Apparatus for facilitating the attachment of buttons

Claim 1

A BUTTON-APPLYING SEWING APPARATUS HAVING A TABLE OVER WHICH A SHIRT-FRONT IS RESTED WHILE BUTTONS ARE BEING SEWED ON IT, MEANS FOR DELIVERING THE SHIRT FRONT FROM THE TABLE AT THE COMPLETION OF THE BUTTON-APPLYING OPERATION, SAID MEANS INCLUDING SLOTS IN THE TABLE AT ONE END THEREOF AND OVER WHICH PARTS OF THE SHIRT-FRONT EXTEND, FINGERS ENTRANT INTO THE SLOTS AND ADAPTED TO GRIP PARTS OF THE SHIRT FRONT WHICH ARE DISPOSED OVER THE SLOTS, MEANS FOR SLIDABLY MOVING THE FINGERS AWAY FROM THE TABLE AND CAUSING THE SHIRT-FRONT TO BE SLID ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE TABLE AND AWAY AND FROM OFF THE TABLE, AND A SHIRT REST OVER WHICH THE SHIRT-FRONT IS CARRIED BY THE FINGERS AND CAUSED TO RECEIVE AND HOLD THE SHIRT-FRONT AFTER THE SHIRT-FRONT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO A POSITION ACROSS THE REST AND HAS BEEN RELEASED BY THE SEPARATION OF THE FINGERS, THE TABLE BEING NOTCHED ALONG ONE OF ITS EDGES, A HOLD-DOWN FRAME FOR HOLDING PARTS OF THE SHIRT-FRONT DISPOSED ACROSS THE NOTCH AND ON TOP OF THE TABLE, PNEUMATIC MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE FRAME, A CARRIAGE ON WHICH THE GRIPPING FINGERS ARE CARRIED, PNEUMATIC MEANS BY WHICH THE GRIPPING IS RECIPROCATED, AND PNEUMATIC MEANS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE FINGERS TO THEREBY CAUSE THE FINGERS TO CLOSE UPON THE SHIRT-FRONT WHILE THE SAME IS ON THE TABLE AND TO OPEN AND RELEASE THE SHIRT-FRONT WHEN THE SAME IS DISPOSED ACROSS THE REST.