US2645194A

US2645194A - Sewing machine gauge and guide

Info

Publication number: US2645194A
Application number: US157297A
Authority: US
Inventors: Grace M Underwood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-04-21
Filing date: 1950-04-21
Publication date: 1953-07-14
Anticipated expiration: 1970-07-14

Description

July 14, 1953 G; M. UNDERWOOD 2,645,194

SEWING MACHINE GAUGE AND GUI DE Filed April 21, 1950 INV ENT OR 6km: M. fluneen'oad ATTORNEYS Patented July 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE i 7 2,645,194 SEWING MACHINE GAUGE AND GUIDE Grace M. Underwood, Berryton, Kans.

Application April 21, 1950, Serial No. 157,297

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a gauge and guide for use in sewing seams in a sewing machine.

An important object of the invention is to pro vide a novel gauge and guide for use on a sewing machine for assisting in sewing straight seams of a given width, and wherein the device is extremely simple and easy to use.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is of simple construction and lends itself readily to manufacture from a variety of materials, and in the use of which the sewing of a seam of any desired width is greatly facilitated.

A further object is to provide such a device having means associated therewith for assisting the operator not only in sewing a seam of a given width along tone edge of the material, but which provides means for gauging the end of the stitching so that the material can be turned to stitch a seam of the same width along another edge of the material. p

A further object is to provide such a combined gauge and guide which may be economically manufactured and which is capable of easy attachment to the bed of a sewing machine and easy adjustment according to the width of the' seam to be sewed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing, I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device,

Figure 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional View through the device showing it in position on a sewing machine and showing its relation to the needle and presser foot of the machine, parts being shown in elevation, and

Figure 3 is a detailed perspective view of a laterally movable gauge element.

Referring to Figure 2, the numeral designates the bed of a conventional sewing machine having the usual presser foot I l bifurcated in the bottom thereof for the passage therethrough of the usual reciprocating needle. The beds of all sewing machines are provided with a threaded opening 13, spaced from the presser foot, and such opening is utilized for the mounting of the present invention on the bed of the machine.

The present device comprises a gauge body l5 which may be formed of any suitable preferably sheet material, for example aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, or the like. Preferably, the body i5 is formed of normally fiat sheet metal such as stainless steel, and is stamped and punched to form the finished body. Throughout the greater portion of its length, the body is formed with a straight shank It longitudinally slotted as at ll. A thumb screw l8 has-its threaded shank l9 extending through the slot I! for threaded connection-in the opening [3 to secure the device in position.

At its end toward the presser foot ll, the'body I5 is provided with a laterally elongated head become apparent. The top wall 24 is slotted as at 21, and the top and front walls 24 are calibrated as at 28, preferably in lines one-eight inch apart.

v A base plate 30 is arranged beneath the body l5 between the thumb screw l8 and head 22. This base plate has its rear edge notched as at 31 to receive the shank IQ of the thumb screw if the latter element lies relatively close to the head 22. Centrally of the width of the body IS, the base plate is provided with a short depending finger 32 to engage in a suitable opening formed in some machine beds to assist in anchoring the device in adjusted positions. Adjacent the edges of the body It, the base plate 30 is bent upwardly and back upon itself to provide guides 33 receiving the edges of the body 15. The base plate 30 may be omitted when the device is used with machines having no opening for the finger 32.

An index plate 35 extends beneath the shank l6 of the body as shown in Figure 2. This plate has its edges turned upwardly and inwardly as at 36 and 3? respectively to form flanges to slidably connect the index plate 35 and body 36. The flange 31 is provided with an integral pointer 38 operative over calibrations 39, while the flange 36 is provided with a similar pointer 43 operative over a longer series of calibrations 4|. The calibrations 39 and 4| are preferably one-eighth inch apart and certain of the calibrations onefourth inch apart are preferably provided with punch marks 42 to assist in counting off the calibrations when setting the device.

One of the calibrations 39 also forms one of the calibrations M, and such line, indicated by the numeral 43, will be the zero line for the pointer 40.

A laterally movable gauging device indicated as a whole by the numeral 45 is slidably connected to the head 22. This device is of substantially inverted U-shape as shown in Figures 2 and 3 and has its central upper portion punched out as at 46, part of the material thus punched out forming a pointer 41 which projects through the slot 21 and operates over the scale markings 28.

After the index plate 35 and base plate 30 have been slipped into position over the right hand end of the shank IS, a punch is placed above the shank l6 adjacent the free end thereof and struck with a hammer to form a depression 50. This forms a small protuberance beneath the shank [G which prevents the index plate 35 and base plate 30 from sliding from the shank 15.

Operation The screw [8 is inserted in the opening I3 and the head 22 is moved into engagement with the pr se oot I Th ope ml l det the distance irom the needleto the inside of the presser foot, that is, the side in contact with the head 22. This distance varies on different makes of machinesirom one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch. Assuming the distance to be onefourth inch, the pointer 38 will be moved onefourth inch from the line with which it registers in Figure 1 to the line 43. The latter line will be the zero line for the pointer 40, and when the pointer 38 is'moved in the manner stated, the pointer 40 will be similarly moved one-fourth inch.

Assuming now that the operator desires to stitch a seam five-eighths of an inch wide, she willnow hold the index plate 35 by grasping the

flanges

36 and 31 and will slide the body toward the right as viewed in Figures 1 and 2 until the pointer 40 has been relatively moved three additional marks 4i. At this time, the pointer 48 will be relatively moved five one-eighth-inch spaces from its zero mark 43 with which it is shown in registration in Figure 1. The screw [8 is now tightened. The inner wall 25 of the head 22 will now be arranged five-eighths inch from the needle I 2. The operator may now start the sewing operation with the edge of the material touching the inner wall of the head 22 and with the sewing machine in operation, the material will be guided so as to maintain the edge of the material just in contact with the wall 25. This wall acts as a gauge to facilitate the sewing of a straight seam of any desired width.

If, at the end of such seam, the operator desires to turn a corner and sew a seam of the same width, the pointer 41 will be placed at a point directly opposite the needle [2 and from such point will be moved toward the operator five of the lines 28, which will place the pointer 4! fiveeighths of an inch forwardly of the needle. The sewing of the same referred to above will be continued until the following edge of the material reaches a point in registration with the gauge line 28 of the wall 25 corresponding to the position of the pointer 41. The sewing operation will be stopped at such point, and the material will be rotated counter-clockwise, as viewed looking down on the bed of the machine, until such following edge moves into contact and alignment with the inner face of the wall 25. The previously sewed seam will stop at a distance from the following edge of the material equal to the width of the previous seam, and the operator can then continue the stitching of the seam along the second edge of the material as was done along the previous edge. The seam along both edges will then be the same width.

In the assembling of the device, the index plate and anchor plate 30'(if the latter is used) will be slid over the right hand end of the shank I6 of the body of the device, whereupon the depression 50 will be punched to form a stop to prevent the loss of the index device from the shank l5 when the device is not in use. In the assembling of the gauge device 45 relative to the head 22, the device 45 will be formed as shown except that the pointer 41 will be left vertical. The device 45 is then inserted upwardly into the head 22 until it seats at the top thereof, whereupon the device 45 is supported by a suitable jig, and the pointer 41 is bent over to the position-shown. The pointer 47 may be moved longitudinally of the head 22, but after assembly, the device 45 cannot be lost from the head 22. a

I claim:

A sewing machine gauge and guide comprising an elongated shank adapted to be arranged on the bed of a sewing machine and projecting from the presser foot thereof in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of material under the presser foot, a head of inverted U-shape carried by said shank adjacent the presser foot and elongated in the direction of movement of the material under the presser foot, means for securing said shank in adjusted position with the inner face of said head a predetermined distance from the sewing machine needle, said head having a longitudinal slot and being calibrated, and an indicating device slidable within said head and having an indicating pointer projecting through said slot and movable over the calibrations of said head to place said pointer a predetermined distance ahead of the sewing machine needle whereby the stitching of the material can be stopped when the following edge of the material reaches said pointer so that the material can be turned to stitch adjacent said following edge to provide a seam of a width determined by the distance between said head and the sewing machine needle.

GRACE M. UNDERWOOD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 332,526 Hitchcock Dec. 15, 1885 435,517 Pickett Sept. 2, 1890 488,862 Winters Dec. 27, 1892 491,194 Shellard Feb. 7, 1893 689,924 Sloan Dec. 31, 1901 959,639 Stanton May 31, 1910 1,278,296 Blood Sept. 10, 1918