Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1887
Complete Left, 21st Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th Apr., 1888
[Communicated from abroad by NATIONAL MACHINE COMPANY (Incorporated), of
Troy, in the State of New York, United States of America.]
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a novel arrangement of mechanism which may be adapted
to sewing machines, and preferably those having a horizontal cam shaft above the
table, for the purpose of sewing eyelet holes, or of sewing on buttons, at the option of
the attendant.
For this purpose, a bridge piece is formed with screwed adjusting legs to support
the mechanism which carries the work and feeds it under the, reciprocating vertical
needle. This bridge piece, when its height is properly adjusted, is made fast to the
table of the machine by clamping screws. The work is carried and presented to
the vertical needle by a sliding plate which works in guides on the inner face of the
bridge piece, and to its forward end is attached, at the option of the attendant, either
the parts for giving rotary motion to the work, when an eyelet hole is to be sewn
round, or for holding, say, a two holed button and the fabric to which it is to be
sewn, and presenting those holes alternately to the point of the reciprocating needle.
The sliding plate is operated, in the case of a machine having a horizontal cam shaft
above the table, by a vertical rock lever fulcrummed on the bridge piece and
connected adjustably with the sliding work plate. Its upper end carries a swivel
guide which works in a grooved cam, and through the rotation of the cam a recipro-
cating motion is imparted to the vertical rock lever. This is the only movement
requisite for bringing the two hole button to be sewn onto a garment under the
action of the needle. The button and the fabric are held firmly in the well known
and approved manner, so that the holder, when reciprocated, may present the holes in
the button alternately to the needle.

page_text: For adapting the sliding plate movement to the sewing of eyelets, the button and
cloth holder are detached from the sliding plate, and in place thereof, eyelet sewing
mechanism is attached to the plate, and a suitably shaped presser foot is fitted to the
presser bar.
The eyelet mechanism consists of a work plate fitted with an annular gripping
piece slightly coned, and roughed on its conical surface. This gripping piece carries
ratchet teeth on its edge, and it fits loosely into a seat formed for it in the work plate.
Underlying this plate is a plate which carries a pointed stud pin, which stands up in
the centre of the annular gripping piece, and serves to pierce the work that is to be
sewn. This stud pin is grooved longitudinally on one side to allow of the vertical
needle passing down through it to present its loop to the shuttle below. The work to
be sewn is laid over the work plate, its position being determined by placing the spot
on which the eyelet is to be formed over the stud pin. The presser foot is then
brought down to secure the work firmly in position. This presser foot is fitted loosely
with a conical ring, the coned surface of which is roughened, and corresponds with
the conical gripping surface of the work plate. When the presser foot is in place, the
operation of sewing the eyelet may be commenced. The needle then passes down
through the slot in the stud pin, presents its loop to the shuttle, and its loop being
caught by the shuttle thread, it rises clear of the work. The sliding plate is then
moved forward ready for the next descent of the needle. The needle in passing
again through the fabric, lays its thread upon the face thereof, to produce what is
known in button hole stitching as the "bite"; it then rises, and before the next
descent, it is necessary to turn the work slightly on its stud pin. This is effected by
the following means:- have said that the annular gripping surface carries on its
periphery a ring of ratchet teeth. Into these teeth takes a spring driving pawl
carried by a sliding bar working in guides in the sliding work plate, while a retaining
catch is provided on the work plate for preventing any back motion of the annular
gripping surface. The rear end of this bar is pivotted to one end of a slotted lever,
which has its fulcrum on the underside of the bridge piece, and the other end of this
rock lever is connected by a link to a stud carried by a rigid arm projecting from the
rear end of the sliding plate. As, therefore, the sliding plate moves forward to shift
the work under the needle, the driving pawl will, by reason of its connection with
that plate, be drawn back, and as the sliding plate returns, the pawl will be forced
forward, and caused to impart an axial motion to the annular gripping surface, thus
moving the work one step around the central stud pin. The needle will then, as the
operation of the machine proceeds, lay a radial stitch on the work, and thus, by
series of reciprocations of the sliding work plate, the whole circumference of the
eyelet hole will be presented to the action of the needle.
a
When the eyeletting of the work is completed, the bridge piece, together with its
fittings, may be detached from the table of the machine, and the ordinary sewing
operation, which was presumedly suspended for one or other of the two operations
above described, may be proceeded with as before.
13
1007

page_text: 1, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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 relates to a novel arrangement of mechanism which may be adapted
to sewing machines, and preferably those machines having a horizontal cam-shaft
above the table, for the purpose of stitching eyelet holes, or of sewing on buttons, at
the option of the attendant.
Fig. 1 of the drawings is a side elevation of the upper part of a lockstitch sewing
machine, having a horizontal cam-shaft above the table, and provided with an eyelet
stitching attachment.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the improved attachment for stitching eyelet
holes, the presser bar and vertical rock lever being cut off.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in vertical section, of a portion of the sewing
machine and eyelet stitching attachment.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of same, the section being taken on a plane right-angular
to the sectional plane in Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of a button sewing attachment detached.
Fig. 6 is a plan view of the parts shewn in Fig. 2, except that the button stitching
attachment for holding the buttons has been substituted for the detachable portion of
the eyelet stitching attachment.
Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the parts shewn in Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the work-clamp carrier detached.
Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the parts shewn in Figs. 2 and 6, with the eyelet
stitching and button sewing parts, which are detachable and interchangeable, detached,
and the adjusting screw not shown.
A is the bed plate or table of the sewing machine; A' a bracket arm projecting
upward from the bed plate to support the horizontal shaft A' which shaft is provided
with a band wheel A³, and carries a switch cam A'. The projecting end of the
bracket arın is provided with suitable guides for the vertically reciprocatory needle-
bar As, and presser foot bar A'.
The vertical rock lever A' fulcrummed intermediately of its two ends, at A³, upon
the post A, projecting upward from the base plate B² of the attachment, is connected,

page_text: 1
at its upper end, through a pivotted switch piece, which it carries, with the switch
cam A, to be vibrated thereby. At its lower end, this rock lever A', is connected to
the carrier B by a pivot passing through the perforated lug B', whereby vibratory
longitudinal movements are imparted to the carrier by the switch cam.
The parts beneath the bed plate are not shewn, as they may be the parts of any
well-known lockstitch sewing machine.
The plate B2 is secured the bed-plate by clamps or screws, or in any well known
manner, and is provided with carrier guides B³, and with a fulcrum B', for the
lever B6, one end of which is pivotted thereon, the other end of said lever being
connected by link B with the lever B', at one end, the other end of the latter lever
being pivotted, when it is desired to stitch eyelets, to a ratchet actuating pawl-
carrier. The lever B7 is slotted, and provided with a fulcrum adjustable longitudinally
f the lever in said slot by means of an adjusting screw B, rotary in a bearing B₁₂
fixed upon the plate B2; the adjustable fulcrum being tapped, to receive the threaded
portion of the adjusting screw.
The work-supporting plate C, is supported on two sides by the guides C', one on
each side, which may be an extension of plato B2, or separate parts secured to the bed
plate on opposite sides of the needle hole.
I have indicated a position of these guides by dotted lines in Fig. 6. The plate C
is reciprocatory in said guides, and supports the feed ring D, having a ratchet toothed
rim D', provided with projecting teeth or points D³, on its inner periphery,
to engage
with eyelet-hole work.
The feed ring is held in place by the annular guide D³, forming part of, or secured
to the carrier bar D-D is a circular cap covering the feed wheel, and secured to
the carrier bar De, by the screws D³.
It is manifest, therefore, that when the carrier bar D, is secured to the carrier B,
as shown in Fig. 2, it will partake of the reciprocatory movements of the latter, an
and
that a to and fro movement will be given to the feed ring D, and to the work secured
thereon, to form the over-edge stitches in stitching eyelet holes.
The feed ring is turned a step at each movement of the feed ring carrier D6, in one
direction only, to space the over-edge stitches, by means of a driving pawl D7,
engaging with the ratchet rim of the feed ring, and pivotted to the pawl carrier D³,
which is pivotted upon one end of the lever B', and adapted to slide upon the
supporting pins D, passing through the slots Do therein, and fixed to the carrier
bar D. The lever B is pivotted intermediately of its two ends, as at B¹², upon the
carrier B.
His a ring-like presser, carrying a loose serrated ring of steel, and fitting into the
feed ring D, and mounted, to be vibrated, on a pivot stem on the presser-bar A, by
and with the reciprocating feed ring, to keep the fabric F in engagement with the
feed ring.
By mounting the plate C in suitable guides, and securing it to the feed ring and
carrier bar, to slide therewith, I avoid all frictional rubbing of the fabric upon the
cloth-plate, such as would take place if the plate remained stationary, as in an
ordinary sewing machine.
To provide for the movements of the needle E, through the plate C, 1 make in the
plate C, an oblong aperture E', through which the needle reciprocates, the longi-
tudinal axis of the slot being in line with the sliding movements of the plate and feed
ring which produced the over-edge stitches.
To provide means for conveniently and accurately centreing the eyelet hole work
on the feed ring D, I firmly secure to the reciprocating plate C, a round pin or
stud C², corresponding in size to the eyelet hole to be worked, and concentric with
the feed ring. This stud has, in the side next to the needle hole E, a vertical recess,
which is virtually an extension of the needle hole, its object being to allow of the
needle passing down near the centre of the eyelet hole, to present its loop to the shuttle
carrying the locking thread.
The further to prevent lateral displacement of the work on the feed ring, and to

page_text: facilitate the turning of the work, the annular presser, with its loose serrated ring, is
provided.
On placing the fabric with its eyelet hole upon the centreing pin C², and dropping
the raised presser bar A°, so as to engage the presser with the feed ring, and press
the inner part of the fabric against the plate C, the work will be firmly held, without
any tendency to displacement, while the feed ring reciprocates the fabric inter-
mittently, and rotates the same step by step in the stitching operation.
The presser bar A is cylindrical, and works through corresponding sockets in the
bracket arm A¹ of the sewing machine, and is prevented from turning in its sockets
by a collar a, fastened to the presser har by a set screw a', and having in its opposite
sides slots, in which fit the forked end of a downwardly pressing spring a², fastened
to the bracket arm of the sewing machine, so that upon loosening the set screw, the
presser bar can be turned and adjusted concentrically about its axis
In fastening the eyelet hole attachment upon the sewing machine, it may be found
difficult to set the attachment so that the centre of the feed ring shall coincide with
the centre of the circular ring-like foot of the presser H, carried by the presser bar;
and the adjustment of the feed ring by its carrier and actuating devices to properly
present and feed eyelet holes of greatly different diameters to the needle of the
sewing machine, places the food ring with its centre at different distances from the
axial line of the cylindrical presser bar.
I therefore mount the ring-like presser H upon a pivot stem H', Fig. 3, which I
secure to the cylindrical presser bar A°, with the pivot-stem somewhat excentric to
the presser bar, as indicated in Fig. 3, so that by the use of the set screw a', the
presser bar A, with the excentric pivot-stem H of the vibrative presser, can be
turned and set so as to thereby adjust the presser H with the centre of its circular
foot at different distances from the presser bar, and thus easily adjust the vibrative
ring-like presser to fit properly in the reciprocating feed ring.
By removing the carrier bar Do, plate C, and connecting parts from the carrier B,
which can be done by withdrawing the screws D", and the screw pivot D¹³, and
substituting therefor the mechanism shown in Fig. 5, and replacing the ordinary
throat plate, I am able to produce a machine for sewing on buttons, at the same time
utilising many of the parts essential to an eyelet stitching machine, such as that above
described.
The parts will then occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 6, the guides for the
circular cloth plate being shown by dotted lines.
I will now proceed to describe in detail the mechanism and its functions consti-
tuting the detachable parts used in sewing on buttons.
E designates the needle, of the kind ordinarily used in sewing machines, secure { to
a bar As, which is adapted to have a vertical reciprocatory movement.
K designates a ring-plate or work-plate, which supports the article to which the
buttons are to be sewn.
This ring plate is secured to the carrier bar K¹, or to a device in any sewing
machine which is operated by any suitable mechanism, so as to impart to the work plate
a longitudinal reciprocatory movement sufficient to carry the openings in a button
for the passage of the threads, alternately opposite to the needle, the ring plate being
shifted in this manner each time that the needle rises.
This ring-plate has. in it a hole b, of suitable size to accommodate a button.
K2 designates a holder for retaining the button in place. It has, extending through
it, an opening b¹ of a size suitable for the reception of the buttons to be sewn on
articles. It is connected to a shank K³, which is pivotted to a support b², erected
upon the carrier bar K¹.
G designates a post extending upward from the carrier bar, and passing through
the shank Ks of the holder K². A spring K surrounding this pose, and bearing
against the shank of the holder, impels it upward.
To the outer end of the post is pivotted à cam lever I. By manipulating this cam
lever, the holder may be depressed into a position adjacent to the ring-plate, to clamp

page_text: an article on which buttons are to be sewn between it and the ring plate, and to hold
the article with a yielding pressure.
It therefore constitutes a cloth-presser. By shifting this cam lever reversely, it
will release the shank K³, and the spring will raise it and the holder.
The holder K2 has a connection with its shank, which is sufficiently loose to enable
the holder to adapt itself to the article which it clamps, independently of the angle of
the shank. As shown, the connection between the holder and its shank consists of
screws d, which pass through holes of considerably larger diameter in the shank, and
enter the holder sufficiently far to connect the shank to the holder, without clamping
it thereto.
The buttons do not fit snugly in the opening of the holder, but bearings are
employed to impinge upon the button, and retain it in position. These bearings may
be of any form suitable to enable them to overlap the button.
They may have vertical sides and overlapping lips. In such cases, the sides will
regulate the position of the button by acting on its edges, and the lips will hold it in
place down on the article to which it is to be sewn.
Preferably, however, these bearings will have inclined converging faces, as shown.
In this example of the improvement, I have shown two of these bearings J, J¹.
The bearing J has a slotted shank which bears on the top of the holder, and is
secured to the holder by a screw e, passing through the slot of the shank, and
clamping the bearing to the holder.
This connection provides for adjusting the bearing into, and securing it in different
positions.
The other bearing J is affixed to a lever J, which at one end is pivotted to the top
of the holder, and at the other end extends beyond the holder to form a handle by
which it may be manipulated.
K designates a spring, extending from the lever J³, to the shank of the holder,
and serving to retain the bearing Jin proper position to act in conjunction with the
bearing J, in order to retain the button in place after its insertion in the opening
of the holder. It will he observed that the two bearings also serve to centre the
button within the holder after it is inserted in the opening thereof.
While a spring is desirable for retaining the lever in its normal position, because it
will, whenever the lever is released, bring the bearing J¹ back to its normal position,
yet the lever may be returned to its norinal position by hand, and fastened by a catch
of any desired kind.
The article to which the button is to be sewn is laid on the ring-plate in such
position that the portion to which the button is to be secured is about opposite the
- centre of the hole of the work-plate.
Then the holder is depressed by means of the cam lever I. Just before the holder
reaches the article, the latter may be adjusted, if not previously, in the proper
position.
Its position with relation to the opening of the holder may be seen from above the
holder, through its said opening, and this fact is of great advantage, as it aids
materially in the proper adjustment of the article.
When the article is adjusted, the holder is impelled downward upon it, so as to
clamp and secure it in place.
The lever J2, is now manipulated so as to draw the bearing J¹ outward. Then
the button is inserted with its openings in proper position for the needle to
pass through them.
When it is in place, the lever J is released, and the bearing J¹
is drawn inward. The button is then centred, and held in place by the two bearings.
The ring-plate and holder, with the button and the article to which it is to be sewn,
are then reciprocated transversely to the throw of the needle, but in unison therewith,
and the sewing is done by stitching alternately through the different openings of the
button.
When the sewing is completed, the thread is cut or broken, the cam lever I is
• manipulated to release the holder, and the holder thereupon rises above the button,
and becomes disengaged therefrom.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The application to sewing machines of an eyelet sewing attachment, constructed
and operating in the manner above described.
2. The application to sewing machines, of a button sewing attachment, constructed
and operating in the manner above described.
3. The application to the reciprocating sliding plate B (at the option of the
attendant), of the parts for giving rotary motion to the work when an eyelet hole is
to be sewn round, or of the parts shewn at Fig. 5, for holding, say, a two-holed
button and the fabric to which it is to be sewn, and presenting those holes alternately
to the point of the reciprocating needle of the sewing machine.
Dated this 21st day of March 18ee