US2683430A - Tape and ribbon tension guide attachment for sewing machines - Google Patents

Description

July 13, 1954 so Do 2,683,430

TAPE AND RIBBON TENSION GUIDE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 2, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 5' 4 LEONARD S'OLDO AfiORNEY y 1954 SOLDO 2,683,430

TAPE AND RIBBON TENSION GUIDE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 2, 1950 2, Sheets-Sheet 2 gl 4e INVENTOR. LEONARD SOLDO BY M"? WM ATTORNEY Patented July 13, 1954 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE Leonard Soldo, New York, N. Y.

Application May 2, 1950, Serial No. 159,475

9 Claims. 1

The present inventionrelates to an attachment for asewing machine by means of. which a :tape or ribbon may be fed and guided under proper tension to the needle and sewed as 'a binding or decoration on a garment.

Heretofore, tape-or ribbon from a spool thereof was fed to the needle of a sewing machine and sewed upon a garment as a binding or edging. The present invention therefore contemplates the provision of a tape and ribbon guiding means which may be detachably mounted in position on various types ormakes of sewing machines and on whichmeans may be arranged a spool or. the like ofthe tape" or ribbon that is to be sewed on the: garment.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a member that carries the spool of tape or ribbon for rotation thereon and which member'with the spool may be easily removably positioned on the means and held rigidly thereon so tapeor ribbon, after it was cut, remained in the tube guide and had to be pulled out therefrom and then again out close to the garment. The presser foot guide of the present invention on the other hand permits ready cutting of the tape or ribbon at the garment so that a uniform binding or decoration may easily be obtained with the present invention.

The attachment of the present invention is so designed and constructed that it may be used for either an axially elongated spool of tape or a narrow spool of ribbon.

The present invention further contemplates the provision of anattachment which is comparatively simple in construction and which may be easily assembled without riveting or welding the parts together and which is relatively inexpensive and simple to manufacture.

These, other and further--objects,.-uses and advantages of the present invention will be clear from the description which follows and thedrawing appended thereto, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an attachment embodying my invention detachably mountedon the head of a sewing machine which machine is only partially shown.

Fig. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of spool carrying frame and tension controlled tape or ribbon guide according to my invention.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a presser foot to be used in combination with the spool carrying and tape or ribbon guiding means illustrated in detail in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the presser foot illustrated in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 inc., my attachment com prises the frame on which the spool ID of tape 12 is mounted and which frame is formed by the side members [4 and !6 which members are assembled and held together by the counter sunk head screw-l8 and the nut 20.

The member I4 is bent to form the upper upright or shoulder 22, the intermediate inclined toward the center of the frame element 24 and the lower upright 26.

The member IE is bent to form the upper upright or shoulder 28, the intermediate portion thereof is inclined toward the center of the frame element 36 and the lower upright 32.

Thus, when the frame members Hi and it are assembled and secured together, there is formed. a yoke attachment on which the spool of tape or ribbon iscarried.

The lower upright 26 on one of the members i4 is longer than the corresponding lower upright 32 on the other member [6 to thereby form a shoulder against which the horizontal arm 3 of the tape or ribbon tension guide, to which further reference will be made hereinafter, is positioned when the tension guide is assembled on the frame and :heldagainst the lower upright '26 by means of the counter sunk head screwtfi is only partially illustrated for an understanding of my invention.

Each upper upright or shoulder'22 and '28' is slotted-at- 46 and 48- toreceivetherein the rod 59 on which the spool 40 of tape 12 is mounted.

The ends of the rod 50 are preferably slotted at 52 and 54 so that when the rod is pressed into the slots 46 and 48 on the upper uprights, it (the rod) will not rotate in the frame when the tape is unwound from the spool by the sewing operation.

When a narrow spool of ribbon is used, I prefer to use a flat bar (which need not be shown) instead of the rod 50 so that the narrow spool will not spin too fast on the bar, the flat sides of which reduce the speed at which thespool moves thereon as the ribbon is pulled off of it during the sewing operation.

In order to provide a member against which the tape or ribbon I2 is tensioned as it is fed from the spool into the guiding means, generally indicated by the reference character 56 (see Fig. 2), I secure in the frame, the rod 58, positioned below the spool carrying rod 50, as by means of the nuts 68 and 62 (see Fig. 1), it being understood that the ends of the rod 58 are threaded to receive these nuts and that the upper uprights 22 and 28 are apertured to receive the ends of the rod.

The horizontal arm 34 of the tension controlled guiding means 56 is bent to form the stationary back plate 60 and integral arms GI and I53, which are disposed in front of the spool supporting or carrying frame just described.

The movable front plate 62 of the guide means 56 is urged against the back plate 6t by the expanding spring 6d, mounted on the bolt 65, which extends through the back and front plates.

The tension with which the front plate 62 is held against the back plate 50, may be adjusted by the knurled head 68 on the bolt 66 on which latter is threaded the retaining nut It! by means of which the bolt 66 is held on the back plate.

Secured to the front plate 62 are the rivets I2 and M which extend through suitable openings in the back plate 6i! and serve as a guiding means for movement of the front plate 652 away from and against the back plate.

To thread the tape or ribbon through the guide means 56, the front plate 62 is grasped by means of the lips it and I2, at each end of the front plate and the front plate separated from the back plate, against the tension of the spring 64.

The tape or ribbon I2 is passed from the rear of the lower rod 58 through the eye 86 extending up from the back plate ti] on one side (here, the left as viewed in Fig. 2) of the back plate 6i! through the space formed by the separation of the two plates.

After the tape or ribbon is inserted between the two plates, the front plate 62 is released and is forced by the spring 65 against the back plate ti} to hold the ribbon or tape I2 therebetween.

A comparatively wide ribbon (not illustrated) may be used with my attachment in which case a comparatively narrow spool is mounted on the frame by the use of a flat bar, as heretofore referred to. In such case, the ribbon is threaded from the back of the lower rod 58 through the other eye 82 on the other side of the bolt 68 (here, to the right as viewed in Fig. 2).

In order to properly center the guide means 56 on the supporting frame, the intermediate element 24 is somewhat shorter than the intermediate element 38 so that the attachment will be suitable for a relatively wide spool It or a narrow spool (not illustrated).

In either case, the spool is held on the rod 59 between the collars 8d and 8B, which are held on the rod 56 by means of the set screws 88 and 90.

In order to properly hold the spool in position on the rod, I preferably provide the expanding spring 92 extending from the collar 84 and which urges the washer 94 against the side of the spool.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, I have there shown a presser foot 98, which is preferably used with my attachment just described, although it will be understood that conventional or other presser feet may be used.

The presser foot 96 is provided with the open groove or slot 98 in which is received a presser bar, of the type usually found in a sewing machine and which presser foot is secured thereto in the conventional manner, as by a set screw.

At the end of the presser foot, I provide groove I00 formed by the spaced opposed fingers I92 and led and through which groove I00 the tape or ribbon I2 is threaded to pass underneath the plate I06 of the presser foot.

It will of course be understood that presser feet 96 having grooves I00 of different widths to accommodate different widths of tape or ribbon may be used.

I prefer to provide an opening I08 in the presser foot plate I96 that is eccentric or off center so that the tape or ribbon is sewed to the garment closer to the right hand edge of the tape or ribbon, as viewed in Fig. 4.

The needle I ID of the sewing machine is. reciprocated through the opening I08 to sew the tape or ribbon to the garment as it is fed thereto under the plate I66. It will be recognized that it is unnecessary to guide the tape or ribbon to the garment since the groove I insures that this will be done because the tape or ribbon is fed under the plate I08 away from the groove HID in the direction of movement of the work and the tape or ribbon as it is sewed is carried along with the work as it is being moved away from the needle.

Since the groove I09 is open at the front of the plate Its, the tape or ribbon can be out very easily and the garment immediately trimmed without movement of the work away from the presser plate to thus save both time and material.

The tension imposed on the tape or ribbon by the guide means 56 and the lower rod 58, which is in back of the guide means, cooperate to prevent inadvertent rapid rotation of the spool and resulting unwinding of the tape or ribbon therefrom.

It will be recognized that I have provided a relatively simple and inexpensive tape or ribbon tension controlled guide which may be detachably mounted in position on various types of available sewing machines and which guide permits savings in labor and material.

While I have shown in detail a specific embodiment of my invention, I do not intend to be limited thereto but wish to claim my invention as broadly as the scope of the prior art and the appended claims permit.

I claim:

1. A tape and ribbon guide for attachment to a machine comprising a frame, said frame formed from a pair of side members held together, each side member comprising an upper element, an intermediate element inclined to the inside of the frame and a lower supporting element, means for holding together said supporting elements, said upper elements at the top thereof having open ended slots, a cross rod for mounting thereon a spool of tape or ribbon, a second cross rod secured to the upper elements above the intermediate elements, an arm -detachably securedto a lower supporting element at right angles'thereto, a stationaryplate on said armpositioned front of the supporting element and parallel to the frame, a movable plate mountedon-the stationary plate, and tension means for-normallyholding the movable plate against the stationary plate, said movable plate separablefrom the stationary plate against said tension-means 2. The guide of claim 1 and including an eye upstanding from the stationary plate.

3. A tape andribbonguide'for mounting on a sewing machine, said tape and ribbon guide adapted to be removably mounted on a sewing machine above the presser foot, said guide comprising a frame having two members, each of said members formed from spaced vertical elements having slots at the upper ends thereof and bent toward each other into second vertical elements abutting, means to secure said second element together to form the frame, a cross rod for operatively mounting thereon a spool of tape or ribbon, said cross rod having its ends received in said slots, a second cross rod mounted on the first mentioned vertical elements below the first mentioned cross rod and above the second mentioned vertical elements, said second mentioned vertical elements positioned at the center of the frame, a tape or ribbon tension guide, said guide having a horizontal arm threadably mounted on the second mentioned vertical elements, said horizontal arm extending into a back plate positioned in front of the second vertical element above the presser plate and in vertical alignment therewith, a front plate movably mounted on the back plate, tension means urging the front plate against the back plate, the center of the tension guide aligned with the second vertical element.

4. A tape and ribbon guide for detachably mounting on a sewing machine and comprising members held together, said members forming a frame, each member forming the frame having a vertical upper element bent intermediately to continue into a lower vertical element at the center of the frame, said lower vertical elements being secured together, means for removably mounting thereon a spool of tape or ribbon, a

cross rod secured to the upper vertical elements a above the lower vertical elements and a tension controlled guide detachably mounted on the lower vertical elements, one of said lower vertical elements being formed with a shoulder, a horizontal arm in said guide secured to a lower vertical element against the shoulder formed by the other vertical element, said arm extending into a plate member positioned in front of the frame, a second plate tensioned against the first plate.

5. A tape and ribbon guide comprising substantially a Y-shaped frame comprising arms and shank, an extending arm attached to the shank of said frame and having a polygonal shaped extension on the end thereof, said Y-shaped frame having two horizontal members spaced above each other and interconnecting the arms of said frame, and said polygonal extension on V the end of said arm comprising a three sided figure, one side thereof being in a plane perpendicular to that of the said arm and being, spaced from said arm, a bar detachably and springly secured to the front surface of said side forming a space between said bar and front surface of said side through which tape or ribbon passes,

said' Y-shaped frame comprising members hay ing vertical, spaced upwardly extending shoulders, oblique inwardly extending portions bent from the ends thereof, and lower, vertical extending uprights bent from the ends of said oblique portions, said lower uprights being in juxtaposition and joined together to formthe said shank, said arm attached to said shank below the point where the said lower uprights are joined together.

6. A tape and...ribbon.guide comprising substantially a Y-shaped frame, comprising arms and shank, an extending arm attachedltonthe shank of said frame and having a polygonal shaped extension on the end thereof, said Y- shaped frame having two horizontal members spaced above each other and interconnecting the arms of said frame, and said polygonal extension on the end of said arm comprising a three sided figure, one side thereof being in a plane perpendicular to that of the said arm and being spaced from said arm, a bar detachably and springly secured to the front surface of said side, to form a space between said bar and front surface of said side through which tape or ribbon passes, said Y-shaped frame comprising members maving vertical, spaced upwardly extending shoulders, oblique inwardly extending portions bent from the ends thereof, and lower, vertical extending uprights bent from the ends of said oblique portions, said lower uprights being in juxtaposition and joined together to form the said shank, said arm attached to said shank below the point where the said lower uprights are joined together, and said vertical, upwardly extending shoulders each having a longitudinal slot at its end, said upper horizontal member fitting into said slots on the shoulder ends and comprising a rod, means on said rod to prevent rotation of said rod relative to said shoulders, slidable collars on said rod, capable of being tightly secured to said rod by means of set screws, an expanding slidable, spring attached at one end to a collar and a slidable washer at the other end of said spring, whereby a rotating spool may be inserted on said rod between a collar and the washer at the end of the spring attached to the other collar, said collars being adapted to be tightened to the rod and said spring expanding to press said washer against the said spool to securely hold it in position.

'7. A tape and ribbon guide for attachment to a sewing machine, comprising a frame, a shaft mounted on said frame, whereby a spool of tape or ribbon may be rotatably mounted on said shaft, means to resiliently retard rotation of the spool on said shaft, means to attach the frame to the head of the sewing machine, a guide member attached to the frame, and comprising a stationary back plate, the tape or ribbon from the spool being adapted to contact the front of the back plate, a movable front plate mounted on the back plate for movement toward and away therefrom, and spring means to press the movable plate toward the back plate for frictionally gripping the tape or ribbon which contacts the front of the back plate, said frame comprising a pair of upstanding spaced arms formed with notches at their upper ends, and said shaft having portions non-rotatably and non-longitudinally slidable received in said notches, but

permitting the shaft to be lifted up relative to said frame.

8. The combination of claim 7, in combination with a cross bar mounted on said frame 7 and below said shaft, whereby the tape or ribbon coming from the spool may be passed to the back of said cross bar before it passes forwardly to the guiding means.

9. The combination of claim 8, in combination with a loop fixed to the stationary plate, through which the ribbon passes before it contacts the front of the back plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 8 Name Date Pearce Feb. 19, 1901 Fleigel May 24, 1910 Berger Aug. 22, 1916 Gray July 31, 1923 Rhyon Feb. 18, 1925 Christensen Oct. 8, 1929 Weis July 28, 1931 Halberg et a1 Oct. 27, 1931 Karle Mar. 14, 1933 Thompson et a1. Oct. 10, 1939 Kucera May 6, 1941 Leiger Apr. 26, 1949

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