US1874690A - Sewing machine - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 30, 1932 F. ASHWORTH SEWING MACHINE Filed Jan. 4, 1930 Z Sha om-Sh et l Aug. 30, 1932. F s w SEWING MACHINE Filed Jan. 4, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 30, 1932 en asrrwon'rrr, or snvnaiiilrnssieonusnrrs, AssI'e oR so nm rnn snon nra'orrmi nnvconronnrron, or ra'rnason, iwnwannsnv, a conronarron or NEWJER'SEY =1:

SEWING. MACHINE" 1 Application filed raiiirsr a; 1930- ser1a1m. 11s ,545.

V The present invention relates to sewing machines, and ,isherein shown as embodied ina shoe sole sewing machine of the so-called McKay,type, -ithe stitch-forming devices of which comprise a straight ,hook needle, and i the work support of which consists of a rotata'hle horn arranged to extend within the shoe and provided at itstip. with a needle thread in'g device or whirl .for laying the thread in the hook of the needle. i

a The invention is intended primarilyras an improvement in the stoppingand presse'rfoot lifting devices ofthe McKay shoe sewing machines disclosed in the'patent to Ber- 1 nard T; Leveque bio-1,738,778 dated December 10,1929, and in the'application of Bernard T. Leveque Serial No. 169,203 filed February 18, 192'? although, excepta's defined dllttlle claims, the features, of the invention are not an. limited to use in these. particular machines,- but my. be embodied in other sewing. machines in which means .are provided for dis connecting the needle from its actuating mechanism andcfor liftingwthe presser-foot uponi stoppi-ng the machine. V A I Each of the machines (of the'Leveque-pat ent andepplication, above referred to, is pro-. vided withmeanswhich is thrown into operation upon-stopping the machine to render iin Ru operative the connections betweenthe needle and the actuating cam or sewing shaft, so as to cause the needle to-stop at the limitof its upward stroke. The machine of the patent is also provided withf mechanism acting upon 3 stopping the machine .to lift the presser-lfoot from the work, and the machine of the Le+ veque application is provided with an improved and simplified mechanism for accomplishin the same result, In both of these machines, in anymachinevprovided'with mechanism for disconnecting the needle from ltS ZLCtUatil'nQj mechanism and for lifting the pr'esser fOot upon stopping, it is desirable that the needle be stopped-inits upper posi tion before the'pre'sser-footiis raised in, order 'ing so astoi insure-a delay: in the lifting of that the thread of the last stitchmafv erl yfdrawn into the work, and that the work may not be perforated by the'-need1eafter having been released bythe presser-footff Th? mechanismsof the Leve'que machines wereinj tended to produce this result, lblil] in operaj tion-and particularly in the operationof-the simplified,mechanismof the Leveque applicaf tion, it has been found that occasional1yupon stopping, the p'resser-foot willbe lifted-hefore thedisconnection of the needle, and as a consequence, the final stitch or stitchesjof theseamlarenotproperly formed anda bunch of thread is formed at the end of thestitc'hing. '-The primary object of the present ins 6n 'vention isto improve the mechanism of the Leveque application for disconnecting; the needle from its actuating mechanism andliftingthe presser-foot at theendof the, sewthe presser-foot' until. after the needle has, as been hrouglit'to rest Q Other objects of invention'are to improve theconstruction', arrangementand-mode of operation: of the various parts of mechanisms which may be utilized in disconnecting the needle of a sews ing machine from its actuating mechanism, and for, raisingthe presser-foot-upon stops ping the machine; p

\With the aboveobj ects in view, the present 215 invention consists in theconstructions, com bin-ations, and arrangements of parts herein.- after described and claimed, the advantages of whichwill be obvious to those: skilled in theart from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying draw; ings in which Fig. '1 is a :viewin front eleva tion of the headof alock-stitch McKay type a shoe sewing machine; Fig. 253,3 detailview insidelevation of a portion of the mecha- 33-? nism shown in' Fig. 1, illustrating particularly the mechanism for lifting the press'erg foot and for controlling its actionfrom the needle disconnecting mechanism; and FigQ-B is a detail sectional viewtaken' onthe 1ine3 L of Fig. 2, and showing in dot and dash lines the latch actuating arm of the needle disconnectlng mechanism.

Except as hereinafter described, the machine illustrated in the drawings is the same in the construction, arrangement and mode of operation of its various parts as the mafchine disclosed in the application of Bernard T. Leveque hereinbefore referred to. The main cam shaft or, as it may conveniently be termed,.sewing shaft, is indicated at '4, and is driven from a motorin the base of themachine through a clutch which is controlled from a starting and stoppingtreadle, as in the machine of the Leveque application, and also as in the machine of the Leveque patenta The straight hook needle of the machine is in di cated at 6 and is secured to the lower end of the needle bar 8 mounted to reciprocatever shaft 4 through connections which include the twoilevers 10 and 12,'which levers are pivotally mounted concentrically with each other at one end, and at their other ends are adapted to be connected together by a latch 14 pivotally mounted upon the lever 12 and arrangjed to engage a. pin 16 on the lever 10. The lever 10 is provided midway its length with a curved slot 18 which is engaged by a crank pin2O on the forward end of the sewingfshaft'4, and the lever 12 is connected by means ofa link 22 to a block 24 clamped to the needle bar 8. The- levers 10 and 12 are connected by a coiled spring 26 at the pivotal axis of the levers, which spring tends to hold the levers in the position indicated in Figure '1 with the blocks 28 and 30 on the levers abutting and with the pin 16 in position to be en-,

gaged by the latch'14. The construction and arrangement of the levers 10 and 12 and of the latch 14 and pin 16' are the same as in both of the Leveque machines hereinbefore re ferred to, and provides a simple and eflicient mechanism for actuating the needle from the sewing-shaft while permitting the needle to be disconnected from the sewing shaft by an actuation of the latch 14 to release the pin 16.

Upon stopping the machine, the needle is disconnected from the sewing cam shaft as the needle bar reaches the top of its stroke, and in order to accomplish this result, a slotted arm 32 is provided, the slot 34 in which engages apin 36 secured to the lever 12, concentric with the pivot of the latch 14.' The upper end of the slot 34 extends laterally to the right,as viewed in Figures 1 and 3, and the arrangement is such that as the needle bar reaches the limit of its upward movement, the pin 36 comes in line with this laterally extending. portion of the slot. With the parts in this position, a lateral movement of the upper end of the lever 32 to the left, as viewed in Figure 1, is permitted,,and such movement bringsa pin 38 in the upper end of be pressed yieldingly towards the right, as

viewed in Figure 1, and thus prevent actuation of the arm to disconnect the needle from the sewing shaft during the sewin of a seam, the arm is rigidly connected to t e forward "end of a rock shaft 44, the rear end of which is provided with an arm 46 connected by a link48'. to an arm 50 loosely mounted upon a shaft 52 and connected thereto by a coiled spring 54.- Through the connections d e' scribed,'the spring 54 acts to hold the arm 32 yieldingly toward the right while themachine is in operation. To render inoperative the actuating connections between the sewing shaft and the needle bar, and thereby disconnect the needle from the shaft, connections are provided, as in the machines of the Leveque patent and application, through which the arm 32 is moved to the left to disconnect the latch 14 from the pin 16' when the starting and stopping treadle is actuated to stop the machine. These connections comprise an arm 56 fast to the shaft 52, a rod 58 connecting this arm to the starting and stopping treadle, a lug 59 projecting laterally from the arm 56 beneath a rearward eXtension 61 of the arm 50, and a heavy spring, not shown in the drawings, surrounding the shaft 52 and tending to turn the shaft in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2. With this constructiomwhen the starting and stopping treadle is permitted to rise, the lug 59 onthe arm 56 engages the extension 61 on the arm 50, and the heavy spring above referred to acting through the shaft, 52- and arm 50, exerts apressure on the arm 32' which holds the right hand side of the slot 34, as viewed in Figure 1, against the pin 36 on the lever 12. As soon as the pin reaches the-up per portion of the slot 34 therefor the arm 32 V will be moved to the left, as viewed in Figure 1, the pin 36 entering the horizontal portion of the slot and thereby locking the needle at the limit of its upward stroke and the pin 38 engaging the tail 40 of the latch 14, and disengagingthe latch from the pin 16 on the lever 10 which isv permitted to continue in its movement during the continued rotation of arm as the pin 36 moves up and down'in the slot during the operation of the machine in sewing a seam. In the present construction, the arm 32 is utilized merely to disengage the latch 14 from the pin 16, an additional arm'33 being provided for actuat ing the work feeding devicepwhich arm is loosely mounted upon the shaft 44: and provided with a suitably shaped slot engaged by the pin 36 on the lever 12. i v 1 The presser-foot of the machine is indi- V at 60, and is secured to a block 62 fast on the lower end of a vertically movable member is similar to the corresponding presser-foot lifting member of the mechanism disclosedin the Leveque application. This'member is supported from the sewing shaft 4 and hangs vertically from the shaft, its upper end being formed as an eccentric strap surrounding an eccentric 68 on the shaft, from which a constant vertical recip rocation is imparted to the member while the sewing machineis in operation. At'its lower end, this resser-foot lifting. member is provided with a projection 70 which is adapted to engage a lug 71 projecting laterally from an'arm 72 fast on the rock shaft 74. The rock shaft 74 is provided at its forward end with the arm 7 6 connected by a link 78 to the block 62 at the lower end of the presser-foot bar 64 and the arrangement of the arms 72 and 76 is such that an up ward movement of the arm 72 produces'a corresponding movement of the arm 76 and lifts the presser-foot from the work. WVhile the machine is in operation, the presser foot lifting member 66 is held in a position in which the lug 71 is out ofthe path of movementof the projection 70. During the stopping of the machine, however, the presser foot lifting member is moved into the position'indicated in Figure 3, and during its upward movement acts torock the shaft 74 by the engagement of the projection 7 O with the lug 71, and lift the presser-foot.

, After'the presser-foot is raised, the sewing shaft 4 continues to rotate through one or more revolutions, and in order to retain the presser-foot in its raisedposition, a retaining member in the form of a latch is provided arranged to engage a lug project ing laterally from the arm 72 in the opposite direction from the lug7 1. This retaining member is similar to the corresponding re? taining member of the a mechanism disclosed in" the Levequeapplicationand is indicated,

at 80;" This retaining-member isfsupported in a vertical position from the sewing shaft L at the side of theipresser foot lifting memi her, and is provided at its lower end with a projection 82 adapted to engage a lug on the arm' 72. .Tlie-retaining member 80 has no vertical movement but is arranged to swing about the shaft 4 of t-he'piv'ot to move its projection 82 into and out of. a position to engagethelug on the arm 72-. v a

- After the needle has been disconnected from the sewing shaft and after the press'erfoot has been lifted and the rotation of: the

sewing shaft hasstoppedflheparts are inthe relative positions indicated inFigureB; In

starting the machine again intooperation,:it is necessary to move the' retaining. latch out of engagement with the arm 72 to' permit the pressor-foot to drop upon-the work, and it'is also necessary tomove the 2presser-foot lifting member66'to aposition in which. the lug lifting memberduring its reciprocation. In the construction disclosed in the Leveque ap plication, boththe presser-foot lifting mem her and the retaining member are controlled during the starting of themachine by an arm corresponding to thearmindicated at 84 fast upon the rock shaft 52. Also, in themechanism disclosed in the Leveque application, the arm corresponding torthe'arm indicated at 84tis utilized to control the movementsv of both the presser-footlifting member and the retainingmember in stopping vWVith this construction, 1t was sometimes found. tobe dif- 71 on the arm 72 will not be engagedby the ficult,if not impossible, to assemble the. parts or to adjust them after being assembled'so as to insure during the stopping .of the ma.- chine, thedisconnection ofthe needle from the sewing shaft by the movement of the arm 32 before the presser-foot lifting and retainits ing-membe'rswere allowed to move into a po- 7 sitien tograise and retain thepresser-foot. This defect in the operation; of the machine of the Leveque application becomes more. ap parent as the parts become worn-or disarranged in use, -Toxovercome this. defect, the

presentconstruction"utilizes'the arm 84" to control the position of the retaining latch member 80 only and provides a separate direct connection from the latch operating arm 32 to the presser-foot lifting member 66- so that the resser-foot lifting member is directly controlled from the armwhich acts to disconnect the needle from the sewing shaft, and

any possibility of the raisingof the presserfoot taking place before thej disconnect-ion of the needle'is absolutely prevented regardless of slight inaccuraciesin assembling the various parts or ofwvear or loo seness in the 7 connections through which the arm for disconnecting the needle is actuated. A s illIlS-J trated in drawings, the arm Ston shaft 52 is arranged as in the mechanism of the Levcque application, to'engage a cam '7 2 to permit the presser-foot to drop upon the work before the needle is connected to its actuating mechanism, and during the movement of theshaft 52 in the reverse direction in stopping the machine, the retaining latch 8(l-is allowed to move into a position to retain the arm 7 2' as soon as it is raised by the lifting member 66. To control the position of thelifting member 66,however, an arm 86 is rigidly securedto the rock shaft 44 carrying' the arm 32 and is connected by a rod 88 to the lower end of the lifting member 66, the rod being pivotally connected at one end to the lower end of the lifting members 66 and at its other-end passing transversely through the projecting end of a pin v9O rotatably mounted in the lower end of the arm-86. To provide a-yielding engagement of the lifting member with the lug 71 on the lever 7 2 and insure the properengagement of the lug with the lug 71, a spring 92 is coiled around the rod 88 and is interposed between the pin '90 and a shoulder near its pivotal connection with the lifting member. To insure a positive Withdrawal of the presser-foot lifting member to a position where its lug 70 cannot engage the lug 71, a cross pin 94 is mounted in the end of the rod 88 in position to be engaged by the pin 90 when the arm 86 is actuated to mov7e the lifting member away from the lu 1. v

Iftsa convenient means cooperating with the arm 84 to control the position of the presser-foot retaining member 80, a rod 96 is pivotally connected to the lower end of the member and passes through the end of the pin on the opposite side of the arm 86 from the pin 88, which rod 96' forms a support for a spring98 coiled around the rod and interposed between the pin 90' and a shoulder near the pivoted end of the rod. 7

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and an embodiment of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is:

1. 1A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming devices including a needle, a presser-foot, a sewing shaft, actuating connections between said shaft and needle, a treadle controlled member for rendering said connections inoperative, and presserfoot'li'fting' mechanism controlled directly by said member to lift the presser-foot only after said connections have been rendered inoperative. v I

2. A sewing machine having, in combination,"stitch-'forming devices including a needle, a p'resser-foot, a sewingshaft, actuating connections between said shaft-and need-1e, a treadle controlled member fo rqrendering said connections inoperative, press-er-foot lifting mechanism, and means actuated..di; rectlyby said member to rendersaid connectionsinop-erative, and thereafter to causesaid presser-foot lifting mechanism to lift the Presser-foot.)

3., A sewing. machine-"having, incombi nation, stitch-forming'sdevices,including .a- -neeidle, a presser-foot,.a sewing'shaft, actuating connections between said shaftand needleineluding two members and aconnecting latch, a latch actuating arm movable to-actuate the latch to render saidconnections inoperative,

a resser-foot lifting mechanism Iincludinga 1 reciprocating presser-foot lifting device dri ven continuously by the sewing shaft ian djaa member adapted tobe engaged by 'said device to lift the pr'esser-foot, and-a direct con nection from said arm to the presser fo'ot lifting device for moving the llfting device into engagement with said member to cause presser-foot lifting'mechanism including a reciprocating pr'esser-foot lifting device driven continuously by the sewin'g sh'af-t, and-:a member connected to the resser-foot adapted to b-e'enga-ged by said device to lift the presser-foot, a latch arranged to engagesaid member and hold the presse'nfootraised during the continued rotation jof the sewing shaft, a'treadle controlled member for rendering the connections between-the sewing shaft and needleinoperative, adir'e'c t-eo'nnection betweei'i-said'treadle controlled 'memher and the presser-fo'ot lifting device for moving the lifting device into -engagement with the member connected to the presserfoot to cause the presser-foot to be lifted after the connections between the sewing shaft and needle have. been rendered inoperative, and treadle actuated means for actuating the-la'tch to release the Presser-foot. 5 5. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch-forming devices including'alneedie, a pressenfoot, a sewing shaft, actuating connections between said shaftand'ne'ed le including ,two' members and a' connecting latch, a latch 'actuating arm movable to actuate the latch to render said connections-in operative, a Presser-foot lifting mechanism including a reciprocating presser 'fo'o't lifting device driven continuously by the sewing shaft, and a member connected'to the presser-foot adapted to be engaged by said device to lift the presser-foot, an arm rigid with the latch actuating arm, aicon'nection from'said last mentioned arm to'the presserfoot lifting device for moving the main-gutll-l0 vice into engagement with the member connected to the presser-foot to cause the presserfoot to be lifted after the connections between the sewing shaft and needle have been rendered inoperative, and means for retaining the resser-foot in the position to which it" is lifted during the continued rotation of the sewing shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signedmy name to this specification.

FRED ASHWORTH.

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