US2749858A - Bellows pleat folder attachment for sewing machine - Google Patents

Description

June 12, 1956 Filed June 23, 1953 R. D. CAMPBELL ETAL 2,749,858

BELLOWS PLEAT FOLDER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 RIC-HARD D.CAr-1Pau.

AMES H .TEAL.

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BELLOWS PLEAT FOLDER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 12 ICHARO D.CAMPBELL BY {a JAM; HfTeAL.

Jun 2. 9 6 R. D. CAMPBELL. ETAL 2,749,853

BELLOWS PLEAT FOLDER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS '2 \CHARD D.CAM p aeu.

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BEnnows PLEAT Boron-n Ar'r cnMaNT F012 SEWING l lichard D. Campbell and lames Teal, Troy, A la assignors to Troy Tex-tiles, Inc Andalusia, Ala, a corporation of Alabama This invention relates to bellows pleat folder attachme'nts for sewing machines and more particularly to such an attachment for a sewing machine at the type normally used for making buttonholes in garments. V w t 7 It is among the objects of the invention to provide a bellows pleat folding attachment mounted on a sewing machine of the type used to make buttonholes to enable the sewing machine to rapidly and accurately provide holding seams across the ends of bellows pleats inpieces of textile material; which can be quickly and easilvinstalled on a sewing machine with no material modification of the sewing machine construction and will automatically fold bellows pleats in pieces of textile material to a predetermined width; which will carry the ends of the folded pleats past the sewing machine needle for the provision of lines of stitching across the ends of the pleats to hold the pleats in properly folded condition; which readily releases the pleated pieces of material after the pleats have been stitched; and which is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture, and eiiective and efficient in use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sewing machine looking from the rear side and the needle end of the machine, showing a pleat folding attachment illustrative of the invention operatively mounted on the machine;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the machine and pleat folding attachment looking from the operators end of the machine;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the machine and attachment with portions of the machine broken away to better illustrate the construction thereof;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line-4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a garment pocket with a bellows pleat formed therein and stitched in the man"- ner performed by the machine and attachment of the present invention.

With continued reference to the drawings, the sewing machine is a well known type of industrial sewing machine manufactured by the Singer Sewing Machine Company and designated as their Model 71-31 Bar-Tack Machine. The machine has a flat base provided at the: operator end thereof with an opening 11 and at its other end with an upstanding standard 12 by which the machine head 13 is supported in upright position above the opening 11. A needle carrier 14 projects from the bottom end of the head 13 and carriesat its lower eiid a needle 15 which passes through the opening in the plat form 16 of the base 10'. The usual bobbin is mounted in the base below the needle, and the needle arid bobbin are driven from the belt driven drive pulley'17 of the machine in the well known manner. A carrier plate 18 is mounted in theplatfonn 1-6 of the machine base to extend tran's United States Patent 2,749,858 Patented June 12, 1956 ice versel y of the base and across the opening 11 and a work plate '20 is slidably mounted in a guideway provided in the carrier plate '18 intermediate the length of this carrier plate ror mavement longitudinally of the base toward andawayfromthe standard 12 of the machine. Reciprocatin'g inovefiient is imparted to the work plate 20 by machine name between the head and the standard of the machine and is driven from the drive belt pulley of the machine by suitable reduction gearing The fced wheel is provided with cam grooves, one of which is designated at 23, a bell crank lever 24 is pivotally mounted on the base at it's angle by a pivot "pin 25 andhas one end disposed in alignment with the groove 23 and carrying a roller which travels in the groove and rocks the bell crank lever about the pivot pin 25 as the feed wheel 21 is rotated, A link 26 is pivotally connected atone end to the work plate 20 and is adjustably connected at its other end to the leg 27 of the bell crank lever 24 for movement toward and away from thepivotal mounting -25 of the bell crank lever to vary the stroke of the work plate 20 suitable means being provided on the machine formaking this adjustment. l p t The rotational speed of the feed wheel 21 issuch that the work plate 23 is moved at a speed in accordance with the operating speed of the needle 15, so that the needle will make a line of stitching as a fabric work piece is moved the needle by the movingwork plate, and the length of the stitching or seam made by the needle is limited the extent of the movement of the work plate 20 past the needle. t t g A These machines are normally used for working buttonholes in garments and the extent of movement of the work plate 20 will be that of the length of the buttonhole which it is desired to work, the needle stitching along the butfonhole as the material is moved past the needle by the work plate 20 to the desired extent, Such machines normally include needle vibrating means for whipping tliestitching back and forth across the edge of a buttonhole, needle turning means for positioning the needleto sewin the reverse direction along the opposite side of the buttonhole as the work plate is moved back in the opposite direction, lateral moving means connected to the carrier plate 18 for shifting the needle from one sideto the other of the buttonhole, and other devices particularly adapted for the working of buttonholes; all of which are disconnected, except the work plate 20 when the machine is used for the operation of the present invention. The machine also includes a special presser foot for holding down the material around the buttonhole on the work plate and this presser foot is also removed when the present attachment is applied to the machine and a differentpresser foot is substituted therefor. As sewing machines of the character indicated are old and well known to the art, and a detailed description of all of thesewing machine mechanism can be readily obtained from manufacturers catalogs, a more detailed illustrationand description of the sewing machine, itself, is considered unnecessary, for the purposes of the present invention.

The pleat folding attachment of the present invention is generally designated at 30 and includes a flat attachment plate 31' of substantially rectangular shape having one end overlying the operators end of the base platform 16 of the machine and secured to the'wo'rk plate 20 of; the machine by suitable means, such as the screws 32 extending through registering apertures in the attachment plate: and the work plate of the machine. The attach'rneiitplate is provided with an opening 33 surround= ing the needle opening 34 in the work plate 20 and extends longitudinally from the space at the front side of the machine, being downwardly curved, as indicated at 36, at its end remote from the work plate 20 of the machine. v

A rib 37 is mounted on the attachment plate 31 and extends longitudinally of the intermediate portion of the attachment plate medially of the width thereof with one end spaced from, but adjacent to the opening 33 in the attachment plate 31 and extends perpendicularly upwardly from the attachment plate and longitudinally of the attachment plate substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of the work plate 20 of the machine.

A pair of flat, longitudinally curved guides 38 and 39 extend along the rib 37 and diverge sharply from the end of this rib remote from the work plate of the machine, being secured at their divergent ends to the attachment plate 31 at the respectively opposite side edges of the attachment plate by suitable means, such as the screw fasteners 40 for the guide 38 and the screw fasteners 41 for the guide 39. These guides are disposed at respectively opposite sides of the rib 37 and above and parallel to the attachment plate 31 and converge from their ends secured to the attachment plate at the respectively opposite side edges of the latter to the end of the rib 37 nearest the work plate of the machine, and are convexly of the edges of the guides 38 and 39 nearest the outer end of the attachment plate 31 to facilitate passing work pieces of textile material under the guides.

A flat bar 45 is mounted on the edge of the rib 37 remote from the attachment plate 31 and is disposed above the guides 38 and 39 and parallel to the attachment plate.

This bar has a width equal to the desired width of the bellows pleat to be folded by the attachment and the rib 37 is disposed medially of the width of the bar 45 and extends longitudinally thereof. The end of the bar nearest the work plate 20 of the machine is substantially coterminous with the corresponding end of the rib, but the opposite end of the bar projects outwardly beyond the adjacent end of the rib 37 and is symmetrically tapered in Width, as indicated at 46, to facilitate the folding of material around this bar to provide a bellows fold.

In order to provide a bellows fold, a work piece of textile material, such as the pocket 47 illustrated in Figure 5, is placed on the outer end portion of the attachment plate 31 to extend longitudinally of the attachment plate and the center portion of the end of this work piece nearest the work plate of the machine is placed over the tapered, outer end 46 of the bar 45. The corners of the work piece, nearest the work plate of the machine, are then placed under the guides 38 and 39 and the Work piece is moved along the bar 45 and the guides 38 and 39 toward the work plate of the machine, the guides folding the material in under the bar 45 as the work piece is advanced, providing a bellows fold in the work piece, as indicated at 48 in Figure 5.

Since the pleat forming attachment and its attachment plate 31 are carried by the Work plate 20 for movement in the reciprocating path of the work plate 20, a line of stitching will be formed across the end of the bellows fold moved under the needle 15 upon operation of the machine. The bar 45, guides 38 and 39 along with their respective upstanding flanges 42 and 43, are caglied by the attachment plate 31 for movement there- W1 Gauges 50 and 51 in the form of rails of right angular cross sectional shape are adjustably mounted on the attachment plate 31 at respectively opposite sides of the assembly including the guides 38 and 39, the bar and the rib 37, and extend along the portion of this assembly between the attached ends of the guides and the ends of the guide nearest the work plate of the machine.

These gauges are adjustably movable toward and away from the adjacent edges of the bar 45 to provide means for properly centering the work pieces relative to the folding bar and the guides, so that fire pleat folds will be provided at the desired locations transversely of the fabric work pieces.

In order to provide a suitable presser foot for the pleat stitching operation of the machine, a bracket 55 is mounted on the attachment plate 31 at the corner of this plate disposed at the rear side of the machine and nearest the standard 12, and this bracket extends upwardly from the attachment plate. A hinge structure 56 has one side 57 thereof mounted on the foot of the bracket 55 and its other side 58 disposed above the side 57 and pivotally connected to the latter for movement relative to the side 57 about an axis which is disposed above and substantially parallel to the attachment plate 31 and substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of the work plate 20 of the machine. A flat bar 60 is secured intermediate its length on the top of the hinge part or side 58 and extends to the location of the machine needle 15. This bar is formed in two pieces having an adjustable length connection 61 therebetween for adjusting the position of the bar adjacent the needle relative to the needle, and a U-shaped presser foot 62 is mounted on the end of the bar 60 nearest the needle by a pivotal connection 63 which extends transversely of the corresponding end portion of the bar and permits the presser foot to rock in a manner to be presently indicated.

The presser foot 62 is connected at the mid-length location of its bight portion 64 to the adjacent end of the pivot pin of the pivotal connection 63 and has legs 65 and 66 extending perpendicularly from the bight portion 64 and spaced apart longitudinally of the supporting bar 60. The legs 65 and 66 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the width of the bar 45 of the folding attachment and are positioned to engage the extreme edges of a bellows pleat folded on the attachment at the corresponding ends of the pleat and hold the edges of the pleat firmly down on the work plate 20 of the machine while the stitching is being made across the end of the pleat.

A leaf spring 68 is secured at one end to the upper end of the bracket 55 and extends longitudinally of the bar 60 toward the end of the bar carrying the presser foot 62. A bearing block 69 is mounted on the bar 60 at the end of the spring 68 remote from the bracket 55 and the spring 68 bears down on this hearing block to exert downward pressure on the presser foot 62.

At its ends remote from the presser foot 62, the bar 60 extends under a roller 70 journaled in a bearing 71 adjustably mounted on a vertically disposed shaft 72, the upper end of which is secured to a lever arm 73 which is rotatably mounted by bearings 74 on a horizontally disposed shaft 75 secured on the machine standard 12 to provide freedom of vertical movement of the vertically disposed shaft 72. At its lower end the shaft 72 passes slidably through an aperture in a lug 76 mounted on the machine base, and the roller 70 bears on the bar 60 in a manner to raise the presser foot 62 away from the fabric work piece when the shaft 72 is forced downwardly.

A lever 78 is pivotally mounted at one end on the shaft 75 and extends outwardly from this shaft substantially parallel to the lever arm 73 and outwardly ofthe outer end of this lever arm. The lever arm 73 is provided at the upper end of the shaft 72 with a notch 80 and the lever 78 carries a pin 81 which engages in the notch 80 in the lever arm 73. A chain 83 is connected at its upper end to the outer end of the lever 78, as indicated at 84, and extends downwardly through an aperture 85 in the machine supporting table to a foot treadle mounted below the table.

Withthis arrangement, when the operator has completed a line of stitching across an end of a bellows pleat in a fabric work piece, the operator depresses the foot amass-s pedal, pulling downwardly onthefchain 83 and raising the presser foot 62 from the materialthrough the intermediacy of the above described mechanism and against theforce of the spring 68: The work piece can now be moved forwardly across the work plate; of the machine and withdrawn fromthe mach-ine at the back side of the machine, and a newwor-kpiece placed on the pleatfolding attachment in amanner to providea bellows pleat therein, as described above. As soon as the end of the pleat in the new work piece is positioned beneath the needle of the machine, the foot pedal is released, permitting the presser foot to be forced downwardly by the spring 68 to hold the work piece firmly in position on the work plate of the machine and the operation of the machine is then continued to traverse the newly formed pleat with a line of stitching.

Most of these machines stop automatically at the completion of a single rotation of the feed wheel 21 and also have thread cutting means which automatically cut the thread at the end of each cycle of operation of the machine. In the present arrangement, the machine may be run through a complete cycle, if desired, thereby providing a double line of stitching across the end of each pleat or, if desired, means may be provided for stopping the machine at each half cycle of its operation, so that a different pleat will be stitched for each movement of the work plate of the machine and only one line of stitching will be placed across each pleat.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a sewing machine having a base with an opening at one end and a standard at its other end, a head supported by said standard above said opening, a needle carrier extending from the bottom end of said head and carrying a needle movable through said opening, a work plate slidably mounted on said base in closing relationship to said opening, and means connected to said work plate reciprocably moving the latter toward and away from said standard and relative to said needle, of a pleat folder attachment comprising an attachment plate secured at one end to said work plate for movement therewith and extending laterally therefrom, a rib mounted at one edge on said attachment plate medially of the width of said plate and extending upwardly therefrom and longitudinally thereof substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of said work plate, longitudinally curved guides mounted at one end on and disposed above said attachment plate adjacent one end thereof remote from said work plate with a guide disposed at each side of said rib and convexly converging from locations spaced from said one end of said rib toward the end of said rib adjacent said work plate, a bar carried by and extending longitudinally of said rib above said guides and substantially parallel to said attachment plate, said bar having a width equal to the desired width of the bellows pleat with its width disposed medially of said rib and having a tapered end portion at the end thereof remote from said work plate whereby pieces of material disposed over the tapered end portion of said bar and under the adjacent portions of said guides will be folded about said bar to form a bellows pleat as the piece of material is moved toward said Work plate and one end of the pleat thus formed will be disposed above the work plate and moved past the needle to stitch the end of the pleat as the work plate is moved.

2. In combination with a sewing machine having a flat base of elongated shape having an opening at one end and a standardat its other end, a head supported by said standard above said; opening, a needle carrier extendplate and extending upwardly therefrom and longitudinally thereof substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of said work plate, longitudinally curved guides carried by and disposed above said attachment plate one at each side of said rib and convexly converging from locations spaced from the end of said rib remote from said work plate toward the end of said rib adjacent said work plate, an elongated flat bar carried by and extending longitudinally of said rib above said guides and substantially parallel to said attachment plate, said bar having a width equal to the desired width or" the bellows pleat with its width disposed medially of said rib and having a tapered end portion at the end thereof remote from said work plate whereby pieces of material disposed over the tapered end portion of said bar and under the adjacent portions of said guides will be folded about said bar to form a bellows pleat as the piece of material is moved toward said work plate and one end of the pleat thus formed will be disposed above the work plate and moved past the needle to stitch the end of the pleat as the work plate is moved, and a pair of gauge bars, each of said bars adjustably mounted on said attachment plate at a location spaced from the opposite sides of said bar for centering Work pieces in said attachment relative to said bar.

3. A pleat folding attachment for a sewing machine comprising a substantially flat generally rectangular attachment plate provided with an opening for receiving a needle therethrough and adapted to be connected at one end in overlying relation to a sewing machine work plate and to extend laterally from the latter with its longitudinal axis perpendicular to the line of feed, a pleat folding means mounted on said attachment plate and adapted to be disposed entirely to one side of the sewing machine needle and to extend longitudinally from the needle and perpendicular to the line of feed, said means comprising a rib extending medially longitudinally along said attachment plate and perpendicularly therefrom with one end thereof adapted to be disposed adjacent the needle, a bar secured on said rib to extend longitudinally thereof in spaced parallel relation to said attachment plate with said rib disposed medially of the width of said bar, and longitudinally curved bars fixedly mounted on the upper surface of said attachment plate and disposed longitudinally of and spaced from respectively opposite sides of said rib and diverging from said rib in a direction away from the other end of the rib.

4. A pleat folding attachment for a sewing machine comprising a substantially fiat generally rectangular attachment plate provided with an opening for receiving a needle therethrough and adapted to be connected at one end in overlying relation to a sewing machine work plate and to extend laterally from the latter with its longitudinal axis perpendicular to the line of feed, a pleat folding means mounted on said attachment plate and adapted to be disposed entirely to one side of the sewing machine needle and to extend longitudinally from the needle and perpendicular to the line of feed, said means comprising a rib extending medially longitudinally along said attachment plate and perpendicularly therefrom with one end thereof adapted to be disposed adjacent the needle, a bar secured on said rib to extend longitudinally thereof in spaced parallel relation to said attachment plate with said .and spaced from respectively opposite sides of said rib and diverging from said rib in a direction away from the .Other end of the rib, the end of said rib projecting 0utwardly beyond said other end of said bar being tapered -in width to facilitate the folding of material around said rib and said bar provide a bellows fold.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 416,182 Osterhout Dec. 3, 1889 8 Sauber Mar. 31, 1891 Mofiatt Dec. 28, 1915 De Voe Aug. 14, 1917 Miller Dec. 12, 1922 Allen Jan. 5, 1932 Kierner May 27, 1941 Faulkner June 20, 1950 Rich Oct. 30, 1951

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