Improvements in Button Hole Sewing Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 29th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1888
Improvements in Button Hole Sewing Machines.
I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON Manager of the Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilbowie, Clyde Bank, near Glasgow, (a communication to me from abroad
by James Gardner Greene, Elizabeth Port, New Jersey, in the United States of
America, Mechanician) do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective mechanism for
automatically barring button-holes after they have been otherwise completely finished
by the stitch forming mechanism of a button-hole sewing machine and for auto-
niatically stopping the machine when the harring-operation is completed or if desired
for stopping the machine when a button hole is worked without barring the same.
For automatically barring button holes after they have been otherwise completed
I mount the guiding button for the work-clamp on a slide which is, at the proper
moment, automatically thrown into action so as to reciprocate the said work-clamp
across the line of feed, and in opposition to the lateral reciprocating movement of
the needle-bar of the machine, and thus form a bar across the end of the otherwise
finished button hole to fully complete the same.
In carrying out the invention on an ordinary "Singer" button-hole sewing
machine the vertical shaft which makes one revolution while the horizontal driving
shaft turns twice, is provided with a cam engaged by a pin or roller carried by an arm
of a rock-shaft said shaft having a second arm connected by a rod to an ordinary
frame by which the needle-bar is moved laterally after each descent, to make the over-
seaning stitches in a well known manner. The rock-shaft has, in addition, a third
arm carrying a pin or roller which is engaged by the forked upper end of a lever, the
lower arm of which extends downwards and gives a to and fro motion lengthwise of
the machine to a horizontal slide bar below the bed plate.
The circular work-plate, has the usual guiding slot and at the centre of the plate
there is also the button by which the cloth clamp is guided but instead of the button
being fixed to the work-plate, as heretofore, it is mounted on a small slide moveable

page_text: lengthwise of the machine in a recess beneath the work-plate, said slide being provided
with an arm extending beneath the feeding wheel. To the arm is pivoted a dog
having on it a small lug or projection, by which it can be coupled to the reciprocating
slide bar above mentioned. A spring is provided to hold the arm and consequently
the plate in its forward position when the said plate is to be at rest, and another spring
presses the dog upward, when the said dog is to be disconnected from the recipro-
cating slide bar. The feeding wheel is provided with a lug which, when the last side
of the button-hole has been stitched, comes in contact with the dog and pressing said
dog downward causes the lug to engage the notch of the reciprocating slide bar (when
in the movement of the said rod the said notch next registers with the said lug) and
thereby causing the movements of the said rod to be imparted to the guide button
above mentioned.
As the movements of the lower end of the lever which gives to and fro motion to the
reciprocating slide are in opposition or contrary to the lateral movements of the needle-
bar, it is obvious that the movements of the button carried by the sliding plate will be
contrary to the lateral movements of the needle. From this it results that the work-
clamp guided by the button will be reciprocated laterally so as to move the work
across the line of feed of the button-hole a sufficient distance to cause long barring
stitches to be made across the end of the otherwise completed button-hole, and thereby
fully finish the same.
Instead of reciprocating the horizontal slide bar by a lever as above described the
said bar may be provided with a yoke surrounding a cam on the lower end of the
vertical shaft or in other suitable ways.
The mechanism by which the lug on the feeding wheel causes the reciprocating slide
bar to engage with and give a to and fro motion to the slide which carries the button
when the barring operation is to commence may also be arranged in the following
manner.
In this modified arrangement the lug is made to strike the toe of one arm of a
lever which is pivoted to the bed plate and which has on its other arm a pin held by a
spring into the forked end of a link attached to a lever pivoted to the reciprocating
sliding bar.
The lever pivoted to the sliding bar carries a hook adapted to engage a similar hook
on the slide which carries the button by which the work-clamp is guided, said button
being thus movable to and fro in a direction transverse to the feeding movement of the
work clamp when the barring operation is to be carried on as above described. The
lever which is acted upon by the lug on the feeding wheel has pivotted to it a catch or
bolt acted on by a spring connected to the bed plate and tending to cause the bolt to
engage with a fixed stop and retain the lever in the position into which it is moved
when acted upon by the lug.
The reciprocating or sliding bar carries a pawl which by a spring is pressed towards
a series of teeth on a pivoted dog or cam block which is connected by a rod with a
hand lever. The pawl is normally prevented from engaging with the teeth on the dog
or cam block by a pin upon the pawl coming against a tail piece on the end of the
lever which is pivoted to the reciprocating sliding bar--but when this lever is turned
into such a position that the hook upon it can engage with the hook on the slide which
carries the button the pawl is left free to engage with the teeth and will then inter-
mittently turn the dog or cam block on its pivot. A roller carried by a rod which is
coupled to the stopping lever is by a spring acting on such lever kept pressed against
the cam surface of the dog.
When the cam has been turned a distance by the pawl the roller comes opposite a
notch or recess in the cam which allows the rod which is coupled to the stopping
lever to move forward. In its forward movement it acts upon the spring catch or
bolt which holds the levers herein before mentioned in the positions into which they
were moved by the lug on the feeding wheel and releases this catch so allowing the
hook on one of these levers to disengage itself from the slide. which carries the
button and the barring operation will then cease-and simultaneously the machine
will be stopped a loose driving wheel on the driving shaft being then by the endway

page_text: movement of the rod unclutched from a fly wheel which is fast on the shaft and a
brake device being simultaneously applied to the fly wheel.
The length of the reciprocating movements given to the guide button when the
barring operation is going on may be adjusted by making one or other of the hooks
adjustable in position so that there may be more or less lost motion between the
reciprocating sliding bar and the slide which carries the button.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Button Hole Sewing Machines.
1, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of the Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilhowie, lyde Bank, near Glasgow (a communication to me from abroad
by James Gardner Greene, Elizabeth Port, New Jersey, in the United States of
America, Mechanician,) 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective mechanism
for automatically barring button-holes after they have been otherwise completely
finished by the stitch-forming mechanism of a button-hole sowing machine and for
automatically stopping the machine when the barring operation is completed or if
desired for stopping the machine, when a button hole is worked without barring
the same.
For automatically barring button-holes after they have been otherwise completed
I mount the guiding button for the work-clamp on a slide which is, at the proper
moment, automatically thrown into action so as to reciprocate the said work-clamp across
the line of feed, and in opposition to the lateral reciprocating movement of the needle-
bar of the machine, and thus form a bar across the end of the otherwise finished
button-hole to fully complete the same.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a button-hole
sewing machine embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a plan view of the bed-plate
of the machine and Figure 3 is a cross section thereof. Figures 4 and 5 are detail
views, which will be hereinafter referred to. Figures 6 and 7 are detail views illus-
trating a modification of the operating mechanism of the button carrying slide, and
Figure 8 is also a sectional elevation of a machine embodying my invention.
1 J

page_text: A denotes the bed-plate, and B the arm of an ordinary "Singer" button-hole
sewing machine. C is the driving shaft having a bevel gear e meshing with a large
bevel gear d on the vertical shaft D so that the latter shaft makes one revolution
while the driving shaft turns twice, as is common in this class of machines. The.
shaft D is provided with a cam d'engaged by a pin or roller e carried by an arm e¹
of a rock-shaft E (see Figure 4) said shaft having a second arm e² connected by a
rod F to an ordinary frame F1 by which the needle bar F is moved laterally after
each descent, to make the overseaming stitches in a well known manner. The shaft E
has, in addition to the arms e¹ and e, a third arm e carrying a pin or roller which
is engaged by the forked upper end of a lever G pivoted at g to the arm B and
connected at its lower end to the rod H the forward end of which is provided with a
notch h.
I denotes the work-plate, having the usual guiding slot i, and J is the button
by which the cloth clamp O is guided in the usual way. The button J instead of
being fixed to the work-plate, as heretofore, is mounted on a small slide K movable
lengthwise of the machine in a recess beneath the work-plate, said slide being pro-
vided with an arm & extending beneath the feeding wheel M. To the arm k is
pivoted a dog having two small lugs or projections k² k³. A spring L (see
Figure 1) is provided to hold the arm and the plate K in the forward position
shown in Figure 1 when the said plate is to be at rest, and a spring presses the
dog upward, as shown in Figure 5, when the said dog is to be disconnected from
A-1
the rod H. The feeding wheel M is provided with a lug m which, when the last
side of the button-hole has been stitched, comes in contact with the lug on the
dog thus pressing said dog downward and causing the lug ³ to engage the notch h
of the reciprocating rod H (when in the movement of the said rod the said notch next
registers with the said lug ³) and thereby causing the movements of the said rod to
be imparted to the button J through the dog k¹ arm k and sliding plate K.
As the movements of the lower end of the lever G are in opposition or contrary to
the movements of the arm 2 by which the needle-bar is moved laterally, it is obvious
that the movements of the button J carried by the sliding plate K will be contrary to
the lateral movements of the needle. From this it results that the work-clamp guided
by the button J will be reciprocated laterally so as to move the work across the line
of. feed of the button-hole a sufficient distance to cause long barring stitches to be
made across the end of the otherwise completed button-hole, and thereby fully finish
the same.
The stitch forming mechanism comprising the needle and the looper P and their
operating mechanism is or may be of any well known form.
Instead of reciprocating the rod H by the lever G the said rod may be provided
with a yoke h surrounding a cam on the lower end of the shaft D, as shown in
Figures 6 and 7, and as it is obvious that other means than those herein shown may
be employed for reciprocating the button J I do not wish to be understood as limiting
my invention to the particular mechanism herein shown and described for this
purpose.
I do not wish to be understood as claiming broadly an automatic mechanism for reci-
procating the cloth-clamp of a button-hole sewing machine across the line of the feeding
movement of said clamp for the purpose of barring button-holes which have been
otherwise completed, as I am aware that automatic mechanism for effecting this
object has before been made. But in such mechanisms the work-plate which supports
the cloth-clamp and which carries the button for guiding the latter was made movable
and reciprocated to give the clamp the proper barring movements, while in my
machine the work-plate is stationary but the guiding button is movable independently
of said plate.
The mechanism by which the lug on the feeding wheel causes the reciprocating
slide bar to engage with and give a to and fro motion to the slide which carries the
button when the barring operation is to commence may also be arranged in the
manner shown at Figures 9 to 17. In these figures is also shewu the mechanism for

page_text: automatically stopping the machine when the barring operation is completed, or, if
desired, for stopping the machine when a button hole is worked without barring
the same.
Figure 9 is a sectional elevation of a "Singer" button hole sewing machine with
the mechanism applied to it. Figure 10 is a bottom view thereof. Figure 11 is a
detail of a portion of the mechanism shewn in Figure 10 with the parts in different
positions. Figures 12, 13 and 14 are detail plan views, on a larger scale, of part of
the mechanism shewn in figure 11 and figure 15 is a section on line 7-7, figure 14.
Figure 16 is a partial side elevation of the machine and figure 17 a rear end view
thereof, to show the stopping mechanism.
A denotes the bed-plate and B the arm of a "Singer" button hole sewing machine.
Journalled in the upper part of the said arm is the driving shaft C connected by a
bevel gear c with a larger bevel gear d on the upper end of a vertical shaft D, the
proportions of said gears being such that the shaft C will revolve twice while the
shaft D revolves once, the said shaft D having a cam d² for operating a lever d³
connected by a rod d' with a movable head d³ in which the needle bar S is recipro-
cated vertically by the crank disc c¹ and link c² and thus reciprocate the needle
horizontally, as is common with machines of this character.
Near the lower end of the shaft D is a cam embraced by a yoke e on the rear
end of a reciprocating or, sliding bar E resting on a bracket a attached to the bed-
plate A. F is the intermittingly rotating feed wheel operated in the usual manner
from the vibrating feed lever G. The said feed wheel is provided with a tappet or
projection adapted to engage the toe of a lever H pivoted by a screw or pin h
to the bed plate A and having a pir 2 embraced. by the forked or slotted end
of a link I attached by a screw or pin i to a lever I pivoted at j to the sliding
bar E.
The pin of the lever H is connected by a spring with the link I, said spring
thus holding the said pin in the fork of the said link and serving as a yielding con-
nection between the levers H and J. The lever J is provided with an adjusting
plate or block having a hook and a tail piece 3. said hook being adapted to
engage a similar hook kon a sliding har K to the forward end of which latter is attached
a plate carrying the button 2 by which the work clamp is guided, said button being
thus movable to and fro in a direction transverse to the feeding movement of the
work clamp when the barring operation is to be carried on as above described. To
the lever His pivotally secured the holding lever h³ to one arm of which is attached
a spring connected with the hed plate A and the latter is provided with a stop or
projection a¹ adapted to be engaged by the end of the other arm of the said holding
lever.
The reciprocating or sliding bar E is provided with a spring pressed pawl e¹ having
a pine engaged by the tail piece of the plate or block . M is a pivoted dog
having a series of teeth adapted to be engaged by the pawl el said dog being con-
nected by a rod m with a hand lever N, having a handle n, the movement of the said
dog in one direction being limited by an adjustable stop L attached to the bed plate.
O is a rod (formed in the present instance in two parts) the forward end of which is
connected by a link o with the bed plate and the rear end of which is attached to the
brake and clutch or stopping lever I', said rod being provided with a pin or
roller of adapted to rest in a notch m² in the dog M. A spring o² attached to the
lower end of the lever P and to the bed plate normally presses the lower end of said
lever and the rod O toward the forward end of the machine.
The driving shaft C is provided with an ordinary clutch mechanism consisting of a
fly wheel fast on said shaft and a loose driving pulley C² having the usual frictional
face for contact with the fly wheel. The pulley is pressed in contact with the
fly wheel by the arm p of the lever P, the other arm p² of said lever having
a brake device p³ for stopping the fly wheel when the driving pulley is released
therefrom.
The operation of the above described mechanism is as follows:-When the machine
is in motion the sliding bar E is constantly reciprocated by the cam d', the said cam

page_text: being so placed on its shaft that the movements thereof will be in opposition to the
horizontal movements of the needle bar and needle of the machine.
The tappet or projection is placed in such a position on the feel wheel that when
the last side of the button hole is completed said tappet or projection will engage the
toe of the lever H moving said lever to the position shewn in figure 13 so that the
inner end of the holding lever h³ will be forced by the spring into the notch of
the stop a thus holding the parts in the position indicated by said figure after the
projection has passed said toe until the holding lever is released from its stop as will
be explained. The movement of the lever H by the projection f will cause the link I
and spring to move the free end of the lever J towards the sliding bar K so that
the hooks and will be engaged and thus the movements of the bar E will be
imparted to the bar K to move the latter towards the right (figures 10 and 11), the
return movements of the said bar being, in the present instance, effected by a spring a²
(see dotted lines figure 10) attached at one end to the bed plate or some other
stationary part of the machine and at the other to a pin projecting from the side of
the bar K.
The yielding connection of the levers H and J afforded by the spring permits
the hooks of the lever J and bar K to adjust themselves to each other should they not
be in exact position for engagement when the lever H is first operated by the
projection f
The guiding button being connected with the bar K, as above described, the
movements of the said bar will be imparted to the said button thereby reciprocating
the work clamp transversely to its feeding movement so that barring stitches will be
formed across the end of the button hole. The movement of the free end of the
lever J towards the hook of the bar K will release the pawl el moving with the
bar E so that said pawl will engage the teeth of the dog M and thus intermittingly
turn the said dog on its pivot until the pin or roller o on the rod O reaches the
notch m² in the said dog, thus permitting a slight forward movement of said rod by
the spring o2 so that the end of said rod will strike the holding lever h³ (see figure 11)
and thus release said lever from the stop a'.
As soon as the holding lever is released from its stop the spring a pressing against
the lever H will move said lever slightly to cause the link to move the lever and
thus disengage the hooks and so that the reciprocating movements of the sliding
bar K and the guiding button k² will be suspended.
As the movements of the sliding bar E are in opposition to the in and out or
horizontal reciprocating movements of the needle bar and the needle it results that
long-barring stitches may be made entirely across the end of the button hole, the
length of the reciprocations of the bar K and of the button k being regulated by
changing the position of the plate or block j' on the lever J so that there will be more
or less lost motion between the sliding bars E and K.
The number of barring stitches to be made in each button hole is determined by
the number of teeth of the dog A engaged by the pawl e¹ before the pin or roller o
falls into the notch m' of the said dog. With the adjustable stop L in the position
shown in the drawing four stitches will be made, as there are four teeth of the said
dog to be engaged by the said pawl, but by moving said stop towards the dog the
number of barring stitches may be lessened at will; or if it is desired (as is some-
times the case) to stop the machine automatically without forming any barring stitches
the stop L may be so placed that the pawl el will engage but one tooth of the dog M
before the pin or roller o falls into the notch m¹.
The forward end of the rod O being connected by the link o with the bed plate A
said rod has a slight forward movement from the position shown in figure 10 to the
position shewn in figure 11 as the pin or roller o falls into the notch m¹³ of the dog M,
this movement of the said rod (effected by the spring of) being sufficient to unclutch
the driving wheel C from the fly wheel C and to apply the brake device p³ to the
said fly wheel and thus stop the machine.
When the next button hole is ready to be worked the hand lever N is moved to
the left (figure 10) to turn the dog M to bring the pin or roller o¹ out of the notch m¹

page_text: and upon the projection m² so that the parts will be held in their normal position
while the button hole is being worked in readiness for the next barring or stopping
operation.
In this connection it may be observed that the cam d' the sliding bars E and K the
plate and the movable work clamp guiding button constitute a barring mechanism,
the levers H and J with their springs and minor parts, including the link I constitute,
in connection with the projection on the feed wheel a tripping mechanism by which
the barring mechanism is thrown into operation at the desired moment, while the
clutch and brake or stopping lever P, the dog M, the pawl by which said dog is
operated and the connections between the said dog and the lovor P constitute a
stopping mechanism.
I do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to the details of construc-
tion herein shown as it is obvious that many changes within the province of mechanical
skill might be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.
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 combination with the stitch-forming
mechanism, the cloth-clamp and the stationary work-plate, of a guiding button,
movable independently of said work-plate, and automatic mechanism for reciprocating
said button for barring a button-hole when it has been otherwise completed.
2. In a Lutton-hole sewing machine, the combination with the stitch-forming
mechanism, the cloth clamp, the feed-wheel and the stationary work-plate, of the
movable guiding button, operating mechanism for reciprocating said. button when
desired, and a device, thrown into action by the said feed-wheel, for operatively con-
necting the said button with the said mechanism when a button-hole is to be barred,
as set forth.
3. In a button-hole sewing machine, the combination with the stitch-forming
mechanism, the cloth-clamp, the work-plate and feeding wheel, the latter having a
lug or projection, of a movable guiding button, a slide carrying said button and having
an arm extending beneath said wheel, a dog pivoted to said arm, a spring for lifting
said dog, and a reciprocating rod with which the said dog is engaged by the said lug
or projection when a button-hole is to be barred, substantially as set forth.
4. In a button-hole sewing machine, the combination with the stitch-forming
mechanism, the cloth-clamp and the work-plate, of the guiding button J, the slide K
provided with the arm k, the dog k pivoted to said arm and provided with lugs k² k³,
the spring, the rod H having notch h, and the vibrating lever G.
k¹
In a button-hole sewing machine, the combination with the sliding bar E
(Figures 9 to 17) and its operating mechanism, of the hooked sliding bar K, the
feeding wheel having the tappet or projection, the lever H, the hooked lever J
and a
yielding connection between the said levers H and J, substantially as set
forth.
6. The combination with the sliding bar E (figures 9 to 17) and its operating
mechanism, of the hooked sliding bar K, the plate k¹, the movable guiding button k²,
the feeding wheel having the projection, the lever H, slotted link 1, spring i and
the hooked lever J substantially as set forth.
7. The combination with the hooked sliding bar K (figures 9 to 17), the lever H,
the hooked lever J and a yielding connection between said levers H and J, of the
holding lever h³, the spring / and the bed plate having a stop or projection a¹
substantially as set forth.
8. The combination with the rotating vertical shaft D (figures 9 to 17) and the
cam d secured thereto, of the sliding bar E having a yoke embracing said cam, the
hooked lever J pivoted to said sliding bar, the hooked sliding bar K, the feed
wheel having a projection, the lever H adapted to be engaged by said projection, the
link I, and springs and a substantially as set forth.
9. The combination with the barring and tripping mechanisms, of the toothed

page_text: dog M (figures 9 to 17), a device, as stop L, for varying the position of said dog, a
stopping lever and connections between the latter and said dog substantially as
set forth.
10. The combination with the sliding bar E (figures to 17), the spring acted
pawl e carried thereby, and the sliding bar K having a tail piece for holding said
pawl out of action, of the toothed dog M the stopping lever and connections between
the latter and said dog, substantially as set forth.
11. The combination with the pawl e¹ (figures 9 to 17) and its operating mechanism,
of the toothed dog M having the notch m³ and projection m³, the connecting rod O
having the pin or roller o; the spring o², the link o and the stopping lever P,
substantially as set forth.
12. The combination with the dog M (figures 9 to 17) having the notch m¹, of the
connecting rod O having the pin or roller ', the hand lever N and the connecting
rod m, substantially as set forth.
13. In a button hole sewing machine, the combination with the stationary work-
plate and a feeding wheel, of an automatic barring mechanism, a tripping mechanism
and a device, as projection f(figures 9 to 17) carried by and moving with said
feeding wheel, for operating said tripping mechanism, to throw the barring mechanism
into operation, substantially as set forth.
14. In a button hole sewing machine the combination with a stationary work plate
and a feeding wheel having an operating device, as projection fƒ (figures 9 to 17) of
a tripping mechanism thrown into action by said operating device, and a stopping
mechanism operated by a moving part of said barring mechanism, substantially as
set forth.
15. In a button hole sewing machine, the combination with mechanism for working
an eyed button hole, of an automatic barring mechanism and a stopping mechanism
operated from the barring mechanism and capable of being varied so that a greater
or lesser number of barring stitches may be made before the machine is stopped,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 26th day of November 1887.