slot to the other.
Thus it will be clear that the entire operation of working both sides and
barring both ends of the button-hole are automatically effected when the device is
once set in operation.
Dated this Sixteenth day of December 1885

page_text: Improvements in Button-hole Attachments for Sewing
Machines.
I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of the Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a cominunication to me from abroad by The Singer Manufacturing Company of
New York in the United States of America Sewing Machine Manufacturers) and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to that class of button-hole attachments for sewing machines
having a vibratory and longitudinally movable feed plate carrying a cloth-clamp,
and operated by mechanism receiving its movements from the needle bar of the
machine the object of my invention being to produce a simple and cheaply con-
structed but effective device of the class referred to, in which all of the movements
necessary to work both sides and to bar both ends of a straight button-hole will be
automatic.
In the drawings, figure 1 is a plan view of a button-hole attachment embodying
my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross section on
the line 3-3, fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a detail plan view of the vibrator, and fig. 5, is a
similar view of the operating plate. Fig. 6, is a detail showing the connection of
the spring-pawl and its disc. Fig. 7, is an elevation from the side opposite to that
seen in fig. 2. Fig. 8 is detail view showing the switch and slide by which the feed
bar or plate is operated from the screw shaft. Fig. 9, is an end elevation of my
attachment. Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view showing the reversing-lever and
adjacent parts. Fig. 11 is a section on line 11, 11, Fig. 1, showing the connection
of the yoke and vibrator. Fig. 12 is a plan view of the base plate, and fig. 13 a
section of the base plate on line 13, 13, fig. 12, showing also the feed plate in section
and the overhanging lug by which the feed plate is connected to the spring tongue
on the base plate, in elevation.
A indicates the base plate of the attachment said base plate, in the present
instance, being provided with lugs a, and a hole for a set screw to adapt it for
attachment to the throat-plate of a "Singer" sewing machine; but it will be
understood that said base-plate may be differently constructed to adapt the device
to be used in connection with different machines. The base-plate is slotted to form
a spring-tongue, a³, the free end of which is provided with a T-shaped or over-
hanging lug, a³, extending upward through a slot b, in the feed-plate B, the arms
of said lug projecting over said plate, as shown in Fig. 13, and thus serving to
secure the latter to the base-plate A, the spring-tongue a forming a yielding
connection for these parts, to enable one to move freely on the other, but securing
a proper frictional contact between them. The base plate A, is provided with a
standard A', to which is pivotted a bell-crank lever C, the longer arm of which is
Blotted for engagement with the needle clamp-screw on the needle bar, the shorter
or vertical arm of said lever having lugs c, c, arranged on opposite sides of a driving
lever D, pivotted to the fulcrum pin of the lever C, and slotted or forked at its

page_text: lower end to embrace a spiral shaft E. One end of the shaft E, is journalled in a
lug, a on the standard A¹, and the other end thereof is pivotally connected with
the forward end of a screw shaft F, journalled at its rear end in a lug a³, on the
standard A. The shaft F, has a double or right-and-left spiral groove or screw-
thread extending in the present instance the entire length of said shaft, and the
latter is provided at its forward end with a ratchet wheel f, having six teeth, and
at its opposite end with a three-pointed cam, f¹, working in a sliding yoke G.
To the spiral shaft E, is attached a pawl H, having an outwardly curved arm to
permit of the free movement of the slotted or forked end of the driving lever D,
said pawl having a lip h, entering a small slot in a disc e, formed on the shaft E, 1
the end of said pawl projecting beyond said disc and engaging the teeth of the
ratchet-wheel f. By reason of the engagement of the lip h, of the pawl H, with
the slot in the disc e of the shaft E, the said pawl is steadied or stiffened, so that it
will not be in danger of being bent or twisted in turning the ratchet wheel with
the spiral shaft, the lip h being of sufficient length so that it will not be disengaged
from said slot when the pawl rides backward over the teeth of the ratchet wheel.
A detaining pawl, h², attached to the standard A¹ prevents the backward rotation
of the ratchet wheel f. The yoke G is provided with arms g and g¹, the former of
which extends through an ear on the lug as, and the latter engages, by an upward
projection or pin g³, a slot as, in the bed plate A, the pin g' entering the forked
rear end of the vibrator I. The said vibrator has its fulcrum on the pin i attached
to the base-plate, said pin also serving as the fulcrum of the feed-plate B, said
vibrator being provided at its forward end with an irregular slot, , having two
offset portions.
K is an operating plate arranged beneath the vibrator I in the slot 6 in the feed
plate B said operating-plate having a lug k extending upward into the slot 2 of the
vibrator. The plate K is slotted at its rear end for the passage of the pin i, and is
thus adapted to have a limited lengthwise movement relative to the vibrator to
bring the lug k into different parts of the slot for the purpose of varying the
vibrations of the feed plate, as will be explained. The standard A¹ is provided
with two slots a7 and as in the latter of which is a slide M, carrying a pivotted
switch m, engaging the spiral grooves of the screw shaft F, said slide being provided
with an an arm m¹, passing loosely through a slot, 62, in an upturned lip on one side
of the feed-plate. The arm m¹ serves as a connection between the feed-plate and
the slide M, so that the movements of the latter will be imparted to the former, the
slot b being, however, large enough to permit the said arm to pass loosely through
the same thus providing for a little "lost motion" when the direction of the slide
is changed so that the feed-plate may momentarily remain stationary while the
ends of the button-holes are being barred. The switch m, is carried by a stud,
which is pivotted in the slide M, and to the end of said stud, on the side of the
standard A¹ opposite to said switch, is attached a reversing lever m², one arm
of which projects upward so as to strike against stops a a10 attached to the
standard A. The reversing lever m³ is of spring metal, and the outer end of its
horizontal arm is provided with a finger m³, adapted to engage a projection m³,
fig. 10, on the slide M, the contiguous faces of said finger and projection being
inclined, so that the former will be retained in position when on either side of the
latter. The stop a is fixed to the standard A¹, but the stop a10 is carried by a
movable adjusting-lever, A³ the pivot of which is adapted to slide in the slot a³,
said adjusting lever being held in place by a lug a¹², on said lever, fitting between
the teeth of a rack a¹³ on the standard A¹. By lifting the free end of the adjusting-
lever by the handle a the lug a¹ will be disengaged from the rach a¹, and said
lever will then be free to be moved to adjust the movable stop a10 to any desired
distance from the fixed stop a³ according to the length of button-hole to be worked.
When in the movements of the slide M the vertical arm of the reversing-lever
strikes against either of the stops a² a¹o, the said lever m³ will be slightly moved,
and the position of the finger m³ will be changed to the side of the projection m*,
opposite to that which it previously occupied, this movement of the lever changing

page_text: the inclination of the switch m, so that it will run in the reverse spiral groove of
the double screw F, and thus reverse the movement of the slide M. The feed-
plate B forms the lower jaw of the cloth-clamp, and the upper jaw B¹ thereof is
pivotted to arms 6³ extending forward from a plate 64, which in turn is connected
by spring arms 65 with the feed-plate B. The feed plate B is preferably formed
with upturned edges or flanges 67 struck up from the body of the plate to give
sufficient stiffness, and the arms 6º are preferably attached to said flanges, thus
forming a convenient connection of these parts. A clamping lever B2 is pivotted to
a post B6 attached to the feed-plate B said lever having projections which inpinge
against the plate 6 when clamping, forcing the jaw B¹ downward against the stress
of the spring-arms b', which latter serve to lift said jaw as soon as the clamping-
lever is turned to disengage its projections from the plate 6*. The operating plate K
is provided with an upwardly-projecting lug k³, and also with a spring-arm, k³,
between the free end of which the said lug passes a friction rod or bar L, which is
attached to the arm m¹ of the slide M, the end of said arm and the upper end of
the said lug being recessed to form jaws embracing said friction-bar. This frictional
connection of the slide M and the operating plate enables the latter to be moved
lengthwise for a limited distance when the direction of movement of the slide is
changed for the purpose of changing the position of the lug k on the operating plate
in the slot of the vibrator I.
The
The operation of my device will be readily understood, from the foregoing.
material in which the button hole is to be worked being placed in the cloth-clamp,
and the attachment being secured in position on the sewing machine, with the bell
crank lever C in engagement with the clamping screw of the needle bar thereof,
the said bell-crank will be set in motion and its movements will be transmitted to
the spiral shaft E through the forked lever D-The loose connection of the levers C
and D, by reason of the space between the lugs c on the former being somewhat
greater than the width of the latter, admits of a certain amount of lost motion
between these two levers, so that as the needle bar rises the needle can clear the
work before the shaft E will be moved to operate the screw shaft F and its cam f.
One-sixth of a revolution will be given to the shaft Fat each upward movement of
the needle bar and thus the cam f will cause the yoke G, to slide to the right and
left at each alternate stroke of the needle bar, the movements of the yoke being
transmitted to the vibrator I through the pin g' on said yoke. The vibrator
engages by its slot, with the lug k on the operating-plate K, and the latter plate,
fitting in the slot b of the feed-bar B, causes said bar to vibrate on its pivot pin i
with the vibrator, to form the overedge stitches of the button-hole. As the screw
shaft F turns the switch m follows the spiral groove thereof and moves the slide M
and the latter in turn, through its arm m¹, forces the feed-plate and its cloth-clamp
along to space the stitches. When the vertical arm of the reversing-lever m² strikes
one of the stops aº or a¹0 said lever is moved as before explained, to reverse the
position of the switch m and cause it to follow the oppositely running spiral groove
thus reversing the movement of the slide M. Owing to the loose connection between
the arm m¹ of the slide M and the feed plate the latter remains at rest for a few
stitches when the movement of the slide is reversed, and during this period of sus-
pension of the longitudinal movement of the feed plate the friction bar L connected
to the said slide, will move the operating plate along to change the lug k on said
plate from one part of the irregular slot is in the vibrator to the other. The width
of each part of the said slot is such that the entire movement of the vibrator I is
not imparted to the operating-plate and the feed plate during the time when the
sides of the button-hole are being worked; but during the time when the lug k is
moving from one part of the slot i to the other the said lug will be in engagement
with the side walls of said slot, forming the neck or connection between the two
parts thereof and as long as said lug thus touches any part of said neck (which is
only wide enough to permit the lug to pass through easily) the entire movements
of the vibrator will be imparted to the feed-plate which will double the vibrating
movement of the latter so as to form stitches entirely across the end of the button-

page_text: hole and thus strongly bar the same.
As soon as the lost motion between the
slide M and feed-plate is taken up the feeding movements of the latter will be
resumed, and by this time the lug k will be entirely within the other part of the
slot, and the normal vibrations of the feed-plate and cloth-clamp will be resumed
to form the proper overedge stitches along the side of the button-hole opposite to
that which has just been worked. When the other end of the button-hole is
reached, the barring operation again takes place and the button-hole is then
completed.
Owing to the irregular form of the slot the feed-plate will vibrate on one side
of a central line (which will correspond to the slit of the button-hole) when the
lug k is in one offset portion of said slot but when said lug is in the other portion
of said slot said feed-plate will be shipped over to the other side of said central
line, to bring the other side of the button-hole beneath the needle of the sewing
machine. The friction rod or bar L will slide through the friction-jaws afforded
by the lug and the spring arm on the operating-plate K after the position of
said plate has been changed by said rod and friction-jaws to shift the lug k on said
plate from one part of the slot to the other. Thus it will be clear that the entire
operation of working both sides and barring both ends of the button-hole is
automatically effected when the device is once set in operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
(as communicated to me) and in what manner the same is to be performed,
I declare that what I claim is:
1. In a button-hole attachment for sewing machines, the combination with a
feed-plate and a cloth-clamp, of a double screw, a reversible switch, a slide, in
which said switch is pivotted, an arm or projection on said slide for engaging said
feed-plate, and mechanism for intermittingly rotating said screw, substantially as
set forth.
2. In a button hole attachment the combination with a cloth-clamp and a feed
plate, of a double screw connected with said feed-plate, a spiral shaft having a
pawl and ratchet connection with said screw, and mechanism adapted to operate
said spiral shaft from the needle bar of a sewing machine, substantially as
set forth.
.
3. In a button hole attachment the combination with a cloth-clamp and a feed-
plate of a double screw connected with the latter, a three pointed cam operated by
said screw and connected with said feed plate and mechanism for intermittingly
rotating said screw, substantially as described.
4. In a button-hole-attachment the combination with a cloth clamp and a
feed-plate therefor, of a double screw, a slide carrying a switch engaging said
screw, a three pointed cam connected with said feed-plate, a ratchet wheel, a
spiral shaft, a pawl movable with said shaft and engaging said ratchet wheel and
a lever for actuating said spiral shaft, substantially as set forth.
5. In a button-hole attachment, the combination with a cloth-clamp and its
feed-plate, of a double screw connected with said feed-plate, a spiral shaft having
a pawl and ratchet connection with said screw, a driving lever forked to engage
said spiral shaft, and a bell crank lever loosely connected with said driving lever,
substantially as set forth.
6. In a button-hole attachment the combination, with a cloth-clamp and a feed-
plate therefor, of a screw shaft, mechanism for intermittingly rotating said shaft, a
three-pointed cam, a yoke connecting the latter to said feed-plate, a vibrator
operated by said yoke, and an operating plate adapted to receive motion from said
vibrator and to oscillate said feed-plate, substantially as set forth.
7. The combination, with the cloth-clamp and its feed-plate, of the vibrator I,
having the irregular slot is, the operating-plate K adapted for end wise movement
and having the lug k, the slide M, and the bar L, attached to said slide and having
a frictional connection with said operating-plate, substantially as set forth,

page_text: 8. The combination with the cloth-clamp and its feed plate, of the double screw
and mechanism for operating the latter, a slide connected with said feed plate, a
reversible switch carried by said slide, a reversing lever connected with said switch,
and stops for operating said lever, substantially as set forth.
9. The combination with the cloth-clamp, the feed-plate, and the slide M, pro-
vided with the projection mt, of the reversing-lever m² pivotted to said slide and
having the finger m³ and stops for changing the position of said lever relative to
said projection, substantially as set forth.
10. The combination with the cloth-clamp and its feed-plate, of the slide M, the
switch m, the reversing lever m², and fixed and adjustable stops for changing the
position of said lever to reverse the said switch, substantially as set forth.
11. The combination with the cloth-clamp the feed-plate, the stantard A¹,
having the alot a and the rack a¹³ of the adjustable lever A' having the stop a¹º
and the the lug a¹ for engaging said rack, substantially as set forth.
12. The combination with the feed-plate B having the flanges 67, of the spring
arms be attached to said flanges and the upper clamping jaw B¹, connected with
said arms, substantially as set forth.
13. The combination with the base-plate A, having a spring-tongue a³ provided
with the T-shaped or overhanging lug as of the feed-plate B, yieldingly attached
to said base-plate by said lug, substantially as set forth.
Dated thie Sixteenth day of Santember 1994
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
Agents.