US3121410A - Buttonhole attachment for zigzag sewing machines - Google Patents

Description

J. P. ENOS Feb. 18, 1964 BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR ZIGZAG SEWING MACHINES e Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 3, 1959 lllllllllll INVENTOR.

John P Enos Fig.6.

Fig.7. BY

7; ziTTORNEY Feb. 18, 1964 J. P. ENOS 3,121,410

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR ZIGZAG SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 5, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 89 94 80 INVENTOR.

John F? Enos Fig.4

2 ATTORNEY Feb. 18, 1964 J. P. ENOS 3,

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR ZIGZAG SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 3, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 [I j 54 INVENTOR.

John F. Enos BY W ATTORNEY Feb. 18, 1964 J. P. ENOS 3,121,410

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR ZIGZAG SEWING MACHINES Filed DeO. 3, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 m 9 LI.

INVENTOR. John P. Enos 9 ATTORNEY Feb. 18, 1964 .J P. ENOS 3,121,410

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR ZIGZAG SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 5. 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 T." if. leo

INVENTOR.

John P. Enos Feb. 18, 1964 J. P. ENOS 3,121,410

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR ZIGZAG SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. :5, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR. John P. Enos y ArroR/vEY United States Patent 3,121,410 BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR ZIGZAG SEWING MACHINES John P. Enos, 983 Suburban Road, Union, NJ. Filed Dec. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 857,224 1 Claim. (111. 112-77) This invention relates to work shifting attachments for sewing machines, and more particularly, to an improved buttonhole attachment for use with sewing machines of the so-called zigzag or swing needle type.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my United States patent application Serial No. 774,469, filed November 17, 1958, which is now abandoned.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel attachment for shifting a work fabric in a closed path relatively to the vibrating needle of a zigzag sewing machine for the production of predetermined patterns of stitches.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sewing machine attachment of simple and effective construction which is capable of operation with a zigzag sewing machine in the sewing of buttonholes and the like at higher sewing speeds than have been heretofore attainable.

Another object of this invention is to provide an attachment for producing unique darning stitches in conjunction with a zigzag sewing machine having a bight controlling means which may be adjusted to reduce the bight of needle zigzag motion to zero and a neutral position control accessible for manual adjustment.

With the above and additional objects and advantages in View, as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 represents a front elevational view of an attachmerit of this invention applied to a zigzag sewing machine,

FIG. 2 represents a top plan view of the attachment with the cover in section and the pattern rack removed,

FIG. 3 represents a right side elevational view of the attachment with the cover illustrated in vertical cross section and with the lid closed,

FIG. 4 represents a left side elevational view of the attachment with the cover illustrated in vertical cross section and with the lid opened,

FIG. 5 represents a bottom plan view of a pattern rack,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG. 2, illustrating the adjustable feed bar fulcrum pin,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along line 77 of FIG. 2, illustrating the mechanism by which the feed blade is shifted in a closed path,

FIG. 8 represents a exploded top plan view of the attachment frame and the operating parts of the attachment,

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of a zigzag sewing machine having an attachment of this invention applied thereto, 7

FIG. 10 represents an enlarged top plan view of the needle vibrating mechanism including the bight and neutral position controlling means of the sewing machine of FIG. 9,

FIG. 11 represents a cross sectional view taken substantially along line -1111 of FIG. 10,

FIG. 12 represents a cross sectional view taken sub stantially along line 12-12 of FIG. 9 with the machine frame illustrated in vertical cross section,

FIG. 13 represents a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 1313 of FIG. 12,

FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 inclusive represent diagrammatic views illustrating various positions of the mechanism disclosed essentially in FIG. 9, and

3,121,410 Patented Feb. 18, 1964 FIG. 17 illustrates a group of two overlapping stitch tacks produced by the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 9'.

Referring to the drawings, the work shifting attach ment 26 of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 as applied to a zigzag sewing machine indicated generally as 21. The attachment is secured by means of a thumb nut 22 to a presser bar 23 of the sewing machine carried in the bracket arm portion 24 of the sewing machine frame, and is adapted to clamp a work fabric in place on a feed cover plate 25 carried on the bed portion 26 of the sewing machine frame. By means of an attachment drive lever 27 which embraces a cylindrical boss 28 of the needle clamp 29 carried on the sewing machine needle bar 30 the attachment, as will be hereinafter described, is capable of shifting a work fabric in a closed path relatively to the needle 31. The needle bar 30 is operatively connected within the bracket arm to two separate trains of mechanism, i.e., a crank mechanism 32 for imparting endwise work penetrating motion to said needle bar and a swinging bearing or gate member 33 for vibrating the needle bar laterally to produce zigzag sewing. It will be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific type of zigzag sewing machine illustrated in the drawings, but may be used with any known type of zigzag sewing machine in which the needle bar is reciprocated endwise and vibrated laterally to produce zigzag stitches.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 8, the work shifting attachment is assembled on an attachment frame 441 having a raised block 41 formed with a seat 62 to accommodate the sewing machine presser bar. The block 41 is formed with spaced upstanding ears 43 in which is journaled a pivot stud 44 carried by the attachment drive lever 27. The pivot stud is retained in the ears 43- by means of a headed screw 45. Rearwardly of the upstanding ears 43, the attachment frame is formed with a clearance aperture 46 for the feed blade, indicated generally as 56. Four upstanding posts 51 are formed on the attachment frame, the posts at each side being spanned by rails 52.

The feed blade 50 is formed with a forward portion 53 having bifurcations 54 between which is pivoted a work engaging foot 55. A rear portion 56 of the feed blade is offset upwardly and connected to the forward portion by a vertical portion 57. The feed blade is disposed on the attachment frame with the rear portion 56 bearing upon the rails 52, the vertical portion 57 extending through the clearance aperture 46, and the forward portion 53 extending beneath the attachment frame.

The feed blade is slidably pivoted to the attachment frame, that is, pivoted for swinging movement in the direction of the needle jogging movement of the sewing machine, and slidable for movement in a direction transversely of that of the needle jogging movement. The forward portion 53 of the feed blade is formed with a slot 66 extending lengthwise of the feed blade. Extending lengthwise of the attachment frame 40 is a slot 61. The shouldered shank portion 62 of a fulcrum pin 63 extends through both slots 66 and 61 to slidably pivot the feed blade to the frame. The fulcrum pin 63 is embraced by an angle bracket 64 by which the pin may be selectively positioned along the slot 61. One limb of the angle bracket abuts the floor of the attachment frame 40 while the other limb abuts a raised rib 65 providing a sidewall of the attachment frame. The rib 65 is formed with a slot 66 to accommodate a threaded stud 67 extending from the angle bracket 64. A knurled nut 68 threaded on the stud 67 serves to clamp the angle bracket and thus the fulcrum pin 63 in selected position relatively to the attachment frame. The fulcrum pin is maintained in the slots 60 and 61 and on the angle bracket 64 by means of a beehive spring 69 held on the fulcrum pin by means of a nut 70.

The mechanism for shifting the feed blade is best illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. Secured to the attachment frame between the posts 51 by means of a fastening screw 80 is a composite bearing member, indicated generally as 81, comprising a series of vertically stacked coaxially arranged cylindrical portions. At the base of the bearing member 81, a cylindrical bearing 82 is separated by a cylindrical flange 83 from a cylindrical bearing 34. Rising from the cylindrical bearing 84 is a post 85 surmounted by a guide. pin 86.

Journaled on the cylindrical bearing 32 between the attachment frame 41) and the flange 83 is a manual ratcheting lever 37 formed with a finger grip 88 which extends beyond the attachment frame. The lever 87 is biased into a retracted position against one of the upstanding posts 51 of the frame by means of a spring 89 secured at one end to the lever and at the other end to the attachment frame. Pivoted on a bracket 90 carried on the ratcheting lever 87 is a pawl 91 biased inwardly by a spring 92.

Journaled on the cylindrical bearing 84 above the flange 83 is a pawl carrier 93 to which a pawl 94 is pivoted. The pawl 94 is biased inwardly by a spring 95' acting between the pawl and the pawl carrier. A link 96 loosely pivoted as at 97 to the pawl carrier is pivoted in turn at 98 to the drive lever 27 such that the pawl carrier 92 will be oscillated in timed relation with the endwise reciprocation of the sewing machine needle bar.

Journaled on the cylindrical post 85 is a ratchet wheel 101) formed integrally with a small pinion 101. The ratchet wheel 1% is engaged by the bifurcated arms 102 and 1tl3 of an arched leaf spring 104 secured to the attachment frame and thus pressed firmly downwardly against the pawl carrier 93. The pawl 91 on the manual ratcheting lever 87 and the pawl M on the pawl carrier 93 are both disposed in operative engagement with the ratchet wheel 1% and each is arranged to override the other in turning of the ratchet wheel in one direction, thus providing clutch means effective operatively to interconnect the oscillatory pawl carrier 93 to the pinion 101 in only one direction of turning movement of the pawl carrier, the spring arms 1G2 and 183 serving to prevent retrograde motion of the ratchet wheel.

The spring arm 103 is formed with an auxiliary finger 105 which, asillustrated in FIG. 2, is disposed in spaced relation to the periphery of the ratchet wheel 106. The finger 105 is preferably arranged so as to force the pawl 94 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 1% for a portion of the travel of the pawl. The linkage from the drive lever 27 to the pawl carrier 93 may thus be proportioned to impart a large travel to the pawl 94 and the finger 105 will insure that only the requisite number of teeth of the ratchet wheel 1% are indexed at each needle penetration. Variation in needle bar stroke between different sewing machines is thus not critical, and shifting of the work will occur only when the needle is at the top of its stroke and well out of the goods being stitched.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the rear portion 56 of the feed blade 51? is formed with an aperture 11% adapted to accommodate, with clearance on all sides, the body portion 111 of a template indicated generally as 112 and best illustrated in FIG. 5. The body portion of the template is formed with an endless groove 113 in the shape of the tack of stitches to be formed. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the groove 113 may be made in the shape of an eyelet end buttonhole. Encompassing the groove 113, and of the same general shape, is an endless rack 114 formed in the template. A plurality of ears 115 are formed on the template extending from the body portion 111 thereof and arranged to span the aperture 110 to support the body portion of the template within the aperture. Depending pins 116 formed on two of the ears 115 seat in holes 117 formed in the rear portion 56 of the feed blade to locate the template accurately in the aperture 110.

When the template 112 is properly positioned on the feed blade, the pinion 101 will be in mesh with the endless rack 114 of the template and the guide, pin 86 of the bearing member 81 will be disposed in the groove 113 of the template. The template may be readily removed and exchanged since the pinion 101 and guide pin 31 may be separated from the template and the guide pin 116 may be separated from the feed blade simultaneously by a vertical movement of the template. The feed blade aperture 111) is preferably formed with enlarged portions 124) at each side to admit an operators finger tips at each side of the template for convenient removal and replacement of templates.

The attachment frame 40 and the. actuating mechanism thereon is enclosed by a cover indicated as which is preferably made of sheet metal and is secured to the attachment frame by screws 131 and 132. The cover is formed with an opening 133 which exposes the template 112 in any position of the feed blade. The cover opening is fitted with a lid 134 hinged at 135 to the cover and provided with pivoted keeper 136 which may be turned by means of a knob 137 to secure the lid in closed position.

Secured inside the lid is a leaf spring 138 having a broad fiat free extremity 139 adapted to bear downwardly on the template 112 when the lid is closed so as to constrain the template in place in the feed blade and in operative engagement with the pinion ltll and the guide pin 86.

In operation, the feed blade and the work engaging foot 55 carried thereby, will be shifted progressively in a closed path by the endwise reciprocation of the sewing machine needle bar by way of the pinion 10:1 to which an increment of turning movement is imparted at each needle bar stroke. Since both the pinion 1111 and the fulcrum pin 62 for the feed blade are fixed with respect to the frame during operation of the attachment, no stitch-by-stitch lateral vibration of the work engaging foot is possible. The work engaging foot partakes only of progressive movement about a closed path as determined by the shape of the endless groove 1'13 and rack 11% of the template 112, the zigzag stitches being performed and controlled solely by the sewing machine.

The fulcrum pin 62 may, however, be relocated toward and away from the stitching point on the attachment frame by the clamp nut 6-8 so as to provide for an adjustment of the proportion of the tack of stitches produced with the attachment, that is, in the case of a buttonhole to provide for an adjustment of the spacing between the stitches at each side of the buttonhole. In operation, however, the fulcrum pin 62 is secured in one selected position relatively to the attachment frame.

The attachment of this invention may be used with a zigzag sewing machine in which the pattern of zigzag stitches varie continuously so as to provide unique ornamental stitch groups on a larger scale than has been hitherto possible with a zigzag sewing machine.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 8, the attachment is provided with an anti-flagging finger 140 formed integrally with a one piece vertically reciprocable member 141. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the member 141 is formed with bifurcated arms 142, 143- to embrace a shouldered portion 144 of the pivot stud 44 for the drive lever 27. The arm 14 2 is formed with an outturned lip. 145' which overlies a cam surface 146 formed on the drive lever 27 so that the anti-flagging finger 149 will be lifted from the work on each upstroke of the needle bar. The anti-flagging member 141 is also constrained to move vertically on'a stud 147 secured vertically in the attachment frame, a spring 148 confined on the stud 14W bears downwardly on the anti-flagging member to return the finger 146 to the work on the downstroke of the needle bar.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the attachment 2 0 of this invention is shown applied to a zigzag sewing machine of the type disclosed in the United States Patent No. 2,862,-

468, December 2, 1958, to which reference may be had. This sewing machine includes a pair of coaxially arranged handles 150 and 151 for controlling the axial position of a pair of cam followers 152 and 153 respectively so that the cam followers may be positioned each into engagement with a selected one of a plurality of cam disks 154 rotatable with a sleeve 155 journaled in the sewing machine bracket arm or into engagement with a selected one of a plurality of circular cam surfaces 156, 157 or 158 formed on an annular member 159 carried concentrically on the sleeve 155.

The cam followers 152 and 153 are adapted also to engage the front face 160 of a motion integrating plate 161 which is pivotally supported on trunnion pins 162 carried in a yoke 163 formed on a pitman 164 which as illustrated in FIG. is pivoted as at 165 to the swinging needle bar gate 33.

Fixed in the yoke 163 is a spherical guide head 166 embraced in a cylindrical guide aperture 167 formed in field selector member 168 carried on the annular member 159. A handle 169 extends from the annular member 157 outwardly through an aperture 170 in the machine frame where the handle 169 is accessible to the machine operator.

When the coaxial handles 150 and 151 are positioned as illustrated in FIG. 10, the cam followers 152 and 153 will be positioned in engagement with the circular cam surfaces 156 and 158, respectively, of the annular member 159. The cam followers 152 and 153 will not vibrate in this position of adjustment and, therefore, the bight or stitch-by-stitch zigzag motion of the sewing machine needle bar will be reduced to zero.

FIGS. 14, and 16, however, illustrate the effect upon the needle bar 30 of movement of the handle 169 when the handles 150 and 151 are positioned as illustrated in FIG. 9. Turning of the handle 169 will shift the neutral position of the needle bar between extreme left and right hand position thereof.

The work engaging foot 55 of the attachment 20, as is illustrated in FIG. 9, may be arranged opposite to an auxiliary feed cover plate 180 which is secured onto the feed cover plate 25 regularly supplied on the machine and provides a larger surface in opposition to the work engaging foot of the attachment. Since the attachment provides an orbital motion to the work engaging foot 55 in a closed circuitous path with no stitch-by-stich zigzag motion, and the sewing machine is adjusted such that no Zigzag motion is imparted to the needle, the attachment will shift the work in a closed buttonhole shaped path when the machine is operated.

If the handle 169 is initially positioned in one extreme position of adjustment and then gradually adjusted by the operator to the opposite extreme position of adjustment in regular increments preferably one increment during each orbital cycle of motion of the work engaging foot of the attachment, the result will be a tightly packed scroll or spiral tack of stitches. As illustrated in FIG. 17, this type of stitch tack, which may be made effortlessly and quickly by the method above described, is particularly suited to darning and embroidery work. Since the stitches of the spiral group may be made with perfect alignment and with particularly even spacing, smooth flat darning and embroidery work may be performed with this arrangement. The parallel lines of stitches made in any one stitching operation may be locked together by superimposing a succeeding tack at right angles thereon. The maximum width of any one darning or embroidery tack made as described above is the combined width of the orbital path of motion of the attachment 20 plus the total range of neutral position of the sewing machine needle. The length of any one particular darning or embroidery tack will depend upon the size of the template 112 which is inserted in the attachment. The tacks may be combined of course one alongside the other to fill any desired space.

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

In an attachment for a sewing machine having an endwise reciprocatory and laterally jogging needle, an attachment frame, means for securing said attachment frame to said sewing machine, attachment actuating means carried on said attachment frame and adapted to be operated by said sewing machine, said attachment actuating means including a pinion, means for journaling said pinion on an axis fixed directly in said attachment frame, and means for imparting step-by-step rotary motion to said pinion, a feed blade, a work engaging foot carried by said feed blade, an endless rack, means for securing said rack in fixed position on said feed blade and in mesh with said pinion, and means slidably pivoting said feed blade with respect to said attachment frame, said means including a fulcrum pin, said feed blade being formed with an elongated slot disposed embracing said fulcrum pin, and means for securing said fulcrum pin to said attachment frame on an axis in fixed spaced relation relatively to the axis of said pinion at any selected one of a range of distances from the axis of said pinion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,362,272 Stern Dec. 14, 1920 1,958,207 Scheibel et al May 8, 1934 2,619,925 Sharenow et al Dec. 2, 1952 2,649,063 Russell Aug. 18, 1953 2,669,202 Enos Feb. 16, 1954 2,788,757 Enos Apr. 16, 1957 2,804,035 Baehr et al Aug. 27, 1957 2,813,501 Shotsky Nov. 19, 1957 2,849,972 Wurker Sept. 2, 1958 2,894,467 Thomas July 14, 1959 2,900,938 Johnson Aug. 25, 1959 2,907,290 Burgess et a1. Oct. 6, 1959 2,927,547 Enos Mar. 8, 1960 2,944,497 Waterman July 12, 1960

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