Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Sewing-on of Buttons.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Sewing-on of Buttons.
We, ROBERT CROOK, of 4, Cheetham Street, Newton Heath, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Clothier, and JOHN CLEGG, of 59, Torkington Street,
Edgley, Stockport, in the County of Chester, Mechanic, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This improved apparatus consists of an attachment to sewing machines for
facilitating the sewing of buttons onto garments. The apparatus is adapted for
"four-hole" buttons and is
sewing-on buttons of the description known as
applicable to any kind of sewing machine provided with an oscillating needle
bar, and a slotted work plate.
For the purposes of our invention we make in the work plate of the machine
(say about half an inch in front of the needle slot) a round hole of a somewhat
smaller diameter than the button to be sewn on, and we attach below the said
plate a small lever, one end of which is provided with a disc or plate of such a
size as to fill the said hole when that end of the lever is raised up. The upper
side or face of this disc is provided with four short pins or prongs which corre-
spond with the four holes of the button and are for the purpose of ensuring the
exact position of the latter so that when the button is pushed forward under-
neath the needle bar the holes shall be immediately below the point of the
needle. The lever to which the pronged disc is attached may be raised by a small
pedal and allowed to fall by its own weight.
The "presser-foot" is made with two parallel arms extending towards the
operator one on each side of the round hole above named and forming a guide
for the button holder to slide in.
The button holder consists of a short slide provided with a handle and having
its sides grooved to slide between the two parallel arms of the "presser-foot
and on each side of this holder is a spring which takes into one of two notches
made in upper surface of each of the parallel arms above mentioned. The trans-
verse face of the slide is made with a fork or notch fitted to receive and hold
the two opposite edges of the button.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The presser foot being down on the work plate and the button holder removed,
the pronged disc is raised by the pedal so as to fill the round hole in the work
plate, and the button is placed with its four holes on the four prongs or pegs which
project above the plate.
The button holder is then taken by the handle and pushed forward between
the two parallel arms until the fork or notch on the transverse face thereof has
taken a firm hold of the edges of the button. The disc is then allowed to fall
The button
so as to withdraw the four prongs from the holes of the button.
holder is then pushed forward until the springs fall into the first pair of notches
on the arms of the "presser-foot"; the latter is then raised the garment or
cloth adjusted by hand in the required position underneath the button, and the

page_text: 66
presser-foot" and button being lowered into position the sewing machine is
set in action and the oscillating needle will sew through the first pair of holes ;
the machine being preferably provided with a stop motion which "knocks off"
as soon as the needle has made (say) eight stitches. The needle being raised
the button holder is then pushed-forward till the springs fall into the second pair
of notches on the foot and the machine being again set in motion the needle sews
through the second pair of holes and the operation is complete. The button
holder is then withdrawn and the presser foot raised leaving the garment or
cloth with the button securely stitched on.
The fork or notch of the button holder is so formed as to hold the button
slightly raised so that the threads form a kind of shank and prevent it from
being stitched too closely onto the garment.
Dated this 16th day of June 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Sewing-on of Buttons.
We, ROBERT CROOK, of 4, Cheetham Street, Newton Heath, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Clothier, and JOHN CLEGG, of 59, Torkington Street,
Edgley, Stockport, in the County of Chester, Mechanic, 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:--
The improved apparatus consists of an attachment for facilitating the
sewing of buttons onto garments. The apparatus is adapted for sewing-
on buttons of the description known as four-hole
applicable to any kind of sewing machine provided with an oscillating needle
buttons and
bar and a slotted work-plate.
"
"
19
The manner in which our invention is to be performed or carried into practical
effect will be readily understood on reference to the sheet of drawings hereunto
annexed and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 is a partial sectional side elevation of so much of a sewing machine as is
necessary to illustrate the application of our invention thereto, and Fig. 2 is
a front view of the same. Fig. 3 being a plan view, and Figs. 4, 5 and 6 detail
views of the button holder hereinafter more particularly referred to.
of the frame of the machine, b the work-plate, the needle-plate, c the presser-
a being part
bar the presser-foot, and d the needle-bar.
For the purposes of our invention we make in the needle-plate 6* (say about
half an inch in front of the needle slot) a round hole e (Fig. 3) of somewhat
smaller diameter than the button to be sewn on, and we attach below the work-
plate a small lever f one end of which is provided with a disc or plate 9 of such
a size as to fill the said hole when that end of the lever is raised up. The upper
side of this disc g is provided with four short pins or prongs h which correspond
with the four holes of the button, and are for the purpose of ensuring the exact
position of the latter so that when the button is pushed forward underneath the
needle bar d the holes shall be immediately below the point of the needle.
The lever f to which the pronged disc g is attached may be raised by a pedal
and allowed to fall by its own weight.
The presser-foot c* (Fig. 3) is made with two parallel arms extending towards
the operator one on each side of the round hole e and forming a guide for the
button-holder i (Figs. 4, 5, and 6) to slide in.

page_text: The button-holder consists of a short slide i provided with a handle i* and
having its sides grooved (see Fig. 4) to slide between the two parallel arms of the
presser-foot and on one or each side of this holder is a spring / provided
with a pin or peg which takes into one of the two notches made in the upper
surface of one or each of the parallel arms c* above mentioned. The inner face
of the slide i is made with a fork or notch fitted to receive and hold the two
opposite edges of the button m (Fig. 5).
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The presser-foot c being down on the work-plate 6 and the button-holder i
removed, the pronged disc g is raised by the pedal so as to fill the round. hole e
in the needle-plate 6 (see Fig. 1) and the button m is placed with its four
holes on the prongs or pegs h which project above the plate.
The button-holder is then taken by the handle and pushed forward
between the two parallel arms of the presser-foot c* until the fork or notch
on the transverse face thereof has taken a firm hold of the edges of the button m.
The disc g is then allowed to fall so as to withdraw the four prongs h from the
holes of the button m. The button-holder is then pushed forward until the
spring or springs k fall into the first pair of notches * on the arms of the presser-
foot the latter is then raised, the garment or cloth adjusted by hand in the
required position underneath the button m, and the presser-foot and button being
lowered into position, the sewing machine is set in action and the oscillating
needle will sew through the first pair of holes; the machine being preferably
provided with a stop-motion which "knocks off" as soon as the needle has made
(say) eight stitches.
The needle being raised the button-holder is then pushed forwards until the
springs fall into the second pair of notches on the foot c* and the machine
being again set in motion the needle sews through the second pair of holes
and the operation is complete. The button holder is then withdrawn and the
presser-foot c raised leaving the garment or cloth with the button securely
stitched on.
The fork or notch of the button-holder is so formed as to hold the button
slightly raised so that the threads form a kind of shank, and prevent it from being
stitched too closely onto the garment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
The improved apparatus for facilitating the sewing-on of buttons substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
Agents for the Applicants, #4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.