US2961186A

US2961186A - Sewing machine ribbon tension guide

Info

Publication number: US2961186A
Application number: US697116A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raymond E Sayles
Original assignee: PENNWAY GARMENT CO
Current assignee: PENNWAY GARMENT CO
Priority date: 1957-11-18
Filing date: 1957-11-18
Publication date: 1960-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-22

Description

Nov. 22, 1960 R. E. SAYLES SEWING MACHINE RIBBON TENSION GUIDE Filed Nov. 18, 1957 INVENTOR. Pdymo/mf. 54 V/e5 United States Patent SEWING MACHINE RIBBON TENSION GUIDE Raymond E. Sayles, North Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Pennway Garment Co., Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Nov. 18, 1957, Ser. No. 697,116

1 Claim. (Cl. 242-155) The present invention relates to mechanism for controlling the unwinding of a strip, tape or the like from a rotatable supply reel therefor, and more particularly to an attachment for a sewing machine, the primary object being to provide releasable instrumentalities for mamtaining the tape longitudinally taut between the sewing mechanism of the machine and the tensioning mechanism that forms a part of the aforementioned attachment.

It is the most important object of the present invention to provide tensioning mechanism over which the tape is trained or looped and including a friction pulley whose rotation is retarded during operation of the attachment by a special spring bias assembly which exerts a constant load on the pulley in accordance with the inherent tension of the spring itself, and which tension may be adjusted quickly and easily simply by rotation of an adjusting nut on the mounting shaft for the pulley.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide novel release structure for relieving the pressure on the idler pulley, requiring the mere swinging of a lever to and from an operative position.

A further object of the present invention is to incorporate the release structure in the tensioning mechanism so that, upon swinging of the aforementioned lever, a cam reciprocates a release pin longitudinally of the shaft of the pulley and against a washer which normally retards rotation of the pulley by clamping the same against a support for the reel and the pulley.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a sewing machine ribbon tension guide made pursuant to my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detailed, crosssectional view taken on line IIIIII of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 4 and S are transverse, cross-sectional views taken on lines IVIV and VV respectively of Fig. 3.

The attachment of the instant invention is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing operably mounted on a sewing machine fragmentarily illustrated and broadly designated by the numeral 10. To this end there is provided a Z-shaped support 12 having a pair of

vertical stretches

14 and 16, the latter of which supports a horizontal rod 18 upon which reel 20 is rotatably mounted. Supply reel 20 for bias tape 22 or the like, is confined between a pair of

set collars

24 and 26 on the rod 18 and adjustment thereof determines the tension of spring 28 coiled on rod 18 between reel 20 and set collar 26 to thereby retard rotation of reel 20.

From reel 20, tape 22 is trained under an idler roller 30, is thereupon looped around an idler pulley 32, and then trained over a second idler roller 34, whereupon tape 22 extends in a longitudinally taut stretch 36 to pressure foot 38 forming a part of the sewing machine 10.

Rollers

30 and 34 are rotatably supported by an arm 40 secured to stretch 14 of support 12 and extending laterally therefrom.

Idler pulley 32 includes a core 42 rotatable on a shaft "ice 44 which is in turn rigidly secured to stretch 14, together with a sleeve 46 on core 42 and preferably made from rubber or other frictionable material.

Shaft 44 is provided with a longitudinal groove 48 within which is reciprocably mounted an elongated pin 50, and into which extends a lug 52 forming a part of a washer 54 on shaft 44.

The outermost free end of the shaft 44 is provided with external screw threads receiving an adjusting nut 56 and a spring 58 is coiled about the shaft 44 between the nut 56 and the washer 54. One end of the spring 58 bears against a collar 60 loosely threaded on shaft 44 between spring 58 and washer 54. It is thus seen that spring 58 yieldably holds the idler pulley 32 clamped between washer 54 and one face 62 of stretch 14 of support 12 and that the lug 52, slidable within the groove 48, holds the washer 54 against rotation.

A pin 64 extends from stretch 14 oppositely to the shaft 44 and is rotatably supported thereby. An elongated operating lever 66 is rigidly secured to the pin 64, and a cam element 68 is attached to the pin 64 for rotation therewith between lever 66 and the opposite face 70 of stretch 14. Cam element 68 is in the nature of a small disc having that face thereof proximal to pin 50 chamfered on one side of the pin 64 to present a flat beveled surface 72.

In operation, lever 66 is positioned as illustrated in the drawing with surface 72 of cam element 68 engaging pin 50, the latter thereby being held retracted by the action of spring 58. Accordingly, depending upon the adjustment of nut 56, spring 58 exerts a constant load on the idler pulley 32, thereby retarding rotation thereof and assuring that the stretch 36 of tape 22 is held taut as the tape 22 is Withdrawn from the supply reel 20 by the action of the feeding mechanism (not shown) of machine 10 below foot 38.

When, however, it is desired to release the tension on idler pulley 32, the operator need merely swing the lever 66 either upwardly or downwardly, thereby rotating the cam element 68 and forcing the pin 50 inwardly along the groove 48 against the lug 52 of washer 54. This forces the washer 54 and the collar 60 toward the nut 56, compressing spring 58 and rendering the pulley 32 freely rotatable on the shaft 44.

The entire attachment may be removed from the machine 10 by loosening setscrew 74, whereby the stretch 14 of support 12 may be withdrawn from socket member 76 on machine 10.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

The combination with a flexible tape fed from a rotatable wheel, tension mechanism including an upright plate provided with an opening therein; an elongated shaft rigidly secured to said plate within the opening thereof and extending outwardly from one face of the latter; a core rotatably mounted on said shaft; a cylindrical sleeve of frictionable material rigid to and surrounding said core, said core and said sleeve each having one extremity engaging said face of said plate, said shaft being provided with a longitudinal groove therein extending at least the length of said sleeve and the thickness of said plate; an annular, metal washer mounted on said shaft proximal to the opposite extremity of each of said core and said sleeve and in engagement therewith, said washer being provided with a lug complementally received within said groove and horizontally reciprocable therein; a collar mounted on said shaft at the end thereof spaced from said opening, said collar engaging said washer; a torsion nut threadably mounted on said end of said shaft; a spring mounted on said shaft between said nut and said collar for biasing said core and said sleeve toward said plate; an elongated pin reciprocably relative to said plate; and a cam rigidIy mounted on said 373,760 rod between said lever and said plate, said cam engaging 2,625,127 said pin for forcing the latter against said lug to release 2,653,559'

the pressure of said washer on saidextremity of" said 10 2,686,018

coreand said sleeve, and thereby lower the tension on said tape passing, over said sleeve.

References Cited in tlfe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Taylor et al. Nov. 22, 1887 Eckardt Jan. 13, 1953 PiClICCi .a-- 29, Courtney Aug. 10, 1954 New 9;