US2170554A - Needle-lubricating mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 22, 1939. H. E. ELLIO'VTT 2,170,554

NEEDLE-LUBRICATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 16, 1937 Patented Aug. 22, 1939 V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,170,554 NEEDLE-LUBRICATING MECHANISM Harold Ernest Elliott, Leicester, England, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 16, 1937, Serial No. 174,786 In Great Britain December 14, 1936 7 Claims. (01. 112-43) The present invention relates to sewing maneedle remains thoroughly coated with oil durchines, and more particularly to methods of and ing the time the machine is at rest, thus enabling mechanism for lubricating the needle of sewing the needle to cool without particles of material machines which are employed for sewing outsoles drying thereon and firmly adhering thereto.

to boots and shoes. Examples of machinesfor Another feature of the invention consists in the 5, this purpose are illustrated and described in the provision of a method of and mechanism for patent to Ashworth No. 1,169,909, dated Feblubricating the needle of sewing machines upon ruary 1, 1916, and in the patent to Gouldbourn stopping the machine and subsequent to the et al., No. 2,056,670, dated October 6, 1936. withdrawal of the needle from the Work, where- 10 It has been found desirable in machines of the in the time in the last cycle of the machine at 10 type described in the aforesaid patents, particuwhich the lubricant is squirted onto the needle larly in the case of machines which are operated may be varied, in order that the lubricant may at comparatively high speeds, to insure that the be applied to the desired portion of the needle needle, after its withdrawal from the work upon lengthwise thereof.

stopping the machine and before the machine Other features of the invention consists in cer- 15 comes to rest, is thoroughly lubricated in order to tain constructions and arrangements of parts preventsticky particles of tanning, leather, and whereby the amount of lubricant squirted onto the like from adhering to the hot needle and the needle when the machine is stopped may be drying thereon, with the result that the needle is readily adjusted, and whereby the lubricant is frequently broken when the machine is again squirted onto the needle only upon stopping the 20 started due to the needle sticking in the needle machine and not when the treadle or other conguide. 7 trolling means is actuated merely to reduce the I It is, therefore, one of the several objects of speed of the machine. the present invention to provide a method of and The several features of the present invention mechanism for lubricating the needle of asewing will become apparent from the following de- 5 machine which will effectively lubricate the neescription of a specific embodiment of the indle upon stopping the machine, whereby the vention taken with reference to the accompanybreakage of needles upon starting the machine ing drawings. The said embodiment will for due to sticking of the needle in the needle guide convenience be described as being embodied in may be entirely prevented or at least reduced to a sewing machine of the particular construction 30 a Substantial degree. disclosed in the aforesaid U. S. patent to Gould- Another object of the invention is to provide bourn et al. No. 2,056,670. a needle lubricating system in which the lubri- In the drawing Figure 1 is a View in left hand cant is forcibly applied directly to the needle side elevation of theillustrative embodiment of without the intervention of a brush, pad, or other the invention, part of the head of a sewing ma- 35 similar transfer device. chine to which it is fitted being shown in broken With these and other objects in view, a feature line; Figure 2 is a rear view of certain parts of the present invention consists in the method shown in Figure '1; and Figure 3 is a detail of lubricating the needle of sewing machines, and sectional view showing a portion of the needle,

40 in the provision in such machines of mechanism needle guide, and discharge end of the lubricat- 40 for lubricating the needle thereof, wherein lubriing fluid conduit. cant is squirted or forcibly projected directly The said illustrative embodiment includes at 011130 the needle itself, as distinguished o pbracket I secured to the rear of the machine head plication y means of a brush or by bein dropped near the left hand side. The bracket I has se-- '011130 a D ed by the eed e guide. cured to it a lubricant supplying pump 3, from 45 More specifically, a feature of the present inwhich lubricant is conveyed through a pipe 5 to vention consists in the'metho'd of, and in the the vicinity of the needle l6, thepump 3 being provision in a sewing machine of mechanism for, similar to that shown and described in U- S- l r tiris' needle Wh reby lubricant i patent to Harold E. Elliott No. 2,051,250 dated squirted onto the needle, and if desirdyalso onto August 18, 1936. The lubricant supplying pump 50 e e d guide, just at or slig y be t 3 in the illustrative embodiment is positioned machine comes to rest at a time in the last cycle on the machine at the left hand side of the head of the machine when the needle has withdrawn of the machine at a higher level than, and a from the work and will not enter it again until little forwardly of, the rocking shaft 6 referred the machine has started, with the result that the to as 611 in'aforesaid U. S. Patent No. 2,056,670. 55

The bracket I has pivoted to it on a horizontal pin 1 extending laterally of the machine a forwardly extending pump actuating arm 9, the forward end of which has adjustably secured in it a screw II, the lower end of which is positioned above the plunger I2 of the pump and is arranged on downward movement of the arm 9 to depress the plunger 52 and cause lubricant in a reservoir of the pump to be forced along the pipe and to be discharged therefrom. The

pump actuating arm 9 has secured to its upper face about mid-way between its pivot I and its forward end a plate I3 the rear margin of which extends part way over an opening I5 passing upwardly through the arm 9 at the rear of the plate I3. Passing upwardly through the opening I4 in the arm 9 is the upper end of a bar I5 which near its upper end has formed on its forward side a shoulder I! on which the rear margin of the plate I3 is supported when, as will hereinafter appear, the arm 9 has been moved to a raised position, to hold the arm 9 in its raised position. The bar I5 extends downwardly from its upper end at the rear of the rocking shaft 6 of the machine and at its lower end is pivoted to a bracket I9 secured on the head of the machine by a horizontal pin 2! extending laterally of the machine. The pin ZI is positioned in the machine rearwardly of and lower than the rocking shaft 6 and the front face of the bar I5 lies comparatively close to the rocking shaft.

The pump actuating arm 9 has connected to it the upper end of a downwardly extending rod 23. The upper end of the rod has formed in it a slot 25 through which passes a pin 2'! secured in the arm 9. The lower end of the rod 23 is pivotally connected to an arm 29 of the clutch controlling mechanism of the machine similar to the arm referred to as 653 in the aforesaid U. S. Patent No. 2,056,670 which in that specification is described as being connected to the clutch controlling treadle of the machine and is swung upwardly when the forward end of the treadle is depressed to cause the machine to operate. The arm 29 to which the lower end of the rod 23is connected has extending from its hub towards the right hand side of the machine an arm 3| to which the lower end of a tension spring 33 is connected. The upper end of the tension spring 33 is connected to the pump actuating arm 9. A member 35 secured on the rocking shaft 6 (for convenience a member similar to the block referred to as 615 in U. S. Patent No. 2,056,670) carries a roll 31 which is rotatably mounted on an eccentric portion of a pin 39 secured in the member 35 but rotatable therein. The roll 31 is so positioned on the member that it is engaged by the forward face of the bar I5 which passes through the opening I l in the pump actuating arm 9 against which roll 31 the bar I 5 is held by a spring M connected to the bar and to the bracket I which carries the pump.

When the forward end of the clutch controlling treadle is depressed by the operator to cause the machine to operate the rear end of the lever is raised and the arm 29 which is connected to the treadle is swung upwardly and the arm 3| extending from the hub of the arm 29 is swung downwardy. Upward movement of the arm 29 causes the'lower end of the slot 25 in the upper end of the rod 23 to engage the pin 21 in the pump actuating arm 9 and to move the arm upwardly, which arm 9, when the machine is at rest, occupies a lowered position in engagement with a lug 43 on the bracket I on which it is pivoted,

in which position the arm is holding the pump plunger I2 down against the action of its spring, i. e., the spring referred to as I2 in U. S. Patent No. 2,051,250. The upward movement of the arm 9 allows the pump plunger to be raised by its spring in readiness to be moved down to force lubricant through the pipe 5 onto the needle I6 or needle guide. When the forward end of the treadle is depressed, the rocking shaft 6 is turned as described in U. S. Patent No. 2,056,670 and the roll 3? which engages the forward face of the bar I5 is thereby moved into a position which allows the bar I5 to be swung forwardly of the machine about its pivot 2I so that as the pump actuating arm 9 is moved upwardly the rear margin of the plate I3 on the arm 9 snaps over the shoulder I! on the bar I5 and the pump actuating lever 9 is thereby held in its raised position temporarily even if the treadle is released. Also as the clutch controlling treadle is depressed, the spring 33 connecting the pump actuating arm and the arm 3| is further tensioned both by the downward movement of the arm 3I and the upward movement of the pump actuating arm 9.

During operation of the machine the pump actuating arm 9 is held in its raised position by the engagement of the plate I 3 on the arm 9 with the shoulder I! on the bar I5, and the slot 25 in the upper end of the rod 23, which is connected to the pump actuating arm, permits the clutch controlling treadle to be raised by the spring 33, which is connected to the pump actuating arm and to the arm 3|, either to vary the speed of the machine or to stop the machine, the usual treadle raising spring of the machine being dispensed with.

The slot 25 in the upper end of the rod is sufficiently long to allow the treadle to be fully raised to stop the machine, and as the machine comes to rest the rocking shaft 6 is rotated in the manner described in U. S. Patent No, 2,056,670, and this movement of the rocking shaft causes the roll 31, supported thereby, to swing the bar I5 having near its upper end the shoulder H, which is then supporting the pump actuating arm 9, rearwardly, thereby moving the shoulder H from beneath the plate I3 on the arm 9 and a1- lowing the arm to be rapidly moved downwardly by the spring 33 connected to it to operate the pump plunger. The rapid downward movement of the pump actuating arm by its spring which is considerably stronger than the pump plunger spring causes lubricant to be squirted from the pipe onto that portion of the needle extending forwardly from the needle guide 34 or onto the needle guide itself or both onto the needle and the needle guide.

To enable lubricant squirted onto the top of the needle guide to readily flow therefrom onto the needle behind and in front of the guide, the needle guide of the machine may have a narrow opening formed inv it which extends lengthwise of the needle guiding passage in the guide from one end to the other of the passage, the opening passing from the top face of the needle guide into the needle guiding passage. This opening is preferably additional to the usual opening II in the pump actuating arm 9' which engages the upper end of the pump plunger l2 and by its adjustment varies the amount of movement of the pump plunger after it commences to force lubricant through the pipe and therefore controls the amount of lubricant expelled from the pipe.

The time in the last machine cycle before the machine comes to rest at which the lubricant is squirted onto the needle may be varied, thus causing the lubricant to be applied to varying parts of the needle lengthwise thereof, by adjustment of the position of the roll 31 on the member which carries it by rotation of the eccentric pin 39 on which the roll is mounted and therefore adjustment of the time at which the pump actuating arm is released by the shoulder on the bar.

The discharge end of the pipe through which lubricant is conveyed to the needle is preferably arranged so that when the lubricant is squirted from the pipe the needle guide is in such a position that the lubricant is squirted onto the top of the front end of the needle guide and directly onto the needle in front of the guide.

The illustrative embodiment may be used in a sewing machine having also a lubricating mechanism of the kind described in U. S. Patent No. 2,051,250 in which case the lubricant applied to the needle by the illustrative embodiment supplements that applied by the latter mechanism and by its sudden squirting action ensures: that the lubricant is applied to the needle at the desired time in the last cycle of the machine.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and a construction embodying the several features of the invention having been specifically described, What is claimed is:

1. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a needle lubricating mechanism comprising a reservoir for lubricating fluid, a lubricating fluid conduit extending from the reservoir to a point in the vicinity of the needle, and means for squirting lubricant from the conduit directly onto the needle.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a needle lubricating mechanism comprising a reservoir for lubricating fluid, a lubricating fluid conduit extending from the reservoir to a point in the vicinity of the needle, and means for squirting lubricant from the conduit onto a predetermined portion of: the needle lengthwise thereof and during movement of the same.

3. In a sewingmachine, the combination with a needle, of a needle lubricating mechanism comprising a reservoir for lubricating fluid, a lubricating fluid conduit extending from the reservoir to a point in the vicinity of the needle, and. means operating upon stopping the machine and before the machine comes to rest for squirting lubricating fluid from the conduit onto the needle subsequent to the withdrawal of the needle from the work.

4. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a needle lubricating mechanism comprising a reservoir for lubricating fluid, a lubricating fluid conduit extending from the reservoir to a point in the vicinity of the needle, means actuated upon stopping the machine for squirting lubricant onto the needle during the last cycle of the machine and subsequent to the Withdrawal of the needle from the work, and means for varying the time in the last cycle of the machine at which the lubricant is squirted onto the needle, whereby the lubricant may be applied to varying portions of the needle length thereof.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a needle lubricating mechanism comp-rising a reservoir for lubricating fluid, a conduit for conducting lubricant from \the reservoir to a point in the vicinity of the needle, means comprising a plunger for forcing lubricant through the conduit, means operating upon stopping the machine to actuate the plunger suddenly, whereby lubricant is forced through the conduit and squirted from the end of the same onto the needle during the last cycle of the machine and subsequent to the Withdrawal of the needle from the work, and means for varying the amount of lubricating fluid squirted from the 1 conduit.

6. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a needle lubricating mechanism comprising a reservoir for lubricating fluid, a lubricating fluid conduit extending from the reservoir to a point in the vicinity of the needle, a plunger for forcing lubricant through the conduit, and means for actuating said plunger including a member adapted to be tensioned upon starting the machine and retained in tensioned condition during the continued operation thereof, and to be released upon stopping the machine to cause the plunger suddenly to be actuated, whereby lubricant is forced through the conduit and squirted therefrom onto the needle subsequent to its withdrawal from the work '7. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of mechanism for applying liquid to the needle at the end of the sewing operation to prevent particles of material from sticking and drying thereon while the machine is at rest, said mechanism comprising a reservoir for the liquid, a liquid conduit extending from the reservoir to a point adjacent the needle, and means for squirting the liquid directly onto the needle at the end of the sewing operation.

HAROLD ERNEST ELLIOTT.

CERTIFICA E OF CORRECTION. Patent'No. z,17o,55u. August 52, 19 9,

' HAROLD ERNEST ELLIOTT.

It is hereby' certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5 sec 0nd column, line 18, claim 1;, for the word "length"-' read lengthwise; and that the said Letters Patent should be. read with this correction therein that the same ma conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 51st day of October, A; D. 1959..

Henry Vari Aradale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents

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