AN IMPROVED SEWING MACHINE, AND APPARATUS TO BE ATTACHED TO THE SAME FOR STITCHING BUTTON HOLES
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION- left by William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th July 1872.-A communication from abroad by Thomas J.
Harper, of Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SEWING MACHINE, AND
APPARATUS TO BE ATTACHED TO THE SAME FOR STITCHING BUTTON HOLES," a
communication, to be as follows:-
+
.The said Invention relates to an improved sewing machine, and a
button hole attachment for the same. The table of the said sewing
machine has on its under side near one end two ears or projections
forming bearings for the driving shaft. The said shaft is provided with
a wheel to be connected by a belt or otherwise with a treadle. This
shaft is also provided with an eccentric, which has a wrist or crank pin
inserted in an irregular slot in the lower end of the needle arm for
moving the same. The needle arm is pivoted to a curved standard,
'
.

page_text: the presser foot is operated by a spiral spring. The said eccentric is
provided with a strap and connecting rod that connects with and works
the shuttle lever and driver, the latter being pivoted to and supported
by a bracket gives the shuttle a vertical circular motion in its move-
ment backs and forth.
The feed bar, which is regulated by means of a sliding bar, is
operated by another sliding bar and a bell crank. The, last-mentioned
bar is pivoted to the lower end of the needle arm, and is bevelled at its
front end on the upper side, so that by the forward motion of the said
bar the feed bar will be raised up on the upper side of the table, for
the purpose of catching the cloth to carry it forward. The second
sliding bar, which moves in suitable guides, is slotted near its front
end and connects with the bell crank or lever by one end of the crank
passing through the said slot. The other end of the said crank is also
slotted. The feed bar is provided with a regulating lever, one end of
which is pivoted to the bar, the other end being slotted and connected
with the first sliding bar by a pin. The bell crank connects with the
feed bar by a pin passing through a slot in the said bell crank.
When the second sliding bar moves forward and has raised the feed
bar, as above described, the rear end of the slot strikes the end of the
bell crank, carrying it forward and. permitting its other end to move the.
feed bar inward. As soon as the said bar moves backward again the
front end of the slot strikes the end of the crank, driving it back, the
other end of it carrying the feed bar back again.
The button hole attachment consists of a circular needle with a lever.
When in its place on the machine (which is in the shuttle race and just
in front of the needle hole) the short end of the attachment forms a
circular needle to be threaded through the eye hole in the point, and.
the long end forms a lever and passes through the head of a small bolt
in the upper end of the shuttle lever. This bolt revolves freely in the said
lever, so that when the shuttle lever moves back and forth it drives the
circular needle. When the shuttle lever moves forward the point of the
circular needle moves back past the upper needle; as it movès back the
circular point passes through the loop across the upper needle around
and above the cloth and in front of the needle, and rests until the point
of the upper
needle comes down and passes through its loop; then it.

page_text: moves down and back ready to again pass through the loop of the upper
needle below the cloth, thus making the button hole stitch: The
circular needle is supplied with thread from a spool fastened to a
convenient place under the machine. The plate used when the button
hole stitch is to be made has a short slot instead of a round needle hole,
and a projection or guide for the circular needle.