The Singer Company

Other

Barney D Hunts

John Vernon Landau, Jr

Frederick A Rupinski

Alfred John Zenger

William Kahan

Howard David Rogers

John B Waugh

Fredrick Alexander Rupinski

John Francis Wagner

Bradley C Eaton

Martin David Brennan

George H Hare

An increased air pressure forced hot air towel warmer comprising a substantially airtight enclosure configured to be more desirable and user friendly when placed in close proximity to a tub or shower whether mounted within cabinetry, on the wall or when permanently installed between existing standard 16 inch on center wall support studs while protruding as little as possible into the room. Intended for use with large area plush towels and bath sheets for which insertion in a limited width wall enclosure or shallow depth cabinetry leads to greater vertical depth of towel material to be penetrated and substantially increases the resistance to air flow, therefore back pressure, thereby necessitating increased supply pressure to maintain adequate hot air flow through the towel. Increased supply pressure is created without objectionable noise by use of low noise rotary blowers and associated pressure accumulator cavities arranged in tandem such that their respective pressure gradients are additive. Experience has also shown that all towels exhibit some degree of adsorbed moisture, the present invention includes an embodiment for increasing user satisfaction by removing excess adsorbed moisture during the warming cycle to achieve dehumidification by means of periodic short time interval ejection of the warmed moisture laden air within the enclosure with simultaneous replacement by room air to sequentially reduce the moisture content retained within the warmed towel.

Large plush towel warmer and dehumidifier

A towel warmer heated by either forced hot air or microwave energy comprising a trapezoidal substantially airtight enclosure having a minimal vertical dimension access door consistent with bathroom vanities and free standing nursery towel cabinets to enable placing a towel to be warmed in the enclosure and to enable removing the warmed towel there from; an inclined shelf disposed within an inner rhomboidal cavity to support the towel and inclined from front to rear in order to facilitate insertion of the towel; an electrical control circuit disposed within the enclosure to automatically control the heating process for a given period of time or until the access door is opened, whichever occurs first and an operator friendly electronic control system which anticipates the users intent without the need for external pushbuttons.

Slot entry towel warmer

A hot air towel warmer comprising a substantially air tight enclosure having an access door to enable placing a towel to be warmed in the enclosure and to enable removing the warmed towel therefrom; a shelf disposed within the enclosure having perforations therethrough to support the towel; a blower disposed within the enclosure adjacent to the shelf to create a stream of air and to continuously circulate the stream of air within the enclosure for passage through the perforations of the shelf and the towel; a resistance coil heater disposed within the enclosure adjacent the blower to heat the stream of air; an electrical control circuit disposed within the enclosure associated with the stream of air, the blower and the heater to automatically maintain the stream of air at a temperature within a predetermined temperature range for a given period of time or until the access door is open, whichever comes first and to prevent scorching of the towel should a short circuit occur in the parts of the electrical control circuit; and various embodiments to permanently secure the hot air towel warmer to prevent the warmer from falling into either a tub or a shower enclosure.

Towel warmer

A hot air towel warmer comprising a substantially airtight enclosure having an access door to enable placing a towel to be warmed in the enclosure and to enable removing the warmed towel therefrom; a shelf disposed within the enclosure having perforations therethrough to support the towel; a blower disposed within the enclosure adjacent to the shelf to create a stream of air and to continuously circulate the stream of air within the enclosure for passage through the perforations of the shelf and the towel; a resistance coil heater disposed within the enclosure adjacent the blower to heat the stream of air; and an electrical control circuit disposed within the enclosure associated with the stream of air, the blower and the heater to automatically maintain the stream of air at a temperature within a predetermined temperature range for a given period of time, or until the access door is opened, whichever occurs first.

A proximity switch arrangement for an appliance having a multiplicity of operating capabilities, functions and conditions which are selected or adjusted through actuation of proximity switches by the presence of an operator's finger. Indicia representative of the operating capabilities, functions and conditions of the appliance are provided on a display panel. A plurality of proximity pads, which are interconnected in several groups, are arranged with respect to the indicia in the display so as to have a pair of pads from separate groups unique for each indicium and closely adjacent each side of the indicium. When an operator touches an indicium on the display, the proximity pads on each side of the indicium are actuated and by means of a decoder the unique indicium designated by the unique pair of groups of proximity switches is determined. Furthermore, the arrangement of the proximity pads are such that nearly every pad has an indicium on either side of it. As a result, each pad effectively becomes part of two switch devices. It is this dual role performed by each pad that permits the high density arrangement.

High density proximity switch arrangement

A plurality of capacitive switches, which are actuated by the touch of a user, are coupled to unique pairs of conductors. The conductors are sequentially actuated, or interrogated, and simultaneously coupled to a charge rate detector that compares the capacitance associated with each conductor to a reference capacitor. Storage means coupled to the output of the charge rate detector stores an indication of whether the capacitance associated with each conductor is greater or less than the reference capacitor such that the stored indications constitute a two of N code that identifies an actuated capacitive switch.

Charge rate, capacitive switch system

A real time, adaptive control system for a stepper motor is achieved by measuring specific real time characteristics and calculating therefrom the number of steps that will be required to decelerate the stepper motor to a complete stop at a desired position, all within a single displacement or move.

Method and apparatus for adaptive control of a stepper motor

A programmable industrial sewing machine adapted to learn and store, in Automatic Learn or Key Learn Modes of operation, a series of sewing machine operations for later automatic duplication. In both modes of operation provision is made for an operator to select the number of initial and final locking stitches prior to commencing stitching operations. Operator actuated controls, such as knee shift device and foot treadle, operate identically in both Learn Modes of operation and as they would operate in a normal manual industrial sewing machine. In the Automatic Learn Mode of operation, a record is compiled in segments, consisting each of a stitch count, a pivot delay time, and a speed copy. In appropriate circumstance, the pivot delay time may be zero. Various positions of the foot treadle, including the neutral and heel position, elicit an appropriate response by means of a computer to effect a recording of a logical series of stitching operations for later automatic reproduction with operator guidance of a work material. In the Key Learn Mode of operation, provision is made for operator imposition of sewing speeds and pivot delay times to facilitate, for example, a rapid record production for automatic operation of the sewing machine at a slower rate of speed with an inexperienced operator.

Programmable sewing machine

A programmable sewing machine adapted to learn and store, in Automatic Learn or Key Learn Modes of operation, a series of sewing machine operations for later automatic duplication, in an Automatic Sew Mode of operation, at the same sewing rate as the initial operation, or at the peak sewing rate achieved during each operation; or, in a Control Sew Mode of operation, at a controlled lower speed. Additionally, the machine operation may be limited in a Set Up Mode to preset rates for machine speed, copy or peak speed automatic operation, number of start stitches, number of stop stitches, start speed and stop speed. The machine may be operated in the Manual Mode with provision for first tack and last tack and thread trim and wipe when desired. The automatic operation of the sewing machine may be interrupted to go into a Repair Mode during which the sewing machine may be operated manually, and, on proper command, to revert back to the Automatic Sew Mode at the particular operation which was interrupted. A Quit control is provided which permits reversion to an Initialization Mode from which a specific mode of operation may be selected. Provision is made to Erase specific learned and stored series of sewing machine operations, and to warn when the storage capacity may be exceeded.

Programmable sewing machine operable in a plurality of modes

A programmable industrial sewing machine adapted to learn and store a series of sewing machine operations for later automatic duplication, in an Automatic Sew Mode of operation, at the same sewing rate as the initial operation, or at a peak sewing rate achieved during each operation; or, in a Control Sew Mode of operation at a controlled lower sew speed. The automatic operation of the sewing machine may be interrupted in order to vary the sew speed, and will revert to automatic operation on operator command where the interruption took place. In the Automatic Sew Mode of operation, stitching may also be interrupted to vary a prior pivot delay time, i.e. a time duration with the presser foot elevated and the sewing needle in a lowered position through a work material. Again, stitching will be reinitiated on operator command at the point at which interrupted. In the Control Sew Mode of operation, stitching is interrupted at each pivot delay and requires manipulation of a foot treadle by an operator in order to resume stitching. Thus, the length of the pivot delay in the Control Sew Mode of operation is under operator control. In both the Automatic Sew Mode of operation and the Control Sew Mode of operation, the automatic operation of the sewing machine may be interrupted to go into a Repair Mode during which the sewing machine may be operated manually, and, on proper command reverts back to the mode from which it came at the particular operation which was interrupted. During each pivot delay, in either the Automatic Sew or Control Sew Modes of operation, the prior completed switch count may be modified in order to compensate for any variables in, for example, a work material.

Automatic stitching by programmable sewing machine

A proximity switch using logic means to detect a difference in capacitance. A bias capacitance and a sensing capacitance are charged by a first voltage source, each through one of a first pair of FET devices matched for transconductance, during a charge interval. During a detection interval the capacitances are discharged to ground potential or to a second voltage source of opposite polarity than the first voltage source, each through one of a second pair of FET devices also matched for transconductance. The difference in discharge rate between the bias and sensing capacitance, which is a measure of the capacitance of each, is detected by a cross coupled latch (RS flip-flop), setting the latch in a particular state. A second cross coupled latch stores the data thus obtained for utilization. The proximity switch circuit may be embodied as part of an MOS LSI integrated circuit, except for the bias and sensing capacitances, or may be constructed of discrete bipolar devices.

Digital differential capacitance proximity switch

A home knitting machine is provided with electronic control means which function pursuant to patterning instructions on a program card and in response to the operation of control devices by an operator causing needle actuators on the carriage of the machine to be selectively operated and fabric knitted in a prescribed manner on the machine.

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Mountain Lakes, NJ, United States of America

Barney D Hunts