US69671A - Improvement in sewing-machines for working button-holes - Google Patents

Description

' Sewing- Machmes 5 IjTNrrnD PATENT Orrron EDMUND HOWARD, OF FLUSHING, AND w YORK, N. Y.

' JACKSON, o r New Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 69,671, dated October 8, 1867.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDMUND HOWARD, of Flushing, in the county of Queens and State of New York, and WILLIAM H. JAoKsON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and ,Improved Attachment to and that the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyin g drawings, hereinafterreferred to,forms a full and exact specification of the same,

wherein we have set forth the nature and principles of our said improvements, by which our invention may be distinguished from all others of a similar class, together with suchparts as we claim and desire to have secured to us by Letters Patent.

The present invention relates to an attachment for sewing-machines, andfor that class of such machines more particularly known as Ythe shuttle-machines, or those in which two threads are employed to form the stitch, the object and purpose of the attachment being to producel a button-hole stitch, so called, along and over the edge of the goods or materials as it is being sewed therein.

The invention consists of an attachment having its several parts so constructed and arranged asto Operate, in connenction'with the forward and backward movement of the shuttle in the machine, and of the needle through the cloth or material, to take up the slack of the: thread at the heel of the shuttle, just previous or at the time the ordinary shuttle-stitch has been completed, and to carry it forward upon the under side ofthe clothto its edge, andthence up and around such edge to and Aover the upper side of the cloth, in time for the next downward movement of the needle to pass through the loop of the shuttle-thread which is thus formed, and there secure such loop, completing the button-hole stitch in the goods, while the downward movement of the needle continuing, in connection with the forward movement of theshuttlc, (which, as the button-hole stitch was being formed, as above described,

has moved back to its original positioll) the next shuttle-stitch is formed, and in `combination therewith, as before, the slack of the shuttle-thread at the heel of l the shuttle again taken and made to form a button hole stitch, by

drawing it to the edge, and up and around it to the upper side of the cloth, as before, and so on as long as the machine is properly operated.

In the accompanying plate" of drawings our improved attachment is illustrated, Figure l being a plan or top view of the attachment secured to and in its place upon the machine; Fig. 2, a vertical section taken in the plane of theline e x, Fig. l; Fig. 3, a transverse section taken in the plane of the line y y, Fig. l Fig. 4, a plan.` or top view of the bed-plate to the machine, with our attachment detached and the shuttle-way open; Fig. 5, an edge or side view of the attachment, and Fig. 6 a view showing stitch greatly enlarged and spread.

A in the drawings represents the bed or platform of the machine, which platform is supported upon legs B at each corner, and on it are to be arranged, in the ordinary manner, the devices and parts common to any of the shuttle-machines, or those in which two threads are employed to form the stitch; G, the way in bed or platform A for the play ofthe shuttle; D, the shuttle, and D2 its carrier; E, the feedu wheel, and F the groove in bed-plate H, where the ordinary throat-plate to the machine is inserted. In the groove for the throat-plate to the machine, after such plate has been removed, the plate H, carrying the attachment embraced by this invention, is inserted and secured by set-screws I, or in any other proper manner which will allow of its ready attachment, and of its removal when so desired, this plate H extending' across and over the shuttleway C of the machine.

To and on the plate H are arranged the parts or mechanical devices to be now described, which, in connection with the forming of the shuttle-stitch by the needle and shuttle, as in ordinary sewing-machines of that class, operate to form the button-hole stitch desired, the plate H being suitably constructed to receive such parts, and with a throat or opening', a, for the needle to pass down through it to the shuttle-way below. I?, a narrow slide arran ged in a slot, J, of the plate H, which slot extends from the throat .a of such plate in a direction back of the same, and in a line at right angles to the movement of the shuttle in the machine. This slide extends under the throat to the plate H, and through such extension a throat or opening, b, is made, corre spending in position to the plate-throat, and forming a continuation thereof when under the same. K, a lever or arm, hung by one end on a fulorum-pin, c, at the rear or farther end of the slide, and to its upper side, from which it extends toward the platethroat n, and, when not in operation or at rest, lies in a groove made in the upper face of such plate, extending by its extreme end L, which is made of a hook shape, under the throat to the attachment-plate,between it and the throat in the slide l2; M, a rightangularshaped lever, hun g at its angle, N,to a fulcrum-pin upon the under side ot' the attachment-plate H. The longer arm O of this lever M is hung, by its slot d, upon a pin or stud, f, ot' the slide I, while to the outer end of its shorter arm I is connected one end of a spring, Q, that at its other is fixed to the upper side ot' the plate or attaclnnent-holder Il. g, a pin secured in one side of hook-lever K, at or near its tail or fulcrum end, which pin, as the slide to which such lever is attached is moved backward, plays under the horizontal arm R, secured by its slot Il and a set-screw, S, to the top of the holder-plate, and against the under side of such arm, until, at its issue from the open end I of the same, it passes up and upon the aised lip or edge T, secured by a slot and set-screw, as has been described for the arm lt, to the plate H, both the arm 1t and lip T extending in a direction parallel to that in which the slide moves, and forming a continuation, as it were, of each other.

In continuation of slot J for slide l2, another slide, U, is arranged to move between the rear or tail end of said slide lZ and cross bar or piece Y to plate or holder H. To the upper side of this slide U a lever or arm, W, is hung, which arm extends forward toward the throat (l of the holder, and has secured in its socket X, by set-screw m, a needle or piece ot' steel, Y, split from its outer end in the direction and for a portion of its length. Z, a raised rib or bridge, secured, by slot and setscrew on plate H, in position for the lever, having split needle, as it is carried forward and backward, to move over the same, and thus to swing the said lever upon its fulcrum; A2, a lug or projection on under side of slide U, carrying split needle, through which lug such slide is operated, as will be hereinafter described; B2, a spring, connected with slide U, to throw or draw back the same at'ter operation; D4, a slotted plate, seein-ed by setscrews E2 to upper side of shuttle-carriage D2, which plate has a raised lip, E, provided at one end with a bent spring, F2, the said lip and its bent spring, as the shuttle-carriage moves forward and backward in the shuttleway, produein g the operation of the parts composing our improved attachment hereinabove described.

le will now describe the manner of using the attaclnnent, as well as its operation with a shuttle sewing-machine of the Singer manufacture, so known:

First, remove the throat-plate ot' the ma chine; when in its place, secure, by means of screws L, the holder or plate H, carrying the working mechanism, in the relative posi tion shown; then adjust the feed-wheel to a height corresponding with the attachment, and having the machine otherwise adjusted, it is ready for sewing the button-hole desired by properly bringing and subjecting its edge to the action ot' the sewing mechanism, or, in other words, for the needle to pass through it and form the stitch, which, so far as it relates to the shuttle-stitch, is the same as if the attach' ment were not in place upon the machine; but with oui attachment, in addition to the shuttlestitch, the thread from the shuttle is made to form what is known as a button-hole stitch,7 or, in other words, carried around the edge ot' the buttoirhole by means ot' the hook and split levers acting the one after the other, the hook-lever trst taking the slack thread at the heel ot' the shuttle, at or near the completion of its forward movement, and carrying it up therefrom into the split needle or lever, where, leaving it as the shuttle moves backward, it is carried by such needle around the edge of the cloth to its upper side, in position thereon for thc needle, as it again. descends, to pass into the loop of the thread thus formed, and there secure and hold it, while thc split needle withdraws and comes to its proper position to again receive the sliuttle-threzul, for again carrying it around and over thc edge of thc button-hole, as before, and so on as long as the machine may be run or kept in motion.

The hook -lever thread-carrier is operated by the abutment ofthe end L3 of thelip E4 to thel shuttle-carrier against the short arm ot' thc lever, connected with the said tln'cad-carricr, as the shuttle moves forward, which causes the said hook to be drawn a-way from the throat ofthe attachment, while, at the same time, by its pin g moving over theraiscd edge T ofthe holder-plate H, it is made to rise or lift sufficiently to bring the thread carried by it into the split needle or lever, when, thel shuttle-lip having passed by the said arm to the lever, the hook-lever is then thrown back to its original position under the throat to the plate H by the action of its spring Q.

The split needle, upon the backward movement ofthe slnittle-carrier, is actuated by thc spring of the lip formed upon such carrier, as in the backward movement ot' such carrier it presses against the side ot' the lug attached to the under side of the slide carrying such split needle, and causes such slide to be moved forward, and consequently its split needle, and when the said lip has passed by the lug of the split-needle slide the spring B2, connected with such slide, throws or draws it back to its original position for the next movement ofthe hook-shaped thread-carrier.

In the sewing of the button-holes, in order to hold the button-hole `.Open while being sewed,l a raisedcover, H4, is hung to they attachment, in such manner that when closed over it, it will form a rest for the opposite edge of the button-hole to that on which the needle is operating, above the plane of such edge, and thereby hold the same open or away therefrom sufficiently to prevent any interference with the needle movement.

Inlig. 6 the stitch made by our improved attachment is shown on an enlarged and somewhat open form, one representation of the thread being that from the shuttle, and the other that from the needle.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination ofthe hook-lever or needle K and split lever or needle Y, or their respective equivalents, both acting, the one after the other, to carry the thread from the substantially as and for the purpose described'.

The above specication of our invention signed by us this 21st day of February, 1867 EDMUND HOWARD. W. H. JACKSON.

Witnesses WM. F. MCNAMARA, ALBERT W. BROWN.

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