US3377971A - Automatic embroidery machine - Google Patents

Description

April 16, 1968 H. FIRESTEIN ET AL 3,377,971

AUTOMATIC EMBROIDERY MACHINE Filed Nov. 5, 1964 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS HARRY FIRESTEIN KARL TYAS BY EDWARD FREEMAN April 16, 1968 H. FIRESTEIN ET AL AUTOMATIC EMBROIDERY MACHINE Filed Nov. 5, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 N g o m mini I M Q LL.

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INVENTORS HARRY FIRESTEIN KARL TYAS BY EDWARD FREEMAN fiq/W ATTORNEY April 16, 1968 H. FIRESTEIN ET AL 3,377,971

AUTOMATIC EMBROIDERY MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed 5, 1964 INVENTORS L TYAS BY EDWARD FREMAN ATTONEY IIII NM 7 1 g mw TQM wm w Q mm 5 m mm April 16, 1968 H. FIRESTEIN ET AL 3,377,971

AUTOMATIC EMBROIDERY MACHINE Filed Nov. 5, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I I L 5/ I 5 l g I 59 45 46 I I 47 I I I 0' I f I5 4/ 5 l 5 p 4 I NVENTORS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,377,971 AUI'GMATIC EMBRGIDERY MACHINE Harry Firestein, Barrington, El, and Karl Tyas, Ocean Grove, and Edward Freeman. Fall River, Mass, assigners, hy mesne assignments, to Louis Hand incorporated,

a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Nov. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 408,557 4 Ciaims. (Cl. 112-102) Our present invention relates to embroidery machinery and more particularly to a novel construction of an automatically operated embroidery machine.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an embroidery machine which is preset to produce the desired design automatically.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an embroidery machine for producing fancy borders, initials, lettering or similar items without the necessity of manually guiding the needle on a prefixed design on the clot Another object of the present invention is to provide an embroidery machine in which the design is automatically traced by the machine and not by any manual manipulation of the operator thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic embroidery machine which is an improvement over the existin types of manually operated machines.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic embroidery machine which is simple in construction and easy and economical to manufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, our invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawin s, and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embroidery machine embodying our present invention sewing a design on a piece of cloth.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation showing the operative parts of the machine.

FlG. 3 is a perspective view of the operating parts mounted below the sewing head.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view showing the cam and lever arrangement.

FIG. 5 is a section tat-zen on line 5-5 on FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the cam drive.

Machines are normally provided for producing fancy embroidery designs as a border on material or On any sewable material and also for producing names, initials, lettering of any type and small designs. These machines normally operate with a head which can be manually directed in any given direction. The design or initial is chalked or otherwise traced on the material. The operator feeds the material under the needle and manually turns the head to follow the design on the material. A well known machine designed for this purpose is imported from Europe and known as a Cornely Embroidery Machine. The presser foot on this machine is designed to push or feed the material in any direction in which it is faced. The machine is provided with a manually operable lever or crank just under the table which the operator turns to swing the sewing head in any direction to follow the tracing of the design on the material passing under the needle. This type of operation is therefore slow and costly and requires operators with skills developed from constantly running the machine.

3,377,971 Patented Apr. 16, 1968 ice The present invention is designed to provide a machine of the Cornely type illustrated in US. Patent 83,910, which is completely automatic in operation. The machine of the present invention does not require the design to be traced on the cloth and does not require the operator to manipulate the machine to trace out the design. In the machine of the present invention the design is preset in the machine by means of multiple cams. It is therefore only necessary for the operator to place the material to be embroidered beneath the sewing needle and to pass it beneath the needle. The machine does the rest. Accuracy, high speed and much lower costs with unskilled labor is possible with the machine of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the machine is mounted on a suitable table 1% on which is positioned the sewing machine horizontal standard 11 and sewing head 12. Within said sewing head 12 is a conventional swivel head including an annular sewing foot 13 which surrounds the needle. Said sewing foot 13 can be swiveled in any direction and which vibrates to move the material in the direction in which it is faced. These types of machines usually sew a chain stitch, and the embroidery or initials or other insignia can be readily spelled out with the thread itself. However, it is customary to have the chain stitch sew a piece of tape tracing out the desired design. Accordingly FIG. 1 shows the machine equipped with the spool of tape 14 which is mounted above the head 12 and the tape is fed through the head beneath the needle to form the embroidery 15 on the material. A large bolster 16 is provided to wind the material and help pull it through the machine. Power to the sewing machine head is provided in. a vconventional manner by means of the pulley wheel 17' driven through a belt 18 from the motor 19 mounted beneath the table it) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Suspended beneath the table 10 as by posts 29 is an auxiliary table 21 on which the control mechanism is mounted. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive motor 19 is actually mounted or suspended from the rear portion of the auxiliary table 21. Swivel movement of the embroidery head is controlled by a vertical shaft 22 extending between the table 19 and the auxiliary table 21 and supported in a block 23 positioned on the auxiliary table 21. Intermediate the ends of the shaft 22 is a collar 2- which joins the upper and lower portions of the shaft and takes the place of the manually operated gear with which the machine is originally equipped. In accordance with the present invention operation of the shaft 22 and the conventional swivel mechanism within head 12 is controlled automatically by the mechanism mounted at the bottom of the auxiliary table 21 and driven by the mechanism mounted on top of the auxiliary table 21 and between the table 19 and the table 21.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, a horizontal driving shaft 25 is mounted on the auxiliary table 21 in spaced supports 26. The left end of the table 21 is provided with a C-shaped support 27 in which a vertical drive shaft 28 is mounted. The drive shaft 28 is surrounded by a worm gear 2 which is in turn driven by the worm 30 mounted at the left end of the horizontal shaft 25. The right end of the shaft 25 is driven through a coupling 31, shaft 32 and pulley wheel 33. Rotation is provided by a belt 34 driven by the same pulley wheel 17 which drives the machine head 11 as shown in FIG. 2. This provides the power for the operation of the mechanism which controls the shaft 22 and the movement of the embroidery head 12.

Mounted on the shaft 28, beneath the auxiliary table 21 are a pair of spaced earns 35 and 36 separated by a spacer coller 37. The cams 35 and 35 are therefore simultaneously rotated through the shaft 28 worm gear 29 and shaft 25 from the power supply hereinabove described.

Now referring to FIG. 4, the earns and 36 are designed to operate upon a plura ity of lovers pivotally mounted beneath the auxiliary table 21. The pointed end 33 of the lever arm 39 bears against the right side of the inner cam 35 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. An L-shaped lever 40 is pivoted at one end 41 to the auxiliary table 21 and intermediate its ends it is connected by a pivot pin 42 to the lever arm 39. The outer end of the L-shaped lever 40 is attached to a coil spring 43 having its opposite end mounted in a fixed bar 44 extending from the table 21. With this arrangement it is obvious that the spring 43 urges the lever arm 40 pivotally counterclockwise, thus resiliently pulling the point of the lever arm 39 against the edge of the cam 35. The lever arm 39 will thus move horizontally, viewing FIG. 4, as it rides over the various bumps and convolutions of the cam 35. The rear end of the lever arm 39 is pivoted at 45 to a lever 46 pivotally mounted at 47 to the auxiliary table 21. In spaced relation to the lever 46 is another lever 48 also pivoted at 49 to the table 21, the pivot 47 being approximately in the center of the pivot 46, whereas the pivot 49 is adjacent one end of the pivot 48. The outer ends of the levers 46 and 48 are pivotally connected by a short lever bar 50. The other end of the lever 48 is connected at a pivot point 51 to a lever arm 52 which is pivotally connected at 53 to a collar 54 mounted at the bottom extension of the shaft 22. Thus movement of the cam 35 will be transmitted through the point 38, lever 39, to the lever 46, which will rock about its pivot 47. This is transmitted to the bar 50, to the lever 48, which rocks about its pivot 49, pushing the lever arm 52 and causing rotating movement of the collar 54. This will rotate the shaft 22 and in turn the swivel mechanism within sewing head 12 which will cause change in direction of the embroidery stitching.

The second lower cam 36 also operates a series of levers illustrated in FIG. 4. The point 55 of the lever arm 56 bears against the edge of the cam 36 ninety degrees removed from the point 38 of the lever arm 39. An L- shaped lever arm 57 is pivoted at one end 58 to the auxiliary table and its outer end 59 is attached to one end of a spring 60, the other end of the spring 66 being attached to the fixed bar 44. Thus the resilient action of the spring 60 tends to move the lever arm 57 towards the cam 36 thus holding the point 55 of the lever bar 56 resiliently against the cam 36 at the pivotal connection 61. The outer end of the lever arm 56 is pivoted at 62 to a horizontal lever bar 63 which is pivotally connected adjacent the pivot point 62 to the auxiliary table 21. The

outer end of the lever bar 63 is pivotally connected at 64 to a straight lever bar 65 attached to the pivot point 53, the same pivot point to which the lever bar 52 is connected.

Thus the movement of the cam 36 will cause the movement of the short lever bar 56, pivotal movement of the lever bar 63, and movement of the lever arm 65 hearing against the pivot point 53 on the collar 54. This results in a movement of the collar 54 and rotation of the shaft 22 as a resultant of the action of the two cams 35 and 36. This is necessary in order to allow a rotation of the swivel head which will permit a virtual 360 embroidery. Thus, to enable the swivel head to move to provide the loops and swirls as illustrated in FIG. 1, two cams are provided, one tending to move the swivel head to sew in a vertical direction and the other tending to move the swivel head to sew in a horizontal direction, and the final movement is the resultant of two forces. Rotation of the collar 54 and shaft 22 is from a single point operated on by the levers provided from each cam to provide the resultant of the two forces.

Operation of the machine is thus obvious. The design is worked out in advance and after proper graphing the two cams are cut and matched. The cams are mounted in position on the shaft 28 in Spaced relation so that the levers bear against them as. illu tr t in FIG. 4-

Note that the springs 43 and 66 take up any variations in the cams and hold the points 38 and 55 against the cams regardless of the size or depth of the cuts on the edge of the cam. The operator now positions the material beneath the sewing head 12 and starts the machine. No further guidance is required. The machine will sew the stitch or tape on the material in the direction required in response to the rotating movement of the shaft 22. Power to the cam is provided through the shaft 25 as hereinabove described. Since the cams are driven off the pulley wheel 17, when the machine is stopped the cams stop and when the machine is started the cams start so that there can be no differential between thetwo. The machine can thus be operated at a much greater speed than the manual tracing of the design, and the design is completely uniform regardless of the number of pieces of material that are fed through the machine. Furthermore, the cams can be removed and stored and used again at a later date to repeate the same designs. The operator need not be skilled and is only required to replenish the thread or tape and feed the material under the needle. Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. In an embroidery machine, a sewing mechanism having a swivel sewing head, means for driving said sewing mechanism, means for swiveling said head, a rotatable shaft for operating said swivel means, a collar on said rotatable shaft, a pair of spaced, axially aligned, disc cams mounted on a single drive shaft for embroidering a predetermined design, each of said cams having a pointed follower arm resiliently urged against the cam edge, said follower arms being at to each other, each of said follower arms being pivotally connected to a lever arrangement, said lever arrangements both terminating at the same pivot point on said collar, said lever arrangements extending to said common pivot point at a 90 angle to each other, and means for rotating said cam drive shaft during the operation of said sewing mechanism drive means.

2. An embroidery machine as in claim 1 wherein said lever arrangements are pivoted to multiply the movement of said cam follower arms.

3. An embroidery machine as in claim 1 wherein said sewing mechanism drive comprises a pulley wheel on said sewing mechanism, an electric motor, and a drive belt connecting said motor to said pulley wheel, a worm gear mounted on said cam prive shaft, a drive shaft having a worm at one end meshing with said worm gear, a pulley wheel mounted at the other end of said drive shaft, and a second drive belt connecting said cam shaft pulley wheel with said sewing mechanism pulley wheel.

4. An embroidery machine as in claim 2 wherein said sewing mechanism drive comprises a pulley wheel on said sewing mechanism, and electric motor, and a drive belt connecting said motor to said pulley wheel, a Worm gear mounted on said cam drive shaft, a drive shaft having a worm at one end meshing with said worm gear, a pulley wheel mounted at the other end of said drive shaft, and a second drive belt connecting said cam shaft pulley wheel with said sewing mechanism pulley wheel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 714,817 12/1902 Nadel 112 102 1,603,644 10/1926 Sibbald etal "112-102 1, 11,372 12/1926 Rader 112 9s 2,264,779 12/1941 Tillett .112 102 2,797,656 7/1957 Reid 112147X FOREIGN PATENTS 480,788 8/1929 Germany.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

ALFRED R. GUEST, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN AN EMBROIDERY MACHINE, A SEWING MECHANISM HAVING A SWIVEL SEWING HEAD, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID SEWING MECHANISM, MEANS FOR SWIVELING SAID HEAD, A ROTATABLE SHAFT FOR OPERATING SAID SWIVEL MEANS, A COLLAR ON SAID ROTATABLE SHAFT, A PAIR OF SPACED, AXIALLY ALIGNED, DISC CAMS MOUNTED ON A SINGLE DRIVE SHAFT FOR EMBROIDERING A PREDETERMINED DESIGN, EACH OF SAID CAMS HAVING A POINTED FOLLOWER ARM RESILIENTLY URGED AGAINST THE CAM EDGE, SAID FOLLOWER ARMS BEING AT 90* TO EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID FOLLOWER ARMS BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO A LEVER ARRANGEMENT, SAID LEVER ARRANGEMENTS BOTH TERMINATING AT THE SAME PIVOT POINT ON SAID COLLAR, SAID LEVER ARRANGEMENTS EXTENDING TO SAID COMMON PIVOT POINT AT A 90* ANGLE TO EACH OTHER, AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CAM DRIVE SHAFT DURING THE OPERATION OF SAID SEWING MECHANISM DRIVE MEANS.

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