Knee Lifter

In a typical industrial setting, a sewing machine is mounted on a table and is driven by an

electric motor which is slung underneath the top of the table. The operator sits in front of the table
and controls the motor by a treadle at her feet. At the end of each of many types of sewing
operations, the presser foot must be raisedun order to remove fabric which has been sewn and to in
sert new fabric which is to be sewn. In addition, it is oftentimes necessary to raise the presser foot
during a sewing operation in order to change the position of fabric which is being sewn. Since the
operators hands are fully occupied in manipulating the fabric, a knee shift device is provided to lift
the presser foot. When a knee shift device is applied to a given sewing machine, the need frequently
arises to reorient the position of the knee shift device.
The main feature of the invention is the provision for a knee shift mechanism for a sewing
machine in which the pivot means for the knee shift lever is adjustably mounted in a vertical slot in a
plate which in turn is adjustably mounted in a horizontal slot in a surface depending from the
underside of the sewing machine table. The knee shift lever is connected to an extensible rock arm
on a rock shaft by a connecting link which has means for adjusting the distance between a pivot
means on the knee shift lever for the link and a pivot means on the extensible rock arm for the link. A
second rock arm on the rock shaft is connected to the presser lifter. The foregoing construction
enables an operator to change the height of the knee pad and the lateral distance of the knee pad
from the line of feed of fabric without changing the arc through which the knee pad must be swung to
operate the presser lifter and without changing the force which must be applied to the knee pad to
operate the presser lifter. The knee shift mechanism can also be adapted for use with either a pushtype presser lifter or a pull-type presser lifter by changing the position of the rock arm which is
connected to the presser lifter approximately degrees on the rock shaft.

Stitch Length Regulator

A stitch length regulator for a sewing machine having a feed regulating guide block secured
to and pivotably movable with a stud shaft journaled in a bushing in the machine casting. A feed
regulator control dial is mounted on the bushing so that its pivot point is common with the feed
regulator slide block. A feed regulating control lever is pivotably mounted in the machine and
engages a drive pin on the guide block. A follower on the control lever is received in a radial slot
having inner and outer cam contours formed in the dial. The contours of the cam correspond to
reverse and forward stitch lengths respectively and the follower is biased so as to normally engage
the outer cam contour for forward stitching. The control lever includes an arm projecting externally of
the machine housing with a reversing knob at the free end thereof. Manual rotation of the feed dial
causes the control lever to pivot in relationship to the location of the follower on the outer cam track
to control the disposition of the feed regulator guide block. Reverse stitch is obtained by depression
of the reversing knob so that the follower is forced to ride on the inner cam contour to effect a
reverse stitch length equivalent to the forward stitch length previously selected.
On sewing machines, stitch length is usually expressed in one of two way: either as stitches
per inch (spi): or as millimeters between stitches or knots usually 0 to 4, with the standard at 2.5 mm.
But getting the stitch length you want is not just a matter of setting knob or number.