Year: 1886

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:-
This invention relates to that class of button-hole attachments for sewing
machines in which the work-holding clamp receives its movements through
mechanism operated from the needle-bar of the machine and in which all the
movements necessary to work both sides and bar both ends of a button-hole are
automatically effected, the object of my invention being to produce an attachment
of the class referred to which will be comparatively simple in construction and
strong and positive in operation.
On the base-plate, which carries all of the parts and which is to be attached to
the work-plate of a sewing machine is a vibrator pivotted at its rear end by a
screw pin to the base-plate and provided with upwardly projecting ribs at its edges
to form a guide-way in which slides a feed plate carrying the work-holding, or
cloth-clamp. A small hook on the base-plate holds down the forward end of the
vibrator but does not interfere with its lateral movements.
Secured to lugs or standards on the bed-plate is a cap or housing to which is
rigidly attached a bracket having a stud on which is journalled a ratchet-wheel
and can wheel. A lever is pivotted to the bracket and is forked at one end for
engagement with the needle-bar screw, said lever being provided at its other end
with a spring pawl engaging a ratchet wheel. The cam wheel is provided with a
cam-groove having straight offset portions corresponding in number to the teeth of
the ratchet wheel, said offset portions being connected by inclined portions. The
ratchet and cam wheels are integral or are rigidly secured together so as to move
coincidently.
Mounted in the top of the cap or housing so as to move transversely thereof, is a
slide having a pin or roller engaging the groove of the cam wheel. By making
the cam wheel with straight and inclined portions, the slide and the parts moved

page_text: thereby have periods of rest and of motion during the time the cam wheel is moving
and thus the full throw of the forked lever and the pawl carried thereby may be
imparted to the ratchet wheel (to avoid concussion which might be occasioned by
lost motion between the pawl and the teeth of the wheel) without moving the slide
and its attached parts during too long a period of time. The object of this
operation will be explained further on.
A sliding plate guided on the bed-plate by lugs on the latter is provided with a
pin on which is journalled the feeding and cam wheel. The slide is provided with
a hole entered by the pin so that the movements of the said slide are imparted to
the sliding plate, the feeding wheel and the parts engaging the latter. The feeding
wheel is provided with cam-grooves, one of which is the feeding cam groove, being
engaged by a pin or roller on one end of a feed lever, said lever having at its
opposite end a pin or roller engaging the sliding feed plate or entering a slot in
the rear end of the clamping plate which is attached to the feed plate and thus
serving to feed or move the said feed plate longitudinally.
The fulcrum pin of the feed lever is carried by a bar or regulator having a loop
and set screw by which it may be adjustably secured to a slotted lug or standard
on the sliding plate, the said lever being slotted to admit of the adjustment of its
fulcrum pin. Thus the throw of the feed lever may be varied to suit different
lengths of button holes. The feed lever is also provided with a pin entering a slot
in an arm of the sliding plate, said arm being steadied by having its outer end
downwardly turned and engaged in a slot in the bed plate. Thus the feed lever
while free to swing on its fulcrum-pin, which moves with the sliding plate, will be
caused to reciprocate with the said sliding plate.
A vibrating and shipper lever is provided having a pin or roller engaging the
shipping cam groove in the feeding wheel the said lever being pivotted by a pin
to the base plate. The vibrator or vibrating plate is provided with a projection on
which is pivotted an elbow lever one arm of which carries a pin entering a slot in
the shipper lever, the other arm having a small tooth adapted to engage notches
in the curved edge of the projection carrying the elbow lever. The second arm is
a spring arm and may be raised slightly to disengage its tooth from that one of a
series of notches in which it may be entered, and the said lever will then be free
to be turned on its fulcrum to adjust the pin in the slot of the shipper lever.
The feeding wheel is connected with the vibrator and the work-clamp carried
thereby through the shipper lever and elbow lever and the projection on the
vibrator plate, so that the reciprocating movements of the said wheel will be
communicated to the vibrator to cause the latter and the cloth clamp carried
thereby to move laterally of the button-hole for the purpose of forming the overedge
stitches. The shipping cam-groove of the feeding wheel also at the proper time,
changes the position of the shipper lever to shift the work laterally when the end
of the button hole is reached, and thus causes a bar to be formed at the end of the
button hole and also brings the opposite side of the button-hole beneath the
needle, this timing of the lateral and longitudinal movements of the work being
secured by the proper relative arrangement of the cam-grooves of the feeding
wheel. As the lateral shifting of the work, through the operation of the shipping
cam-groove in the slowly rotating feed wheel, occupies the time necessary to form
a number of stitches a strong bar will be formed at the ends of the button holes,
to properly finish the same.
The depth of the overedge stitches may be varied by changing the position of
the elbow lever to shift the pin in the slot of the shipper lever, said pin serving as
an adjustable connection between the uniformly moving shipping and vibrating
lever and the cloth clamp; and the shipping of lateral movements, to bring one
side or the other of the button-hole beneath the needle, will also be varied by this
Bame adjustment of the elbow lever.
The feeding cam wheel is provided in its upper side with an annular flange or
rib engaged by a dog, the outer end of which latter has a yielding connection by
spring and pin with the pivotted end of a lever swinging on a hub of the wheel,

page_text: said lever having a projection engaging the tail of said dog. The dog bites on the
rib when moving in one direction and slides freely over said rib when moving in
the opposite direction, in a well-known manner, to impart an intermittent rotary
movement to the said wheel from the swinging lever. This lever is provided with
a pin or roller engaging an inclined slot in an adjusting lever pivotted to the cap
or housing. As the adjusting lever is stationary it is obvious that the swinging
lever, reciprocating bodily with the feed cam wheel, will be caused to vibrate on
the hub of the said wheel owing to the engagement of the pin or roller in the
inclined slot, this movement of the swinging lever being imparted to the dog to
give an intermittent rotary movement to the cam wheel.
The speed of rotation of the feed cam wheel, to make the stitches nearer to or
farther from each other lengthwise of the button-hole, is varied by changing the
position of the adjusting lever to vary the inclination of the slot therein relative
to the direction of the reciprocating movement of the feed cam wheel. This is
done in the present instance by pressing down on the lever to spring a small tooth
thereon out of engagement with one of a series of notches on the edge of the slot
in the cap through which the end of the adjusting lever projects. The said lever
will then be free to be adjusted to any desired position and as soon as released by
the operator its tooth will again be sprung into engagement with a holding notch.
The operation of this invention is as follows:-
Motion being imparted by the needle bar to the forked lever, the spring pawl
carried thereby will impart an intermittent rotary movement to the ratchet wheel
and the cam wheel, the latter through the pin or roller, reciprocating the slide and
the feeding cam wheel connected therewith. The reciprocating movements of the
feeding cam wheel are communicated to the vibrator the feed plate and the work
clamp through the vibrating and shipper lever and the elbow lever, the latter lever
being carried by the projection of the vibrator. The vibrating movements of the
feed plate and work clamp are for the purpose of forming the overedge stitches, as
before explained. Owing to the straight portions of the groove in the cam wheel
the cloth clamp will be at rest during the time the needle is in the work, and will
be moved both longitudinally and laterally during the latter part of the upward
movement of the needle bar.
The feeding cam wheel while reciprocating laterally will be slowly rotated by
the clutching mechanism above described and will thus, through the feed lever
which is connected with one of the cam grooves of said wheel and with the feed
plate, impart an intermittent longitudinal movement to said plate and the work
clamp carried thereby, to move the work lengthwise of the button-hole. When
the end of the latter has reached the needle the cam groove of the feeding cam
wheel will change the position of the vibrating and shipper lever to slowly shift
the work, thus barring the end of the button-hole and bringing the other side
thereof beneath the needle, the feed-plate will then be moved longitudinally in a
direction the reverse of its first movement, to work the other side of the button-
hole, and when the other end of the button-hole is reached the barring operation
is repeated, and the button-hole is then completed.
D
2
1
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
135, Buchanan Street, Glasgow,
Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
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
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 :—
This invention relates to that class of button-hole attachments for sewing
machines in which the work holding clamp receives its movements through
mechanism operated. from the needle bar of the machine, and in which all the
movements necessary to work both sides and bar both ends of a button-hole are
automatically effected the object of this invention being to produce an attachment
of the class referred to which will be comparatively simple in construction and
strong and positive in operation.
In the drawings forming part of this specification, figure 1, is a plan view of the
attachment and figure 2 a similar view with some of the parts removed. Fig. 3, is
a side view, partly in section and figs. 4 and 5 front and rear end views, respectively.
Fig. 6, is a detail plan view of the feeding cam wheel, and fig. 7, a bottom view of
the same.
A denotes the base-plate, which carries all of the parts, and which is to be
attached to the work-plate of a sewing machine.
B is a vibrator pivotted at its rear end by a screw pin, b, to the base-plate, and
provided with upwardly projecting ribs 61 at its edges to form a guideway, in which
slides the feed-plate C, carrying the work-holding or cloth clamp D. A small
hook a, on the base-plate holds down the forward end of the vibrator, but does not
interfere with its lateral movements.
Secured to lugs or standards a¹ on the bed-plate A is a cap or housing, E, to which
is rigidly attached a bracket e, having a stud e¹, on which is journaled a ratchet-
wheel e, and cam-wheel e. A lever e, is pivotted to the bracket e and is forked at
one end for engagement with the needle-bar screw, said lever being provided at its
other end with a spring pawl e³, engaging the ratchet-wheel e². The cam-wheel e³,
is provided with a cam-groove having straight offset portions corresponding in
number to the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, said offset portions being connected by
inclined portions. The ratchet and cam wheels are integral or are rigidly secured
together, so as to move coincidently.
Mounted in the top of the cap E, so as to move transversely thereof, is a slide, eº,
having a pin or roller, e7, engaging the groove of the cam-wheel e³. By making
the cam-wheel with straight and inclined portions as shown, it is obvious that the
slide e and the parts moved thereby will have periods of rest and of motion during
the time the cam-wheel is moving, and thus the full throw of the lever e*, and the
pawl 6º, carried thereby, may be imparted to the ratchet-wheel (to avoid concussion

page_text: which might be occasioned by lost motion between the pawl and the teeth of the
wheel) without moving the slide and its attached parts during too long a period of
time. The object of this operation will be explained further on.
F is a sliding plate, guided on the bed-plate A by the lugs a³ on the latter, and
provided with a pin f, on which is journaled the feeding and cam wheel G. The
slide e is provided with a hole, entered by the pin f, so that the movements of
the said slide are imparted to the sliding plate F, the wheel G, and the parts
engaging the latter, The wheel G is provided with cam-grooves g and g¹, the former
of which is the feeding cam-groove, being engaged by a pin or roller h, on one end
of a feed-lever, H, said lever having at its opposite end a pin or roller h¹, engaging
the sliding feed-plate, or as herein shown, entering a slot c, in the rear end of the
clamping-plate, which is attached to the feed-plate, and thus serving to feed or
move the said feed-plate longitudinally. The fulcrum pin h of the lever H is
carried by a bar or regulator, I, having a loop i, and set screw it, by which it may
be adjustably secured to a slotted lug or standard f¹, on the sliding plate F, the
said lever H being slotted to admit of the adjustment of its fulcrum pin. Thus
the throw of the lever H may be varied to suit different lengths of button-holes.
The lever H is also provided with a pin ³, (indicated by dotted lines fig. 2,) entering
a slot f³, in an arm of the sliding plate F, said arm being steadied by having its
outer end downwardly turned and engaged in a slot a³, in the bed-plate A. Thus
the lever H, while free to swing on its fulcrum pin, which moves with the sliding
plate F, will be caused to reciprocate with the said sliding plate.
J is the vibrating and shipper lever, having a pin or roller j, engaging the
shipping cam-groove gl in the wheel G, the said lever being pivotted by the
pin to the plate A. The vibrator or vibrating plate B is provided with a pro-
jection 6, on which is pivotted an elbow-lever, K, k, the arm K of which carries a
pin, k, entering a slot j, in the shipper-lever J the other arm k, having a small
tooth adapted to engage the notches 63 in the curved edge of the projection 6³.
The arm k is a spring arm, and may be raised slightly to disengage its tooth from
that one of the notches b³, in which it may be entered, and the said lever will then
be free to be turned on its fulcrum to adjust the pin k¹ in the slot is, of the lever J.
Thus it will be seen that the wheel G is connected with the vibrator B and the
work-clamp carried thereby through the levers J and K k, and the projection 6' on
the plate B, so that the reciprocating movements of the said wheel will be com-
municated to the vibrator to cause the latter and the cloth-clamp carried thereby
to move laterally of the button-hole for the purpose of forming the overedge
stitches. It will also be apparent that the cam-groove g¹ of the wheel will at the
proper time change the position of the lever J to shift the work laterally when the
end of the button-hole is reached, and thus cause a bar to be formed, at the end
of the button-hole, and also bring the opposite side of the button-hole beneath the
needle, this timing of the lateral and longitudinal movements of the work being
secured by the proper relative arrangement of the cam-grooves g and g¹ of the
wheel G.
As the lateral shifting of the work through the operation of the cam-groove gl
in the slowly rotating wheel G occupies the time necessary to form a number of
stitches, a strong bar will be formed at the ends of the button-holes to properly
finish the saine.
The depth of the overedge-stitches may be varied by changing the position of the
lever Kk to shift the pin k¹ in the slot of the lever J, said pin serving as an
adjustable connection between the uniformly-moving shipping and vibrating lever J
and the cloth-clamp, and the shipping or lateral movements to bring one side or
the other of the button-hole beneath the needle will also be varied by this same
adjustment of the lever K k.
The feeding cam wheel G is provided in its upper side with an annular flange.
or rib g, engaged by a dog g³, the outer end of which latter has a yielding con-
nection by spring g' and a small rod or pin, g³, with the pivotted end of a lever g³,

page_text: swinging on a bub of the wheel G said lever having a projection, 97, engaging the
tail of said dog. The dog g³ bites on the rib g' when moving in one direction and
slides freely over said rib when moving in the opposite direction in a well known
manner to impart an intermittent rotary movement to the said wheel from the
swinging lever 96. The lever go is provided with a pin or roller g³, engaging an
inclined slot 1, (see dotted lines in fig. 1,) in an adjusting lever L, pivotted to the
cap or housing E. As the lever L is stationary, it is obvious that the lever g³,
reciprocating bodily with the wheel G, will be caused to vibrate on the hub of the
said wheel, owing to the engagement of the pin or roller g, in the inclined slot 7,
this movement of the lever ge being imparted to the dog g³, to give an intermittent
rotary movement to the wheel G.
The speed of rotation of the wheel G to make the stitches nearer to or farther
from each other lengthwise of the button-hole is varied by changing the position
of the adjusting lever L to vary the inclination of the slot therein relative to the
direction of the reciprocating movement of the wheel G. This is done in the
present instance by pressing down on the lever to spring a small tooth thereon out
of engagement with a series of notches e, (see fig. 4,) on the edge of the slot in
the cap E, through which the end of the lever L projects. The said lever will then
be free to be adjusted to any desired position, and as soon as released by the operator
its tooth will again be sprung into engagement with a holding notch.
The operation of this invention is as follows:-Motion being imparted to the
lever e¹ the pawl carried thereby will impart an intermittent rotary movement to
the ratchet-wheel e³, and the cam-wheel e³, the latter through the pin or roller e',
reciprocating the slide ed and the feeding and cam-wheel G, connected therewith.
The reciprocating movements of the wheel G are communicated to the vibrator B,
the feed-plate C, and the work-clamp through the vibrating and shipper J and the
lever Kk, having the pin k¹, the latter lever being carried by the projection 62 of
the vibrator. The vibrating movements of the feed-plate and work-clamp are for
the purpose of forming the overedge stitches, as before explained. Owing to the
straight portions of the groove in the cam-wheel es the cloth-clamp will be at rest
during the time the needle is in the work, and will be moved both longitudinally
and laterally during the latter part of the upward movement of the needle-bar.
The wheel G, while reciprocating laterally, will be slowly rotated by the clutching
mechanism above described and will thus, through the lever H, which is connected
with the cain-groove g¹ of said wheel and with the feed-plate, impart an inter-
mittent longitudinal movement to said plate and the work-clamp carried thereby
to move the work lengthwise of the button-hole. When the end of the latter bas
reached the needle, the cam-groove g¹ of the wheel G will change the position of
the vibrating and shipper lever J to slowly shift the work, thus barring the end of
the button-hole and bringing the other side thereof beneath the needle. The feed-
plate will then be moved longitudinally in a direction the reverse of its first move-
ment, to work the other side of the button-hole and when the other end of the
button-hole is reached the barring operation is repeated and the button-hole is
then completed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion (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 work-clamp, of an intermittingly-rotated cam-wheel, a slide recip-
rocated by said wheel, a feeding and cam wheel movable with said slide, and
feeding and vibrating levers connected with said feeding and can wheel and said
feed-plate, and adapted to transmit motion from the former to the latter, whereby
said feed-plate will be moved longitudinally to feed the button-hole beneath the
needle and be reciprocated laterally to form overedge stitches, substantially as
set forth.

page_text: 2. In a button-hole attachment for sewing machines, the combination, with the
feed plate, and cloth-clamp, of a stationary bracket or standard, an operating pawl
carrying lever pivotted to said bracket, cam and ratchet wheels also supported by
said bracket, a slide reciprocated by said cam-wheel, a feeding and cam wheel
movable with said slide, a feeding lever operated by said feeding and cam wheel
and loosely connected with said feed-plate, and a vibrating and shipping lever also
operated by said can-wheel and connected with said feed-plate substantially as
set forth.
3. In a button-bole attachment for sewing machines, the combination, with the
base-plate, of a vibrator pivotted thereto, a feed-plate guided longitudinally of said
vibrator and carrying a work-clamp, a reciprocating and intermittingly-rotating
feeding and cam-wheel, and feeding and vibrating levers connected with said wheel
and feed-plate and adapted to transmit motion from the former to the latter,
substantially as set forth.
4. In a button-hole attachment, the combination with a feed-plate and work-
clamp, of a feeding and cam wheel, a reciprocating slide for moving said wheel
laterally, mechanism comprising a lever having a pin or roller and connections for
intermittingly rotating said wheel and a normally stationary but adjustable lever
having an inclined slot in which said pin or roller works to vibrate said lever,
substantially as set forth.
5. In a button-hole attachment, the combination, with a feed-plate and work-
clamp, of an intermittingly-rotating feeding and cam wheel, a reciprocating slide
for moving said wheel laterally, a sliding plate by which said wheel is carried, a
feeding lever connected with said wheel and feed-plate, and an adjustable fulcrum
for said lever movable with said sliding plate, substantially as set forth.
6. In a button-hole attachment, the combination, with the feed-plate and work-
clamp, of a reciprocating and intermittingly-rotating feeding and cam wheel, a
sliding plate by which said wheel is carried, and a feeding lever connected with
said wheel and feed-plate and also having a pin-and-slot connection with said
sliding-plate, whereby said feeding lever will be caused to reciprocate with said
wheel and sliding-plate, substantially as set forth.
7. In a button-hole attachment, the combination, with the feed-plate and a
vibrator in which said plate moves longitudinally, of a single vibrating and
shipping lever having an adjustable connection with said vibrator, and a recip-
rocating and intermittingly-rotating feeding and cam wheel for operating said
lever, substantially as set forth.
8. In a button-hole attachment, the combination, with the feed-plate and work-
clamp, of a single lever connected with said feed-plate, and serving the double
purpose of moving the feed-plate laterally to form the overedge stitches, and of
shifting said-plate to bar the end of the button hole and to bring the second side
thereof beneath the needle when the first side has been worked, said lever having
an adjustable fulcrum for varying the lateral throw of said-plate, substantially as
set forth.
9. In a button-hole attachment, the combination, with the base plate, the feed-
plate and the work-clamp, of a cap or housing attached to said base-plate, an
operating lever, ratchet and cam wheels, and a slide, all supported by said cap, a
feeding and cam wheel reciprocated by said sli-le, mechanism comprising a lever
having a pin or roller, and connections for intermittingly rotating said feeding and
cam wheel, and adjusting lever pivotted to said cap and having an inclined slot
engaged by said pin or roller, and feeding and vibrating levers connected with
said feeding and cam wheel and said feed-plate substantially as set forth.
10. The combination, with the feed-plate, the work-clamp, and the vibrator B,
having the projection 6, of the reciprocating and intermittingly-rotating feeding
and cam wheel G, having the cam-grooves g and g¹, the feeding lever H and the
vibrating and shipping lever J, having a slot, and the adjusting lever Kk,
pivotted to the projection 6' and having a pin or roller engaging said slot,
substantially as set forth.

page_text: 11. The combination, with the base-plate, of the vibrator B, pivotted at its rear
end to said base-plate, and the overhanging integral projection or hook a on the
latter for holding down the forward end of the said vibrator, substantially as
set forth.
TIL
יהד
AT
1000