US2319191A - Attachment holder for sewing machines - Google Patents

Description

May 11, 1943. R. J. SAILER ATTACHMENT HOLDER FOR SEWING MACHINES -Fi1ed Oct. 5, 1941 M/ Mm W5 n W d u R III-A" II'IIIIIIIIA.

VIII/III! Patented May 11, 1943 ATTACHMENT HOLDER FOR SEWING MAC HIN ES Rudolph J. Sailor, Townley, N. J assignor to The Singer Manufacturing N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Company, Elizabeth,

Application October a, 1941, Serial No. 413,433

7 Claims.

The invention relates to an improved holder or support for work-guiding attachments for sewing machines. More specifically it is an improvement in attachment holders of. the type by which a-binder maybe selectively moved into and out of an operative position. I

The invention has for a primary object to provide an improved attachment holder for a sewing machine which is so constructed that the attachment may be readily shifted, in one manual operation, upward and away from engagement with a complementary pocket formed in the Work-supporting plate of a sewing machine, whereby to readily adapt said machine for ordinary sewing with minimum obstruction at the work-supporting surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new attachment holder of the above type with an improved releasable latching means for securing the attachment in operative position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved attachment holder of the above character in which the parts are so positioned that the operator, in normally grasping the attachment in one hand to shift it to its inoperative or out of the Way position, may simultaneously release the latch to permit said shift.

With the above and other objects in view, as Will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawing of a preferred embodiment of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a binder embodying the improved support applied to the throat-plate of a sewing machine and showing in broken lines the binder moved to inoperative position. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 33, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 4-4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an elevational View of the binder taken from the side toward which it may be'shifted.

'Referringto the drawing, the present improvement is shown as embodied in a sewing machine having acloth-plate I with a throat-plate 2 se-.

short portion 1 positioned transverse to the line of feed of the work and havin a seating surface 1 and alonger p r n e ten in ea w rdly, parallel to the line of feed of the workand bent to stand in a plane oblique to the seating surface I' as shown best in Fig. 2. The .illllqture of portions 7 and 8 of the supporting arm provides a leading corner 9 which is turned down, rounded and made smooth whereby to reduce to a minimum the resistance offered by said corner to the passage of work through the machine when the attachment is shifted into its inoperative position and the machine is being used for ordinary sewing, as will be more clearly set forth. later herein.

Swingably mounted on the rearwardiy disposed free end of portion 8 of the supportin arm is an L-shaped swingable bracket In which pivots about a shouldered pivot screw H threaded into and secured to said arm-portion 8, and which bracket is held in proper spaced relation with said arm by means of washer l2. The bracket I0 is formed at its free end with a transverse p t n I3 havin an atta hment-receivin s at It to which is adi a y sec red by screws .1 an angle-bracket I15 carrying a binder l5 se-v cured thereto by any suitable means such as soldering.

Inasmuch as 'the'binder l5, per se, form no part of the present invention, detailed illustration and descriptionthereof is notdeemed necessary herein. For a more complete disclosure of the specific binder. shown herewith, reference may be had to my prior U. S. Patent NO.- 2,026,484, dated Dec. .31, 1935.

The transverse portion I 3 of the bracket I0 is bent to stand in a plane oblique t0 the main portion of the bracket so that, as the bracket is swung about the pivot screw I I from the inoperative position shown by the broken lines of ig. 1 into the operative position, the plane of the atta v n seat I ;3' approaches parall ism With the throat-plate Z; exact parallelism being reached-when the binder I5 is in operative position and the bottom surfaceof the an lebracket l5 is'seated in ,a stable suppertedposition on the'top surface of the throat-plate 2, as shown by the full lines in .l and more p ticularly in Figs. 3 and 4. V 1

It is clear that, as the binder Li is'shiftedabout the axisiof the pivot-screw H, which is inclined to the 'planjeof the throat-plate 2, it is, at the sametime, raised above the surface of the thr at plat to provide cleara ce wherebyaid binder may be readily and convenien ly shifte tive position thus limiting the extreme position of the binder in the line of feed of the work. The delivery end of the binder is received within a depressed pocket I! having rounded edge corners and a closed bottom, and formed in the throat-plate 2 so that the bindingmaterial is continuously positioned to properly enclose the edge of the fabric being bound. With this construction there is no opportunity for the fabric' to be deflected into or foul the mechanism beneath the throat-plate with the result that the feed of the work is easy and unimpeded both for binding and ordinary sewing. Further, by providing in the throat-plate 2 a pocket I! instead of an aperture, which is sometimes employed, the parts of the lower stitching mechanism are protected against the infiltration of foreign matter with a resultant decrease in servicing requirements. 7

A'latch-member l8 pivotally secured by screw I9 to a supporting ear 20 struck up from one edge portion of the bracket I is formed at one end with a handle-portion 2! and at the other end with a downturned lip or finger portion 22 which engages the lateral edges of both the arm 8 and the bracket II], as is best shown in Fig. 4. A helical compression spring 23 positioned by a guide pin 24 secured to the bracket presses upwardly against the handle-portion 2| and thus urges the finger-portion 22 downwardly. A triangular-shaped portion 25 formed on oneedge of the rearwardly extending portion 8 is bent slightly downwardly to stand in a plane oblique to the portion 8 and provides a guiding cam surface for the depending latch finger 22 so that, as the binder is swung from the inoperative to the operative position, the latch finger 22 rides up on the cam surface 25 and transversely across the fixed arm portion 8 to drop finally into a latched position of engagement with the lateral edges of both the arm 8 and the bracket l0 when said arm and bracket are substantially in register as clearly shown in the full lines of Fig. 1. The cam surface 25 further improves the manipulae tion efficiency of the device inasmuch as it eliminates the necessity of grasping the latch handle 2 I, to release the latch when returning the binder to the operative position. That is, the binder may be engaged by the hand of the operator at any convenient point and. simply pushed to its operative position. It is clear that, in this latched position, the stop l6 prevents any further clockwise turning of the swingable bracket I0 while the latch-finger 22 prevents the counterclockwise rotation of said bracket. The binder is thus positively but releasably held stationary in operative position.

Whenever it is desired to swing the binder out of its operative position which, for example, may occur frequently where a single sewing machine is employed to handle several operations on one garment, it is only necessary to first apply a slight pressure downwardly at the handle end 2| of the latch-member l8 and then to pull said handle transversely away from the line of feed which will swing the bracket and binder about the axis of the inclined pivot screw H to adapt the machine for ordinary sewing. The handle portion 2i of the latch member I8 is formed. with a turned-up concave cylindrical surface, positioned closely adjacent the head of the binder I5, so that, in order to conveniently grasp the device, the fore and middle fingers of the operators hand are naturally pressed down on the handle portion with the thumb placed against the front of the binder head. In this manner, the operator, in normally grasping the binder to shift it to its inoperative position, may simultaneously release th latch at precisely the correct moment to allow the binder to be freely and conveniently shifted to its inoperative position. Downward pressure on the handle 2| raises the latch-finger 22, above the edge of the portion 8 of the fixed arm, thus permitting the bracket ID to be freely swung-out of register with the fixed arm-portion 8.

In this swung-out or inoperative position, the parts of the binder having any considerable vertical extent are removed sufficiently from the line of feed of the work to afford a minimum of obstruction to the'passage of material through the machine in the course of ordinary sewing.

In this connection, the rounded contour of the corner 9 of arm I and the inclined leading edgeof the cam surface portion 25, which havelittle vertical extent, have been so shaped as to further reduce the resistance to the flow of material over the work-supporting surface.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that I have provided an improved holder for abinder for a sewing machine by means of which the binder may be automatically latched in operative position, conveniently released therefrom by slight downward pressure and swung away from or into said operative position by easy manipulation whereby the sewing machine is readily adapted to either of two sewing functions and with substantially no increased resistance to the flow of material through the machine'due to the presence of the adapting device.

While the sewing machine attachment holder of the binder type has been herein described in general terms, it is to be understood that the invention is equally useful with other types of work-guiding attachments such, for example, as strip guides and hemmers. Further, the inven-, tion has been specifically-illustrated herein as applied to a construction in which the sewing machine attachment holder is secured to a'throatplate. It is clearly within the scope of the invention to secure said holder to any work-supporting, part of a sewing machine. i

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention may, ,without departure from is essential attributes, be embodied in; various specific forms other than; that shown' and described, which latter is to be. considered in all respects as illustrative of "the invention and not restrictive; reference beinghad to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing, description to indicate the scope of theinvention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the inven-. tion, what I claim herein is: 5

1. In a sewing machine, the .combination'ofa binder, a throat-plate having a-needle-hole, feeddog clearance slots and a closed-bottomedpocket formed therein ,for receiving th delivery-end portion of said binder, and supporting means for pivotally securing thebinder to the throat-plate. said supporting means including a' pivotal; axis inclined to thethroat-plate whereby th -single act of swinging the binder. away from the line of feed also eifects .a raising of .the binder above the throat-plateand out of. said pocket; 4 ,f if I' i 2. In a sewing machine, the combination with a detachable throat-plate having a needle-hole and a closed-bottomed pocket, of a work-guiding element removably received in said pocket, and means for supporting said work-guiding element on the throat-plate and in the pocket of said throat-plate comprising a horizontal supporting arm fixed to the throat-plate, a bracket carrying said guide and swingable in a plane oblique to the throat-plate and pivoted at one end to said supporting arm, and latching means including a spring-pressed lever having a handle portion positioned closely adjacent said work-guiding element and carried by the swingable bracket for automatically and releasably engaging the fixed supporting arm when said bracket and arm are substantially in register.

3. An attachment holder for sewing machines comprising, a supporting arm having a seating surface and adapted to be secured to a sewing machine work-supporting member, a swingable attachment-supporting bracket pivotally mounted at'one end on said arm and having at the opposite end an attachment-receiving seat, and a lever disposed longitudinally of said swingable bracket and fulcrumed on an axis transverse thereto and having a handle portion at the end adjacent the attachment-receiving seat and a depending latch finger at the end remote therefrom for releasably securing said swingable bracket to said supporting arm in a predetermined relative position.

- 4. In a sewing machine attachment holder having an operative and an inoperative position, a fixed supporting arm, a swingable bracket fulcrumed on said arm and formed with a downturned edge-portion affording a stop member against which an edge-portion of the arm bears when the bracket is swung into operative position, a pivoted spring-pressed latch member carfulcrumed on said supporting arm and having an attachment-receiving seat remote from said fulcrum, and a latch-lever pivotally mounted on said bracket for releasably locking said bracket in its operative position, said latch-lever having at one end a lip for engaging the supporting arm and having at its other end an operating handle disposed adjacent the seat for the work-directing attachment and in position so that the operator, in grasping the work-directing attachment in one hand'to shift it to its inoperative position, may simultaneously release the latch permitting the attachment to be conveniently shifted to its inoperative position.

6. In a sewing machine attachment holder having an operative and an inoperative position, a fixed supporting arm having an edge-portion bent down to afford a cam surface, a swingable bracket fulcrumed on said supporting arm and having an attachment-receiving seat remote from said fulcrum, a pivoted spring-pressed latch lever carried by said bracket and formed at one edge with a depending lip which rides upon said cam surface and transversely across the top of the fixed arm to drop into a latched position of engagement with the lateral edges of both said arm and bracket when the bracket is swung from an inoperative to an operative position.

7. In a sewing machine attachment holder having an operative and an inoperative position, a fixed supporting arm provided at one end with a seating surface, a swingable bracket fulcrumed at one end on said arm at that end of the arm remote from said seating surface, said bracket carrying at its other end an attachment-receiving seat, and a latch-lever mounted on and extending longitudinally of said bracket and formed with a handle portion at the end adjacent the attachment-receiving seat and with a depending latch-finger portion at the end remote therefrom. said lever being pivoted between its two ends on an axis transverse to said bracket, whereby a slight downward pressure on said handle raises said latch-finger to permit the bracket to be freely shifted from an operative to an inoperative position.

RUDOLPH J. SAILER.

Images