The Singer Company

William H Dunn

John W Wurst

Leonard I Horey

Stephen A Garron

Philip F Minalga

William J Edwards

Marvin Kurland

For a family sewing machine having the capabilities to complete a buttonhole in a single step, an arrangement is provided to permit an operator to reinitiate the buttonhole operation in the event of a thread breakage in the middle of the buttonhole, however, without necessitating stitching during that part of the buttonhole in which stitching has already been implemented. If a thread breakage takes place and after repair thereof the buttonhole may be repositioned to the initiating position and the buttonhole pattern may be reselected together with, for example, a selection of reverse feeding or any other input which is not normally selected during buttonholing. This dual selection is effective to signal the needle bar release logic to suspend endwise reciprocation of the needle bar. The sewing machine feed proceeds as though stitching were taking place, and just before the point of thread breakage is reached the needle bar release logic can be defeated so that stitching may proceed from a point one or two stitches prior to the point of breakage.

Buttonhole sewing repair

An electronically controlled sewing machine includes an arrangement for operating the machine in a diagnostic mode, wherein several tests for checking the functioning of the sewing machine can be performed. In a first test, all of the light emitting diodes on the panel of the sewing machine are sequentially energized. This verifies proper operation of the display panel. In a second test, a particular light emitting diode responds to the armshaft sensor such that it is dark when the needle is up and is illuminated when the needle is down. The motor speed function is monitored by a test which lights particular light emitting diodes in 100 stitches per minute increments of motor speed. Proper overall operation of the sewing machine, including the actuators, is monitored by running several test patterns. To isolate a possible fault in the sewing machine foot controller, the sewing machine may be run at a preset speed without depressing the foot controller.

Arrangement for operating an electronically controlled sewing machine in

An electronically controlled multiple pattern sewing machine is provided with the capability of sewing a repetitive sequence of patterns. The sewing machine operator selects, one by one, the patterns desired to be sewn and these are stored in a temporary memory in the order of their selection. In addition, each of the patterns may be modified such as by providing double feed, bight mirror, feed mirror, bight override and/or feed override. The arrangement also allows the operator to replace a previously selected pattern in a string with a different pattern at the same place in the string.

Electronically controlled sewing machine arranged to sew a sequence of

An electronically controlled sewing machine sews the mirror image of a pattern in the feeding direction by using for the first needle penetration the bight data of the first stitch of the pattern and feeds using the feed data of the last stitch of the pattern. Then the second needle penetration uses the bight data of the last stitch of the pattern, followed by feeding using the feed data of the next to last stitch of the pattern. This continues until the pattern is completed with the feed data of the first stitch.

Electronically controlled sewing machine arranged to sew the mirror

A sewing machine is disclosed wherein the positional coordinates for successive stitch penetrations are stored in a memory having addressable locations corresponding to a plurality of operator selectable patterns. Means are provided for operator initiation of an override command to selectively alter the operation of the feed and bight actuators to an amount of motion different from that dictated by the stored pattern information. An operator influenced control provides a digital signal corresponding to a desired alteration value. Override memory locations are provided for storing bight and feed actuator motion alteration values. These locations are addressed in accordance with the selected pattern and the digital override signal provided by the operator. The alteration values are utilized for control of the appropriate feed and bight actuators.

Digital override control of bight and feed in a sewing machine

A control panel influenced by the touch of an operator is disclosed in which the density of individually selectable inputs may be increased by the provision of protective measures for preventing inadvertent or accidental actuation of inputs which are located closely adjacent to an input that is intended to be actuated. A protective circuit for an electrical switching array is disclosed effective to prevent selection from being made unless the switching is effected by the operator in a prescribed fashion to prevent unintended selection in the event that the operator's finger should roll onto an adjacent switch during the selection process. The protective circuit also prevents further selection once a selection has been effected until the operator's finger is completely withdrawn from the switching array in order to provide protection against a series of consecutive selections in the event that the operator were to wipe across the switching array.

Rollover and wipe projective circuit for an electrical switching array

A sewing machine is disclosed wherein the positional coordinates for successive stitch penetrations are stored in a memory having addressable locations corresponding to a plurality of operator selectable patterns, one of which is a buttonhole pattern. The buttonhole pattern includes two parallel rows of zig-zag stitches forming a pair of buttonhole side bars, the inner stitches of the side bars defining a cutting space therebetween and the outer stitches of the side bars defining the width of the buttonhole pattern. Means are provided for operator initiation of an override command to selectively alter the operation of the bight actuator to selectively control the position of only the inner side bar stitches so as to selectively vary the width of the cutting space while maintaining constant the overall buttonhole pattern width.

Formation of variable width cutting space buttonhole patterns in an

A twin needle memory device for an electronically controlled sewing machine having a variety of patterns and sewing condition capabilities selectable by means of proximity switch devices. A non-volatile external storage having a one bit capability is provided to retain information as to the last state of the sewing machine, relative to twin needle, upon power interruption; and to provide for proportionate reduced amplification of the bight analog signal in the event that the twin needle mode of operation is selected. Upon reinitiation of power, the state of the external storage is ascertained and used to determine the state of a twin needle flip flop part of the electronic control system of the sewing machine. Subsequent change in twin needle condition is implemented through the proximity switch devices and an additional one second delay count to alter the state of the twin needle flip flop. This alteration in the state of the twin needle flip flop will also alter the state of the non-volatile external storage device.

Twin needle memory device

A dual mode backtack control system for a sewing machine is disclosed which permits an operator to select either a latched or non-latched backtacking mode of operation utilizing a single non-latching switch. The backtacking operation is initiated under operator command by closure of the switch. In the first mode of operation, the sewing machine is operating when the switch is closed, and the backtacking operation will continue only as long as the switch is held in the closed position. In the second mode of operation, the switch is closed before the machine commences the sewing operation, and the machine may then be operated in its backtacking mode without the operator maintaining the switch in its closed state. The backtacking mode may thereafter be terminated by a second momentary closure of the switch. An indicator lamp is provided to advise the operator when the machine is in the backtack mode.

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Branchville, NJ, United States of America

William H Dunn