IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTON-HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1886

page_text: I, CHARLES W. DURANT of New York, State of New York U.S.A, Banker, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTON-HOLE
ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention has reference to button-hole attachment for sewing machines;
and consists in certain improvements set forth in the following specification and
shown in the accompanying drawings which form part thereof.
The object of my invention is to construct a button-hole attachment which
shall be readily applied to the various kinds of sewing machines in general
use and which shall be capable of perfect adjustment for all sizes of button holes
and which shall be so constructed that the most ignorant person can without
difficulty operate the attachment. My object is also to form the parts so that they
may be stamped from sheet steel and thereby made extremely durable.
In the drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a full sized plan view of a button hole attachment for sewing machines
embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of same on line xx.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line y y.
T
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clutch mechanism for operating the feed
wheel.
Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of the machine.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the upper jaw of the cloth clamp inverted.
Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation on line x x of the cloth clamp jaws before closing
upon the cloth.
Fig. 8 is a similar view after closing upon the cloth.
Fig. 9 is a plan view of the friction creating rubber removed from the cloth
clamp.
Fig. 10 is a cross section on line 2 z of Fig. 1.
Fig. 11 is a plan view of the cam for shifting the cloth clamp for making the two
parallel rows of stitches.
Fig. 12 is a plan view of one form of cam for feeding the cloth clamp to make
successive stitches in line.

page_text: Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the vibrating and reciprocating levers for
operating the cloth clamp the same being separated for the purpose of more
clearly showing their construction, and
Fig. 14 is a modified form of an adjustable throat plate.
A is the bed or base plate. B is the operating lever which is vibrated by
suitable connection with the needle bar. This lever is pivoted on a bushing B¹
clamped between the vertical portion A¹ of the base plate and the upright
standard A by means of a screw 6¹. By this means a most perfect and rigid
connection is obtained between the parts A¹ and A³ thereby giving a fixed and
durable fulcrum for the lever B. The end of the lever is provided with an
enlarged hole or slot 62. Into this slot a pin b projects which pin is connected
with a radius bar B2 pivoted to the stud c on the plate A¹. This radius bar carries
a pawl B³ which is pressed in contact with the ratchet wheel by means of a
suitable spring. The ratchet wheel C with which the pawl B³ meshes is securely
attached to the cam D, which has an uneven number of projections d, and a
corresponding number of depressions d¹, upon its outer edge or periphery, the
number of which projections and depressions are uneven, so that when the cam is
placed between the opposite rounded surfaces e of the slide E and turned around
upon its fulcrum or axis c the slide is caused to reciprocate in the guides E3 on the
part A¹ of the base-plate A. The spring C¹ prevents the ratchet-wheel turning
backward. It is necessary that the reciprocation of the slide should be in
proportion to the vibrations of the lever B as one to two, and to secure this propor-
tion the number of teeth on the ratchet wheel c is twice that of the projections
on the cam D, and as the ratchet-wheel is advanced in its rotation one tooth by
each full vibration of the lever, it follows that the slide is moved one part of its
reciprocation only for each full vibration of the said lever. The outer curvature
of the parts d and d¹ have their working faces made curved and concentric.
To the base-plate A the lever F is pivoted by its fulcrum-pin f, and carries the
adjustable short arm F¹, which is secured thereto by an adjusting-screw F³ and
held in position by suitable guides. The short arm F¹ is movable, so that the
amount of vibration of the clamp bearing slide or of the lever G, with which the
short arm engages through the agency of the slot g and block F¹ pivoted to it at f',
can be varied. The free end of the long arm of the lever F is passed through a
slot in the slide E being retained in the desired position within the slot by an
adjustable plate E' secured to said slide by screws e¹ and by means of which the
said lever directly receives its vibrations. The lever G is pivoted on the vertical
stud or pin H, and upon which it is vibrated by lever F, and its free end is
provided with a slot G₁, and the curved stop g¹, by which it is held down upon
plate A through the agency of the anchor-screw G2 and under which it is free to
vibrate.
the
I is the cloth-clamp lever, and has a vibrating and reciprocating action imparted
to it. It is provided with longitudinal slots I and 2, in the latter of which the
cam J works. This lever has the bent part I secured thereto, one end of which is
extended to form the base or lower jaw K', of the cloth-clamp, and the other end
of which is bent over, forming faces I between which the feeding-cam J works.
The cloth clamp has great merit over any similar device heretofore constructed
for the purpose and applied to button hole attachments. To produce a perfect
button hole it is necessary to stretch the cloth, upon which the button hole is to be
worked, in the act of clamping it. The operation of my cloth clamp first locates
the button hole, then clamps the cloth, and finally stretches that portion of the
cloth upon which the button hole is to be worked. K' is the lower jaw and is
formed with a rectangular slot or opening. K¹ is the upper jaw and is formed
with a central opening corresponding to that in the lower jaw and bounded by
downwardly extending flanges K³. Between these flanges and outer flanges is
formed an annular recess K' into which is placed and secured by cement or other-
wise a rectangular piece of rubber L having the central opening L¹ through which
the flanges K³ pass. It is preferable that the thickness of this rubber L is of less

page_text: depth than the outer flanges of the jaw K. except the one K" under which the cloth
is passed when being inserted between the jaws, this one being extended to prevent
the act of the insertion of the cloth pulling the rubber out of place. It is evident
that the outer flanges of the jaw K¹ might be entirely dispensed with if desired
as the rubber is centered and held in position by the central flanges K³ which pro-
ject a considerable distance below the rubber. The lower portion of the flanges K³
are made smooth so as to allow them to move freely over the cloth. Referring to
Figs. 7 and 8 it will be observed that when the jaws are in the position shown in
Fig. 7 the cloth may be inserted between them. As the jaw K¹ is pressed down
upon the cloth the flanges K³ first presses the cloth into the slot into the lower
jaw J, then the rubber L firmly and rigidly holds the cloth upon the said lower
jaw, and a further movement of the upper jaws compresses the rubber and depresses
the flanges K³ causing the cloth within the line of contact with the rubber to be
stretched as indicated in Fig. 8. This construction is of the utmost importance as
it enables the desired result to be attained without the least injury to the cloth.
This upper jaw is loosely connected by means of rivets k to a lever K held in
position by a lug k¹ and working against a horizontal fulcrum-pin k³ secured in
said lug. The other end of the lever K is provided with a shaft 0¹ terminating
in a handle O and provided with lugs o which when turned into the position shown
in Fig. 2 causes the lever K to be oscillated in a manner to clamp the cloth, as said
lug o presses upon the upper face of the lever I to which the said lever K and the
clamping jaws are connected. 02 is a spring placed under the lever K and is
designed to hold said lever up against the fulcrum pin k² and also cause the jaw K'
to be raised when the hand lever O is thrown back to remove the clamping action
of the lug o.
The levers G and I are connected together by the adjustable hinge-block, in
which the two blocks P and R are connected together by a screw connection r.
The upper block R is made with flanges (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1) which
when the said block is passed through the slot in the lever I, rest over the upper
portion thereof and hold the said levers I and G together.
The block P fits into the guide-slot G of the lever G, and it has an extension P¹,
which projects out from under said lever, and is brought up at the side thereof, and
on which an adjusting screw S is placed to clamp the block P in the proper adjust-
ment upon the lever G. As the lever I swings upon the block P, being oscillated
by cam J any variation of the block P to or from the pin H will vary the amount
of said oscillation and thus increase or decrease the distance between the two rows
of stitches.
To prevent thumping or lost motion in the lever G I provide the same with a
slot g through which a screw Q passes, and under the head of which screw is
interposed a washer Q' of metal and one Q2 of leather or equivalent friction creating
material. By this means the lever G cannot rattle but will only move when
positively actuated by means of the lever F. To prevent the screw Q from
working loose, its end is screwed through the base plate A and a clamping lock
nut A3 is placed thereon.
In a machine of this class it is necessary to provide some means for changing
the length of the button hole, and herebefore this has been accomplished by
changing the cams used for reciprocating the cloth clamp to vary the throw of the
said clamp, and it necessitated the use of several such cams each of which have
different throws. The object of my present invention is to obviate the necessity
of using more than one such cams, and to do this I make said cam adjustable upon
its supporting feed wheel whereby it may be adjusted to or from the axis or center
of said feed wheel to vary the length of its throw.
M is the feed wheel upon the upper and lower portion of which the cams J
and are respectively secured. This feed wheel is loosely supported upon a
stud H and upon its hub m is pinned or otherwise secured the cam J¹ which works
in the slot i of the lever I. The cam J works between the faces I³ and is provided
with a slot J into which a pinj on the feed wheel projects and through which

page_text: slot the clamping screw J³ passes to adjustably clamp said cam upon the feed wheel.
This clamping screw is provided with a left hand thread whereby the act of turning
said clamp to secure the proper adjustment of the cloth clamp in starting will tend
to firmly grip the cam J and in no wise loosen its attachment to the feed wheel.
The construction of this cam clamp is shown in Fig. 2.
Pivoted concentrically with the stud H and located between the lever I and
under face of the feed wheel M is the vibrating lever plate N, which is provided
with a slot n³, and carries pivoted to it an eccentric clutch N¹ which is pressed in
contact with the periphery of the feed wheel by means of a spring n. The
periphery of the feed wheel is provided with a V shaped groove M' into which a
knife edge on the clutch N¹ fits. From this construction it will be seen that as
the plate N is vibrated the clutch N¹ binds in one direction moving the feed wheel
with it, but releases it when moving in the other direction, causing an intermittent
rotary movement to said feed wheel. To prevent the feed wheel from moving
backward should the clutch stick to the feed wheel I provide the spring q which is
pressed in contact with the periphery of said feed wheel by means of a set screw q',
said parts being carried upon an extension of the base plate. This lever plate N is
vibrated by a pin n secured to a lever N' adjustably secured upon a pivot block N³
pivoted at n³ to the base plate A outside of the reciprocating slide E. This
lever N2 projects through a notch N5 in the slide E (see Fig. 3) so that as the
slide E is reciprocated the lever N is vibrated and imparts a corresponding
vibratory movement to the lever N, the free end of which last mentioned lever
projects through a notch or slot N in the slide E and is thereby held down in
place. The adjusting screw N admits of the lever N being made longer or shorter
and consequently the throw of its pin N will be increased or decreased, and the
movement of the lever N2 will be proportionally increased or decreased. By this
means the amount of intermittent rotary movement imparted to the feed wheel
with each stitch may be easily regulated. The end of the lever N2 is made with
a notched part n whereby it may be readily grasped for adjustment, and in like
manner the end of slide F³ is notched as at f' to admit of its ready adjustment.
By arranging the fulcrum upon the outside of the standard A¹ or slide E the
adjustment of the levers to control the throw of the cam for regulating the distance
between successive stitches the necessary adjustment is readily made.
The cam J may either be in the form of an eccentric as shown in Fig. 1 or may
be a heart shaped cam as illustrated in Fig. 12 the former being more desirable in
the case of eyelets while the latter can be used with better advantage with long
button-holes.
W is a cloth guide and is provided with the vertical guide piece w which rests
upon the base plate. This guide is loosely pivoted to a rod W¹ adjustably secured
in a support W' by means of a set screw W³.
Great difficulty has been experienced in button hole attachment owing to the
fact that the throat plate on sewing machines differ considerably in width, this
difference being perceptable even in the same make of machines. It becomes
necessary therefore to provide adjustable means for securing the button hole attach-
ment to the machine which shall suit the throat plate guides of all the machines.
U is a throat plate secured to the base A or underside for attaching the button
hole attachment to the sewing machine. It consists of a plate having notches u
forming spring edges U₁ which insure the throat plate fitting throats of slightly
different sizes, as will be found on sewing machines of different make.
While I prefer the construction shown it is evident that they may be modified
in various ways without departing from my invention.
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
I claim is :-
1st. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines, the combination of the
reciprocating slide for operating the cloth clamp the cam wheel for reciprocating

page_text: the slide, the ratchet wheel secured to said cam wheel, the ratchet pawl and its
operating lever or arm having a pin, and the main lever one end of which is
adapted for attachment to the needle bar, and the other end of which is provided
with a large slot or opening in which the pin on the ratchet lever works, whereby
only a portion of the movements of said main lever is utilized to operate the ratchet
devices.
2nd. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
slide E, cam wheel D having projections d, stud c ratchet wheel C or said cam
wheel, radius bar or lever B³ pivoted to stud c, and having pin b pawl B³ carried
thereby and operating on ratchet wheel C, and main operating lever B pivoted
at B¹ and having large opening or slot 6 in which the pin 6 plays, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
b
3rd. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
slide Ecam wheel D having projections d, stud. c ratchet wheel C or said cam wheel
radius bar or lever B³ pivoted to stud c and having pin 6 pawl B³ carried thereby
and operating on ratchet wheel C, main operating lever B having large opening or
slot 6 in which the pin b plays, base plate A having part A¹, standard A2, bushing. B¹
upon which the lever B is fulcrumed located between parts A1 and A2, and clamping
screw b¹ passing through said bushing and clamping said parts A¹ and A² together,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines, the combination of the
cloth clamp operating lever G having slot g³, with the base plate, a clamping
Bcrew and a friction creating washer Q2 to prevent lost motion in the lever,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
5th. The combination of the cloth clamp operating lever G having slot g², with
the base plate, a clamping screw Q, a friction creating washer Q to prevent lost
motion in the lever and a metallic washer located between the screw head and
friction creating washer, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
6th. The combination of the cloth clamp operating lever G having slot g², with
the base plate, a clamping screw Q, a friction creating washer Q3 to prevent lost
motion in the lever and a lock nut to lock said screw in position after it has been
properly adjusted, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
7th. The cloth clamp for a button hole attachment consisting of the combination
of two jaws having open centers, an elasting clamping material, carried upon one
of the jaws and suitable means to clamp said jaws together, whereby the fabric is
firmly clamped by said elastic material without injury, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
8th. The cloth clamp for a button hole attachment consisting of the combina-
tion of two jaws having open centers, an elasting clamping material and stretching
flanges carried upon one of the jaws and suitable means to clamp said jaws
together, whereby the fabric is firmly clamped by said elastic material without
injury and then stretched by the flanges, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
9th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines, the combination of the
lower jaw of the cloth clamp the upper jaw K¹ thereof having the open center
bounded by deep stretching flanges K³, and a rubber or equivalent clamping face
carried by one of said jaws, and means to press said jaws together, substantially as
and for the purpose specified..
10th. In a button bole attachment for sewing machines, the combination of the
lower jaw of the cloth clamp the upper jaw K₁ thereof having the open center
bounded by deep stretching flanges K³, and also having the guard flange K³, an
elastic clamping face carried by said jaw K¹ and surrounding the flanges K³, and
means to force said jaws together, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
11th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the reciprocating cloth
clamp carrying lever, and clamping jaws, in combination with the clamping lever K,
fulcrum k², and hand lever Q having cam projection o for oscillating said lever K,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
t
--

page_text: 12th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the reciprocating cloth
clamp carrying lever, and clamping jaws, in combination with the clamping lever K
fulcrum pin le spring O³ to hold said lever K up to its fulcrum pin and open the
jaws when the cloth is unclamped, and hand lever O having cam projection o for
oscillating said lever K, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
13th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the reciprocating cloth
clamp carrying lever, and clamping jaws, in combination with the clamping
lever K, fulcrum k³, and hand lever O having cam projection o for oscillating said
lever K the said hand lever O being hinged or journaled on the lever K at its end
opposite to that on which the cloth clamp is attached, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
14th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
cloth clamp levers and cloth clamp carried thereby, with the intermittently rotating
feed wheel M carrying the operating cams, and provided on its periphery with the
V shaped groove M' the vibrating lever N, and its pivoted eccentric clutch N'
having a V shaped or knife edged clutching part to work in contact with the
groove on the feed wheel, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
15th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
cloth clamp levers and cloth clamp carried thereby, with the intermittently rotating
feed wheel M carrying the operating cams, and provided on its periphery with the
V shaped groove M¹, the vibrating lever N, and its pivoted eccentric clutch N¹
having a shaped or knife edged clutching part to work in contact with the
groove on the feed wheel, a spring to press said clutch against said feed wheel, and
a friction spring to prevent backward movement to said feed wheel, substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
16th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
cloth clamp levers and cloth clamp carried thereby, with the intermittently rotating
feed wheel M carrying the operating cams, and provided on its periphery with
the V shaped groove M¹, the vibrating lever N, and its pivoted eccentric clutch N¹
having a shaped or knife edged clutching part to work in contact with the
groove on the feed wheel and means substantially as shown to vibrate said lever N,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
17th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
levers G and I pivoted together and operating a cloth clamp, a rotating feed
wheel M, a cam J¹ to oscillate the lever I carried by said feed wheel and an
eccentric cam J also carried by said feed wheel and adapted to reciprocate said
lever I, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
18th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
levers G and I pivoted together and operating a cloth clamp a rotating feed
wheel M, cam Ji to oscillate the lever I carried by said feed wheel, and an
adjustable eccentric cam J also carried by said feed wheel and adapted to reci-
procate said lever I, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
19th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
reciprocating slide E, the cloth clamp carrying and operating levers upon one side
of said slide, a feed wheel for said levers, a lever to actuate said feed wheel pivoted
upon the other side of said slide extending through the same and actuated thereby,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
20th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
reciprocating slide E, the cloth clamp carrying and operating levers upon one side
of said slide, a feed wheel for said levers, a lever to actuate said feed wheel pivoted
upon the other side of said slide extending through the same and actuated thereby
and suitable means to adjust the throw of said lever to increase or decrease the
movement of the feed wheel, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
21st. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of the
reciprocating slide E, the cloth clamp carrying and operating levers upon one side
of said slide, a feed wheel for said levers, a lever N to operate said feed wheel
having a slot n', a clutch device carried by said lever to operate the feed wheel, the

page_text: pivoted block N³ pivoted at n³, the lever N2 carried thereby, projecting through
slide E and having a pin n working in slot n¹ of lever N, and a clamping screw N
to clamp the lever N upon its pivot block, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
22nd. A button hole attachment for a sewing machine provided with an
adjustable throat plate for attaching the button hole attachment to sewing
machines having different widths of throat guides substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
23rd. In a button hole attachment for a sewing machine, a throat plate secured
to the under side of the attachment, and provided with suitable means substantially
as set forth to adjust its width to fit different widths of throat guides of sewing
machines, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
24th. In a button hole attachment for a sewing machine a throat plate secured
to the under side of the attachment and formed with spring edges whereby it is
adjustable as to its width substantially as and for the purpose specified.
25th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of a
reciprocating cloth clamp and its support, a rotating cam supporting feed wheel,
having a radial guide, an adjustable cam to operate said clamp support secured to
said wheel and adjustable on said guide, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
26th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines the combination of a
reciprocating cloth clamp and its support, a rotating cam supporting wheel, an
adjustable cam to operate said clamp support secured to said wheel adjustable on
said guide a clamping nut having fits screw thread right or left handed to corre-
spond to the direction of rotation of the feed wheel to hold said cam in a fixed
position upon the guides and admit of it and the feed wheel being turned to set
the cam without loosening it, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
27th. In a button hole attachment for sewing machines, the combination of the
cloth clamp and its reciprocating support with an intermittently rotating feed
wheel, a guide extending therefrom, an adjustable cam having a slot to fit upon
said guide, a clamp terminating in a handle or thumb piece to secure said cam in
a fixed position upon said guide and provide means for operating the cam by hand,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 5th day of November 1886