Patent Publication Number: US-11649576-B2

Title: Needle threading aid

Description:
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application 62/878,580 filed Jul. 25, 2019, entitled Needle Threading Aid which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     Sewing has been accomplished using needle and thread for thousands of years, yet a perplexing issue remains to trouble those who merely wish to take a first step into sewing—passing the thread through the eye of the needle. As technology for forming needles has advanced and finer needles and finer threads are used for sewing, the difficulty of threading the needle has increased, so that even those with quite good vision and good coordination will often require more than one pass to achieve a threaded needle. 
     A variety of devices have been developed often involving various permutations of magnifying lenses, auxiliary lighting, grasping devices and intermediary devices for holding the needle or thread to ease the critical step of introducing the thread into the eye of the needle. Of course, magnifying lenses are subject to scratching and Murphy&#39;s law suggests that battery power for auxiliary lighting will generally fail when most needed while larger devices will tend not to find a permanent home in the sewing bag as they can become inconveniently large considering everything else that we all too often find it necessary to carry. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The device of the present invention addresses this problem by providing a compact device which requires neither magnification nor auxiliary lighting and can conveniently be carried in even the smallest of sewing bags. 
     In particular, I address this problem by providing a needle threading aid, having: a graspable body with a generally planar threading ledge formed adjacent one end of the graspable body, a threading aperture extending through the threading ledge, a ridge formed adjacent the threading aperture, the ridge having a collapsible wire loop projecting therefrom extending over said threading aperture, the ridge being medially disposed in the graspable body, the graspable body comprising a thickened portion between the ridge and the other end of the graspable body, the wire loop having a generally angular return bend formed therein, with a pair of grasping depressions formed on opposed surfaces of the graspable body, the grasping depressions being formed in the thickened portion of the body disposed between the ridge and another end of the graspable body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic isometric perspective of the threading aid of the present invention in the assembled form. 
         FIGS.  2 - 4    are schematic isometric perspectives of one end of the threading aid of the present invention illustrating use thereof. 
         FIG.  5 - 8    are an isometric perspective of the upper shell of the threading aid of the present invention along with an end elevation, a side elevation and a plan view respectively. 
         FIGS.  9 - 12    are an isometric perspective of the insertion wire and the retaining plate therefor of the threading aid of the present invention along with an end elevation, a side elevation and a plan view respectively. 
         FIGS.  13 - 16    are an isometric perspective of the cutting blade of the threading aid of the present invention along with an end elevation, a side elevation and a plan view respectively. 
         FIGS.  17 - 20    are an isometric perspective of the lower shell of the threading aid of the present invention along with an end elevation, a side elevation and a plan view respectively. 
         FIGS.  21 - 24    are isometric perspectives of the upper shell, insertion wire and retaining plate therefor, the cutting blade and the lower shell of the threading aid of the present invention, disposed on the page so as illustrate the assembly thereof. 
     
    
    
     In  FIG.  1   , threading aid  30  has planar threading ledge  32  formed in one end thereof with threading aperture  34  passing therethrough adjacent ridge  36  having wire aperture  38  therein adjacent threading aperture  34  with wire insertion loop  40  having angular return bend  42  formed therein with loop  40  extending over threading aperture  34 . Thickened portion of threading aid  30  has grasping depression  44  formed therein with grip enhancing surfaces  46  defined therein in the form of protrusions  48  extending upwardly therefrom. Cutting aperture  50  is formed in the other end of threading aid  30 . 
     In  FIG.  2   , needle  52  having eye  54  formed therein has angular return bend  42  of wire loop  40  passing through eye  54  with needle  52  being urged toward ridge  36 . Preferably wire loop  40  is comprised of annealed stainless steel wire having a diameter of less than about 0.25 mm, more preferably less than about 0.20 mm and most preferably about 0.15 mm. In  FIG.  3   , eye  54  of needle  52  has been passed inwardly toward ridge  36  allowing wire loop  40  to open so that thread  56  may pass through wire loop  40  and threading aperture  34 . In  FIG.  4   , needle  52  has been passed outwardly away from ridge  36  over return bend so that thread  56  is now passing through eye  54  of needle  52 . Preferably planar threading ledge  32 , and most preferably the upper surface of threading aid  30  will be of a color contrasting with the color of wire loop  40 . In the most preferred embodiment the entirety of threading aid  30  will be a color contrasting to the color of wire loop  40  to facilitate ready discernment thereof by the user. 
     In  FIGS.  5 - 8   , upper shell  58  of threading aid  30  is displayed with cutting aperture  50  being visible therein. 
     In  FIGS.  9 - 12   , wire  40  having angular return bend  42  therein is embedded in retention plate  60 . 
     In  FIGS.  13 - 16   , cutting blade  62  has cutting edge  64  formed thereupon. 
     In  FIGS.  17 - 20   , lower shell  66  of threading aid  30  has aperture  68  formed therein, aperture  68  being mateable with aperture  34  formed in upper shell  58 . Lower grasping depression  70  has grip enhancing surfaces  72  taking the form of protrusions  74  formed therein. Cutting aperture  50  is visible at upper end  76  of lower shell  66  with rearward retaining wall  80  for cutting blade  62  visible in phantom. 
     In  FIGS.  21 - 24   , upper shell  58  is disposed above lower shell  66  with insertion wire  40  and retention plate  60  as well as cutting blade  62  disposed therebetween.