AN IMPROVED BUTTON- HOLE SEWING MACHINE, WHICH MACHINE MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED FOR OTHER SEWING PURPOSES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Simmons, of Webber Street, Blackfriars Road,
in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED BUTTON-
HOLE SEWING MACHINE, WHICH MACHINE MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED FOR OTHER
SEWING PURPOSES."
Sealed the 23rd August 1878, and dated the 8th June 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Simmons at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th June 1878.
FREDERICK SIMMONS, of Webber Street, Blackfriars Road, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer. "AN IMPROVED BUTTON-HOLE SEWING MACHINE, WHICH MACHINE
MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED FOR OTHER SEWING PURPOSES."
The machine that constitutes the present Invention has for its object the more
effective sewing of button holes. The machine is entirely automatic in its action,
the work being placed in the machine, and the button hole completely finished
without any extra manipulation of the machine beyond turning the hand wheel
or treadle.
The improvements which constitute this Invention may be applied to different
kinds of ordinary sewing machines, and consist, ―
Firstly. Of a traversing and travelling compound presser foot clamp, which
receives three distinct motions, one motion being a traversing motion lengthwise
of the machine; by this motion the stitch is formed.
The second motion is similar, except that the traverse is about twice as great
as in the first motion; this second motion forms the bar of the button hole.
The third motion is across the machine at right angles to the first two motions
and constitutes the feed, which may be regulated to form any length of button hole.
The compound presser foot clamp is mounted on slides, to which are com-
inunicated horizontal motions which gives the stitch and feed. This compound
presser foot is composed of two parts, one part being capable of being raised and
lowered by means of a lever, so as to admit of the work being placed in the clamp.
Price 621

page_text: The uper part of this clamp has a swivelled slotted cup attached to it, so as to
admit of the clamp adjusting itself to any kind of work.
The working parts of the machine which communicate the requisite motions
to the presser foot clamp are attached to three shafts at right angles to the back
of the inachine, one shaft being the driving shaft, the second being a cam shaft, and
the third being a rocking shaft.
A pinion on the driving shaft gears into a cam wheel mounted loosely on a cam
shaft. A lever furnished with a stud or pin takes into the groove on the face of the
cam wheel, and imparts to the third or rocking shaft the rocking motion from
whence the shaft derives its name. Attached to the rocking shaft in such a way
that it can receive an endway, and at the same time a rocking motion is a grooved
cam faced tappet. This tappet imparts through the medium of an adjustable tongue
an endway reciprocating motion to a sliding bar, which is secured to one of the
slides of the presser foot clamp, and thus forms the stitch or bar (as the case may
be) of the button hole. This reciprocating sliding bar is controlled or limited in
its action by a saddle piece, which bestrides the back part of the tappet cam, and
so prevents the bar from being pushed or jerked too far in either direction. This
result may also be obtained by means of screws or any other equivalent device.
A feed wheel forming a box, and containing within itself the requisite clutch,
clip, or stop (which imparts the rotary motion to the feed wheel), is keyed or
otherwise suitably fixed on to the cam shaft.
A cam on the driving shaft gives through a connecting arm the requisite amount
A screw,
of motion to the clutch, clip, or stop contained within the box feed wheel.
lock nut and spring are attached to the connecting arm for the purpose of regu-
lating the length of the feed.
A cam on the cam shaft imparts through the medium of a rocking lever the end-
way motion to the tappet cam on the rocking shaft, and so regulates the throw of
the reciprocating sliding bar, which is attached to the slide of the presser foot which
gives the stitch or barring motion.
Another cam, the groove in which forms a regular right and left handed screw
is also keyed on the cam shaft. A short arm furnished with a pin or stud takes
into the groove in the screw cam, and gives a rocking motion to a bar, to the other
end of which is attached another short arm, which is slotted and furnished with
a thumbscrew, nut, and runner. This runner is placed between two guides on the
other slide of the presser foot, the runner being made adjustable by means of the
nut, so that a button hole of any desired length may be made.
An indicating arm is keyed or fixed on to the cam shaft for the purpose of
indicating the exact position of the presser foot with regard to the button hole.
This indicating arm is also used for the purpose of setting the machine in any
desired position.
If found convenient a regular screw either right or left handed may be employed
instead of the screw cam, and a suitable arrangement of mitre or spur wheels and
clutch box adapted to it for the purpose of reversing the motion of the screw with
a view to obtain the longitudinal motion down both sides of the button hole.
A crank arm or disc with a connecting lever or levers in combination with the
spur wheels and clutch box may be employed in place of the regular screw or screw
cam above mentioned.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick Simmons in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
August 1878.
FREDERICK SIMMONS, of Webber Street, Blackfriars Road, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer. "AN IMPROVED BUTTON-HOLE SEWING MACHINE, WHICH MACHINE
MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED FOR OTHER SEWING PURPOSES."
The machine that constitutes the present Invention has for its object the more
effective sewing of button holes. The machine is entirely automatic in its action,
the work being placed in the machine, and the button hole completely finished
without any extra manipulation of the machine beyond turning the hand wheel
or treadle.
The improvements which constitute this Invention may be applied to different
kinds of ordinary sewing machines, and consist,-
Firstly. Of a traversing and travelling presser foot clamp, which receives three
distinct motions, one motion being a traversing motion lengthwise of the machine,
and at right angles to the button hole; by aid of this motion the stitch is formed.
The second motion is similar, except that the traverse is about twice as great
as that of the first motion; this second motion enables the bar of the button hole
to be formed.
The third motion is across the machine at right angles to the first two motions,
and constitutes the feed lengthwise of the button hole; this motion may be regu-
lated so as to suit any length of button hole.
In the accompanying Drawings Figures 1, 1ª, 1b, 2, 2ª, 2b, 3, 3ª, 3b, 5, 5ª, 5b, and
7 are various views of the details of the machine.
Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the machine with the hand wheel removed; Fig. 6
is a plan of the same; and Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the improved machine.
The same letters of reference correspond to similar parts in the different views.
A, A¹, is the compound presser foot clamp, which is mounted on slides B and C
(Figures 1, 4, 6, and 8), to which are communicated horizontal motions which give
the stitch and feed. This compound presser foot clamp is composed of two parts
A and A¹, one part A being capable of being raised and lowered by means of a
lever b (Figures 1, 1, and 4), so as to admit of the work being placed between the
two parts A and A¹ of the presser foot clamp. The upper portion A of this clamp
has a swivelled slotted cup c, (Figures 1, 4, and 6) attached to it, so as to admit of
the clamp A, A¹, adjusting itself to any kind of work.
The working parts of the machine which communicate the requisite motion to
the presser foot clamp are attached to three shafts D, E, and F (Figures 2, 3, and 4,
6, and 8), at right angles to the back of the machine. Of these three shafts one
shaft F is the driving shaft, the second shaft D is a cam shaft, and the third shaft E
is a rocking shaft.
A pinion G (Fig. 8, and shewn by dots in Fig. 4) on the driving shaft F gears
into a cam wheel H (Figures 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8), mounted loosely on the cam shaft D.
A lever I, Figures 3, 4, 6, and 8, furnished with a stud pin takes into the groove J
(Fig. 7) on the face of the cam wheel H, and imparts to the third or rocking shaft E
the rocking motion from whence the shaft derives its name. Attached to the
rocking shaft Ę in such a way that it can receive an endway and at the same time
a rocking motion is a grooved cam-faced tappet K (Figures 3, 4, and 6). This
tappet imparts, through the medium of an adjustable tongue L (Figures 4, 6, and 8),
an endway reciprocating motion to a sliding bar M (Figures 4 and 6), which is
secured to the slide C of the presser foot-clamp A, and thus forms the bar or stitch
(as the case may be) of the bottom hole. This reciprocating sliding bar M is
controlled or limited in its action by a saddle piece N (Figures 4, 6, and 8,) which
bestrides the back part of the tappet cam K, and so prevents the bar from being
pushed or jerked too far in either direction. This result may also be obtained by
means of adjusting screws or any other equivalent device.

page_text: A feed wheel O (Figures 2, 6, and 8), which forms a box, and contains within
itself the requisite clutch, clip, or stop g (Fig. 2) (which imparts the rotary motion
to the feed wheel) is keyed or otherwise suitably fixed to the cam shaft D.
A cam P, Fig. 8, on the driving shaft F gives through a connecting arm Q
(Figures 6 and 8) the requisite amount of motion to the clutch, clip, or stop g,
contained within the box feed wheel O. A screw lock nut & (Fig. 6) and spring
are attached to the connecting arm Q for the purpose of regulating the length of
the feed.
A cam R (Figures 2, 4, and 6,) on the cam shaft D imparts through the medium
of a rocking lever S (Figures 6 and 8) the endway motion to the tappet cam K on
the rocking shaft E, and so regulates the throw of the reciprocating sliding bar M,
which is attached to the slide C of the presser foot A, which gives the stitch or
barring motion.
Another cam or endless screw T (Figs. 2 and 6), the groove in which forms a
regular right and left handed screw, is also keyed on the cam shaft D. A short
arm U (Figures 4, 5, 6), furnished with a pin or stud takes into the groove in the
screw cam T and gives a rocking motion to a bar V (Figures 5, 6, and 8), at the
other end of which is another short arm W (Figures 4, 5, 6, and 8), which is slotted
and furnished with a thumbscrew d (Figures 4 and 5), and nut and runner e
(Fig. 5). This runner is placed between two guides f, f, (Figures 1, 4, and 6) on
the slide B of the presser foot A, the runner being made adjustable by means of
the nut, so that a button hole of any desired length may be made.
An indicating arm and handle X (Figures 2, 6, and 8) is keyed or fixed to the
cam shaft D for the purpose of indicating the exact position of the presser foot with
regard to the button hole. This indicating arm X is also used for the purpose of
setting the machine in any desired position.
Having now set forth the nature of my said Invention of "An Improved Button-
hole Sewing Machine, which Machine may also be Employed for other Sewing
Purposes," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish
it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First. The use of the compound traversing and travelling presser foot clamp, as
and for the purpose herein set forth.
Second. The use of the cam-faced tappet K and the tongue L for the purpose of
giving the stitch motion and the barring motion, substantially as set forth and
described.
Third. The combination with the cam-faced tappet K and tongue L of the saddle
piece N, as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Fourth. The use of the screw cam T, as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Fifth. The use of the box feed wheel O, and the combination therewith of the
screw cam T, as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Sixth. The use of the rocking shaft V with its arms U and W in combination
with screw cam T and guides.F, F, as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Seventh. The construction, arrangement, and combination of parts constituting
a machine for sewing button holes, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Simmons, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the 23rd day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
FRED. SIMMONS. (L.S.)