Modified Sewing Machine

FIG. 1 shows a prior art ribbon with the edge of the ribbon folded over the wire to form a sleeve and seam.

FIG. 2 shows the underside of a decorative ribbon according to the invention with a wire bound to the edge of the fabric and covered over with trim.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of an apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged top view of a portion of FIG. 3, showing a needle plate according to the invention.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged bottom view of a portion of FIG. 3, showing a needle plate according to the invention.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged side view of a portion of FIG. 3, showing a needle plate according to the invention.

FIG. 7 shows a representative decorative ribbon according to the invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a portion of a decorative ribbon including an edge wire secured according to the present invention. The ribbon material 10 includes an actual edge 11 and a side edge 12. In this particular embodiment, a galvanized steel wire filament 14 is positioned along the actual edge 11 of the ribbon material 10 and is surrounded by a smooth fold created by the side edge 12. The ribbon material 10 is secured to the wire filament 14 by a sewing stitch, such as the purl stitch shown. In this embodiment, the stitch includes two filaments, a decorative trim filament 18 and a binding filament 20.

The purpose of the trim filament 18 is to substantially or entirely cover the wire filament 14, the side edge 12 and the actual edge 11, thereby providing a clean, continuous and decorative edge to the ribbon material 10. This can be achieved, as shown, by positioning the trim filament 18 in a curved serpentine fashion around both the wire filament 14 and the side edge 12 of the ribbon material 10. The serpentine shape of the trim filament includes loops 22.

During the stitching process, the binding filament 20 pierces the ribbon material 10 and inter-weaves through the serpentine loops 22 of the trim filament 18. The binding filament 20 is kept taut during the stitching process, and the trim filament 18 and the interposed edge portion of the ribbon are pulled into engagement with the inner wire filament 14. In this way, the decorative trim filament 18 becomes substantially wrapped around the otherwise exposed side edge 12 and the actual edge 11 of the ribbon material 10, all of which are securely bound together by the binding filament 20. Thus, the tight stitch created by the binding and trim filaments, acting together, secures the wire filament 14 to the ribbon material 10. In a preferred embodiment, the binding filament is a natural monofilament, chosen for its strength and also because it is effectively invisible. This allows the trim filament to be seen, so that the ribbon is provided with a securely wired and decorative edge.

Thus, according to the invention, resulting decorative ribbon product provides a tightly secured hidden wire filament 14 along each edge of the ribbon material to support the ribbon's shape, and a decoratively disguised stitch that permits dual-side ribbon applications.

FIG. 7 shows a portion of a finished ribbon product having the edge wire arrangement of the present invention. As shown, both sides of the ribbon have an even and clean appearance showing no ribbon edge material.

In contrast to the invention, FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art wire-edged ribbon which includes an exposed securing stitch and actual ribbon edge.

In this figure, a wire 100 is surrounded by a fold 102 created along the actual edge 103 of ribbon material 104. The fold 102 is secured flat against the underside (topside as shown in FIG. 1) of the ribbon material 104, near the actual edge 103 using a conventional straight stitch 106. Since no tight frictional force has been applied to the enclosed wire 100, the wire is free to move laterally which could cause the straight stitch 106 to loosen. The wire arrangement shown in FIG. 1 can also move linearly (in a direction parallel to the ribbon edge) which could cause the wire 100 to become completely detached from within the fold 102. In either case, the straight stitch 106 and the actual ribbon edge 103 are in full view along the under side of the ribbon material 104. The resulting finished decorative ribbon product is therefore limited to one-side applications, and has a much less desirable non-uniform appearance. It also suffers from weaknesses in construction that the invention has overcome.

The present invention also provides an improved adaptation to a conventional high speed stitching machine to create the secured wire ribbon-edge arrangement of the present invention. Two examples of such a machine are the Merrow High Speed Trimming & Overseaming Machine (class M) manufactured by the Merrow Company of Hartford, Conn., and the Pegasus S32 manufactured by the Pegasus Sewing Machine Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Osaka, Japan.

The stitching machine 30 is shown in FIG. 3, adjacent to guide rollers 32 and includes a work plate 34 for supporting the ribbon material 10, a moveable sewing needle 36, a feed carrier 38 for feeding the ribbon material 10 and a needle plate 40 which is typically recessed into and coplanar with the work plate 34.

The guide rollers 32 are preferably power driven using conventional methods so that the ribbon material 10 is drawn from the work plate 34 of the stitching machine 30 in time with the stitching operation. The purpose of the rollers 32 is to maintain tension in (prevent buckling) the ribbon material 10 during and after it has been stitched. If the ribbon material 10 is not pulled from the stitching machine 30, the stitch can become distorted or otherwise uneven and unattractive and the various elements of the invention (ribbon, wire and filaments) will not be secured in a satisfactory manner.

The drive speed of the rollers 32 is dictated by the feed rate established by the internal feed carrier 38 (not shown in detail), typically protruding from within the needle plate 40. The feed carrier 38 pulls the ribbon material 10 from a supply roll (not shown). It is conventionally known that the drive speed of the guide rollers 32 and the feed rate of the feed carrier 38 should be matched during high speed edge stitching so that the ribbon material 10 can be drawn from the supply roll, stitched, and drawn to a collection roll (also not shown) in a smooth flow.

As understood in the stitching industry, a typical edge stitch comprises two filaments of thread. One thread is usually supplied to the fabric (in this case to the ribbon material 10) by "loopers" from below the needle plate 40 (not shown), while the other thread is fed to the needle 36 usually above the needle plate 40. In the present invention, the first thread (below the needle plate 40) is preferably the trim filament 14 and the second thread (fed to the needle above the needle plate 40) is preferably the binding filament 20. The normal operation of the stitching machine 30 provides a conventional stitch by interweaving the binding filament 20 with the trim filament 18, as further described below.

By the present invention, a wire filament 14 is provided within the fold of the side edge 12 of the ribbon material 10, before the stitch is produced by the stitching machine 30. It is desireable to form the side edge 12 of the ribbon material around the wire filament 14 immediately prior to the stitch so that a consistent and even ribbon edge can be secured by the stitching filaments without the need for expensive and complex assemblies to maintain the shape of the side loop 12 during its feed to the needle plate 40.

The present invention provides a needle plate 40 which has been improved such that a wire filament 14 can be guided to and incorporated with the side edge 12 of the ribbon material 10 during the stitching process. The needle plate 40 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 4-6. The needle plate 40 includes a top portion 42 having conventional fabric engagement teeth 44, a feed carrier access slot 46, a fabric support tine 48 for supporting the fabric (ribbon material) adjacent to the moving needle, and a needle stitching slot 49. The needle plate 40 also includes a side portion 50 and a bottom portion 52. The side portion 50 includes a side groove 54 along the side of the support tine 48. The side groove 54 is of proper dimensions to effectively guide a sliding wire filament of a chosen size from a wire filament source (not shown) to the ribbon material 10, specifically along the ribbon's edge. A similarly shaped bottom groove 56 is disposed substantially inline with that of the side groove 54. As shown in FIG. 5, the wire filament 14 is guided by both side and bottom grooves (54, 56) without stress or deformation. The wire filament 14 is first guided from its source, and under the work plate 34 (FIG. 3), by the bottom groove 56 along the bottom portion of the needle plate 40 and then, by the side groove 54 along the side of the support tine 48 following a gradually inclined direction. The wire filament 14 eventually becomes located adjacent to the top portion of the needle plate 40 where it can easily be positioned within a fold of the ribbon's side edge 12 and secured to the ribbon material 10 during the stitching process.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, one edge 11 of the ribbon material 10 is folded towards the center of the ribbon (downwardly in a preferred embodiment), forming a side edge 12 through which the wire filament 14 may be positioned and secured. It is known in the stitching industry to loop the edges of a fabric. Any of the known techniques can be incorporated with the stitching machine 30 so that a side edge 12 of the ribbon material 10 is formed around the wire filament 14 just prior to the stitching process. It is preferred, however that the fold in the side edge 12 be limited according to the size of the wire used. It is preferable that with any wire used, the side edge 12 be such that when it is in tight engagement around the wire filament 14, the actual edge 11 of the ribbon material 10 will at most, just contact the surface of the adjacent ribbon material 10. If a larger fold is formed, the ribbon material 10 may buckle and fold when it overlaps the ribbon material 10 and an undesirable seam will result. Such buckling may also cause the secured ribbon edge to be uneven and could create spots along the wire filament 14 where the ribbon material is not in tight engagement with the wire.

In operation, a supply of an appropriate decorative trim filament 18 and a supply of binding filament 20 are loaded in a conventional manner into a standard stitching machine, like the preferred Merrow or Pegasus machine. A wire filament 14 is fed through the needle plate 40, guided by both the side groove 54 and the bottom groove 56 and is ultimately drawn with the ribbon by the rollers 32. The ribbon material 10 is positioned in a conventional manner onto the work plate 34 of the stitching machine 30. As the machine operates, the edge of the ribbon material 10 is formed into a fold around the adjacent wire filament 14. The previously described stitch is then produced around the edge loop 12 and the enclosed wire 14. The stitching process creates the necessary pull required to ensure tight engagement between the wire filament 14 and the ribbon material 10.

The tightness of the stitch can be regulated by adjusting the cams of the stitching machine. In a preferred embodiment, the cams are adjusted so that the trim filament is wrapped tightly, with each turn of the filament just touching or overlapping each adjacent turn, so that the wire and the edge of the ribbon are covered over. It will also be appreciated by skilled practitioners that more than one trim filament or binding filament can be used on each edge of the ribbon. Preferably, one or two trim filaments is used and one binding filament is used.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail herein, it will be appreciated by skilled practitioners that the invention can also be practiced in other embodiments, and the present examples do not serve to narrow the appended claims.