Patent Application
20140048003
Sewing machines, embroidery machines, and other stitching machines may be supplied with thread from one or more spools. The thread may be used for various purposes, such as stitching together articles of fabric and/or stitching ornamental patterns. Stitching may include the use of a bobbin thread, which is generally located on an underside of an article of fabric. The thread sewn or embroidered on a top side of the article of fabric may be pushed through the article of fabric by a needle and secured with the bobbin thread so that the sewing or embroidering thread is stitched into place.
A stitching machine may include a needle apparatus, a sewing thread spool receiving device, and a bobbin thread spool receiving device. The stitching machine may further include a bobbin thread tensioner configured to receive bobbin thread from the bobbin thread spool receiving device. The bobbin thread tensioner may be further configured to supply the bobbin thread to the needle apparatus. The bobbin thread spool receiving device is configured to receive a bobbin spool holding approximately 700 to 10,000 meters of bobbin thread.
In another aspect, a stitching machine may include a needle apparatus, a sewing thread spool, a bobbin spool, and a bobbin thread tensioner. The bobbin spool may hold approximately 700 to 10,000 meters or more of bobbin thread. The bobbin thread tensioner may be configured to receive bobbin thread from the bobbin thread spool receiving device and supply the bobbin thread to the needle apparatus.
In another aspect, a method of stitching an article may include a step of providing a sewing thread spool holding sewing thread and supplying the sewing thread from the sewing thread spool to a stitching machine. The method may further include providing a bobbin thread spool holding approximately 700 to 10,000 meters of bobbin thread and supplying the bobbin thread from the bobbin thread spool to the stitching machine. A sewing thread may further be laid against a first surface of the article. The method may further include laying a bobbin thread against a second surface of the article, the first surface being opposite the second surface. In addition, the sewing thread and the bobbin thread may be stitched together.
In another aspect, a method of stitching an article of footwear includes laying a first strand against a first surface of a material element. The method may further include providing a bobbin spool holding approximately 700 to 10,000 meters of a second strand and supplying the second strand to a stitching machine. The first strand may be stitched over with a second strand via the stitching machine to secure the second strand to the first surface at a plurality of locations on opposite sides of the first strand.
The advantages and features of novelty characterizing aspects of the invention are pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. To gain an improved understanding of the advantages and features of novelty, however, reference may be made to the following descriptive matter and accompanying figures that describe and illustrate various configurations and concepts related to the invention.
The foregoing Summary and the following Detailed Description will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
The following discussion and accompanying figures disclose various configurations of stitching machines, such as sewing machines or embroidery machines. The concepts described herein may be applied to a variety of machines that sew or embroider with a first thread and a bobbin thread. The machines may be used to sew or embroider a variety of articles. For instance, an article may be an article of apparel, such as a shirt, pants, jacket, or any type of footwear. For example, a shoe may be a baseball shoe, basketball shoe, training shoe, cycling shoe, football shoe, running shoe, tennis shoe, soccer shoe, or hiking boot. The concepts may also be applied to footwear types that are generally considered to be non-athletic, including dress shoes, loafers, sandals, and work boots. In another instance, an article may be luggage or a backpack.
A conventional sewing machine 100 is shown in
Turning to
Besides using a sewing thread to create stitches in an article, a bobbin thread may also be supplied to an underside of an article. For example, a bobbin thread may be supplied to an article to make a locking stitch with a sewing thread, as will be explained below. As shown in
Because a bobbin thread is supplied to an underside of an article sewn by needle apparatus 130 of sewing machine 100, bobbin spool 200 may be located within a recess 124 located underneath needle plate 122. As a result, bobbin spool 200 is located a distance 10 beneath needle apparatus 130. Because the components of needle apparatus 130 typically reciprocate up and down in a vertical direction relative to base 120, distance 10 may be a distance from bobbin spool 200 to an average height of needle apparatus 130 during a sewing operation. In another example, distance 10 may be a distance from bobbin spool 200 to a maximum height of a tip of needle 136 nearest needle plate 122 when needle apparatus is withdrawn vertically upwards away from needle plate 122. Distance 10 may be, for example, in the range of 2 to 15 centimeters.
Sewing machine 100 may include other devices located within recess 124. For example, sewing machine 100 may include a device to create a locking stitch in an article, such as a rotary hook 138 or a shuttle. Although bobbin spool 200 may be located at any position within recess 124, such as the position shown in
Conventional bobbin spools are relatively small and hold a length of bobbin thread on the order of a few hundred meters. Therefore, during sewing or embroidery operations, in which the amount of bobbin thread utilized is relatively large, the entire length of bobbin thread may be consumed. Depending upon the article being sewn or embroidered and/or the sewing or embroidery operation, this may result in the article being discarded because the operation cannot be completed after the bobbin thread runs out. As a result, waste may occur in the sewing or embroidery operation and the efficiency of the operation suffers.
In addition, bobbin spools are typically located beneath an article being sewn or embroidered. For instance, a conventional bobbin spool may be located underneath plate 122 within base 120 of sewing machine 100. Embroidery machines may have similar arrangements for a bobbin spool. Because a bobbin spool 200 is typically located within recess 124 of base 120, the accessibility of bobbin spool 200 is limited. In particular, a panel in base 120 is typically removed and then bobbin spool 200 is extracted from recess 124 if work must be done on bobbin spool 200, such as replenishing bobbin thread 220.
Further, a bobbin spool may not be easily accessible in conventional machines. A panel covering recess 124 may obscure viewing of bobbin spool 200 so that a user may not know how much bobbin thread is left on bobbin spool 200. In addition, an article being sewn or embroidered may be placed upon base 120 during a sewing or embroidery operation, covering recess 124 and causing bobbin spool 200 to be obscured from view. To access the bobbin spool, a user must open the panel within the base and withdraw the bobbin spool, limiting the accessibility of the bobbin spool.
A conventional bobbin spool 200 may have various sizes. For example, bobbin spools typically used in domestic sewing or embroidery machines found in homes are size L or size 15/A (sometimes referred to as size A). A size L bobbin spool may have a diameter (a distance across a flat side of a flange) of, for example, 0.912 inches and a height (a distance from a flat side of one flange, across the cylinder, to a flat side of the other flange) of, for example, 0.359 inches. A size L bobbin spool may hold approximately 115-125 meters of bobbin thread. A size 15/A bobbin spool may have a diameter of, for example, 0.815 inches (2.07 cm) and a height of, for example, 0.465 inches (1.18 cm). A size 15/A bobbin spool may hold approximately 135-145 meters of bobbin thread. Another size of bobbin spool is size F, which have a diameter of 0.770 inches (1.96 cm) and a height of 0.303 inches (0.769 cm).
Other bobbin spool sizes may be used. Commercial machines may use, for example, a size G, size M, or size U bobbin spool. A size G bobbin spool may have a diameter of 0.991 inches (2.52 cm) and a height of 0.390 inches (0.991 cm). A size M bobbin spool may have a diameter of 1.023 inches (2.598 cm) and a height of 0.435 inches (1.105 cm). A size M bobbin spool may hold approximately 270 meters of bobbin thread. A size U bobbin spool may have a diameter of 1.161 inches (2.949 cm) and a height of 0.457 inches (1.161 cm).
The conventional bobbin spools discussed above have relatively small sizes and therefore hold only a limited amount of bobbin thread. Due to their relatively small sizes, conventional bobbin spools used in a sewing machine or an embroidery machine typically hold approximately 50 meters of bobbin thread to a maximum of 500 meters of bobbin thread. During a sewing or embroidery operation using bobbin thread, the length of bobbin thread may be entirely consumed so that there is no more bobbin thread left on a conventional bobbin spool. This may result in the article being sewn or embroidered being discarded because the sewing or embroidering operation cannot be completed after the bobbin thread runs out. As a result, waste may occur in the sewing or embroidery operation.
In view of these considerations, it is desirable to provide sewing machines and embroidery machines that allow greater accessibility to bobbin spools and minimize waste due to the use of relatively small bobbin spools that hold relatively small amounts of bobbin thread.
An example of a stitching machine having the configuration of a sewing machine 300 is shown in
Sewing machine 300 may include a sewing thread spool receiving device, such as a post 312. Although a post 312 is shown here, other embodiments could incorporate any other device used in the art for receiving a sewing thread spool. Sewing thread 316 may be unwound from spool 314, fed through take-up lever 340, and supplied to needle apparatus 330.
As shown in
Bobbin spool 400 may be larger than a conventional bobbin and thus hold more bobbin thread than a conventional bobbin. For example, bobbin spool 400 may be configured to hold approximately 700 or more meters of bobbin thread. In another example, bobbin spool 400 may hold approximately 700 to 10,000 meters of bobbin thread. In another example, bobbin spool 400 may hold approximately 900 to 10,000 meters of bobbin thread. In another example, bobbin spool 400 may hold approximately 1000 to 10,000 meters of bobbin thread. In another example, bobbin spool 400 may hold approximately 2000 to 10,000 meters of bobbin thread. In another example, bobbin spool 400 may hold approximately 3000 to 10,000 meters of bobbin thread.
Due to the relatively large size of bobbin spool 400, a more continuous feed of bobbin thread 402 may be provided to sewing machine 300. As a result of the increased amount of bobbin thread 402 available in a single continuous feed, waste caused by unfinished sewing operations may be minimized. Also, greater flexibility may be provided in planning sewing operations for different articles requiring different amounts of bobbin thread 402.
Bobbin spool 400 may be mounted, for example, onto a bobbin spool 400 receiving device, such as a post 404 or other device used in the art. The location of post 404 may be selected to provide greater accessibility to bobbin spool 400 mounted upon post 404. For instance, when bobbin spool 400 is mounted to post 404 or is otherwise ready for use with sewing machine 300, bobbin spool 400 may be separate from and not directly attached to sewing machine 300. As shown in
To locate bobbin spool 400 separately from sewing machine 300, post 404 may be positioned so that when bobbin spool 400 is mounted on post 404, bobbin spool 400 is located above sewing machine 300. As shown in the example of
Due to the relatively large size of bobbin spool 400, sewing machine 300 may have difficulty regulating the tension applied to bobbin thread 402 drawn from bobbin spool 400, which may affect the quality of stitching produced by sewing machine. Further, sewing machine 300 may even have insufficient power to spin the relatively large and heavy bobbin spool 400 so that bobbin thread 402 cannot be drawn. To address these issues, sewing machine 300 may include a tensioner 410. One tensioner 410 may be provided per bobbin spool 400, as shown in
Bobbin thread 402 may be supplied from bobbin spool 400 to tensioner 410, which in turn regulates the tension applied to bobbin thread 402 and supplies the bobbin thread 402 to sewing machine 300. Tensioner 410 may be configured to pull thread from a relatively large spool, such as bobbin spool 400, so that a proper amount of tension may be applied to bobbin thread 402. A stitching machine, such as sewing machine 300, may not be properly configured to pull a thread from a relatively large bobbin spool at a desired tension. For instance, a stitching machine may not be capable of pulling a bobbin thread from a relatively large bobbin spool with a desired tension at a relatively constant rate or amount. Thus, tensioner 410 may compensate for a greater amount of tension required to pull bobbin thread 402 from bobbin spool 400 and may regulate the tension of the bobbin thread 402 to be relatively constant.
As shown in the example of
In another example, tensioner 410 may be located below sewing machine 300 instead of above sewing machine 300. For instance, tensioner 410 may be located below bottom surface 323 of base 320. In such an example, bobbin thread 402 may be provided from bobbin spool 400 located above sewing machine 300 to tensioner 410 below bottom surface 323, and then from tensioner 410 through aperture 324 to the stitching location. In the case that sewing machine 300 is placed upon or mounted to a surface of a table (not shown), tensioner 410 may be located underneath the surface of the table. In some configurations, bobbin spool 400 and tensioner 410 may be located below sewing machine 300.
Tensioner 410 may be any type of device configured to regulate the tension applied to bobbin thread 402. Turning to
To urge braking device 414 towards end 413 of fixed drum 412, braking device 414 may be connected to a support 417 by one or more connecting members 418. Connecting members 418 may be elastic in their nature. For example, connecting members 418 may be springs. Support 417 may have a generally annular shape, such as a ring. The position of support 417 may be adjusted by moving support 417 along direction 26 shown in
Examples of the type of tensioner 410 shown in
Another example of a tensioner 420 is shown in
One use of bobbin thread in a stitching or embroidering operation is making a lock stitch. A lock stitch may be used for various purposes. In one example, lock stitching may be used to stitch layers of fabric together. In another example, lock stitching may be used to stitch a cord or other element to a surface of an article, as will be discussed below. The methods and devices described below may be used with any of the embodiments described herein.
Turning to
As shown in
The process described above may be repeated to produce additional lock stitches. For instance, as shown in
A second method of making lock stitches uses a rotary hook, as shown in
Turning to
Turning to
Lock stitches may be located on the underside of an article, as shown in
The aspects and methods described herein may also be applied to other types of stitching machines, including an embroidery machine. Embroidery machines may include a bobbin spool and may, therefore, be affected by the accessibility and efficiency considerations described above for conventional bobbin spools. In view of this, it would be advantageous to provide an embroidery machine that provides improved access to a bobbin spool and enhanced manufacturing efficiency and flexibility.
An example of an embroidery machine 600 is shown in
Embroidery machine 600 may be used to stitch sewing thread supplied from array 610 onto an article in a desired pattern. In another example, embroidery machine 600 may be used to stitch an element to a surface of an article. For instance, as shown in
Embroidery machine 600 may further include a bobbin spool 620 placed upon a bobbin spool receiving device 621, such as a post. Bobbin spool 620 may have the features of bobbin spool 400 of
Bobbin thread 622 unwound from bobbin spool 620 may be supplied to a tensioner 630, which in turn supplies the bobbin thread 622 to embroidery machine 600. Tensioner 630 may have the features of the tensioners described above, such as tensioner 410 of
By providing embroidery machine 600 with bobbin spool 620 and tensioner 630, embroidery machine 600 may advantageously place bobbin spool 620 in a more accessible and viewable location. Further, the increased length of bobbin thread 622 supplied by the relatively large bobbin spool 620 may reduce waste and enhance manufacturing efficiency and flexibility.
Various articles may be stitched using the machines and methods described above. In one example, an article may be manufactured by stitching an element to a surface of the article. The element may be added to the article, for example, to affect the properties of the article. For instance, the element may be added to the article to enhance the strength of the article and resist stretching of the article. Such an element may be stitched to the article using sewing machine 300 of
Turning to
By being substantially parallel to the exterior surface of foundation element 640, tensile strands 642 resist stretch in directions that correspond with the planes of foundation element 640. Although tensile strands 642 may extend through foundation element 640 (e.g., as a result of stitching) in some locations, areas where tensile strands 642 extend through foundation element 640 may permit stretch, thereby reducing the overall ability of tensile strands 642 to limit stretch. As a result, each of tensile strands 642 generally lie adjacent to the exterior surface of foundation element 640 and substantially parallel to the exterior surface of foundation element 640 for distances of at least twelve millimeters, and may lie adjacent to the exterior surface of foundation element 640 and substantially parallel to the exterior surface of foundation element 640 for distances of at least five centimeters or more.
Tensile strands 642 may be stitched to foundation element 640 in various ways. For example, tensile strands 642 may be stitched to foundation element 640 using locking stitches, such as the methods described in
Securing strands 624 may extend through foundation element 640 and wrap around backing strands 622, such as in a locking stitch configuration, to effectively hold securing strands 624 in place, as shown in
Based upon the above discussion, tensile strands 642 may form structural components in article 660 that resist stretch, whereas securing strands 624 and backing strands 622 are cooperatively utilized to secure the position of tensile strands 642 upon foundation element 640. Given that tensile strands 642 are used to resist stretch and may be subjected to substantial tensile forces, the materials and thicknesses of tensile strands 642 may be selected to bear the tensile forces without breaking, yielding, or otherwise failing. Similarly, the materials and thicknesses of securing strands 624 and backing strands 622 may be selected to ensure that tensile strands remain properly positioned relative to foundation element 640. In some article, the tensile forces applied to tensile strands 642 may be significantly greater than the forces subjected to securing strands 624 and backing strands 622. As a result, in some cases, the diameter or thickness of tensile strands 642 may be greater than the diameters or thicknesses of securing strands 624 and backing strands 622.
Strands 642, 624, and 622 and threads discussed herein (including sewing and bobbin threads) may be formed from a variety of filaments, fibers, yarns, threads, cables, or ropes that are formed from rayon, nylon, polyester, polyacrylic, silk, cotton, carbon, glass, aramids (e.g., para-aramid fibers and meta-aramid fibers), ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, liquid crystal polymer, copper, aluminum, and steel, for example. Strands and threads may be uncoated or coated. Strands 642, 624, and 622 may be formed from the same material, or may be formed from different materials. For example, tensile strands 642 may be formed from polyethylene, whereas strands 624 and 622 may be formed from nylon. As another example, strands 642 and 624 may be formed from polyester, whereas backing strands 622 are formed from cotton. Similarly, some of tensile strands 642 may be formed from aramids, whereas other tensile strands 642 may be formed from silk. The materials utilized for strands 642, 624, and 622 may vary, therefore, to impart different properties to different areas of article 660.
Although strands 642, 624, and 622 and threads will often have a cross-section where width and thickness are substantially equal (e.g., a round or square cross-section), suitable cross-sections may have a width that is greater than a thickness (e.g., a rectangular, oval, or otherwise elongate cross-section). The diameter or thicknesses of strands 642, 624, and 622 may also vary significantly to range from 0.03 millimeters to more than 5 millimeters, for example.
Article 600 may be further processed to make a particular article of manufacture, such as an article of apparel. For example, article 600 may be incorporated into an upper 710 of an article of footwear 700, as shown in
Besides upper 710, article of footwear 700 may include a sole structure 720. Sole structure 720 is secured to upper 710 and extends between the foot and the ground when footwear 10 is worn. The primary elements of sole structure 20 are a midsole 721, an outsole 722, and a sockliner (not shown). Upper 710 is secured to sole structure 720 and defines a void within footwear 700 for receiving and securing a foot relative to sole structure 20. More particularly, an interior surface of foundation element 640 may form at least a portion of the void within upper 710. As depicted, foundation element 640 is shaped to accommodate the foot and extends along the lateral side of the foot, along the medial side of the foot, over the foot, around the heel, and under the foot. In other configurations, foundation element 640 may only extend over or along a portion of the foot, thereby forming only a portion of the void within upper 710. Access to the void within upper 710 is provided by an ankle opening 712 located in at least heel region 64. A lace 714 extends through various lace apertures 716, which extend through foundation element 640, and permit the wearer to modify dimensions of upper 710 to accommodate the proportions of the foot. In addition, upper 710 may include a tongue (not depicted) that extends under lace 714.
During walking, running, or other ambulatory activities, a foot within the void in footwear 700 may tend to stretch upper 710. That is, many of the material elements forming upper 710, including foundation element 640, may stretch when placed in tension by movements of the foot. Although tensile strands 642 may also stretch, tensile strands 642 generally stretch to a lesser degree than the other material elements forming upper 710 (e.g., foundation element 640). Each of tensile strands 642 may be located, therefore, to form structural components in upper 710 that resist stretching in specific directions or reinforce locations where forces are concentrated. As an example, the various tensile strands 642 that extend between lace apertures 716 and sole structure 720 resist stretch in the medial-lateral direction (i.e., in a direction extending around upper 710). These tensile strands 642 are also positioned adjacent to and radiate outward from lace apertures 716 to resist stretch due to tension in lace 714. As another example, the various tensile strands 642 that extend between forefoot region 60 and heel region 64 resist stretch in a longitudinal direction (i.e., in a direction extending through each of regions 60, 62, 64). Accordingly, tensile strands 642 are located to form structural components in upper 710 that resist stretch.
Methods for incorporating sewn or embroidered elements into articles, including features of the articles themselves, are discussed in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/847,860, filed on Jul. 30, 2010 to Frederick Dojan; U.S. application Ser. No. 13/404,377, filed on Feb. 24, 2012 to Frederick Dojan et al.; and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/546,022, filed on Aug. 24, 2009 to Frederick Dojan et al., which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
The invention is disclosed above and in the accompanying figures with reference to a variety of configurations. The purpose served by the disclosure, however, is to provide an example of the various features and concepts related to the invention, not to limit the scope of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the configurations described above without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.
