Patents by Inventor Antonio Jimenez

Antonio Jimenez has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5099775
    Abstract: A device for measuring the passage of a predetermined length of cloth at right angles to the needle of a sewing machine comprises a frame carrying an arm mounted about a shaft and urged resiliently towards the cloth by a spring adapted to put a pinion in contact with the cloth. A shaft carries a barrel in contact with a gear fixedly connected to the pinion, the barrel enclosing a spring. The barrel is connected to a terminal by a sliding contact and carries a pin which extends into an arcuate groove in a drum while passing through an arcuate aperture in a plate. Contact elements are disposed at one end of the groove and at one end of the arcuate aperture, the pin being able to move from one to the other of these contact elements. The contact elements press against the internal surface of a metallic ring carried by the drum, the external surface of this ring being connected to a second terminal by a sliding contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1992
    Assignee: Mefina SA
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Gino W. Michelizza
  • Patent number: 5099776
    Abstract: In a sewing machine, a needle-bar is slidingly mounted in two bearings, the external surface of each of which has a spherical profile. The bearings are pivotably engaged in respective seats of complementary profile provided in a fixed support, for an upper bearing, and in a movable lever, for a lower bearing. This lever is alternately pivoted into two opposite positions under the action of a stepper motor. The motor drives the movable lever by engagement of a pinion with peripheral gear teeth carried by the movable lever.The motor, the fixed support, the movable lever, the bearings and the needle bar form a self-contained and detachable assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1992
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Michel Combepine
  • Patent number: 5083069
    Abstract: The control pedal (7) for an electric machine (3) comprises a movable member (9) connected to a foot support (11) and adapted to be actuated by the foot of the user, whose heel rests on the plate (10). When the pedal (7) is not in use, the member (9) may be lowered against the plate (10), whereas the cord (8) and that which is provided for the plug (6), are wound about the portions (12) forming bobbins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1992
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Michel Combepine
  • Patent number: 5063866
    Abstract: In a sewing machine, a thread-draw lever is driven in an oscillating movement, in synchronism with a needle bar, and carries a gripping hook for the thread, the thread being brought within reach of this hook by passing it into a longitudinal channel formed on an upper face of an upper arm of the casing of the machine.The arrangement permits the threading operation in a sewing machine to take place by simple insertion of the thread into the channel, without having to pass the thread through eyelets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1991
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Michel Combepine
  • Patent number: 5063865
    Abstract: In a sewing machine, an oscillating cradle has two bearings in which a needle bar is slidingly mounted. An external surface of each bearing has a spherical profile by which it is pivotingly engaged in a respective seat of complementary shape provided in a first arm of the cradle, for an upper bearing, and in a second arm, for a lower bearing. A resilient leaf spring, in the form of a U, exerts an axial pressure on both the upper bearing and the lower bearing, to maintain them in their seats in alignment with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1991
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Michel Combepine
  • Patent number: 5048438
    Abstract: The feed dog (17) for the fabric in a sewing machine is provided with a spring-wire (21) bent and passing through a hole of a support (23). When the feed dog (17) is in its upper position, the support (23) abuts the plate (18), which lowers the end (24) of the wire (21) so as to exert a tension on the lower thread (8) of the seam. When the feed dog is lowered, the wire (21) resumes its normal position, namely its end (24) is displaced upwardly with respect to the dog (17) and the thread (8) is thus relaxed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1991
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventor: Antonio Jimenez
  • Patent number: 5048437
    Abstract: Presser device in a sewing machine, comprising a support provided with structure for holding and releasing a presser foot. The support is of a general parallelepiped shape and has two parallel grooves that are arranged on two opposing lateral faces of the support, these grooves forming sliding guides for a sewing attachment. One face of the support comprises a translucent window, an electrical bulb being arranged in the support behind the window. The support also has at least one bore for receiving a rod for securing a sewing attachment. This bore is perpendicular to the axis of the presser bar. The support also has two parallel grooves arranged on its other two lateral faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1991
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventor: Antonio Jimenez
  • Patent number: 5042406
    Abstract: In a sewing machine, a pivotable lever is provided in accordance with the present invention which carries a presser foot which is brought by an actuating device from a low position to a high position. In the low position the foot is applied to the material to be sewn. In the high position the foot is spaced from the material. The lever is equipped with rolling members which rest on guide ramps. The members and ramps have a profile such that during displacement of the presser foot between its two positions, the foot always follows a vertical path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Michel Combepine
  • Patent number: 5042407
    Abstract: A device is provided for controlling the tension of a longitudinally moving thread. The device includes at least two adjacent plates which are applied one against the other and between which the thread passes. The plates, and thus the thread, can be tightened so that the desired tension can be creatred. Opposed surfaces of the plate each incorporate at least one gripping surface for the thread which cooperates with at least one corresponding gripping surface of the other plate. The periphery essentially about the surfaces is formed with at least two indentations arranged in such a way that each indentation of the gripping surface of a plate coincides with at least a portion of a corresponding indentation on the gripping surface of the other plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: Mefina SA
    Inventor: Antonio Jimenez
  • Patent number: 5018467
    Abstract: An adjustment device for the amplitude and direction of feed of cloth in a cloth transport mechanism for a sewing machine comprises a slideway centered on a trajectory in contact with a pivot pin between a connecting rod integral with an eccentric of a drive shaft and a short connecting rod linked to a lever associated with one end of the cloth transport member. This slideway may be oriented about a point situated in the middle of the trajectory of the pivot point to modify the inclination of the trajectory, and, in this way, the amplitude and the direction of the feed. To avoid any play between the slideway and the pivot pin, this latter carries two rollers in the shape of truncated cones, and the slideway has two tracks, inner and outer, displaced axially along the axis of pivoting in such a manner that each roller can only be put in contact with one of the two tracks by a resilient pressure and can roll without slipping against it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1991
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Pierre-Maurice Rochat
  • Patent number: 4984727
    Abstract: The filament cutter comprises a shank (1) with a head (2) and a substantially cylindrical portion (4), applied against the head (2) by a spring (5). In the space (7,8) is disposed a cutting member (9), having notched recesses and so arranged that a filament engaged between the member (4) and the head (2) will come into engagement with the notches so as to be cut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 15, 1991
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventor: Antonio Jimenez
  • Patent number: 4945844
    Abstract: An electronic sewing machine comprises two tables of ideograms corresponding to the patterns capable of being sewn by the machine. One of these tables is carried by the front face of the casing of the machine and the other by the bottom of a pivoting cover capable of occupying two end positions. One of these end positions is a raised end position, in which the user may view the ideograms of the cover, and the other is a lowered end position, in which the cover is closed over on the casing of the machine and covers up the first of the tables of ideograms, the second also being likewise out of sight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignee: Mefina SA
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Pierre-Alain Deschenaux
  • Patent number: 4936234
    Abstract: A handle (2) for a sewing machine has two arms (8, 9) which are swingably mounted on the handle to be retracted into recesses (6, 7) of the handle when they are not used. One arm (8) carries a rod (14) to receive a bobbin (15) and a disc (16), while the other arm (9) has a thread guide (18) for the thread (17) from the bobbin (15). The handle can also be designed to carry two rod for use with two threads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Ingeborg Beau
  • Patent number: 4934294
    Abstract: An information device for an electronic sewing machine includes a substrate carrying two rows of ideograms representative of some of the sewing patterns capable of being carried out by the sewing machine, and a flap hinged between these rows and carrying, on each face, a row of ideograms concerning others of these sewing patterns. The flap is pivotable into two end positions, for covering up one or the other row of ideograms of the substrate. The flap has, for each ideogram, a window allowing viewing of a diode associated with each ideogram of the substrate. Keys allow selection of each desired sewing pattern whose identity is signalled by the lighting-up of the diode associated with the corresponding ideogram, or the diode visible through the window of the flap adjacent to that ideogram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1990
    Assignee: Mefina SA
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Pierre-Alain Deschenaux
  • Patent number: 4771714
    Abstract: An electric sewing machine with computerized control in which the speed of rotation of the central control motor (M) is brought under the control of a regulating circuit (O, C.sub.1, C.sub.s) comprising a control tacho generator (G), has a mechanism for driving a support for a bobbin (C) to be wound, comprising all the structural elements of the generator (G), a double action clutch (E.sub.A) allowing the rotor of the generator (G) to be connected mechanically either to said central motor (M) or to the bobbin support, electrical switching means (I.sub.E, I.sub.G) allowing, in the last case, the armature of the generator (G) to be connected to an electrical supply source (A) while preventing the central control motor (M) of the machine from being supplied with current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1988
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Olindo Baruffa, Claude Buchilly
  • Patent number: 4768452
    Abstract: The needle bar (1) engaged in a pivoting cradle (2) is integral with a journal (3) connected by a connecting member (8) to a link (4) driven from the drive shaft (12) of the machine. In order to permit the head (23) of a loop holding member (25), mounted in the pedestal of the sewing machine, to engage in a loop (29) of the needle thread (27) during the ascending course of the needle (22), whatever may be its decentration, the connecting member (8) is formed by a bent extension of the crank pin of the link (4) engaged in a bore (7) of the journal (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1988
    Inventors: Olindo Baruffa, Antonio Jimenez, Francis Plomb
  • Patent number: 4646665
    Abstract: A displaceable cover for the housing of a sewing machine loop catch mechanism comprises a plate fixed to a pin which in turn is rotatably and slidably mounted in relatively fixed bearings. A spring element exerts upon the pin both a torsion torque and downward axial thrust. Opening of the cover is accomplished by depressing one end of a pivoted lever to cause the other end thereof to raise the cover from engagement within the housing and allowing the spring elements to swing the cover into an open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1987
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Jimenez, Pierre-Maurice Rochat
  • Patent number: 4619214
    Abstract: The lateral displacement or oscillation of a sewing machine needle bar is controlled by a permanently installed servomotor-driven cam operated in coordination with a second similarly installed servomotor-driven cam controlling the displacement of the fabric feed dog. Manipulation of the faces on the two cams, in a synchronized manner, allows numerous stitch patterns to be achieved according to the amplitude and direction of displacement of the needle bar and feed dog pursuant to the positioning of the faces on the two cams by their respective servomotors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignee: Mefina, S.A.
    Inventors: Olindo Baruffa, Antonio Jimenez
  • Patent number: 4567837
    Abstract: A sewing machine includes a stud carried by a journal surrounding a tubular needle bar having a lateral opening. A link connected to the journal normally drives the needle bar when the stud is engaged within the needle bar opening. A disconnecting rod within the tubular needle bar is axially displaceable and includes a ramp engageable with a control member, also within the needle bar, to drive the stud from the needle bar opening and thereby disengage the journal from the needle bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1986
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventors: Olindo Baruffa, Antonio Jimenez
  • Patent number: D314647
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1991
    Assignee: Mefina S.A.
    Inventor: Antonio Jimenez