US3855955A

US3855955A - Sewing machine apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3855955A
Application number: US00474889A
Authority: US
Inventors: K Strang
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1974-05-31
Filing date: 1974-05-31
Publication date: 1974-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 1991-12-24

Abstract

A sewing machine apparatus for sewing an elongated cloth strip onto a piece of cloth in a generally U-shaped configuration includes a sewing machine having a foot and a vertically reciprocal needle guided by the foot. A cloth strip guide is rotatably supported by the foot about the vertical axis of the needle and includes a slot for guiding the cloth strip below the needle. A cloth clamp assembly with inner and outer U-shaped clamp members pivoted to each other at their open ends is movable to a clamping position to clamp the piece of cloth and leave an edge thereof exposed for sewing. The cloth strip guide slidably engages the inner clamp member during relative movement between the sewing machine and the cloth clamp assembly in the U-shaped configuration in which the cloth strip is to be stitched. This sliding engagement controls the rotational position of the cloth strip guide with respect to the sewing machine foot so as to thereby guide the cloth strip as it is stitched to the exposed edge of the piece of cloth.

Description

United States Patent [191 Strang Dec. 24, 1974 SEWING MACHINE APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Karl H. Strang, Dearborn, Mich.

[73] Assignee: General Motors Corporation,

Detroit, Mich.

[22] Filed: May 31, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 474,889

[52] US. Cl ..112/152,l12/l2l.1l,112/153,.

112/204 [51] Int. Cl D05b 35/06 [58] Field of Search 112/153, 152,136, 121.11, ll2/l2l.l5, 204, 214, 211,121.12

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 854,105 5/1907 O'Neill 112/204 2,607,309 8/1952 3,034,781 5/1962 3,650,229 3/1972 3,749,038 7/1973 Dodsworth ll2/l2l.l5

Primary Examiner-H. Hampton Hunter Attorney, Agent, or Firm-J. A. Kushman [57] ABSTRACT A sewing machine apparatus for sewing an elongated cloth strip onto a piece of cloth in a generally U- shaped configuration includes a sewing machine having a foot and a vertically reciprocal needle guided by the foot. A cloth strip guide is rotatably supported by the foot about the vertical axis of the needle and includes a slot for guiding the cloth strip below the needle. A cloth clamp assembly with inner and outer U- shaped clamp members pivoted to each other at their open ends is movable to a clamping position to clamp the piece of cloth and leave an edge thereof exposed for sewing. The cloth strip guide slidably engages the inner clamp member during relative movement between the sewing machine and the cloth clamp assembly in the U-shaped configuration in which the cloth strip is to be stitched. This sliding engagement controls the rotational position of the cloth strip guide with respect to the sewing machine foot so as to thereby guide the cloth strip as it is stitched to the exposed edge of the piece of cloth.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED UEB24 I974 SHEET 1 of 2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In certain applications, it is advantageous to sew or stitch an elongated cloth strip onto a piece of cloth in a generally U-shaped configuration. For instance, vehicle occupant air cushion restraint systems may include an inflatable cloth type cushion including a diffuser slit adjacent an edge of the cushion cloth. This slit in the cloth allows a gas diffuser to be inserted within the cushion so as to supply the cushion with a pressurized gas during vehicle impact conditions. This supply of gas expands the cushion so it engages a vehicle occupant and restrains movement of the occupant in a protective manner as the vehicle impact occurs. Thus, an elon- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a sewing machine apparatus for sewing an elongated cloth strip onto'a piece of cloth in a generally U-shaped configuration and includes a sewing machine and a cloth clamp assembly.

One feature of the invention is that the sewing machine includes a cloth strip guide rotatably supported by'the sewing machine foot so as to guide the cloth strip below a vertically reciprocal needle of the foot and the clamp assembly includes a pair of U-shaped clamp members connected to each other at their open ends so as to be movable to a generally coplanar clamping position with the cloth clamped therebetween so as to leave an edge thereof exposed, and the cloth strip guide slidably engages the U-shaped clamp assembly so as to control the rotational position of the cloth strip guide with respect to the sewing machine foot and to thereby guide the cloth strip during relative movement between the sewing machine andthe clamp assembly in the U- shaped configuration in which the cloth strip is stitched. Another feature of the invention is that the cloth strip guide includes a slot for guiding the cloth strip below the sewing machine needle and the cloth clamp assembly includes inner and outer U-shaped clamp members so that the clamping of the cloth is at the respective outer and inner edges of these clamp members, and the cloth strip guide slidably engages the inner clamp member to provide the control of its rotational position with respect to the sewing machine foot. Another feature of the invention is that the cloth strip guide slidably engages the inner edges of the inner clamp member to provide the control of the rotational position of the cloth strip guide with respect to the sewing-machine foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above specified features and other features, objects and advantages of this invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the drawings in which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view that shows portions of a sewing machine and a cloth clamp assembly that constitute the apparatus of this invention, and the apparatus is shown as it is stitching an elongated cloth strip onto a piece of cloth in a generally U-shaped configuration;

FIg. 2 is also a perspective view which shows the sewing machine and the clamp assembly of this apparatus with the cloth removed from the clamp assembly;

FIG. 3 is a partially broken away enlarged side view of the sewing machine foot taken generally along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and shows a rotatable cloth strip guide that guides the elongated cloth strip to below the sewing machine needle; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the cloth clamp assembly respectively shown in nonclamping and cloth clamping positions. I

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a sewing machine apparatus according to this invention is generally indicated by numeral and includes a sewing machine indicated generally by 12 as well as a cloth clamp assembly indicated generally by 14. This sewing machine and clamp assembly are used to stitch an elongated cloth strip 16 to a piece of cloth shown in FIG. 1 and indicated by 18. The cloth strip 16 is stitched to cloth 18 in a generally U-shaped configuration by this apparatus so that it is possible to encircle a slit 20 in the piece of cloth.

The sewing machine l2-includes a needle support portion 22-that reciprocally supports a vertical needle 24 for up and down movement in the conventional manner. Top thread 26 is fed to needle 24 in the usual manner, and bobbin thread, not shown, is likewise fed to cooperate with the top thread in performing the stitching operation. The lower end of needle 24 is guided by a needle guide 28, see also FIG. 3. This needle guide has a generallyannular configuration with a central downwardly pointing flat head screw shaped aperture 30 that receivesand guides the needle. Needle guide 28 is itself received within an aperture 32 in the toe 33 of a foot 34 of the sewing machine. A downwardly facing annular shoulder 36 of needle guide 28 seats against the upper side of this toe 33 to limit downward movement of the guide, and a press fitted pin 37 is forced through an aperture in sewing machine foot 34 so as to be received within a portion of an annular groove 38 in the needle guide and to thereby limit upward movement of the guide. The upper end of sewing machine foot 34 includes spacedlegs 40, see Fig. 1, that encircle a rod type support 42 that extends downwardly from the sewing machine. A bolt 44 extends between the free ends of these legs 40 and thereby secures the sewing machine foot 34 to the support 42 in g a fixed condition.

As seen best in FIG. 3, a rotatable cloth strip guide 46 is mounted on the toe 33 of sewing machine foot 34 and includes upper and

lower legs

48 and 49 that have a bifurcated configuration opening to the right when observed as in this view. This guide 46 is positioned on the sewing machine foot prior to the mounting of the needle guide 28, and its

legs

48 and 49, as seen in FIG. 3, have respective apertures 50 and 51 that haveround configurations which receive respective portions of needle wide 28 as this guide is inserted downwardly through the toe 33 of ,foot 34. The needle guide 28 thus acts as a pintle for cloth strip guide 46' so that this latter guide is rotatable about the vertical axis of needle 24. The free end of the foot toe 33 must have a semicircular configuration when observed in a plan view so this rotation can take place for 270 or a slightly greater amount. Engagement between the sides of leg 48 on the cloth strip guide 46 with a surface 55, FTG. 3, on the sewing machine foot 34 just above the toe 33 limits this rotation in both directions. The upper leg 48 of the cloth strip guide is engaged by a head portion 52 of needle guide 28 so that this leg rotates between this portion of the needle guide and the toe 33 of sewing machine foot 34. A downwardly extending groove 53 of guide 46 receives the lower end of cloth strip 16 and guides this cloth strip below the needle 24. This cloth strip guide 46 also includes a slide portion 54 seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The cloth clamp assembly 14, as shown by additional reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, includes inner and outer generally U -Shaped

clamp members

56 and 58. The open ends of these clamp members are connected to each other by pintle pins 59 so as to be movable between the nonclamping position shown in FIg. 4 and the generally coplanar cloth clamping position shown by FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. A handle 61 facilitates easy movement of the clamp assembly to the nonclamping position. These

clamp members

56 and 58 are sized so that the 'U-shaped outer edge 60 of inner clamp member 56 is slightly smaller than the U-shaped inner edge 62 of outer clamp member 58. The space between these U-

shaped edges

60 and 62 of the clamp members is large enough for the clamp members to be moved to the clamping position with the cloth in place, but is small enough so the cloth is securely held with the clamp members in the clamping position. The clamped cloth 18, as seen in FIG. 5, has an exposed edge 64 at the open end of clamp assembly 14 at which the stitching operation may take place. This clamp assembly 14 may be positioned about the cloth slit so that the cloth strip 16 is stitched to cloth 18 about this slit and thereby reinforces the cloth in this area.

The sewing machine 12 and the cloth clamp assembly 14 are mounted for movement relative to each other in the U-shaped configuration in which the cloth strip 16 is to be stitched to cloth 18. This may be accomplished as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 by arms 66 that extend from the cloth clamp assembly and are supported by a suitableunshown linkage arrangement that is moved in a suitable manner to move the clamp assembly. The sewing machine 12 then remains stationary as the clamped cloth 18 is moved in the U-shaped configuration by the clamp assembly. However, it is also possible to have the cloth clamp assembly 14 stationary and to mount sewing machine '12 by a suitable arrangement so as to move in the U-shaped configuration in which the cloth strip 16 is to be stitched to cloth 18.

The cloth strip 16 is stitched to cloth 18 by first positioning the clamped cloth 18. so that its exposed edge 64 is adjacent the sewing machine foot 34. The cloth strip guide 46 is then rotatably positioned so that its slide portion 54 engages the inner U-shaped edge 68 of clamp member 56 with the cloth strip 16 extending downwardly in front of needle 24 and rearwardly below the needle. The sewing machine 12 and clamp assembly 14 are then moved relative to each other so that a stitching operation is performed through the cloth strip 16 so that it is stitched to cloth 18 as slide portion 54 slides along the inner clamp edge 68. As this operation occurs, the cloth strip 16 will be fed downwardly through the slot 53 in guide 46 and will thus lead the sewing machine needle 24. The stitching of the cloth strip 16 to the cloth 18 tends to prevent rotation of the cloth strip guide 46 so that the stitching proceeds in a rectilinear manner. However, when the stitching reaches the closed end of the clamp assembly 14, the slide portion 54 of cloth guide 46 engages the curved configuration of the inner edge 68 on inner clamp member 56. This engagement rotates the guide 46 through as the stitching proceeds so that the cloth strip 16 is always guided downwardly below needle 24 from a forward direction toward which the needle is moving. Thus, the sliding engagement of the rotatable cloth strip guide on the sewing machine foot with the clamp assembly 14 controls the rotational position of this guide during the stitching operation and ensures that the cloth strip 16 is stitched to the cloth in the U- shaped configuration that is desired.

This invention thus provides a sewing machine apparatus for sewing an elongated cloth strip onto a piece of cloth in a generally U-shaped configuration.

What is claimed is:

1. A sewing machine apparatus for sewing an elongated cloth strip onto a piece of cloth in a generally U- shaped configuration, the apparatus comprising, a sewing machine including a foot and a vertically reciprocal needle guided by the foot,a cloth guidefor guiding the cloth strip below the needle, means rotatably supporting the cloth strip guide on the foot about the vertical axis of the needle and the cloth strip guide having a slide portion, a cloth clamp assembly including a pair of generally U-shaped clamp members connected to each other at the open ends thereof so as to be movable between a nonclamping position and a generally coplanar clamping position, the piece of cloth being clamped between the clamp members in the clamping position so as to leave an edge thereof exposed for sewing, and a U-shaped slide surface on the clamp assembly which is engaged by the slide portion of the cloth strip guide during relative movement between the sewing machine and the clamp assembly in the U-shaped configuration in which the cloth strip is to be stitched to the piece of cloth, this engagement controlling the rotational position of the cloth strip guidewith respect to the sewing machine footso as to thereby guide the cloth strip as it is stitched to the exposed edge of the piece of cloth within the U-shaped configuration of the clamp assembly. r

2. A sewing machine apparatus for sewing an elongated cloth strip onto a piece of cloth in a generally U- shaped configuration, the apparatus comprising, a sewing machine including a foot and a vertically reciprocal needle guided by the foot, a cloth strip guide including a slot for guiding the cloth strip below the needle, means rotatably supporting the cloth strip guide onthe foot about the vertical axis of the needle and the cloth strip guide having a slide portion, a cloth clamp assembly including inner and outer generally U-shaped clamp members pivoted to each other at the open ends thereof so as to be movable between a nonclamping position and a generally coplanar clamping position, the piece of cloth being clamped between the clamp members in the clamping position so as to leave an edge thereof exposed for sewing, and a U-shaped slide surface on the inner clamp member which is engaged by the slide portion of the cloth strip guide during relative movement between the sewing machine and the clamp assembly in the U-shaped configuration in which the cloth strip is to be stitched to the piece of cloth, this engagement controlling the rotational position of the cloth strip guide with respect to the sewing machine foot so as to thereby guide the cloth strip as it. is stitched to the exposed edge of the piece of cloth within the U-shaped configuration of the clamp assembly.

Claims

1. A sewing machine apparatus for sewing an elongated cloth strip onto a piece of cloth in a generally U-shaped configuration, the apparatus comprising, a sewing machine including a foot and a vertically reciprocal needle guided by the foot, a cloth guide for guiding the cloth strip below the needle, means rotatably supporting the cloth strip guide on the foot about the vertical axis of the needle and the cloth strip guide having a slide portion, a cloth clamp assembly including a pair of generally U-shaped clamp members connected to each other at the open ends thereof so as to be movable between a nonclamping position and a generally coplanar clamping position, the piece of cloth being clamped between the clamp members in the clamping position so as to leave an edge thereof exposed for sewing, and a U-shaped slide surface on the clamp assembly which is engaged by the slide portion of the cloth strip guide during relative movement between the sewing machine and the clamp assembly in the U-shaped configuration in which the cloth strip is to be stitched to the piece of cloth, this engagement controlling the rotational position of the cloth strip guide with respect to the sewing machine foot so as to thereby guide the cloth strip as it is stitched to the exposed edge of the piece of cloth within the Ushaped configuration of the clamp assembly.

2. A sewing machine apparatus for sewing an elongated cloth strip onto a piece of cloth in a generally U-shaped configuration, the apparatus comprising, a sewing machine including a foot and a vertically reciprocal needle guided by the foot, a cloth strip guide including a slot for guiding the cloth strip below the needle, means rotatably supporting the cloth strip guide on the foot about the vertical axis of the needle and the cloth strip guide having a slide portion, a cloth clamp assembly including inner and outer generally U-shaped clamp members pivoted to each other at the open ends thereof so as to be movable between a nonclamping position and a generally coplanar clamping position, the piece of cloth being clamped between the clamp members in the clamping position so as to leave an edge thereof exposed for sewing, and a U-shaped slide surface on the inner clamp member which is engaged by the slide portion of the cloth strip guide during relative movement between the sewing machine and the clamp assembly in the U-shaped configuration in which the cloth strip is to be stitched to the piece of cloth, this engagement controlling the rotational position of the cloth strip guide with respect to the sewing machine foot so as to thereby guide the cloth strip as it is stitched to the exposed edge of the piece of cloth within the U-shaped configuration of the clamp assembly.