US2966869A

US2966869A - Zig-zag sewing machine

Info

Publication number: US2966869A
Application number: US594534A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fischer Ernst
Original assignee: VEB NAHMASCHINENWERK WITTENBERGE
Current assignee: VEB NAHMASCHINENWERK WITTENBERGE
Priority date: 1955-11-10
Filing date: 1956-06-28
Publication date: 1961-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 1978-01-03

Description

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Jan. 3, 1961 E. FISCHER 2,966,869

ZIG-ZAG SEWING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1956 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR [FA/ST Asa Jan. 3, 1961 E. FISCHER ZIG-LZAG SEWING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 28, 1956 INVENTOR EPNST [7s awn? an. 3, 19 1 E. FISCHER 2,966,869

' ZIG-ZAG SEWING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1956 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR [ANST 78 can? Jan. 3, 1961 E. FISCHER 2,966,869

ZIG-ZAG SEWING MACHINE I Filed June 28, 1956 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 I Jan. 3, 1961 E. FISCHER 2,966,869

ZIG-ZAG SEWING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1956 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 w my 67 INVENTOR [kn/s7 fiscwa? Jan. 3, 1961 E FISCHER ZIG-ZAG sswmc MACHINE File d June 28. 1956 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 VIII!" III,

IIIIII 'IIII Jan. 3, 1961 E. FISCHER 2,966,869

ZIG-ZAG SEWING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1956 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR fie/v 5867/61? Jan. 3, 1961 E. FISCHER 2,966,869 ZIG-ZAG SEWING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1956 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR AZNST 5567/5? 2,966,869 Patented Jan. 3, 1961 ZIG-ZAG 'SEWIN G MACHINE Ernst Fischer, Sub], Thuringia, Germany, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to VEB Niihmaschinenwerk Wittenberge, Wittenberge, Germany Filed June 28, 1956, Ser. No. 594,534

33 Claims. (Cl. '112-158) This invention relates to zig-zag sewing machines for producing variousidecorative and utilitarian sewing operations by means of a pattern mechanism having at least one carrier member having two or more lifting members, and a cam follower selectively operative with the one or another of the lifting members.

'It is the principal object of my invention to provide an improved Zig-zag sewing machine having pattern mechanism which comprises rail-shaped lifting members of finite length whose edges provide the pattern, and a following link mechanism having an abutting portion which follows along the pattern edge of a selected one of the rail-shaped lifting members. The carrier for the lifting members is preferably comprised of an angularly dis- .placeable roller in which the lifting members are radially arranged and disposed with their axes parallel to the axis of revolution of the roller.

According to another feature of the invention, and for the purpose of repeating the positioning effected by .the lifting members, the carrier for the lifting members is movably arranged with respect to the following link mechanism. Thus, the following link is fixedly journalled in all directions whereby the whole arrangement is least subject to wear.

Preferably, the following link mechanism comprises a revolving member having a reentering drive spiral, said revolving member being arranged with its rotational axis parallel to the longitudinal axes of the lifting members. The edge or head of the drive spiral is cooperatively disposed with respect to a lifting member. For this reason, frictional wear of the following link mechanism is reduced to a minimum amount heretofore not attainable. Upon rotation of the spiral, always a different part of the spiral edge is in engagement with the pertaining "lifting member.

Other objects and structural details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the pattern mechanism for controlling the width and position of the stitches,

Fig. 1a is a transverse section of the forward portion of the sewing machine indicating the needle bar,

Fig. 2 is a top view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a modification of the pattern mechanism including mechanism to control the fabric feeding mechanism for the purpose of "making button holes, for example,

Figs. 4 through-8 illustrate the individual workingsteps in the formation of button holes,

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the entire pattern mechanism,

Fig. 1-0 is a perspective view of 'a modification of the pattern mechanism,

Fig. 11 is a vertical cross-'sectionalview of-the entire pattern mechanism,

direction.

Fig. 12 illustrates an auxiliary mechanism for manually controlling stitch position,

Fig. 13 illustrates an auxiliary mechanism for manually controlling stitch width,

Fig. 14 illustrates, in vertical cross-section, the mechanism indicated in Fig. 10,

Fig. 15 illustrates the drive means for the fabric feed dog,

Fig. 16 illustrates one position of the two grooved links of the drive means for the fabric feed dog,

Fig. 17 is a top view of a modified form of revolving member,

Fig. 18 is a side view thereof,

Fig. 19 illustrates still another modification of the revolving member,

Fig. 20 illustrates the cam .disc shown inFigs. 3 and 8 separately in the five successive sewing operations .illustrated in Figs. 4 through 8 for sewing a :buttonhole,

Fig. 21 is a perspective view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 21, the numeral 1 indicates a positioning link member whose reciprocatory motion is imparted to the needle holding shaft (not illustrated) for controlling the stitch width and stitch position. The positioning link member 1, at its end remote from the needle holding shaft, carries a glide member 1a which is in turn carried in the groove of a longitudinally-grooved connecting link 2. The connecting link 2 is pivotally connected at -its upper end on a reciprocating member 4 by means of a pin 5. The reciprocating member '4 is swingab'ly journalled about a fixed pin 5 and 11S oscillated by means of a customary three-cornered eccentric 6 driven, for example, by motion imparted from the revolving sewing machine arm shaft 7 by interconnecting mechanism not illustrated. Control of the stitch width through the needle shaft is effected by shifting of the glide member 1a in the grooved link 2. For this purpose an arm 8 comprising a double lever 9a pivoted at 9 is provided. The lever arm 8 is disposed substantially parallel with the positioning link member 1 and is connected therewith by means of a coupling link '10. Since the grooved connecting link 2 is substantially perpendicular with the positioning link member 1, said positioning link member is constrained with respect to axial motion. Control of the stitch position is effected by the lever arm 11 of a double lever 11a pivoted at 12. The arm 11 is disposed substantially perpendicular with respect to'the grooved connecting link 2 and imparts oscillatory movement thereto .in the .axial A glide member 14 is journalled on a pin 13 at the lower end of the grooved connecting link 2 and opposite the grooved side thereof. The glide member 14 is disposed in an elongated rectangular opening 15 .at the free end of arm 11 (see Fig. 3). For this reason, the stitch position control of the grooved connecting link .2 likewise depends upon'its constraint with respect to side ward motion. The double levers "9a, 11a carry rollers :18 and 19 on their other

respective arms

16, 17, for which purpose said other arms are preferably suitably bifurcated at their ends. 'The

rollers

18 and 19 are provided with longitudinal grooves within which the

lifting members

20, 21 are seated. The

lifting members

20, 21 are raileshaped and of :finite length andsare-preferably exchangeably fitted in their respective rollers 18, "19. The free edges of the lifting-members .20, :21, determine stitch pattern formation.

:The .revolving member 22 is rotatably positioned between the rollers 18,.19, and is-providedwith a single revolution scanningspiral about vvits cylindrical 2surfacewhich pattern repeat.

. tions.

.ber 52.

is as long as the

rollers

18, 19. The revolving member 22 is so disposed that its spiral edge 23 abuts against the rail-shaped

lifting members

20, 21. The

rollers

18, 19 in addition are pressed against the revolving member 22 by means of respective compression springs 24, 25.

Revolving member 22 is disposed beneath mechanism for advancing it step-wisely. To this end, the revolving member 22 is provided with a gear 26 which is in mesh with a toothed segment member 27 (see Fig. 9 The toothed segment member 27 is swingably journalled at 28 and carries a roller 29. The roller 29 is controlled by an annular eccentric member 30 secured to the arm shaft 7. The roller 29 and therewith the toothed segment member 27 are resiliently urged against the annular eccentric member 30 by means of a tension spring 31. The size of the connecting step of the revolving member 22 is dependent upon the number of stitches in the momentary In order to change the connecting step to that extent, an eccentric 32 in cooperation with the toothed segment member 27 is provided. By turning the eccentric 32 in the position illustrated in Fig. 10, the roller 29 can be brought entirely out of contact with respect to the cam surface of the annular eccentric member 30.

The

rollers

18 and 19 are provided with turning knobs 33, 34, respectively, located at the outside of the sewing machine housing (see Fig. 2). By means of these knobs, the

rollers

18 and 19 can be turned so that the

particular lifting members

20, 21 desired from time to time can be cooperatively positioned with respect to the revolving member 22. Ordinary detent mechanisms are provided for locking the

rollers

18 and 19 in their respective posi- Thus, the stitch position of the needle holding shaft is controlled by the roller 18, while the roller 19 controls the stitch width.

If necessary, the pattern mechanism can also be made to control the fabric feeding mechanism (see Fig. 15). In this instance, a second revolving member 36 is rotatably journalled beneath the revolving member 22, said second revolving member being likewise formed with a single revolution scanning spiral (see Figs. 3, 11). The spiral edge 37 of the revolving member 36 is cooperative with the rail-shaped lifting members 35 which are fitted in a third roller 39. The roller 39 is carried by a lever 40 which is swingably journalled with respect to a pin 41. The outer end of the lever 40 is linked with a positioning link member 42 which drives the fabric feeding mechanism. The roller 39 is disposed between the interconnecting position of the positioning link member 42 and the pivotal point at pin 41. The lever 40 and therewith the roller 39 are pressed against the revolving member 36 by means of a compression spring 43. The fabric feed dog 35 rests upon the usual eccentric 44 which effects the timed perpendicular lifting action of said dog (see Fig. 15). The fabric feed dog 35 is linked to an oscillatory lever member 46 which has one end journalled at pin 45. The oscillatory link member 46 is connected by an interconnecting link 47 to the free end of a link member 48 which is driven from a cam 56 fixed upon the arm shaft 7.

The interlinking position 51 of the connecting

links

47, 48 is positionally guided by means of a sliding block disposed in the groove of a longitudinally-grooved link mem- The member 52 is swingably disposed with respect to a fixed pin 53, i.e., fixed with respect to the sewing machine mechanism housing. A second longitudinally-grooved link member 54 is disposed next to the grooved connecting member 52, said second grooved link member being angularly displaceable with respect to a fixed pin 55. The grooved link member 54 is provided with an upper toothed segment 56 in mesh with a spiral worm 57 or similar gear engaging structure, the latter being disposed upon a shaft 58 having one end extending through to the outside of the machine housing and carrying a hand lever in the form of a turning knob 59, for

example. The two

grooved link members

52 and 54 are joined by a coupling link 60, said coupling link 60 being linked with grooved link member 52 at its upper end by means of a pin 61. The other end of the coupling link 66 is provided with a slide block guided in the grooved link member 54. The coupling link 60 is held in its uppermost position by means of a tension spring 62. The posi tioning link member 42, which is connected at its upper end with the lever 40 associated with the roller 39, is linked at its lower end at an intermediate position on the coupling link 60 and thus operates upon the coupling link 60 (see Fig. 3). Upon revolution of the revolving member 36, the positioning link member 42 is moved up and down and thereby, through the coupling link 60, changes the angular position of the grooved link member 52, whereupon the reciprocatory movement of the fabric feed dog 35 vertically actuated by the eccentric is changed as required. The grooved link member 54 has the function of effecting only the basic control of the longitudinal or reciprocatory motion of the fabric feed dog 35. In the position of the coupling link and with the grooved link member 52, as illustrated in Fig. 15, the fabric feed dog 35 is operative to provide the greatest forward stepping motion or feed of the fabric, and with their positions according to Fig. 16, the greatest rearward stepping motion is imparted.

The driving motion of the lower revolving member 36 is derived from the upper revolving member 22, and for this purpose the revolving member 22 is provided with a gear 26 which is in mesh with a gear 63 associated with the rotating member 36 (see Fig. 9). Each

gear

26 and 63, moreover, is rotatably disposed on the respective axle 64, of its associated rotating member. Each of the

axles

64, 65 has fixed thereon a connecting

ratchet wheel

66, 67, respectively, cooperatively engaged with pawls 68, 69 pivoted on the

gears

26, 63, respectively. Swinging motion of the toothed segment member 27 in the di rection of the arrow, for example, produces clockwise turning motion of the gear 26, and counterclockwise motion of the gear 63. Therefore, upon advancement of the upper revolving member 22, the lower revolving member 36 remains still. When the toothed segment member 27 swings to the left, the upper revolving member 22 remains at rest while the lower one is advanced. This is for the reason that the two

gears

26, 63 are moved in opposite directions with respect to each other, whereby the two pawls 68, 69 are alternatively operative. Such action is also desired, since the stitch width and stitch position control of the needle necessarily must be accomplished when the needle is in removed position with respect to the fabric, while presetting of the fabric feeding mechanism must be accomplished while the needle is in the material.

It is desirable to provide means for controlling the stitch width manually. To this end and in accordance with Fig. 13, the double lever 9a is controlled by eccentric 70. The eccentric 70 operates on a radially shiftable pin 71 slidably disposed within the sewing machine housing. The outwardly directed end of the pin 71 abuts against the hub end of arm 17 of the double lever 9a. The eccentric 70, as can best be seen in Fig. 11, is located at the inner end of a tubular shaft 72 which extends through the sewing machine housing at its other end, where it is fitted with a manual operating lever 73. Upon turning the control lever 73, the eccentric 70 can be set to vary the stitch width as desired from time to time. When using the above-described manual control, it is of course necessary that the roller 19 be moved to an inoperative position. For this purpose, for example, a lifting member 21 may be left out of the roller 19 at one position. The roller 19 is then turned to this position with respect to its revolving member 22. The tubular shaft 72 is revolvable about the axle 64 of the revolving member 22. Thus the machine can also be set for uni- .form sewing stitch.

A similar mechanism is provided for'manually controlling-the stitch position. To this end and as illustrated in Fig. 11, there is coaxially disposed within the tubular shaft 72 a second tubular shaft 74. The inside end of the second tubular shaft 74 carries an eccentric 75 which is cooperatively disposed with respect to a radially shiftable pin 76 slidably disposed within the sewing machine housing. The pin 76 operates against the hub of the arm 16 of the double lever 11a. Fixed upon the outer end of the tubular shaft 74, is a manually operable lever 77. The revolving shaft 74 is thus carried directly by the shaft 64 of the rotating member 22. The use of the eccentric 75, of course, depends upon the roller 18 being first brought to an ineffective position, as described above with respect to the roller 19. V

In addition to the

eccentrics

70 and 75, a cam disc 78 is also provided, said cam disc being disposed at the inner end of a tubular shaft 79. The tubular shaft 79 surrounds the tubular shaft 72 and carries at its outer end a manually operable lever 80 which serves for controlling special stitch designs, button holes for example. For this purpose, the cam disc 78 has about its periphery a :series of grooves behind one another for effecting the various stitch widths, the various stitch positions and for controlling the fabric feeding mechanism associated with the fabric feed dog 35. Radially shiftable pins 81, '82 :and 83 (see Fig. 3) are also provided slidably disposed in the sewing machine housing and cooperative respectively, with these three cam disc grooves. The pin 81 controls stitch position, the pin 82, stitch width and the pin 83, movement of the fabric feeding mechanism. The manual control lever -80 can be stationed at four :positions, represented by the broken lines 0, I, II and 111 (see Figs. 3 and 20) :for the purpose of forming button holes. With the manual control lever 80 in position I, a forward-going satin stitch as indicated at 84 in Fig. 4 is first sewn. Thereafter, the manual control lever 80 is set to position II to produce the first cross stitch 85, as indicated in Fig. 5. Upon next setting the manual control lever 80 at position III, the rearward-going satin stitch, indicated at 86 in Fig. 6, is sewn. Thereafter the lever 80 is set again at position II in order to sew the second cross stitch 87, as indicated in Fig. 7. With the manual control lever 80 at position 0, the button hole is securely-finished by the sewing of a few regular'stitchcs 88 as in Fig. :8. Naturally, when using the button hole mechanism as described above, it is necessary that the third roller 39 be placed in an inoperative position 'by means of the knob 89 (Fig. 11).

In accordance with a modification of my invention, it is also possible to replace the above-described cam disc 78 by three

individual cam discs

90, 91 and 92 axially arranged behind one another and preferably integrally formed (see Fig. 14). The

cam disc portions

90 and 91 serve for stitch Width and stitch position control respectively, and the cam disc portion 92 for control of the fabric feeding mechanism. It is further possible to couple the

cam disc portions

90, 91 and 92 with the revolving member 22 for thepurpose, for example, of mechanically reproducing the button hole of Figs. 4 through 8. To this end, the

cam discs

90, 91 and 92 preferably are moved inwardly as differentiated from the cam disc 78 of Fig. 11. The eccentric 70a for controlling stitch width and the eccentric 75a for controlling stitch position are located in front of the

cam discs

90, 91 and 92. In this instance, the tubular shaft 74a of the eccentric 75a surrounds the tubular shaft 72a of the eccentric 70a. The shaft 64a of the revolving member 22 is arranged to be axially displaceable and is provided with three

annular grooves

93, 94 and 95 which serve to fix the axial position of the shaft 64a by cooperation with a detent mechanism 96. A tubular turning shaft 79a for the cam disc portions 90 and .92 are disposed on the end of the shaft 64a opposite the turning end thereof. A manual control lever 80ais secured on the free end of :the tubular shaft 79a. Similarly, the tubular shafts 72a and 74a are prosided with

manual control levers

73a and 77a, respectively. The shaft 64a is formed, approximately centrally along its length, with a band or increased diameter portion 97 having a radially-projecting key 98. The

cam discs

90, 91 and 92 have an axial keyway 99 within which the key 98 is cooperatively disposed. For this reason, the

cam discs

90, 91 and 92 are turned together with the shaft 64a no matter in which axial position the shaft 64 may be placed. The annular ends of the band 97 are provided with coupling teeth indicated at 100 and 101 respectively. Similar teeth are provided at the annular edge of a bushing 102 which carries the connecting gear 66a. The revolving member 22a is secured to the bushing 102 by means of a screw 103. Similar teeth 104 are provided at the inner end of the tubular shaft 7%. In Fig. 14, the shaft 64a is shown at the end position to the right. In this position, the shaft @411 is coupled with the bushing 102 of the revolving member 22a through the coupling teeth 101, and therefore derives the stepwise advancing motion from said revolving member. The movement of the revolving member 22a is carried over the key 98 to the

cam discs

90, 91 and 92. If the shaft 74 is moved to its left-hand end position, the

coupling gear teeth

100 and 104 will then become enmeshed. In this instance, the tubular shaft 79a is coupled with the shaft 6% so that now the

cam discs

90, 91 and 92 can be turned by means of the manual control lever 80a fixed to the outer end of said tubular shaft.

The

cam disc portions

90, 91 and 92 can be turned to their beginning position, for example, by means of the knob 105 secured to the rear end of the shaft 64a. For this purpose, the front end head 106 of the shaft 64a is preferably provided with an index mark. The revolving member 22a of course is also moved to the beginning position at the same time.

The invention as particularly described above naturally can be modified in various particulars. For instance, the revolving members could be constructed of a plurality of cam discs 107 piled one against the other as illustrated in Figs. 17 and 18. In this instance, the cam discs 107 are mounted in angularly displaced relationship with respect to one another so that their working partsfollow one another spirally. This example is fundamentally also a spiral-formed revolving member. A further modification of the invention is shown in Fig. 19, however, wherein there is illustrated a revolving member in the form of a cam disc 108 whose rotational aixs extends at right angles with respect to the longitudinal axes of the lifting

members

20, 21. The cam disc 108 preferably is provided with two or more cam portions 109 peripherally arranged so that one each successively revolves into working position with respect to the revolving

members

20, 21. The motion transfer link mechanism, moreover, need not have any revolving members at all. A spiral arm could alternatively be provided, arranged for pendulous movement about a fixed pivot point. This axis of the spiral member could, with respect to the example illustrated in Fig. I, be mounted below the axes of the revolving members 18 and '19 and in parallel relation with respect to the arm shaft '7. The lever at the end of the lifting

members

20 and 21 would then describe an arc. For this reason, it is preferable to correspondingly curve the rail-shaped

lifting members

20 and 21.

Figs. '9 and 11 indicate the arrangement of the pins '71, 76 and 81 to 83 and their cooperation with

cam discs

70, 75 and 78. All of the pins are housed in a casing 110 which is partially broken away as indicated in Fig. 9.

The

cam discs

70 and 75 actuate one pin each, .forfexample, pins 71 and 76, respectively, which serve for adjusting the Width of a stitch and the position of .a stitch. Cam disc 78 is associated with three pins 81 to '83 which are radially offset vAll of the control movements which are necessary for the button holes are taken ofi the cam disc 78. The cam disc 78, therefore, controls the width and the position of a stitch, as well as the advancement mechanism for feeding of the fabric. Cam disc 78 is secured to the tubular shaft 79 which is connected to the manual control lever 80. By means of the control lever, cam disc 78 can be moved into position 0, I, II, III (see Fig. 3).

The two

cam discs

70 and 75 only serve for changing the width and the position of a stitch by hand. Each of these

discs

70 and 75 is connected by means of

tubular shafts

72 and 74, respectively, with

manual levers

73 and 77, respectively. The width and the position of a stitch can be changed independently of automatic operation by turning the

manual levers

73 and 77.

Pins

71 and 76, which scan the periphery of

discs

76 and 75, transmit their movement onto shafts of

rollers

18 and 19 which are lengthened for this purpose (see Figs. 12 and 13). The two

rollers

18 and 19 have to be brought into an inoperative position for that purpose. A neutrallifting body or one which has a front face parallel to the axis of the roller and which is of such a height that it cannot impart any control movement to the

rollers

18 and 19 is used for this purpose.

From Fig. 9 it can be seen that drive connection exists between the revolving

members

22 and 36 and the

ratchet wheels

66 and 67, respectively.

Ratchet wheels

66 and 67 are arranged in pairs offset by by half a division in order to provide a gradually controllable transmission of the movement.

Wheels

66 and 67 are loosely mounted on the axial of the associated gears 26 and 63, respectively, and are connected therewith by pawls 68 and 69. Both ratchet wheels are connected by a groove and wedge connection. The

gears

26 and 63 are lossely mounted on

shafts

64, 65, respectively and are driven by the segment piece 27. The

ratchet wheels

66 and 67 transmit their movement to revolving

members

22 and 36 with which they are securely connected by means of their interlocking shapes.

In Fig. the arrangement of the cam housing 110a can be seen. This cam housing is within the housing of the machine. The position of

pins

71a, 76a, 81a, 82a and 83a are indicated in the housing 119a.

In Fig. 23 there is illustrated the possibility of coupling a collar 97 on the shaft 64a either with a series of cam discs 90 to 92 or with a sleeve 102. It should be noted that Figs. 10 and 23 illustrate a second embodiment which corresponds in principle to the embodiment in Figs. 9 and 11.

The arrangement of the cam housing 110a and the machine housing shown in Fig. 9 is the same as that shown in Fig. 11. However, in the cam housing 110a the cam discs are arranged in different order as compared to the one shown in Fig. 11. The cam discs 76a and 75a again serve for changing the position and the width of the stitch. Adjustment is brought about by manually operated

levers

73a and 77a, respectively. Instead of the original first cam disc 70 according to Fig. 11, from which movements controlling the severing of the button holes are taken, in Fig. 9 there are three individual cam discs 96 to 92 which are combined in a cam disc package. Each of the cam discs 90 to 92 is assoicated with a

61a, 82a and 83a and they are axially adjustable in a conventional manner in the cam housing 110a.

By the cam discs 99 to 92 the width of the stitch, its position, and the fabric feed are all controlled. The member 111 which is connected to tubular shaft 7% serves as a stop for the cam discs 70a and 75a which are urged toward the member 111 by the compression spring 112. The discs 79a and 75a and the member 111 with the associated tubular shafts 72, 74a and 7911 are arranged on a continuous shaft 64a which has a collar 97. Collar 97 engages its wedge 98 in a correspondingly shaped groove 99 of the cam disc package 90 to 92 so that the latter is always connected for movement with the shaft 64a.

The shaft 64a is axially adjustable and can be brought 'into three positions of

engagement

93, 94 and 95. Collar 97 has at both

flanks coupling teeth

100 and 101, respectively, which are alternately in engagement with corresponding coupling teeth 104 and 113. These latter coupling teeth 194 and 113 are in member 111 and in sleeve 162, respectively. By the alternating engagement of coupling teeth 160 and 101, it is possible to rotate the package of cam discs 90 to 92 by means of the manually operated lever a, in the left hand position of engagement 95. In the right hand position of engagement 93, however, the discs to 92 are brought into driving connection with sleeve 192 which is secured to the drive wheel 66 and which obtains its drive movement through gear 26 from the segment 27. The segment 27, gear 26 and the ratchet wheel 66 are behind the arm in the present embodiment. In this arrangement, gear 26 is loosely rotatable on sleeve 192. The drive transmission from gear 26 onto ratchet wheel 66 is brought about again by a pawl 68 which is on the gear 26. Sleeve 102 is likewise loosely rotatable on the shaft 64a. In the center position of engagement 94, collar 97 has no drive connection and is consequently put at rest together with the cam disc package 90 to 92. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the second revolving body 36 and the

rollers

18, 19 and 39 is made in the same manner as is for the one shown in Fig. 11.

While I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that various omissions, or changes in shape or proportion and arrangement of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those herein shown and described, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a Zig-zag sewing machine having a longitudinally reciprocatable and laterally movable needle bar, the combination comprising a substantially cylindrical carrier member having a plurality of finite longitudinally elongated lifting members spaced around the circumference of said carrier member, each lifting member having different longitudinal edge configurations including outstanding and recessed portions of outlines specific to a particular sewing pattern, means for rotating said carrier member to present a select one of said longitudinal members in an operative position, a follower mechanism having a sweeping spiral member in contact with the selected one of said longitudinal edge configurations of said lifting members when in an operative position, means for rotating said spiral member, mounting means for said carrier member and follower member to permit relative movement therebetween in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said lifting member, said needle control means connected to said needle bar and to either said carrier member or said sweeping spiral member, and responsive to the relative movement between said carrier member and said sweeping spiral member as said sweeping spiral member moves in contact with said lifting member to control the lateral movement of said needle bar during its reciprocation.

2. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said follower mechanism comprises a cam member having its rotational axis arranged at right angles with respect to the longitudinal axes of said rail members.

3. A Zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said follower mechanism comprises a cam member having its rotational axis arranged at right angles with respect to the longitudinal axes of said rail members, said cam member having a plurality of cam projections, only one at a time of which is in cooperative abutting engagement with the edge portion of the selected one of said rail members during said pattern scanning.

4. Azig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 1 including a swinging member, revolving eccentric means for actuating said swinging member, a grooved structure carried by said swinging member, a slide block positioned 9" in said grooved structure, reciprocating mechanism for controlling stitch width connected with said slide block for actuation by said swinging member, and means controlled by said width carrier member to control the position of said slide block in said grooved structure.

5. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 4 wherein said slide block position controlling means comprises a centrally pivoted lever, one end of said lever being connected with said width carrier for movement together therewith, wherein said reciprocating mechanism comprises an elongated positioning link member, the other end of said centrally pivoted lever being disposed substantially parallel with said positioning link member, and an interconnecting link between said other end of said centrally pivoted lever and said positioning link member at a point intermediate the ends thereof.

6. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 1 including a swinging member, revolving eccentric means for actuating said swinging member, a grooved structure carried by said swinging member and angularly displaceable with respect thereto in the direction of swinging thereof, a slide block positioned in said grooved structure, reciprocating stitch controlling mechanism connected with said slide block for actuation by said swinging member, and means controlled by said positioning carrier member to control the angular disposition of said grooved structure with respect to said swinging member.

7. A zigzag sewing machine in accordance with claim 6 wherein said means for controlling the angular disposition of said grooved structure comprises a centrally pivoted lever, one end of said lever being connected with said positioning carrier for movement together t .erewith, wherein said reciprocating mechanism comprises an elongated pcsitioning link member, the other end of said centrally pivoted lever extending substantially perpendicularly with respect to said grooved structure and being cooperatively connected therewith.

8. A zig-zag machine in accordance with claim 1 including a fabric feed-carrier member, a cam follower mechanism operative to positionally control said feed carrier member, a vertically reciprocable fabric feed dog, and means controlled by motion of said feed carrier member for controlling the feed stepping action of said feed dog.

9. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 8 wherein said follower mechanisms each comprises a revolving structure, and gear means interconnecting said revolving structures so that one is rotationally driven by the other.

10. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 8 wherein each of said follower mechanisms comprises a revolving structure having a central shaft, a pair of intermeshing gear Wheels, one each rotationally mounted on one each of said shafts, a gear section meshed with one of said gear Wheels and operative to drive said gear wheels reciprocatingly in opposite directions, and ratchet means interconnecting said gear wheels with said revolving structures to alternately advance said revolving structures.

11. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim '8, including a rotating sewing machine arm shaft, an annular eccentric member fixed to said shaft, said gear sector being swingably supported at one end and carrying a roller cam follower in cooperative engagement with said annular eccentric member, and means for controlling the duration of cooperative engagement between said roller cam follower and said annular eccentric member during each cycle of operation thereof for varying the amplitude of reciprocatory motion of said gear sector.

12. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 11 wherein said engagement controlling means comprises an eccentric member operative to limit the reciprocatory motion of said gear sector in the annular eccentric engaging direction.

13. The zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 8 wherein said feed carrier controlled means comprises a swingably mounted member having a longitudinal groove, a first slide block in said groove, link means interconnecting said feed dog with said slide block, a pivoted grooved member spaced from said swingably mounted member, means for controlling the angular position of said pivoted grooved member about its pivotal axis, a second slide block slidably mounted in the groove of said pivoted grooved member, a link member interconnecting said second slide block and said swingably mounted member for effecting swinging action thereof, resilient means operative to urge said link member in one direction, and abutment means controllable for limiting the movement of said link member in the direction opposite said one direction.

14. The zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 13 including a rotating arm drive shaft, an eccentric fixed on said drive shaft, and a connecting rod between said eccentric and said first slide block.

15. The zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 13 wherein said angular position controlling means comprises an arcuate toothed sector portion on pivoted grooved member, a rotatable toothed member inmesh with said sector, a positioning shaft connected with said rotatable toothed member and extending outside of the sewing machine housing, and a manually controllable knob on the outside of said positioning shaft.

16. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 1 including a sewing machine housing, a cam rotatably mounted Within said housing, said cam being fixed to a control shaft extending outside of said housing for manually turning said cam, a pin slidably journalled in said housing and actuated at one end by said cam, the other end of said pin being in engagement with said carrier member for controlling stitch position in accordance with the rotational position of said cam.

17. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 1 including a sewing machine housing, a pair of cams rotatably mounted within said housing, one for each of said carrier members, each of said cams being fixed to a control shaft extending outside of said housing for manually turning their respective earns, a pair of pins slidably journalled in said housing, each being actuated at one end by one each of said cams, the other end of each of said pins being in engagement with one each of said carrier members for the position thereof in accordance with the respective rotational positions of said cams.

18. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 1 including a fabric feed carrier member, a cam disc rotatably mounted within said housing, said cam disc being fixed to a control shaft extending outside of said housing for manually turning said cam, three pins, one for each of said carrier members, slidably journalled in said housing and cooperative with said cam disc along different portions of the cam periphery thereof, said three pins each having one end in abutment with one each of said carrier members for the positioning thereof in accordance with the rotation-a1 position of said cam disc, and means controlled by the positioning of said cam members for controlling stitch formation.

19. The zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 18 wherein said cam disc is provided about its cam periphery with a plurality of cam positions for each of said cooperative pins, whereby, upon stepwise rotational control of said control shaft, corresponding successive stitching operations, such as required in the formation of button holes, for example, can be effected.

20. The zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 18 wherein said cam disc is comprised of three individual cams arranged in a series, each of said pins being co-operative with one each of said individual cams, each of said individual cams being provided with a manually controllable shaft for independently controlling the stitch position, stitch width and fabric feed of a sewing op eration. I

21. The zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 20 wherein said follower mechanism comprises a rotatable cylindrical structure and including coupling means between said cylindrical structure and said cams for cooperative rotation thereof.

22. The zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 20 wherein said manually controllable shafts are concentrically arranged and are provided at their ends with control levers arranged in an axial series, said control levers being so fixed with respect to their individual shafts, and said individual cams being so formed that when said levers are positioned in mutual radial alignment, said cams will be ineffective with respect to the positioning of said carrier members.

23. The zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 22 wherein said follower mechanism comprises a revolvable cylindrical structure coaxial with the said concentrically arranged shafts, motive power means, and means controlled by axial movement of said cylindrical structure in one direction or the other to selectively control rotational actuation by said motive power means of said cylinder structure and one of said cams.

24. The zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 22 including axially shiftable shaft means for setting said cylindrical structure selectively at an axial position intermediate said one or other directions, and means controlled by the setting of said cylindrical structure in said intermediate position and the rotation of said shiftable shaft for actuating said cylindrical structure independently of said one of said earns.

25. In a zig-zag sewing machine having a longitudinally reciprocatable and laterally movable needle bar, the combination comprising a carrier member having a plurality of finite longitudinally elongated lifting members mounted thereon in spaced locations, each lifting member having a different longitudinal edge configuration including outstanding and recessed portions of outlines specific to a particular sewing pattern, means for moving said carrier member to present a select one of said longitudinal members in an operative position, a follower mechanism having a sweeping spiral member in contact with the selected one of said longitudinal edge configurations of said lifting members when in an operative position, means for moving said spiral member backwardly and forwardly along the length of said lifting member while in contact therewith, mounting means for said carrier member and follower member to permit relative movement therebetween in directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said lifting member, and needle control means connected to said needle bar and to either said carrier member or said sweeping spiral member, and responsive to the relative movement between said carrier member and said sweeping spiral member as said sweeping spiral member moves in contact with said lifting member to control the lateral movement of said needle bar during its reciprocation.

26. A zig-zag sewing machine in accordance with claim 25 wherein said cylindrical spiral member is comprised of a plurality of cam discs piled one upon another, said cam discs being so mutually angularly disposed that their cam portions follow in screw-like order.

27. In a zig-zag sewing machine according to claim 25, wherein said carrier member comprises a rotatable cylindrical roller, said rail members being radially spaced on said roller with their longitudinal axes parallel with the rotational axis of said roller, said follower mechanism having a sweeping spiral portion including a contact point shiftable along a line parallel with said longitudinal axes, and wherein said carrier member is rotatable to alter the lifting member which is placed in an operative position.

28. In a zig-zag sewing machine according to claim 25, wherein said follower mechanism includes a. rotatable spiral member.

29. In a zig-zag sewing machine according to claim 25, wherein said carrier member is movable in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said 12 lifting member and said follower mechanism includes a spiral member rotatably mounted on a fixed axis.

30. In a zig-zag sewing machine having a longitudinally reciprocatable and laterally movable needle bar, the combination comprising a carrier member having at least one longitudinally elongated lifting member mounted thereon, said lifting member having a longitudinal edge configuration including outstanding and recessed portions of a configuration specific to a particular sewing pattern, means for positioning said carrier member to present said longitudinal member in an operative position, a follower mechanism having a sweeping spiral member in contact with the longitudinal edge configurations of said lifting member when in an operative position, means for moving said spiral member backwardly and forwardly along the length of said lifting member while in contact therewith in an operative position, mounting means for said carrier member and said follower member to permit relative movement therebetween in directions toward and away from the longitudinal axis of said lifting member, and needle control means connected to said needle bar and to either said carrier member or said lifting member, and responsive to the relative movement between said carrier member and said lifting member as said sweeping spiral member moves in contact with said lifting member to control the lateral movement of said needle bar during its reciprocation.

31. In a zig-zag sewing machine having a longitudinally reciprocatable and laterally movable needle bar, the combination comprising a stitch positioning control carrier member, a stitch width control carrier member, each of said carrier members having a plurality of finite longitudinally elongated lifting members mounted thereon, said lifting members having different longitudinal edge configurations including outstanding and recessed portions of a configuration specific to a particular sewing pattern, means for moving each of said carrier members to present corresponding selected ones of said longitudinal members in operative positions, a common follower mechanism including a sweeping spiral member having outstanding portions in contact with the longitudinal edge configurations of respective selected lifting members when in an operative position, means for rotating said spiral member in its location between said carrier members whereby to move said spiral member backwardly and forwardly along the length of the operative lifting members of each of said carrier members, mounting means for said carrier members to permit relative movement of said carrier members with respect to said follower member in directions toward and away from the longitudinal axes of said lifting members, and needle control means connected to said needle bar and to said stitch width control carrier member and responsive to relative movement between said stitch width control carrier member and said sweeping spiral member as said sweeping spiral member moves in contact with said lifting members to control the amplitude of lateral movement of said needle bar during its reciprocation whereby to control the stitch width, said needle,

control means being connected to said needle bar and to said stitch positioning carrier member and responsive to relative movement between said stitch positioning carrier member and said spiral member as said sweeping spiral member moves in contact with said lifting member to control the position of said needle during its lateral movement and reciprocation.

32. In a zig-zag sewing machine having a longitudinally reciprocatable and laterally movable needle bar, the combination comprising a carrier member having a plurality of finite longitudinally elongated lifting members mounted thereon in spaced locations, each litfing member having a different longitudinal edge configuration including outstanding and recessed portions of an outline specific to a particular sewing pattern, means for moving said carrier member to present a select one of said lifting members in an operative position, a rotatable follower mechanism having an outstanding portion in contact with the selected one of said longitudinal edge configurations of said lifting members when in an operative position and movable along the length of said lifting member, means for rotating said follower mechanism to cause said outstanding portion to move backwardly and forwardly along the length of said lifting member while in contact therewith, mounting means for said carrier member and follower member to permit relative movement therebetween in directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said lifting member, and needle control means connected to said needle bar and to one of said carrier member and said follower mechanism and responsive to the relative movement between said carrier member and said follower mechanism as said follower mechanism moves in contact with said litfing member to control the lateral movement of said needle bar during its reciprocation.

14 33. In a zig-zag sewing machine according to claim 32, wherein said follower mechanism includes a rotatable disc having at least one outstanding portion in contact with said lifting member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 158,596 McCune Jan. 12, 1875 671,680 Parkes Apr. 9, 1901 1,338,074 Eames et al Apr. 27, 1920 2,018,456 Jonas Oct. 22, 1935 2,653,557 Casas-Robert et al Sept. 29, 1953 2,755,754 Urscheler July 24, 1956 2,832,302 Gegauf Apr. 29, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 516,704 Belgium Ian. 31, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,966,869 January 3, 1961 Ernst Fischer It is hereby certifiedthat error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the s aid Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 9, line 54, for "sectionfread sector column 10, line 22, before "pivoted" nsert said line 46, for "position" read positioning Signed and sealedthis 4th day of July 1961.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents