US3048135A - Method and means for making buttonholes in series formation - Google Patents

Description

W. HEIMANN Aug. 7, 1962 METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING BUTTONHOLES IN SERIES FORMATION Filed Sept. 5, 1958 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent Ofitice 3,48,l35 Patented Aug. 7, 1962 3,048,135 METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING BUTTON HOLES IN SERIES FORMATIGN Willi Heimann, Kaiserslautern, Pfalz, Germany, assignor to G. M. Pfalt A.G., Kaiserslautern, Pfalz, Germany Filed Sept. 5, 1958, Ser. No. 759,314 Claims priority, application Germany Sept. 9, 1957 4 Claims. (Cl. 11 2155) This invention relates to a system of sewing buttonholes and concerns the arrangement of a plurality of sewing machines for simultaneously finishing at least two buttonholes which are disposed in spaced apart relation along the product or workpiece to be providedwith buttonhole seams.

It is one of the principal objects of the invention to provide means facilitating finishing of a plurality of buttonholes during sewing operation eiiected by a single operator, whereby great accuracy and highly economical advantages are attained.

It is another object of the invention to provide means contributing to speedy and precise sewing operation in the course of simultaneously finishing several buttonholes, the seams thereof may be aligned or disposed in parallel relation to each other.

Still a further object of the invention resides in the provision of means ensuring performance of buttonhole sewing operations even by unskilled labor, the feed mechanisms of said sewing machines being adjusted to be readily displaced relative to each other with the workpiece without any particular effort or any requirement of dexterity.

It is 'still another object of the invention to provide means conducive to a highly efiicacious buttonhole sewing system, in which the operational steps are substantially automatically carried out, thereby simplifying manipulation and minimizing loss of time for the operator.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide means leading to a very economical, speedy and easily operable buttonhole sewing system, which to a certain extent takes advantage of heretofore existing sewing machines which may be readily regulated relative to the workpiece for the ensuing seam sewing operation.

More specifically the present invention aims at adjusting the heads of two aligned sewing machines in face-toface relation to each other and at a predetermined distance, so that the workpiece initially extending between the edges of said heads in substantially flat and taut condition upon completion of aligned oblong edge seams of two spaced buttonholes has gradually and equally risen within the space between said facing machine heads, thereby to permit unimpeded feed of the workpiece during simultaneous finishing operations of both said buttonholes.

Still another object of the present invention resides in the provision of means improving to a considerable extent the application of seams to and the transport of two spaced apart buttonholes of a workpiece along a base support, and of further means eifectuating in a highly economical manner an adequate feed of the workpiece 'in such a way, that two further buttonholes of the same workpiece may be subsequently worked up, of which at least one buttonhole may be located between said first mentioned two spaced apart buttonholes.

These and other objects of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows the workpiece having a plurality of spaced apart buttonholes and illustrating same at the beginning of the sewing operation for applying seams or stitches;

FIG. 2 shows an intermediate stage in the sewing operation schematically illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 shows portions of the workpiece on an enlarged scale with seams along two coordinated buttonholes.

With reference to the attached drawing, FIG. 1 shows the arrangement of two sewing machines at the start of the sewing operation for applying seams to buttonholes 4a, 4b to be produced. The workpiece 1 is under the action of the presser feet 2, 2a of the two sewing machines 3, 3a having their heads 10, 16a arranged at a predetermined distance from each other which heads carry respective sewing needles 5, 5a. At first, each sewing machine 3, 3a provides a lengthy seam 6a, 6b (FIG. 3) along aligned edges defining buttonholes 4a, 4b, whereby the workpiece 1 to be processed is depressed by presser feet 2, 2a and then transported in the course of the operation in the direction of arrows A, B and also into the direction C upwardly within the space between the heads 10, 10a.

The workpiece 1 is in taut condition at the start of the needle operational positions 5, 5a, whereafter during application of the stitches or seams 5a, 6b of each buttonhole 4a, 4b between the headsli), 10a of the machines the workpiece 1 performs a maximum movement about double the length'of seam 6a or 612. In the event that the workpiece 1 is placed between two sewing machines arranged in tandem relation and equipped with an intermittently working feed mechanism, then suchfeed action may not encounter any difficulties. To this end, well known clamping means with several clamps for the workpiece may be employed, as for example, known by US. Patent No. 2,194,794.

FIG. 2 demonstrates the location of the workpiece 1 having moved in the directions A, B after finishing the first seam portions 6, 6a of the buttonholes 4a, 4b to be produced. By means of the sewing system disclosed by this invention, it is possible to finish subsequently, for example, the first and fourth buttonholes, thereafter the second and fifth buttonholes of a row of buttonholes whose edges are aligned or are parallel to each other and the axes 11, 11a, whereby the distance between two buttonholes of the first sewing operation amounts to a multiple of the distance between two adjacent buttonholes which are disposed next to each other.

The finishedbuttonholes 4 have received their stitchings upon further movement of workpiece 1 in the directions D, E (FIG. 2). Worktables 9, 9a are adjustable relative to support 7 along median line 8:: of groove 8 and interengage the latter with corresponding tongues 12 depending from the worktables 9, 9a. Median line 8a is intersected by vertical median line 819 between heads 10, 10a.

The two sewing machines 3, 3a are correspondingly adjusted a predetermined distance apait on the base support 7, and are held in place by the interlocking action between tongues 12 and groove 8.

The workpiece, when moved by known intermittent working feed mechanisms as hereinabo-ve referred to such as indicated in US. Patent 2,194,794, for example, advance forwardly only each time about a fraction of the distance between two buttonholes to be provided with stitches or seams in a single sewing operation. Thereafter and subsequently several buttonholes of a row of buttonholes provided in workpiece 1, may be directly worked upon and applied with successive seams.

It can thus be seen that there has been provided according to this invention a sewing system and process of applying simultaneously respective finishing stitches or seams to at least two spaced apart buttonholes provided in a'lengthy workpiece, which comprises the steps of placing said workpiece between spaced apart sewing machines with their needle carrying heads in face-to-face relation, adjusting said machines with their needle carrying heads in fixed position on a base support, so that said needles are located at the corresponding ends of said two button holes to apply said seams thereon, and then feeding said workpiece from a substantially tlat and taut position between said' needles along the length of each buttonhole seam toward the center of the space between said heads thereby to simultaneously finish the respective seams of both said buttonholes in a single sewing operation.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and it is intended that such obvious changes and modifications be embraced by the annexed claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. The process of applying simultaneously respective seams to two spaced apart buttonholes provided in a lengthy workpiece; comprising the steps of placing said workpiece between spaced apart sewing machines with their needle carrying reads in face-toface relation, adiusting said machines with their needle carrying heads in position on a base support so that said needles are located at the outermost ends of said two buttonholcs to apply said seams thereon, and then feeding said workpiece from a substantially flat and taut position between said needles along the length of each buttonhole seam toward the center of the space between said heads to simultaneously finish said seams of both said buttonholes in a single sewing operation.

2. A sewing system for producing seams simultaneously for a pair of spaced buttonholes to be produced on a lengthy workpiece; comprising two sewing machines each having a head, said machines being arranged with their heads in face-to-face and spaced apart relation to each other, an elongated support base having a ion itudinal groove therein and having a horizontal median line, said base having a transverse centerline between said machines and extending from one of said machines beyond and below the head of the latter to the other machine and below the head of same, so that said workpiece is supported by said base between and below said heads, and feed means forming respective parts of said machines so that said workpiece upon producing seams by means of needles carried by said heads, is displaced from a fiat and substantially taut condition equidistantly and commensurate with the length of each buttonhole seem in the direction of said center line located within the space between said heads and vertically intersecting with said horizontal median line of said base.

3. A sewing system for simultaneously making seams for production of a plurality of spaced apart buttonholes on a lengthy workpiece; comprising two sewing machines each having a head carrying a sewing needle and having a worktable provided with a depending tongue, said machines being arranged with their heads in face-to-face and spaced apart relation to each other, an elongated support base provided with a central longitudinal guide groove for engaging said machines and guiding same for adjusting said machines in position on said base, said worktables of said machines resting on said base with said tongue disposed in said groove, said base extending from one of said machines beyond and below the head of the latter to the other machine and below the head of same, so that said workpiece may be located on and supported by said base between and below said heads, and intermittently operable feed means forming respective parts of said machines so that said workpiecev upon making said seams by means of needles along two spaced buttonholes to be produced, is displaced from flat and substantially taut condition at said needles during feed relative to the latter equidistantly and commensurate with the length of each buttonhole seam toward the center located within the space between said heads.

4. An arrangement for sewing machines having means for sewing stitches along buttonhole edges which are eiined in a garment, said machines including feeding and overhanging frame, a needle reciprocatably mounted at one end of said frame, and feeding means acting to feed the garment in a direction out from said frame to sew one side of said buttonhole and a direction beneath said frame to sew the opposite side or" said buttonhole, comprising a supporting base having a longitudinal centering groove, means on said base for supporting two sewing machines aligned in said groove, said machines being disposed on said base and centered in said groove with the needle end of said frame disposed in facing relationship but spaced apart to receive a garment therebetween whereby when a garment is positioned between the needles of the two spaced machines the feed means is effective to feed the garment from a taut position in directions outwardly from each machine to cause the material to bunch up therebetween and is thereafter effective to feed the material in opposite directions to sew the opposite side of the buttonhole and to cause the material to then assume a taut position between the machines.

d in the file of this patent UNlThD STATES PATENTS

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