US1244921A - Loop-retainer for sewing-machines. - Google Patents

Description

' R. B.THOMPSON.

LOOP RETAINER FOR SEWING MACHlNha.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.25.'|914.

1,244,921. Patented Oct. 30,1917.

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III B. THOMPSON.

v LOOP RETAINER FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25. I914.

1,244,921. I Patented Oct. 30,1917.

, SHEETS-SHEET 2. Wm 52 7 YD 15 Fi .6? 20 P I I J5 g5 19, 9 +4 g 5 n uewlioz f" I W1 630m REUBEN BALL THOMPSON, OF COHOES, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

Application filed August 25, 1914. Serial No. 858,427.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN BALL THOMP- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cohoes, in the county of Albany, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loop-Retainers for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in loop retainers for sewing machines and more particularly to a loop retainer which is used in connection with a multiple needle machine wherein a single looper cooperates with all the needles.

An object of the invention is to provide a loop retainer for the needle loops of a multiple needle machine, which loopv retainer projects between the needle loops on the looper and holds said loops separated so as to insure'the needles passing in advance of the respective loops-that is, between the respective loops and the eye of the looper-and thus prevent the malformation of stitches.

A further object of the invention is to provide a loop retainer of the above character which is so constructed that the same moves laterally'with the looper but is held from longitudinal movement with the looper so as to maintain a proper position of the loop retainer relative to the needle.

[A still-further object of theinvention is to provide a carrier for a loop retainer of the abdve character, which carrier is also provided with a'needle deflector or guard which holds the needles in alinement so as to insure the looper entering each of the needle loops.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show illustration one embodiment of tion:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing a portion of the machine having my improvements ap lied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a p an view of the forward end by way of t e invenof the work support with the cap plate removed and the looper at the forward end of its stroke.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4f; of Fig. 2 with the looper retracted.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail in side elevation showing the needle guard in engagement with the needles as the 'looper is entering the needle loops.

Fig. 7 is a detail showing more or less diagrammatically in plan view the loop retainer separating the needle loops as the needles move downward.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the same, the retainer being in section.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the looper thread and the manner of locking the same to the needle loops.

As shown in the drawings, the invention has been applied to a three-needle machine in which the feed of the material is lengthwise of a cylindrical bed plate. The cylindrical bed plate is indicated at 1 in F1 1 of the drawing and directly above thisied plate is an overhanging arm 2 in which reciprocates a needle bar 3. The needle bar 3 is reciprocated by a needle lever 4 which is connected tothe needle bar by a link 5.

At the lower end of the needle bar there are three needles, 6, 7 and 8. These needles are set abreast. At the end of the cylindrical bed plate 1 is a feed dog 9 which is carried by a feed bar 10. This feed dog is so positioned and operated as to feed the material up the arm of the machine in a manner well knownin this art.

Mounted in suitable bearings in the bed plate is a looper support 11. This looper support has a looper carrier 12 mounted on the outer end thereof, and a 100 er 13 has its supporting shank 14 extending into a socket in the looper carrier 12 and is clam ed therein by a suitable set screw 15. e looper support 11, as is usual in this type of machine, has an oscillating movement and also an endwise movement. As above noted, the needles are set abreast or in a plane at right angles to the line of feed and the looper 13 which is a thread carrying looper coiiperates with each of the needles. The points of the needles are preferably set one a little higher than the other so that the lowest needle is farthest from thelooper when said looper is withdrawn from the needle loops. This is for the purpose of properly timing the needles which are all mounted and operated by the same needle bar so as to insure 'the looper entering with certainty into each needle loop.

The material is fed up the arm by the feed dog 9 and at each stitch the needles move through the material and rising each throws out its needle'loop, which loops are entered one after the other by the threaded looper 13. The looper is moved longitudinally into the needle loops. After the looper reaches the forward end of its stroke and the needles have risen above the top of the looper, the looper is then moved laterally by an endwise move mentof the looper support 11 and this lateral movement of the looper, which is known in the art as the needle avoiding movement, positions the looper and the needle loops so that the needles on the next descent will pass between the respective needle ,loops on. the looper.- That is to say, the extreme right hand needle, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 5,'will pass to the right of the previous loop of the needle 8 and between the looper thread and the body of the looper. The middle needle, indicated at 7, will pass between the previous needle loops of the needles 7 and 8, while the needle indicated at 6, or the left hand needle, will pass between the needle loops of the needles 6 and 7.

In Fig. 9 of the drawing, the looper thread is indicated at 13*. The needle loops are indicated at 6, 7 and 8, respectively. On the next descent of the needles, the needle loops are indicated at 6, 7" and .8, respectively, while the looper loop is indicated at 13 It is thought that the formation of the three needle stitch with the single threaded looper will be clear from the above description.

In order that the stitch may be properly made, it is essential that the needles as they descend shall pass the-needle loops in the manner above described. The feed of the fabric isin a direction" at right angles to themovement of the looper as it enters the needle loop. As a resultwhen the looper is retracted there is a tendency to drag the needle loops laterally and cause .the needles to pass on the wrong side of the previous needle loops. The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a loop retainer which positively retains the needle loops on the looper so as to insure the needles properly passing by said needle loops.

The looper retainer as indicated at 16 consists of a plate which is provided with projecting fingers 17 and 18. The plate 16 is mounted on a retainer carrier 19. This retainer carrier 19 is formed with a sleeve 20 which slips on to an extension 21 of the looper carrier 12. A headed screw 22 is threaded into this extension and holds the sleeve on the extension, preventing endwise movement thereof relative to the support,

but permitting-the extension to rock freely within the sleeve. The retainer carrier extends laterally from its supporting sleeve 20 and supports a sleeve 23 which engages a pin 24 fixed to the bed plate. This sleeve 23 is adapted to slide back and forth freely on the pin 24. The looper carrier 12 as above noted, has an oscillatin movement and an endwise movement. he endwise movement of the looper carrier will cause the carrier for the retainer to be moved in a direction laterally of the plane of the needles. In other words, the loop retainer 16 will move laterally with the looper. The oscillating movements of the looper support will have no effect, however, upon the loop retainer carrier for the reason that the loop retainer is freely mounted on the looper carrier and is held from oscillation by the engagement of the sleeve 23 with the pin 24:. The loop retainer 16 is slotted as at 25 and a screw 26 extending through the slot clamps the same to the loop retainer carrier 19. This permits the loop retainer to be adjusted vertically. Also mounted on the loop retainer carrier is a second plate 27 which is clamped thereto by a screw 28. The outer end of this plate is bent so as to extend in a direction parallel with the needles, thus forming a needle guard or deflector 28'. As the looper moves laterally to a position for entering the needle loops, the deflector 28 will be brought up against the opposite face of the needles, which will line up the needles so that the looper will with certainty enter all of the needle loops. The fingers 17 and 18 of the loop retainerl6 extend between. the paths of the needles.

These fingers are projected more or less across the plane of the needles as the looper moves laterally but always extend across the plane of the needles.

When the looper reaches the forward end of its stroke, it has entered each of the needle loops and as the needles rise the looper is moved laterally to the opposite side of the path of the needles and this carries the loop retainer fingers 17 and 18 farther across the lane ,of the needles. The feed of the fabrlc takes place and on the next descent of the needles the previous needle loops on the looper will be held separated by these fingers 17 and 18 so as to insure the needles properly passing the needle loops.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings, I have shown the fingers of the loop retainer as accomplishing this function. In this figure the looper 13 is at the forward end of its stroke; the needle loops 6, 7 and 8 are about the looper and extend to the previous needle punctures through the fabric. The looper thread 13 is in the form of a loop extending through each of the needle loops. The finger 18 is between the needle loops 7 and 8 and holds the needle loop 8 on the looper separated from the loop 7. Likewise, the finger 17 is between the needle loops 6" and 7 and holds these loops separated so that the needles 6, 7 and 8 properly pass these needle loops. By the above construction, I am able to: positively hold the needle loops so as to prevent malformation of stitches.

Above the fabric are two thread carriers 29 and 30 which areoscillated by links 31 which are connected to a lever 32. These thread carriers oscillate back and forth in front of the needles and join the needle loops above the material by cross loops. These thread carriers, however, form'no part of the present invention except in that they complete the seam in the making of which my loop retaineris especially useful.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a plurality of needles, a feeding mechanism, a looper, a looper.

carrier, means for oscillating said looper carrier, and means for moving said looper carrier endwise for giving a needle avoiding movement to the looper, ofa loop retainer mounted on said looper carrier and cooperating with the looper for holding the needle loops in spaced relation so that the needles will properly pass said needle loops.

2. In combination with a plurality of needles, a feeding mechanism, a looper, a looper carrier on which said looper is fixedly mounted, and means connected to the carrier for imparting a lengthwise movement'to the looper in a plane at right angles to the line of feed and also for imparting a lateral needle avoiding movement to the looper, of a loop retainer mounted on said loopercarrier and movable with said carrier during the lateral movements thereof, and means for holding the loop retainer from movement in a direction longitudinally of the looper.

3. In combination with a plurality of needles, a feeding mechanism, a looper, a looper carrier on which said looper is fixedly mounted and means connected to the carrier for imparting a lengthwise movement to the looper in a plane at right angles to the line of feed, and also for imparting a lateral needle avoiding movement to the looper, of a loop retainer mounted on said looper carrier and cotiperating with the looper for holding the needle loops in spaced relation to insure the needles passin downwardly in advance of said loops, an means for connecting said loop retainer to said looper carrier so that said retainer may be adjusted vertically.

4. In combination with a plurality of needles, a feeding mechanism, a looper, a looper carrier on which said looper is fixedly mounted, and means connected to the carrier for imparting a lengthwise movement to the looper in a plane at right anglesto the line of feed, and also for imparting a lateral needle-avoiding movement to the looper, of a loop retainer mounted on said looper carrier and cooperating with the looper for holdingthe needle loops in spaced relation to insure the needles passing downwardly in advance of said loops, said loop retainer extending above and over the looper. 5 The combination with a plurality of needles, a looper cooperating with all of said needles, a looper carrier, means for oscillating said looper carrier for moving the looper into and out of the needle loops, means for/ moving said looper carrier to give the lopper a needle avoiding movement, a. loop retainer, a carrier for said loop retainer mounted on said looper carrier and moving with the same when the looper is moved laterally, said retainer carrier having a sleeve projecting therefrom, and a pin mounted on the bed plate of the machine and engaging 'said sleeve, said sleeve being free to move endwiseon the pin when the retainer carrier moves with the looper and said pin operating to prevent oscillations in the loop retainer carrier when the looper carrier oscillates, said loop retainer extending above and over the looper and adapted to engage a needle loop on the looper and position the same so as to insure the needle properly passing said needle loop.

6. The combination with a plurality of needles, a looper cooperating with all of said needles, a looper carrier, means for oscillating said looper carrier for moving the looper into and out of the needle loops, and means for moving said looper carrier to give the looper a needle avoiding movement, a loop retainer, a carrier for said loop retainer mounted on said looper carrier and moving with the same when the looper is moving laterally, said retainer carrier haviing a sleeve projecting therefrom, and a-pin mounted on the bed plate of the machine and engaging said sleeve, said sleeve being free to move endwise on the" pin when the retainer carrier moves with the looper and said pin operating to prevent oscillations in the loop retainer carrier when the looper carrier oscillates, said loop retainer extending above said looper and having a plurality of fingers each of which projects between a pair of needles and is adapted to engage a'needle loop so as to insure the needles properly passing their respective needle loops.

7. The combination with a plurality of needles, a looper coeperating with all of said needles, a looper carrier, means for oscillating said looper carrier for moving the looper into and out of the needle loops, and means for moving said looper carrier to give the looper a needle avoidingmovement, of a loop retainer, means for supporting said loop retainer on the looper earner so that the said 100p retainer moves with the carrier in the lateral movement of the looper, means for holding said loop retainer from oscillating with the looper,said loop retainer extending above and over the looper for engaging a needle loop on the looper and positioning the same so as insure the needle properly passing said needle loop, and a needle deflector mounted 15 on said loop retainer carrier for engaging and alining the needles prior to the looper entering the needle loops. In testimony whereof, I hereby alfix mysignature in the presence of two Witnesses. 20

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