US2318836A - Sewing machine cover plate - Google Patents

Description

May 11, 1943.

A. B. CLAYTON SEWING MACHINE COVER-PLATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 12, 1941 4 Sum:

W Lmeom 3 May 11, 1943. A. B. CLAYTOYN SEWING MACHINE COVER-PLATE Filed Sept. 12, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3& 3 3? 22 Patented May 11, 1943 UNiTE STATES rice Singer Manufacturing Company,

Elizabeth,

N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application September 12, 1941, Serial No. 410,521

8 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in cover-plates for a sewing machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine frame with one or more coverplates equipped with substantially unitary latching mechanisms of simple design which facilitate assembly of the machine.

A more specific object of the present inven tion is to provide a pair of cover-plates having a common latching mechanism for a work-supporting arm of a sewing machine.

With the above and other objects in View, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention. and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the machine.

' Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the work-supporting arm end-section showing both coverplates in open positions.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the work-supporting arm end-section, the cover-plate being shown as closed in full lines and as open in broken lines.

Fig. 4 is a right side view of work-supporting arm disclosed in Fig. 2 and showing one of the cover-plates as closed in full lines and as open in broken lines.

Fig. 5 is a front end View of the work-supporting arm of Fig. 2 illustrating both coverplates in open positions.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 6-6 of Fig. 1, and showing the coverplates as closed in full lines and as open in broken lines.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken substantially along line 'i---'! of Fig. 5 and showing portions of the cover-plates as open in broken lines, and the latching mechanism and cover-plate mounting means as closed in full lines.

Fig. 8 is a portion of a vertical section taken substantially along line 8-8 of Fig. 4 and showing the latching mechanism in closed positions.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken along line 9-4) of Fig. 7.

The present invention is herein illustrated as employed on a feed-oil-the-arm sewing machine. 1

The machine frame includes the usual gooseneck l0 which terminates at its free end in the hollow head ll carrying the reciprocatory needle-bar l2 and the presser-bar I3 fitted, respectively, with needles l4 and presser-foot it. Both the needlebar l2 and the presser-bar i3 are actuated by the usual mechanisms, such as illustrated in my Patent No. 1,996,040, dated Mar. 26, 1935. p

The gooseneck I!) is rigidly mounted upon a U-shaped bed 16 only a part of which is herein shown, and rearwardly extending from a portion of this bed is a hollow horizontal work-supporting arm ll terminating at its free end below the head H,

Mounted in the free end of the arm I! are the usual feeding and looper mechanisms as represented, respectively, by the feed-dogs l8 and the loopers I9. The feeding and looper actuating mechanisms are driven from the usual needle bar actuating shaft 29 by means. of the conventional clip-belt (not shown) housed within the belt-casing 2i exteriorly of the sewing machine frame proper.

The free end of the hollow worksu porting arm I! is enclosed by means of an end-wall 22, and mounted upon the top portion of the arm is a conventional throat-plate 23. Substantially oppositely disposed openings, defined, respective ly, by the cut- away side walls 24 and 25, are provided in the arm IT for clearance or inspection openings through which the loopers l9'may be properly threaded. These openings 2i and 25 are closed during the normal sewing operations by means of cover-plates 26 and 21, respectively. The end-wall 22 of the arm ll is provided with a pair of horizontally disposed grooves 28, each designed to receive a portion of a cover-plate so that the latter elements may be properly recessed within the openings, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6.

Horizontally disposed within the end wall 22- is a cylindrical aperture 29 within which latch-' ing'mechanism is slidingly mounted. The coverplates 26 and 21 are mounted upon the outer ends of this mechanism. This latching mechanism comprises two coaxial cylindrical units or plungers 30 and 3| which are urged toward each other within the aperture 29 by means of a coil-spring 32. Each of the units 30 and at is provided with a central bore 33 extending lengthwise thereof, and an end of the spring 32 is anchored within each of said bores :33 by means of a pin 34 mounted crosswise within each cylindrical unit.

Secured to the face of the end wall 22 by means of a screw 35 is an arm 36 which is associated with the units 30 and 31 through the medium of two guide and stop elements 31' and 38, formed on the respective end-portions of the arm 36.

The guide and stop element 31 is received by a slot 39 formed in the unit 3! and, as the element 31 is stationary, it functions, as best illustrated in Fig. 8, to keep the unit 3| from turning about its longitudinal axis and permits it to slide lengthwise of itself. The outward movement of the unit 3| is arrested whenever the stop-element 3! engages the end-wall 40 of the slot 39.

The hinge-piece 4| is pivotally secured within the slot 39 by means of a pin 42 mounted crosswise within the unit 3|. Formed on the outer end of the hinge-piece 4| is a rivet portion 43 which secures the cover-plate 21 rigidly to the hinge-piece 4|. It may be understood therefore, from the above description, and by particular reference to Fig. 7, that the cover-plate 21 may be pulled outwardly until the stop 31 engages the end-wall 40, at which point the cover-plate may be swung about the vertically disposed pivot-pin 42. The hinge-piece 4| is arcuate in shape along the edge 44 thereof to permit the piece to be properly pivoted. As best illustrated in Fig. 7, the pointed portion 45 of the hinge-piece and the lip 46 of the cover-plate 21 function as stops which engage diametrically opposite points of the side walls of the aperture 29 to thereby lock the coverplate 21 in open position.

To lessen the cost of manufacture, a slot corresponding to slot 39 of the unit 3| was not provided in the other unit 30. In lieu of such a slot, shoulders 41 are formed on the unit 30 and, as

shown by Fig. 9, these shoulders 41 will engage the guide 38 and thereby permit the unit to turn only slightly about its longitudinal axis. A vertically disposed slot 48, however, is provided in the unit 30 for the purpose of receiving the guide 38 and thereby permitting the unit to be turned about its longitudinal axis. However, as illustrated by the broken lines of Fig. '7, the unit must first be shifted outwardly for th slot 48 to engage the guide 38. The outward movement of the unit 30 is arrested whenever the stop element 38 engages the end-wall 49 of the slot.

The outer end of the unit 30 is provided with a rivet portion which rigidly secures the coverplate 26 thereto. From the above description it will be understood that the cover-plate 26 may be shifted outwardly and then shifted downwardly about the longitudinal axis of the unit 30. The stop 38 will, while engaged by the slot 48, lock the cover-plate 26 in its outward position.

The cover-plates 26 and 2'! are each provided with a spring-arm 52 secured to the inner face thereof for the purpose of engaging the respective side-walls 24 and of the arm I! to thereby cooperate with the coil-spring 32 in yieldingly retaining the cover-plates in closed positions. Slots 53 are formed in the cover-plates 26 and 21 to provide openings through which lint and other foreign matter may escape from the hollow arm As best illustrated in Fig. 3, the lips 46, which are formed on th end-portions of the cover plates 26 and 21, extend forwardly past the face of the end-wall 22 and thereby function as fingerpieces, by means of which an operator may more readily grasp said plates for manipulating the same.

From the above description it will be obvious that either of the two cover-plates 26 or 21, with its respective plunger unit or 3|, could be omitted from the present machine without impairing the function or operation of the remaining unit. The free end of the coil-spring 32 would need only be secured to the machine arm l1 and the remaining cover-plate would function properly.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what I claim herein is:

1. In a sewing machine, the combination of a hollow frame having an inspection opening therein and a cylindrical aperture adjacent said inspection opening, a cylindrically shaped plunger shiftably mounted within said aperture, said plunger being provided with a longitudinally disposed central bore and a slot formed in the outer surface of the plunger and disposed lengthwise thereof, a coil spring having one end secured within said bore and the other end secured without said plunger so as to force the plunger into said aperture, a guide and stop element carried by said frame, said element engaging said slot for the purpose of preventing rotative movement and for limiting the shifting movements of said plunger, a hinge-piece pivotally mounted upon the outer end of said plunger, and a coverlate fixedly secured to said hinge-piece and adapted to normally cover said inspection opening.

2. Ina sewing machine, the combination of a hollow frame having an inspection opening therein and a cylindrical aperture adjacent said inspection opening, a cylindrical shaped plunger shiftably mounted within said aperture, said plunger being provided with a longitudinally disposed central bore and a slot formed in the outer surface of the plunger and disposed transversely of its longitudinal axis, a coil spring having one end secured within said bore and the other end secured without said plunger so as to force the plunger into said aperture, a guide and stop element carried by said frame, said element engaging said slot for the purpose of guiding the rotative movements of said plunger and to lock the plunger in a predetermined position, shoulders formed on the outer surface of said plunger for the purpose of engaging said guide and stop element so as to limit certain rotative movements of said plunger, and a cover-plate rigidly secured upon the outer end of said plunger and normally disposed over said inspection opening.

3. A hollow sewing machine frame having opposed inspection openings therein and formed with a transverse aperture adjacent said inspection openings, a pair of spring connected plungers disposed end-to-end in said aperture, and cover-plates for said inspection openings mounted each on the outer end portion of a respective one of said plungers.

4. In a sewing machine, the combination of a work-supporting arm having a pair of substantially oppositely opposed openings therein, latching mechanism carried by said arm and including two separable coaxial units, spring means to urge said units towards each other, said units being adapted to be shifted relative to each other lengthwise of their common axis in opposition to said spring means, means to prevent said separable units from rotating about their common axis, stop elements secured to said arm and associated with said units for limiting the lengthwise shifting movements thereof, means to lock said units in predetermined positions, and a pair of cover-plates each mounted on an outer end of one of said separable units, each cover-plate being normally disposed over one of said arm openings.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination of a work-supporting arm having a pair of substantially oppositely disposed inspection openings therein and formed with a transverse aperture adjacent said inspection openings, a pair of spring connected plungers disposed end-to-end in said aperture and being adapted to be shifted lengthwise of and relative to each other, stop and guiding elements secured to said arm and associated with said plungers for limiting the lengthwise shifting movements thereof, means to lock said plungers in predetermined positions, and a pair of cover-plates each mounted on an outer end of one of said plungers, each coverplate being normally recessed within one of said inspection openings.

6. A hollow sewing machine work-supporting arm having opposed inspection openings adjacent its free end and formed with a transverse aperture adjacent said inspection openings, a pair of cylindrically shaped plungers disposed endto-end in said aperture and being adapted to be shifted lengthwise of and relative to each other, each of said plungers having a longitudinally disposed central bore, a spring element one end of which is secured within a respective plunger bore, a pair of stop and guide elements secured to said arm and engaging said plungers for the purpose of limiting and guiding the movements thereof, and a pair of cover-plates each mounted on an outer end of one of said plungers, each cover-plate being normally recessed within one of said inspection openings.

7. A hollow sewing machine frame having an inspection opening therein and formed with a transverse cylindrical aperture adjacent said inspection opening, a cylindrically shaped plunger shiftably mounted within said aperture and having a retracted and an extended position, a spring mounted within said aperture and engaging said plunger so as to urge the same into its retracted position, said plunger having a slot formed therein, a guide element carried by said frame and engaging said slot for the purpose of limiting the movement of said plunger, a cover-plate for said inspection opening mounted upon said plunger and normally disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said plunger, and latching means operable in response to a turning movement of said coverplate for locking said plunger in its extended position.

8. A hollow sewing machine frame having an inspection opening therein and formed with a transverse cylindrical aperture adjacent said inspection opening, a cylindrically shaped plunger shiftably mounted within said aperture and having a retracted and an extended position, a spring mounted within said aperture and engaging said plunger so as to urge the same into its retracted position, said plunger having a longitudinal slot formed therein, a guide element carried by said frame and engaging said slot for the purpose of limiting the movement of said plunger, a coverplate for said inspection opening hingedly mounted upon said plunger and normally disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said plunger, a latching element carried by said cover-plate for engaging said frame in response to a pivotal movement of said cover-plate for the purpose of locking said plunger in its extended position.

ANDREW B. CLAYTON.

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