Folding mechanism for label sewing machines

Claim 1

FOLDING MECHANISM FOR A LABEL SEWING MACHINE OF THE TYPE COMPRISING STITCH FORMING MEANS INCLUDING A NEEDLE, DRIVE MEANS TO OPERATE SAID NEEDLE, A WORK PRESSER PLATE, A PRESSER PLATE LIFTING BAR OPERABLE BETWEEN LOWERED WORK ENGAGING AND RAISED POSITIONS, SAID PLATE HAVING AN OUTLINE CONFORMING TO THE OUTLINE OF A LABEL OR THE LIKE TO BE SEWN TO A BASE OF SEWING MATERIAL, TO HOLD SAID LABEL AGAINST SAID BASE IN THE LOWERED POSITION OF SAID PLATE WITH THE EDGES OF SAID LABEL PROJECTING BEYOND THE EDGES OF SAID PLATE, MEANS BEING IN MOTION TRANSMITTING CONNECTION WITH SAID DRIVE MEANS TO OPERATE SAID PLATE THROUGH A PATH CONFORMING TO THE OUTLINE OF SAID LABEL, WHEREBY TO SEW THE EDGES OF SAID LABEL TO SAID BASE, SAID FOLDING MECHANISM COMPRISING A RETRACTABLE FOLDING TEMPLATE RESILIENTLY ENGAGING THE UNDERSURFACE OF SAID PRESSER PLATE AND MEANS TO OPERATE SAID TEMPLATE BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PLATE IN THE RAISED POSITION AND A RETRACTED LATERAL POSITION OF DISENGAGEMENT FROM SAID PLATE IN THE LOWERED POSITION, A SUPPORT AFFIXED TO SAID PRESSER PLATE LIFTING BAR AND PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF FIRST PROJECTIONS, A VERTICAL GUIDE ROD HAVING ONE END SUPPORTED BY SAID SUPPORT AND HAVING ITS OPPOSITE END SLIDABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID MACHINE, A LABEL FOLDING CLAMP COMPRISING AN OPERATING MEMBER TRANSVERSE TO AND SLIDABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID ROD, A PAIR OF CLAMPING ARMS HAVING A PAIR OF SLIDING SURFACES, EACH SAID ARMS HAVING AN END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO AN END OF SAID MEMBER AND SAID ARMS BEING PROVIDED, AT THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS, WITH INWARDLY DIRECTED FOLDING CLAWS, FIRST RESILIENT MEANS TO URGE SAID ARMS AND CLAWS TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER, TO CAUSE SAID SLIDING SURFACES TO RESILIENTLY ENGAGE SAID PROJECTIONS, SECOND RESILIENT MEANS TO URGE SAID CLAMP TO RETRACTED POSITION UPON SAID SUPPORT WITH SAID MEMBER ENGAGING A STOP UPON SAID SUPPORT, SAID SLIDING SURFACES BEING PROVIDED WITH WEDGE-SHAPED RECESSES, SECOND PROJECTIONS UPON SAID ARMS SPACED FROM SAID RECESSES, A LOCKING MEMBER RESILIENTLY SLIDABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID SUPPORT AND HAVING A PAIR OF SECOND SLIDING SURFACES ENGAGING SAID SECOND PROJECTIONS, WHEREBY, WITH SAID PRESSER PLATE AND ADJOINING FOLDING TEMPLATE IN THE RAISED POSITION, OPERATION OF SAID MEMBER IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID SUPPORT AGAINST THE ACTION OF SAID SECOND RESILIENT MEANS FIRST CAUSES SAID ARMS TO SPREAD OUTWARDLY BY CAMMING OF SAID FIRST PROJECTIONS WITH SAID FIRST SLIDING SURFACES AND THEN TO BE OPERATED IN A DIRECTION TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER UPON SAID FIRST PROJECTIONS ENGAGING SAID RECESSES SUCH AS TO ENGAGE AND REVERSELY BEND THE PROJECTING EDGES OF A LABEL PLACED BETWEEN SAID PRESSER PLATE AND TEMPLATE ABOUT THE EDGES OF SAID TEMPLATE BY SAID CLAWS AND TO LOCK SAID CLAMP BY INTERENGAGEMENT OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER AND SAID SECOND PROJECTIONS, AND WHEREBY, FURTHERMORE, WITH SAID PRESSER PLATE AND SUPPORTING PLATE BEING LOWERED BY SAID LIFTING BAR, SAID CLAWS UPON ENGAGING SAID SEWING BASE ARE RELEASED FROM SAID TEMPLATE BY CAMMING OF SAID FIRST PROJECTIONS WITH SAID RECESSES SUCH AS TO EFFECT RELEASE OF SAID CLAWS FROM SAID TEMPLATE AND TO RETURN SAID CLAMP TO RETRACTED POSITION BY THE ACTION OF SAID SECOND RESILIENT MEANS RELEASING SAID LOCKING MEMBER.