US3018746A

US3018746A - Combined presser foot and feeder

Info

Publication number: US3018746A
Application number: US855105A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ragnar W Winberg
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-11-24
Filing date: 1959-11-24
Publication date: 1962-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 1979-01-30
Also published as: GB915176A

Description

Jan. 30, 1962 R. w. WINBERG COMBINED PRESSERFOOTAND FEEDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 24, 1959 FIQG.

n 5 k 0 w H m h U Q Ml L M M d 4 A M f 1 o M v #5 W 0 h N 5 a l a a a J a w H .6

Wm Y W a Q w A a Q I /a 7 7 1M W The present invention relates generally to sewing machines and in particular to an improved work feeding mechanism for such machines. Within the contemplation of the present invention are improved rotary feeding means, combined with a presser foot, to be used as an attachment to existing drop-feed sewing machines or incorporated in new machines, for advancing multi-ply assemblies along a feed path.

A persistent problem exists in the sewing of multiply assemblies. In feeding a two or more layer assembly in the conventional drop-feed sewing machine the operator must continuously, or at least frequently, augment the mechanical feed of the drop-feed machine with a, manual feed. This is required because the feed-dog contacts only the lowermost layer of the assembly thus allowing the upper layers to slip behind the lower or driven layer and thereby produce an uneven, or puckered seam. This problem is accentuated by the use of many of the recently developed synthetic fabrics which are smoother than conventional materials. Thus the tendency for puckering on conventional drop-feed sewing machines have increased as these synthetic fabrics have achieved wider use since these new materials have a greater tendency to slide against each other.

A further problem which has been long existent in the garment industry is the difiiculty of chaining-off on the conventional sewing machine. It is often desirable to keep successive assemblies connected to each other by the two threads used in the sewing operation, i.e., to sew one assembly and then sew the next assembly without breaking the threads such that the two assemblies are thereby joined by the chain of thread between them. This chaining-ofif process has been diiiicult in the past due to the persistent problem of breakage of the thread as it is caught in the feed-dog slots of the throat plate or is otherwise entangled'in the sewing machine mechanisms.

Generally it is the object of the present invention to provide a sewing machine, or sewing machine attachment, which will improve the speed and ease of sewing. Specifically, it is the object of my invention to provide means on sewing machine to eliminate the problem of puckering and to thereby free the operators hands to more easily, accurately and eificiently guide the work in the machine.

it is a further object of my invention to provide a sewing machine feed mechanism which will provide a continuous chaining-oil action thus allowing a quick troubleiree ilow of production.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention there is provided an attachment for a conventional drop-feed sewing machine of the type having a presser foot bar, a throat plate, a feed dog and a needle and needle bar comprising a presser foot assembly mounted on the presser foot bar. A rotary feed wheel is provided which has a material contacting periphery adapted to contact the material as it passes over the throat plate. The feed wheel is mounted on the presser foot assembly and journaled for rotation about an axis transverse to the feed path of the sewing machine. The mounting means for said feed wheel include an adjustable biasing device which urges the feed wheel in a downwardly direction towards the throat plate. An idler wheel is provided in the throat plate journaled such that its material-contacting surface extends just above the upper surface of the throat plate and is located just uClOW the ttes Patent feed wheel such that the two wheels coact to feed the work through the machine. Means are provided to drive the feed wheel in timed relation to the feed-dog. Thus when material is fed into the machine the bottom layer is transported in the usual manner by the reciprocating action of the feed-dog and the top layer is fed, in timed relation to the bottom layer, by the rotation of the feed wheel.

The feed wheel is provided with an annular groove in its periphery which matches the edge radius of the idler wheel. Thus the material is securely positioned between the feed wheel and the idler wheel. When the end of the seam is reached, the top and bottom threads are further drawn out of the machine by the smooth pulling action of the feed and idler wheels thus providing a smooth, trouble-free chaining-off action.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will best be appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment, when taken in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a drop-feed sewing machine including the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation showing details of the combined presser feeder mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a section view of the device shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line 33 in FIG. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation View of the mechanism shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

PEG. 5 is a plan view of a throat plate constructed in accordance with the present invention, and;

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are descriptive of a sequence of feeding operations of a sewing machine embodying features of the present invention wherein;

FIG. 6 shows the sewing machine needle in its upward stroke with the feed-dog advancing towards its operative position;

FIG. 7 shows the feed-dog engaged with and feeding the bottom of the material and the feed wheel in accordanee with the present invention driving the top of the material, and

FIG. 8 shows the end of a sewing cycle with the needle in its stitch forming stroke with both the feed wheel and the feed-dog inoperative to move the material.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a conventional drop-feed sewing machine including a machine body 12 having a head section 14- and a drive section 16. Extending longitudinally of the machine body 12 is a drive shaft 18 connected via appropriate belt and pulley means 20 to a drive motor (not shown). Within the head section 14 is a vertical reciprocable presser foot bar 22 which is spring loaded in a downwardly direction, by spring 24 acting on the shoulder 26 as is best seen in FIG. 4. Arranged in a side by side relation with the presser foot bar is a needle bar 28 carrying a needle 30 which is movable through a stitch-forming stroke in the conventional manner. The locations of the presser foot bar 22 and the needle bar 218 describe the feed path along which material to be stitched passes.

Located below the presser foot bar 22 and the needle bar 28 is the throat plate 32 forming part of the bed of the machine and forming a portion of the surface of the feed path. The throat plate is formed with a pair of parallel feed slots 34 which are located along the feed path. Operatively disposed below the feed slots is a feed-dog 36 which is effective through the feed slots 34 to periodically engage the bottom of the material to be stitched and advance same along the feed path. In FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 the cyclic motion of the feed-dog 36 is shown in relation to the needle 30. The motion is generally designated by the arrows which show that as the needle 30 retracts from the material, generally designated by the numeral 38, the feed-dog 36 moves up into contact with the work. While the needle is not engaged in the work the feed-dog 36 moves in a rearwardly direction, from left to right in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, and when the end of the rearward motion is completed the feed-dog 36 moves down and out of contact with the material 38 as the needle 30 descends in its stitch forming stroke and engages the material 38. Thus the feed-dog 36 is operative to advance the material 38 along the feed path while the needle 30 is Withdrawn. Further description of the above well known mechanism will be dispensed with in the interests of simplicity. For the purpose of disclosure of the present invention, it will suffice to point out that the arrangement is characteristic of most commonly used sewing machines.

In accordance with features of the present invention a presser foot assembly 40 is mounted on the presser foot bar 22 by means of the mounting screw 42. The presser foot assembly 40 includes a mounting bracket 44 having an integral wall 44a in which is formed a mounting hole 4412 which is utilized to attach the mounting bracket 44 to the presser foot bar 22 by means of the mounting screw 42. The mounting screW 42 at its forward end has a threaded stud 42a which passes through the mounting hole 44b and into the tapped hole 22a provided in the presser foot bar 22. The body 42b of the mounting screw 42 is of greater diameter than the stud 42a and forms a shoulder 42c utilized to secure the mounting bracket wall 44a to the presser foot bar 22. Further use of the mounting screw 42 will be discussed below.

As an integral extension of the mounting bracket 44 is the presser foot yoke 46 having two downwardly extending

arms

46a, 46b which terminate at pivot points 48, 48'. Mounted thereupon for pivotal movement is a bifurcated presser foot 50 having two

pivot pins

51, 51 journaled in the presser foot yoke 46 and having on its bottom face a sliding surface 50a. As is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, there are two forwardly projecting shoes 52, 52' on the presser foot 50 which are curved upwardly and are disposed, one on each side of the feed path. The sliding surface 50a is disposed such that it is in contact with the top of the throat plate 32 such that when material is passed along the feed path it slides under the presser foot 50 and over the throat plate 32.

In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention a feed wheel 54 having a work contacting periphery 54a is journaled for rotation in the vertical plane of the feed path by hub 56 and bearing 58 located in the feed wheel carrier 60. The feed wheel 54 is disposed between the arms 4611, 4611 of the presser foot yoke 46 and within the lateral confines of the presser foot 50. The axis of rotation of the feed wheel 54 is transverse to the feed path and is located contiguous to and rearwardly of the needle 30. The feed wheel carrier 60 is mounted on the mounting bracket 44 for vertical movement by means of a linkage generally designated by the numeral 62. Linkage 62 is a conventional parallelogram four-bar linkage employing the mounting bracket 44 as one stationary vertical link, the feed wheel carrier 60 as the opposite movable vertical link and two parallel U-shaped connecting

link bars

64, 66 pivotally connected to the mounting bracket 44 at

pivot points

68, 70 respectively and to the feed wheel carrier 60 at

points

72, 74 respectively. Thus vertical motion of the feed wheel 54 with respect to the presser foot assembly 40 is accomplished by the vertical motion of the carrier 60 as the U-shaped

link bars

64, 66 rotate about the fixed

pivot points

68, 70 thereby raising or lowering the

pivot points

72, 74 on the carrier 60. Since the material, as it passes along the feed path, is held by the needle 30 and by contact with the feed wheel 54, a relatively high degree of maneuve bili y i hieved for h 4- straight and curved seams by placing these two contact points in close proximity to each other in the manner described above.

A downwardly directed bias force is imparted to the feed wheel carrier 60 through the linkage 62 by means of a bias lever 76, spring 78 and adjustment nut 80. The bias lever 76 is rigidly attached to one leg of the lower U-shaped connecting link 66 by means of a set screw 32 as is shown in FIG. 3. It will be appreciated that when the bias lever is moved in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3, pivoting about pivot 70, the feed Wheel carrier 60, and thus the feed Wheel 54, will move downwardly in a substantially vertical direction. At the end of the bias lever opposite its connection to linkage 62, a clearance hole 84 is provided which freely passes over and around an integral threaded extension 86 of mounting screw 42. Spring 78 is coaxially mounted on this extension 86 and is placed under compression between the bias lever 76 and the adjustment nut 80 which is threaded onto the extension 86 of the mounting screw 42.

Manipulation of the adjustment nut 80 to increase or decrease the compression of spring 78 is effective to increase or decrease the bias force on the bias lever 76 and thus vary the downward bias force on the feed wheel 54. Thus, the above described mechanisms are effective to vary the pressure ratio of the feed wheel and the presser foot bearing on the throat plate. When the adjustment nut 80 is tightened the proportion of the total force exerted by the presser foot bar spring 24 on the shoulder 26 which is borne by the feeder wheel 54 increases and conversely the proportion of that force borne by the presser foot 50 decreases. Similarly when the adjustment nut 80 is loosened, the presser foot 50 assumes more of the force and the feeder wheel assumes less of the same. The relative pressures of these two parts which contact the material to be sewn can be varied at will by the operator by a simple turn of the adjustment nut 80.

The feed wheel 54 has an annular groove 88 in its material contact periphery 54a. The inside surface of the annular groove 88 as well as the rest of the materialcontacting periphery 54a is knurled to more positively contact the material. As is best seen in FIG. 4, located immediately below the feed wheel 54 is the idler wheel 90 having a material-contacting surface 90a and sidewardly projecting pivot pins 90b, 90b. The idler wheel 90 is, in this embodiment, constructed of a resilient material such as nylon. It is journaled for rotation in the same plane as feed wheel 54 and is mounted on the under side of the throat plate 32 by a bifurcated idler wheel bracket 92. As Seen in FIG. 3, the idler bracket 92 extends parallel to the feed path and is attached at its rearward end, to the throat plate by means of a screw 94 which is threaded into an appropriately tapped hole 93 in the throat plate 32. At its forward end the idler wheel bracket 92 is formed with a U-shaped bearing surface 92a adapted to receive the pins 90b, 90b of the idler wheel 90 to support the idler wheel 90 and provide journalling means for its rotation. A slot 96 is located in the throat plate 32 along the feed path through which the idler wheel 90 protrudes such that its material-contacting surface 90a extends slightly above the upper surface of the throat plate 32 and contacts the annular groove 83 of the feed wheel 54. The edge radius of the idler wheel 90 matches the radius of the annular groove 88 on the feed wheel 54 such that the idler wheel 90 is in intimate rolling contact with the feed wheel 54 and coacts therewith to feed material along the feed path.

The feed wheel 54 is driven in timed relation to the feed-dog 36 by means of a flexible shaft 98 directly connected to the feed wheel 54. The flexible shaft 98 is connected at its other end to a speed reduction unit 100 which in turn is powered by the main drive shaft 18 through a variable radius pulley 102, a V-belt 104, pul

ley 106, worm screw 1% and screw gear 110 which is directly connected to the flexible shaft 98. The variable radius pulley 102 is employed to vary the speed of the flexible shaft 95 and therefore the speed of the feed wheel 54. The variable radius pulley 102 is fully described in my prior patent, United States Patent No. 2,777,409, issued on January 15, 1957, which describes a similar drive means in connection with another feed means for sewing machines.

The operation of the combined presser foot and feed er embodying features of the present invention will now be desscribed. The operator of the sewing machine places a multi-layered material assembly in the machine either by pushing it between the throat plate 32 and the presser foot 50, or by raising the presser foot bar 22 by the conventional means (not shown). The sewing cycle proceeds as is the usual case by the action of the needle 30, the feed-dog 36 feeding the material when the needle is raised as described above and shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. In a machine equipped with the presently preferred embodiment of the invention the material is gripped between the feed wheel 54 and the idler wheel W. The pressure of this grip can be varied by the operator by the simple expedient of turning the adjustment nut 8% as heretofore described. It will be appreciated that the drive for the feed wheel 54 receives constant power from the main drive shaft 18. It will also be appreciated that the feeddog 36 imparts a periodic movement along the feed path to the material and that the friction between the material and the throat plate 32 and the presser foot 5% tends to hold the material in place when the feed-dog 36 is in its inactive portion of the cycle. The frictional contact between the feed wheel 54 and the material exerts a drag on the feed wheel 54 such that the flexible shaft 98 periodically develops a torsional movement in response to operation of the drive. intermittently, this drag is overcome, as by movement of the feed-dog 36 through its forward or driving stroke, such that the flexible coupling shaft 98 imparts motion to the feed wheel 54. In this sense the loading and unloading of the flexible shaft 98 serves as a means for converting the continuous drive of the sewing machine into an intermittent drive for the feed wheel 54. Thus as is best seen in FIGS. 6 to 8, when the needle is withdrawn from the multi-ply material 33 there is no material movement by the feed-dog 36 or the feed wheel 54, but the feed-dog is moving up to contact the material 38, as is seen in FIG. 6. In FIG. 7 the feed-dog 36 has started its feeding stroke and drives the lower layer of the multi-ply material assembly 38. At the same time the torsional movement in the flexible shaft 93 is released and the feed wheel drives the upper layer, at the same rate as the lower layer, along the feed path. In FIG. 8 the needle 3% is completing the cycle through the stitch-forming stoke and neither the feed-dog 36 nor the feed wheel 54 are imparting motion to the material assembly 33. Thus it can be seen that the multiply assembly 38 stays together as it passes through the machine, both top and bottom layers being driven together. There is therefore no opportunity for the two layers to slide relative to each other and produce a puckered seam. This mode of operation also frees the operator from the necessity of manually augmenting the feeding action of the conventional drop-feed sewing machine such that the operator is free to more accurately and easily guide the work through the machine thereby improving the quality and efiiciency of production.

It should also be noted that the construction of the feed wheel 54 and the matching idler wheel 90, assembled so they roll the multi-ply material between them, is such to produce an excellent chaining-off action. The two wheels, 54, 90, grasp the material directly on the feed path and thus contact the finished stitch. When the length of any particular seam is completed, and the material passes out from between the presser foot assembly 40 and the throat plate 32, the top and bottom threads remain in the grip of the feed wheel 54 and the idler wheel and are smoothly pulled out of their spools. Thus, as long as the operator keeps the main drive shaft 18 in motion, by the conventional means, the threads will be evenly fed out whether or not there is material being sewn. This produces a chain attached to the previously sewn material assembly. When the next piece is sewn, the chain is then attached thereto by the normal sewing operation. Because of the smooth action of the feed wheel 54- and the idler wheel 9%, the threads are fed out of the machine and away from the sewing and feeding mechanisms removing them from the normal danger of being broken by becoming ensnarled in the feed-dog 36 or any one of the other mechanisms.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiment of the present invention allows a simple attachment to the standard drop-feed sewing machine. There are no drastic machinery changes to be made, the assembly of the attachment to the machine being a relatively simple operation. Of course, the invention can easily be incorporated as a permanent feature of a sewing machine as well as an attachment.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be used without a use of other corresponding features. Accordingly, the claims herein should be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A feeding attachment for use on a sewing machine of the type including a throat plate over which material passes along a feed path, a needle moving through a stitchforming stroke along said feed path, a presser foot bar adapted to mount a presser foot, and a feed-dog operative to engage the bottom of said material and advance same along said feed path, said attachment comprising a presser foot assembly adapted to be mounted on said presser foot bar and including a presser foot having a material-contacting surface adapted to contact said material as it passes over said throat plate, a rotary feed wheel having a material-contacting periphery, means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about an axis transverse to said feed path, means operatively connected to the journaling means for mounting said feed wheel for vertical movement in relation to said presser foot, means for biasing said feed wheel towards said throat plate, and a drive means for rotating said feed wheel.

2. A feeding attachment for use on a sewing machine of the type including a throat plate over which material passes along a feed path, a needle moving through a stitch-forming stroke along said feed path, .a presser foot bar adapted to mount a presser foot, and a feed-dog operative to engage the bottom of said material and advance same along said feed path, said attachment comprising a presser foot assembly and including a mounting bracket and means to mount same on said presser foot bar, a bifurcated presser foot operatively connected to said mount ing bracket, said bifurcated presser foot having two material-contacting surfaces adapted to contact said material as it passes over said throat plate, said material-contacting surfaces being disposed one on each side of said feed path, a rotary feed wheel having a material-contacting periphery, means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about an axis transverse to said feed path, means operatively connected to said journaling means for mounting said feed wheel on said mounting bracket intermediate the lateral confines of said presser foot and along said feed path for vertical movement in relation to said presser foot, means for biasing said feed wheel towards said throat plate, and a drive means for rotating said feed wheel in timed relation to said feed-dog.

3. A feeding attachment for use on a sewing machine of the type including a throat plate providing a feed path along which material passes, a needle moving through a stitch-forming stroke along said feed path, a presser foot bar adapted to mount a presser foot, and a feed-dog operative through said throat plate to engage the bottom of said material and advance same along said feed path, said attachment comprising a presser foot assembly including means to mount same on said presser foot bar, a presser foot operatively connected to said presser foot bar and having a material-contacting surface adapted to contact said material as it passes along said feed path, a rotary feed wheel having a material-contacting periphery, means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about a transverse axis in relation to said feed path, means for mounting said feed wheel on said presser foot bar for vertical movement in relation to said presser foot, means for biasing said feed wheel towards said feed path, a drive means for imparting rotation to said feed wheel in timed relation to said feed-dog, an idler wheel disposed in coplanar relation to said feed wheel, and means journaling said idler wheel on said throat plate for rotation about an axis parallel to said transverse axis and spaced therefrom such that said idler wheel coacts with said feed Wheel in feeding material along said feed path.

4. A feeding attachment for use on a sewing machine of a throat plate providing a feed path along which material passes, a needle moving through a stitch-forming stroke along said feed path, a presser foot bar adapted to mount a presser foot, and a feed-dog operative through said throat plate to engage the bottom of said material and advance same along said feed path, said attachment comprising a presser foot assembly including means to mount same on said presser foot bar, a presser foot operatively connected to said presser foot bar and having a materiahcontacting surface adapted to contact said material as it passes along said feed path, a rotary feed wheel having a material-contacting periphery having an annular groove formed therein, means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about a transverse axis in relation to said feed path, means for mounting said feed Wheel on said presser foot bar for vertical movement in relation to said presser foot, means for biasing said feed wheel towards said feed path, a drive means for imparting rotation to said feed wheel in timed relation to said feeddog, an idler wheel disposed in coplanar relation to said feed wheel, said idler wheel having an edge radius which matches the shape of said annular groove in said idler wheel, and means journaling said idler wheel on said throat plate for rotation about an axis parallel to said transverse axis and spaced therefrom such that said idler wheel coacts with said feed wheel in feeding material along said feed path.

5. A feeding attachment for use on a sewing machine of the type including a throat plate over which material passes along a feed path, a needle moving through a stitch forming stroke along said feed path, a spring loaded presser foot bar adapted to mount a presser foot, and a feed-dog operative to engage the bottom of said material and advance same along said feed path, said attachment comprising a presser foot assembly and including means to mount same on said presser foot bar, a presser foot operatively and rigidly connected to said presser foot bar and having a material-contacting surface adapted to contact said material as it passes over said throat plate, said presser foot being biased toward said throat plate by said spring loaded presser bar, a rotary feed Wheel having a material-contacting periphery, means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about an axis transverse to said feed path, means for mounting said feed wheel on said presser foot bar for vertical movement in relation to said presser foot, means for biasing said feed wheel towards said throat plate, means for adjusting the ratio of the bias force of said feed wheel with respect to the bias force of said presser foot to vary the relative pressures exerted on said material by said members, said last named means including adjustment means to vary the bias force of said feed wheel biasing means, and a drive means for imparting rotation to said feed Wheel in timed relation to said feed-dog.

6. A feeding attachment for use on a sewing machine of the type including a throat plate over which material passes along a feed path, a needle moving through a stitch-forming stroke along said feed path, a spring loaded presser foot bar adapted to mount a presser foot biased against said throat plate, and a feed-dog operative to engage the bottom of said material and advance same along said feed path, said attachment comprising a presser foot assembly and including a mounting bracket and means to mount same on said presser foot bar, a presser foot operatively connected to said mounting bracket and having a materialcontacting surface adapted to contact said material as it passes over said throat plate, a rotary feed wheel having a material-contacting periphery, a feed wheel carrier having means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about an axis transverse to said feed path, means for mounting said feed wheel carrier on said mounting bracket for vertical movement in relation to said presser foot, means for biasing said feed wheel towards said throat plate, means to adjust said biasing means, said adjustment means including an adjustable spring to vary the bias force on said feed wheel in relation to the bias on said presser foot, and a drive means for rotating said feed wheel in timed relation to said feed-dog.

7. A feeding attachment for use on a sewing machine of the type including a throat plate over which material passes along a feed path, a needle moving through a stitch forming stroke along said feed path, a downwardly biased presser foot bar adapted to mount a presser foot, and a feed-dog operative to engage the bottom of said material and advance same along said feed path, said attachment comprising a presser foot assembly and including a mounting bracket and means to mount same on said presser foot bar, a presser foot operatively connected to said mounting bracket and having a materialcontacting surface adapted to contact said material as it passes over said throat plate, a rotary feed wheel having a material-contacting periphery having an annular groove formed therein, a feed wheel carrier including means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about an axis transverse to said feed path, means for mounting said feed wheel carrier on said mounting bracket for vertical movement in relation to said presser foot, said means including a four-bar linkage having said mount ing bracket as a stationary and vertical link thereof and said feed wheel carrier as a vertical and movable link, means for adjustably biasing said feed wheel towards said throat plate, said last named means including a biasing spring urging the movable links of said four-bar linkage in a downwardly direction and a spring adjustment means to vary the force exerted by said biasing spring, a drive means for imparting rotation to said feed wheel in timed relation to said feed-dog, an idler wheel disposed in coplanar relation to said feed wheel, said idler wheel having an edge radius which matches the shape of said annular groove in said idler wheel, and means journalling said idler wheel on said throat plate for rotation about an axis parallel to said transverse axis and spaced therefrom such that said idler wheel coacts with said feed wheel in feeding material along said feed path.

8. In combination with a sewing machine including a throat plate having a feed slot, a feed-dog operative through said feed slot to advance material along a feed path, and a spring loaded presser-foot bar, a presser-foot assembly including a mounting bracket, means for attaching said mounting bracket to said presser-foot bar, a presser foot mounted on said mounting bracket operative with said spring loaded presser-foot bar to exert a pressure on said throat plate, a rotary feed wheel, means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about an axis transverse to and along said feed path, means operative to bias said feed wheel towards said throat plate, means for adjusting the biasing means to vary the relative pressure on said feed wheel and said presser foot towards said throat plate, an idler wheel having a material-contacting surface, said idler wheel being mounted on said throat plate directly below said feed Wheel and journalled for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of said feed wheel, said material-contacting surface protruding slightly above the upper surface of said throat plate, and a drive means to rotate said feed wheel in timed relation to said feed-dog.

9. In combination with a sewing machine including a throat plate having a feed slot, a feed-dog operative through said feed slot to advance material along a feed path, and a spring loaded presser foot bar, a presser foot assembly including a mounting bracket, means for attaching said mounting bracket to said presser foot bar, a presser foot mounted on said mounting bracket operative with said spring loaded presser-foot bar to exert a pressure on said throat plate, a rotary feed wheel, a feed wheel carrier having means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about an axis transverse to and along said feed path, means for mounting said feed wheel carrier on said mounting bracket for vertical movement in relation to said presser foot, means operative to bias said feed wheel carrier towards said throat plate, means for adjusting the biasing means to vary the relative pressure of said feed wheel and said presser foot towards said throat plate, an idler wheel having a material-contacting surface, said idler wheel being mounted on said throat plate directly below said feed wheel and journalled for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of said feed wheel, said material-contacting surface protruding slightly above the upper surface of said throat plate, and a drive means to rotate said feed wheel in timed relation to said feed-dog.

10. In combination with a sewing machine including a throat plate having a feed slot, a feeddog operative through said feed slot to advance material along a feed path, and a spring loaded presser foot bar, a presser foot assembly including a mounting bracket, means for attaching said mounting bracket to said presser foot bar, a presser foot mounted on said mounting bracket operative with said spring loaded presser foot bar to exert a pressure on said throat plate, a rotary feed wheel having a material-contacting periphery, said material-contacting periphery being formed with an annular groove therein, means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about an axis transverse to and along said feed path, means operative to bias said feed wheel towards said throat plate, means for adjusting the biasing means to vary the relative pressure of said feed wheel and said presser foot towards said throat plate, an idler wheel having a material-contacting surface, said idler wheel being mounted on said throat plate directly below said feed wheel and journalled for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of said feed wheel, said material-contacting surface protruding slightly above the upper surface of said throat plate such that said idler wheel coacts with said feed wheel in feeding material along said feed path and a drive means to rotate said feed wheel in timed relation to said feed-dog.

11. In combination with a sewing machine including a throat plate having a feed slot, a feed-dog operative through said feed slot to advance material along a feed path, and a spring loaded presser foot bar, a presser foot assembly including a mounting bracket having a mounting hole, means for attaching said mounting bracket to said presser foot bar, said means comprising a mounting screw having a threaded stud of reduced diameter at its forward end and a body of greater diameter forming a shoulder with said stud, said stud being screwed through said mounting hole and into said presser foot bar, said shoulder being utilized to secure said mounting bracket to said presser foot bar, a presser foot mounted on said mounting bracket operative with said spring loaded presser foot bar to exert a pressure on said throat plate, a rotary feed wheel, a feed wheel carrier having means to journal said feed wheel for rotation about an axis transverse to and along said feed path, means for mounting said feed wheel carrier on said mounting bracket for vertical movement in relation to said presser foot, means operative to adjustably bias said feed wheel carrier towards said throat plate, said means including a biasing lever operatively connected to said feed wheel carrier, an adjustment nut, and a spring coiled coaxially about an integral threaded extension of said mounting screw, said spring bearing at one end on said biasing lever and at its other end on said adjustment nut which is threaded on to said attachment screw extension, an idler wheel having a material-contacting surface, said idler wheel being mounted on said throat plate directly below said feed wheel and journalled for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of said feed wheel, said material-contacting surface protruding slightly above the upper surface of said throat plate, and a drive means to rotate said feed wheel in timed relation to said feed-dog.

12. A feeding attachment according to claim 1 wherein said feed wheel is located contiguous to said needle along said feed path such that the relatively short distance between said needle and said feed wheel allows for easy maneuverability of material along said feed path.

13. A feeding attachment according to claim 4 wherein said feed wheel and said idler wheel are located contiguous to said needle along said feed path such that the short distance between said needle and said feed wheel provides for easy maneuverability of material along said feed path.

14. The combination according to claim 3 wherein said sewing machine includes a needle and wherein said transverse axis of said feed wheel is located contiguous to said needle such that the short distance between said needle and said feed wheel provides for easy maneuverability of material along said feed path.

15. The combination according to claim 8 wherein said sewing machine includes a needle and wherein said transverse axis of said feed wheel is located contiguous to said needle such that the short distance between said needle and said feed wheel provides for easy maneuverability of material along said feed path.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,325,365 McCollum Dec. 16, 1919 2,131,621 Greicus Sept. 27, 1938 2,293,096 Anderson Aug. 18, 1942 2,419,482 Clayton Apr. 22, 1947 2,777,409 Winberg Ian. 15, 1957