IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SEWING OR WORKING BUTTON-HOLES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Tiot Judkins, of No. 22, Ludgate Street, in
the City of London, Sewing Machine Manufacturer, and William Henry
Gosling, of No. 6, Kenilworth Road, Victoria Park, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR SEWING OR WORKING BUTTON-HOLES."
Sealed the 13th April 1865, and dated the 17th October 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Tiot Judkins and
William Henry Gosling at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 17th October 1864.
We, CHARLES TIOT JUDKINS, of No. 22, Ludgate Street, in the City of
London, Sewing Machine Manufacturer, and WILLIAM HENRY GOSLING, of
No.6, Kenilworth Road, Victoria Park, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINES FOR SEWING OR WORKING BUTTON-HOLES," to be as follows:-
The machine according to our Invention consists of a frame or stand as used
in ordinary sewing machines, with a bed plate or platform having a throat
plate for the passage of the needle, and a horizontal arm above such bed plate
extending nearly the length thereof,and resting at the back end on a pedestal
or stand. The machine is worked by hand or other power applied to the fly
or other wheel fixed cn a horizontal shaft under the bed plate; that shaft
carries a bevelled toothed wheel which gears or works into another bevelled
toothed wheel of larger dimensions fixed on a vertical shaft passing through
the bed plate, and continued up the pedestal. On such vertical shaft there is
and
a cain to give motion to a horizontal lever having its fulcrum on the arm,

page_text: at the end of such lever there is a fork to raise and depress the needle bar or
slide. A spring clamp is attached to that needle bar to hold and fix the needle
carrying the thread before,and during its descent through the material which
is being worked, and also through the throat plate on which the material
rests. The needle in its. descent enters between the jaws of another spring
clamp under the bed plate, and when it becomes fixed therein it is drawn from
the hold of the other spring clamp. Under the bed plate on the vertical shaft
there is a cam to give motion-toa.lever-working on a fulcrum.from.a.standard
fixed to the under side of the platform; such lever has alsoaforked end to raise
and depress another needle bar or slide which is under the platform, so that
when the needle has passedfrom above through the material and throat plate
and entered and become fixed in the jaws of the underspringclanp,itisdrawn
down carrying the thread through the material, the under needle bar then
rises sufficiently to give slack in the thread for the formation of a bow or loop
in the thread,and a hook which is attached to the horizontal shaft, then enters
such loop,andpassing between a spring and a pad, pulls one end of the thread
through from above, leaving the thread between the spring and a pad, so as to
obtain a sufficient tension of the thread. While the hook is pulling the thread
through the needle is stationary or nearly so. The needle afterwards descends
a short distance probably about three-quarters of an inch or an inch more or
less, and the under needle bar receives a slight traverse motion from right to
left by means of a cam attached to the vertical shaft pushing a bent bar
attached to a plate which carries the under needle bar and face plate. Tbis
traverse motion corresponds or acts in unison with a similar motion communi-
cated to the upper needle bar by means of a cam on the vertical shaft acting
on a bar at the back of the arm connected with the plate to which the needle
bar and face plate are attached. The slack thread caused by the rising of the
needle is taken up by means of a reciprocating double hook fixed on a spindle
which carries a pinion actuated by a toothed quadrant lever aud cam on the
vertical shaft, and the thread is thus formed into a loop; the needle is then
raised by a cam motion through the opening of the button-hole and throat
plate, and as the upper end of it is forced and fixed between the jaws of the
upper spring-clamp, the lower end-of-the needle-is-released from the under
spring clamp, and the needle is drawn upwards and then receives a reverse
traverse motion from left to right and the under needle bar also receives a
corresponding one. The needle descends again through the material and
throat plate, and having passed through the loop formed by the reciprocating
double hook enters and is held in the jaws of the under spring clamp which
descendsand pulls the needle from the upper spring clamp throughthe material,

page_text: the needle is then raised, and the thread forms another loop, and the hook
worked by the horizontal shaft enters such loop, and passing between the pad
and spring as before mentioned pulls the thread through from below, and the
reciprocating double hook having released the loop, the needle again descends
and takes up the slack. There is a slight pause of the needle and another
traverse motion for the purposes of the next stitch. The needle is raised, and
the reciprocating double hook having again taken up the slack, a tightener
which is worked by means of a lever and two cams on the vertical shaft
tightens the stitch and draws the purl to the edge of the button-hole, the needle
then rises to its highest point, and having received atransverse motion, descends
again, and is held and drawn by the under clamp, and another loop is formed
and the hookhaving entered and pulled the thread through, the tightener aud
reciprocating doub'e book release the loop formed,and the needle then further
descends and takes up the slack, and while the thread is in a vertical position
the tightener by means of a double motion is brought behind the thread ready
to act in the next stitch. The machine has also the ordinary feed motion for
propelling the material forwards for the purpose of the next stitch..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent. filed
by the said Charles Tiot Judkins and William Henry Gosling in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
TIOT JUDKINS, of No. 22, Ludgate Street, in the City of London, Sewing
Machine Manufacturer, and WILLIAM HENRY GOSLING, of No. 6, Kenilworth
Road, Victoria Park, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us
the said Charles Tiot Judkins, and William Henry Gosling, Her special
licence that we, the said Charles Tiot Judkins, and William Henry Gosling,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Charles Tiot Judkins, and William Henry Gosling, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, froin
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and

page_text: Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SEWING OR
WORKING BUTTON-HOLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Charles Tiot Judkins, and William Henry Gosling, or one of us, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or one of our, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles Tiot Judkins, and William
Henry Gosling, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings, hereunto annexed, that is to say:
The machine according to our Invention consists of a frame or stand as
used in ordinary sewing machines, with a bed plate or platform, having a
throat plate for the passage of the needle, and a horizontal arm above such
bed plate extending nearly the length thereof, and resting at the back end on
a pedestal or stand. The machine is worked by hand or other power applied
to the fly or other wheel fixed on a horizontal shaft under the bed plate; this
shaft carries a bevelled toothed wheel which gears or works into another
bevelled toothed wheel of larger dimensions, fixed on a vertical shaft passing
through the bed plate and continued up the pedestal. On such vertical shaft
there is a cam to give motion to a horizontal lever, having its fulcrum on the
arm, and at the end of such lever there is a fork to raise and depress the
needle bar or slide. A spring clamp is attached to that needle bar to hold
and fix the needle carrying the thread before and during its descent through
the material which is being worked, and also through the throat plate on
which the inaterial rests. The needle in its descent enters between the jaws of
anotherspringclampunder the bed plate, and whenit becomesfixed therein it is
drawn from the hold of the other spring clamp. Under the bed plate on the
vertical shaft there is a cam to give motion to a lever working on a fulcrum,
from a standard fixed to the under side of the platform; such lever has also a
forked end to raise and depress another needle bar or slide which is under the
platform, so that when the needle has passed from above through the material
and throat plate, and entered and become fixed in the jaws of the under spring
clamp,it is drawn down, carrying the thread through the material; the under
needle bar then rises sufficiently to give slack in the thread for the formation
-of-a-bow-or-loop-in-the-thread,and a-hook which is attached to the horizontal

page_text: shaft then enters such loop, and passing between a spring and a pad pulls one
end of the thread through from above, leaving the thread between the spring
and the pad, so as to obtain a sufficient tension of the thread. While the
hook is pulling the thread through the needle is stationary or nearly so. The
needleafterwards descend sashort distance, probably about three-quarters of an
inch or an inch, more or less, and the under needle bur receives aslight traverse
motion from right to left by means of a cam attached to the vertical shaft,
pushing a bent bar attached to a plate, which carries the under needle bar
and face plate. This traverse motion corresponds or acts in unison with a
similar motion communicated to the upper needle bar by means of a cam on
the vertical shaft acting on a bar at the back of the arm connected with the
plate to which the needle bar and face plate are attached. The slack thread
caused by the rising of the needle is taken up by means of a reciprocating
double hook fixed on a spindle, which carries a pinion actuated by a toothed
quadrant lever and cam on the vertical shaft, and the thread is thus formed
into a loop; the needle is then raised by a cam motion through the opening
of the button hole and throat plate, and as the upper end of it is forced and fixed
between' the jaws of the upper spring clainp, the lower end of the needle is
released from the under spring clamp and the needle is drawn upwards, and
then receives a reverse traverse motion from left to right, and the under
needle bar also receives a corresponding one. The needle descends again
through the material and throat plate, and having passed through the loop
formed by the reciprocating double hook euters, and is held in the jaws of the
under spring clamp, which descends and pulls the needle from the upper
spring clamp though the material; the needle is then raised, and the thread
forms another loop, and the hook worked by the horizontal shaft enters such
loop, and passing between the pad and spring, as before mentioned, pulls the
thread through from below, and the reciprocating double hook having released
the loop, the needle again descends and takes up the slack. There is a slight
pause of the needle, and another traverse motion for the purposes of the next
stitch; the needle is raised and the reciprocating double hook having again taken
up the slack, a tightener which is worked by means of a lever and two cams
on the vertical shaft tightens the stitch and draws the purl to the edge of the
buiton hole; the needle then rises to its highest point, and having received
a transverse motion descends again and is held and drawn by the under
clamp and another loop is formed, and the hook having entered and pulled
the thread through, the tightener and reciprocating double hook release the
loop formed, and the needle then further descends and takes up the slack, and
while the thread is in a vertical position the tightener, by means of a double

page_text: motion is brought behind the thread ready to act in the next stitch. The
machine has also the ordinary feed motion for propelling the material forwards
for the purpose of the next stitch.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a front elevation of a sewing
machine constructed according to our Invention; Figure 2 is a back eleva-
tion with the back of the frame removed to show more clearly the levers and
parts connected therewith, for producing the various movements; Figure 3 is
a section as seen from the left-hand end through the line 1. . . . 2 of Figure 1;
and Figure 4 is a view as seen from below.
A, A, i the frame of the machine supporting a pedestal or stand D, with a
horizontal arm C, extending therefrom over the length of the frame; a, is the
throat or feed plate; D, is the fly wheel on a horizontal shaft E under the
bed plate; this shaft carries a bevel toothed wheel F gearing into a larger
bevel toothed wheel G on a vertical shaft H, passing through the bed plate
and continued up inside the pedestal B. On the vertical shaft H are two
cams I, J, shown detached in Figures 5 and 6 respectively, the cam I in the
revolution of the shaft H gives motion to a horizontal lever K having its
fulcrumon the arm C; the end of this lever is forked and raises and depresses
the upper needle bar 6 as hereafter described; the opposite end of this lever
carries a pin riding in a groove c in the cam I, whereby the lever and needle
bar b receive their motion. This needle bar carries a spring clamp d to hold
the needle secure before and during its descent with the thread through the
work and through the slot in the throat or feed plate a, on which the work
rests; the foot of the clamp d is formed of a gripper as shown in order that
it may adjust itself to various sizes and forms of needle; e, is another spring
clamp under the bed plate, between the jaws of which the needle in its descent
enters when the jaws close upon it and draw it out of the other spring clamp d.
The clampe is carried by a lower needle bar funder the bed plate, which bar
is raised and depressed as hereafter described by the forked end of a horizontal
lever L working on a fulcrum on a hanging bracket M; the opposite end of
the lever L carries a pin which rides in a groove c' in the cam J. After the
lower-needle bar. f. and. its clamp.e.have been lowered. to draw-the-needle.
from the upper clamp d as just stated the bar is caused to rise owing to the
formation of the groove of the cam J sufficiently to produce a slack in the
thread to form a bow or loop therein, when a spring hook N (shown detached
in Figure 7,) on the end of the shaft E enters the loop, and by passing between
a spring g and a pad h pulls the end of the thread through the work, the
spring 9 and pad h holding it below the work so as to obtain sufficient
-tension. The-spring-hook.N.in.its-revolution carries-the-loose-end-of-the

page_text: thread round and lays it in an under-cut circular groove O, round which the
hook N travels. The bristles of a brush P take into the groove O near the
bottom and keep the loose end of the thread clear of the working parts of
the machine after the hook N leaves it; the hook N leaves the loose end
of the, thread before reaching the top of its course. While the book N is
pulling the thread through as just described, the needle is stationary or
nearly so. After the thread has been pulled through another portion of
the groove c¹ of the cam J causes the lower needle bar and the needle
to descend to the bottom of their course and tighten the stitch last made.
The face of the cam J then acts upon a bar Q attached to a plate R,
which carries the needle bar fand its face plate S, whereby this needle bar and
face plate receive a slight motion froin right to left. A corresponding motion
is simultaneously imparted to the upper needle bar 6 and its face plate.¹ by
means of the face j on the cam I acting upon a bar T connected by a pin
I passing through a slot in the arm C to the tail of a plate R', which carries
the needle bar b, and its face plate S¹. After the needle bars have been
moved to the left, as just explained, the groove c¹ in the cam J causes the
lower barf to rise; a portion of the siack thread caused by the rising of the
needle is taken up by the hook of a double-hooked platem, shown detached
in Figure 8.
Figure 9 is a plan view of the parts immediately below the throat or feed
plate in the positions they occupy when the slack thread commences to be
formed by the rising of the needle, and taken hold of by the hook l; the
following movements then take place :-The double-hooked plate m makes a
complete revolution to the left, carrying the thread with it, which it forms into
a loop. During this revolution of the double-hooked plate m, the needle by
the continued rising of the lower needle bar f is pushed up through the
opening of the button hole, when the clamp d on the upper needle bar b,
which during the movements of the lower needle bar has remained stationary,
takes hold of the needle and draws it from the lower clamp e. As the
plate m is making its revolution to the left, a plater, herein-before called the
tightener, with a pointed and notched end, and riding in a slot in the bed
plate, is moved slightly towards the front by a lever s, acted on by a cain t
(shown detached in Figure 10) on the shaft H. When the revolution of the
plate m is completed, and the upper clamp d has drawu up the needle above
the feed foot u, the plater moves a little to the left owing to one of the
notches of a cam t' (shown in Fig. 10) on the shaft H acting on a projection
on the lever s, and takes hold of and spreads the loop on the double-hooked
plate m; the upper needle bar & then completes its up stroke, and as soon as

page_text: it reaches the top, the two needle bars move from left to right into their first
position to form another stitch, being drawn back simultaneously by springs.
The upper needle bar 6 then descends, and at the same time the plater moves
further to the left (owing to the other notch of the cam t¹), carrying the
thread with it to enable the needle in its down stroke to pass through the
loop. The lower needle barf, which has remained at the top of its stroke,
takes the needle_from the upper clamp d, as before explained, and again rises
sufficiently to form a loop, which is again taken hold of by the book N, which
pulls the thread through the work; then the double-hooked plate m turns a
little to the left to release the loop thereon from the hook ; the plate r next
performs a double motion backwards and to the right by the combined action
of the two cams t and t¹ to release itself from the thread, and at the same
time the plate m turns slightly to the right, makes a slight pause, and then
performs an entire revolution or thereabouts to the right, and releases the
thread from the hook ; while the plate m is performing this revolution the
lower needle barf moves to the bottom of its course, and then the plate r
commences its forward movement, which is not completed till after the lower
needle bar begins to rise. The double-hooked plate m is mounted on a
spindle n, which carries a pinion o actuated by a toothed quadrant on a lever p,
and by a cam g (shown detached in Figure 11) on the shaft H; when the
toothed quadrant moves to the right it turns the plate m to the left, as before
stated; when, on the contrary, it moves to the left into position for again
turning the plate m to the left the plate m is caused to make a revolution to
the right. As the lower needle bar f moves to the bottom of its course the
pointed arm of a bell-crank lever is moved forward by a lever V acting on
its short arm into position over the spring g and pad h, and remains there
until the needle has completed its up stroke in the upper clamp d, when it is
moved to one side, carrying with it the loose end of the thread out of the way
of the working parts until the lower needle bar f has completed the first
portion of its next down stroke. The thread is prevented slipping off the
arm U by a spring W. The lever V is acted on by a cam X (shown detached
in Figure 12) on the shaft H. The horizontal shaft E, and consequently the
hook N, make two revolutions for every stitch produced, and in order that at
every other revolution the hook N may pass clear of the thread we form a
curved projection w on the face plate S, which moving to the left with the
needle barf, causes the spring hook N to be forced to the left, and thereby
out of position for taking hold of the thread. The lower clamp e is opened
and closed at the required times as follows:-It carries a bent arm x, which
when the lower needle-barf-reaches-the-top-of-its.course, is pressed against

page_text: by a levery, operated by a cam z (shown detached in Figure 13), and thereby
opened. When the pressure of the lever y is removed the clamp is closed
by a spring Y. The upper clamp d is kept closed by a spring Z, which,
however, is not of sufficient power to retain the needle when drawn by the
lower clamp e. The needle bars 6 and fin their movement to the left and
right work in V-shaped guides as shown. The feed is performed by the
foot u as soon as the needle in its up stroke is taken clear of the work by the
upper needle bar b; the feed foot rises as soon as the needle enters the
material in its down stroke, and before the needle has passed entirely through
the material the feed foot again comes down upon the material into position
for performing another feed.
The needle we employ in our sewing machines has the eye formed near the
middle of its length; and we use thread in lengths of about a yard, more
or less.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim as our
Improvements in Machines for Sewing or Working Button-holes, "---
First, the employment of the double hook or hooked plate m, arranged and
acting substantially in manner and for the purposes herein-before described,
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the employment of the plate or tightener r, arranged and acting
substantially in manner and for the purposes herein-before. described, and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the arrangement and combination of parts of sewing machines
herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Tiot Judkins and William
Henry Gosling, have hereunto set our respective hands and seals,
this Seventeenth day of April, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
C. T. JUDKINS.
(L.S.)
W. H. GOSLING. (L.B.)