IMPROVEMENTS IN BOBBIN WINDING AND TENSION ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINE
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors of 6 Lord Street Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and
323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOBBIN WINDING AND
TENSION ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINE" and in what manner the same
is to be, performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
The first part of the Invention relates to bobbin-winding attachments for sewing
machines.
In the bobbin winding attachments heretofore used, the sewing has had
necessarily to be suspended while the bobbins were being wound, or complicated
apparatus employed. The object of the present Invention is to automatically stop
the winding of the bobbin when it is wound full of thread, and to automatically
mass the thread evenly on the bobbin during winding, whereby the bobbin winding
may be accomplished without requiring the attention or manipulation of the
operator, and hence simultaneously with the sewing, and by simple means.
The accompanying Drawings represent the Invention attached to a sewing
machine. Fig. 1. is a front elevation, partly in section of the Invention applied to
the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, also partly in section.
Like letters of reference in the several Figures indicate like parts.
G is the bed plate of the sewing machine, B is the main shaft of the machine.
On this shaft is fixed the geared collar b adapted to take into a geared vertical
shaft or spindle A, having a gear at a, and thereby drive said vertical spindle with
the motion of the shaft B when the gear a is down so as to lock into the gear b,
which is the position of the parts shown in the Drawings. This vertical spindle A
passes freely through the bed plate G of the machine, but is carried by the frame D
of the attachment in which it revolves freely but is incapable of motion up or down
independently of said frame D. The frame D is mounted as shown, whereby it is
capable of an up and down motion. It carries with it the spindle A and the
extent of the motion is intended and is just sufficient to enable the spindle A to be
moved down into gear with the collar b, or up out of gear with said collar.
A coiled spring E which is strained when the spindle A. is down in gear with b,
constantly tends to spring the frame D up and the spindle A out of gear with the.
collar; and this is the position of the parts when the attachment is not in.

page_text: operation. When the frame D is held forcibly down and the spindle A is in gear
with the shaft B, the spindle revolves with the motion of the shaft. The spindle A
is a smooth tapering spindle above, having the usual taper of say one inch in
sixty four in order to readily receive and tightly hold the bobbin C in place, and
cause it to revolve with the spindle so that the winding of the bobbin may be
effected. L is the spool supplying the thread to the bobbin as shown. It will of
course be a separate spool from the spool supplying thread to the needle where it
is desired to do the sewing and the bobbin winding simultaneously.
The lever H is an automatic detaching lever. It is pivoted at h in the frame of
the machine or in a part securely attached thereto as shown. It has a projecting
arme which takes over a ledge f of the frame D when the latter is in its lowest
position, that is when the spindle A is in gear with the shaft B, which is the
position of the parts shown in the Drawings in full lines, the dotted lines showing
the position of the parts when the attachment is out of gear with the machine and
at rest. The arm e of this lever H is forced over the projecting ledge f by the
coiled spring F, and whenever the frame D is pressed down into its lowest position
the arm e snaps over the ledge f, and the frame D is thereby held down and the
spindle A is held in gear with the shaft B and is revolved until the lever H is
pressed back, when the frame D and the spindle A spring up (under the action of
the spring E) and out of gear with the shaft B, when the spindle A stops revolving.
In order that this hold of the lever H upon the frame D may be secure, and to
avoid any liability to accidental slipping off of the arm e from the ledge f, it is
preferable to make the coiled spring F quite strong and to slightly bevel the under
surface of the arm e, so that one edge only shall rest upon the ledge fand that the
extreme end of the arm, and lastly to slightly recess the projecting ledge f so that
there shall be a slight ridge along the edge of such ledge nearest to the lever H.
This detaching lever H has preferably a short arm d by pressing down upon which,
with the finger, the operator can at any moment, without stopping the machine,
throw the arm e off the ledge f, and thereby allow the frame D and spindle A to
spring up, thus instantly stopping the winding of the bobbin. The coiled spring F
is shown in the Drawings as operating upon this arm, but it is immaterial upon
what part of the lever it operates, so long as it operates as described to snap the
arme over the ledge f and keep it there until it is forced off. The extended
vertical arm of the lever H is adapted, preferably in the manner shown in the
Drawings, to bear against the thread that is being wound on the bobbins and to
be forced outward by the same, carrying with it the arm e which is of such a
length as to be forced off the ledge fand clear of it just when the bobbin is full
of thread and not before. When the arm e is thus forced off the ledge f, the
frame, D and spindle A spring up and the bobbin stops revolving. Thus the
revolving of the bobbin and so its winding is automatically stopped when the
bobbin is full of thread and this irrespective of the motion of the machine itself.
The revolving of the bobbin may be stopped at any time before the bobbin is full
by the operator pressing down the arm d of the detaching lever H, as we have
heretofore seen.
The Drawings show the form of lever H which is preferred for controlling the
winding of bobbins of the shape shown, to wit: bobbins such as are used in the
Singer oscillating-motion, and in the Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines. A
short arm K hinged to the upper end of the lever H at g projects in between the
sides of the bobbin C, passing freely in and out without binding against the walls
of the bobbin, as the lever H rocks on its centre at h. This arm K presses against
the thread that is being wound upon the bobbin C as the latter revolves and as
the mass of thread grows with the winding the arm K and lever H are forced out..
The lengths of the arms K and e are so proportioned to each other that the arin e
shall be just forced off the ledge f when the bobbin C is full of thread.
automatic laying of the mass of thread on the bobbin is accomplished by the
arm K whose extremity is tapered as shown in the Drawings, and whose length, or
part of it, is perforated with a hole emerging at or near the tapered extremity
2
The

page_text: through which the thread is fed on to the bobbin with the effect of building up
the mass of thread wound on the hobbin with substantial regularity. For the
point of the arm K will constantly shift to the part of the bobbin that is least
wound.
The operation of the improved device is as follows: The frame D and spindle A
being up in their highest position and at rest, a bobbin is put on to, the spindle A
securely and the thread is passed through the eye of the arm K and caught
around the bobbin. The spindle A is then pressed down into its lowest position
when the arm e instantly snaps over the ledge f and the spindle and bobbin
instantly begin revolving with the shaft B. The operation of winding is now
entirely automatic, the mass of the thread being evenly distributed on the bobbin,
and the operator giving her attention to the sewing which may thus be progressing
at the same time. When the bobbin is full the armi e is forced off the ledge f and
the attachment springs up out of gear with the machine and comes to rest. The
operator has then only to remove the full bobbin from the spindle A, when a full
bobbin is wanted for any purpose, and replace it with an empty bobbin as
described, at the same time pressing the spindle down. Thus the time heretofore
given to the winding of bobbins may be saved.
The Drawings show the attachment as deriving its motion from the main shaft
of the machine under the bed plate, but it is evident that any convenient revolving
part of the machine may be utilized for this purpose and the attachment secured
at any convenient place.
The Invention also relates to the means of giving tension to the thread that is
being unwound from the spool. Its object is to avoid the crushing and injuring
of the thread incidental to the use of tension devices where the thread passes
between compressing surfaces, and to provide a cheap and simple tension readily
applied and manipulated.
In the accompanying Drawings, the spool L is carried on the usual fixed
spindle N. The supporting plate n, against which the spool rests, may be made
integral with the spindle as shown in the Drawings, or it may be made of a
separate piece and free to revolve on the spindle N, in which case it would rest
against a collar made integral with the spindle and would revolve with the spool,
the friction caused by such revolution of the spool taking place between the loose
plate and the fixed collar. In this latter case I preferably make the surface of the
movable plate flat and smooth and the surface of the fixed collar convex in section,
so that the contact between the plate and the collar may be in a circle concentric
with the section of revolution of the plate. Thus the utmost uniformity of friction
is attained.
The spindle N is embraced by a spring O which has a hole cut through it that
fits loosely over the shank of the spindle, whereby the spring O is free to move
on the spindle and to revolve about it without appreciable friction. This spring O
has arms as shown which, when the centre of the spring is forced down, press
against the head of the spool L whereby the spring O revolves with the spool.
Any mode of connecting the spring and the spool may be employed such that the
spring revolves with the spool whenever the latter revolves. The form of spring
shown in the Drawings is adapted to accomplish the object fully and is the simplest
form of the device and is suited to any size of spool.
The centre of this spring is forced down by a friction piece or washer R on the
spindle N whose surface comes in contact with the surface of the spring O. This
friction piece is not free to revolve on the spindle N when the device is in
operation but is adjustable as to its longitudinal position on the spindle, and
therefore as to the degree. of pressure which it exerts upon the centre of the
spring O. Thus there is a frictional contact between the spring O and this friction
piece which is adjustable and which tends to retard the revolution of the spring O
and consequently of the spool L.
Thus the revolution of the spool L and spring O are evenly and smoothly
retarded to a degree depending upon the frictional pressure the friction piece exerts

page_text: upon the spring O which is determined by the longitudinal adjustment of the
friction piece on the shank of the spindle N.
This adjustment is preferably regulated in the following manner: The friction-
piece, bearing down on the spring O is a collar encircling the spindle W and having
a lug capable of working back and forth in a longitudinal slot in the spindle,
whereby the collar is capable of motion to and fro on the spindle, but is incapable
of revolution about the spindle. Its longitudinal position on the spindle is
detormined by a thumb screw or tension screw P, as it may be called, which
screws back and forth in a screw thread cut in the spindle N. However the
friction piece bearing down on the spring O may be at once the tension screw
itself, the washer R being omitted in which case it would be preferable to employ
the usual jam nut or to slot the screw part of the spindle N entirely through, and
make the tension screw very tight for the purpose of preventing the tension screw
gradually working round with the spring O in the latter's revolution in use and
thereby disturbing the tension.
This part of the improvement enables me to use horizontal spindles N, as well
as vertical spindles, for carrying the spool, for the spool is held securely in place
on the spindle by the tension device. This is useful in some instances. The
improved tension device which is simple and easily applied may be used to give
tension to the sewing thread, or generally to thread or yarn of any kind that is
being unwound from a spool. When used in a machine in connection with the
automatical bobbin-winding attachment, it is preferable to have two spindles and
two independent tension devices on the machine, one to regulate the tension of the
sowing thread, and the other to regulate the tension of the bobbin winding thread,
the sewing and the bobbin winding being thus simultaneously carried on.
One advantage of the improved tension device is that the screwing down of the
tension screw P regularly and progressively tightens the tension on the thread
until the spool is finally stopped altogether.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, as communicated to me, and in what manner the same is to be
performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1st In a bobbin winding attachment for a sewing machine, the automatic
detaching lever H, having a hinged arm K to feed the thread, whereby the thread
is guided and the operation of the attachment ceases when the bobbin is full,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2nd As a tension device for a sewing machine, the combination of a spring
adapted to revolve with the spool, and an adjustable friction piece bearing against
the spring, whereby the unwinding of the spool is adjustably retarded, substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
3rd The combination of the spool L, the spindle N, and the spring with the
tension screw P, all connected substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4th In combination with the automatic bobbin winding apparatus herein
described, consisting of the lever H with hinged guide K and connected parts, the
tension device consisting of the spring O adapted to revolve with the spool L, and
the adjustable friction piece adapted to bear against the spring, all connected
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
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