IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES FOR ORDINARY AND BUTTON-HOLE STITCHING."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Denne, of Holmesdale Lodge, Red Hill,
in the County of Surrey, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES FOR ORDINARY AND BUTTON-HOLE STITCHING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Denne at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th June 1881.
THOMAS JAMES DENNE, of Holmesdale Lodge, Red Hill, in the County of
Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES FOR ORDINARY AND BUTTON
HOLE STITCHING."
To tho
The object of this Invention is improvements in sowing machines for ordinary
and button hole stitching, and consists in the arrangement of the various parts of
the machine. By means of a top shaft having the shuttle cam fixed to one end of
it, which cam works a vibrating lever which gives a rocking motion to a lower
shaft by means of a short lever fixed to one end of it and connected to the
vibrating lever by means of a plunger fitted into the lower end of the vibrating
lever free to move up and down in it. The other end of the plunger is connected
to the short lever by a stud fixed in the lever; this works in the end of the plunger
and allows for the varying distances from the centre as they vibrate.
other end of the rocking shaft is fixed another lever to give motion to the shuttle
by means of a link connecting the lever to the shuttle carrier. Fixed to the same
end of the top shaft as the shuttle cam is a fly wheel with a groove in it, so that
it can be worked as a treadle machine; or by an arrangement of toothed wheels,
handle, and fly wheel, it can be used as a hand machine. The other end of the top
shaft has a cam shaped disc fitted to it, and in the disc is a pin carrying a roller
to give motion to the needle slide. There are also two levers fixed to the upper
part of the frame of the machine, which are actuated, one by means of a projection
at the back of the disc, the other by the edge of the disc, the motions of these
levers are communicated to the pressure foot. To adapt my machine to making
button holes I fix a pinion on the main shaft of the machine, said pinion gearing
into a wheel of double its size. The larger wheel has a cam on its face to give a
vibrating motion to a lever by means of a roller fixed to one end of the lever; the
other end of the lever is connected to a rod having a compensating spring fitted to
it. The other end of this rod is connected to a second vibrating lover, one end of
which has a roller fixed to it which works in the button holo cam. This cam has
a slot or recess in its face. The other end of the second lever is connected to a
vibratory pressure foot or slide, the other end by a cam, by which the movement
of the pressure foot is regulated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas James Denne in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd December 1881.
THOMAS JAMES DENNE, of Holmesdale Lodge, Red Hill, in the County of
Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES FOR ORDINARY AND BUTTON
HOLE STITCHING."
The object of this Invention is,--
First. Novel mechanism for operating the shuttle of a sewing machine.
Secondly: A new pressure foot and feed appliances taking motion from the top
shaft.
Thirdly. A certain combination and arrangement of appliances to be fitted to
and worked by the ordinary sewing machine to enable button holes to be made or
worked thereon.
The Invention is clearly shown in the annexed Drawings. Figure 1 is a side
clevation, and Figure 2 a view from the front. A is the head, and B the main
arin.
The shuttle cam C is fixed on one end of the 'shaft D, and operates a lever E
which vibrates on the centre or pivot pin F, and gives a rocking motion to the
shaft G through the short lever I fixed to one end of it, the short lever being
connected to a link I serving as a kind of plunger within a sleeve J of the lever E,
so that it may rise and fall therein while the lower end of the vibrating lever E
moves to and fro, which movement causes the shuttle carrier K to travel across the
path of the needle L by the lever M and link N. The front end of the shaft D
carries a cam shaped disc P which gives motion to the needle slide Q, this having
a roller riding in it for producing the up and down action of the needle L. The
disc P has also an edgo cam R, seen in the detail view, Figure 3, for acting against
an adjustable screw S on a bar S¹ for moving the presser foot and bar T to and
fro upon the pivot pin U. The same cam has a lug V near its boss, which in its
rotation comes into contact with and lifts the bar W to relieve the presser foot
from the work for the feed.
Thus far the machine is for ordinary sewing, but to adapt it to button hole or
overhand stitching the shaft D carries a pinion a in the back head ✗ which gears
into a toothed wheel b supported by the bracket c therefrom, as seen in Figures 4
and 5. This wheel b is formed with two cam races, one d on the face for causing
one end of the lever e to move to and fro to operate two eccentrically fitted pauls f.f,
to give an intermittent rotary motion to the drum g, and the other to give a
vibratory motion transversely to the lever i, by which a ring cam wheel j can bo
caused to move to and fro along the shaft k, on which it is fitted loosely, but keyed
to travel round with it intermittently under the action of the druin g, on whose
shaft the ring cam is mounted. The ring j is arranged with a right and a left
hand step, as seen at the detached view, Figure 6, to drive the fork m of the
lever more to the right or to the left at each half revolution of it, and thereby
operate a plate p, the distance of travel of which transversely is adjustable by the
link q and set key r to determine the length of stitch at the two sides of a slit in
a fabric where the button hole has to be made. The plate 2 works in V grooves
of the under frame a, and it carries a surface plate t which moves transversely with
it. The surface plate has also a longitudinal movement as hereinafter described;
it carries a strap u, on the front end of which the fabric is laid and pinched down
into a hollow of it by a serrated faced plate v to hold the fabric firmly while the
button hole is being made; this serrated faced plate is fastened at its back end to
a projection w, and the degree of pinch upon the fabric is controlled by a tumbler ×
when thrown over in the direction of the arrow (Figure 4).

page_text: On the intermittently moving shaft ka cam disc y is fitted whose cam acts upon
the lever pivotted at 2 to move the surface plate t to the rear during one half
revolution, and to the front during the next half revolution. The lever is linked
at its lower end, and according to the set of an adjustable catch pin 3 in it in con-
junction with a link 4 fitted to the surface plate t, so would the distance of travel
of the surface plate be regulated, and consequently the length of sewing of the
button hole be fixed.
The shaft is provided with handles 5, 5, to enable the strap u and the serrated
faced plate v to be set backward at any time for starting the work from either
end of the button hole.
The stepped portion of the ring only comes into operation when tho stitching of
each side of a button hole is completed, and then its increased width causes tho
fork m and consequently the plate t to travel to and fro transversely across the end
to form the bar. In practice the step is set by turning the handles 5 for com-
mencing to work to form the "back bar," the needle going through the fabric to
make it; and so soon as that is done, the lever z having remained stationary for
the time, the cam y causes the surface plate to commence its forward travel to
enable one side of the button hole to be stitched, and on this being done tho
ring j, which has now completed its half revolution, causes the "front bar" to be
made in a similar manner as the "back bar" had been made, and then the surface
plate is caused by its cam y and lever 4 to reverse its travel for the other side of
the button hole to be stitched.
It will be understood that to adapt my button hole making apparatus it is
essential for the ordinary presser foot and feed to be removed to permit the strap
and serrated faced plato to be fitted over the needle hole in the work plate w; and
to convert an ordinary sewing machine for button holo inaking it is necessary that
a pinion be permanently fitted on the top shaft to gear into the toothed
wheel b when the button hole making apparatus is affixed to the frame of the
machine.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—-
First. The arrangement of appliances marked C, E, G, H, I, J, K, M, N,
Figures 1 and 2, fitted to a sewing machine for working the shuttle thereof as
described.
Secondly. I claim the pressure and feed foot mechanism shown at Figures 1, 2,
and 3, also its method of action in sewing machines from the top shaft, as
described.
Thirdly. The combination of parts forming an apparatus, also the method of
action of same for making button holes on an ordinary sewing machine, as described
and as shown in the annexed Drawings, Figures 4, 5, and G.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas James Denne, havo hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twenty third day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent,
160, Fleet Street,
London.
T. J. DENNE. (L.S.)