Improvements in Button Hole Sewing Attachments for Sewing Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Button Hole Sewing Attachments for Sewing
Machines.
I, WASHINGTON WALLICK Mechanical Engineer of Corner Franklin Street
nd Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States of America 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:-
My invention consists of an improved button hole attachment for sewing
machines in which it is possible to accurately regulate the length of the button
hole and the closeness of the stitches along each side thereof; to vary the distance
between the rows of stitches without regard to the " bight or length of stitch;
and to hold the cloth by means of a simple and efficient form of clamp operated
without the use of springs.
In the accompanying drawing,
"
Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my improved button hole attachment.
Figure 2 is a like view with some of the top parts removed.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 are plan views, each having removed from it some of the
parts shewn in Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section on the line w-w Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a transverse section on the line -x Figure 1.
Figure 8 is a longitudinal section on the line y-y Figure 1
Figure 9 is a transverse section on the line - Figure 3.
; and
1 represents the base plate of the attachment beneath which is a plate 2 whereby
the attachment is secured in the ordinary opening in the work table of the sewing
machine for the throat plate. The plate 2 is provided at one side with spring
fingers 3 so that when the plate is slipped into the throat plate opening, these
spring fingers, by reason of their frictional contact with one side of said throat
plate opening, will serve to retain the attachment firmly in position on the work
table of the machine.
At one side of the base plate 1 is an upwardly projecting standard 4 to which is
hung the primary or operating lever 5 one arm of this lever being forked as at 6,
for engagement with a stud on the needle bar or arm of the machine, so that as
the needle bar rises and falls, a vibrating or rocking movement will be imparted to
the lever 5. The other arm of this lever plays between shoulders 7,7 on a slide 8,
which is guided and held down upon the base plate 1 by means of screws 9. This
slide has an arm 10 hooked at the inner end for the reception of the hub of a
pawi 11 Figure 5 which engages the teeth of a ratchet wheel 12 free to turn on a
sleeve 13 which is likewise free to turn on a stud 14 projecting upward from the bed
plate 1 of the attachment the pawl 11 being held in engagement with the teeth of
the ratchet wheel 12 by means of a spring 15 as shewn.
Keyed or otherwise secured to the sleeve 13 is a disc 16 Figures 3, 6 and 7,
the periphery of this disc being preferably milled or roughened. Surrounding
this disc is a ring 17 from one side of which projects an arm 18 and to this
ring is pivoted a clamp lever 19, the short arin of which is furnished with
a tooth 20 for engaging with the milled or roughened periphery of the disc 16.
The long arm of this clamp lever and the arm 18 of the ring 17 project out-
ward and terminate between a lug 21 on the slide 8, and a flange 22 on a cam
lever 23 hung to the said slide, and adjustable to different positions thereon so
that the distance between the lug 21 and flange 22 of the lever may be increased
or diminished as desired. The lever 23 may be held in its different positions
of adjustment by any suitable means but preferably by the engagement of a pin 24
ID 017

page_text: on the lever, with one of a series of openings 25 formed in the upright flange 7
of the slide 8.
When the slide 8 is moved in the direction of the arrow Figure 8 the lug 21
comes in contact with the long arm of the lever 19 and moves the same so as
to first cause the tooth 20 of the lever to firmly engage with the periphery of
the disc 16 and then move the ring 17 with the lever 19 in a path concentric
with the axis of the disc 16 so as to impart movement of partial rotation to the
said disc.
On the backward movement of the slide 8 the flange 22 of the lever 23 strikes
the arm 18 of the ring 17 and swings the latter backward on the disc 16 the ring
carrying with it the lever 19, the backward movement of the disc with the ring
being prevented by a catch finger or pawl 26 engaging the notched periphery of the
disc as shewn in Figure 3.
The extent of movement imparted to the disc 16 on each reciprocation of the
slide 8 therefore will depend upon the amount of space between the lug 21 and the
Hange 22 of the lever 23, the closer together these parts are, the greater will be
the extent of movement of the ring.
To the sleeve 13 immediately below the disc 16 is keyed a cam 28 which
is adapted to turn in an opening in the transverse shifter lever 29 of the
attachment and acts upon inwardly projecting lugs 30 on the sides of the
opening in said lever as shown in Figure 4. This lever is fulcrumed upon a
pin 32 carried by a slide block 27, adapted to a longitudinal slot in the bed
plate, the pin engaging with a lever 33 hung to a stud 34 on the bed plate and
adjustable to different positions so as to shift the fulcrum pin 32 and thus vary the
relative length of the two arms of the lever 29.
To the forward arm of this lever is fitted an undercut plate 35 with laterally
extending wings 36 notched at their ends as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 9 for the
reception of flanges 37 on the opposite arms or sides of a clamp lever 38 which is
thus fulcrumed upon the said wings 36.
The arms or sides 37 at the rear portion of the clamp lever 38 are acted upon by
lugs 40 on a slide 41 which rests upon, the bed plate 1. These lugs fit snugly
against the arms or sides 37 of the lever and are acted upon by a cam 42 shewn
in Figures 6 and 7 and by dotted lines in Figure 5, this cam being star-shaped
and being secured to the underside of the ratchet wheel 12 so that it has inter-
mittent movements. One of the projections or arms of the cam acts upon one
lug 40 when the other lug enters a recess in the cam hence short vibrating move-
ments are thereby imparted to the clamp lever 38 to form the short stitches along
the sides of the button hole. The changing of the position to effect the stitching
on the other side or edge of the button hole when one side or edge has been stitched
is effected by the cam 28 acting upon the transverse shifter lever 29 which has
the effect of laterally shifting the fulcrum lugs 36 on the plate 35 the extent of
this movement being dependent upon the position of the fulcrum pin 32 of the
shifter lever 29 which can be varied as described so that the space between the
opposite rows of stitches may be increased or diminished without any change in
the size or "bight" of the stitches themselves.
Changes in the size of the stitches may be effected by shifting the sliding plate 35
on the lever 29 towards or from the cam 42 the plate being secured in position
after adjustment, by tightening a set screw 60 on the sliding plate (see
Figures 3, 4 and 6).
The longitudinal movement of the clamp lever 38 to provide for the formation
of stitches from end to end of the button hole is effected by a cam 45 which has a
central slot for the reception of an arm or lug 46 on the disc 16 the said cam
acting upon projections 47 shewn by dotted lines in Figure 1 on the underside of a
longitudinal shifter slide 48 which is connected at its front end to a transverse
bar 49 of the clamp this bar also carrying the upper clamp plate lever 50.
As the cams 42, 45 and 28 are rotated short quick lateral vibrations are imparted
to the clamp lever 38 to form the stitches, a slow longitudinal movement being also

page_text: given first in one direction and then in the other so as to form stitches successively
from end to end of the button hole and transverse shifting movements being
imparted to the lever at each end of its longitudinal traverse so as to carry the line
of stitches from one side or edge of the button hole to the other and forin stitches
at each end of said button hole.
To provide for rounding the ends of the button hole that is to say, to prevent
the stitches from being carried straight across from one side of the button hole to
the other, the cam 45 has a lug 51 which acts upon the projections 47 of the slide 48
so that when the clamp carrying lever approaching each limit of its longitudinal
movement, and is being shifted laterally, the longitudinal movement is quickened so
that the result of the two movements is to form a rounded or curved line of stitches
extending from one side of the button hole to the other.
The slot in the cam 45 for the reception of the arm or lug 46 on the disc 16 is
longer than the said lug so that the cam can be adjusted to vary its effective throw
to suit different lengths of button holes. This movement is effected by simply
moving the clamp lever longitudinally to the desired extent after first slackening
the thumb nut 52 whereby the cam 45 is confined, this thumb nut being adapted to
the threaded upper end of the sleeve 13 as shown in Figure 6.
The upper clamp plate lever 50 is as before stated hung to the transverse rod 49
and the front end of this lever is forked and carries the apper clamp plate 53 the
rear arm of the lever having upper and lower wings or arms 54 and 55 as shewn in
Figures 2 and 6 so as to embrace the cranked portion of a shaft 56. This shaft
has at one side of the machine an operating arm 57 by means of which the said
shaft. may be turned and the upper clamp be either raised or depressed, the move-
ments being positive and all springs in connection with the upper clamp plate lever
dispensed with.
In cases where it is not necessary to provide for all of the variations in the move-
ments of the parts which I have described, the features of adjustment which effect.
any particular variation found to be unnecessary, may be dispensed with, for
instance if all button holes are to be of the same length, the adjustment of the
cam 45 on the arm 46 will be unnecessary; if the stitches are all to be of the same
length, the use of the adjustable slide plate 35 is not required, the wings 36 being
formed directly on the shifter lever 29 and if the width of the button hole does not
have to be varied the adjustable fulcrum for said lever 29 will not be needed, while
if the stitches are all to be at the same distance apart the stop 22 for acting on the
lever carrier 18 need not be adjustable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is.
1st. The combination of the cam sleeve and its disc, a clutch lever for acting on
said disc, a carrier for said lever, swinging about the axis of the disc, and a recip-
rocated slide having projections for acting respectively on the clutch lever and
on the swinging carrier substantially as herein before described.
2nd. The combination of the cam sleeve and its disc, the clutch lever acting on
said disc, a carrier for said clutch lever, swinging around the axis of the disc, a
reciprocated slide having two projections one for acting upon the clutch lever, and
the other for acting upon the carrier, one of said projections being adjustable so as
to vary the distance between then substantially as herein before described.
3rd. The combination of the clamp lever 38 a shifter lever 29 on which said
clamp lever is fulcrumed so as to be free to slide, a cam 28 for operating said
shifter lever, a stationary or moveable fulcrum 32 for said lever, a vibrator cam 42
for the clamp lever, and means for operating said cams substantially as herein-
before described.
4th. The combination of the clamp lever 38 a slide plate 41 adapted to a slot in
said lever and having lugs 40 acting upon the opposite arms of the lever, a vibrator

page_text: cam 42 acting upon said lugs and means for moving said cam substantially as
hereinbefore described.
5th. The combination of the clamp lever 38 the transverse shifter lever 29, a
vibrator cam 42 acting on the clamp lever, a shifter cam 28 for the shifter lever,
means for operating said cams, fulcrum lugs 36 for the clamp lever carried by the
shifter lever, a moveable fulcrum pin 32 for said shifter lever, and a lever 33
carrying said pin substantially as hereinbefore described.
6th. The combination of the clamp lever 38 and transverse shifter lever 29,
vibrator and shifter cams 42 and 28 means for operating the same, a moveable
fulcrum 32 for the shifter lever and a slide 35 carrying the fulcrums of the clamp
lever adjustable on the shifter lever from and towards the vibrator cam substantially
as hereinbefore described.
7th. The combination of the clamp lever 38, a longitudinal shifter slide 48 con-
nected thereto, a cam 45 for acting upon the said slide the said cam having a lug
or projection 51 whereby the movement of the slide is accelerated as it approaches
each end of its traverse and means for operating said cam substantially as herein-
before described.
8th. The combination of the clamp lever the longitudinal traverse slide 48 con-
nected thereto, the slotted cam 45 for acting on said slide, and an operating arm 46
adapted to said slot, but less in length than the same whereby the cam can be
adjusted so as to vary its throw substantially as herein before described.
9th. The combination of the upper clamp plate lever 50 having upper and lower
projecting wings 54 and 55 in the rear of its fulcrum, and a crank shaft 56
embraced by said wings, whereby positive lift or depression of the upper clamp
plate may be effected substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 26th day of January 1892.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.