MENTS IN LOCK-STITCH SEWING MACHINES AND IN THE SHUTTLES, AND THREAD BOBBINS OR COPS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1883

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Louis Silverman at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th February 1883.
LOUIS SILVERMAN, of Westminster, in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOCK-STITCH SEWING MACHINES AND IN THE SHUTTLES, AND THREAD
BOBBINS OR COPS EMPLOYED THEREIN "
This Invention relates more especially to an improved thread bobbin or cop
to be employed for the production of what is known as the under or lower thread,
also to the shuttles for carrying such improved bobbins or cops through the
loops formed by the upper thread, and to certain modifications in sewing
machines to adapt them to the employment of the said thread bobbins or cops,
and shuttles.
The object of the improvement in the thread bobbin or cop is to enable a much
larger quantity of thread to be carried in the shuttle than has heretofore been
possible by the ordinary shuttle or bobbin
The improvement consists in forming a thread bobbin or cop which can be
placed in the shuttle without any supporting spindle or reel, such thread bobbin
or cop being formed by winding thread on to a suitable spindle (which is
afterwards withdrawn) so as to form a cylindrical coil or cop which can be
unwound from the inside, after the manner of an ordinary ball of twine. If
preferred, the thread bobbin or cop may be wound in conical layers similarly to
the cops used in the shuttles of weaving looms, the thread in that case, unwinding
either from the inside 'or from the outside: but I prefer the arrangement in which
the thread is wound in cylindrical layers and is unwound from the inside, as the
external coils of thread in such bobbins or cops form a kind of tube maintaining
the shape of the bobbin or cop whilst the inner coils are being unwound.
In order to form a protection and support for the outer coils of the cop and to
prevent them from getting entangled as the cop is emptied, I sometimes employ a
strip of paper wound helically round the cops, or instead of paper some sufficiently
pliable material may be used such as will not prevent the easy insertion of the said
cop into its place in the shuttle hereafter described. The ends of the cops may also
be protected by discs of card or other suitable material forming ends to the paper
sides.

page_text: The inner end of the thread of the cop must pass through a hole in the card or
other material forming one end of the cop.
The improvement in shuttles to adapt them to receive the aforesaid hollow
thread bobbin or cop, consists in forming them of a circular segmental form,
somewhat in the shape of the letter C, and adapted to receive the aforesaid hollow
cylindrical thread bobbin or cop when the same is bent to a corresponding
segmental shape. A hole is forined in the said shuttle for the passage of the
thread from the thread bobbin or cop to the work, and any ordinary or suitable
device is provided for imparting the necessary tension to the said thread as it is
drawn out of the shuttle.
1
The modifications of the sewing machine to enable the aforesaid shuttle and
thread bobbin or cop to be employed, consist. In arranging a more or less circular
recess in the bed plate of the machine adapted to receive the said shuttle which
has imparted to it a reciprocating rotary motion in such manner that after the said
segmental shuttle is passed through the loop formed by the upper needle thread
the said shuttle shall remain stationary while the upper needle rises through the
cloth. The shuttle is then caused to return, the needle also descends, and by the
time another loop is formed by the upper thread the point or nose of the shuttle
is in a position ready to enter the same on its motion being reversed again. The
necessary reciprocating rotary motion is imparted to the shuttle by a driver
operated by any suitable means such as cams, slides, segmental racks and pinions,
or otherwise as may be found convenient according to the character and structure
of the sewing machine to which, these improvements are to be applied. Instead of
a reciprocating rotary motion being given to the shuttle it may receive an
intermittent rotary motion always in one direction.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 represents in sectional elevation parts
of a sewing machine adapted to the carrying out of this Invention. Figure 2 is
a plan of so much of the base plate of a sewing machine as is necessary to illustrate-
the application of the Invention. Figure 3 is an underside view of Figure 2, and
Figures 4 and 5 are detached views of the segmental shuttle. The arrangement
shown being that adapted for imparting the above mentioned reciprocating rotary
motion to the shuttle. Similar letters of reference relate to like parts in all the
Figures. A is the circular segmental shuttle containing the hollow cylindrical,
thread bobbin or cop B which is inserted into the shuttle through an opening in
the outer side thereof covered by a hinged piece A' or in any other convenient
manner, the end of the thread being drawn from the centre of the bobbin or cop
and passed through any required number of the tension holes A' in the end and
top of the shuttle. C is a more or less circular shuttle box or recess formed in the
base plate D as shown and having by preference a circular fitting strip C¹ on the
bottom thereof on which the shuttle A is caused to revolve. E, E¹ is the driver
to which a reciprocating rotary motion is imparted by means of the pin F passing.
through the boss G in the bottom of the shuttle box C, the toothed pinion H and
segmental rack I the lever J of which is connected to a cam or other suitable.
device adapted to give the required motion. K is a small radial recess formed in
the bottom of the shuttle box C in which the bottom part of the loop of the upper
thread lies during the passage of the shuttle through the same while making
a stitch.
The mechanism for operating the feed is not shewn as it forms no part
of this present invention but may be of any of the forms well known and usually
employed.
The action of the parts is as follows :—
The loop being formed in the upper needle thread in the usual way the shuttle
is partially rotated by the action of the driver E on the back end thereof and the
point or nose of the said shuttle is thereby caused to enter such loop which is
enlarged as the shuttle continues its passage through same, drawing the under or
shuttle thread through the aforesaid loop until the continued rotary movement
of the shuttle by the driver E shall have allowed the loop to escape off the back
end thereof passing easily between the back end of the shuttle and the driver Ę

page_text: as the latter will then be on the point of reversing and will stand in the position
shewn in Figure 2. The shuttle A is then stationary while the needle rises through
the cloth and the slack thread of the loop is taken up by a slack thread lever
or any other suitable device and the shuttle A is then reciprocated back to its
first position by the action of the driver E on the slotted recess A³ of the said
shuttle and the stitch completed in the usual way, when a new loop being formed
as before in the upper needle thread the operations as above described will be
repeated.
Figures 6 and 7 shew diagramatically the manner of winding the before
mentioned cylindrical and conical cops respectively
By the above described arrangement a very much larger quantity of thread can
be placed in the shuttle at one time than can be employed in the shuttles and
bobbins heretofore in use, whereby considerable time is saved, and the trouble of
winding bobbins by the person using the machine may be wholly avoided as the
bobbins or cops forming the first part of this present invention can be manufactured
by machinery and sold ready to place direct into the shuttles adapted to receive
them. But if preferred such bobbins or cops could be wound as required by the
person using the machine by the aid of any of the apparatuses usually employed
for that purpose
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and the manner in which
the same is to or may be carried into effect, I would have it understood that what
I claim as my invention is-
First. The construction and use in lock stitch sewing machines of cylindrical
bobbins or cops of thread, wound in concentric cylindrical layers, but without any
supporting spindle or reel, such bobbins or cops being covered or not on the
outside, and capable of being unwound from the inside, substantially as herein-
before described, and illustrated in the drawings, and for the purpose specified.
Second. The construction and use in lock stitch sewing machines of bobbins or
cops of thread wound in successive conical layers, but without any supporting
spindle or reel, such bobbins or cops being covered or not on the outside, and
capable of being unwound either from the inside or outside, substantially as
herein before described, and illustrated in the drawings, and for the purpose
specified.
Third. The construction and adaptation of circular segmental shuttles to receive
the bobbins or cops forming the subject of the first and second claim clauses,
substantially as hereinbefore described, and shewn in the drawings.
In Witness Whereof, I the said Louis Silverman have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of February in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
TATTIN OTT