Electric cam selector mechanism for sewing machines

Claim 2

In a sewing machine having stitch forming instrumentalities, mechanism in said sewing machine responsive to pattern information and effective to regulate the operation of at least one of said sewing machine stitch forming instrumentalities in the production of a pattern of stitches, a plurality of individual pattern information carying means associated with said sewing machine and each capable of cooperating with said mechanism to produce a predetermined stitch pattern, pattern sensing means associated with each said pattern information carrying means, electric motor means associated with each pattern sensing means and its associated pattern information carrying means for initiating relative movement between said pattern sensing means and said pattern information carrying means such that pattern information is transmitted to said mechanism, and a plurality of manually operable electric switch means connected to said electric motor means with each said electric switch means being exclusively operable for selecting an individual pattern from said pattern information carrying means.

Claim 3

In a sewing machine as recited in claim 1 wherein said pattern information carrying means includes a stack of pattern cams driven by said sewing machine and said pattern sensing means includes a follower mechanism disposed for engagement with each pattern cam and each being operable for transmitting the pattern from a pattern cam to said mechanism.

Claim 4

In a sewing machine as recited in claim 2 wherein said electric motor means includes an electromagnetic actuator disposed for operable engagement with said follower mechanism for initiating relative movement between its associated follower mechanism and the associated pattern cam.

Claim 5

In a sewing machine having stitch forming instrumentalities, mechanism in said sewing machine effective to regulate the operation of said stitch forming instrumentalities in the production of a pattern of stitches, a stack of pattern cams driven by said sewing machine, an individual cam follower unit interposed between each one of the pattern cams in said stack of pattern cams and said regulating mechanism, each pattern cam follower unit comprising a pair of angularly shiftable levers, a pattern cam tracking finger formed on one of said pair of levers, and a regulating mechanism engaging finger formed on the other of said levers, and pattern selection means comprising individual electric motor means associated with each of said individual cam follower units and operative to render said cam follower units effective and in which said electric motor means comprises a solenoid including an armature rod shiftable when said solenoid is energized into a position interlocking said levers in a relative angular position for transmitting pattern cam information to said regulating mechanism, and operator influenced electric switch means associated one with each of said individual electric motor means.

Claim 6

In a sewing machine having stitch forming instrumentalities, mechanism in said sewing machine effective to regulate the operation of said stitch forming instrumentalities in the production of a pattern of stitches, a stack of pattern cams driven by said sewing machine, an individual cam follower unit interposed between each one of the pattern cams in said stack of pattern cams and said regulating mechanism, each pattern cam follower unit comprising a pair of angularly shiftable levers, a pattern cam tracking finger formed on one of said pair of levers, and a regulating mechanism engaging finger formed on the other of said levers, and pattern selection means comprising individual electric motor means associated with each of said individual cam follower units and operative to render said cam follower units effective and in which said electric motor means comprises a solenoid including an armature rod shiftable when said solenoid is energized into a position interlocking said levers in a relative angular position for transmitting pattern cam information to said regulating mechanism, and operator influenced electric switch means associated one with each of said individual electric motor means.

Claim 7

In a sewing machine as set forth in claim 4 in which the pair of levers comprising each pattern cam follower unit are each bell crank levers with substantially equal angular relation between lever arms of the bell crank levers of each pattern cam follower unit, in which a common pivot pin in the sewing machine frame serves as fulcrum for all of the bell crank levers, in which the angle between lever arms of the bell crank levers of adjacent pattern cam follower units is materially different, and in which the solenoids are carried each by a lever arm of one of the pattern cam follower units which extends from the fulcrum at a materially different angle than that of the comparable lever arms of the adjacent pattern cam follower units.

Claim 8

In a sewing machine as set forth in claim 4 in which said stack of pattern cams also includes a special cam formed with a cam track having alternate cam surfaces having extreme excursion in opposite directions at least equal to the extreme excursions of any of said pattern cams, a cam follower unit tracking said special cam, and means rendered effective by the closing of any one of said electric switch means for simultaneously energizing the electric motor means associated with the cam follower unit tracking said special cam.

Claim 9

In a sewing machine as set forth in claim 6 including an electric circuit rendered effective by operation of said cam follower unit tracking said special cam and operarive to deenergize the electric motor means associated with the cam follower unit tracking said special cam.

Claim 10

In a sewing machine as set forth in claim 6 in which the cam track of said special cam is formed with alternate cam surfaces having Extreme excursions greater than the extreme excursions of any of said pattern cams.

Claim 11

In a sewing machine as set forth in claim 8 including an electric circuit rendered effective by movement of said regulating mechanism in response to an extreme excursion of said special cam and operative to deenergize the electric motor means associated with the cam follower unit tracking said special cam.