IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isidor Nasch, of Whitechapel Road, in the county of
Middlesex, Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE
TO SEWING MACHINES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isidor Nasch at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th January 1883.
ISIDOR NASCH of Whitechapel Road, in the county of Middlesex, Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING MACHINES
"
This invention relates chiefly to further improvements on the attachment or
arrangement applicable to sewing machines for making button holes, for over-
seaming, for herring bone stitching and the like for which I have applied for
Letters Patent No 4520, dated the twenty second day of September one thousand
eight hundred and eighty two the object of the present improvements being to
provide means for easily and quickly disconnecting the attachment or arrangement
so that it may be put out of action when it is required to use the sewing machine
for ordinary sewing purposes; the improvements also relate to bending the needle
as hereinafter described and lastly the invention relates to improvements applicable
to the needle plate of sewing machines as hereinafter described.
For the purpose of disconnecting the arrangement or attachment I employ a
lever or arm moving on a centre in a suitable position on the head of the sewing
machine; to this lever is connected the upper end of the spring which raises the
lever operating the pawl as described in the Provisional Specification filed with
my said application for Letters Patent.
By this arrangement when the said lever or arm is in its raised or normal
position the spring is in tension and the attachment or arrangement is in action;
when however it is desired to disconnect or put the attachment out of action so
that the sewing machine may be used for ordinary sewing purposes it is simply
necessary to turn the said lever or arm on its centre through about one half of a
revolution whereby the spring may be put out of tension and the lever which
operates the pawl will fall and remain stationary in its lowermost position.

page_text: To again connect the attachment or arrangement it is merely necessary to raise
the lever or arm into its normal position.
When the attachment or arrangement described in my said Provisional specifi-
cation is applied to a sewing machine the shuttle of which has a transverse motion
I have found it necessary to provide means for effecting the bending of the needle
after it has passed through the material so as to bring the loop in a position such
that the shuttle will pass through it.
For this purpose I form the needle slot in the shuttle race inclined in such a
manner that after the point of the needle has passed through the material the
needle is slightly deflected as it continues to move downwards and so bent as to
bring the loop in such a position that the shuttle shall pass through it. Other
means of deflecting the needle may be employed but that which I have described
I have found to answer well. I have also found that the needle may with
advantage be similarly deflected when the attachment is used with machines in
which the shuttle has a longitudinal race and with other machines as the bending
of the needle brings the thread nearer the edge of the button hole at the right
side thereby producing a button hole which has more the appearance and advantage
of a hand made button hole than hitherto.
Hitherto it has been the practice when stitching button holes, or when over-
seaming, to remove the ordinary sewing machine needle plate and replace it with
one having a projection or guide of the required character.
According to my improvements I provide a removeable projection or guide
which can be fitted, fixed or formed on a slide and I form the ordinary needle
plate with a dovetail slot in which the said slide carrying the required projection
or guide can be placed, a suitable spring catch being provided to hold the slide in
its proper position.
By this arrangement when a machine which has been used for button hole
stitching or overseaming and the like is required for ordinary sewing it is simply
necessary to disconnect the button hole or overseaming attachment and to draw
out the said slide without having as hitherto to remove the needle plate and
replace it with another and when the machine is again required to stitch button
holes or for overseaming to replace the said slide and connect the attachment.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by. the said Isidor Nasch in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th July
1883.
ISIDOR NASCH of Whitechapel Road in the county of Middlesex, Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING MACHINES
"
This invention relates chiefly to further improvements on the attachment or
arrangement of apparatus for use in shuttle sewing machines or equivalent machines
or sewing machinery for making button holes or for equivalent work such as for
overseaming, for herring bone stitching and the like for which Letters Patent were
granted to me dated the twenty second day of September one thousand eight
hundred and eighty two N° 4520. The object of the present improvements is to
provide means for easily and quickly disconnecting the attachment or arrangement
of apparatus so that it may be put out of action when it is required to use the
sewing machine or sewing machinery for ordinary sewing purposes.
The present
improvements also relate to a method of bending the needle while being used as
hereinafter described and lastly the invention relates to improvements applicable
to the needle plate of sewing machines or sewing machinery as hereinafter
described.
For the purpose of disconnecting the attachment or arrangement of apparatus
I employ a lever or arm moving on a centre in a suitable position on the head of
the sewing machine; to this lever is connected the upper end of the spring which
raises the lever operating the pawl as described in the Specification of my said
former Letters Patent.
When the attachment or arrangement of apparatus described in the Specification
of my said former Letters Patent is applied to a sewing machine or sewing
machinery the shuttle of which has a transverse motion I have found it necessary
to provide means for effecting the bending of the needle after it has passed through
the material so as to bring the loop in a position such that the shuttle will pass
through it.
For this purpose I form the needle slot in the shuttle race inclined in such a
manner that after the point of the needle has passed through the material the
needle is slightly deflected as it continues to move downwards and so bent as to
bring the loop in such a position that the shuttle shall pass through it. Other
equivalent means of deflecting the needle may be employed but that which I have
described I have found to answer well.
I have also found that the needle may with advantage be similarly deflected
when the attachment or arrangement of apparatus is used with machines or
machinery in which the shuttle has a longitudinal race and with other machines
as the bending of the needle brings the thread nearer the edge of the button hole
at the right side thereby producing a button hole or equivalent work which has
more the appearance and advantage of a hand made button hole than hitherto.
Hitherto it has been the practice when stitching button holes, or when over-
seaming, to remove the ordinary sewing machine needle plate and replace it with
one having a projection or guide of the required character.
According to my improvements I provide a removeable projection or guide
which can be fitted, fixed or formed on a slide and I form the ordinary needle
plate with a dovetail slot in which the said slide carrying the required projection
or guide can be placed, a suitable spring catch or other means being provided to
hold the slide in its proper position.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe

page_text: the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is an edge
view of a button hole attachment or arrangement of apparatus constructed
according to my said former Letters Patent and provided with my improved
means for disconnecting or putting out of action the attachment or arrangement
of apparatus the parts being shewn in the position they occupy when the attachment
or arrangement of apparatus is to be put in operation; figure 2, is a similar view
shewing the position occupied by the parts when the attachment or arrangement
of apparatus is disconnected or put out of action when it is required to use the
sewing machine for ordinary sewing purposes; figure 3, is a plan of my improved
construction of needle plate and button hole guide for use with button hole attach-
ments or arrangements of apparatus for sewing machines or sewing machinery;
figure 4, is a section of the same on line A. B. of figure 3, and figure 5 is a detached
sectional view of the sliding button hole guide; figure 6, is a longitudinal section
and figure 7, is a transverse section shewing the modification in the race which I
employ when the shuttle moves transversely for the purpose of deflecting the
needle. The several figures are drawn full size and similar letters in all the figures
represent similar parts.
I will first describe, by reference to figures 1 and 2 my arrangement for
disconnecting or putting out of action the attachment or arrangement of apparatus.
a, is the arm or lever pivotting at b, to which the upper end of the spring c
serving to raise the lever d, operating the pawl e, is attached at f
By this arrangement when the lever or arm a, is in its raised or normal position
as shewn in figure 1, the spring c, is in tension and the attachment or arrangement
of apparatus is in action; when however it is desired to disconnect or put the
attachment or arrangement of apparatus out of action so that the sewing machine
or sewing machinery may be used for ordinary sewing purposes it is simply
necessary to turn the said lever or arm a, on its centre b, through about one half
of a revolution whereby the spring c, will be put out of tension and the lever d,
which operates the pawl e, will fall and remain stationary in its lowermost position
as shewn in figure 2.
To again connect the attachment or arrangement of apparatus it is merely
necessary to raise the lever or arm a, into the position shewn in figure 1.
I will now describe by reference to figures 3, 4 and 5, the needle plate I propose
to employ when stitching button holes with the improved attachment or arrange-
ment of apparatus described in my said former Letters Patent or with other button
hole attachments or arrangements of apparatus in which a raised guide is required
for the button hole.
g, is the ordinary needle plate formed with a dovetail slot in which can be
placed the slide h, carrying the required projection or guide ; the slide h, is held
in its proper position by a suitable spring catch such as that shewn at j, figure 4.
By this arrangement when a sewing machine or sewing machinery which has
been used for button hole stitching or for equivalent work such as overseaming
and the like is required for ordinary sewing it is simply necessary to disconnect
the button hole or overseaming attachment or arrangement of apparatus in the
manner herein before described, and to draw out the slide h, without having as
hitherto to remove the needle plate and replace it with another and when the
machine is again required to stitch button holes it is merely necessary to replace
the said slide h, and connect the attachment.
I will now describe by reference to figures 6 and 7 the means I have found to
answer for effecting the bending of the needle after it has passed through the
material.
k, is the slot in the shuttle race 1, such slot being formed inclined as shewn at
figure 7, so that after the point of the needle has passed through the material the
needle will be slightly deflected as it continues to move downwards and slightly
bent so as to bring the loop in such a position that the shuttle shall pass
through it.
The means adopted for effecting the bending of the needle where the shuttle

page_text: race is longitudinal or where a rotating bobbin or looper instead of a shuttle is
used are substantially the same as that herein before described except that two
inclined slots are required when the shuttle race is longitudinal.
Having thus described my said invention and the best means I am acquainted
with for carrying the same into effect I would have it understood that what I
claim is :-
Firstly. The method of disconnecting and connecting the attachment or arrange-
ment of apparatus herein before referred to by the employment of a lever or lifter
such as a, as and for the purpose substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawing.
Secondly. The needle plate for use in sewing machines or sewing machinery
constructed as herein before mentioned being provided with a removeable guide as
and for the purposes herein before described and represented in figures 3, 4 and 5
of the accompanying drawing.
Thirdly. The use in a sewing machine or sewing machinery of a needle which
is bent or deflected while at work in stitching button holes or doing equivalent
work such as overseaming or herring bone stitching or the like substantially as
herein before described.
Fourthly. The use in combination with an attachment or arrangement of
apparatus for use in sewing machines or sewing machinery for stitching button
holes or for equivalent work such as for overseaming or herring bone stitching or
the like of an inclined needle slot or groove for bending the needle as and for the
purpose herein before described.
In Witness whereof I the said Isidor Nasch have hereto set my hand and
seal this twenty-fourth day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty three
ISIDOR NASCH (10)