Hem former and sewing apparatus
AssigneeOrange County Industrial Sewing Machine Co., Inc.
InventorJohn Y. Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air assisted hem former for folding a margin of a foldable material which uses at least one stream of air to urge margin material through a folded cavity. The folded cavity and airflow moves the margin toward a sewing needle, directs the margin material to a proper stitching position and maintain the stitching position until the needle has stitched the hem. Two similarly formed hem formers can be mounted on opposing sides of a sewing needle to urge, direct and maintain the margin material prior to stitching of a hem.
Claims28
An air-enhanced hem former for folding a margin of a foldable material to be stitched, comprising:
- a first cavity having first and second legs separated by a tongue and a bottom joining the legs at a distal end of the tongue, the cavity sized to allow air to carry the margin through the cavity;
- at least one outlet introducing air into the first leg and directed toward the bottom, the outlet being located before the bottom,
- whereby the margin is stitched while the margin rests in the cavity.
The hem former as defined in claim, wherein the second leg is generally linear and extends along a longitudinal axis.
A sewing machine for folding and stitching a margin of a foldable material to form a hem on the foldable material, comprising:
- a sewing assembly having a substantially planar sewing bed connected to a sewing head with a reciprocating sewing needle depending therefrom, the sewing needle oriented toward the sewing bed;
- a stationarv block coupled to the sewing bed and having an elongated recess;
- and
- a tongue interposed between the elongated recess of the block and the sewing bed, the block and tongue defining a cavity having first and second legs and a bottom joining the legs at a distal end of the tongue, the cavity sized to allow air to carry the margin through the cavity and into the second leg, at least one outlet in fluid communication with an air supply and introducing air into the first leg and directed toward the bottom, the outlet being located before the bottom,
- whereby the air advances the margin through the cavity such that the sewing needle can stitch the margin of foldable material to form a hem.
A method of manufacturing an article of clothing having a hem formed thereon, the method comprising:
- providing a sewing machine having a substantially planar sewing bed and a sewing head with a sewing needle depending therefrom, the sewing needle oriented toward the sewing bed;
- providing a cavity coupled to the sewing bed having first and second legs and a bottom joining the legs, the cavity sized to allow air to carry a foldable margin through the cavity, at least one outlet located before the bottom;
- introducing air through the outlet and into the first leg and directed toward the bottom;
- urging a margin of the article of clothing toward the first leg of the cavity;
- allowing the air to direct the margin through the cavity so as to fold the margin;
- and
- stitching the folded margin onto the article of clothing to form the hem while the folded margin rests in the cavity.
A method of forming a hem on an article of clothing, using a sewing machine having a sewing bed and a sewing head with a sewing needle depending therefrom, the sewing needle oriented toward the sewing bed;
- and a hem former coupled to the sewing bed and having a first cavity with first and second legs separated by a tongue and a bottom joining the legs, comprising the steps of:
- placing at least one outlet in fluid communication with the first leg and before the bottom and introducing air into the first leg through the outlet and directed toward the bottom;
- urging a margin of the article of clothing toward the first leg of the cavity;
- allowing the air to direct the margin through the first leg and into the second leg so as to fold the margin, the first cavity being sized to allow the air to move the margin through the cavity;
- and
- stitching the folded margin to form the hem while the folded margin rests in the cavity.
An air-enhanced hem former for folding a margin of a foldable material, comprising:
- a pathway having first and second regions separated by a tongue and a bottom joining the regions at a distal end of the tongue, the pathway sized to allow air to carry the margin through the pathway from the first region into the second region such that when the margin is in the pathway the margin is in a folded configuration;
- at least one fluid source configured to introduce fluid toward the bottom to direct the margin into the second region,
- wherein the margin is stitched while the margin rests in the pathway.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.