US2379733A - Flexible needle sewing machine - Google Patents

Description

.July 3 1945- M. s. MALEK l 2,379,733

FLEXIBLE NEEDLE SEWING MACHINE l Filed July 1, 1943 I .5. Wig/'c Patented July 3,- 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT 16 Claims.

This invention relates to devices such as long needle sewing machines.

One object of the invention is to provide a. device of the character described having improved means for the gaging, folding, and sewing of neckties which are crimped in the folded gaged position and thus sewn by one or more long flexible needles.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of the nature set forth having improved means for feeding a long, flexible needle, such that the feeding means and the needle occupy a space much less than the length of the needle.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved feeding means for a long, flexible needle, whereby the latter is Wound back and forth in a substantial circle, for projection and retraction, and is rigidly maintained in the curved path against any buckling tendency caused by the resistance of a plurality of crimped portions of fabric which are being penetratedl by the needle.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means such that a flexible drive element is utilized to powerfully maintain the long flexible needle against buckling at any point in its curved path.

Another object of the invention is to construct improved means whereby the needle is reliably maintained in its curved path by a chain under high tension, and a exible cushioning element acting between the needle and portions of the chain.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means comprising a guide wheel or roller having a needle retaining exible member, and a novel guide element adapted to lie as closely as possible to the point of tangent contact of the member with the wheel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in View, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed -out in the subjoined claims, and illustrated on the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a-machine according to the invention, with lining and necktie fabrics disposed in caged position thereon relative to a crimping head, preparatory to folding the necktie, the upper of the crimping heads being removed.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the machine of Fig. 1, with the necktie folded, and the upper crimping head descending to crimp the lining and tie for the sewing by the long flexible needle.

Fig. 3 is a. fragmentary diagrammatic front view, with parts in section showing a device embodying the invention in the feeding of a long, flexible needle.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse view with parts in section of the needle feeding structure. l

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view, with parts in section, showing the cooperation of the drive chain, and flexible cushioning element.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line li--B of Fig. '7 showing a guide for the needle adjacent to the point where it leaves its arcuate drive path.

Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6 with parts in section.

Fig. 8 is a schematic\\fragmentary plan view of a modification.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a fabric stitched thereby.

Fig. l0 is a, schematic fragmentary plan view of another modication.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure. but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different construc tions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing the preferred exempliiication of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, I0 denotes a device embodying the invention. The same may include atable Il having a longitudinal downwardly offset front portion I2, that may be slotted lengthwise at supporting portion I4. In the space I3 is disposed a bottom jaw l5, with which there may cooperate an upper jaw I6. The latter may be movable up and down in any suitable manner into cooperation with the bottom jaw. Both jaws have generally like meshing teeth, forming respective `racks Il, I8 for crimping one or more fabrics. The teeth may be centrally notched as at I9. 2D so that the racks each provide a guide- I3 to form a striplike Positioned on the table is a folding means such as a slide plate 24, carrying gauge elements for av necktie blank T, which as thus gauged extends over the lining L just beyond the needle guideway of the jaw I5. A gage element or plate 26 for the fold line of the tie is positioned thereon by an end hinge or by cooperation with the shoulder offset 21. While the plate 26 is pressed down on the tie, the plate 24 is moved forward so that its leading edge, acting as a gage,

folds the tie, with the fold line being at a predetermined location and having a desired form. The free edges of the tie are now superposed on each other, and the tie and lining are in correct position for sewing. This position is maintained with the aid o'f the downward pressure of the slide plate 24 on the -tie and. lining, until such time as the upper head IB is lowered to clamp and crimp the vfabric portions that are to be sewn. Then thehead I6 is raised, the plate 24 retracted, and the guide 26 which may be split or collapsible if necessary, is retracted endwise from the tie, permitting the latter to be removed and subsequently pulled inside out.

The novel guiding and driving means 30 for the needle 2| will now be described. The same may include' any member affording a curved or circular guide path for the needle, such as 3|. To reduce friction with the needle, the member 3| is preferably angularly movable or rotatable, and it may lconstitute a wheel or large roller. In most cases the circumference of the wheel may be approximately equal to or only slightly less than the length of the needle 2|, but'the needle may be wrapped around the wheel more than once, as bythe use of a helical path. Thus a high degree of compactness is obtained, and

the loss of a great'deal of floor space by the usev of long rigid needles is avoided.

Formed centrally along the periphery of the wheel, in the plane thereof, is a groove 32 for the needle, the latter being suitably anchored to the wheel at its remote end 33 so that the needle shall not be rotatable about its axis. Along the edges of the periphery of the wheel are formed annular opposed lips or flanges 34 whereby an undercut or guide groove is furnished for a flexible element 35 which may consist of very thin spring materials or other flexible, or cushioning material. The element 35 may also be affixed to the wheel in any suitable manner at 33, and the same connection may be used as for the needle. This element is wound once around the wheel, with its free end always lying in a container such as 3'6. Accordingly, as the needle is projected and the element 35 correspondingly unwound, the latter is received and housed in the container 36.

In order not to place any undue strain on the element 35, a separate tension member such as 31 may be used for actuating the wheel 3| to project the needle. Preferably the member 31 is so constructed as to be adapted to take a high tension and to cooperate with the element 3.5, so that the same tension which actuates the wheel, bears down tightly radially upon the element 35 to maintain the needle in the groove 32 and avoid anybuckling of the needle. Conveniently, the member 31 may be made as a chain, which may be affixed at one end to the wheel 3|, as at 33, in any suitable manner. This chain may rest on the element 35, and at the point where it leaves the wheel, it may extend around a roller 38 which is pressed toward the wheel. To assure relatively even pressure on the element 35, the chain may be quite flat. For instance, it may consist of spaced pins such as 39 pivotally interconnected at their ends by links 40. The arrangement may be such that the links lie at the sides of the wheel so as to permit the pins 39 to rest directly on the element 35, or to rest also in part on the annular lips 34. Accordingly it is seen that theelement 35 may be regarded as serving as a flexible bridge between successive pins 39 for an equalized pressure on the needle. Without the element 35, the chain would bear on the needle only at the points 39, and hence the needle would lie subjected to shock and to a buckling tendency.

If it be desired to use the roller 38 as a drive member, it may be provided with sprocket portions to engage the chain 31. Thus sprocket members 4| may be connected to the roller at opposite sides thereof, so that their teeth 42 may directly engage the chain in any suitable manner, for instance, at the pins 3'9 thereof. The roller may now be rotated by any desired source of power to cause projection of the needle; in fact, the sprockets 4| may be considered to be illustrative of a power drive.

It is important that the roller 38 shall be pressed down tightly on the chain, especiallyif the latter is under lateral tension. Hencestationary members 45 may have guideways 46 for bearing blocks 41 that rotatably carry the shaft of the roller-sprocket unit, these blocks being downwardly actuated in any feasible manner. For example, the guideways may be inclined to afford a downward component as a result of the chain tension. In this way the strip spring 35 is held tightly on the wheel to avoid any buckling of the needle, and such pressure will increase automatically with any increase in tension on the chain; moreover, vibration at the bearing -is reduced to a minimum.

The retraction of the needle may be accomplished in any suitable manner directed to the wheel 3| acting as a drive member for that purpose. Thus a pulley or drum 48 connected to the wheel 3| may be actuable by a tension element 49 secured thereto at 50, trained over an idler 5|, and carrying a weight 52. The latter, being substantially greater than weight 43, with the size of the pulley 48 affording ample leverage, causes retraction of the needle, the driver 38 being released manually or otherwise. Since the weight `43 is carried by the chain, it assures that the chain is held snugly wrappedaround the wheel 3|, the driver now acting as an idler, the weight 43 moving upward while the needle is being retracted. Thus the sole function of the weight 43 is to eliminate any possible slack in the chain.

The advancing needle must be reliably guided as closely as possible to its tangent contact with the wheel 3|. This may be affected by a stationary tubular guide 60 that may be fixed to the lower jaw member I5; point portion of the needle may lie in the guide when the needle is retracted, and the tubular guide may have an opening or cut out at its upper side as at 6|, so that the thread can bewithdrawn from the eye of the needle. en the needle is advanced it may enter for some istance in the needle channel afforded by the Ja :|l, I8 before it engages the fabric. The arran ement is such that there is no opportunity for t e needle to buckle due to the longitudinal compression strain thereon.

i than half of the needle to reliably retain the latter. Since the element 35 may be curved away on a radius much smaller than that of the wheel, no cut away is needed at the upper part of the guide 82. At one end is formed a bracket arm 65 :for securement to the jaw head I5, abovewhich the needle eyeis accessible for removing the thread which has been pulled through the fabric upon retraction'of the needle. It will be appreciated that' the needle is threaded after projection, and the thread disengaged from the needle for knotting or the like when the stitching is completed. Although the point of tangent contact where the needle leaves the wheel 3| may be in the vertical plane of the axis of wheel 3 I, with the roller 38 having its axis in that plane, it is preferred to shift the point of tangency toward the jaws I5, I8, by moving the roller 38 in that direction. Hence thereis a quicker angular separation of the needle from the wheel 3|, which is important especially as the needle must leave the groove 32 before itcan be reliably engaged by a stationary guide. This drawback cannot be wholly avoided, as it would not aid much to extend a guide linger into the groove 32, butit is obviated in large part by the cutaway at 33. Further advantage is obtained by rounding oil? the leading end of the guide 62, whereby there is afforded clearance with the element 35 and also, in effect, very short and strong portions 6B extending into the narrowing space to additionally grip the needle. But with the top of the guide closed substantially throughout it is in a position to directly prevent the tendency to buckling or deflection, which would be upward.

Supplemental means for engaging the needle as it leaves the channel 32 may be afforded by the spring element 35 which may be arranged to follow the contour of the chain 35 at the roller 4|. Thus the chain is caused to press on the element 35 to restralnthe needle against any tendency toward upward buckling. To avoid frictional contact between the element 35 and the needle guide,

Purpose-the latter or at least one element 31 is always under tension,v and preferably actuates the member 3| for projection of the needle, as by a yielding power source 43 or by a power source such as the periodically driven reversible shaft 83 oi' the sprockets 4|, or by both this shaft and the yielding power source. The weight 43 may accordingly be used merely to take up slack in the chain 31 and assure constant radial pressure on the needle.

JIn Fig. 8 is shown a device 1|| according to a modification of the invention, and illustrating the gang feeding of needles such as 2| in accordance with the principles above disclosed. A resultant utility of the modification is in the stitching of shrouds, comforters and other coverings or sheets. For this purpose upper and lower identical jaws are used which may be of considerable width and length Illustratively only a lower Jaw 1| need be shown having a plurality of rows of teeth 12 and a plurality'of rowsv of teeth 13, the diil'erent rows alternating with the teeth of rows 12 being staggered with respect to the teeth of rows 13, longitudinally of the grooves 14 provided for the needles 2|. The teeth of rows 12`and 1I are respectively in transverse alignment. Instead of a single needle, the wheel 3| and the drive means including the element 35 and chain 31 are of suillcient width to accommodate a needlev for each of the rows 12, 13. The wheel may have a groove 32 for each-needle, the drive being in all respects the same as before, as herein diagrammatically indicated by the wheel Ila and the spring element 35a, the chain being omitted for clarity in the drawing. When the jaws are clamped on the fabric, the result is as shown by `the teeth |1, I8 in Fig. 3 and the stitching action is exactly the same as before. The fabric obtained is shown at 15 in which the stitches 11 are staggered relative to the stitches 16 for an improved reenforcement and superior decorative effect. The

stitching is effected by the movement of all the needles simultaneously-for prowhich is readily attainable with the present needle drive.

a very small idler roller 61 may be utilized under the element and which may be mounted on the guide portion 64 or elsewhere. If the element 35 is separated from the chain 31 as in Fig. 3, a very small idler roller may be provided at 6B above the element to press downward thereon. Either arrangement of rollers 61 and 68 may be used lnterchangeably.

It will be now seen that the invention provides a plurality of elements, 4such as 3| and 35 or 3| and 31, adapted to provide a curved path or channel for a needle, and movable progressively apart or toward each other, as the needle is projected or retracted, with the needle preferably retracted and projected by one of these elements such as 3|, and caused to follow the curved path by the other element such as 35, 31 or both. For that In Fig. 10 is shown a device 80 according toa the invention. Here the described for the device 10.

vice 8U additionally provides for gang of needles 33 transverse and 13a. For this purpose each at 84, transversely to the grooves date the needles 83. needles I claim:

1. A machine including means for crimping fabrics to be sewn by a long needle passing through a multiplicity of crimps in a single stroke of the needle, a long iiexible reciprocating needle, means path is for guiding said needle comprising a single angularly movable member having a continuous circular vpath for substantially the entire length of the needle adapted to bend the needle into the curved path during retraction oi the needle,

means whereby the rear end of the needle is sev cured to the member, means cooperating with the member to guide and maintain said needle in said curved path as the needle is being gradually released irom that path during projection oi the g needle and angular movement of said member,-

about the center of said path, strap means cooperating with said member to form a tubular channel housing said needle against buckling up on projection of the needle, means securing the rear end of the needle and the adjacent end of the strap means to said member, causing the channel to progressively open as the needle leaves said member,and to progressively close as the needle is retracted.

3. A sewing machine including a long,'recipro eating, ilexible needle, an angularly movable member having a ilxed axis and having a single continuous circular portion having a groove, and

a flexible element adapted to be closely engagedA and disengaged withI the Acircular portion upon angular movement of the member in one or in an opposite direction, said needle, said member and element being so iixedly interconnected and so cooperating with each other that the needle is progressively continuously laid in the groove and snugly retained therein by the element overlying the needle and is progressively positively fed by the element from the groove, according asfthe member is moved in one or in an opposite direction, said needle being projected by the member as fed from the groove, means for causing .said element and needle to be curved about the member when the latter is turned in one direction, and means for causing the member to turn in -an opposite direction for projection of the needle while tensioning the element to prevent buckling of the needle in course of' projection.

M4. A sewing machine including a long, flexible, reciprocating nedle, a single angularly movable member having a curved portion, retaining-means cooperating with said member, said needle and the retaining means being connected to said mem- Vfor movement therewith, said member, needle and 'retaining means being so cooperative with each other that the needle and retaining means are wrapped along the curved portion with the said retaining means overlying the needle and coacting with the curved portion to provide a curved channel closely embracing the retracted needle, the length of the curved portion being at least approximately equal to that of the needle said retaining means being progressively angularly separable from the curved portion upon angular movement of the member for projection of the needle, and actuating means for causing pro- V.retaining means va peripheral groove and on the needle jection of the needle by exerting tension on the for angularly moving said member.

5.'A sewing machine according to claim '4 including yielding means connected to the retaining means for constantly tensioning the same.

6. A sewing machine including a long, reciprocating, flexible needle, a wheel member having being rotatable back and forth, the needle being connected at one end to the member so as to be adapted to be wound around the member in said groove, a flexible strip element, a chain element, said elements being connected to the member so as to be adapted to be wound around the member upon angular movement o! the latter in one direction, said needle and said elements being unwound .upon angular movement oi the member in an opposite direction, said strip element lying between the chain and the needle, and means for tensioning the chain to cause movement of the member for projection of the needle while causing radial pressure through the strip element to pre vent buckling of the needle.

-i. A sewing machine according teV claim 6 wherein a yielding means maintains a constant wherein a roller and sprocket unit is provided with the roller pressing the strip element against the member and the sprocket pressing the chain lelement against the strip element, substantially at. thepoint of tangent contact of the needle with the member, and means for mounting the 40 roller and sprocket unit and for causing the same to bear down on said elements.

10. A sewing machine according to claim 6, wherein a stationary guide is provided for the needle as projected from the member, said guide having a tubular portion and a portion aligned therewith that hasta longitudinal opening confronting the member, the portion having the `opening being nearest to'the point of tangent contact of the needle and the member.

ll. .A device including sewing means comprising a long, flexible, reciprocating needle element, a wheel, a ilexible strip element, said elements being connected at one end to the wheel and bein! wound and unwound on the wheel as the latter is rotated back and forth to thusA retract and project the needle, the flexible strip element overlying the needle element and the wheel having o peripheral grooved portion cooperating with the .flexible strip element to form a channel for embracing the needle as the latter is retracted, and

means for exerting a tension on the strip element to cause rotation of the wheel in one direction for projecting the needle element while preventing buckling of that part of the needle element that is wound around the wheel.

12. A device according to claim l1, wherein a stationary guide is provided for receiving the needle as projected. said guide extending bevond the wheel in alignment with the said groove t0 prevent buckling of the needle, the guide having an opening for access to the needle eye, and the wheel cooperating with the guide so that the needle stops vwith its eye at the opening of the guide.

13. A device according to claim l1, wherein a is capable of lying in close of tangency of the needle guide is provided for receiving the needle as projected, said guide extending beyond the sewing means in alignment therewith, and a roller is provided bearing on the flexible element at a point between the guide-'and a vertical plane passing through the axis of the wheel so that the guide proximity to the point and wheel, said roller being substantially smaller in diameter than said wheel.

14. A device according to claim 11 wherein a guide is provided for receiving the needle as projected, said guide extending beyond the sewing `means in alignment therewith and having an opening at one end for access to the needle eye,

, a rollersmaller than the wheel bearing down 'on the flexible element at the point lwhere the elements leave the wheel, the guide extending into the angular space between the flexible element` and the wheel with the flexible element passing over the guide, and the latter having an opening facing the wheel, said opening being at the other end portion of the guide, which end portion thus forms a laterally open tubular part engaging the needle. V

15. A device according to claim 11 wherein means is provided for directly turning the wheel in an opposite direction for retraction of the elements. i

16. A device for actuating a nexib1e needle, in-v clnding a single rotatable wheel for directly winding the needle in a curved path, means cooperating with the .wheel for embracing the needle progressively as curved and for snugly retaining the needle from buckling when gradually projected from said curved path for progressive sewing,

means for securing the rear end portion of the needle xedly to the wheel and means for tensioning the cooperating means to rotate the wheel for causing the needle to be progressively released,`

and positively driven from its rear end. v

MORRIS S.MALEK.

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