US3507235A

US3507235A - Bound buttonhole guide

Info

Publication number: US3507235A
Application number: US795956A
Authority: US
Inventors: William L Herrmann
Original assignee: WILLIAM L HERRMANN
Current assignee: WILLIAM L HERRMANN
Priority date: 1969-02-03
Filing date: 1969-02-03
Publication date: 1970-04-21
Anticipated expiration: 1987-04-21

Description

April 21, 1970 W. L. HERRMANN BOUND BUTTONHOLEiGUIDE Filed Feb. 3, 1969 HPV?.

ATTORNEYS 3,507,235 BOUND BU'ITONHOLE GUIDE William L. Herrmann, 4744 Lakeshore Road, Port Huron, Mich. 48060 Filed Feb. 3, 1969, Ser. No. 795,956 Int. Cl. Db 35/00 U.S. Cl. 112 136 8 Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A buttonhole guide for making bound buttonholes with an ordinary sewing machine and which comprises a substantially rectangular body member having an elongated substantially rectangular slot centrally located therein for positioning on a piece of fabric in which a buttonhole is to be formed, a welt forming strip adapted to be mounted over the body member and to retain a patch of fabric on the body member over said slot for forming a welt, and two .side members hingedly mounted on the body member for folding the last mentioned piece of fabric over the Welt forming strip to hold the piece of fabric in position after the welt forming strip is removed while it is sewed to the material in which the buttonhole is to be formed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to devices for making bound buttonholes, and more particularly, to a buttonhole guide of this character for use with an ordinary sewing machine.

Heretofore, devices have been provided for making bound buttonholes, as for example, the device shown in my prior United States Patent No. 3,331,342. The device shown in my prior issued patent employs two strips of fabric for nishing a buttonhole. The buttonhole guide of the present invention is advantageous in that it uses only one patch of material which is a larger piece of material than that used in the prior art devices which use two small strips of material, whereby the larger piece of material can be pulled over and into the buttonhole on the reverse side so as to afford greater bulk and eXtra padding with a smoother effect to the finished buttonhole than heretofore possible.

A further advantage of the buttonhole guide of the present invention is that the buttonhole formed with the guide is less bulky, and after a buttonhole is made it is merely necessary to press it out, Iwithout any further particular steps such as basting the buttonhole.

Another advantage of the buttonhole guide of the present invention is that it permits the use of a single patch of material which may have a bias, pattern or print, whereby the bias, pattern or print portion blends in with the rest of the material in which the buttonholes are formed.

In view of the foregoing, it is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved bound buttonhole guide which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and easily manipulated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved bound buttonhole guide which is adapted to employ a single piece of material for forming the buttonhole welt, whereby a smoother and less bulky finished buttonhole can be formed in thin and thick materials than was heretofore possible with the prior art buttonhole guides.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a bound buttonhole guide which can be manipulated accurately by a person having relatively little sewing skill.

Briefly, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, I provide a bound buttonhole guide for use United States Patent 3,507,235 Patented Apr. 21, 1970 ICC with an ordinary sewing machine and which includes a substantially rectangular body member having an elongated substantially rectangular, centrally located slot formed therethrough. The body member is provided with a side member along each side thereof which is hinged to the body member. Each of the side members is provided with teeth means for engaging a piece of fabric laid over the body and side members. A welt forming strip is used to retain the piece of fabric on the body member while the side members are folded over onto the body member to form a Welt from the piece of fabric. The welt forming strip is then removed and the guide member is placed on the fabric in which a buttonhole is to be formed. The side members are provided with guide means for the zipper foot of a sewing machine for guiding the zipper foot along said slot for sewing the piece of material secured in the guide member onto a fabric in which a buttonhole is to be formed.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES IN THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an illustrative buttonhole guide and a patch of fabric used therewith for forming a bound buttonhole in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational section view of the buttonhole guide illustrated in FIG. 1, taken along the line 2 2 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a top plan View of the buttonhole guide illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an elevational section view of the buttonhole guide structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken along the line 4 4 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is an elevational section 'view of the buttonhole guide structure illustrated in FIG. 3, taken along the line 5 5 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the illustrative buttonhole guide and showing the patch of fabric for forming a buttonhole positioned in the buttonhole guide and ready for placing on the fabric in which the buttonhole is to be formed.

FIG. 7 is an elevational section view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 6, taken along the line 7 7 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6, and showing the buttonhole guide disposed on the fabric in which a buttonhole is to be formed.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view of a piece of fabric in which a buttonhole has been formed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an elevational section view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 9, taken along the line 10 10 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to FIG. 1, there is depicted a bottom plan view of one illustrative embodiment of a buttonhole guide made in accordance with the principles of the present invention, and it is generally indicated by the numeral 10. The numeral 11 generally indicates a generally rectangular patch of fabric which is adapted to be mounted in the buttonhole guide 10 for making a bound buttonhole. The numeral 12 generally indicates an elongated retainer strip which is used for initially mounting the patch of fabric 11 in the buttonhole guide 10. The retainer strip 12 may also be termed a welt former since it positions the patch of fabric 11 in the buttonhole guide 10 in a predetermined position for sewing it onto the piece of fabric in which a buttonhole is to be formed.

As illustrated in FIGS. l, 3, 4, and 7, the buttonhole guide includes a substantially rectangular body member 13, to the sides of which are hingedly attached the two

side members

14 and 15. The

side members

14 and 15 may be attached to the body member 13 by any suitable means, as by the

integral hinges

16 and 17. It will be understood that the body member 13 and the two

side members

14 and 15 may be made from any suitable material, as for example a transparent plastic. The retainer or welt forming stiip 12 may also be made from a transparent plastic or other suitable material.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the buttonhole guide body member 13 is provided with a substantially rectangular and centrally located, longitudinally extended slot 18 which is adapted to be positioned to enclose the location of the buttonhole which is to be sewed into a piece of fabric. The slot 18 is formed through the bottom surface of the body member 13. As shown in FIG. l, a pair of spaced apart, longitudinally extended square grooves 19 and 20 are formed in the lower face or bottom surface of the body member 13 on opposite sides of the elongated slot 18.

As best seen in FIGS. l, 2, 5 and 7, the body member 13 is also provided with a longitudinally extended recess 21, extending inwardly from the top face thereof and communicating with the slot 1S. The recess 21 extends longitudinally of the body member 13, from end to end thereof, and it is open on the ends thereof. The upper side of the recess 21 is enclosed at each end thereof and at a point spaced inwardly from the ends of the body member by a pair of transverse straps or

wall members

22 and 23. As shown in FIG. 4, the longitudinally extended recess 21 goes under the transverse strap 22, and accordingly, recess 21 is not as deep at that point and under the strap 23 as compared to the other portions of the recess 21. The complete depth of the recess 21 is best seen in FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the patch of material 11 from which the buttonhole welt is to be formed is disposed on the upper face of the body member 13 and against the underfaces of the aps or

side members

14 and 15. The welt forming strip 12 is then slid under the

transverse straps

22 and 23 and over the patch of material 11 so as to retain the patch of material 11 in place on the body member 13 and on the

side members

14 and 15.

The

side members

14 and 15 are then folded from the position shown in FIG. 3, upwardly and over into the position shown in FIG. 7. In order to hold the patch of material 11 rmly in place, the

side members

14 and 15 are provided with retaining means which comprises a pair of

metal plates

24 and 28 that are secured to the side members and 14 respectively, by any suitable means, as by punching holes 25 in the

metal strips

24 and 28, whereby the jagged edges of the holes will mechanically grip the

side members

15 and 14 and be secured thereto. Suitable rivets or other means may also be used for securing the

metal strips

24 and 28 to the

side members

15 and 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the

metal plates

24 and 28 are provided along the outer longitudinal edges thereof with a plurality of integrally formed fabric engaging teeth 26 and 30, respectively. Alternatively, the teeth 2.6 and 30 could be made integral `with

side members

14 and 15.

As shown in FIG. 1, the side member 14 is provided with a rectangular relief or cut-out 31 along the outer edge thereof. The side member 14 is marked along the inner edge of the cut-out 31 with scaled indicia for measuring the length of a desired buttonhole. A sewing machine guide ridge 33 is formed on the outer face of the side member 14 along the hinge 16 to provide a guide means for the zipper foot of a sewing machine. The other side member 115 is provided with a similar rectangular relief or cut-out portion 27, a scaled indicia 34, and a sewing machine guide ridge 35. As shown in FIG. 3, the

twocutouts

27 and 31 form an opening through the

side walls

14 and 15 when they are in the folded position, to permit a sewing machine zipper foot to extend through the

side members

14 and 15 for sewing through the slot 18.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, a rubber band 36 is adapted to be seated in the elongated square grooves 19 and 20 and to have the rounded ends thereof passed upwardly and through the

slots

37 and 40 in one of the ends of each of the

side members

14 and 15, and through the

slots

44 and 41 at the other end of each of the

side members

14 and 15. The ends of the rubber band 36 are shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 to extend up and over the ends of the

side members

14 and 15 to secure the side members against the body member 13 for a buttonhole forming operation. It will be seen that the rubber band 36 also extends upwardly through the extreme end portions of the recess 21, which end portions are indicated by the

numerals

38 and 39 at the right end of the body member 13, as viewed in FIG. 3, and the

numerals

42 and 43 at the left end of the body member 13.

The numeral 45 in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 generally indicates a piece of fabric in which a buttonhole may be formed with the buttonhole guide 10 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the buttonhole guide 10 is disposed on the fabric 45 in a position with the slot 18 over the desired location of a buttonhole. The welt forming strip 12 is removed by sliding it endwise from between the folded

side members

14 and 15 on the body member 13. The buttonhole guide is then placed on the fabric 45. The welt forming material inside of the buttonhole guide 10 is then sewed to the fabric 45 by a sewing machine zipper foot in the same manner as shown and described in my aforementioned United States Patent No. 3,331,- 342. That is, the folded welt material inside of the guide 10 is sewed along the slot 18 to the desired length as gauged by the

scalled indicia members

32 and 34. The lower layer of the welt forming material in the buttonhole guide 10 is slit centrally through the slot 18v for the desired length of the buttonhole. The rubber lband 36 is then removed and the buttonhole guide 10 removed from the welt forming material. The welt forming material is then folded over and into the cut formed in the lower layer of the welt forming material to form a buttonhole as shown in FIGS. 9 and l0. The two folds 46 and 47 of the welt forming material are shown in FIG. 7 in the buttonhole guide 10 before the cutting of the inner layer of the welt forming material, and before the welt forming material is folded into the buttonhole. FIGS. 9 and l() show the two

folds

46 and 47 folded into a finished buttonhole which has a hole 43.

Experience has shown that the buttonhole guide of the present invention permits the making of a bound buttonhole from a single piece of welt forming fabric, and that a bound buttonhole made with the buttonhole guide of the present invention permits the making of smooth surfaced buttonholes in either thin or bulky material. It is also possible with the buttonhole guide of the present invention to make bound buttonholes in material having a bias, a print or a pattern in such a manner that the bias, print or pattern will blend in with the rest of the bias, print or pattern in the material.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulll the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modilication, variation and change.

What I claim is:

1. A buttonhole guide comprising:

(a) a substantially rectangular body member having an elongated, substantially rectangular buttonhole slot formed through the bottom surface thereof, and an elongated, substantially rectangular recess formed on the top side thereof and communicating with said buttonhole slot;

(b) a rst side member hingedly attached to said body member along one side thereof, and a second side member hingedly attached to said body member along the other side thereof;

(c) said side members being movable from a first position in flat alignment with said body member to a second folded-over position on top of said body member;

(d) a welt forming means adapted to be mounted on said body member and over a patch of fabric on the body member and the side members when the side members are in the aforementioned flat position and to retain the patch of fabric in a welt forming position when the side members are moved to said foldedover position; and,

(e) means for retaining the side members in said folded-over position 0n the body member for holding the patch of fabric in place to allow the well forming means to be removed from the body member.

2. A buttonhole guide as defined in claim 1, including:

(a) a pair of parallel guide ridges for aligning the buttonhole guide with a sewing machine attachment and to guide a sewing needle in the buttonhole guide slot, one of said guide ridges being fixed on one of said side members and the other 0f said guide ridges being fixed on the other of said side members.

3. A buttonhole guide as defined in claim 2, wherein each of said side members is provided with a cut-out portion along the outer edge thereof to permit communication through said side members with said buttonhole slot when the side members are in the folded-over position.

4. A buttonhole guide as defined in claim 3, wherein:

(a) said means for retaining the side members in said folded-over position includes a pair of grooves formed in the lower surface of said body member, a plurality of slots formed in the ends of said side members, and a rubber band seated in said grooves and having the ends thereof positioned through the slots in the ends of the side members and around the side members.

S. A buttonhole guide as defined in claim 3, wherein:

(a) said welt forming means includes a pair of straps formed on the upper side of said body member on said recess, and a removable strip adapted to be positioned in said recess, under said straps and over a patch of welt forming fabric mounted on the body member.

6. A buttonhole guide as defined in claim 2, wherein:

(a) each of said side members is provided with a scaled indicia.

7. A buttonhole guide as dened in claim 1, wherein:

(a) each of said side members is provided with means for gripping said patch of fabric when the side members are moved to said second folded-over position on top of said body member.

8. A buttonhole guide as defined in claim 7, wherein:

(a) said means for gripping said patch of fabric cornprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed teeth.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,814,264 1l/l957 Burgess 112-77 3,331,342 7/1967 Herrmann 112-136 30 H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.