Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1888
Specification Accepted, 5th Oct., 1888
K
I, BENJAMIN LINDAUER, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, United States of
America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
The object of my invention is to provide a plaiting'attachment for sewing machines
which may be readily applied to, or removed from, the machine and by means of
which the plaiting may be performed expeditiously and in an easy and regular
manner.
The attachment consists of a pair of horizontal gauge plates which partly overlap
one another, between which the fabric is led to the needle, the said plates serving to
plait the fabric and hold it while being sewn. One of said gauges is attached to the
presser foot while the other is secured to the bed plate or cloth plate of the machine,
the latter gauge being adjustable to enable the width of the plait to be varied while
the former is capable of such adjustment as is necessary to adapt it to the particular
kind of machine to which it is applied. These gauges are set at right angles to the
line of stitching, and their overlapping ends are provided with lateral extensions or
are of such breadth as to properly hold the fabric which is passed around them. The
gauge, which is secured to the bed plate of the machine, is provided with a spring
hinge in order that it may be thrown up out of the way to allow of the introduction of
the fabric and be held firinly in position during the plaiting operation.
The Invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings,
wherein figure is an end view, and figure 2 a side elevation, of the head of a
sewing machine with the plaiter attached. Figure 3 is a plan of the plaiter alone.
Figures 4 and 5 shew a piece of plaited fabric, the one with the stitching shewing
and the other with the stitching concealed. The same letters of reference serve for
like parts in all the figures.
The
A and B are the two gauges each consisting of a flat plate having a lateral
extension a b. These gauges meet end to end but they are not in the same hori-
zontal plane and the end of gauge B more or less overlaps the gauge A.
gauge A is formed in one with an upwardly inclined arm a which is provided with
a clampe for attaching the gauge to the presser foot d, or otherwise secured to the
presser foot in such manner that it can be readily removed from the machine and

page_text: turned up, as indicated by the arrow in figure 1, out of the way to admit the material
to be placed in position beneath it. The pin a of the arm a¹ is pivoted in the
clamp, so that the gauge may be raised to pass the cloth beneath it, and the arm is
secured to the pin a² by set screws a³ passing through slots in the arm, as seen in
figure 3, in order that the arm may be brought nearer to, or farther from, the line of
sewing, (which is indicated by the dot and dash line in said figure) according to the
type of machine to which the attachment is applied, and the edge of the gauge A
brought sufficiently beyond the line of sewing to hold the fabric in such position that
the needle will pass through it
The gauge B is made in two portions 12 secured together by set screws ³ tª
which pass through a slot in the fail of and screw into 2, so that the distance
which the head of the gauge B projects beyond the line of stitching may be regulated
according to the width of the plait to be formed. The part 2 is hinged to the plate 64
which is screwed at 6' to the upper surface of the bed plate of the machine. e is a
spiral spring applied to the hinge pin. The gauge B can be turned up on its hinge to
admit the fabric, as indicated by the arrow in figure 2, the spring e sorving to hold
the gauge Bdown firmly during the plaiting operation, and yield as required according
to the thickness of the material to be sewn.
The upper surface of the gauge A is graduated, as seen in figure 3, and it is
furnished with a gauge at with which the finished plaits may run in contact. This
gange a is adjustable along the plate A, being attached thereto by a set screw a³
which passes through a slot a in the plate.
The operation is as follows:-The gauge B having been set, so as to determine the
width of the plait, both gauges are raised out of the way. The fabric is laid on the
table, and the gauge A brought down upon it. The fabric is doubled around
the edge and over the upper surface of gauge A. The gauge B is then brought
down on the fabric which is thrown back around the edge of gauge B to the
right, as seen in figure 2. The needle will then stitch through the three thicknesses
of fabric. The first finished plait, and each succeeding one, may run against the
gauge at, as seen in figure 2, which may be set nearer to, or further from, the end of
the gauge A, the distance determining whether the stitching shall be covered by the
plaits, as in figure 4, or exposed, as in figure 5. If the distance between gauge a
and the edge of gauge A is greater than twice the distance between and f", the
stitches will be seen on the surface of the fabric, as in figure 5, but if it is less, the
stitches will be concealed, as in figures 2 and 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. A plaiting attachment for sewing machines consisting of two horizontal plates
or gauges projecting towards one another from opposite sides and extending beyond
the line of sewing, one of said plates or gauges being provided with means for
securing it to the presser foot while the other, whose extremity overlaps the first, is
secured to the bed plate or work-table of the machine and is extensible and provided
with a spring hinge, as specified.
2nd. The combination with a plaiter, constructed as described in the previous
claim, of the gauge a', as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 28th day of August 1888.
B. LINDAUER.
By A. M. & Win. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.