US2803204A - Hook sewing machine - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 20, 1957 Filed March 11, 1952 H. ALFANDRE HOOK SEWING MACHINE 11 Sheets-Sheet l MM m Qb-L ATTORNEYS Aug. 20, 1957 Filed March 11, 1952 H. ALFANDRE HOOK SEWING MACHINE 11 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR 174/3? V41 l-Z/VDAi ATTORNEYS Aug. 20, 1957 H. ALFANDRE 2,803,204

HOOK SEWING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1952 ll Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR #A/PRYAAFJA/DHE ATTORN EYS H. ALFANDRE HOOK SEWING MACHINE Aug, 20, 1957 Filed March 11, 1952 ll Sheets-Sheet 5 w 2 m W a M LX ,M 0% w m WU; W: M/ e W H =INVENTOR 174/70) AlFA/VD/PE BYGMILMQJL ATTORNEY 1957 H. ALFANDRE v HOOK SEWING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1952 11 Sheets-Sheet 6 Tl b.

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HOOK SEWING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1952 ll Sheets-Sheet 8 l N V E N TO R AMAEYAZ FANDAE BYWM ATTO R N EYS H. ALFANDRE HOOK SEWING MACHINE Aug. 20, 1957 11 sneaks-sheet 9 Filed March 11, 1952 ATTORNEYS Aug. 20, 1957 H. ALFANDRE HOOK SEWING MACHINE 11 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed march 11, 1952 INVENTOR //4/P/?y 4154mm:

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,803,204 HOOK SEWING MACHINE Harry Alfandre, Jamaica, N. Y.

Application March 11, 1952, Serial No. 275,967

21 Claims. (Cl. 112-105 This invention relates to a machine for sewing hooks on tapes or straps. Although the machine is adapted for other purposes, it is intended primarily for supplying lengths of fabric tape provided with hooks spaced at predetermined intervals thereon so that the tape may be thereafter cut in desired lengths for use especially in the manufacture of ladies undergarments.

The hooks, of the type with which the present invention is concerned, are customarily provided with spaced arms and with an intermediate bill adapted to releasably engage a companion eyelet. Therefore, it is necessary that the needle be reciprocated laterally, as well as vertically, to sew across the arms, as well as between the arms. This requires that the hook and the tape be moved longitudinally for sewing between the arms but that said movement be interrupted for sewing across the arms. To insure proper stitching across the arms, as well as between the arms, it is necessary that the hook be properly positioned relative to the needle for each of said operations Accordingly, it is one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide means for moving the hook to each stitching position thereof, and for releasably retaining the hook in each of said positions. In accordance with the present invention, the tape is fed intermittently through the machine and the hooks are individually supplied in timed relation to the tape travel and sewn thereon. The provision of a hopper apparatus from which the hooks are automatically supplied, fed to and positioned on the tape in proper disposition for the sewing operation, constitutes another object of the present invention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for the securement of the hooks in predetermined spaced intervals on the tape. In this connection, the provision of means for varying the spacing between the hooks or the arrangement thereof on the tape constitutes still another object of the present invention.

A further object is generally to improve the art of manufacturing tapes or straps provided with hooks secured in spaced intervals longitudinally thereon and to provide a highly eflicient apparatus for that purpose.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hook sewing machine, pursuant to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, on a of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the machine, on a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3, portions of the machine being broken away for purposes of illustration;

F Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of larger scale, of part Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, with parts broken away for illustration;

Fig. 6A is a schematic representation of the operation of the cam illustrated in Fig. 6;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 7 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2, parts being broken away for purpoess of illustration, the tape being omitted, and showing a hook as delivered from the chute of the hopper apparatus;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8, the tape being included;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 11 is a sectional View, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a portion of Fig. 8, including the tape and showing a hook in position thereon at the start of a hook sewing cycle;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 diagrammatically illustrates the start of one hook sewing cycle in connection with the control cam therefor;

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 14 and illustrates the cam in position at the end of the cycle;

Fig. 16 illustrates a hook on a greatly enlarged scale;

Figs. 17, 18 and 19 are diagrammatic illustrations of the hook positioning mechanism and the movements of the hook relative to the sewing needle during a hook sewing cycle;

Fig. 20 illustrates the hook stitching operation with the hook positioned as in Fig. 17;

Fig. 21 illustrates the stitching operation across the bridge of the hook, while the latter is being moved from the position illustrated in Fig. 17 to that illustrated in Fig. 18;

Fig. 22 illustrates the stitching operation with the hook positioned as in Fig. 18;

Fig. 23 illustrates the stitching operation for one complete hook sewing cycle;

Fig. 23A illustrates a tape arrangement wherein hooks are paired on the tape, and the pairs are separated by approximately twice the distance between the individual hooks of each pair;

Fig. 24 is a sectional view taken on the line 24-24 of Fig. 23;

Fig. 25 is a plan view of the hopper with its cover removed;

Fig. 26 is a rear view of the hopper;

Fig. 27 is at sectional view taken on the line 27-27 of Fig. 25;

Fig. 28 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, taken on the line 28-28 of Fig. 27;

Fig. 29 is'a sectional view taken on the line 29-29 of Fig. 28;

Fig. 30 is a sectional view taken on the line 30-30 of Fig. 28;

Fig. 31 is a sectional view taken on the line 31-31 of Fig. 28;

Fig. 32 is a perspective view of one of the guide elements illustrated in Fig. 28;

Fig. 33 illustrates a portion of the hopper chute provided with a hook gauge mechanism; and

Fig. 34 is a sectional view taken on the line 34-34 Fig. 33.

Briefly described, the sewing machine 50, of the present invention, is provided with a hook securing or hook sewing station having a sewing needle assembly 52 which is mounted fopvertical reciprocation, in the usual manner. A strip or tape, 54, preferably of a suitable fabric,

is threaded into the machine, from a supply thereof (not illustrated), and is moved intermittently past said station and underneath the needle assembly. The hooks or fastener elements 56 (Fig. 16) are fed from the supply hopper 58 into a chute 60 from which, for a hook sewing cycle of the machine, they are deposited individually on the tape 54, in timed relation with the movement of the tape past the needle assembly or sewing mechanism 52, the hook then being positioned relative to the need-1e for the sewing thereof on the tape. As here shown, the machine 50 is adapted primarily for use with hooks of the general type of hook 56 which comprises a bill or operatlve portion 62 adapted to overlie the tape for engagement with a companion hook eye of well known type, and a base portion constituted by the eyelets 64 and 66 which are sewn between folds in the tape. Said eyelets are separated by the bridge 68, which underlies the bill, and the arms 70 and 72, of said eyelets, extend laterally of the bill. At the start of the hook sewing cycle, the tape movement is interrupted, the needle is oscillated laterally across the arm 70 to stitch the latter onto the tape, as illustrated in Fig. 20. Thereafter, the tape is moved while a stitch is taken across the bridge 68 and below the free end of the bill 62, as illustrated in Fig. 21, to secure the bridge onto the tape. Thereafter the tape movement is again interrupted while the needle is oscillated laterally across the arm 72 for securing said arm in the tape, as illustrated in Fig. 22, following which the tape is moved through the machine and past the needle for a series of stitches extending longitudinally of the tape until a succeeding hook is to be sewn in the tape, at which point the movement of the tape is halted and the succeedmg hook is sewn thereto. The stitching involved in one complete hook sewing cycle is shown in Fig. 23. More specifically, the hook sewing cycle is initiated by the formation of a series of three cross stitches 74 across the arm 70 of the hook. Thereafter, an additional stitch 76 is made in alignment with the cross stitches 74. It will be understood that the tape is stationary during the formatron of the stitches 74 and 76 and that the needle 52A is oscillated laterally to form these stitches. The tape is then moved longitudinally in the direction of the arrow 78 for the formation of the single stitch 80 which clears the free end of the bill 62 and which extends across the bridge 68 of the hook. The movement of the tape is again stopped while the single lateral stitch 82 and the three cross stitches 84 are formed, the latter extending across the arm 72 of the hook. Thereafter, the tape is again moved in the same direction for the formation of the continuous series of stitches 86, which extend longitudinally of the tape. It will be understood that this completes one hook sewing cycle of the mechanism. The machine, as now constructed, preferably is so timed that the tape moves past the needle which is operated at a rate to form approximately twelve stitches to the inch, so that adjacent hooks are separated by a minimum of approximately of an inch which represents the spacing between the centers of the bills 62 of the hooks, as illustrated in Fig. 23. Therefore, it will be understood that one hook sewing cycle extends over approximately of an inch of the tape, longitudinally of the latter. However, it will be understood, as hereinafter explained in detail, that hooks may be omitted, as desired, so that the stitching 86 will continue in units of /8 of an inch for each hook that is omitted. Furthermore, it is within the scope of the present invention to obtain cycles which are more or less than /8 of an inch.

The tape 54, as presented to the machine from the supply thereof, comprises a continuous strip, preferably of a suitable fabric, which has three longitudinal fold lines which are formed therein, as at 88, 90 and 92, respectively, as best illustrated in Figs. 20 and 24. These fold lines provide the tape with a double thickness short leg 94 which overlies the double thickness long leg 96 and, as il lustrated in Figs. 2 and 9, when threaded into the machine,

4 the fold line 92 extends adjacent the end of the chute 60 which overlies the long leg 96, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the machine 50 is mounted on a suitable work bench or support 98. More specifically, provision is made for laterally spaced members 100 and 1512, which are mounted on the bench 98, and which carry the base plate 1414 of the machine, which is apertured, as at 165 (Fig. 8) to accommodate the needle. A conventional machine housing 106 is provided on the base plate, and the usual main drive shaft 1418 (Figs. 4 and 5) of the sewing machine extends therethrough. A belt driven wheel 11% (Figs. 1 and 3) is secured to one end of said shaft and is engaged by the belt 112 which is driven by a sewing machine motor or other suitable prime mover, as is well known to those skilled in the art. The main drive shaft 168 is provided with a suitable worm gear 118 which is in mesh with a companion gear 112 for driving the shaft 114 which extends transversely of said first mentioned shaft. Said shaft 114 is suitably journaled in the bearing portions 116 and 118 of the housing 186.

In order to provide for the intermittent movement of the tape relative to the needle assembly 52, the shaft 114 is provided with a dual cam unit 120 which floats thereon and which is intermittently rotated in the direction of the arrow 122 in Fig. 6, as hereinafter described in detail. Said dual cam unit comprises the integral cams 124 and 126. The cam 124 controls the intermittent feed of the tape and the cam 126 controls the lateral oscillation of the needle assembly, in timed relation therewith.

As best illustrated in Fig. 6, the cam 124 is provided with the long dwells or high portions 128 and 138 which are separated by the notches or low portions 132 and 134. A cam roller 136 rides on the periphery of the cam 124, said roller being carried at one end of the follower 138 which is pivotally mounted on the housing 106, as at 149. A spring 142, interconnecting the follower and the housing, biases the roller 136 against the periphery of the cam 124. At its other end the follower is provided with a link 144 which is vertically reciprocated, as indicated by the arrow 146 in Fig. 4, in response to the movement of the follower about its pivot 140. At its free end, the link 14-4 is provided with a horizontally extending pin member 148 which moves in the directions of the arrow 150 in Fig. 5, in response to the vertical reciprocation of the link 144, for a purpose hereinafter described.

A tape drive shaft 150 (Figs. 3-5) is suitably journaled in bearings 152 and 154 carried by the support member 100. At one end thereof, said shaft is provided with a ratchet gear 156 which is keyed thereon. In order to rotate the shaft 150, provision is made for a bell crank lever 158 which floats thereon and is positioned between the gear 156 and the bearing 152. At one end thereof, the bell crank is connected to the link 160 which is vertically reciprocated, as indicated by arrows 162. It will be understood that the reciprocation of the link 160 is effected by suitable operative engagement between said link and the continuously operable main drive shaft 108. At its other end, the crank 158 is provided with a pivoted pawl 164 which engages in the peripheral teeth of the ratchet 156. A pin 166, which extends through the pawl 164, is interconnected with the bell crank 158 by a spring 168 which biases the pawl into engagement with the ratchet teeth. Therefore, it will be readily apparent that, in response to the reciprocation of the link 160 by the main drive shaft 108, the bell crank lever 158 pivots about the shaft 150 so that the pawl 164 engages each succeeding tooth on the ratchet gear 156 for driving the latter in the direction of the arrow 170, whereby to rotate the shaft 150 in said direction. It will be noted that the support member 100 is apertured, as at 172, to provide for the connection of the bell crank lever to the link 160. An anti-backlash pawl 174 is pivotally mounted on a stud 176 carried by the base plate 104 and is biased into engagement with the ratchet 156 by the spring 178 In order to interrupt the rotation of the tape-feed shaft 150 by the bell crank lever 158 and the pawl 164, the previously mentioned pin member 148 underlies the end of the pin 166 which projects from the pawl 164, as best illustrated in Fig. 3. Therefore, it will be understood that when one of the dwell portions 128 or 130, of the cam 124, are in engagement with the follower roller 136, the follower 138 is pivoted in a clockwise direction, viewing Fig. 6, against the bias of the spring 142, whereby to raise the link 144 and the pin 148 carried thereby. The pin thereupon lifts the pawl-pin 166 and moves the pawl 164 out of engagement with the ratchet 156 to interrupt the rotation of the tape drive shaft 150. As previously indicated, the tape remains stationary during the formation of the three cross stitches 74 and the adjacent single stitch 76, as well as during the formation of the single stitch 82 and the three cross stitches 84. Fig. 6 illustrates the position of the cam 124 at the termination of the series of continuous stitches 86 at the end of a hook sewing cycle. Therefore, it will be apparent that, if the following cycle is also to be a hook sewing cycle, the rotation of cam 124 in the direction of the arrow 122 will cause the dwell 130 to engage the roller 136 and thereby discontinue the operation of the drive shaft 150. While the roller rides on the dwell 130, it will be understood that the cross stitches 74 and the single stitch 76 are being formed, after which the roller is engaged in the notch 132 so that the spring 142 is effective to pivot the follower 138 in the opposite direction to drive the tape drive shaft 150 for the comparatively short distance required to form the single stitch 80 across the bridge 68 of the hook. At this point the roller begins to ride on the dwell 128 for the formation of the single lateral stitch 82 and the three cross stitches 84 during which time the shaft 150 and the tape are stationary. The roller then engages in the cam notch 134, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and said engagement continues during the time required to form the series of continuous stitches 86 during which time the tape moves in the direction of the arrow 78 in Fig. 23 to terminate a single hook stitching cycle. In the event that the next cycle is not to be a hook stitching cycle but is to be a continuous stitching cycle, as hereinafter described in detail, the roller 136 remains in engagement with the notch 134 so that the tape continues to advance for a continuous stitching cycle which provides approximately of an inch of continuous stitching along the tape.

To provide for the axial feeding of the tape past the needle, the tape drive shaft 150 is provided at its other end with the gear 180 (Fig. 3), and with the knurled wheel 182, both of which are keyed thereto. The gear 180 meshes with a cooperating gear 184 which is keyed on a shaft 186 journaled for rotation in a yoke 188. Said yoke carries an upwardly extending rod 198 which extends through the bearings 192 and 194 secured to the needle assembly housing 196. A split collar 198 is secured on the rod and a spring 288 is disposed thereon between the collar and the bearing 194 for biasing the yoke 188 downwardly. From the. foregoing, it will be apparent that the yoke is mounted for movement in a direction to and away from the tape drive shaft 150 to effect the meshing of the gears 180 and 184 for driving the shaft 186, or to effect the disengagement thereof. Said shaft 186 is also provided with a knurled wheel 282 which is keyed thereon and which abuts the knurled wheel 182. In order to retract the wheel 202 from the companion wheel 182 to permit the threading of the tape therethrough, a hand lever 284 is pivotally mounted, as at 206, on a bracket 208 secured to the needle housing 196, said bracket being provided with the aforementioned bearings 192 and 194 for the shaft 190. As best illustrated in Fig. 7, it will be apparent that, when the lever 284 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the collar 198 will move upwardly and carry the yoke in the same direction against the bias of the spring 2%. Upon the release of said lever, the spring will be effective to cause the movement of the yoke downwardly so that the gear 184 will mesh with the gear 180 and the wheel 202 will abut the wheel 182. Therefore, it wiil be apparent that when the shaft 150 is rotated to rotate the wheel 182 in the direction of the arrow 210 in Fig. 7, the companion wheel 202 will be rotated in the direction of the arrow 212 and the tape which is threaded between said wheels will move outwardly of the machine in the direction of the arrow 214. It will be noted, as illustrated in Fig. 3, that the wheel 202 is centrally recessed, as at 216, to accommodate the hooks which have been sewn on the tape.

As previously indicated, the cam element 126 of the dual cam member controls the lateral oscillation of the needle assembly 52 for forming the cross stitches 74 and 76 as well as the cross stitches 82 and 84. It wlll be understood that the needle assembly 52 is mounted in the housing 196 for said lateral oscillation, as well as for the vertical reciprocation thereof, as is well known to those skilled in the art. Referring now to Figs. 2, 5 and 6, it will be noted that the housing 106 carries a bracket 218 which is provided with a bearing sleeve 220 in which there is journaled a rocker shaft 222. At one end thereof, a crank 224 is keyed to said shaft and is provided with a roller 226 which rides on the periphery of the cam 126. At its other end, a crank 228 is keyed to the rocker shaft 222. Said crank is provided with an internal slot 230 through which there extends the bolt 232 on which there is pivotally mounted the link 234. A nut washer 235 prevents the withdrawl of the bolt from the slot. At its other end, a spring 236 interconnects the crank 228 and the housing 106 for biasing the roller 226 against the periphery of the cam 126. At its other end, the link 234 is secured to the needle assembly by a bolt 238.

The cam 126 is so contoured as to effect the rocking of the crank 224 in the directions indicated by the arrows 240 in Fig. 6, whereby to rock the shaft 222, as indicated by the arrows 242, which in turn will rock the crank 228 as indicated by the arrows 244 and thereby effect the lateral reciprocation of the link 234, as indicated by the arrows 246, for oscillating the needle assembly laterally as indicated by the arrows 248, in Fig. 2, for effecting the cross stitches. More specifically, the cam element 126 is so shaped as to effect said lateral oscillation of the needle assembly during the time that the follower roller 136 rides on the dwells 128 and of the companion cam 124, during which time the tape is stationary, [as previously described. It will be understood that the cam 126 is provided with suitable low portions, intermediate portions and a high portion to eflfect said oscillation of the needle assembly.

Fig. 6A is a diagrammatic illustration which schematically shows the different peripheral portions of the cam 126 and also illustrates the needle movements controlled thereby. The circle 126A represents the peripheral portions of said cam having a minimum radial dimension, the circle 126B represents the peripheral portions having an intermediate radial dimension and the circle 126C represents the peripheral portion having a maximum radial dimension. At the beginning of the hook sewing cycle, when the follower roller 136 is engaged in the notch 134 of the cam 124, the follower roller 226 abuts a minimum radial or low peripheral portion 126A of the cam 126 so that the needle 52A is positioned outwardly of the hook arm 70, as illustrated by the hook at the arrow 250. As the dual cam 120 begins to rotate in the direction of the arrow 122, it will be apparent that the tape will stop moving due to the engagement of the cam follower roller 136 on the high dwell 130 of cam 124, as previously explained. Concomitantly therewith, the roller 226 will ride onto an intermediate portion 126B of the cam 126, and the link 234 will be actuated in a direction to move the needle over the arm 70 and into the eyelet to form the first cross stitch 74 (Fig. 20), as illustrated by the hook at the arrow 252. Continued rotation of said cams again brings the follower roller 226 7 in engagement with a low portion 126A so that the needle is moved outwardly of the eyelet 64 and across the arm 70 to form the second cross stitch 74, as indicated by the hook at the arrow 254. Thereafter, the follower roller 226 again rides on an intermediate portion 126B to return the needle across the arm 70 and form the third cross stitch 74, as illustrated by the hook at the arrow 256. The follower roller 226 now rides on the high portion 126C of the cam 126 to continue movement of the link 234 in the same direction in which the third cross stitch was formed, in order to form the additional stitch 76 (Fig. 20) within the eyelet 64 and in alignment with said cross stitches 74, in order to bring the needle beyond the free end of the bill 62, as illustrated by the hook adjacent the arrow 258. The formation of the foregoing four stitches occurs during the time that the follower roller 136 rides on the dwell 130 of the cam 124. Said follower roller now engages the notch 132 of said cam to initiate the movement of the tape to which the hook has been sewn as described. While the follower roller 136 is so engaged in the notch 132, the follower roller 226 remains in engagement with the high dwell 126C of the cam 126 to retain the needle 52A at its maximum innermost position relative to the hook 56. The step movement of the tape resulting from the engagement of the follower roller 136 in the notch 132 is sufiicient to carry the hook relative to the needle so that the stitch 80 (Fig. 21) is formed across the bridge 68 of the hook and the needle is now positioned over the second eyelet 66. At this point, the

tape movement is again halted as the follower roller 136 rides on the dwell 128 of the cam 124. Concomitantly therewith, the follower roller 226 rides off the high portion 126C and onto an intermediate portion 1268 resulting in the movement of the needle relative to the eyelet 66, as illustrated by the hook adjacent the arrow 260 to form the single cross stitch 82 (Fig. 22) in said eyelet. Thereafter, as the follower roller 226 rides on a low portion 126A the needle moves over the arm 72A to form the first cross stitch 84, as indicated by the hook adjacent the arrow 262. Thereafter, the follower rides up onto an intermediate portion 126B and the needle moves back across the arm 72, as indicated by the hook adjacent the arrow 264, to form the second cross stitch 84, and when the follower roller 226 returns to the starting position, as at the arrow 250, the needle moves back across the arm 72 to form the third cross stitch 84. It will be noted that the needle is now in alignment with the position thereof at the start of the cycle, whereupon roller 136 remains in engagement with the notch 134 for a sufiicient length of time to form the series of continuous stitches, as illustrated at 86 in Fig. 23, to complete the hook stitching cycle.

In addition to the dual cam 120, the shaft 114 is also provided with a cam 266 (Fig. 4) which floats thereon, for a purpose hereinafter described in detail. In order to provide for the selective rotation of either the cam 120 or the cam 266, provision is made for a dual cam driver 268 which is splined on the shaft 114 for selective engagement with either the cam 120 or the cam 266. Driver 268 is constituted by the cam elements 270 and 272 which are separated by the recessed portion 274. The cam element 270 is provided with the notches 276 adapted to receive the projection 278 extending from the adjacent surface of the cam 124. The cam element 272 is notched, as at 280, for receiving the projection 282 extending from adjacent surface of the cam 266. In order to provide for the movement of the cam driver 26% to engage either the cam 120 or the cam 266, provision is made for a bell crank lever 284 which is pivoted, as at 286, on a support bar 288 extending from the housing 106. At one end thereof, the bell crank lever 284 is provided with a follower roller 290 which is engaged in the aforementioned recess 274 in the cam driver 268. A spring 292 connected to the other end of the bell crank lever biases the latter in a direction to move the cam driver 268 to engage with the cam 120 for rotating the latter. It will be apparent that in this position of the cam driver 268, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the rotation of the dual cam 120 results in the previously described intermittent stops of the tape and the lateral oscillation of the needle for forming the various stitches across and within the hook to secure the latter'to the tape. When the bell crank lever 284 is pivoted in a direction to engage the cam 266, as hereinafter described in detail, the latter is rotated so that a worm gear 294 thereon, which is in mesh with a companion gear 296, will effect the rotation of the latter as indicated by the arrow 298. The gear 296 is keyed to a shaft 300 which is journaled in a frame 302 mounted on the base plate 104.

Provision is made for selectively operating the sewing machine of the present invention either to effect a hook stitching cycle, as previously described, or alternatively to effect a continuous stitching operation on the tape which will form a line of stitching axially along the tape for substantially the same distance as is covered by the stitching during a hook stitching cycle. For this purpose, a control cam 304 (Figs. 3 and 5) is keyed to the shaft 300. As is best shown in Fig. 5, the periphery of said control cam, as now constructed, is constituted by twelve linear and angularly related segments or flat peripheral portions 306, each of which is provided with a radially extending centrally disposed tapped bore 308. Each of the flats 306 is adapted to receive a cam element 310 which may be removably secured thereon by a countersunk bolt 312 threaded into the underlying bore 308. As best illustrated in Fig. 3, it will be noted that the cam elements 310 extend laterally of the surface of the cam 304 in the direction of the arrow 314 in Fig. 3. The cam elements 310 are adapted to engage a cam follower roller 316 which depends from the cam follower 318 which is pivotally mounted on the frame 302, as at 320. It will be understood that when the roller 316 is engaged by a cam element 316, the follower 318 pivots in the direction of the arrow 314 in Fig. 3. Said follower is also provided with an additional roller 322 which extends upwardly therefrom and is disposed in a recess 324 formed in a driving cam 326 which is splined on the shaft 328. Said shaft is journaled in suitable bearing portions of the frame 302, as indicated at 330. In order to effect the rotation of said shaft, the latter is provided with a gear 332 which is in mesh with a gear 334. Gear 334 is keyed to the continuously rotatable shaft 114 so that the shaft 328 is continuously rotatable during the operation of the machine. A spring 336 provided on the shaft 328, between the collar 333 thereon and the cam 326, biases the latter toward a dual cam unit 340 which floats on the shaft 328. Said cam unit 340 is constituted by the integral cams 342 and 344. A projection 346 extending from the cam 342 is adapted to engage in one of the recesses 348 provided in the cam 326 for driving the cam unit 340. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that when the follower roller 316 carried by the follower 318 is engaged by a cam element 316 on the earn 304, said follower pivots in a direction to effect the disengagement of the driver cam 326 from the cam unit 340 to discontinue the rotation of the latter.

The previously mentioned bell crank lever 284, which effects the engagement of the earn 268 either with the cam 120, or the cam 266, as previously described, is provided with a follower roller 350 which rides on the periphery of the cam 344. As best illustrated in Fig. 14, the cam 344 is provided with a long high dwell portion 352, a short high dwell portion 354, and the similar low dwell portions 356 and 353. With the cam 344 rotating in the direction of the arrow 359, it will be apparent that when the follower roller 350 rides on the low portion 356 thereof, the spring 292 will be effective to pivot the bell crank lever 284 so that the driver cam 268 engages the cam 120 and rotates the latter, as previously described. It will be understood that during said engagement of the follower roller 350 on the low portion 356, the tape is stationary and the previously described three cross stitches 74, over the arm 70 of the hook, are being formed, as well as the single stitch 76 within the eyelet 64 in alignment with said three cross stitches. When the follower 350 rides on the short dwell 354, the bell crank lever 284 pivots to disengage the driver cam 268 from the cam 120 and energize cam 266 to rotate the cam 304. During said engagement of the follower roller on the short dwell 354, the tape is moved sufiiciently to form the single stitch 80 across the bridge 68 of the hook, whereupon the follower roller engages the peripheral portion 358 of the cam 344. During said latter engagement, the bell crank lever 284 is again pivoted to effect the rotation of the cam 120, for forming the single stitch 82 in the eyelet 66, as well as the three cross stitches 84 over the arm 72. The follower roller 350 now rides on the long dwell 352, so that the bell crank lever 284 is again pivoted to de-energize the cam 120 and energize the cam 266. During this period, the tape continues to move and the continuous stitches 86 are formed longitudinally of the tape to complete the hook sewing cycle.

Fig. 15 illustrates the position of the follower roller 350 on the cam 344 at the end of a hook sewing cycle, it being noted that at this point the follower roller is positioned so that the cam 120 is de-energized and the tape is being continually fed through the machine. Fig. i1- lustrates the position of the follower roller 316 on the follower 318 at the start of a hook stitching cycle.

In order to provide a hook stitching cycle, it will be apparent that the driving cam 268 must be moved by the bell crank lever 284 into engagement with the cam 120, which controlled both the lateral oscillation of the needle, as well as the intermittent stops of the tape. Moreover, in order to operate the bell crank lever 284 for the required energization of the cam 120, it is necessary that the cam 344 be energized for an operating cycle thereof, as previously described. The energization of the cam 344 is dependent upon the engagement of the continuously rotating driving cam 326 with the cam unit 340. Since the driver 326 engages the cam unit 340, of which the cam 344 is an integral part, only during the period that the roller 316 on the follower 318 is disengaged by one of the cam elements 310 on the control cam 304, it will be apparent that the presence or absence of a cam element 310 determines whether the machine shall operate through a hook stitching cycle or through a continuous sewing cycle. As previously indicated, Fig. 15 represents the position of the cam 344 relative to its follower roller 350 at the end of a hook sewing cycle, at which time the cam 124 is positioned, as in Fig. 6, with the follower roller 136 engaged in the notch 134 thereof. Assuming now that the follower roller 316 is positioned between two cam elements 310, as illustrated in Fig. 5, it will be apparent that the driving cam 326 will be urged by the spring 336 to energize cam units 340 and its integral cam element 344 to rotate through a hook stitching cycle, as previously described. During said cycle, the bell crank lever 284 is operated by the cam element 344 in a direction to de-energize the cam 120 for forming the single stitch 80 across the bridge of the hook and for forming the continuous stitching 86 along the tape after the second series of cross stitches 84 is completed. During these periods of inactivity of the cam 120, the driver cam 268 energizes the cam 266 which, in turn, results in the ro tation of the control cam 304 so that at the end of said hook stitching cycle the follower roller 316 is engaged by the next cam element 310A (Fig. 5) to de-energize the cam 344 and leave said cam in the position thereof indicated in Fig. 15, cam 124 remaining in the position thereof illustrated in Fig. 6. This results in a cycle of continuous stitching axially of the tape, while the cam element 310A rotates past the engaged follower roller 316, and the speed of rotation of the cam 304 plus the speed of movement of the tape is such that approximate- 1y /8 of an inch of continuous stitching occurs from the end of the prior hook stitching cycle. It will be apparent that if the follower 316 is now disengaged by the cam element 310A, a hook stitching cycle will be commenced. Therefore, through the selective positioning of the cam elements 310 on the cam 4, various desired arrangements of hooks stitched to the tape may be obtained. For example, where all the cam elements 310 are removed from the cam 304, there will be a continuous series of hooks sewn on the tape, the hooks being spaced apart by approximately /8 of an inch intervals. If every flat 306 is covered by a cam element 310, there will be a continuous axial stitching of the tape without the sewing of any hooks thereon. Wth alternate cam elements 310 and alternate uncovered flats 306, as illustrated in Fig. 5, there will be a series of hooks sewn to the tape, the hooks being separated by approximately 1% inches. With the use of eight cam elements 310, which are secured in pairs on the cam 304, each pair beingseparated by an uncovered flat 306, there will be a series of hooks sewn on the tape, the hooks being separated by approximately 1% inches of stitching. With four cam elements 310 being used, so that adjacent elements are separated by two uncovered flats, the result will be a hook arrangement as illustrated in Fig. 23A, with the hooks paired on the tape, the individual hooks of each pair being spaced apart by approximately of an inch between their bills, and the space between the bills of adjacent hooks of adjacent pairs being approximately 1% inches. The use of three cam elements 310, each of which is separated from the adjacent element 310 by three uncovered flats, will result in an arrangement wherein groups of three hooks are sewn on the tape, the distance between the bills of adjacent hooks in each group being approximately of an inch, and the distance between adjacent hooks of adjacent groups being approximately 1% inches from bill to bill.

Provision is made for supplying the hooks individually and in timed relation for the stitching thereof on the tape. As hereinafter described in detail, while a hook is being stitched to the tape, another hook is being deposited on the tape, from the delivery end of the chute which is positioned laterally of the needle in a direction opposite the travel of the tape, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, for insertion therein prior to the sewing thereof to the tape. In order to control the movement of the hook, after it is so deposited, use is made of the previously mentioned cam 342 of the dual cam unit 340. A follower roller 360 (Fig. 5) carried by a follower lever 362 engages the periphery of the cam 342. Said lever is keyed to a shaft 364 which is journaled in the frame 302, as at 366 (Fig. 3). A spring 368 connected between the free end of the lever 362 and a suitable point on the mechanism biases the follower roller 360 into engagement with the cam 342. At its other end, the shaft 364 is provided with a crank arm 370 which rocks in response to the rocking of the lever 362 by the cam 342. At its free end, the arm 370 is connected by a link 372 (Figs. 7 and 8) to an extension 374 provided on a slide member 376 which is mounted for reciprocation in a groove 378 provided in the base plate 104. The slide 376 carries an L-shaped hook positioning member 380 which extends laterally therefrom and underlies the shoulder member 382 carried by the base plate 104, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 8. At its end opposite the extension 374 thereon, the slide member 376 is provided with a post 384 on which there is mounted, as by the bolt 386, a bracket 388 provided with a depending pin 390. The pin 390 cooperates with a plate member 392 which is pivotally mounted, as at 394, on a block 396 carried by the base plate 104. Said member 392 is provided with a cam edge 398 which is engaged by the pin 390 for pivoting the member 392 as indicated by the arrow 400. A stop 402 is carried by the block 396 for limiting the movement of the member 392 in one direction thereof. The block 396 is provided with a slide- 11 way 404 and with a slot 406 which overlies a portion of said slideway. A slide member 408 is mounted in said slideway for reciprocation transversely of the path of reciprocation of the slide 376. The slide 408 is provided with a pin member 410 which projects through the slot 406 and engages in a slot 412 of the pivotally mounted member 392. The slide 408 carries a detent 414 which engages the adjustable stop 416, provided on the block 396, for limiting movement of the slide 408 in the direction of arrow 409. From the foregoing it will be apparent that reciprocation of the slide 376 in the direction of the arrows 418, in response to the rocking of the arm 370 by the cam member 342, results in the reciprocation of the L-shaped member 380 in the direction of the arrows 240, as well as reciprocation of the bracket 388 in the direction of the arrows 422 so that the pin 390 will ride, in opposite directions, on the cam surface 398 of the member 392 to pivot the latter in the direction of the arrows 400. Said pivotal movements of the member 392 result in the reciprocation of the slide 408 in the direction of the arrows 424, so that the slide 408 will move at right angles to the direction of movement of the hook positioning member 380. Further, it will be noted that the pin 390 is effective to cause the movement of the slide 408 into the block 396, in the direction of the arrow 409, as the member 380 moves away from the needle 52A, in the direction of the arrow 428.

The block 396 is also provided with an arm 430 which is pivotally mounted on a side edge thereof, as at 432. A thin leaf spring 434, carried by the block as at 436, overlies the arm 430 to bias the latter toward the base plate 104, and an adjustable stop 438 carried by said arm limits the movement thereof toward the base plate. At its free end, the arm 430 is provided with a laterally extending and outwardly inclined spring member 440, the function of which will presently appear.

The previously mentioned plate 382 is provided with a bar extension 442 which carries the leaf spring 444 and also the leaf spring 446. The latter is provided with a notch 448 and, on leg 450 thereof, is chamfered, as at 452 (Fig. 13), at the side thereof which bounds the notch.

Referring now to Fig. 19, it will be noted that the member 380 is provided, at the free end thereof, with the long finger 454 and with the short finger 456, and is undercut between said fingers as at 458. It will also be noted that the slide 408 is provided at the forward edge thereof with a notch 460.

When the tape is originally inserted into the machine, it will be understood that it is threaded on the tape separating member 380, as illustrated in Fig. 9, so that the short leg 94 thereof overlies said member, and the long leg 96 underlies said member. Moreover, it will be noted that said long leg of the tape is disposed on the upper surface of the base plate 104, that the short leg underlies the shoulder in the member 382, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and also underlies the spring elements 444 and 446 carried by the extension 442 of the member 382. In addition, it will be noted that the folded side 90 of the tape is retained adjacent said member 382 by the slide 380.

As illustrated in Fig. 9, the chute 60 is positioned to deposit a hook on the long leg of the tape, in alignment with the path of movement of the slide 408, and laterally inwardl of the longitudinal extension of the L-shaped member 380. in addition, it will be noted, as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, that when the hook is deposited from the chute, it is positioned rearwardly of the spring member 440 and forwardly of the slide 408, the hook also being aligned with the notch 448, in the spring 446. Also, it will be noted that the side of the hook provided with the bill is on the side thereof away from the spring 440.

Referring now to Figs. 17 through 19, the hook positioner 380 is shown in its retracted position in Fig. 19,

in which the hook projector 483 is in its projected position. Fig. 17 illustrates the hook positioner 380 in its 12 first projected position and Fig. 18 shows said positioner in its second projected position, in both of which positions the hook pusher 408 is retracted. The hook positioner 330 moves from its position in Fig. 19 to its position in Fig. 17, as the needle 52A begins to move laterally to make the first cross stitch 74 over arm 70 of the hook 5613, it being understood that the position 380 is in its first projected position before the needle has com-- pleted its descent to make said cross stitch. While the positioner 330 is moving to said first projected position, a hook is discharged from the chute 60, as hereinafter described in detail, and abuts the edge 462 thereof, as at 56A in Figs 17 and 18. After the stitches 74 and 76 have been formed on hook 563, the positioner 380 moves from its position in Fig. 17 to its position in Fig. 18 for the formation of the stitch 80 across the bridge of the hook 568. The needle then moves to form the stitches 82 and 84 for the hook 56B, and during said stitching the positioner 330 is retracted, as in Fig. 19, and the pusher 408 is concomitantly projected to push the hook 56A behind hook 56B and against the long finger 454, of the positioner 453, which serves as a backing therefor and aligns the hook 56A relative to the needle 52A. At the end of the last cross stitch 84, the arms of hook 56A are on the side of the needle toward the finger 454, as in Fig. 19. The members 380 and 408 remain in said latter position while the tape advances and the stitches 86 are formed. It will be noted that lateral movement of hook 56A is prevented by the finger 454 and the notch 460 and movement of said hook in the direction of tape movement is prevented by its engagement in the notch 460. If after the completion of the stitches 86, the following cycle is to be a continuous sewing cycle, and not a hook stitching cycle, the parts remain as in Fig. 19 and another hook is not fed from the chute. However, upon the commencement of another hook stitching cycle, as the needle begins to move laterally from its position in Fig. 19, the pusher 408 is retracted, the positioner 330 is projected and moves hook 56A to the position of hook 568, in Fig. 17, before the needle descends to make the first stitch '74. Simultaneously with said advance of the positioner 330 another hook is released and abuts the edge 462 thereof, and the cycle is repeated. Since the hook, when it leaves the chute, falls onto the lower and longer leg of the tape, as previously described, the forward movement thereof by the pusher 408, will position the hook eyelets underneath the fold line 92 of the tape. The finger 454, on the member 380, serves to stop said forward movement of the hook at the point where the fold line 92 abuts the bill 62 of the hook, as illustrated in Figs. 9, 23 and 24 to prevent the curling of the edge 92 of the tape. It will also be understood that the spring member 440 yields during said movement of the hook by the slide 408, so that the bill of the hook can pass thereunder after which the spring snaps back to its original position and engages behind the bill, as illustrated in Fig. 9, so that it will be readily apparent that the hook is retained against latera1 movement by both the finger 454 and the spring 440, when pusher 403 is retracted. Furthermore, since the bill of the hook is aligned with the notch 448 of the spring member 446, as previously explained, it will be readily apparent that said forward movement of the hook between the legs of the tape will not be impeded by the spring 446 which is disposed over the shorter leg of the tape, as illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13, since the bill will be positioned above said shorter leg and in the notch 448. When the positioner 380 moves from its position in Fig. 19 to its position in Fig. 17, the hook is engaged in the undercut portion 458 thereof, the bill being engaged by the finger 456, as illustrated by hook 56B in Fig. 17. It will be noted, as illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13, that said forward movement of the hook by the member 380 causes the bill to ride over the chamfered edge 52 of the spring 446 and onto the leg 450 there- 13 of. Consequently, the spring 446 being now positioned between the bill and the tape serves as a friction hold for the hook during the cross stitching operation, it being also noted that the undercut portion 458 contributes to the immobilization of the hook in this position. Referring now to Fig. 13 it will be noted that the previously mentioned spring 444 extends for a sufficient distance toward the companion spring 446 so as to engage the forward end of'the hook when the hook has been moved for sewing the single stitch across the bridge thereof, so that when the bill 62 of the hook rides off the arm 458 of the spring 446, during the movement to sew the bridge stitch, the free end of the spring 444 will engage the forward end of the hook and replace the friction hold of the spring 446 during the sewing of the second series of cross stitches. In this connection, it will be understood that the spring 444 is so dimensioned that the longitudinal side edge 464 thereof will clear the bill of the hook, as will be evident from Fig. 12.

In order to eifect the discharge of a hook from the chute 60, in properly timed relation for a hook sewing operation, the previously mentioned bracket member 388 that moves with the slide member 376, is provided with an upwardly extending part 466, Figs. 8 and 11, which is provided with an open ended slot 468 in which there is engaged a pin 470. Said pin is carried by a pivoted arm 472 so that in response to the reciprocation of the slide 376 in the direction of the arrows 418, by the cam 342, which rotates only during a hook stitching cycle, said .arm will pivot, as indicated by the arrows 474. The arm 472 is pivotally mounted as at 476, Figs. 2 and 10, on a stud 478 carried by the chute 60. Said arm is provided with a laterally extending portion 480 which carries a bar member 482, at the free end thereof. Said bar member overlies the chute to alternatively operate the curled spring fingers 484 and 486 which are carried at the front surface of the chute. As best illustrated in Figs. 7 and 10, the free ends of said fingers curl into the longitudinal opening 488 of the chute in which the bills of the hooks are disposed. The function of the finger 486 is to hold back the hooks in the chute and to release said hooks one at a time to the finger 484 which then releases the hook for travel down the chute. It will be noted that due to the pivotal movement of the arm 472, as indicated by the arrows 474, the bar 482 will pivot, as indicated by the arrows 490, to alternately bias one or the other of the spring fingers into the chute opening 488. In the position of the bar 482, as illustrated in Fig. 7, each finger is preventing the movement of a hook. Assuming now that the bar 482 will pivot in a direction to move the finger 486 further into the chute opening 488, it will be apparent from Fig. 10, that the pressure thereof on the finger 484 will be decreased so that the latter will flex sufficiently away from the opening 488 to release the single hook retained thereby. Upon the movement of the bar 482 in the opposite direction, the pressure on the finger 484 will be increased to flex the latter back into the chute opening, and the finger 486 will be permitted to flex outwardly of the opening to release one hook to the finger 484. In view of the fact that the fingers are operated concomitantly with the operation of the slide 376, it will be apparent that a hook will be released only during a hook stitching cycle since the control cam 340, which controls the operation of these fingers will not rotate except during a hook stitching cycle.

Referring now to Figs. 1, and 25 through 33 in detail, the chute 60 extends from the previously mentioned hopper 58, a support 492 mounted on the workbench 98 serving to mount the chute and hopper. In order to drive the hopper, a pulley 494 is provided on the previously mentioned continually driven shaft 114. A companion pulley 496, disposed at right angles to the pulley 494, and mounted for rotation at the under side of the chute, as at 498, is operated through the driver pulley 494 by an interconnecting belt 500, so that pulley 496 will rotate in the direction of the arrow 502 in Fig. 26. A crank 504 is driven by the pulley 496 for reciprocation in the direction of the arrows 506. Said crank carries a rack 508 which is reciprocated thereby for rotating a companion pinion gear 510, as indicated by the arrows 512. Said gear is keyed to a shaft 514 which is journaled in a yoke 516 carried by the bottom plate 518, of the hopper, said rack extending through said yoke for movement relative thereto. A conical brush carrier 528 is disposed for movement at the upper surface of the plate 518 and is suitably connected to the shaft 514 for oscillation, as indicated by the arrow 522, in response to the reciprocation of the crank 504. Said brush carrier is provided with spaced brushes 524, formed of a suitable material, which extend therefrom to engage the circular wall of the hopper housing 526, suitably mounted on the bottom plate 518. As here shown, the housing is provided with a removable closure 528 for supplying the hooks to the hopper. Said closure is provided with a handle 530 and with a hinged window 532. The housing wall is undercut, as at 534, to accommodate portions of the guide members 536 and 538 carried by the bottom plate 518, and which extend into the hopper housing to permit the discharge therefrom of properly disposed hooks. It will be noted from Figs. 25 and 26 that the bottom plate has substantially the same configuration as the guide elements 536 and 538 carried thereby.

The guide element 538 is provided, at its inner arcuate edge 540, with a slot 542 and with a recess or groove 544, it being noted from Fig. 29 that the slot overlies the groove. As illustrated in Fig. 25, the slot 542 tapers from a minimum to a maximum depth, the groove 544 being of substantially constant depth. In response to the oscillation of the brush carrier 52%), the hooks are constantly agitated and disentangled one from the other. It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the hopper is disposed at an angle, with the guide elements 536 and 538 extending from the lower end thereof. Properly positioned hooks will be swept by the brushes 524 into the slot 542 and the groove 544, the latter having the open side thereof closed by the bottom plate 518 and therefore constituting an additional slot. The hooks can be urged into said slots in only one of two positions. The first, and the correct position, as illustrated in Figs. 25 and 29, occurs when the body of the hook enters the deeper slot 544, the bill entering the shallower slot 542. In this connection it will be understood that the tapering of slot 542 from a minimum to a maximum depth, facilitates the entry of the bill therein. In this position, the hooks will be carried by the brushes and by the action of gravity along the arcuate inner edge 540 of the guide element 538 toward the cooperating guide element 536. The latter is provided with a nose 546, a shoulder 548 at said nose, and a recess 550 which is spaced from and cooperates with a similar recess 552 formed in the guide element 538. A set-back 549, on the shoulder 548, extends from the longitudinal side-edge 551 of guide element 536. With guide element 538 overlying the shoulder 548 and abutting the set-back 549, as in Fig. 28, the side edge 551 of element 536 is spaced from the adjacent side edge 553 of element 538 to define the opening 568 therebetween. Assuming now that a hook rides along the arcuate edge 540 of the guide element 538, so that the bill is in the slot 542 and the body thereof is in the slot 544, as illustrated in Fig. 29, the latter when moving in the direction of the arrow 554, in Fig. 28, will clear the nose 546 of the guide member 536, passing through a channel formed between the shoulder 548 and the underlying arcuate edge portion, until the bill of the hook engages an abutment portion 556 on element 536, at which point the body of the hook will be disposed in both the recesses 550 and 552, as illustrated in Figs. 28 and 31, the hook falling by gravity down the chute formed at this point by the bottom plate 518 and the recesses 550 and 552, the bill being disposed in the opening 560.

'In the event that a hook is disposed in said other posi- 15 tion thereof in the guide element 538, namely wherein the body of the hook rides into the short slot 542', it will be apparent that the hook will project sufficiently outwardly from the arcuate edge 540 to be intercepted by the nose 546 and rejected from the chute.

The recesses 55% and 552 and the opening 56% therebetween which accommodates the bill of the hook, as illustrated in Fig. 31, are aligned with the chute 60 which is constituted by a bottom plate 562 (Fig. 10) and provided with the central groove 564 to accommodate the body of the hook. The spaced guide strips 566 and 563 are secured to the member 564, partially overlie the groove thereof, and define the chute opening 488 to accommodate the hook bills.

In order to assure that the hooks of a maximum predetermined eyelet dimension only will arrive at the machine, to assure the required tolerance between the hook and the needle, the chute 69 is provided with a gauge device 570 (Fig. 33). More specifically, the chute plate 562' is provided, at this point, with the same overall thickness, to eliminate the previously described hook recess 564. The guide strips 566 and 568 are cut away at this point, and in place thereof, the laterally adjustable gauge members 572 and 57 4 are mounted on the plate 562 by the screws 576. Said gauge members are slotted, as at 573, to permit limited lateral movement of the gauge elements to predetermine the distance between the confronting surfaces thereof. It will be readily apparent that the distance between said confronting surfaces will determine the maximum clearance for the passage of hooks through the chute. A transparent door 580 is hinged to the chute and overlies the gauge elements so that the operator can readily observe the presence of improperly sized hooks and remove them from the chute.

While my invention has been described in connection with a hook having a pair of hook eyelets and an intermediate bill, it will be apparent that the apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the sewing of hooks of said specific construction.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A hopper for billed hooks comprising a housing having a wall, a brush carrier mounted for oscillation on said wall, guide members extending from said wall through said housing, and means provided on said guide members for disposing said hooks in predetermined disposition thereof for passage through said housing, said means comprising an arcuate edge portion provided on one of said members and disposed in said housing, said portion having a first slot extending from a minimum to a maximum depth for receiving the bill of a hook, and a second slot of a substantially constant depth, greater than said maximum depth, provided on said one member for receiving the body of the hook.

2. A hopper for billed hooks comprising a housing having a wall, a brush carrier mounted for oscillation on said wall, guide members extending from said wall through said housing, and means provided on said guide members for disposing said hooks in predetermined disposition thereof for passage through said housing, said means comprising an arcuate edge portion provided on one of said members and disposed in said housing, said portion having a first slot extending from a minimum to a maximum depth for receiving the bill of a hook, and a second slot of a substantially constant depth, greater than said maximum depth, provided on said one member for receiving the body of the hook, and a part provided on the other of said members adjacent the maximum depth of said first slot, said partbeing spaced from said arcuate edge to form a channel large enough to permit 16 the passage only of a hook having its bill in said first slot.

3. A hopper for billed hooks comprising a housing having a wall, a brush carrier mounted for oscillation on said wall, guide members extending from said wall through said housing, and means provided on said guide members for disposing said hooks in predetermined disposition thereof for passage through said housing, said means comprising an arcuate edge portion provided on one of said members and disposed in said housing, said portion having a first slot extending from a minimum to a maximum depth for receiving the bill of a hook, and a second slot of a substantially constant depth, greater than said maximum depth, provided on said one member for receiving the body of the hook, and a part provided on the other of said members adjacent the maximum depth of said first slot, said part being spaced from said arcuate edge to form a channel large enough to permit the passage only of a hook having its bill in said first slot, said guide members having spaced portions extending from said channel and defining an open chute for said hooks.

4. A hopper for billed hooks comprising a housing having a wall, a brush carrier mounted for oscillation on said wall, guide members extending from said wall through said housing, and means provided on said guide members for disposing said hooks in predetermined disposition thereof for passage through said housing, said means comprising an arcuate edge portion provided on one of said members and disposed in said housing, said portion having a first slot extending from a minimum to a maximum depth for receiving the bill of a hook, and a second slot of a substantially constant depth, greater than said maximum depth, provided on said one member for receiving the body of the hook, and a part provided on the other of said members adjacent the maximum depth of said first slot, said part being spaced from said arcuate edge to form a channel large enough to permit the passage only of a hook having its bill in said first slot, said guide members having spaced portions extending from said channel and defining an open chute for said hooks, an extension chute extending from said guide members in communication with the chute therebetween, and an adjustable gauge mechanism provided in said extension chute for preventing the passage therethrough of hooks which are wider than a predetermined width.

5. A sewing machine for securing hooks of the type having spaced eyelets and a centrally disposed bill to a folded tape, said machine comprising means mounting a needle both for vertical reciprocation and for lateral oscillation, means for moving said tape relative to said needle, means for inserting a hook in said tape with the bill thereof overlying said tape, means for moving said inserted hook to said needle, means for interrupting the movement of said tape, means for operating said needle across the hook eyelets through a hook stitching cycle for sewing the hook in the tape, and means operable in timed relation with said hook moving means for depositing another hook for insertion in said tape, said hook depositing means comprising a hook chute having mechanism operable in timed relation to said hook inserting means and a hopper for billed hooks comprising a housing having a wall, a brush carrier mounted for oscillation on said wall, guide members extending from said wall through said housing and means provided on said guide members for disposing said hooks in predetermined disposition thereof for passage through said housing to said chute, said guide member means comprising an arcuate edge portion provided on one of said members and disposed in said housing, said portion having a first slot extending from a minimum to a maximum depth for receiving the bill of a hook, and a second slot of a substantially constant depth, greater than said maximum depth, provided on said one member for receiving the body of the hook.

6. A sewing machine for securing hooks of the type having spaced eyelets and a centrally disposed bill to a longitudinally folded tape, said machine comprising means mounting a needle both for vertical reciprocation and for lateral oscillation, means for moving said tape relative to said needle, means for inserting a hook in said tape with the bill thereof overlying said tape, means for moving said inserted hook to said needle, means for interrupting the movement of said tape, means for operating said needle across to the hook eyelets through a hook stitching cycle for sewing the hook in the tape, and means operable in timed relation with said hook moving means for depositing another hook for insertion in said tape, said hook depositing means comprising a hook chute having mechanism operable in timed relation to said hook and a hopper for billed hooks comprising a housing having a wall, a brush carrier mounted for oscillation on said wall, guide members extending from said wall through said housing, and means provided on said guide members for disposing said hooks in predetermined disposition thereof for passage through said housing, said means comprising an armate edge portion provided on one of said members and disposed in said housing, said portion having a first slot extending from a minimum to a maximum depth for receiving the bill of a hook, and a second slot of a substantially constant depth, greater than said maximum depth,

provided on said one member for receiving the body of the hook, and a part provided on the other of said members adjacent the maximum depth of said first slot, said part being spaced from said arcuate edge to form a channel large enough to permit the passage only of a hook having its bill in said first slot, said guide members having spaced portions extending from said channel and defining an open chute for said hooks, and said open chute being in communication with said first mentioned chute.

7. A sewing machine for producing fastener tapes in which the fasteners have a securing portion concealed between overlying tape parts and an exposed operative portion, said machine comprising sewing mechanism, means for advancing the tape relative to the sewing mechanism, means for separating the tape parts, means for positioning a fastener element between the separated tape parts with the operative portion thereof exposed, and means for operating said sewing mechanism to sew the fastener element in position between the tape parts, said separating means being movable longitudinally of said tape relative to said sewin mechanism to advance the inserted fastener element longitudinally of the tape to said sewing mechanism into position for the sewing thereof to the tape.

8. In a machine for sewing fastener elements to tape,

sewing mechanism including a needle, means for feeding folded tape from a supply thereof to said sewing mechanism, means for inserting fastener elements within said tape in advance of said sewing mechanism, and meansoperable in timed relation to said inserting means for advancing each inserted fastener element a predetermined distance within said tape toward said sewing mechanism for positively positioning each fastener element in proper disposition for the stitch forming descents of said needle.

9. In a machine for sewing fastener elements to tape, sewing mechanism including a needle, means for feeding folded tape from a supply thereof to said sewing mechanism, means for inserting fastener elements within said tape in advance of said sewing mechanism, and means operable in timed relation to said inserting means for advancing each inserted fastener element a predetermined distance within said tape toward said sewing mechanism for positively positionin eachfastener element in proper disposition for the stitch forming descents of said needle, said advancing means comprising a member adapted to be positioned within the folded tape and movable longitudinally thereof relative to said needle.

l0. In a machine for sewing fastener elements to tape;

sewing mechanism including a needle, means for feeding 18 ism, means for inserting fastener elements within said tape in advance of said sewing mechanism, and means operable in timed relation to said inserting means for advancing each inserted fastener element a predetermined distance within said tape toward said sewing mechanism for positively positioning each fastener element in proper disposition for the stitch forming descents of said needle,-

said advancing means comprising a member adapted to be positioned within the folded tape and movable longitudinally thereof relative to said needle, said inserting means comprising a member mounted for movement transversely of said advancing member and said latter member being operable to space overlying portions of the folded tape' to facilitate the insertion of the fastener elements therein by said inserting member.

11. In a machine for'sewing fastener elements to tape, sewing mechanism including a needle, means for feeding folded tape from a supply thereof to said sewing mechanism, means for inserting fastener elements within said tape in advance of said sewing mechanism, and means operable in timed relation to said inserting means for advancing each inserted fastener element a predetermined distance within said tape toward said sewing mechanism for positively positioning each fastener element in proper disposition for the stitch forming descents of said needle, said advancing means comprising a member adapted to be positioned within the folded tape and movable longitudinally thereof relative to said needle, said inserting means comprising a member mounted for movement transversely of said advancing member and said latter member being op rable to s ce overlyin ortions of the f lded tape'to facilitate the insertion of the fastener elements therein by said inserting member, and a detent portion provided on said advancing member to limit the insertion of the fastening elements into the tape.

12. In a machine for sewing on tape hooks of the type having a base and a bill projecting from said base, sewing mechanism including a needle, means for feeding folded tape from a supply thereof to said sewing mechanism, means for inserting said hooks within said tape in advance of said sewing mechanism with the base of each hook disposed within the folded tape and the hook bill projecting therefrom, means operable in timed relation to said inserting means for advancing each hook a predetermined distance within said tape toward said sewing mechanism for positively positioning each hook in proper disposition for the stitch forming descents .of said needle,

and means to operate said tape feeding means and said needle to provide stitching both transversely and longitudinally of said tape for sewing the base of each hook into the tape.

13. In a machine for sewing on tape hooks of the type having a base and a bill projecting from said base, sewing mechanism including a needle, means for feeding folded tape from a supply thereof to said sewing mechanism, means for inserting said hooks within said tape in ad- Vance of said sewing mechanism with the base of each hook disposed within the folded tape and the hook bill projecting therefrom, means operable in timed relation to said inserting means for advancing each hook a first and then a second predetermined distance within said tape toward said sewing mechanism for positively positioning each hook in a first and then in a second proper disposition for the stitch forming descents of said needle, means for temporarily interrupting the feed of said tape to stop the advance thereof when each hook is in each of said proper dispositions thereof, and means to actuate said needle transversely of the tape during said interruptions in the tape movement for the production of transverse stitching across spaced portions of'each hook base, 14. A sewing machine for securing hooks .of the type having a base formed by spaced eyelets and a centrally disposed bill to a folded tape, said machine comprising,- sewing mechanism including a needle mounted both for' Vertical reciprocation and for lateral oscillation, means

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