Improvements in Attachment Holders for Sewing Machines.
Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated, from abroad by THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, of New
York, in the United States of America, Sewing Machine Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Attachment Holders for Sewing Machines.
I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of the Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
It is the usual practice to fit out sewing machines with sets of hemmers, binders
and other attachments which are provided with arms or shanks by which they may be
attached to the work plates of the machines. These arms or shanks are provided
with slots for the passage of the set screws which secure the attachinents in place, the
said slots permitting the attachments to be adjusted towards and from the needle, as
may be required, according to the character of the work, being done. In the use of
these attachments it is frequently necessary to change from one to another, as where
a hemmer of a certain width is in use and it is desired to employ a wider or narrower
In such a case the hemmer in use is removed and a hemmer of a different
width substituted; but in making such change the holding set screw has to be
removed and again inserted and then the hemimer last applied must be carefully
adjusted relative to the needle of the machine so that the line of stitches will be run
the proper distance from the edge of the hem.
.one.
The object of my invention is to remedy this inconvenience by providing an
attachment holder adapted to carry several hemmers, or other similar attachments,
any one of which may be quickly brought into operative position without removing
the attachment holder from the work plate or disturbing the adjustment thereof.
This object I accomplish by providing a rotary plate, having a series of radial arms,
to the outer end of which the hemmers or other attachments are secured, with a central
stationary hub or pivot plate in which it may be turned. The stationary hub or pivot
plate is preferably adjustably secured to a base plate which is in turn attached to the
work plate of the machine. A spring arm serves to connect the rotary plate with its
stationary hub and to retain the attachments carried by the arms of the rotary plate

page_text: in place when adjusted to working position. To change from one attachment to
another it is only necessary to raise the spring arm and partially rotate the rotary
plate to carry one attachment out of working position and to bring another one into
such position in which it will be retained by the spring arm as soon as the latter is
released from its raised position.
In the drawings fig. I is a plan view of my improved attachment holder provided
with a set of ordinary scroll hemmers of different sizes and with a binder or binding
guide; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the holding plate and its spring arm
removed; Fig. 3 is a sectional clevation on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a
detail plan view of the central stationary hub or pivot plate; Fig 5 is a detail plan
view of the base plate to which the hub or pivot plate is attached and Fig. 6 is a
detail plan view of the holding plate and its spring arm.
A, denotes the rotary plate or body of the attachment holder and a, the radial arms
to which the attachments are secured. In the form of my invention herein shown five
of these arms are represented as being provided with ordinary scroll hemmers b, of
different sizes or widths, and the other arm with a binding guide or binder c.
The plate or body A, is provided with a central circular opening in which fits a
stationary circular hub or pivot plate d which is attached to a base plate e by a screw d¹
passing through a slot d in the plate d. A washer d³ may if desired, be placed
beneath the head of the screw i¹. The hole e' in the base plate e is for the reception
of a set screw which will secure the attachment holder to the work plate of a sewing
machine and is preferably surrounded by a raised boss e² about the height of the
thickness of the hub. or plate.d, the latter having a slot d for the reception of the said
boss and the latter serving as a guide for the plate d as the latter and the plate A are
adjusted horizontally on the base plate.
The said plate e may also have a hole
through which the screw d' inay pass into
the work plate of the machine if it is desired to secure the attachment holder more
firmly in place than could be done by a single screw.
F is the holding plate provided with a spring arm f having near its outer end
depending lugs 1 of proper distance apart to embrace any one of the arms a of the
plate A, the said holding plate (which is merely a shank for the spring arm f) being
attached to the hub d by screws f and having slots f³, f, corresponding to the
slots d', d, of the said hub.
When the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 1 and the base plate e is secured
to the work plate of a sewing machine by a set screw in the hole e¹ the device is
ready for operation, the lugs f¹ on the spring arm f. embracing one of the arms a
and holding the plate A in place. To change from one hemmer or other attachment
to another it is only necessary to raise the spring arm f and partly rotate the
plate A to bring the desired attachment into working position, all of the attachments
being so located on the radial arms a that when one is in proper adjustment
relative to the needle of the machine all will be. When the holder has been once
adjusted to the machine the adjustment will be correct when replaced upon the
machine after removal the depending lugs serving the double purpose of preventing
the holder from being accidently and bodily rotated upon the bed of the machine and
of again bringing the attachment into the same position relative to the needle'
when the holder has been applied to the machine after removal..
When the new attachment is in working position an arm a will be beneath the
spring arm so that as soon as the latter is released it will grasp the arm a and thus
again hold the attachment plate in place.
To change the lateral adjustment of the attachment plate A and of all the attach-
ments carried by the arms thereof the set screw is loosened and the hub d will then
be free to be moved laterally to the extent permitted by the slots d' and d, the said
hub, in its lateral adjustments, carrying the plate A and all of the attachments on the
arms of the latter with it.
I am aware that it is not new to provide a single shank or plate with two or more
hemmers or other attachments and I do not therefor-claim broadly a plate or holder,
having several attachments."

page_text: 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 combination with an attachment plate or holder provided with a series of
radial arms each of which carries a sewing machine attachment, as a hemmer or
braider, of a central circular stationary hub or pivot plate on which the said attach-
ment plate or holder may be turned, and means for securing the attachment plate and
the said hub or pivot plate together.
2. The combination with an attachment plate or holder provided with a series of
radial attachment carrying arms and with a central circular opening or recess of a
hub or pivot plate fitting said opening or recess, a base plate, to which the said hub or
pivot plate is attached and a spring arm connected with the said hub or pivot plate and
serving to hold the attachment plate or holder in any position to which it may be
adjusted.
3. The combination with the attachment plate or holder A having a series of radial
attachment carrying arms a, of the base plate e, the central hub or pivot plato d
laterally adjustable on the said base plate, and a spring arm connected with the
said hub or pivot plate and having depending lugs to embrace any of the arms of
the attachment plate or holder.
4. The combination with the attachment plate or holder A having a series of
attachment carrying arms, of the base plate e having the hole e¹ and the boss e*
surrounding the latter the hub or pivot plate d having the slots 2 and d the holding
plate F secured to the said hub or pivot plate and provided with a spring arm to secure
the attachment plate or holder in place.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Agents.