US3452692A - Sewing machine attachment for stitching over wire objects - Google Patents

Description

July 1, 1969 3,452,692

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT FOR S'IYITCHING OVER WIRE OBJECTS R. J. ROSEMAN Sheet of3 Filed July 20, 1967 I N VEN TOR. PIC/IA AD ROSE/WAN A Y A TTOR/YE Y July 1, 1969 R. J. ROSEMAN 3,452,692

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT FOR STITCHING OVER WIRE OBJECTS Filed July 20, 1967 Sheet 2 of s I mvmon. |=j .l4. 1 15 fjflrlfi Till? RICHARD R05MAN BY Z24 ATTORNEY July 1, 1969 R. J. ROSEMAN 3,452,692

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT FOR STITCHING OVER WIRE OBJECTS I Filed July 20, 1967 Sheet 3 of s BY 2 x United States Patent US. Cl. 1122 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Mechanism includes a finger for preventing the needle of a sewing machine from striking a wire object such as a fastener eye carried by a fabric tape, which finger is moved both horizontally and vertically upon reciprocation of the sewing machine needle into and out of the work, so that the finger engages and pushes the object out of the path of the descending needle and is elevated above the wire object upon ascent of the needle out of the work, respectively. Said finger is vertically slidable in a carrier which is pivotally mounted on either the head of a sewing machine or on the oscillatory needle-carrying bracket or rock frame.

Background of the invention The invention relates in general to sewing machines for stitching over wire objects such as wire fastener eye loops carried by a fabric tape, particularly during the attachment of such fastener bearing tape to garments and the like. Some of such devices have hitherto operated by causing a stop finger to positively stop movement of the wire object prior to the descent of the needle and preparatory to the formation of stitches to traverse the wire of the objects, thereby to prevent accidental contact of the needle with the wire, Patent No. 1,942,903 being an example of such a device.

Other devices operate by pushing the wire objects out of the path of the needle, for example as shown by Patent No. 1,732,394.

Still other devices of this general nature operate by moving the needle relatively to its normal stitching path each time a wire on the tape crosses the stitching point.

In devices such as shown by Patent Nos. 1,942,903 and 1,732,394, the wire engaging fingers and their actuating mechanisms are mounted on the frame of the machine in separated relation to the needle, while the devices in which the needle is moved relatively to its normal stitching path include fingers mounted on the machine frame and actuated by the wire passing beneath the needle. In all of these known devices the normal speed of the sewing machine must be reduced to attain satisfactory operation of the wire engaging fingers; the devices are noisy and cause objectionable vibration, and there is difiiculty in attaining proper correlation of the operation of the wire engaging finger with the work feeding means and the needle of the stitch-forming mechanism.

Summary A primary object of the present invention is to provide a sewing machine attachment for stitching over wire objects which shall embody novel and improved features of construction whereby the objections to and difficulties with the known stitching over mechanisms shall be overcome; and more particularly the invention contemplates such a device in which a wire-engaging finger is normally disposed above the wire object and is lowered and moved horizontally in one direction into engagement with the wire as the needle descends to push the object out of the path of the needle, and in which the wire-engaging finger is caused 3,452,692 Patented July 1, 1969 ice to move horizontally in the opposite direction and upwardly out of the path of the wire by and with the needle as the latter ascends.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stitching over attachment of this nature wherein the wire-engaging finger is carried by a lever that is movably mounted on the oscillatory needle bar carrying bracket or rockframe, and there are coacting elements some of which are on the needle bar and others on said lever for swinging the lever to move the finger horizontally and for raising the lever to move the finger vertically.

A brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary schematic front elevation of a known type of sewing machine having an attachment constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation thereof with the cover plate removed for clearness in illustration;

FIGURE 3 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary schematic end elevation of the needle bar rock frame, needle reciprocating mechanism and the attachment embodying the invention, showing the needle in work-penetrating position and the wire-engaging finger in position to engage a wire to effect a control movement of the latter in the direction opposite to the work feed;

FIGURE 3A is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 3A of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but showing the parts from approximately the plane of the line 44 of FIGURE 1, and with some parts omit-ted;

FIGURE 4A is a fragmentary view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the needle and the wire engaging finger in their elevated positions;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevation similar to FIG- URE 4A but showing parts broken away for clearness of illustration;

FIGURE 5A is a horizontal sectional view on the plane of the line 5A-5A of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 6 is a similar view showing the needle and the wire-engaging finger on their descending movements;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 77 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary horizontal section view on the plane of the line 88 of FIGURE 6 and a plan view of a portion of a garment and fabric tape bearing wire eye fasteners and showing the wireengaging finger in engagement with one of the wire eye fasteners;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary schematic elevation of the needle point and the wire engaging finger in their uppermost positions, and showing a wire eye fastener in section on a fabric tape;

FIGURE 10 is a similar view showing the needle descending and the wire engaging finger in its lowermost position;

FIGURE 11 is a similar view, but showing a horizontal movement of the finger relatively to the needle and a control movement of the wire eye fastener out of the path of the needle in a direction opposite to the work feed;

FIGURES 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 are similar views showing successive movements of the parts during the operation of stitching over the wire;

FIGURE 19 is an exploded perspective view of the parts of the attachment;

FIGURE 20 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 showing a modified form of the invention wherein the control movement of the wire is in the same direction as the work feed with portions of the needle bar mounting omitted;

FIGURE 21 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 of the modified form of the invention shown in FIGURE 20;

FIGURE 22 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 of the modified form of the invention;

FIGURE 23 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 of the modi fied form of the invention;

FIGURE 24 is a horizontal sectional view on the plane of the line 2424 of FIGURE 22, and

FIGURES 25 to 34, inclusive, are similar to FIGURES 9 through 18 but illustrating the stitching over operation performed by the modified form of the invention.

Brief description of the preferred embodiments of the invention The invention, for the purpose of illustrating the principles thereof, has been shown in connection with a known type of sewing machine which includes the usual bed plate A and gooseneck or frame B in which is journaled the usual drive shaft C for actuating the mechanism C that reciprocates the needle bar D. On the underside of the bed plate is a known type of work feed mechanism that includes a feed dog E which projects through a slot in a throat plate F so as to grip the work between itself and the usual spring biased presser foot G, whereby the work H is fed in the direction of the arrows of FIGURES 2 and 3. I have shown a machine having the oscillating or rocking type of sewing needles which penetrate the work, swing forward with the work feeding movement of the feed dog, then rise and swing back preparatory to again penetrating the work thereby to complete a stitch. Two needles D have been shown as clamped in the usual manner in the needle clamp block I carried by the needle bar D, and the needle bar is reciprocable in a rock frame I which is pivoted at K at the end of the gooseneck and is oscillated by a crank L carried by the usual rock shaft M journaled in the gooseneck the crank being connected to a slide block N which is slidable in a guide on. the rock frame. The needles cooperate with shuttle mechanism (not shown) beneath the throat plate for forming lines of stitching. If desired, other stitch-forming mechanism including different forms of work-feeding means and non-oscillating vertically reciprocating needles and different needle operating means, may be employed in carrying out my invention. While the invention may be utilized in stitching over metal or impenetrable wire objects on various types of material, I have shown the machine adapted for operating on a special type of work, that is, for stitching a fastener tape P carrying wire fastener eyes Q, to one edge of a garment R the opposite edge of which has complemental fastener hooks, one needle D forming a line of stitches S certain of which are stitched over or traverse the wires of the eyes, and the other needle forming a line of stitches T, both lines of stitches penetrating the fastener tape and the garment.

As hereinbefore pointed out, the invention provides an attachment for the sewing machine to ensure that the needle shall not strike or encounter the wire of the fastener while a stitch is being formed over the wire. Referring to FIGURES 1-18 of the drawings, the attachment includes a work-engaging finger 1 which is shown as formed at one end of a curved metal sheet 2 the other end of which is secured to a plate-like shank 3 which is vertically slidably mounted on a carrier 4. As shown, the shank has two ribs 5 at the side thereof opposite the finger 1 each of which is slidably fitted in a guide groove 4a in the carrier and held against displacement from the carrier by screws 6. The carrier is mounted to provide for horizontal movement of the finger 1, and as shown the carrier is pivotally mounted by a screw 7 on one arm 17 of a combined hanger and guide bracket 18 which is secured on portion 8 of the needle bar rock frame J. The finger 1 is normally biased in a downward direction by a tension spring 9 one end of which is connected by a screw 10 to one edge of the carrier and the other end of which is connected by a screw 11 to the shank 3; and the finger is actuated upwardly by engagement of a lug 12 secured to the needle bar clamp with an extension 13 at the upper end of the shank. The finger is moved horizontally in one direction to its normal position by a tension spring 14 that has one end connected to the carrier by a screw 15 and has its other end connected to a bracket 16 which is secured to a vertical arm 19 of the bracket 18 and also serves to limit movement of the carrier in one direction to its normal position. Suitable means are provided for limiting the downward movement of the finger 1, and as shown the screws 6 pass through slots 6a in the carrier and engage the lower ends of the slots to stop the downward movement of the finger when the finger is disposed in the path of movement of the wire eyes as shown for example in FIGURES 3, 4 and 10. It will be clear from the drawings that the upward movement of the finger takes place only during the terminal portion of the upward movement of the needle bar, when the lug 12 on the needle bar clamp engages the extension 13 of the wire engaging finger shank 3.

The wire engaging finger is actuated horizontally to engage a wire and effect a control movement of the wire, by coacting elements on the needle bar and on the carrier 4, respectively. As shown, the lug 12 has a cam surface 20 which engages a follower roller 21 journaled on a pin 22 secured in the carrier and projecting through a clearance notch 23 in the finger shank 3, the arm 19 serving as a slide guide for the lug 12. Normally while the needle is at its uppermost position, the cam surface is disposed above the roller 21 as shown in FIGURE 5 and during the descent of the needle the cam surface engages the roller as shown in FIGURE 6 to swing the finger horizontally in one direction against the force of the spring 14. With reference to FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 it will be seen that on the beginning of the descent of the needle the lug 12 abuttingly underlies the extension 13 of the finger shank and during the descent of the needle the spring 9 draws the finger shank 3 and the finger downwardly until the downward movement of the finger is stopped by engagement of one of the screws 6 with the end of the corresponding slot 6a, whereupon the needle continues its descent and penetration of the work.

In operation of the attachment, it will of course be understood that the feed of the fabric tape P with the wire eyes thereon is in timed relation to the reciprocation and oscillation of the needles, as is also the normal spacing of the eyes on the tape. If the wire of an eye should become slightly out of place so that it might be struck by the needle, the wire engaging finger 1 will be moved into the path of the wire eye and swung horizontally in the direction opposite to the work feed so as to engage and push the wire out of the path of the descending needle as best shown in FIGURES 9, 10 and 11. After the wire has been moved out of the path of the needle, the spring 14 swings the finger back to its normal position as shown in FIGURE 12 and the needle with the thread T penetrates the fabric. The needle moves with and in the direction of the feed of the work as shown in FIGURE 13 and withdraws from the work as shown in FIGURE 14, continuing its upward movement and moving the finger upwardly as shown in FIGURES 15 and 16, whereupon the needle again descends and permits the finger to be pulled downwardly by the spring 9 as shown in FIGURE 17, the needle then continuing its penetration of the fabric to carry the stitch over the wire as shown in FIGURE 18. The stitches are made and completed in the usual manner to form the lines S and T.

It will be noted that the work engaging finger is always in close proximity to the needle, is permitted to descend by and with the needle and is elevated by lug 12 on the needle bar, and the horizontal movement of the finger to effect the control movement of the wire is produced by coaction of the cam surface 20 and the roller 21, while the return horizontal movement of the finger is caused by the spring 14. The movement of the finger relative to the needle is important only when the needle is descending and approaching the wire and therefore, it will be apparent that the roller could be mounted on the needle clamp bar instead of on the carrier as shown,

and the cam surface could be formed on the carrier instead of on the lug 12 on the needle clamp bar. It has been found that when the cam surface is formed on the carrier, the horizontal movement of the finger is smoother.

The attachment may also be constructed to effect the control movement on the wire in the direction of the feed, as shown in FIGURES 20 through 34. In this case, however, it is desirable that the finger engages the wire at the side thereof opposite that shown in FIGURES 1 through 18 where the wire is moved in the direction opposite to the feed. In other words the finger is located inside the eye during the control movement of the wire as shown in FIGURE 26. The parts of the attachment are in effect mirror images of the parts shown in FIG- URES 3 through 7 and FIGURE 19, and inasmuch as the parts of the modified form of the attachment are substantially identical in construction with the parts shown in FIGURE 3, they are designated 1 through 23, the part 1' corresponding to part 1. The sequence of operations of the needle, the work feeding and the work-engaging finger is substantially identical with the sequence of operation of the corresponding parts hereinbefore described and therefore do not require any specific description here except, possibly that FIGURE 25 corresponds to FIGURE 9, but the work engaging finger 1' is at the opposite side of the needle from the work engaging finger 1 and FIGURE '26 corresponds to FIG- URE 10 except that the finger 1' is at the opposite side of the wire from the finger 1, and in FIGURE 27 the control movement of the wire by the finger 1 is in the direction of the work feed and opposite to the direction of the movement of the finger 1 as shown in FIGURE 11.

While the now-preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the construction and operation of the attachment can be modified Within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a sewing machine for stitching over wire objects on penetrable work, which machine comprises a stitch-forming mechanism including a needle on a reciprocating needle bar and work feeding means, of a lug on the needle bar, a wire-engaging finger having a shank, an extension on the opposite end of said shank, non-reciprocating carrier means for slidably and rotatably mounting said shank on the sewing machine above the work for both vertical and horizontal movement adjacent said needle, a cam and follower means one on the needle bar and the other on said carrier, said lug engaging said extension for vertically moving said finger when said needle reciprocates to its upper position, said cam engaging said follower when said needle reciprocates to its lower position to move said finger in a horizontal direction, spring means connected between said shank and said carrier for biasing said finger to its lowest position and in a wire object engaging position when the needle and lug descend, whereby upon descent of said needle the finger is lowered to engage the wire object and the cam moves the follower and finger in a horizontal direction thereby pushing said wire object out of the path of the needle and upon ascent of the needle the lug raises the finger away from said wire object.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam is a cam surface on said lug on the needle bar, and said follower for said cam surface is a roller on said carrier.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein needle bar is of the oscillating type including a needle bar rock frame and the needle moves with the work in the feeding direction, and said carrier is mounted on said rock frame.

4. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein needle bar is of the oscillating type including a needle bar rock frame and the needle moves with the work in the feeding direction, said shank is vertically reciprocable in the carrier, said carrier is pivotally mounted on said rock frame, and the second-named means includes a lug on the needle bar and one end of said shank for raising the finger, and coactive elements comprising a cam and a follower therefor on the needle bar and the carrier for moving the finger horizontally in the direction to push the wire object.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,915,580 6/1933 Rabinowitz. 2,339,887 1/ 1944 Simpson. 2,872,884 2/1959 Peck. 3,006,294 10/ 1961 Simpson.

FOREIGN PATENTS 503,632 6/1951 Belgium.

HERBERT F. ROSS, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 112105

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