Apparel apparatus – Miscellaneous
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-12
2001-03-13
Mohanty, Bibhu (Department: 3741)
Apparel apparatus
Miscellaneous
C112S110000, C112S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199727
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for winding a binding thread around a button-fixing thread running through a button sewed on a garment, such as a coat, shirt, blouse, or jacket, in order to prevent the button-fixing thread from being loosened. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for binding a button-fixing thread running through a button sewed on a garment or other fabric, which is capable of winding a binding thread around the button-fixing thread by several turns in a safe, simple, easy and convenient manner while forming a twist with the binding thread at every turn, thereby not only preventing the button from being separated due to a loosening of the button-fixing thread, but also achieving an improvement in the binding operation and an improvement in the reliability in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, buttons are used for garments in order to provide convenience in putting-on and taking-off of those garments. Such buttons are provided with button holes having a desired shape so that they are sewed on a garment in a convenient and rapid manner. It is very inefficient to manually carry out such a button attachment operation in fields where garments are manufactured in a mass production fashion. To this end, button sewing machines are used in such fields in order to rapidly carry out a button sewing operation for a large number of buttons, thereby achieving an improvement in workability and productivity.
Such button sewing machines operate to reciprocally run a thread through the holes of a button and a garment to be attached with the button by use of a needle, thereby fixing the button to the garment. In this case, however, the space between the button and the fabric is very small. As a result, it is very difficult to pass the button through a button slit formed in the garment upon putting on the garment.
In other words, there is inconvenience in attaching the button to the fabric because the button is sewed on the fabric while leaving an insufficient space therebetween. Furthermore, since the sewing of the button is achieved by reciprocally running a single strand of a button-fixing thread through the holes of the button and the fabric in a zig-zag fashion, the button is easily loosened from the fabric when the button-fixing thread becomes unknotted. Thus, this method is problematic in that the button is insecurely attached to the fabric.
In order to achieve an attachment of a button to a fabric enabling the button to more conveniently pass through a button slit formed in the fabric, a method, which is illustrated in
FIG. 11
, has been proposed. In accordance with this method, a binding thread
3
is tightly wound around a button-fixing thread
2
reciprocally running through the holes of a button
1
and a fabric, thereby spacing the button
1
from the fabric by a desired distance. Accordingly, it is possible not only to prevent the button
1
from being separated from the fabric due to a loosening of the button-fixing thread, but also allowing the button
1
to easily pass through a button slit formed in the fabric. In this case, however, the binding thread
3
is simply wound around the button-fixing thread
2
. For this reason, the binding thread
3
may be loosened after the fabric is subjected to a strong washing operation in a washing machine. This may result in an early loosening of the button-fixing thread. In order to eliminate this problem, another method has recently been proposed in which a binding thread made of an elastic material such as Nylon yarn is used. In accordance with this method, the binding thread is tightly wound around a button-fixing thread reciprocally running through the holes of a button and a fabric. At the final stage of the button attachment process, the binding thread is cut at its desired portion under the condition in which a maximum tension is applied to the binding thread, so that the cut end of the binding thread is retracted into the turns of the binding thread, thereby preventing the binding thread from being loosened. However, the tension of the binding thread may be reduced over a lapse of time. Otherwise, the binding thread may be deteriorated in its physical properties. As a result, the binding thread loses its elasticity. This results in a reduction in the fastening force of the binding thread, thereby causing the binding thread to be loosened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above mentioned problems, and an object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for binding a button-fixing thread running through a button sewed on a garment or other fabric, which is capable of winding a binding thread around the button-fixing thread by several turns in a safe, simple, easy and convenient manner while forming a twist with the binding thread at every turn, thereby not only preventing the button from being separated due to a loosening of the button-fixing thread during a strong washing operation or an operation of passing the button through a button slit formed in the garment, but also achieving an improvement in the binding operation and an improvement in the reliability in use.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is accomplished by providing an apparatus for winding a binding thread around a button-fixing thread running through a button sewed on a fabric, comprising: a base die; a motor fixedly mounted on the base die; a first spur gear fixedly mounted on a main rotating shaft coupled to the motor; a driven shaft having a second spur gear fixedly mounted thereon and connected to the first spur gear by a timing belt, the driven shaft also having a third spur gear fixedly mounted thereto, a fourth spur gear fixedly mounted thereto, and a fifth spur gear fixedly mounted thereto; a first actuating shaft connected to the driven shaft, the first actuating shaft being of a hollow structure and having a sixth spur gear fixedly mounted thereon and engaged with the third spur gear; a rotating shaft connected to the driven shaft, the rotating shaft having a seventh spur gear connected to the fourth spur gear by a timing belt; an eccentric cam fixedly mounted on the rotating shaft; a carriage fixedly mounted on the first actuating shaft and operatively connected to the eccentric cam, the carriage serving to convert a rotation of the rotating shaft into an axial reciprocal movement of the first actuating shaft; a drum rotatably mounted on the first actuating shaft; an eighth spur gear rotatably mounted on the first actuating shaft and connected to the fifth spur gear by a timing belt, the eighth spur gear being attached to the drum, thereby rotating the drum upon a rotation of the first actuating shaft; a second actuating shaft axially received in the first actuating shaft, the second actuating shaft being axially fixed with respect to the first actuating shaft while rotating freely; means for reversibly rotating the second actuating shaft; a thread hooking plate attached to the drum opposite to the eighth spur gear at a desired portion of the periphery of the drum and adapted to hook the binding thread to be wound around the button-fixing thread when the drum rotates; a twisting member fixedly mounted to an end of the first actuating shaft protruded from the drum, the twisting member serving to twist the binding thread hooked by the thread hooking plate and to separate the twisted binding thread from the thread hooking plate in accordance with an axial and rotating movement of the first actuating shaft after the thread hooking plate rotates by a predetermined angle; a twist forming member fixedly mounted to an end of the second actuating shaft disposed in the vicinity of the twisting member, the twist forming member serving to hook the binding thread twisted by the twisting member in accordance with an axial and rotating movement of the second actuating shaft after the twisting member rotates by a predetermined angle, thereby forming a complete twist with the
McDermott & Will & Emery
Mohanty Bibhu
LandOfFree
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