Apparatus for sewing slide fasteners to elastic carriers

Claim 1

Apparatus for simultaneously sewing two coupled stringers of a slide fastener into portions of a carrier to opposite sides of an elongated slit therein, which is closed at one end, in which the carrier is elastic in the direction of the slit, the apparatus comprising a two-needle sewing machine having a needle plate; a slide having an upper substantially flat surface portion; holding means on said slide for releasably holding the coupled stringers of a slide fastener in the region of one end of the latter and the carrier in the region of its closed end of the slit therein on said slide, said holding means comprising a holding member connected to said slide and having an upright portion adapted to engage the carrier in the region of the closed end of the slit, and clamping means for clamping the slide fastener stringers in the region of said one end, said clamping means being movable between a clamping and a releasing position, and comprising a clamping plate having a bottom face facing said upper surface portion, hinge means connecting said clamping plate to said slide tiltable about an axis substantially parallel to said upper surface portion, a support member projecting upwardly from the clamping plate and having an upper end, a connecting member hingedly connected at one end to said upper end of support member, a link pivotably connected at one to said connecting member and at the other end to said slide, a spring connected at opposite end to said support member and said slide, said holding means further comprising operating means connected to said connecting member and cooperating with said clamping plate for moving the latter between said clamping position in which said bottom face thereof is substantially parallel to said upper face portion of said slide so that the one end of said slide fastener may be clamped between said upper surface portion and said bottom face, and said releasing position; elongated guide means having one end fastened to said sewing machine and an opposite end for guiding said slide toward and away from said needle plate; and means connected to said slide for biasing the same with a constant force toward the opposite end of said guide means in a direction opposite to the advance of the slide fastener and the carrier during the sewing operation.