Sewing machine with pattern selection indicator

A sewing machine has a machine housing. A group of pattern cams is arranged in the housing. A cam follower is movable along the group of pattern cams for selecting a desired one of these cams. A pattern indicating panel on the housing shows a row of pattern illustrations corresponding to the patterns which can be produced by the pattern cams. A manual arrangement moves the cam follower along the group of cams. An electrically illuminable pattern pointer is connected to the arrangement and movable along the row of pattern illustrations, in timed relation with the movement of the cam follower to point out a pattern illustration corresponding to a selected pattern cam. An electric circuit, including a power source and a switch electrically connects the power source with the pattern pointer to illuminate the latter. A switch operating arrangement is operated in timed relation with the movement of the cam follower to connect the pattern pointer to the power source so that the pointer may become illuminated and thus point out the selected pattern.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a sewing machine. 
More particularly the invention relates to a sewing machine with a device 
for indicating a selected stitch pattern with an electrically lighted 
pointer so as to positively identify the selected pattern. 
In conventional sewing machines having built-in cams for producing 
different stitch patterns, the pattern selection is carried out by 
manually shifting a pointer along a row of pattern indications shown on a 
back-lighted panel. However, if the pointer is obscure or if the lamp 
lighting the panel is dark, the selected pattern can not be clearly 
identified and therefore the machine operator is likely to select a wrong 
pattern. Accordingly, improvements in this respect are desirable. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior 
art. 
A more particular object of the invention is to identify a selected pattern 
by employing an electrically lighted pointer which is moved along a row of 
pattern indications and which is lighted each time it comes to one of the 
pattern indications. 
Another object is to provide such a pattern selection indicating device 
which is simple in structure and easy to operate. 
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention 
are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, 
however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together 
with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood 
from the following description of specific embodiments when read in 
connection with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 shows a sewing machine having a machine housing 1 provided, at its 
front face, with a pattern indicating section 1A in which a lighting 
indicator 3 and a panel 4 are arranged. The panel 4 is, as shown, printed 
or otherwise provided with various selectable stitch patterns and the 
lighting indicator 3, which may, e.g., be a luminous diode, is moved to 
the right and to the left along the row of stitch patterns on panel 4 via 
a timing belt 18 (FIG. 3) which is operated by a rotatable pattern 
selecting dial or knob 2 mounted on the front face of the machine housing 
1. 
FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of the device according to the invention. 
Reference numeral 5 identifies a power source for the luminous (i.e., 
light-emitting) diode 3. Numeral 6 identifies a normally open switch for 
controlling the supply of electrical energy to the diode 3. A switch cam 7 
is connected to the pattern selecting dial 2 to be turned upon rotation of 
the same and is formed with recesses and projections as shown. The 
normally open switch 6 has an operating element 6' (i.e., a trip) which is 
depressed by engagement with the respective projections of the switch cam 
7 to close the internal circuit of the switch 6. Numerals 8a, 8b identify 
electrical conductors which are in circuit with the source 5 to supply 
electric current to the luminous diode 3, and numerals 9a, 9b identify 
contacts of the diode 3. 
The operating mechanism of the device according to the invention is shown 
in FIG. 3. As shown, a group of pattern cams 10 are mounted on a shaft for 
rotation therewith in the machine housing 1. The switch cam 7 is mounted 
on a shaft 14 for rotation therewith. A bevel gear 13 is secured to the 
top of the shaft 14 and is in mesh with another bevel gear 12 which is 
secured to the inner end of a transverse shaft 11 mounted so as to extend 
within and across the machine housing 1. The pattern selecting dial 2 is 
secured to the outer end of the shaft 11 which for this purpose projects 
out of the machine housing 1. The preferably vertical shaft 14 is formed 
with a spiral groove 14' which is engaged by a nut 15 with a forked part 
15'. The nut 15 is held against rotation but can move axially of shaft 14 
when the same is rotated. A cam follower 16 is turnably mounted on a 
fixed, also preferably vertical shaft 17 and is adapted to engage one of 
the pattern cams under the influence of a biasing spring (not shown). The 
cam follower 16 can be disengaged from the cam by a follower disengaging 
mechanism (not shown) which can be operated by manual rotation of the 
pattern selecting dial 2 at the time a pattern cam selection is made, and 
which can be operated to allow the follower 16 to engage a selected cam 
under the influence of the spring when the cam selecting operation has 
been completed and subsequently the sewing machine is operated. 
The central projection of the cam follower 16 is inserted into the 
bifurcation of the part 15' of the nut 15. Therefore, depending upon the 
rotation of the pattern selecting dial 2 in the clockwise or 
counter-clockwise direction, the cam follower 16--which may either be 
slidable axially along the shaft 17 or which may be axially fixed on the 
shaft if the entire shaft 17 is mounted to be axially slidable--is shifted 
in the upward or in the downward direction along the cam group 10 by the 
nut 15 which is in engagement with the spiral groove 14' of the vertical 
shaft 14. The lobes or projections on cam 7 are so positioned that 
whenever the cam follower 16 is located opposite one of the cams 10, one 
of the projections of the cam 7 closes the switch 6 to supply electric 
current from the power source 5 (FIG. 2) to the luminous diode 3 to light 
the same. 
Further in reference to FIG. 3, an endless timing belt 18 is at one end of 
its run in engagement with a gear 19 secured to the transverse shaft 11 as 
shown, and at the other end of its run it is in engagement with another 
gear (not shown) which is turnably mounted on the machine housing 1. The 
luminous diode 3 is mounted on a holder 20 which in turn is slideably 
guided in an elongated track 22 of electrically insulating material; the 
guide track 22 is arranged on the machine housing in parallel with the 
timing belt 18. The holder 20 is connected to the timing belt as shown, by 
a connecting element 21, so as to move with the belt 18 when shaft 11 is 
turned. The elongated electrical conductors 8a, 8b are also provided on 
the guide 22, each spaced from the other and extending in parallel with 
each other all along the guide track 22. The luminous diode 3 is provided 
with the contacts 9a, 9b which are in slideable engagement with the 
conductors 8a, 8b respectively, so as to form therewith a circuit to 
supply electric current to the luminous diode 3. 
When, prior to a pattern stitching operation, the pattern selecting dial 2 
of the embodiment in FIGS. 1-3 is manually rotated to make a pattern cam 
selection, the cam follower 16 is first disengaged from the pattern cam 
with which it was previously in contact. During further rotation of the 
dial 2 the switch 6 is alternately opened and closed by the switch cam 7 
as the cam follower 15 is shifted axially along the cam group 10. 
Simultaneously the luminous diode 3 is alternately energized and 
de-energized as it slides along the stitch patterns indicated on the panel 
4. Specifically, the luminous diode 3 is lighted each time when it comes 
to one of the pattern indications, and is extinguished each time when it 
moves beyond the respective pattern indication. If a desired pattern cam 
10 has been selected, the luminous diode 3 comes to rest opposite the 
corresponding stitch pattern indication on the panel 4 and now continues 
to be lighted since the dial 2 is no longer being turned. When thereafter 
the sewing machine is driven, the cam follower 16 automatically engages 
the cam which was selected as described above and the cam follower is 
swung by this cam and transmits this swinging movement in accordance with 
the configuration of the cam to the needle bar. This forms no part of the 
invention. 
FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the electrical circuit, in which three 
conductors 8c, 8d, 8e are arranged as shown with respect to the power 
source 5 and the switch 6. The conductor 8c extends all along the length 
of the row of stitch pattern indications on the panel 4 (not shown in FIG. 
4). The conductor 8d extends along an optionally divided region A of the 
row of stitch pattern indications, and the conductor 8e extends along the 
remaining region B of the row of stitch pattern indications. In this 
embodiment, two luminous diodes 3A, 3B are provided with three contacts 
9c, 9d, 9e. The contact 9c is common to both of the diodes and slideably 
engages the conductor 8c which is connected to the power source 5 and to 
the switch 6. The contact 9d is connected to the diode 3A and is designed 
to slideably engage the conductor 8d which is connected to the power 
source 5 and extends along the region A of the pattern indications, and 
the contact 9e is connected to the diode 3B and is designed to slideably 
engage the conductor 8e which is connected to the power source 5 and 
extends along the region B of the pattern indications. Thus, while the 
contact 9e engages the conductor 8e, the contact 9d is disengaged from the 
conductor 8d, and while the contact 9d engages the conductor 8d, the 
contact 9e is disengaged from the conductor 8e. In this embodiment, the 
two luminous diodes 3A, 3B are designed to light with different colors so 
as to indicate two different groups of pattern indications on the panel 4, 
for example, a group of utility pattern indications and another group of 
ornamental pattern indications. 
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a 
sewing machine, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, 
since various modifications and structural changes may be made without 
departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of 
the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, 
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, 
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential 
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.