Sewing – Special machines – Quilting
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-14
2001-08-14
Izaguirre, Ismael (Department: 3765)
Sewing
Special machines
Quilting
C112S235000, C112S302000, C112S475080
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273013
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to quilting machines, and particularly to an apparatus and a method of controlling a tail of a cut thread.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In sewing machines of various types, threads are applied and manipulated on opposite sides of a fabric to form one or more patterns of stitches. The proper formation of the stitches of each series requires the cooperative movement and precise timing of cooperating stitching elements. At the end of a stitching pattern, the thread is cut; and the relative position of the fabric and the stitching elements is changed to sew another stitching pattern. Referring to
FIG. 5
, layers of fabric
20
to be stitched are laid out on top of a needle plate
22
of a quilting machine. A needle
24
is connected to a needle drive and mounted above a presser foot
28
in a known manner. The presser foot
28
is a bowl-type presser foot which is mounted by means of a support
29
to other components of the quilting machine in a known manner. The needle
24
and thread
25
reciprocate vertically through a hole
26
in the bowl-type presser foot
28
, through the layers of fabric
20
and then through a hole
30
of the needle plate
22
, thereby forming stitching
32
within the fabric. After a pattern has been stitched, the thread
25
is cut by a known thread cutting device (not shown) normally located below the needle plate
22
. Thereafter, the relative position between the layered fabric
20
and the needle
24
, presser foot
28
and needle plate
22
is changed to position the needle
24
with respect to the start of another pattern to be stitched.
As the fabric
20
is moved with respect to the needle plate
28
as shown in phantom in
FIG. 5
, the thread tail
34
is pulled to a location between the layered fabric
20
and the presser foot
28
. When that desired relative position between the layered fabric
20
and the presser foot
28
is achieved, the stitching cycle is again initiated, and as the needle
24
passes through the fabric
20
, the thread tail
34
remains locked under the presser foot
28
. When that stitching pattern is completed and the layered fabric again moves with respect to the presser foot, the thread tail
34
hangs from the upper surface
36
of the layered fabric
20
and requires manual trimming.
Therefore, there is a need to improve the process so that the manual trimming of thread tails is not required.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and apparatus that substantially improves the efficiency of a process of sewing layered fabric on a quilting machine. The method and apparatus of the present invention is valuable in reducing the cost of sewing layered fabric on a quilting machine by eliminating a labor intensive and time consuming manual operation. Thus, the method an apparatus of the present invention provides a more consistent, efficient and higher quality quilting machine operation and product therefrom.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention and the described embodiments, an apparatus is provided for removing a thread tail from a hole in a presser foot on a quilting machine. The apparatus has an orifice providing a stream of pressurized air capable of applying a force against a section of the thread tail extending between the needle and the hole in the presser foot. The pressurized air stream pulls the thread tail through the hole in the presser foot and gathers the thread tail on an upper side of the presser foot. The apparatus further has a valve for turning the stream of pressurized air on and off.
In another embodiment, the present invention includes a method of automatically applying a generally transverse force to a portion of the thread tail extending between the needle and the hole in the presser foot for a duration sufficient to remove the thread tail from the hole in the presser foot.
In one aspect of the invention, the thread tail extends through the hole in the presser foot and through the layered fabric material being sewn, and the method further comprises maintaining the pressurized air stream for a duration such that all of the thread tail is pulled from the layer fabric material and through the hole in the presser foot.
Thus, the apparatus of the present invention has the advantage of eliminating the labor intensive, time consuming, and expensive manufacturing operation of manually trimming hanging thread tails from the sewn fabric. The apparatus of the present invention controls the thread tail in a manner that permits the thread tail to be sewn into the layered fabric during a further stitching operation.
Various additional advantages, objects and features of the invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Izaguirre Ismael
L&P Property Management Company
Wood Herron & Evans L.L.P.
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