Improvements in Button-hole Sewing Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 10th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 4th Sept., 189C-Accepted, 4th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Button-hole Sewing Machines.
I, ARTHUR HELWIG, of 123 Leighton Road, Kentish Town, in the County of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in button hole sewing machines.
In such a machine according to this invention, there is used in conjunction with a
reciprocating needle having a swinging or side to side movement for sewing with a
single thread, a peculiarly formed looper having two oppositely arranged hooks, pins
or projections (hereinafter called hooks) and to which is imparted an oscillating or
reciprocating motion in a horizontal plane for the purpose of causing the hooks to
engage alternately with loops of thread from the needle, and also motion in another
direction in the same plane, for the purpose of first causing the hook that has engaged
a loop of thread, to move the loop into a position in which it will be entered by the
needle when the same makes its next downward stroke, and afterwards to move the
hook out of the path of the needle which will then disengage the loop from the hook
and form a fresh loop which is in like manner engaged by and moved by the second
hook which is operated in a similar manner to the first. With a looper constructed
and operated in the manner described, the loops of thread alternately taken up and
held by its respective hooks, are much shorter in length than those taken up and held
by a rotary looper such as has heretofore been used in button hole sewing machines,
thereby enabling each stitch to be drawn up and tightened by the needle alone, and
the use of an independent take-up, such as has heretofore been necessary for this
purpose, to be dispensed with. Furthermore as the length of thread drawn through
the eye of the needle during the formation of each stitch is much less than usual, the
friction of the thread and its consequent liability to fracture, are reduced. The looper
may be carried by, or formed in one with a lever to which an oscillating motion and
also an endways or radial motion are imparted by a sliding rod and lever respectively,
these being operated by suitably formed cams, or cams and springs.
In this arrangement the looper lever is guided at one end by a pin and is
connected to the sliding rod by a link, and to the lever by a pin and slot connection.
A button hole sewing machine with looper such as described can be constructed
with means such as are commonly employed for cutting button holes in the material
to be sewn, and also with a feed plate for automatically feeding a clip or holder
containing the material, to effect the sewing around the edge of the button hole.
Dated this 10th day of July 1890.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Button-hole Sewing Machines.
I, ARTHUR HELWIG, formerly of 123 Leighton Road, but now of 39 Lady Somerset
Road, Kentish Town,.in the County of London, Engineer, 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:-
This invention has reference to improvements in button hole sewing machines.
In such a machine according to this invention there is used in conjunction with a
needle having an endways and a swinging or side to side movement for sewing with a
single thread, a peculiarly formed looper having two oppositely arranged hooks, pins
or projections (hereinafter called hooks) and to which is imparted an oscillating or a

page_text: reciprocating motion in a horizontal plane for the purpose of causing the hooks to
engage alternately with loops of thread from the needle, and also motion in another
direction in the same plane, for the purpose of first causing the hook that has engaged
a loop of thread, to move the loop into a position in which it will be entered by the
needle when the same makes its next downward stroke, and afterwards to move the
hook out of the path of the needle which will then disengage the loop from the hook
and form a fresh loop which is in like manner engaged by and moved by the second
hook which is operated in a similar manner to the first.
In order that my invention may be readily understood I will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section on the line A. B. Fig. 2; and
Fig. 2 is an underside view, of a button hole sewing machine according to this
invention.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are plan, side, and end views respectively, of the looper and part
of a lever for carrying the same.
Figs. 6 to 11 inclusive are diagrammatic views illustrating approximately the
relative positions of the needle and looper at various stages of their movements as
hereinafter described.
1 is a sewing needle, carried by a needle bar to which a reciprocating motion is
imparted by a driving shaft 1 and crank disc 1b. A swinging or side to side motion
is also imparted to the needle and needle bar by a block 2 through which the needle
bar works. This block is pivoted at 2 and oscillated by a rod 2b that is moved
endwise in one direction by a rotary cam 2 and in the opposite direction by a
spring 2. This mechanism shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, is such as is commonly
used for imparting the motions mentioned to the sewing needles of button-hole
3 is the needle plate
sewing machines and forms no part of my present invention.
formed with the usual perforated stud or pivot. 3 through which the sewing needle
passes.
This
4 is my novel form of looper having two oppositely arranged hooks 5, 6.
looper in the arrangement shown is carried by a lever 7 arranged in a horizontal plane
below the bed plate 8 of the machine. To this lever an oscillating and an endways or
radial motion are imparted. The lever 7 is formed with a slot 9 through which
extends a pivot pin 10 screwed into the bed plate 8. The lever is connected by a
link 11, and arm 12, to a rod 13 to which an endways or reciprocating motion is
imparted by a cam groove 15 formed in a plate 15ª fixed to a vertical driving shaft 16
and acting against a roller 17 fixed to the rod. By these means the lever 7 is caused
to make a complete to and fro oscillating motion about the pin 10 as a centre, for each
rotation of the driving shaft 16, and whilst the needle is making two complete
downward and upward strokes. The forward end of the rod 13 is supported by a
bearing 18; the rearward end of the rod is slotted at 19 for the passage of the driving
shaft 16 which, by means of a nut and washer 20, serves to support this end of the rod.
The vertical shaft. 16 is driven from the main driving shaft 1" and wheel 21 in the
usual manner. Endways or radial motion is imparted to the lever 7 by means of a
lever 22 which at one end is slotted at 23 and engages a pin 24 fixed to the lever 7,
and at the other end carries a roller that is caused to bear, by the action of a spring 25,
against a cam plate 26 also fixed to the vertical driving shaft 16 and formed with cam
projections 26 and 26b. 27 is a guide bar for the looper end of the lever 7.
In Figs. 1 and 2 the looper is shewn in the position it occupies when fully moved
over to the right hand side, its hook 6 being shewn engaged with a previously forined
loop a of thread extending from the material being sewn. The needle is shewn in its
uppermost and central position and about to move into the position indicated by the
dotted line a¹ b¹ and make a downward stroke. If the machine be now set in motion
by revolving the wheel 21 in the direction of the arrow the lever 7 will be inoved
forward and endways into approximately the position shewn in full lines in end and
plan views in Figs. 6 and 7 respectively, by the cam projection 26ª, so as to bring the
When
loop of thread into a position to be entered by the now descending needle.
the cam projection 26 passes beyond the adjacent end of the lever 22, the looper will

page_text: be caused by the action of the spring 25 to move backwards and endways into
approximately the position shewn in dotted lines in Figs. 6 and 7 so as to move the
hook 6 out of the path of the descending needle. The looper lever will then be turned
about the pin 10, by the arm 12, into the position shewn approximately in Figs. 8
and 9, when the needle will have entered sufficiently far into the loop a of thread to
disengage it from the hook 6. The new loop 6 of thread formed immediately after-
wards by the needle, will then be engaged by the hook 5, which in carrying this loop
to the left into the position shewn approximately in Figs. 10 and 11 and thus extending
this loop, will take up the loop a previously disengaged, and tighten the stitch formed
by this loop. In Figs. 10 and 11 the looper and needle are shewn in their extreme
left hand positions, the needle being about to descend. The looper lever will then be
moved forward and endways as before, but in this case by the cam projection 26b, in
order that the hook 5 shall bring the loop b into the path of the descending needle,
and after the needle has entered the loop, the lever will be moved backwards and
endways as before to move the hook 5 out of the path of the needle, after which the
looper will be caused to turn to the right and into the position shewn approximately
in Figs 1 and 2. During this movement to the right, the needle will further enter
the loop 6 and disengage it from the hook 5, and the next succeeding loop of thread
will be entered by the hook 6 which in carrying the new loop to the right will draw
up the disengaged loop b and tighten another stitch. The above described operations
will be repeated during the continued rotation of the machine.
With a looper constructed and operating in the manner described, the loops of
thread alternately taken up and held by its respective hooks, are much shorter in length
than those taken up and held by a rotary looper such as has heretofore been used in
button hole sewing machines, thereby enabling each stitch to be drawn up and
tightened by the looper alone, and the use of an independent take-up such as has
heretofore been necessary for this purpose, to be dispensed with.
Furthermore as the
length of thread drawn through the eye of the needle during the formation of each
stitch is much less than usual, the friction of the thread and its consequent liability
to fracture, are reduced.
As will be evident the oppositely arranged pointed parts of the hooks might consist
of suitably formed pins securely fixed to the other parts of the hooks.
A button hole sewing machine with looper such as described can be constructed
with means such as are commonly employed for cutting button holes in the material
to be sewn, and also with a feed plate for automatically feeding a clip or holder for
the material to be sewn, to effect the sewing around the edge of the button hole, but
these features form no part of my present invention. In the drawings 28 is the feed
plate with slot 29 for the purpose mentioned, the plate being operated by a pawl
pivoted to a slide 30 that is moved in one direction by a lever 31 and cam 32, and in
the other direction by a spring 34 in a manner well understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion 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 hereinabove described looper having the
two oppositely arranged hooks 5 and 6, adapted to engage (when the said looper is
oscillated or reciprocated as set forth) alternately with loops formed by the needle in
the manner and for the purpose specified.
2. In a button-hole sewing machine constructed with suitable mechanism for
imparting to a needle both an endwise movement and a swinging or side to side
movement (for sewing with a single thread) the combination of (a) a looper having
two oppositely arranged hooks, (b) mechanism for oscillating or reciprocating the said
looper for the purpose of causing each of its hooks alternately to engage with a loop
of thread from the needle and to draw up a previously disengaged loop, and (c)
mechanism for imparting to the said looper the movement necessary for causing
each of its hooks, when it has engaged a loop of thread to move that loop into a
position in which it will be entered by the needle when the needle descends, and

page_text: subsequently causing the said hook to move out of the path of the needle, which will
then disengage the loop from the hook and will form a fresh loop that will be similarly
engaged by and moved by the other hook, and so on alternately.
3. My improved button-hole sewing machine comprising a needle, means for
imparting to it a reciprocating and swinging movement, a looper 4 with oppositely
arranged hooks, 5, 6, and the mechanism for operating the said looper, substantially
as herein described with reference to the drawings annexed.
Dated this 4th day of September 1890.
ARTHUR HELWIG
W. Lloyd Wise,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Applicant's Agent.