Abstract: A mechanism for allowing adjustment of a cushion spring assembly to vary the distance between the wall of the bobbin case and the cushion spring in two directions. Means are incorporated to permit movement of the cushion spring assembly to facilitate removal of the bobbin case from the loop taker, without affecting the adjustment of the mechanism.

Abstract: An in-line sander for hand held operation and having a housing in which a rotating electric motor drives a drive shaft to rotate on a first axis, with a second axis of the drive shaft canted to the first axis and supporting a bearing thereon. A bearing housing is supported on the bearing to orbit therewith, the bearing housing having an arm extending to a platen support and extensibly and pivotably connected to a portion thereof. This orbiting of the bearing housing influences motion of the platen support in accordance with the angle of the cone described by the second axis of the drive shaft. The platen support is made of a resilient material and carried by the housing on legs extending to a base portion, which legs have a low moment of inertia in the direction of in-line sanding, and a high moment of inertia normal to the direction of in-line sanding, so as to be disposed to motion in the in-line sanding path only.

Abstract: A differential feed system in which a main feed bar supports an auxiliary feed bar for rising and falling motion but for independent longitudinal motion and wherein longitudinal motion of the auxiliary feed bar is derived from oscillations imparted to a differential feed shaft from a main feed shaft. A safety mechanism is provided in which a safety bar is pivotably connected to a feed regulator control for the main feed and is fashioned with a lost motion connection to a feed control for the auxiliary feed. Motion of the lever for auxiliary feed control is possible in a limited range determined by the degree of lost motion in the safety bar and motion of this lever beyond the limited range will shift the regulator for the main feed system in the same increasing or decreasing feed direction as the lever for the auxiliary system is being shifted.

Abstract: Vibrational movements of a spring biased lever, which is selectively positionable by a stitch length control lever and controls the operation of feed regulating mechanism in a sewing machine accordingly, are dampened by the operation of a plunger that is carried by said control lever and has a camming surface thereon to engage and lift the spring biased lever when the control lever is moved.

Abstract: A flow rate sensor includes a diaphragm operated switch coupled to a Venturi in a flow conduit. The apparatus includes a housing having a diaphragm defining a chamber. The chamber has a first port connected to the Venturi and a second vent port. A valve connected between the first port and the diaphragm is spring loaded so that the first port is normally open. In the absence of fluid flow, the Venturi pressure is zero under the diaphragm and the diaphragm is at rest in an up position so that the valve is open. With fluid flow through the Venturi, vacuum will build under the diaphragm so that the diaphragm will travel down until the valve closes the first port. With the valve closed, pressure under the diaphragm will increase due to flow through the vent port and the diaphragm will move up. The valve will remain closed until the diaphragm up stroke is equal to the valve stem lost motion.

Abstract: A bobbin case, which is loosely confined within the looptaker of a sewing machine, is biased both into engagement on one side against the looptaker and about the looptaker axis toward a position of engagement with a stop by a continuously engaging light force applying resilient member, and a shock absorber is disposed for engagement with the bobbin case only upon movement thereof through a predetermined distance in opposition to the bias of said resilient member.

Abstract: A button sewing machine is provided on a fabric and button positioning plate with a thread supporting tongue to extend longitudinally in a needle hole into engagement with the underside of fabric and enable thread to be sewn under and across the tongue to prevent the fabric from slipping on the plate during a button sewing operation.

Abstract: A hand operable chain stitch sewing machine including a pivoted cam and looper assembly with a limited axial position has the looper mounted on the cam so as to deflect axially away from the cam when engaged by the needle of the machine and leave the cam in its limited position wherein cam tracks and a gate therefor are disposed for cooperation with an actuator for the pivoted assembly and a gate spring respectively.

Abstract: The electrically operated clutch controlling operation of the compressor is regulated by a damped pressure switch. The pressure switch has a diaphragm which moves in response to pressure variation to actuate the switch. The force acting on the diaphragm is opposed by spring force. The housing is provided with a damping chamber between the diaphragm chamber and the restricted passage in the inlet. The restricted passage is the clearance between the hole drilled in the metal insert and the wire fixed in the hole. The restriction is selected relative to the damping chamber so the switch will not cycle more than four times per minute when sensing pressure at the outlet of a finned coil evaporator in an automotive air conditioning system operating under light load.

Abstract: A microcomputer-based electronic controller for a dishwasher utilizes a motor driven timing cam for selectively energizing the electromechanical components of the dishwater. An internal diagnostic routine in the microcomputer insures that the timing cam is advanced when the microcomputer calls for power to be applied to the motor.

Abstract: An adjustable tangent assembly for a positive displacement diaphragm gas meter is provided with a pair of concentric face gears coaxial with the axis of rotation of the crank shaft and accessible through a small plug hole in the meter cover. An adjusting tool inserted through the plug hole allows independent self locking adjustment of the timing and stroke with high resolution.

Abstract: Opposing plates of a thread tensioning device for use on a lock stitch sewing machine in a thread handling system wherein needle thread is caused to pass between elongate members of a thread holder which meters thread to the looptaker of the machine are formed with recesses through which the thread can fall without restraint to supply thread to the looptaker during the movement thereof from a loop seizing to a cast-off position.

Abstract: A needle for use in a sewing machine having a one-way needle clamp, in which the needle is formed with a shank having a minor portion adjacent the free extremity which cooperates with the one-way needle clamp to properly orient the sewing needle, and a major portion extending between the minor portion and the blade which includes a reference surface for locating the blade with respect to the sewing machine looptaker.

Abstract: A device useful with robotic fabric manipulating systems for forming hemfolds in fabric panels and comprising a slotted mandrel simultaneously accommodating the entire fabric edges to be hemmed and a drive rotating said mandrel within a sheath which frictionally constrains the folded fabric being drawn from the mandrel during stitching.

Abstract: A handle construction is provided in which a handle tube is affixed to a main housing by providing for a D shaped configuration on one end of the handle tube having holes therethrough normal to the flatted portion of the tube; a handle mounting plate supported on the flatted portion of the tube having tapped holes therethrough aligned with the holes in the D shaped configuration on the end of the handle tube; reinforcement tubes extending internally of the D shaped configuration of the handle tube from the internal flatted surface thereof through the opposite side of the tube to the main housing; and screws extending through the main housing, the internal bore of the reinforcement tubes and holes in the flatted portion of the D shaped configuration of the handle tube into the tapped holes of the handle mounting plate to firmly retain the entire assembly affixed to the main housing.

Abstract: An axially movable plunger in a bobbin, and a cam for disposing the plunger in a position resulting in rotation of the bobbin for bobbin winding are formed with engageable planar surfaces, one of which includes a sharp edge hole, and the other of which includes an elongate slot to provide for the cutting of thread between the edges of the hole and slot at the outset of a bobbin winding operation.

Abstract: A floor care appliance having a filter bag with an inlet chamber accessed by an inlet aperture, and a quiescent storage chamber connected to the inlet chamber by an opening adjacent the top thereof. The filter bag is formed of filter sheet material as an elongate tubular member having the opposite ends folded and sealed to define an air impermeable seal. An inlet aperture extends into the interior of the tubular member adjacent one end thereof and the tubular member is folded upon itself spaced from the other end thereof with confronting portions of the tubular member being sealed together and including an opening adjacent the fold between the confronting portions to maintain an open air path from the inlet aperture to the other end of the filter bag.