FABRIC FRAME FOR A MANEUVERABLE SEWING MACHINE

Abstract

Fabric frame for a maneuverable sewing machine. In one example embodiment, a fabric frame for a maneuverable sewing machine includes a left side rail, a right side rail, a front rail permanently connected to the left side and right side rails, and a rear rail detachably connectable to the left side and right side rails. The left side, right side, front, and rear rails define left side, right side, front, and rear boundaries, respectively, of a working area. The left side, right side, front, and rear rails are configured to support one or more layers of fabric that flow from inside the boundaries of the working area to outside the left side, right side, front, and rear boundaries of the working area.

Claims

1. A fabric frame for a maneuverable sewing machine, the fabric frame comprising: a left side rail; a right side rail; a front rail permanently connected to the left side and right side rails; and a rear rail detachably connectable to the left side and right side rails, wherein the left side, right side, front, and rear rails define left side, right side, front, and rear boundaries, respectively, of a working area; and wherein the left side, right side, front, and rear rails are configured to support one or more layers of fabric that flow from inside the boundaries of the working area to outside the left side, right side, front, and rear boundaries of the working area.

2. The fabric frame of claim 1, wherein the left side, right side, and front rails are fixed in place and are not configured to rotate.

3. The fabric frame of claim 1, wherein the left side, right side, and front rails have a smooth, cylindrical outer surface.

4. The fabric frame of claim 1, wherein the fabric frame is supported above a table by only a single left side riser and only a single right side riser.

5. The fabric frame of claim 1, wherein the rear rail is configured to support the one or more layers of fabric that flow underneath the rear rail from inside the boundaries of the working area to outside the rear boundary of the working area.

6. The fabric frame of claim 5, further comprising: a left side clamp permanently connected to the left side rail; and a right side clamp permanently connected to the right side rail.

7. The fabric frame of claim 6, wherein the rear rail is detachably connectable to the left side and right side rails by clamping the rear rail in the left side and right side clamps.

8. The fabric frame of claim 7, wherein each of the left side clamp and the right side clamp includes: a first arm including a first clamping surface and a first lever surface; a second arm including a second clamping surface and a second lever surface; and a cam positioned between the first lever surface and the second lever surface, the cam configured to be rotated against the first lever surface and the second lever surface in a first rotational direction to cause the first lever surface and the second lever surface to move apart from one another, which causes the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface to move toward one another.

9. The fabric frame of claim 8, wherein the cam of each of the left side clamp and the right side clamp is further configured to be rotated against the first lever surface and the second lever surface in a second rotational direction to allow the first lever surface and the second lever surface to move toward one another, which allows the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface to move apart from one another.

10. The fabric frame of claim 9, wherein: each cam is a stepped cam that includes multiple stepped surfaces; and each of the stepped surfaces is indexed to one of multiple distinct distances between the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface.

11. A fabric frame for a maneuverable sewing machine, the fabric frame comprising: a left side rail; a right side rail; a front rail connected to the left side and right side fixed rails; and a rear rail connected to the left side and right side fixed rails, wherein the left side, right side, front, and rear rails define left side, right side, front, and rear boundaries, respectively, of a working area; wherein the left side, right side, and front rails are configured to support one or more layers of fabric that flow over upper surfaces of the left side, right side, and front rails from inside the boundaries of the working area to outside the left side, right side, and front boundaries of the working area; and wherein the rear rail is configured to support the one or more layers of fabric that flow underneath the rear rail from inside the boundaries of the working area to outside the rear boundary of the working area.

12. The fabric frame of claim 11, wherein the left side, right side, and front rails are fixed in place and are not configured to rotate.

13. The fabric frame of claim 11, wherein the left side, right side, and front rails have a smooth, cylindrical outer surface.

14. The fabric frame of claim 11, wherein the fabric frame is supported above a table by only a single riser.

15. The fabric frame of claim 11, wherein: the front rail is permanently connected to the left side and right side rails; and the rear rail is detachably connected to the left side and right side rails.

16. The fabric frame of claim 15, further comprising: a left side clamp permanently connected to the left side rail; and a right side clamp permanently connected to the right side rail.

17. The fabric frame of claim 16, wherein the rear rail is detachably connectable to the left side and right side rails by clamping the rear rail in the left side and right side clamps.

18. The fabric frame of claim 16, wherein each of the left side clamp and the right side clamp includes: a first arm including a first clamping surface and a first lever surface; a second arm integrally formed with the first arm, the second arm including a second clamping surface, a second lever surface, and a frame mount permanently connected to the respective side rail; an opening integrally defined between the first arm and the second arm; and a cam knob at least partially positioned in the opening such that the cam knob is configured to be rotated with respect to the opening, the cam knob having a stepped cam surface positioned between the first lever surface and the second lever surface, the cam knob configured: to be rotated in a first rotational direction, which causes the stepped cam surface to rotate against the first lever surface and the second lever surface, which causes the first lever surface and the second lever surface to move apart from one another, which causes the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface to move toward one another; and to be rotated in a second rotational direction, which causes the stepped cam surface to rotate against the first lever surface and the second lever surface, which allows the first lever surface and the second lever surface to move toward one another, which allows the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface to move apart from one another.

19. The fabric frame of claim 18, wherein the cam of each of the left side clamp and the right side clamp is further configured with: the first clamping surface being curved; the second clamping surface being curved; and the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface being configured to clamp onto the one or more layers of fabric after being wrapped around the rear rail.

20. The fabric frame of claim 19, wherein: each stepped cam surface includes multiple stepped surfaces; and each of the stepped surfaces is indexed to one of multiple distinct distances between the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface, which enables multiple distinct thicknesses of the one or more layers of fabric to be wrapped around the rear rail of the quilting frame and to be securely clamped in the corresponding clamp.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Example embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

[0012] FIG. 1A is a front top perspective view of an example fabric frame for a maneuverable sewing machine;

[0013] FIG. 1B is a front top perspective view of the example fabric frame of FIG. 1A with fabric mounted thereon;

[0014] FIG. 2A is a front top perspective view of an example clamp of the example fabric frame of FIG. 1A;

[0015] FIG. 2B is a front top exploded perspective view of the example clamp of FIG. 2A; and

[0016] FIG. 2C is a front top perspective view of the example clamp of FIG. 2A with a cutaway portion of the fabric of FIG. 1B clamped therein.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0017] FIG. 1A is a front top perspective view of an example fabric frame 100 for a maneuverable sewing machine 150 and FIG. 1B is a front top perspective view of the example fabric frame 100 with fabric 180 mounted thereon.

[0018] The sewing machine 150 of FIGS. 1A and 1B is specialized for quilting and is known as a long-arm quilting machine. Some features of a long-arm quilting machine that distinguish it from other types of sewing machines is the long-arm configuration of the machine, handlebars (such as the handlebars 158 and 160 discussed below), and a hopping foot (such as the hopping foot 162 discussed below). Quilting typically involves stitching together multiple layers of fabric to form a quilt. A quilt typically includes a layer of batting sandwiched in between upper and lower layers of fabric. However, although the example sewing machine 150 of FIGS. 1A and 1B is a long-arm quilting machine, it is understood that the sewing machine 150 of FIGS. 1A and 1B is only one of countless sewing machines in which the example fabric frame 100 may be employed. The scope of the example fabric frame 100 is therefore not intended to be limited to employment in any particular sewing machine.

[0019] As disclosed in FIG. 1A, the fabric frame 100 may include a left side rail 102, a right side rail 104, a front rail 106, and a rear rail 108, which may each have a smooth, cylindrical outer surface. The front rail 106 may be permanently connected to the left side rail 102 and to the right side rail 104, and each of the left side rail 102, right side rail 104, and front rail 106 may be fixed in place and not configured to rotate. In contrast, the rear rail 108 may be detachably connectable to the left side rail 102 and to the right side rail 104 by, for example, clamping the rear rail 108 in a clamp 200 permanently connected to the left side rail 102 and in another clamp 200 permanently connected to the right side rail 104.

[0020] The left side rail 102, the right side rail 104, the front rail 106, and the rear rail 108 define a left side boundary 110, a right side boundary 112, a front boundary 114, and a rear boundary 116, respectively, of a working area 118 for the sewing machine 150. Further, the fabric frame 100 may be supported above a table 152 by only a single left side riser 120, which connects the table 152 to the left side rail 102, and only a single right side riser 122, which connects the table 152 to the right side rail 104. The table 152 may also support a carriage assembly 154 to which the sewing machine 150 may be mounted. The carriage assembly 154 may be configured to allow a user to maneuver the sewing machine 150 both laterally (i.e., along the x axis) and longitudinally (i.e., along the z axis) with respect to the working area 118 of the fabric frame 100.

[0021] As disclosed in FIG. 1B, the fabric frame 100 may be configured to support one or more layers of fabric 180. Unlike other fabric frames that require the width of the fabric frame to be at least as wide as the width of the fabric, the fabric frame 100 may be configured to support fabric 180 that is wider than the width of the fabric frame 100. In particular, the left side rail 102, the right side rail 104, the front rail 106, and the rear rail 108 are configured to support the fabric 180 in such a way that the fabric 180 may flow from inside of the boundaries 110-116 of the working area 118 to outside of the boundaries 110-116 of the working area 118. In particular, the fabric 180 may flow over upper surfaces of the left side rail 102 (see FIG. 1A), the right side rail 104 (see cutaway section in FIG. 1B), and the front rail 106 (see cutaway section in FIG. 1B) from inside the boundaries 110-116 of the working area 118 to outside the left side boundary 110, the right side boundary 112, and the front boundary 114 of the working area 118. At the same time, the rear rail 108 may be configured to support the fabric 180 that may flow underneath the rear rail 108 from inside the boundaries 110-116 of the working area 118 to outside the rear boundary 116 of the working area 118. The flowing of the fabric 180 underneath the rear rail 108, even where the fabric 180 is wider than the fabric frame 100, may be possible due to the detachability of the rear rail 108 from the left side rail 102 and the right side rail 104, which detachability may be enabled by the clamps 200, which will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C.

[0022] FIG. 2A is a front top perspective view of the example clamp 200 of the example fabric frame 100, FIG. 2B is a front top exploded perspective view of the example clamp 200, and FIG. 2C is a front top perspective view of the example clamp of FIG. 2A with a cutaway portion of the fabric 180 clamped therein.

[0023] As disclosed in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the example clamp 200 includes a first arm 202, a second arm 204, and a cam 206. The first arm 202 includes a first clamping surface 208 and a first lever surface 210 and the second arm 204 includes a second clamping surface 212 and a second lever surface 214. The cam 206, which may be configured as a knob, is positioned between the first lever surface 210 and the second lever surface 214.

[0024] The cam 206 is configured to be rotated against the first lever surface 210 and the second lever surface 214 in a first rotational direction (e.g., a clockwise direction) to cause the first lever surface 210 and the second lever surface 214 to move apart from one another, which causes the first clamping surface 208 and the second clamping surface 212 to move toward one another. The cam 206 is also configured to be rotated against the first lever surface 210 and the second lever surface 214 in a second rotational direction (e.g., a counterclockwise direction) to allow the first lever surface 210 and the second lever surface 214 to move toward one another, which allows the first clamping surface 208 and the second clamping surface 212 to move apart from one another. As disclosed in FIG. 2B, the first clamping surface 208 and the second clamping surface 212 may be curved. This curvature may generally match the curvature of the rear rail 108 in order to enable the first clamping surface 208 and the second clamping surface 212 to clamp onto the rear rail 108, as disclosed in FIG. 2A, or to clamp onto the fabric 180 after the fabric 180 has been wrapped around the rear rail 108, as disclosed in FIG. 2C.

[0025] As disclosed in FIG. 2B, the cam 206 may be a stepped cam that includes multiple stepped surfaces 220, 222, and 224. Each of the stepped surfaces 220-224 may be indexed to one of multiple distinct distances between the first clamping surface 208 and the second clamping surface 212, which may enable multiple distinct thicknesses of the one or more layers of fabric to be wrapped around the rear rail 108 and to be securely clamped in the clamp 200. The stepped surfaces 220-224 may further be formed as non-slip surfaces that allow the cam 206 to be manually rotated while preventing the cam 206 from inadvertently rotating absent manual rotation. The cam 206 may further include a first handle 226 and a second handle 228.

[0026] The first arm 202 and the second arm 204 of the clamp 200 may be integrally formed with one another. The first lever surface 210 and the second lever surface 214 may be biased against the cam 206 due to the first lever surface 210 and the second lever surface 214 being integrally formed apart from one another at a distance that is smaller than a maximum diameter of the cam 206.

[0027] The second arm 204 may include a frame mount 216 that is configured to be permanently connected to a side rail of a fabric frame, such as the right side rail 104. The clamp 200 may also include an opening 218, which may be a circular opening, integrally defined between the first arm 202 and the second arm 204 into which the cam 206 may be at least partially positioned to connect the cam 206 to the integrally formed first arm 202 and second arm 204 and to allow the cam 206 to be rotated with respect to the opening 218.

[0028] The clamp 200 may also include a hinge 230 integrally formed between the first arm 202 and the second arm 204 on either side of the opening 218. The hinge 230 may at least partially contribute to the bias of the first lever surface 210 and the second lever surface 214 against the cam 206. The hinge 230 may further be configured to act as a pivot between the first clamping surface 208 and the first lever surface 210 and between the second clamping surface 212 and the second lever surface 214.

[0029] The example clamps 200 may therefore be employed to detachably connect the rear rail 108 to the fabric frame 100 during the mounting of the fabric 180 to the fabric frame 100, as disclosed in FIG. 1C. It is understood, however, that the clamps 200 are only one of a variety of means for detachably connecting the rear rail 108 to the fabric frame 100.

[0030] With reference again to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the fabric 180 may be mounted to the fabric frame 100 using a variety of mounting methods. One such mounting method may include various steps. For example, the method may include detaching the rear rail 108 from the clamps 200, thereby detaching the rear rail 108 from the fabric frame 100. Next, the method may include draping the fabric 180 over the left side rail 102, the right side rail 104, and the front rail 106. Then, the method may include reconnecting the rear rail 108 by placing the rear rail 108 on top of the fabric 180 (which may involve inserting the rear rail 108 from the side into the throat of the sewing machine 150, and thereby not disturbing the needle 156 or hopping foot 162 of the sewing machine), partially wrapping the fabric 180 up and around the rear surface of the rear rail 108, and then pushing the rear rail 108 into the clamps 200. Next, the method may include pulling the fabric 180 tight on the fabric frame 100. Then, the method may include clamping the fabric 180 to the left side rail 102, the right side rail 104, and the front rail 106 by placing clamps 182 at various positions along the left side rail 102, the right side rail 104, and the front rail 106 in order to maintain an adequate tension on the fabric 180 during operation of the sewing machine 150. Next, the method may include clamping the portion of the fabric 180 that is positioned near the rear rail 108 to the rear rail 108 using clamps 184, in order to stow this portion of the fabric 180 out of the way of the working area 118 and out of the way of the sewing machine 150. It is noted that this example method of mounting the fabric 180 to the fabric frame 100 enables the fabric 180 to be stretched tightly against all four rails 102-108 of the fabric frame 100. In particular, the fabric 180 may be stretched tightly in straight lines against upper surfaces of the left side rail 102, the right side rail 104, and the front rail 106, while at the same time being stretched tightly in a straight line against a lower surface of the rear rail 108.

[0031] Once the fabric 180 is mounted to the fabric frame 100 with an adequate tension, a user may grasp the handlebars 158 or the handlebars 160 and maneuver the sewing machine 150 laterally and longitudinally, as discussed above, in order to cause the needle 156, in combination with the hopping foot 162, to form even and precisely positioned rows of stiches in the fabric 180 anywhere within the working area 118 of the fabric frame 100. In addition, even though the example fabric frame 100 may have relatively small dimensions, such as about 5 feet wide (i.e., about 5 feet in the x dimension) by about 3 feet deep (i.e., about 3 feet in the x dimension), and thus be sized to fit in a relatively small room, the fabric frame 100 may be configured to accommodate fabric 180 that is relatively large, such as fabric 180 that is about 8.2 feet wide by about 8.5 feet long that is designed to be quilted into a quilt for a California king size bed. Further, the example fabric frame 100 may be relatively inexpensive to manufacture due to the relative simplicity of the fabric frame 100.

[0032] All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical objects to aid the reader in understanding the example embodiments and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically-recited examples and conditions.