IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED MECHANISM FOR BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: Sealed the 9th June 1871, and dated the 3rd January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Helwig at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd January 1871.
I, ARTHUR HELWIG, of New Street, Dorset Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED MECHANISM FOR BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINES,"
to be as follows :—
My said Invention relates to simple but thoroughly efficient me-
chanism, whereby in sewing button holes in a piece of cloth or other
material the entire feed or advance movement of the same under the
needle of a sewing machine is effected automatically, so that any person
of sufficient intelligence to do plain work in an ordinary sewing machine
will be able in sewing button holes to produce work which will be equal
.

page_text: 1
if not superior to the best hand sewing with great rapidity and without
danger of injuring the article in which the holes are formed.
The said Invention consists, first, in the peculiar construction of a
clamp or holder, whereby the material in which the button holes are
formed is held upon the sewing machine. This peculiar construction of
the clamp permits the convenient adjustment of the clamp upon the
machine, and its removal therefrom allows the cloth to be readily
secured and released, and affords the means for stretching or opening the
same laterally during the stitching.
My said Invention consists, secondly, in forming the edge of the clamp
to act in combination with a fixed guide pin or stud, in such a manner
as to guide the clamp throughout its entire movement in stitching a
button hole.
My Invention consists, thirdly, in the combination of the said clamp.
or holder with a rack and pinion, by the rotation of which pinion the rack
is moved first straight in one direction, then turned around and moved
in the opposite direction, moving the clamp with it,and thus giving.
the latter with the cloth in it a continuous motion corresponding to
the shape and size of the button hole.
My Invention consists, fourthly, in peculiar devices for producing
automatically in the feed motion of the clamp such variations of speed in
relation to the stitching mechanism as are required in stitching around
the different portions of the button hole. For this purpose I fix on the
lower end of the pinion shaft a ratchet wheel; the latter is rotated by a
pawl carried by an arm, which is actuated by a lever whose end is
arranged in contact with a cam on or in connection with the driving
shaft of the machine. This cam has two projecting or actuating parts,
and by their action on the pawl lever the pawl is caused to rotate the
ratchet wheel and pinion. One projection of the said cam is higher
than the other, and this peculiarity in combination with devices for
regulating the nearness of approach of the lever to the cam affords the
means for varying the speed of the feed motion. To effect this object I
attach another cam to the ratchet wheel which acts on a stop arranged
in connection with the pawl lever, and this stop by permitting or pre-
venting the free motion of the lever allows more or less motion to the
pawl, and thereby varies the extent of the rotation of the ratchet wheel
in relation to the speed of the stitching mechanism.

page_text: The said feed mechanism is more especially designed to be combined
with the peculiar sewing devices of the machine described in the Specifi-
cation of a Patent granted to me, bearing date the 6th day of April,
A.D. 1869; No. 1036: In that machine the needle in addition to its
vertical movement has a lateral motion whereby it is caused to descend
alternately on each side of the button hole, and the said needle operates
in combination with a peculiarly arranged looper under the cloth plate,
the needle and looper and also the feed bar receiving motion from a
vertical shaft at the rear of the machine.
According to my present Invention I dispense with the ordinary
feeding device of the machine, but may leave the other parts of the said
machine unchanged. The under side of the clamp hás extending along
its centre a groove into which a stud or pin fixed in the cloth plate
projects. The outer edge of the clamp is formed to bear against another
stud fixed in the cloth plate, and this stud in combination with the stud
in the central groove guides the clamp properly from the commencement
to the end of a button hole. The clamp has two parallel sides and a
round end, and somewhat resembles a button hole in form, except that
the curved end is cut away on one side to allow the proper motion to be
given to the clamp in commencing to turn at the round end of the
button hole. Around the central groove I prefer to form an outer
groove which fits over another small stud and helps to guide the clamp.
The upper part of the clamp is hinged to the lower part thereof, so as
to open and admit the cloth readily, and when closed it is secured and
pressed tightly on the bottom part by a turning button or other suitable
contrivance. The upper part is made in two portions which by a screw.
or other contrivance can be forced apart to stretch the cloth laterally.
The teeth of the rack are formed on the edge of the same. The
pinion may be an ordinary toothed pinion. The pinion shaft is just
long enough to extend through the base of the machine and carry the
ratchet whcel on its lower end. The lever which actuates the pawl is
arranged to vibrate on a fulcrum pin fixed in the under side of the base
of the machine; it has a roller on the extremity which bears on the
cam; its other end is kept in contact with the pawl arm by a light
spring. The two cam projections which operate the said lever may be
formed on the periphery of the cam disc which operates the stitching
mechanism in the machine herein-above particularly referred to. The
1

page_text: pawl arm may be fitted to oscillate on the axis of the ratchet wheel
the pawl being in the proper position to take into the teeth of the said
wheel when acted on by the lever. The adjustable stop or regulator is
a lever which is also fitted to vibrate on a.pin or stud fixed in the base
plate. One end of this lever bears on the cam fixed on the ratchet
wheel, and it is kept in contact therewith by a suitable light spring.
The other end of the said lever is arranged in close proximity to the
end of the pawl actuating lever, and according to the position of the cam
on the ratchet wheel the stop allows more or less motion to the said lever
and thereby governs the action of the pawl and ratchet wheel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Arthur Helwig in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
HELWIG, of New Street, Dorset Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Arthur Helwig, Her special licence that I, the
said Arthur Helwig, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Arthur Helwig, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FEED MECHANISM FOR BUTTON
HOLE SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Arthur Helwig, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should'
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Arthur Helwig, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following, statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
forming a part of this Specification
My said Invention relates to simple but efficient feed mechanism for
button hole sewing machines, and is designed to furnish the means
whereby in sewing or stitching around a button. hole in a piece of cloth
or other material the entire feed or advance movement of the same
under the needle of the sewing machine is effected automatically so that:
any person of sufficient intelligence to do plain work in an ordinary.
sewing machine will be able in sewing: button holes to produce work
which will be equal if not superior to the best hand sewing, and will
moreover be enabled to perform such work with great rapidity and
without danger of injuring, the garment or article in which the button
holes are formed..
The said Invention consists, first, in the peculiar construction of a
clamp or holder whereby the material in which the button holes are
formed is. held upon the sewing machine. This peculiar construction of
the clamp permits the adjustment of the clamp upon the machine, and
its removal therefrom allows the cloth to be readily secured and released,
and affords the means for stretching or opening the same laterally
during the stitching.
My said Invention consists, secondly, in forming the edge of the clamp.
to act in combination with a fixed guide pin or stud in such a manner
as to guide the clamp throughout its entire movement in stitching a
button hole...
My Invention consists, thirdly, in the combination of the said clamp.
or holder with a rack and pinion, by the rotation of which pinion the
rack is moved first straight in one direction, then turned around and
moved in the opposite direction, moving the clamp with it, and thus.
giving the latter with the cloth in it a continuous motion corresponding
to the shape and size of the button hole.
My Invention consists, fourthly, in peculiar devices for producing
automatically in the feed motion of the clamp such variations of speed
in relation to the stitching mechanism as are required in stitching around
the different portions of the button hole. For this purpose I fix on the

page_text: said pawl is carried; h, the lever which actuates this arm, and i the cam
on the driving shaft j, which cam has the two actuating parts i¹, 2²;
k, is the cam on the ratchet wheel, and 7 is the stop arranged in connection*
with the pawl lever h.
According to my present Invention I remove the ordinary feeding
device of the aforesaid machine, but may leave the other parts thereof
unchanged. The under side of the clamp a has extending along its centre
a groove a¹ into which a stud or pin 6 projects from the cloth plate B.
The needle passes through a slot b*, which slot is made long enough to
permit the needle's lateral motion as described in the aforesaid former
Specification. The outer edge of the clamp a is formed to bear against
the outer stud ³ fixed in the cloth plate, and this stud in combination
with the stud in the central groove guides the clamp a properly from
the commencement to the completion of a button hole. The clamp a
has two parallel sides and a round end, and somewhat resembles a
button hole in form except that the curved end is cut away on one side
from x to a to allow the proper motion to be given to the clamp in
commencing to turn at the round end of the button hole. Around the
central groove I prefer to form an outer groove a², which fits over
another small stud 63 fixed on the cloth plate, and helps to guide the
clamp; 1 is a spring which is fixed to the cloth plate at 2, while its
free end 3 carries a friction roller which projects through the slot 4 in
the cloth plate into the outer groove a² in the clamp. This spring exerts
sufficient pressure upon the clamp to keep it properly up to the guide
studs as it is turned around by the circular part of the rack. The upper
part a of the clamp a is hinged to the lower part a** thereof, so as to
open and admit the cloth C readily, and when closed it is secured and
pressed tightly on the bottom part by a turning button or plate 6, or`
other suitable contrivance. The upper part a* is made in two-
portions a³, at, which have hinged at their ends a³, aº, two plates a², a³,
roughened or provided with teeth a to gripe the cloth C, and by ad-
justing a screw 7 or other device they can be forced apart to stretch the
cloth laterally. The teeth care formed on the edge of the rack c. The
pinion d may be an ordinary toothed pinion. By referring to Figure 4
it will be seen that the rack c has one tooth c² much larger than the
"others, and that the pinion has a corresponding space between two of its
teeth for the reception of this large tooth. The purpose of this peculiar
contrivance is to facilitate the placing of the clamp in the correct

page_text: position for commencing to sew a button hole. The pinion shaft e is
just long enough to extend through the base of the machine and carry the
aforesaid ratchet wheel fon its lower end as clearly shown in Figure 5.
The lever which actuates the pawl is arranged to vibrate on a
fulcrum pin h¹ fixed in the under side of the base A of the machine.
At one end it has a roller h² which bears on the cam i. Its other end
lies in contact with the pawl arm 9', which by a spring is drawn
towards the said lever. The two cam projections ³, ³, which operate the
said lever are formed on the periphery of the cam disc which operates
the stitching mechanism in the machine herein-above particularly
referred to. The projection is higher than the projection ², so that
the lever h may be actuated by one projection only. The pawl arm g¹
is fitted to oscillate on the axis of the ratchet wheel of the pawl g being
arranged in the proper position to take into the teeth of the said wheel
when acted on by the lever h. The adjustable stop or regulator is a
lever, which is also fitted to vibrate on a pin or stud / fixed in the base
plate A. One end of this lever bears on the cam & fixed on the ratchet
wheel, and it may be kept in contact therewith by a suitable light
spring. The other end of the said lever is arranged in close proximity
to the end of the pawl actuating lever h, and is provided with a screw &²,
which may be adjusted accurately to control the lever according to the
position of the cam & on the ratchet wheel f, the stop allows more or
less motion to the said lever and thereby varies the action of the said
pawl and ratchet wheel and the motion of the clamp a.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner in
which I prefer to carry the same into effect, I wish it understood that I
claim,―
First. The clamp or holder constructed and applied to the cloth
plate of a sewing machine, substantially as set forth for the purpose
specified.
Second. The combination of the said clamp with the herein
described devices for guiding the same arranged substantially as hercin
set forth.
Third. The combination of the said clamp with a rack and pinion
constructed, arranged, and operated in such a manner as to move the
clamp in the peculiar manner herein specified.
Fourth. The ratchet wheel and other devices for automatically varying

page_text: the motion of the aforesaid clamp in relation to the stitching mechanism
in sewing or stitching around a button hole combined and operating
together substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The clamp or holder, the devices for guiding the same, the rack
and pinion, the ratchet wheel and pawls, the cams, levers, and other parts
of my improved mechanism combined and operating together, substantially
as specified for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Helwig, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
ARTHUR HELWIG. (L.S.)