US1373227A

US1373227A - Button-sewing machine

Info

Publication number: US1373227A
Application number: US142413A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert F Fifield
Original assignee: Singer Co
Current assignee: Singer Co
Priority date: 1917-01-15
Filing date: 1917-01-15
Publication date: 1921-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 1938-03-29

Description

A. F. FIFIELD.

BUTTON SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mm JAN-15.1917.

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEEI l.

/ TTORNEY A. F. FIFIELD.

BUTTON SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-15.1917. 1,373,227, Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

INVENTO R BY I q W W3 ATTORNEY A. F. FIFIELD.

BUITON SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15, I917.

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 3.

ATTORNEY entree sraras arena orrrcao ALBERT 1E. FIFIELD, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, 'ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BUTTON-SEWING MACHINE.

saaeea.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2Q, 1921.

Application filed January 15, 1917. Serial No. 142,413.

and useful Improvements in Button-Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates broadly to a sewing machine having a stop mechanism for arresting its operation after a predetermined number of stitches have been made. Machines of this type are usually employed for buttonholing or barring or for sewing articles such as buttons to a garment and the configuration of the stitches is predetermined by a worlnclamping mechanism having suitable jogging or traveling movements imparted thereto from a controller cam.

An object of my invention is to equip machines of this type with implements insuring the formation of stitches, insuring their formation as tight at the beginning as at the end of a cycle of operations, and insuring the severance'of the thread-ends close to the under side of the body-fabric, thereby increasing the durability as well as enhancing the appearance of the finished product.

It is concerned with a machine for performing these functions which will be simple but reliable in action; reliable in severing the thread and reliable in holding the severed end of the thread so that subsequently formed stitches will be tight. It is further concerned with the amount of thread used and aims to consume as little as possible while attaining certainty of operation.

In its preferred construction the machine 7 is provided beneath the throat-plate with a the movable shear-blade, is slightly to the rear of the edge of the nipper. The bellcrank 1s actuated from a slide-rod extendlng parallel with the looper-shaft below the bed-plate of the machine and actuated by a lever pivoted above the bed-plate adjacent the controller-cam from peripheral projections on which the said nipper detalner and movable shear-blade are advanced in a two-stage movement at the beginning of the sewing operation and the nipper and movable shear-blade are retracted after a few stitches have been made. lhe first stage of the above mentioned movement engages a thread-detainer loosely with the thread end which has been pulled through the work by the looper during the first reciprocation of the needle and deflects it to one side across the cutting edge of a ledgerblade fixed to the throat-plate and underlying both the nipper and movable shear-blade which have been advanced at the same time, the nipper having a notch for positioning the needle-thread preliminary to its being gripped. The second stage of movement further advances the nipper, detainer and knife simultaneously to effect a gripping of the beginning end of the thread against the. throat-plate followed immediately by a severance and seizure of the extreme end of the thread by the movable shear-blade and detainerrespectively, the latter gripping the waste end of thread against the fixed shear-r blade. After enough stitches have been made to anchor the beginning end of the thread the nipper and movable shear-blade are returned to their starting position, the detainer, however, continuing to hold the waste end of the thread clear of the subsequent stitching throughout a cycle of operations being then returned to starting position as hereinafter described. The second cutting mechanism, in the form of a knife, is carried by a bellcrank-lever which is actuated through a slide-bar located beneath the bed-plate by the overthrow of the stop mechanism with which the machine is provided. The overthrow advances the knife against the limb of thread leading to the material and severs it close thereto and the usual return of the stop mechanism to its normal vertical position returns the knife to starting position. When the knife is advanced to sever the thread thethread-end detainer is returned to starting position.

While the invention is applicable to machines of various types it is particularly adaptable to single chain-stitch machines for attaching articles to a body-fabrlc and 1s therefore shown herein embodied in a. singlethread chain-stitch machine for sewing on buttons.

The invention further consists in certain details of constructionwhich will appear in the following description of the devlce shown in the accompanying drawings,.1n which Figure 1 is a rear side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View of the machine the parts being shown in starting position; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are vlews of the T-lever and the throat-plate with the nipper, movable shear-blade, detainer and knife shown in the relative positions they occupy during their first, second and return stages of movement; Figs. 6 and 7 are spective views of the detainer and the bellcrank-lever supporting the nipper and movable shear-blade'; Fig. 8 is a perspective V ew of apin-block; Fig. 9 shows the mechanism with the thread as it appears at the completion of the second stage of movement after it has been nipped against the throatplate; F ig. 10 is a perspective vlew of the throat-plate showing the nipper and movable shear-blade in the position mentioned in Fig- 9;and Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the knife for cutting the thread from the pp y- The invention is. shown applied to a chainstitch machine having a needle 1 and cooperating under thread mechanism consisting of a non-thread carrying looper 2 and a needle-guard 3. The needle-thread passes from the supply through a constant tension,

device 4 to a clamp 5 which grips the thread when the needle-bar eye 6, constituting a take-up immediately adjacent the clamp, acts to set the stitch. The clamp 5 is intermittently actuated by a cam 7 on the needlebar operating shaft 8 through a plunger-pin 9 in a manner well understood in the art.

The construction and operation of the looper 2 and loop-h0lding spur 10 are fully set forth in prior Patents Nos. 1,147,386 and 1,153,429, issued July 20, 1915 and September 14, 1915, respectively and reference may be had thereto for a full understanding of the same as specifically they form no part of the present lnvention and therefore require no detailed description.

A Work-clamping mechanism 11 to which suitable jogging movements are imparted from a controller-cam 12, may be employed to hold an article such as a button. While any suitable adjusting mechanism for eliminating one of the component movements of the work-clamping mechanism and thereby changing from a four-hole to a two-hole button may be used, such being old expe dients in the art, that shown-in the drawings at 13 is preferred and the construction thereof is fully described in my pending applica- 'tion Serial No. 100,804, filed May 31, .1916.

The elements acting upon the beginning end of the needle-thread at the commencement of a cycle of operations comprise a nipper 19, a-"m'ovable shear-blade 20 an'da detainer 40, all of which are constructed preferably of sprin steel, are located below the throat-plate o the machine, and are actuated. solely from projections on the periphery of the controller-cam excepting the return movement of the detainer to starting position which return movement is governed by the overthrow of a suitable stopping mechanism.

As shown in Fig. 10, there is pivoted on a stud 15 depending from within a shallow recess 16 in the throat-plate 16 and bored at 15' to receive a ivot pin 142 to be described later, a bellcr'ani; 14 provided with a seat 17 in which are secured by a screw 18 the nipper 19 and the movable shear-blade 20 in superimposedrelation. The nipper is arranged next to the throat-plate against which it grips the thread, while the movable shear-blade lies below the nipper with its cutting edge 21 slightly to the rear of a notch 22 in thenipper. A fixed ledger-blade 23 is adjustably secured to the throat-plate by means of a screw 24 and slot 25 and extends'in the direction in which the nipper and movable blade are moved. Thisfixed ledger-blade is provided with a shearing edge 26 (Fig. 9) for cooperation with the cutting edge of the movable blade and itis also provided with an extension 27 which underlies both the nipper and the movable blade, being adapted to augment the spring pressure of the nipper and movable blade upward against the lower face of the throatplate. A pin or friction roll 28, see Fig. 3, carried by one end of the bellcrank 14 is engaged by the forked end 30 of an arm 31 clamped by screw 32 to a slide-rod 33 ar- 0 ranged below thebed-plate of the machine. The opposite end of the slide-rod is pinned at 34,'see Fig. 1, to the vertical leg 35' of a lever 35 which rocks in a vertical plane about a fulcrum screw 36 in a bracket 37 secured on the upper face of the bed-plate in juxtaposition to the periphery of the controller-cam 12. The lever 35 is T-shaped, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and its fulcrum lies substantially at the junction of the vertical leg with the two offset

horizontal arms

35 and 35, which are inclined upwardly from the fulcrum of the lever. Fixed to the vertical leg 35' of the T-lever below the cloth-plate is a pin 135 adapted to engage the convex surface of a bow S in a flat spring S adjustably secured to the clothplate in any suitable manner as indicated at S. By this means the slide-rod 33 is held against movement excepting when positively actuated by cams operating upon the arms 35? and 35 of the T-lever. These cams or projections indicated at A and B and arslide-rod and actuating the nipper and movable shear-blade. It will be noticedFigs. 3, 4 and 5-that a cam A is formed with an incline A which merges into a concentric dwell portion A at the end of which is a shoulder A", while cam B has only one beveled or inclined face B. The former moves the vertical leg of the T-lever to advance the nipper and movable blade in two stages while the latter moves the leg back to return them in a single stage movement to starting.

position. The cams A and B are adjustably secured to the controller-cam 12 by any suitable means such as the old and common slot and screw indicated at 38.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 6 a detainer 40 is clamped by a' screw 41 to the short arm 42 of an L-shaped lever 42 which is pivoted by a pin 142 intermediate the ends of its long arm 42 coaXially with the bellcrank 14 carrying the nipper and movable blade. At the free end of the lon arm 42 a pin 42 is mounted to frictionadly rub against the crook 43 formed in a flat spring 44 adjustably secured in an suitable manner to the frame of the machine, preferably, as shown, by the clip angle 45, slot and screw 46. As shown most clearly in Figs. 35 the detainer is moved in one direction, by a depending lug 14 carried by the bellcrank 14 and engaging the long arm 42 of the L-shaped lever 42, when the bellcrank is actuated to advance the nipper and movable shearblade at the beginning of a cycle of operations. It is moved in the opposite direction, from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 2, by a bulge or enlargement 47 adjacent the bifurcated end 48 of a slidebar 49 when the latter isreciprocated by the overthrow of a stop mechanism at the end of a cycle of operations, the said bulge or enlargement swiping a second pin 42" fixed to the long arm of the L-shaped lever 42 carrying. the detainer.

A single element acts on the finishing end of the needle-thread at the close of a cycle of operations. This element, a knife, severs the thread from the supply. The knifeblade 50, Fig. 11, is L-shaped and its cutting edge 50' is formed on a depending flange 50 at its free end while its opposite end is suitably secured to a bellcrank-lever 51 pivoted on a pin 52Fig. 8-extending up wardly from block 52 which is fixedly secured to the throat-plate by means of a clamp-screw 52 passed through the hole 53 therein, said pin being steadied by fitting it to a hole 54 also in the throat-plate Fig.

10. A pin'55, carried by the end of the bellcrank-lever 51 opposite to that to which the knife is secured, is embraced by the bifurcation 48 in the bent end of the slide-bar 49 which is slidably supported in suitable guideways 56 on the bottom of the bed-plate of the machine. This slide-bar is reeiprocated by the overthrow of a stop mechanism.

The stop mechanism with which the machine is provided is arranged at the rear end of the machine. Such devices are old. and well known, thatshown being similar in its essentials to the construction shown in patent to Barron, No. 1,093,241, of April 14, 1914. As is well known, when one of several tripping points, not shown, engages a latchlever 61, Fig. 1, during the last descent of the needle, a vibratory lever 62 pivoted at 63 is released by said latch-lever and allowed to move under the action of a flat spring 64 in a direction to carry its upper end, in which is contained a spring-pressed plunger 65, into engagement with a stop-cam 66 on the needle-bar operating shaft 8. The vibratory lever 62 is confined yieldingly against one of the spaced flanges 67 of the bracket 68 by means of a transverse plunger-rod 69 pocketed in the socket bearing boss 70 containing a butter-spring, not shown. When the plunger 65 is engaged with the stop-cam 66 to lock the machine against further rotation the momentum of the moving parts is taken up and the jar reduced by the transverse plungerrod 69 and buffer-spring which permit an overthrow of the stopping mechanism. This overthrow, as before mentioned, imparts a horizontal reciprocation to theslide-bar 49, through the bellcrank 49' pivoted at 49 below the bed-plate, and thereby actuates the knife to cut the thread from the supply at the end of a cycle of operations and simultaneously returns the detainer to its initial starting position. The knife of course is returned to its initial position by the action of the buflenspring in righting the vibratory lever 62.

From the foregoing description of the device the operation will be obvious. During the first reciprocation of the needle, the thread end is pulled through to the under side of the work-plate'by the rotating looper. As the needle completes its first upward reciprocation the horizontal arm 35 of the T-lever engages the incline A of a cam A and imparts the first stage of movement to the nipper and movable shear-blade, the detainer 40 being compelled to move therewith by the lug 14 carried by the bellcrank. EITQhe parts then are in the positions shown in The hooked end of the detainer defines a recess 40 which is slightly larger than that in the nipper but is in substantial registration therewith. As these members partake of their first stage of movement the hook of the detainer deflects the beginning end of the thread to one side of the path of the needle and this deflection together withv a diagonal jogging movement of the work ho1ding mechanism insures the loose inclosure or confinement of the thread on all sides by the edge of the needle-hole 16" in the throat-plate and by the recess 22 in the nipper preliminary to a gripping o eration which is thereby rendered certain o accomplishment. The first stage of movement given the nipper, movable blade and detainer is completed shortly after the needle starts down on its second descent. The needle completes its. second descent and rises and the thread below the throat-plate is pulled up by the action of the take-up and intermittent thread-clamp 5 so as to leave an end about i of an inch long. When the needle is about-i of an inch from the end of its second up-stroke, the shoulder A of a cam A engages the horizontal arm 35 of the T-lever and imparts the second stage of movement to the bell crank 14 thereby causing the nipper 19 to grip the thread against the throat-plate and, mmediately thereafter or substantially simultaneously, the movable shear-blade 20 and detainer 40 cooperate with the fixed ledger-blade to cut and hold the surplus length of the thread end. The parts at this time are in the relative position shown in Fig. 4. When the thread is nipped or just before that time the intermittent clamp 5 is opened. After sufiicient stitches have been formed to anchor the thread, and there is no further reason for holding the end thereof, the nipper and movable blade are returned to starting position bythe incline B of cam B WhlCh is engaged with the other arm 35 to rock the T-lever in the o posite direction thereby returning the sl ide-rod 33 connected with the bellcrank 14 to its normal orstarting position. In the present instance the return of the nipper and the movable shear-blade to starting position occurs during the fourth upward movement of the needle. The detainer 40, it is to be noticed, is not moved back with the nipper and blade as clearly appears in the relative position of the parts shown in Fig. 5. It is returned to starting position at the end of a cycle of operations when the pin 42" carried by the detainer supporting lever is swiped by the enlarged bifurcated end 48 of the slide-bar 49 and this swiping occurs when the slide-bar is actuated b the overthrow of the stop mechanism. Simultaneously with the return of the detainer the slide-bar 49, connected to the knife 50 by the pin 55 carried by the bellcrank-lever 51, also engages the knife with the work limb of the needle-loop on the rotating looper which it severs close up to the material.

The above description relates to the construction its preferred form but certain features thereof are obviously capable of variation without departure from my present conce tion of the broad underly ng invention. t will be obvious that the detainer for instance could be dispensed with entirely for certain classes of work in which it would be immaterial if the surplus end of thread becameentangled' in the stitches and marred the appearance of the product. In short it is to be distinctly understood that I do not wish my invention to be limited excepting as indicated by the definition of the invention in the claims.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I-claim herein is 1. In a sewing machine making a predetermined number of stitches at an operation, a throat-plate, means for nipping the beginning end of a thread against said throatplate, means for cutting said end comprising a ledger-blade carried by the throat-plate, a eoacting blade carried by the nipping means, and an independently operated cutter for severing said thread at the end of the stitching operation.

2. Ina sewing machine, automatic means for nipping a t read at the beginning of a stitching operation, separate cutting means carried by the thread-nipping means, and independently operated automatic means for cutting the thread at the end of the stitching operation.

3. In a sewing machine making a predetermined number of stitches in a prescribed path, in combination, means for nipping and cutting the thread durin the first part of the operation of the machine and for detaining the cut-off portion, means for cutting the thread at the end of the operation of the machine, and means for pulling up the thread before it is nipped to prevent waste.

4. In a sewing machine, in combination,

means operating upon the beginning end of the thread to deflect, nip and cut it, and to detain the cut-0E portlon and additional cutting means operating to sever the thread from the supply after a stitching operation has been completed.

5. In a sewing machine, means for successively deflecting, nipping and severing the thread at the beginning of a sewing operation and for detaining the free end of the thread, means for releasing said free end at the end of a predetermined interval, and means for severing the thread at the end of the sewing operation.

6. In a sewing machine, means for successively deflecting, nipping and severing the thread at the beginning of a sewing operation and for detaining the free end of the thread, and means for releasing said free end and again severing the thread at the end of a predetermined interval.

7 In a sewing machine, thread-deflecting, nipping, cutting and detaining means, a

neraaaa detain the end of the thread after it has been out 01f to keep it clear of subsequently formed stitches.

9. In a sewing machine, means for nipping and cutting the beginning end of the needle-thread, in'combination with a detainer acting upon the beginning end of the thread to deflect it before and detain it' after it has been cut off, and means for severing the finishing end of the thread from the supply.

10. In a sewing machine having a throatplate, a nipper for nipping the needle-thread end against the throat-plate at the beginning of a sewing operation, in combination with means for controlling the needle -thread mounted above the throat-plate and comprising a take-up, a tension, and a clamp arranged to grip the thread on the supply side of but immediately adjacent the take-up whereby stretching of the needle-thread is materially diminished :and a tight stitch formed.

11. In a sewing machine having a throat plate, a nipper mounted for movement below and nipping the thread against the throatplate, a blade movable with the nipper and a ledger-blade cooperating with the movable blade and having a projecting finger yieldingly pressing the nipper and blade against the throat-plate whereby the needle-thread end may be held and out immediately adj a cent the stitching point.

12. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including a reciprocating needle and a cooperating nonthread carrying looper and work-clamping mechanism having suitable jogging movements, of a free thread-end detainer, a nipper, and cutting mechanism all located below the throat-plate and operating upon the beginning end of the needle-thread during the formation of the first few stitches.

13. A thread-cutting mechanism for sewing machines comprising a throatplate, a thread-nipper coacting therewith, coacting cutter-blades carried by the throat-plate and nipper, and a thread-detainer coacting with one of said blades.

14. A thread-cutting mechanism for sewing machines comprising a throat-plate, and a simultaneous movable nipper, cutter and severed thread-end detainer carried in superposed relation by said'throat-plate.

15. A. thread-cutting mechanism for sewing machines comprislng a thread-nipper, a cutter and a severed thread-end 'detainer, means for moving said parts forwardly, means for retracting said nipper and cutter after a predetermined interval, and means for retracting said detainer after a further interval.

16. In a'sewing machine having a recessed throat-plate, movable nipping and shearing members mounted in said recess for gripping and severing the beginning end of the needle-thread, said nipping member being located between the shearing member and said throat-plate, and fixed relatively to the former.

17. In a sewing machine having a throatplate, means for nipping the beglnning end of the needle-thread and indepen ent means for shearing said end of the thread, said shearing means being provided with a tongue for yieldingly pressing the nipper agalnst the throat-plate with which the machine is provided.

18. In a sewing machine having a throatplate in combination, a spring nipper bearing against the throat-plate, a movable blade movable therewith, a fixed blade cooperating with the movable blade to shear the thread, saidfixed blade having a spring tongue underlying said nipper and said movable blade. i

19. In a sewing machine, means for gripping the beginning end of a thread at spaced points, means for severing said thread between said points, and means for successively releasing said gripping means.

20. In a sewing machine, means for gripping the beginning end of the needle-thread at two spaced points and means for severing the thread therebetween.

21. In a sewin machine, means for gripping the beginning end of the thread at spaced points consisting of a nipper and a detainer, and a thread-guiding notch on one of said parts.

22. In a sewing machine, means for gripping the beginning end of the thread at spaced points consisting of a nipper and a detainer, and means for severing the thread between the nipper and detainer.

23. In a sewing machine, means for gripping the beginning end of the needlethread at spaced points at substantially the same time, and means for successively releasing said gripping means.

24. In a sewing machine, means for gripping the beginning end of the needle-thread at two spaced points at substantially the same time, and means for severing thread between said points.

25. In a sewing machine, a throat-plate, and means located on one side thereof for substantially simultaneously gripping the beginning end of the needle-thread at spaced points consisting of a nipper anda detainer.

26. In a sewing machine, means for substantially simultaneously gripping the beginning end of the needle-thread at two spaced points consisting of a nipper and detainer, and means for severing the thread between said points.

27. In a sewing machine, means for grip- -the needle-thread at spaced points, means for severing the thread therebetween, and means for severing the thread from the supply.

29. In a sewing machine, means for gripping the beginning end of the needle-thread at spaced points, means for shearing the thread between said points, and means for severing the thread from the supply after the stitching operation has been completed.

30. In a sewing machine, means for simultaneously gripping the beginning end of the needle-thread at spaced points, means for shearing the thread between said points, and means for severing the thread from the supply after the stitching operation has been completed.

31. In a single-thread chain-stitch machine having -a needle and cooperative under-thread handling mechanism, means for intermittently clamping the needle-thread,

means for taking up the needle-thread arranged to operate upon the thread between the needle and clamp, in combination with means located below the throat-plate for nipping the needle-thread during the second reciprocation of the needle and after the needle-thread end has been pulled up close to the under side of the throat-plate.

'32. In a button sewing machine having a throat-plate, a reciprocating needle and co operating under-thread handling mechanism, a work-clamp, in combination, a nipper for gripping the needle-thread against the throat-plate and a cutting mechanism carried by the nipper for severing the beginning end of the needle-thread close to the under side of the work, a main-shaft, and common means driven therefrom for actuating said nipper and said work-clamp. 33. In a button sewing machine having a throat-plate, a reciprocating needle and cooperating under-thread handling mechanism, a work-clamp, in combination, a nipper for gripping the needle-thread against the throat-plate and a cutting mechanism in superposed relation to said nipper for severing the beginning end of the needle-thread close to the under side of the imam? work, a main-shaft, and a common means driven by said main-shaft for actuating the work-clamp, the nipper and the cutting mechanism.

34. In a sewing machine having a needle and cooperating underthread handling mechanism, a throat-plate, and a main driving shaft, the combination of a work-clamp, a nipper, a cutting mechanism in superposed relat on to said nlpper for severing the beginning end of the thread, common means driven by said main-shaft for actuating the work-clamp, the nipper and the cutting mechanism, a stop mechanism, and a knife actuated thereby to sever the thread from the su ply.

35. n a sewing machine having a needle and cooperating under thread handling mechanism, a throat-plate, and a main driving shaft, the combination of a Work-clamp, a nipper, a cutting mechanism for severing the beginning end of the thread, common means driven by said main-shaft for actuating the w0rk-clamp, the nipper and the cutting mechanism, a stop mechanism, a cutter actuated thereby to sever the thread from the supply, and a detainer movable forward with the nipper to grip the thread and movable backward to starting position by said stopping mechanism.

36. In a button sewing machine having a needle, cooperating under thread mechanism and a throat-plate, the combination of a nipper, a movable shear-blade and a detainer arranged so that their thread-engaging portions are movable in a plane substantially parallel with the throat-plate, and a fixed ledger-blade with a shearing edge in a plane dling mechanism, a throat-plate, a workclamp, and a controller-cam for imparting suitable movements thereto, the combination of a nipper and a blade carried thereby located adjacent the throat-plate, said controller-cam being provided with suitable cam-faces for advancing said nipper and blade at the beginning of a sewing operation whereby the beginning end of the thread may be gripped and severed during the formation of the first few stitches.

38. In a sewing machine, in combination, a nipper and a shearing mechanism for gripping and severing the beginning end of the needle-thread, common means for actuating said nipper and shearing mechanism, and a detainer for gripping the free end of thread beyond the point where it is severed, said detainer being moved by said nipper to grip the thread end, and means for moving said detainer backward to starting position.

39. In a sewing machine, in combination,

aevaaav a nipper and a shearing mechanism for gripping and severing the beginning end of the needle-thread, common means for actuating said nipper and shearing mechanism, and a detainer for gripping the free end of thread means for advancing said nipping and sev-v ering means in two stages at the beginning of a sewing operation to thereby during the first stage of advance deflect the free end of thread to one side of the needle-path and control it durin the second reciprocation of the needle an during the second stage of advance to grip and sever the thread.

41. In a sewing machine having a needle and cooperating lower-thread handling mechanism, means in fixed relation to each other for nipping and severing the needlethread, and means for advancing said nipping and severing means in two stages at the beginning of a sewing operation whereby durin the first-stage of advance the free end 0 thread is deflected to one side of the needle-path and during the second stage of advance it is gripped and severed, the two stages of advance occurring during the first and second reciprocations of the needle respectively.

42. In a sewing machine, a needle and (30- operating under-thread handling mechanism, a work-clamp, a controller-cam for imparting suitable jogging movements to said work-clamp, in combination with a nipper and a shearing device having a movable blade both operating upon the beginning end of thread during the formation of the first few stitches, said nipper and said movable blade being actuated by said controller-cam, and connections between said controller-cam and said nipper and movable blade including a plural-armed lever for effecting a two-sta e advance and a singlestage return of t e nipper and blade.

43. In a sewing machine, a needle and 00- operating under-thread handling mechanism, a work-clamp, a controller-cam for impartin suitable jogging movements to said wor r-clamp, projections on said cam,

in combination with a nipper and a shearing mechanism having a movable blade both operating upon the beginning end of thread during the formation of the first few stitches, said nipper and said movable blade being actuated by said controller-cam, and connections between said controller-cam and said nipper and movable blade including a plural-armed lever cooperating with said projections on the cam for efiecting a twostage advance and a single-stage return of the nipper and blade.

434. n a sewing machine, a needle and cooperating under-thread handling mechanism, a work-clamp, a controller-cam for imparting suitable jogging movements to said work-clamp, in combination with a nipper and a shearing mechanism having a movable blade both operating upon the beginning end of thread during the formation of the first few stitches, said nipper and said movable blade being actuated by said controller-cam, and connections between said controller-cam and said nipper and movable blade including a plural-armed lever for effecting a two-stage advance and a singlestage return of the nipper and blade, a stop mechanism and a knife actuated thereby to sever the thread from the supply.

45. In a sewing machine, a needle and cooperating under-thread handling mechanism, a work-clamp, a controller-cam for imparting suitable jogging movements to said work-clamp, in comlbination with a nipper and a shearing mechanism having a movable blade both operating upon the beginning end of thread during the formation of the first few stitches, said nipper and said movable blade being actuated by said controller-cam, and connections between said controller-cam and said nipper and movable blade including a plural-armed lever for effecting a two-stage advance and a singlestage return of the nipper and blade, a detainer for gripping the extreme end of the thread, a stop mechanism, a knife actuated thereby to sever the thread from the supply, said knife being provided with means for engaging the detainer whereby it maybe returned to normal starting position by the movement of said knife in severing the thread.

46. In a single-thread chain-stitch machine for sewing on buttons having a needle and cooperating under-thread handling mechanism, a work-clamp, a controller-cam for imparting suitable jogging movements to said work-clamp and having beveled projections, in combination with a nipper, a shearing mechanism including a movable blade, a thread-detainer, and a knife, connections between said controller-cam and said nipper and movable blade, including a plural-armed lever, a separable connection between said nipper and said detainer, a stop mechanism, and a knife actuated thereby to sever the thread from the supply, said knife in its advance to sever the thread being adapted to return said detainer to starting position,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT F. FIFIELD.