Year: 1887

page_text: We WILLIAM NORRIS and FREDERICK SIMMONS both of 3 Barrons Place, Waterloo
Road, Southwark in the County of Surrey, Engineers 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 the mechanism in button-hole sewing machines for giving
the compound traversing and reciprocating motion necessary for forming a button
hole to the table carrying the work in hand.
The object being to ensure greater accuracy, to reduce the number of wearing
parts, to regulate at will the width of button-hole to suit different classes of work,
and so to space the stitches on each side of a button hole as to leave little of the
fabric to be cut after the sewing is completed, without reducing the strength of
the button hole.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a back elevation of a button-hole sewing machine fitted according to this
Invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same and Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the
line 1, 2, of Fig. 2.
In these figures A is the main driving shaft mounted in bearings on the frame B
of the machine and carrying the usual needle and shuttle cams. A pinion C on this
shaft gears with and imparts rotary motion to a toothed cam wheel D mounted
loosely on a stud pin D'. This wheel is formed with two cams one on either side,
the cam d on one side thereof bears against a bowl carried on one end of a lever E,
the other end of which is secured to the work table F by the screw e. Thus in its
rotation the cam wheel D will by means of the cam d rock the lever E and impart the
necessary traversing and reciprocating motion to the table F for forming the width
of the button-hole.
A spring e' at the back of the lever E in conjunction with a spring ƒ secured to the
work table serves to keep the bowl on the face cam d.
The table F is carried by a slide F¹ mounted in V grooves on a nut F in which
works a screw G. This screw is for the purpose of giving the necessary feed to the
work under the needle and is actuated in the following manner.

page_text: Upon the back of the cam wheel D is formed a boss carrying two pins or tappets d².
These pins or tappets will engage with the teeth of one or other of a pair of
star wheels 99* formed on a sleeve g¹ which is capable of sliding endwise on an
extension of the screw G and is prevented from turning thereon by the feather g².
Pivotted to the frame B is a double armed rock lever H, the lower arm of which
extends downwards and lies between the sleeve g¹ and a grooved roller 1 (the use of
which will be presently explained). A projection
on either side of the lever arm
engages respectively with the grooved roller I and a groove g³ formed in the
sleeve g¹.
The upwardly extending arm of the lever H is furnished with a pin which takes
into a portion of a screw thread formed in the boss of a lever J mounted on the
frame of the machine, as this lever is turned to or from the operator, so the teeth on
one or other of the star wheels g g* will be brought into the path of the tappets d'
and rotate the screw G in one direction or the other as the table is required to feed
the work forward or backward, in sewing one or other side of the button-hole.
At this time the grooved roller I (which is capable of sliding on a pin i in the
direction of its axis) will be shifted by the lever H and bear on one of two plane
surfaces d³ d' on the back of the toothed cam wheel D. These surfaces are at
different levels, and the roller I being incapable of sideway movement, the
cam wheel D will be caused to move on its pin D and with it the bowl on the end of
the lever E a distance corresponding to the difference of level in the plane surfaces d³ d*,
thus shifting the work under the needle to one side or the other of the button hole.
To form the "bar" of the button hole the operator will set the lever J in the
position shown at Fig. 1. when the tappets d in their rotation will clear the
star wheels gg, thus stopping the feed. At this time the roller I bears upon a cam d¹
on the wheel D, which acting in conjunction with the cam d on the further side of
the wheel D will give a double motion to the lever E thus forming the "bar" of the
button hole.
The wheel D with its cams and plane surfaces is more clearly shown in front &
back views at Figs. 4.
The teeth in the star wheels 99* are intermediate, that is, the teeth in one are
opposite the spaces between the teeth in the other, this is for the purpose of causing
the work to be fed under the needle so as to bring the stitches on one side of the
button hole between the stitches on the opposite side instead of as heretofore opposite
each other. This has the effect of leaving a minimum of fabric to be cut when the
sewing of the button hole is completed without in any way injuring the same.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the presser foot clamp which is specially adapted for
this class of machine. In this figure the work holder K is pivotted on a pin k so as to
adjust itself to any inequality in the work, the pin k is also capable of slight endway
movement for the same purpose.
The action of the machine is as follows. The operator having by means of the
lever J shifted the lever H so as to bring the roller I to bear on the plane surface d³
of the cam wheel D and rotary motion being imparted to the machine. The tappets d*
will engage with the teeth of the star wheel g and rotate the screw G in one direction,
thus feeding the work under the needle until one side of the button hole is
completed. At this point the operator will move the lever H until the tappets d'
clear the teeth of the star wheels 9 9* at the same time causing the roller I to bear
on the cam surface d', thereby increasing the throw of the lever E and forming the
"bar" of the button-hole.
To form the other side of the button hole the operator will further rock the lever H
until the tappets d'engage with the star wheel g* and the roller J has been moved
onto the cam surface d', which will cause the cam wheel D to slide on its pin and
shift the lever E and table F into position for forming the other side of the button-
hole, on completing which the second "bar" may be formed as above mentioned.
In order to adjust the width of button hole to suit any particular class of work,
three or more holes are made in the lever E for attaching it to the work plate as shown
at xx Fig. 2, so that by shifting the screw e further from or nearer to the fulcrum

page_text: of the lever E the throw of this lever may be increased or diminished at will which
will have the effect of increasing or diminishing the width of the button hole as
required.
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:
1. The means above described for imparting to the work plate of a button hole
sewing machine, a traversing reciprocating motion for forming the sides of button-
holes and regulating the width of said button-holes as set forth.
2. In a button hole sewing machine the means described for feeding the work under
the needle as and for the purpose above set forth.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts for transmitting a compound move-
ment to the work plate of a button hole sewing machine, substantially as above
described and shown in the accompanying drawing.
WILLIAM NORRIS.
FREDERICK SIMMONS X his mark.
Witness to signature of said Frederick Simmons,
GEORGE GREEN, Sawyer.