Abstract: A mechanism is disclosed for driving a puller wheel to assist in feeding cloth material through a sewing machine. The material passes between a puller wheel and an idler wheel after having been sewn by a reciprocating needle. The driven puller wheel assists the standard feed dogs in feeding the material past the needle. The invention discloses a positive drive mechanism having a variable speed gearbox driven by the sewing machine motor and drivingly connected to the puller wheel. The distance between puller wheel and idler wheel is variable to accommodate any thickness of material and still provide a positive feed.

Abstract: The present invention teaches a high-speed indexing system for use with any number of fabric-moving apparatus, a novel braking system for use within the indexing system, and a novel puller accessory. The high-speed adjustable indexing system is illustrated in connection with a sewing machine, as an example. In sewing machine applications, a synchronized intermittent advancement of fabric in unison with the movement of an associated feed dog is provided. Undesirable inertia-caused roller overshooting, heretofore treated with anti-reverse clutches and other approaches, is eliminated, thereby enabling high speed indexing at machine operating speeds conventionally unattainable in the art. An adjustable spring-biased braking arrangement is provided which may be preset for known machine operating speeds.