US2405253A - Buttonhole attachment for sewing machines - Google Patents

Description

4 ug. G, 34. J. HICKEY 2,4@,253

I BUTTONHDLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 13, 1944 3'Sheets$heet l INVENTOR JAMES HICKEY ATTORNEYS 9 H J. HIICKEY I BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1944 INVENTOR ,HLCKEY ATTORNEYS Aug. 6, 1946. J K Y I V 2,465,253

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 13, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Egg MW Ill INVENTOR JAMES HICKEY ATTQRNEYS Patented Aug. 6, 1946 UNITED STATES FATENT caries nU'r'roNnoLn ATTACHMENTFOR sE WiNG MACHINES James Hickey, Portland, Oreg. Application November 13, 1944, Serial No. 563,221

6 Claims. (01. 112-47) This invention relates to devices adapted to perform the necessary stitching in the finishing of buttonholes.

More specifically, this invention relates to removable buttonhole attachments suitable for use with an ordinary sewing machine.

Buttonhole attachments equipped to perform zig-zag stitching around a buttonhole are more or less common. However, I have found that a fault with a number of devices of this type is that they do not provide for double length zigzag stitches at the ends of the hole or slit in the cloth. Such double length stitches are desirable for reinforcingthe ends of the buttonhole and for preventing the buttonhole from stretching or tearing. Such double length stitching is provided for in some of the special buttonhole machines but these involve quite complicated mechanism and are generally not mere ate tachments for ordinary sewing machines.

The object of this invention is to provide means for performing such double length end stitching with a simple buttonhole attachment, suitable for use with ordinary sewing machines, whenever such double length stitching is desired.

A further object is to control the double length stitching, so that it may or may not be performed, and also arrange to have the double length stitching performed automatically when desired.

An additional object of this invention is to provide for such improvement in a simple, practical and inexpensive manner so that the improvement can be incorporated in ordinary buttonhole attachments at very small additional cost.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a View, in isometric perspective, of a portion of an ordinary sewing machine head with my improved attachment secured in place, and also showing a piece of cloth on which the desired buttonhole stitching has been performed.

Figure 2 is a medial longitudinal sectional elevation viewed from the far side of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevation of the attachment viewed from the far side of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a staggered plan section corre sponding to the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse section corresponding to the line 55 of Figure 4, showing the end of the restriction bracket in normal raised position;

Figure 6 is a similar fragmentary transverse section but showing the restriction bracket in lowered position;

Figure 7 is a view inperspective of certain individual members in my device illustrating the same separated from each other for the sake of clarity but arranged more or less in their re-.

lated order;

Figure 8 is a .plan section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 3;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary .plan view of some of the .bottom members of my device illustrating the operation of the restriction bracket when the bracket is in the raised position shown in Figure 5;and I Figure 10 is a similar fragmentary plan view illustrating the operation of the restriction bracket and stitch-control lever when the restriction bracket is in the lowered position of Figure 6. g j

Referring firstito Figure 1, the buttonhole rattachment is secured in the customary manner to the sewing Qmachine presser foot bar it after the usual cloth-engaging element has been re, moved from the base of the presser foot bar.

The attachment carries its own cloth-engaging element [8 which rests on and engages the cloth it when the machine presser foot bar has been dropped to lowered position in the sewing machine head IG. I

The cloth-engaging element is is in the usual form of a hollow rectangle and the sewing machine needle i3 passes through the opening in the same, the opening being wide enough to provide for the maximum length of zig-zag stroke as the cloth is moved back and forth under the sewing machine needle by the attachment. The cloth-engaging element 58 has the usual serrated bottom surface to grip the cloth and to move it back and forth under the needle, resulting in the familiar zig zag buttonhole machine stitching.

The attachment includes an integral frame it having side portions and bottom connecting strips and also having alhorizontally extending forked arm 16 which is connected to the presser foot bar I 1 in the customary manner. The feed blade H (see also Figure 7) restsloosely in the frame l5, by which it is reciprocally and slidably supported, and the cloth-engaging element! is attached below the forward end of the feed blade I! as usual. The feed blade I! is formed with a pair of longitudinal slots ll and also has an integral slotted arm 9 at one side extending vertically upward.

A lever arm 29 (see Figures 1 and 3), pivotally mountedO the frame it for up and down movement'has a forked end 3! which is adapted to be attached tothe needle carrier H of the sewing machine and thus is reciprocated up and down with the movement of the needle carrier and needle l3. The arm 29 carries a pawl 35 (Figure 3) which engages a ratchet 34. The ratchet 34 is secured to a shaft 33 on which is also secured the central cam wheel 32. The periphery of the cam wheel 32 engages the upstanding lugs 31 (see also Figures 4 and 7) mounted in the stitch control lever' 36. Thus reciprocation of the arm 29, by producing step by step rotation of the cam wheel 32, also produces corresponding reciprocation or oscillation sideways of the stitch control lever 36. A downwardly extending tongue 38 at the forward end of the stitch control lever 38 engages a slot in the feed blade l1. Consequently, the feed blade l1, and with it. the cloth. which is engaged by the element |8 of the feed blade, reciprocates sideways at each stroke ofthe needle, which results in the zig-zag stitch common to buttonhole machines and attachments.

The arm 29 (Figure 3) has a rear shoulder 39 which is adapted to engage a ratchet member 22, and the ratchet member 22 in turn is connected by means (not shown) to a shaft 2|, and this part of the mechanism is so arranged as to produce slower step by step rotation of the shaft 2| as the arm 29 reciprocates.

A disk secured to the end of shaft 2| adjacent the vertical arm H! of the feed blade (see Figures 1 and 4) has a crank pin 29' which engages the slot in the vertical arm l9. Thus, as the crank disk 29 rotates slowly, the feedblade is gradually moved longitudinally, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, while at the same time the feed blade is constantly reciprocated sideways. V

A cam disk 23, shown most clearlyin Figures 4 and 7, is formed with two oppositely off-set similar portions so that nearly one-half of the periphery lies in one vertical plane while a similar portion of the periphery lies in another verticalplane spaced from the first. The periphery of thislcam disk 23 engages a pair of upstanding lugs 26 (see Figures 2 and 3) carried on a lever 24, which is pivotally mounted at and which in turn is connected to an adjustable leverarm 21. The forward ,end of lever arm 21 has a downwardly-extending tongue .28 which engages a slot H in the feed blade This connection between cam disk 23 and feed blade ordinarily causes the zig-zag stitching to be performed along one side of the buttonhole slit as the feed blade i1 is moved longitudinally in one direction and on the other side as the feed blade is moved longitudinally in the reverse direction. a I

The construction which I have described thus far is for the most part well known and common to a familiar type of buttonhole attachment. -1 shall now explain the particular improvements which I have developed." V r r The stitch control lever 36, the upstanding lugs 31 ofwhich are engaged by the-cam wheel 32,

and which in turn transmits horizontal reciprocal movement sideways to the feed blade I1, is formed with an upwardly extending tongue 39 at the rearend. The upper half of this tongue is considerably narrowed as shown at 49 in Figure '7. A restriction bracket 4|, the shape of which is also shown more clearly in Figure "I, carries a rear cross bar 43 which is provided with a slot 44. The length of the slot 44 is only slightly greater than the width of the lower half of-the upstanding tongue 39. A. slidable arm 45 is mounted on one side of the restriction bracket of the slidable arm 45 of the restriction bracket 4| alternately as the cam disk 23 is rotated. In

other words, with each half rotation of the cam disk 23, one of the pins 46 will cause the restriction bracket 4|, to be pushed down to lowered .position temporarily, but as soon as the pin moves out of engagement with the arm 45 the spring 42 will cause the restriction bracket 4! to return to normal raised position. The cam disk 23 and the crank disk 29- are both mounted on the same shaft 2| and rotate in unison. The crank pin 20' of the crank disk 26 produces the longitudinal movement of the feed blade I] as previously mentioned. The crank pin 26' is so arranged with respect to the pins 46 that when the crank pin 29' moves into the horizontal plane of the shaft 2|, that is, when the feed blade reaches the limit of its longitudinal movement in either direction,one of the pins 46 will engage the arm 45 and push the restriction bracket 4| into lowered position.

In Figure 5 the restriction bracket 4| is shown in normal raised position. In Figure 6 one of the pins 46 has been moved into engagement with the arm. 45 and has pushed the restriction bracket 4| into lowered position. The effect of this change of position of the restriction bracket 4| will now be explained.

Referring to Figures 6 and 10, when the restriction bracket 4| is in lowered position with the wide portion of the tongue 39 of the stitch control lever 36 extending through slot 44, the rear of the stitch control lever 36 will be held against oscillation or reciprocal movement sideways. Consequently, the rotation of the cam wheel 32 will produce greater oscillation of the other end of the stitch control lever 39 from which the tongue 38 extends and thus will produce greater oscillation of the feed blade But when the restriction bracket 4| is in the normal raised position shown in Figures 5 and 9 with only the narrow top portion 49 of the tongue 39 extending through slot 44, the rear end of the stitch control'lever 36 will be moved sideways by the cam wheel 32 before the forward end of the stitch control lever 36 is moved, and consequently the subsequent oscillationof the forward end or tongue 38 will be reduced. Thus when the restriction bracket 4| is pushed to the lowered position of Figure 10, the feed blade will be oscillated in a wider path than when the restriction bracket 4| is in the normal raised position of Figure 9. Since the restriction bracket 4| is pushed to lowered position when the feed blade I! reaches the end of its longitudinal movement in either direction, the increased oscillation of the feed blade H at such times results in the desired double length stitches at each end of the buttonhole,

The principle on which my invention operates will be clear from Figures 9 and 10. In Figure 10 the pivotal point of the stitch control lever 36 is the rear end of the lever. In Figure 9 the actual pivotal point is first located at the front end and then moves to the rear end when the rear end is temporarily held against further lateral movement in the same direction, Consequently, as previously explained, under this latter condition, the period during which the front end moves is reduced and the extent of movement of the front end of the lever 36 is correspondingly reduced.

In the finished buttonhole shown in the cloth I 4 in Figure 1, this desired double length stitch is indicated at e at each end of the buttonhole, and the normal narrower intermediate zig-zag stitching along the two sides of the buttonhole which takes place when the restriction bracket is in raised position is indicated at 1 on both sides of the button hole,

If it is desired to dispense with the double length stitching 2 at the ends of the buttonhole, all that is necessary is to push the adjustment lug 41 of the arm 45 (Figures 1, 4 and 7) forward so that the rear end of the arm will not be engaged by the pins 38. On the other hand, if it is desired to perform double width stitching only, for example, in mending or patching, instead of the usual buttonhole stitching, this can be done by pushing the adjustment lug 47 all the way back under a shoulder 48 (Figure 1) in the side of the frame which will then keep the restriction bracket continually in lowered position.

Various modifications could be made in my attachment within the scope of my invention and without departing from the main principle of providing means for changing the pivotal point of the stitch control lever or some equivalent member mounted for lateral oscillation and connected to the feed blade so as to modify the amount of the lateral oscillation imparted to the feed blade.

I claim:

1. In a buttonho-le attachment for a sewing machine, a feed blade mounted for longitudinal and lateral movement, means for moving said feed blade longitudinally in alternate directions, a stitch control lever connected with said feed blade, cam means for producing lateral oscillation of said stitch lever and therewith of said feed blade, a restriction bracket associated with one end of said lever, an engaging element on said restriction bracket for holding said end of said lever against oscillation when said bracket is in full engaging position, whereby to increase the amount of oscillation of the opposite end of said lever and therewith the amount of oscillation of said blade, and means for moving said bracket into full engaging position whenever said blade reaches the end of its longitudinal movement in either direction.

2. In a buttonhole attachment for a sewing machine, a feed blade mounted for longitudinal and lateral movement, means for moving said feed blade longitudinally in alternate directions, a stitch control lever connected with said feed blade, cam means for producing lateral oscillation of said stitch lever and therewith of said feed blade, a restriction bracket associated with one end of said lever, an engaging element on said restriction bracket for holding said end of said lever again-st oscillation when said bracket is in full engaging position, whereby to increase the amount of oscillation of said blade, means connected with said first mentioned means for moving said bracket into full engaging position whenever said blade reaches the end of its longitudinal movement in either direction, and a spring acting normally to hold said bracket out of full engaging position when said blade is in intermediate longitudinal position.

3. In a buttonhole attachment of the character described, a feed blade mounted for longitudinal and lateral movement, a stitch control lever located above said feed blade, the forward end of said lever connected with said feed blade, an upstanding tongue at the rear end of said lever, a restriction bracket located above said lever, said bracket hinged at its forward end for up and down movement, a cross bar on said bracket, said cross bar having a slot, the length of said slot corresponding approximately to the width of said upstanding tongue, whereby said bracket will prevent oscillation of the rear end of said lever when said bracket engages said upstanding tongue, a spring normally holding said bracket out of engagement with said upstanding tongue, a cam wheel engaging said lever between the forward and rear ends of said lever and adapted to produce lateral oscillation of said lever, means for moving said blade longitudinally in alternate directions, associated means for pushing said bracket into lowered position whenever said blade reaches the end of its longitudinal movement in either direction, whereby the pushing of said bracket to lowered position will cause greater lateral oscillation of the forward end of said lever and of said blade.

4. In a buttonhole attachment for a sewing machine, a feed blade mounted for longitudinal and lateral movement, a stitch control lever located above said feed blade, means associated with the forward end of said lever connected with said feed blade, an upstanding tongue at the rear end of said lever, the upper portion of said tongue being of less width than the lower portion, a restriction bracket located above said lever, said bracket hinged at its forward end for up and down movement, a cross bar on said bracket, said cross bar having a slot, the length of said slot corresponding approximately to the width of the lower portion of said upstanding tongue, whereby said bracket will prevent oscillation of the rear end of said lever when said bracket engages the lower portion of said upstanding tongue, 2, spring normally holding said bracket out of engagement with the lower portion of said upstanding tongue, a cam wheel engaging said lever between the forward and rear ends of said lever and adapted to produce lateral oscillation of said lever, a horizontal rotating shaft located to the rear of said lever and bracket, a crank means connected with said shaft for producing longitudinal movement of said feed blade in alternate directions, a pair of bracket-engaging elements connected with said shaft and so arranged as to engage said bracket alternately and push said bracket to lowered'position whenever said crank mean-s has moved said blade to the end of its longitudinal path in either direction, whereby the pushing of said bracket to lowered position will cause greater lateral oscillation of the forward end of said lever and of said blade.

5. In a buttonhole attachment for a sewing machine, a feed blade mounted for longitudinal and lateral movement, a slot extending longitudinally in said feed blade, 'a stitch control lever located above'said feed blade, a downwardly extending tongue on the forward end of said lever extending into aid slot in said feed blade, an upstanding tongue at the rear end of said lever, the upper portion of said tongue being of less Width than the lower portion, a restriction bracket located above said lever, said bracket hinged at its forward end for up and down movement, a cross bar on said bracket, said cross bar having a slot, the length of said slot corresponding approximately to-the width of the lower portion of said upstanding tongue, whereby said bracket will prevent oscillation of the rear end of said lever when said bracket engages the lower portion of said upstanding tongue, a spring norrnally holding said'bracket in raised position so that only the upper narrower portion of said upstanding tongue will extend through said slot, a slidable arm on said bracket, an adjustment lug on said arm, a cam wheelengaging said lever between the forward and rear ends of said lever and adapted to produce lateral oscillation of said lever, a horizontal rotating shaft located to the rear of said lever and bracket, crank means connected with said shaft for producing longitudinal movement of said feed blade in alternate directions, a disk mounted on said shaft, a pair of bracket-engaging elements carried by said disk and so arranged as to engage the end of said bracket arm when said arm has been adjusted so as to extend beyond the rear end of said bracket and push said bracket to lowered position whenever said crank means has moved said blade to the end of its longitudinal path in either direction, whereby the pushing of said bracket to lowered position will cause greater lateral oscillation of the forward end of said lever and of said blade.

6. In a buttonhole attachment for a sewing machine, a feed blade mounted for longitudinal and lateral movement, a slot extending longitudinally in said feed blade, a stitch control lever located above said feed blade,a downwardly extending tongue on the forward end of said lever extending into said slot in said feed blade, an upstanding tongue at the rear end of said lever, a restriction bracket located above said lever, said bracket hinged at its forward end for up and down movement, a cross bar on said bracket, said cross bar having a slot, the length of said slot corresponding approximately to the width of aid upstanding tongue, whereby said bracket will prevent oscillation of the rear end of said lever when said bracket engages said upstanding tongue, a spring normally holding said bracket out of engagement with said upstanding tongue, a lidable arm on said bracket, an adjustment lug on said arm, a cam wheel engaging said lever between the forward and rear ends of said lever and adapted to produce lateral oscillation of said lever, a horizontal rotating shaft located to-the rear of said lever and bracket, crank means connected with said shaft for producing longitudinal movement of said feed blade in alternate directions, a pair of bracket-engaging elements connected with said shaft and so arranged as to engage the end of said bracket arm when said arm has been adjusted so as to extend beyond the rear end of said bracket and push said bracket to lowered position whenever said'crank means has moved said blade to the end of its longitudinal path in either direction, whereby the pushing of said bracket to low ered position will cause greater lateral oscillation of the forward end of said lever and of said blade, and means for manually locking said arm and said bracket permanently in lowered position JAMES HICKEY.

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