US2226139A - Control for buttonhole stitch forming means - Google Patents

Description

D. P. REILLY Dec. 24, 1940.

' CONTROL FOR BUTTONHOLE STITCH FORMING MEANS Filed Feb. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. D P REILLY Dec. 24, 1940. D. P. REILLY CONTROL FOR BUTTONHOLE STITCH FORMING MEANS Filed Feb. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, W Z). P REILLY & 52 %m Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROL FOR BUTTONHOLE STITCH FORMING MEANS 10 Claims.

This invention relates to buttonhole sewing machines of the type wherein the machine sews a group of stitches and the general object of my invention is to provide a simply and easily operated means for controlling the number of stitches per buttonhole.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide a novel manually controlled means which is readily accessible to an operator of the sewing machine to adjust the number of stitches per buttonhole made by a buttonhole making machine.

Other objects and the advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view with portions thereof broken away of a buttonhole forming machine base and supporting table showing my improved adjusting device;

Fig. 1A is a fragmentary side elevation on a reduced scale of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of my improved adjusting member;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section through the adjusting device taken on line 44, Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5, Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6, Fig. 2;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of my invention;

Fig. 8 is a side view of the adjusting device shown in Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is an end view of the adjusting device shown in Fig. 7

Fig. 10 is an end view of the opposite end of the adjusting device;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary top plan view of a buttonhole forming machine base and supporting tabel showing a further modified form of my invention; and

Fig. 12 is a side View of the device shown in Fig. 11.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters I have indicated my improved stitch adjusting device generally at I0. As shown the device IB includes an elongated base member I2. Intermediate the length of the base member I2 a second base member I3 extends at right angles and is secured by countersunk screws I4. The outer end of the base I3 is supported on a block 155 I5 secured thereto by countersunk screws I6.

Positioned on the base I2 I provide a slide bar I1 which includes a gear toothed rack portion I8 on the side nearest to the base I3. The slide bar I1 is positioned between spaced guide bars I 9 and 20. The guide bar I9 is secured to the base I2 by countersunk screws 2|, while the guide bar 20 is adjustably secured thereto by means of screws 2Ia which slidably engage in elongated slots 2Ib.

Secured to the base I2 and extending through the guide bar I9 I provide a threaded post 22 (see Fig. 4). Loosely mounted on the threaded post 22 I provide a clamp member 23 which includes a foot portion 24 adapted to engage the base I2 and a foot portion 25 adapted to engage the slide bar I1.

Above the clamp 23I provide a thumb nut 26 on the threaded post 22 which is adapted when tightened to clamp the foot 24 of the member 23 in tight engagement with the base I2 and the foot 25 in tight engagement with the slide bar I1 thereby retaining the slide bar in an adjusted position.

Positioned on the base I3 I provide a slide bar 21 which like the slide bar I1 includes a gear toothed rack portion 28 on the side thereof. The slide bar 21 overlies the slide bar I1 and is supported on the guide bar I9.

On the guide bar I9 and the base I3 I provide guide members 29 which are secured to their respective supports by countersunk screws 30 (see' Fig. 6). The guide members 29 in the under faces thereof each has a recess 3| therein in which the slide bar 21 is positioned.

Adjacent the slide bars I1 and 21 I provide a post 32 which is secured to the base I2.

Rotatably mounted on the post 32 I provide a gear 33 which meshes'with the gear teeth I8 of the slide bar I1. Above the gear 33 I provide a smaller gear 34 which meshes with the gear teeth 28 of the slide'bar 21. The gears 33 and 34 are secured together as by brazing or doweling.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that when the slide bar I1 is moved the gear teeth I8 thereof will rotate the gear 33 and as the gear 34 rotates it will move the slide bar 21 through the gear teeth 28 thereon.

Mounted on the slide bar 21 adjacent the end thereof remote from the base I3 I provide a post 35 which is positioned in an aperture 36 adjacent one end of a link bar 31 (see Fig. 3). The link 31 is supported above the gear 34 by a sleeve 38 surrounding the post 35.

Above the link 31 the post 35 includes a reduced threaded portion 39 on which I provide a plurality of nuts 40 to prevent displacement of the link 31.

In Fig. 1 I have indicated a portion of a standard type buttonhole forming machine generally at 4!. The machine 4! is similar to the machines described in Patent No. 738,591, September 8, 1903, and Patent No. 858,133, June 25, 1907, both to E. B. Allen. The machine 4| includes a base portion 42 mounted on a table top 43.

The machine base 42 includes a top wall 44 and side walls 45.

Within the base 42 the machine 4| includes the usual feed wheel 46 mounted on a feed wheel shaft 46 and including a feed wheel driving arm 41.

As shown in Fig. 5 the adjusting arm 41 has an elongated arcuate recess 48 therein and an arcuate slot 49 which is aligned with the recess 48 and opens through the lower face of the arm 41 thereof. A feed wheel driving member is shiftable along the arm and includes a pivot post member 50 which includes an enlarged head 59 which is positioned in the slot 49 with the head 5| in the recess 48. Opposite the head 5| the post 50 includes a reduced threaded portion 53. The post includes an enlarged flange engaging the lower face of the lever 41.

When the device It is assembled in conjunction with the machine 4| the base i3 is positioned within the machine base 42 adjacent the side wall thereof with the greater portion of the base l2 extending beyond the machine base through an aperture 45 in the side wall 45. The base I2 is secured to the table 43 by countersunk screws l2.

The hub portion 55 of an oscillating arm or pitman 55 surrounds the post below the post flange 52. The end of the link 3'! remote from the post 35 has a plurality of apertures 54 therein in any one of which the lower end of the post 50 may be adjustably secured. For retaining the link 3'! on the post 50 I pro-vide a washer 56 and a plurality of nuts 5"! which engage the reduced threaded portion 53 of the post.

Thus it will be apparent that when the slide bar 27 is moved as previously described the link 3'! will be moved and will move the driving member or pivot post 50 to change the degree of oscillating movement of the lever 41 thereby changing the number of stitches per buttonhole formed by the buttonhole forming machine.

A pointer I211 is permanently located at a predetermined point on the base l2 adjacent a suitable indicia bearing scale 58 which is calibrated to read from 32 to 52 to indicate the number of stitches per inch and which is mounted on the guide bar 20 (see Fig. 1). The slide rail I1 is provided with a pointer 59 adjacent an indicia scale 58a which indicates the buttonhole length and is on the guide bar 20. The indicia 58 and 58a may extend over a greater distance if a greater variance in the number of stitches is desired.

The general practice in making buttonholes is to set the machine for the desired number of stitches per inch and leave it at the selected setting. In the present invention I provide a means for changing the setting without requiring the operator to reach under the machine, or to trust to guess work as to whether the right number of stitches are being used. The desired result is obtained by releasing the screws Zia in the slots 2th and moving the guide bar 20 until the suitable amount of stitches per inch indicated in the indicia 58 is adajacent the pointer l2a whereupon the screws are tightened.

After the machine has been set for the desired number of stitches per inch and the operator has set the machine to make a certain size buttonhole by means not shown the operator then moves the pointer 59 on the slide bar I! to the corresponding indicia 58a. For instance, if the machine is set for quarter inch buttonholes the operator releases the clamp 23 and moves the pointer 59 to a point adjacent the quarter inch mark on the indicia scale 5811 on the guide bar 20. Thereafter the operator tightens the clamp 23 to retain the slide bar I! in the adjusted position as previously described.

As a further means for adjusting the number of stitches per inch which may be useful at times the post 50 may be positioned in any one of the apertures 54 to thereby shorten or lengthen the link 3'! as desired.

As the machine base 42 usually is hinged to the table 43 to swing upwardly to the left in Fig. l, I preferably make the link 31 of two sections 37a and 31b hingedly connected as at 310. The hinge pintal 37d has an eye portion 31c formed thereon to which one end of a cord 31 is secured.

The cord 37 extends out of the base 42 through a suitable aperture therein and extends under a pulley 31g mounted on the table 43 and. then extends upwardly and is connected to the arm 42a.

Thus when an operator tilts the base 42 upwardly, the cord 37 pulls the pintal 37d out thereby disengaging the two sections 31a and 31b of the link 31 so that the link 31 will not become broken.

In Figs. '7 to 10, inclusive, I have indicated a modified form of my invention generally at (it. As shown the device 6!! includes a base member 6| having parallel spaced overhanging flanged guide rails 62 and i3 thereon. Positioned between the guide rails 62 and 13 I provide a slide bar 64 which adjacent one end is tapped to receive a thumb screw 85.

Pivotally mounted on the base Bl as at 66 at one side of the slide bar I provide a bell crank V rocker member 6'! which includes arms 68 and 69 arranged at right angles to each other with the arm 68 approximately twice the length of the arm 69.

A link member '10 is pivotally connected adjacent one end to the slide bar 64 by the thumb nut 65 and adjacent the opposite end is pivotally connected to the. arm 68 as at H.

The arm 69 is pivotally connected as at 12 adjacent one end of a bar 13 which extends approximately parallel to the arm 68 and is slidably and pivotally connected as at T4 to the base 6|.

Pivotally secured to the bar 13 as at 15 I provide a link 16 the opposite end of which is connected to the pivot post 1'! of the feed wheel driving arm 18 of the feed wheel 19.

The guide bar 62 has indicia 62 thereon to indicate various numbers of stitches per buttonhole with which the end of the slide bar 64 adjacent the thumb screw 65 is adapted to be aligned.

To shift the pivot post 11 the operator grasps the thumb nut 65 and aligns the end of the slide bar 64 with the desired index 62 and then operates the thumb screw to engage tightly the base 6| thereby firmly holding the slide bar in an adjusted position. As the slide bar 64 is moved it rocks the rocker member 61 which in turn slides the bar 13 which in turn moves the link 16 and which moves the pivot post 11.

In Figs. 11 and 12 I have indicated a modification of my invention generally at 80. As shown the device 80 includes a bar member 8| which extends through an aperture 82 in the front wall 83 of a buttonhole making machine base 84, and is pivotally connected to the driving member pivot post 8! of the arm 85 of the stitch feed wheel 86.

Adjacent the opposite end the bar 8| has a knob member 81 thereon and an aligning mark 88. Adjacent the knob 81 the bar 8| has aplurality of apertures 88 therein in which a pin 90 in the supporting table is adapted to be positioned.

Adjacent the knob 81 the supporting table has a plate 9i thereon which has indicia thereon to indicate various number of stitches per buttonhole.

In operation an operator grasps the knob 81 and lifts the bar 8| above the pin 90 and then moves the bar to the desired position and lowers the bar with the pin positioned in another of the apertures 89. As the bar 8| is thus moved it in turn shifts the pivot post 11 to a position to cause the stitch feed wheel 86 to function to produce the desired number of stitches per buttonhole made by the buttonhole machine.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have provided a novel means for adjusting the number of stitches made per but to-nhole by a buttonhole forming machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a buttonhole forming machine including a base, a feed wheel shaft, a feed wheel secured to said shaft and a feed wheel driving arm coaxial with said feed wheel, a driving member shiftable on the arm, a stitch control means mounted on said base, said stitch control means including a pair of coaxial connected gears, 21. pair of slidable racks each engaging one gear, said racks being angularly disposed relative to each other, a link pivoted to one rack and engaging said feed wheel driving arm for controlling the position of the driving member, a scale shiftably mounted on the base and a pointer movable with the other rack and passing over the scale.

2. In a buttonhole forming machine including a base, a feed wheel shaft, a feed wheel secured to said shaft, and a feed wheel driving arm coaxial with said feed wheel, a driving member shiftable along the arm, a stitch control means mounted on said base, said stitch control means including a gear, a slidable rack engaging the gear, a second gear coaxial with said first gear and secured thereto, a second slidable rack engaging said second gear, and a link pivoted to said second rack and engaging said driving member for controlling the movement of the arm.

3. In a buttonhole forming machine including a base, a feed wheel shaft, a feed wheel secured to said shaft, and a feed wheel driving arm coaxial with said feed wheel, a driving member shiftable along the arm, a stitch control means mounted on said base, said stitch control means including a slidable rack, a gear engaging said rack, a second slidable rack, a second gear engaging said second rack and secured to said first gear, and a link having one end pivoted to said second rack and having the other end pivoted to said driving member for controlling the movement of said arm.

4. In a buttonhole forming machine including a base, a feed wheel shaft, a feed wheel secured to said shaft, and a feed wheel driving arm coaxial with said feed wheel, a driving member shiftable along the arm, a stitch control means mounted on said base, said stitch control means including a slidable rack, releasable means securing said rack in adjusted position, a gear engaging said rack, a second slidable rack passing across said first rack and at an angle thereto, a

second gear engaging said second rack and coaxial With and secured to saidfirst gear, and a link having one end pivoted to said second rack and having the'other end pivoted to said driving member for controlling the movement of said arm.

5. In a buttonhole forming machine including a base, a feed wheel shaft, a feed wheel secured to said shaft, and a feed wheel driving arm coaxial with said feed wheel, a driving member 10 shiftable along the arm, a stitch control means mounted on said base, said control means including a base member, a pair of parallel guide members secured to said base member, a rack slidable between said guide members, a gear pivoted on 15 said base member and engaging said rack, clamp means for securing said rack in adjusted position, guide means on said base member, a second rack slidably engaging said guide means, the paths of motion of said racks being at right angles to each other, said second rack passing across said first rack, a second gear coaxial with said first gear and secured thereto and engaging said second rack, and a link having one end pivotally secured to one end of said second rack and having the other end pivotally secured to said driving member for controlling the movement of said arm.

6. In a buttonhole forming machine includinga base, a feed wheel shaft, a feed wheel secured to said shaft, and a feed wheel driving arm coaxial with said feed wheel, a driving member shiftable along the arm, a stitch control means mounted on said base, said control means including a base member secured to said base, a second '35 base member at right angles to said first mentioned base member intermediate the length thereof and secured to said base and spaced therefrom, a pair of parallel guide members secured to said first mentioned base member, a rack 40' slidable between said guide members, a gear pivoted on said first mentioned base member and engaging said rack, clamp means for securing said rack in adjusted position, guide means on said second base member, a second rack slidably engaging said guide means, the paths of motion of said racks being at right angles to each other, said second rack passing across said first rack, a second gear coaxial with said first gear and secured thereto and engaging said second rack, and a link having one end pivotally secured to one end of said second rack, and having the other end pivotally secured to said driving member for controlling the movement of said arm.

'7. In a buttonhole forming machine including a base, a feed Wheel shaft, a feed Wheel secured to said shaft, and a feed Wheel driving arm for said feed wheel, a driving member shiftable along the arm, a stitch control means mounted on said base, said control means including a slide, a bell crank, a link pivoted to the slide and to one arm of the bell crank, a lever pivoted to the other arm of said bell crank, a link pivoted to said pivoted lever and engaging said driving member.

8. In a buttonhole forming machine including a base, a feed wheel shaft, a feed wheel secured to said shaft, and a feed Wheel driving arm for said feed Wheel, a driving member shiftable along the arm, a stitch control means mounted on said base, said control means including a slide, a bell crank pivoted on the base, a link connecting the slide and one arm of the bell crank, a lever having one end pivoted to the other arm of said bell crank, means to pivotally and slidably mount said lever intermediate the length thereof, and a link pivoted to the other end of said lever and engaging said driving member for controlling the movement of said feed wheel driving arm.

9. In a buttonhole forming machine includin a base, a feed wheel shaft, a feed wheel secured to said shaft and a feed wheel driving arm for said shaft, a driving member shiftable along the arm, a stitch control means mounted on said base, said control means including a slide, releasable means securing said slide in adjusted position, a link having one end pivoted to said slide, a bell crank, means to pivot the other end of said link to one arm of the bell crank, a lever, the other arm of said bell crank pivotally engaging one end of said last mentioned lever, means to pivot and slidably mount said lever intermediate its length,

on said base, said control means including a link having a plurality of apertures in one end portion thereof, a fixed pin on the base engageable with any one of said apertures, the other end of said link pivotally engaging said driving member and controlling the movement of said arm.

DANIEL P. REILLY.

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