US2968267A

US2968267A - General purpose presser-foot for sewing machines

Info

Publication number: US2968267A
Application number: US641726A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph E Johnson
Original assignee: Singer Co
Current assignee: Singer Co
Priority date: 1957-02-21
Filing date: 1957-02-21
Publication date: 1961-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 1978-01-17
Also published as: CH361967A; GB874008A; DE1150564B; FR1190374A; NL105638C

Description

7, 1961 R. E; JOHNSON 2,968,267

GENERAL PURPOSE PRESSER-FOOT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Feb. 21, 1957 Fig.l Fig.2

5 INVENTOR.

Ra/ h E. Johnson WITNESS Fi 5 y p A TORNE Y GENERAL PURPOSE PRESSER-FOOT FOR SEWING MACHINES Ralph E. Johnson, Mountainside, NJ., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 21, 1957, Ser. No. 641,726

6 Claims. (Cl. 112-235) This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to a general purpose resser-foot which can be used when performing many of the operations nor mally performed by a domestic type sewing machine, and the invention has as its primary object to provide an improved and yet inexpensive device of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine presser-foot having a sole plate which will allow the operator an optimum view of the work being done.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine presser-foot having a sole-plate which will yield fore, aft, left and right and, because of this feature, is able to climb over previously sewn seams regardless of whether the sole-plate approaches the previous seam at a right or acute angle.

A still furtherobject of the invention is to provide a resser-foot having a sole-plate which will yield sufliciently to allow a seam to be sewn close to a previously sewn parallel seam.

Another object of the present invention is to provide, a sewing machine presser-foot which can be used to do applique, to sew buttonholes, and as a cording foot.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of my invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

In the single sheet of drawings, which forms a part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is an elevational side view of a portion of a sewing machine provided with a presser-foot embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view taken along the broken line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the resser-foot shown in Figs. 1 through 3, and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

The sewing machine illustrated in the drawings is provided with a horizontal work support 16. A slant needle-bar 17 carries a conventional needle 18, and a slant presser-bar 19 carries a conventional screw 21 which clamps, to the lower end of the presser-bar 19, the shank 22 of a presser-foot 23 embodying the present invention.

The presser-foot 23 is formed from two different pieces of material. Preferably the first or shank portion 22 of the presser-foot 23 is made from one-sixteenth inch rigid stock and-the upper portion of the shank 22 is U-shaped in form as indicated by the numeral 24. The upper portion 24 has an open ended slot 26 which, in a well known manner, receives the shank of the screw 21. The lower portion of the shank 22 is ofi-set at 27 and n at the shank 22 terminates in 21 depending lug 28 provided with two depressions 29 which when formed cause rivets 31 to project from the side of the lug 28 opposite from the depressions 29.

Preferably a second or foot portion 42 of the presserfoot 23 is formed from one piece of flexible, high-carbon steel approximately two one-hundredths inch (0.02) thick. The foot portion 42 has an upstanding arm 43 which by means of rivets 31 is attached to the lug 28. The lower end of the arm 43, at a bend 44, is joined to one end of a horizontal flexible plate 46 which at its other end is joined, at a bend 47, to the upper end of a second upstanding arm 48. The bottom of the arm 48 is joined, at a bend 49, to the rear side of a bridge 51. The right and left ends (Fig. 5) of the bridge 51 are, by means of a pair of downwardly

divergent legs

52 and 53, connected respectively midway between the front and rear ends to the inner sides of a pair of sole-

plate members

56 and 57. The sole-plate member 56 has a heel 62 and a toe 64, whereas, the sole-plate member 57 has a heel 67 and a toe 69. The heels 62 and 67 and the toe 64 are the same width as the sole-

plate members

56 and 57.

The bridge 51,

legs

52 and 53, and sole-

plate members

56 and 57, form a substantially H-shaped sole-plate for the presser-foot 23. To the front inner side of the soleplate member 57 there is attached an arm 71, which extends toward but not to the front inner side of the sole-plate member 56-. The front or toe portion of the arm 71 is provided with a notch 72 which may be used when following a pencil or other guide line as used in certain types of work, for example, applique. The rear portion of the arm '71 is provided with an upstanding.

lug 73 having a small hole 74 which may be used as a cord-guide during a cording operation.

Operation of the subject presser-foot will be understood from the above. However, briefly stated the operation and advantages of the presser-foot 23 are as follows:

(a) The presser-foot 23, being assembled from two simple parts, is inexpensive to produce.

(b) The sole-plate, which is made up of

parts

51, 52, 53, 56 and 57 is made of thin material, thereby making it easy for the operator to view the work being performed.

(0) Because the bridge 51, and the

legs

52, 53 are made of thin flexible material, the sole-

plate members

56 and 57 yield independently of one another and in more than one direction. This permits the two toes 64-69 to raise together while the two heels 62-67 are depressed. It also permits the toe 64 and the heel 67 to raise at the same time that the toe 69 and the heel 62 are depressed. Also sole-plate member 56 may become slightly elevated while the sole-plate member 57 remains depressed or vice versa. Also, due to fiexure in the

bends

44 and 47 and the plate 46 the whole sole-plate of the presser-foot 23 can yield as a unit. From this it can be seen that the subject presser-foot will yield sufficiently to climb over any obstruction met during normal sewing operations, and that the presser-foot 23 is suitable as a general purpose presser-foot.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In a general purpose presser-foot, a shank and a thin flexible foot, said foot comprising at least one elongated sole-plate having a toe disposed in one direction, a heel disposed in the other direction, and a main sole-plate portion connecting said toe and heel; a flexible bridge elevated above and integrally attached to said main soleplate portion at a location between said toe and heel and in such a manner that the said toe and heel extend freely in opposite directions beyond the location where said elevated bridge is attached to the main sole-plate portion; and means attaching said bridge to said shank.

2. In a general purpose presser-foot, a shank and a thinflexible foot, said foot comprising a pair of elongated sole-plates each having a toe disposed in one direction, a heel disposed in the other direction and in each case having a main sole-plate portion integrally connecting said toe and heel; a flexible bridge elevated above and positioned between said main sole-plate portions and having opposite ends integrally attached to said main soleplate portions at locations between the toes and heels of said sole-plates and in such a manner that said toes and heels extend freely in opposite directions beyond the locations where said elevated bridge is attached to said main sole-plate portions; and means integrally formed with said bridge, said means attaching saidbridge to said shank.

3. In a general purpose presser-foot, a shank and a thin flexible foot, said foot comprising a pair of elongated sole-plates each having a toe disposed in one direction, a heel disposed in the other direction and in each case having a main sole-plate portion integrally connecting said toe and heel; a flexible bridge elevated above and positioned between said main sole-plate portions; a leg integrally attached to each of said main sole-plate portions at locations between the toes and heels of said sole-plates and in such a manner that said toes and heels extend freely in opposite directions beyond said legs, said legs being integrally attached'to opposite ends of said elevated bridge; and an upstanding arm integrally formed with said bridge, said arm attaching said bridge to said shank.

4. In a general purpose presser-foot, a shank and a thin flexible foot, said foot comprising a pair of elongated parallel sole-plates, each having a main sole-plate portion; a flexible bridge elevated above and positioned between said main sole-plate portions; a leg integrally attached to the center of each of said main sole-plate portions at locations between the ends thereof, said legs extending above said sole-plate portion and being integrally formed with opposite ends of said elevated bridge; an upstanding arm integrally formed with said bridge; a plate integrally formed on one end of said arm; and a second arm integrally formed on the other end of said plate, said second arm flexibly connecting said bridge to said shank.

5. In a general purpose presser-foot, a shank portion, a depending lug forming part of said shank portion, and afoot portion, said foot portion having a verticalflexible arm secured to said depending lug, a horizontal flexible plate having one of its edges integrally connected to the lower'end ofsaid vertical flexible arm, a second vertical flexible arm integrally connected at its upper end to one edge of said horizontal flexible plate and depending therefrom, a flexible bridge member having one of its edges integrally connected to.the lower end of said second vertical flexible arm, a pair of flexible depending divergent legs, oneof said legs being integrally connected to one side of said flexible bridge member and the other of said legs being integrally connected to the other side o'fsaid flexible bridge member, a pair of flexible soleplate members, and means integrally connecting the lower end of one of said flexible depending divergent legs to one of said-sole-plate members, and means integrally connecting the lower end of the other of said flexible depending divergent legs to the other said sole-plate members, both connections being made at locations between the respectiveends ofsaid sole-plate members, and in such amanner that said sole-plate members extend freely in opposite directions beyond the locations where said legs are connected to said sole-plate members.

6. A presser-foot comprising in combination a shank, a pair of spaced elongated sole-plates, a flexible bridge elevated above and positioned between said sole plates, means forintegrally securing one end of said bridge to one of said sole-plates at a location between its ends so that the ends of said sole-plate freely extend forwardly and rearwardly of said bridge, means for integrally securing the other end of said bridge to the other of said sole-plates at a location between its ends, so that the ends of said other sole-plate freely extend forwardly and rearwardly of said bridge, and means integrally formed with said bridge for attaching a central part of said bridge to said shank, said presser foot being so constructed and arranged that one sole-plate member can become slightly elevated while at the same time the other sole-plate member can become slightly depressed or vice versa.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 183,390 Johnson Aug. 19, 1958 445,912 Toof Feb. 3, 1891 601,402 Richards Mar. 29, 1898 770,008 Holderman Sept. 13, 1904 1,211,340 Page Jan. 2, 1917 1,616,278 Parks Feb. 1, 1927 2,184,604 Ray Dec. 26, 1939 2,737,914 Hofgesang Mar. 13, 1956 2,804,037 Connors Aug. 27, 1957