Improvements in or relating to Shuttles for Sewing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 12th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Shuttles for Sewing Machines.
I, WILLIAM BLAKEY of 8 Louisa Street, Dawson Street, Holbeck, Leeds, in th
County of York, Machinist do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of sewing inachine shuttles known, as the rotary
hook shuttles, which are constructed in circular and skeleton form and provided with
a central pin for receiving the spool.
Hitherto great difficulty has been experienced in adjusting this class of shuttle in the
race of the machine. Although several devices has been adopted to accomplish this,
yet it has been found that after the shuttle has been in use for a short time it wears
away and is liable by its gravity to fall from the work whilst the stitch is being
formed, thus producing imperfect sewing as well as causing the shuttle to become
useless before it is half worn out.
Now the object of this invention is to overcome these difficulties and to construct
the shuttle so that it shall automatically adjust itself to the race of the machine as its
perimeter (by frictional contact with race, and the speed at which it rotates) wears
away. For this purpose instead of making the rim which forms the perimeter of the
shuttle from the hook to the heel in one piece as hitherto, I divide it into two portions
by cutting a slit or removing a portion thereof at a suitable distance from the heel of
the shuttle. And in order to obtain the neccessary elasticity or spring for keeping the
above named portion of the perimeter automatically in contact with the race, and thus
preventing the shuttle from falling whilst forming the stitch, I form or cut a recess
in the inner or outer portion of the rim, at say one fourth (or thereabouts) of circum-
ference of the rim from the slit.
By this means the shuttle may be automatically kept in contact with the race during
its entire revolution until it is completely worn out.
Other parts of the shuttle may be of ordinary construction.
Dated this Twanty-fifth day of July 1889.
WILLIAM BLAKEY.
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Shuttles for Sewing Machines.
I, WILLIAM BLAKEY of S Louisa Street, Dawson Street, Holbeck, Leeds, in the
County of York, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in that class of sewing machine shuttles
known, as the rotary hook shuttles which are constructed in circular and skeleton form
having the rim formed in one piece extending about three fourths of the circum-
ference of the shuttle, said shuttles being provided with a central pin for receiving
the spool.
Hitherto great difficulty has been experienced in adjusting this class of shuttle in
the race of the machine. Although several devices have been adopted to accomplish
this such as for instance boring a number of small holes around the race which are
filled with pieces of hides or leather or screws capable of being set up or adjusted to
the perimeter of the shuttle as the latter wears away, yet it has been found that after
the shuttle has been in use for a short time owing to the great speed in many instances,

page_text: at which it revolves it wears away and is liable by its gravity to fall from the work
operated upon whilst the stitch is being formed, thus producing imperfect sewing as
well as causing the shuttle to become useless before it is half worn out.
Now the object of this invention is to overcome these difficulties and to construct
the shuttle so that it shall automatically adjust itself to the race of the machine as
its perimeter (by frictional contact with the race, and the speed at which it rotates)
wears away.
•
In the drawings:
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a front and back elevation of a rotary hook shuttle
constructed according to my invention.
Figs. 3 and 4 are end elevations drawn in opposite directions.
Fig. 5. a front elevation of shuttle.
Fig. 6. a plan looking at the top of shuttle shown at fig. 1.
Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively a front and end elevation of a rotary hook shuttle
provided with a spring for keeping the shuttle up to its work.
Fig. 9. is part front elevation of a shuttle race or guide of a Wheeler and Wilson
machine (with its cap and a portion of the bobbin or spool holder removed) with driver
and my improved shuttle shown in position.
Fig. 10. an elevation of a shuttle with its rim attached loosely to its centre.
Fig. 11. an elevation of a loose rim.
Like parts in all the views are marked with the same letters of reference.
A is a rotary hook shuttle constructed in circular and skeleton form provided with
a central pin B for receiving the bobbin or spool.
In order to obtain the necessary elasticity or spring for keeping the perimeter of
the rim of the shuttle automatically in contact with the race or guide (as shown at
Fig. 9) and up to its work during the whole or any portion of its rotation, the rim (
may either be divided as shown at Figs. 1, 2 and 5 or armed with a spring as shown
at Figs. 7 and 8 at any suitable distance from the heel of the shuttle but preferably
at such a distance therefrom that an elastic, constant, and adjusting pressure may be
applied to the rim from its pointed portion to say about one fourth of its circumference
from the opposite or heel side thereof for preventing it from falling during any portion
of its revolution.
At Figs. 1 to 6 a shuttle is shown with a divided rim C so as to form a spring
nearly opposite to the point e that is to say, instead of making the rim C (which
forms the perimeter of the shuttle) from the hook c to the heel c¹ in one piece, as has
been hitherto done, the rim C is divided at D into two pieces as shown by cutting a
slit or removing a portion thereof at any suitable distance from the heel c¹. In
practice I have found when a slit or a portion of the rim (say about three sixteenths
of an inch) is cut or removed at D say in an oblique direction at (when the shuttle
is about one and seven eighth of an inch in diameter) about one fourth of an inch
from the heel c¹ satisfactory results may be obtained, but I would distinctly have it
understood that it is not absolutely necessary that the slit D or cut away portion of
the rim should be formed or removed in an oblique direction as it would answer
equally as well when cut or formed in a horizontal, or any other angular direction;
neither do I limit myself to the above or any other dimension herein given as the
same may be varied or modified as circumstances require. In order to obtain the
requisite amount of elasticity or spring for automatically keeping the perimeter of
the rim. Cin contact with the race and thus preventing the shuttle from falling whilst
forming the stitch a recess E, of say about one sixteenth (or more) of an inch in
depth and say about three-eighths of an inch in length, may be cut or formed (at
say about one and three fourths of an inch (circumferentially) from the heel c¹)
in the inner portion of the rim as shown at Figs. 1 and 2, or in the outer portion
as shown at Fig. 5, and when necessary the rim C may he afterwards tempered by
any ordinary means to give it the necessary elasticity or spring.
In order to prevent the ends of the rim at the opening D catching or coming in
contact with points of and f¹ of the race or guide For its cover should the machine
be turned in the opposite direction to that shown by arrow, the portion of the rim C

page_text: at may be slightly rounded off and thus press the end c³ within the race and
allow the shuttle to revolve freely.
At Figs. 7 and 8 a shuttle is shown with a spring I (applied to the perimeter of
the shuttle nearly opposite to the point C) for obtaining the necessary elasticity for
automatically keeping the shuttle up to its work. In cases where it is desirable
to keep the rim of the shuttle as strong as possible instead of cutting a slit or
removing a portion of the rim in a diagonal direction, forming recess E and after-
wards tempering the rim to obtain the necessary elasticity, a groove H may be cut
or formed concentrically or eccentrically in the edge of the rim from the heel c¹
to about point on the perimeter, that is to say, when the shuttle is about one
and seven-eighths of an inch in diameter a groove may be cut in the edge of the
rim, about three thirty seconds of an inch in width by about one and a fourth
inch in length (circumferentially) by about one eighth of an inch in depth at the
heel c¹ and a sixteenth of an inch (more or less) deep at the point h. Into the
groove His inserted the spring I which may be rivetted or otherwise secured to
the shuttle rim at h, and bent at the heel c to prevent it catching or coming in
contact with the points f and f" of the shuttle race or guide F should the machine
be reversed. By bending or curving the free end as described a cam or incline is
thus formed which permits of the spring I being forced within the groove H without
damage. As the rim of the sbuttle wears away the spring I expands and thus keeps
the pointed portion c of the shuttle in contact with the race and up to its work, and
thereby preventing the shuttle from falling when forming the stitch.
In some cases when it is preferred not to recess the rim Cat E and to avoid
tempering the rim as described for Figs. 1 to 6, it may be provided with a groove H
and armed with a spring I in a similar manner to that described at Figs. 7 and 8, in
which case the curved or bent free end may be made to pass within the slit or
spring D.
I also in some cases make the shuttle as shown at Fig. 10 that is the rim C is
divided at D and the portion of the rim from the hook c to the slit D is attached
loosely to the skeleton centre A (armed with the pin B) by means of projections a
radiating to the centre of the pin B which are, passed into recesses c c shown at
Fig. 11 provided for their reception in the inner periphery of the rim C. By this
means when the rim is sprung into its race F a larger amount of elasticity is obtained
than when recessed at E.
The improved shuttle A is made to fit within the race or guide F as shown at
Fig. and the elastic portion of the rim from the slit D to the recess E or the
spring H is made of such a length that in whatever position the pointed portion c
of the shuttle may be during its rotation, the spring or elastic portion is acting
upon the periphery of the race at a point nearly opposite to c, thus when the shuttle
is in the position shown at Fig. 9 the pressure is applied at or about f² opposite (or
nearly so) to the pointed portion c, but when the pointed portion c has been rotated
in the race to about 3 then the elastic or spring portion will be in contact with race
at or about points and f¹.
The shuttle A (with the exception of the parts or portions above named, con-
stituting this invention), bobbin pin B, race or guide F, driver J, and parts connected
therewith may be of ordinary construction, and arranged to operate in the usual
manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improvements in or relating to that class of shuttles for sewing machines
known as the rotary hook shuttle, which improvements consist essentially in cutting a
slit in or removing a portion of the rim, and also forming a recess in the inner or
outer portion of the rim substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. A rotary hook shuttle for sewing purposes constructed so that it automatically
adjusts itself to the race of the machine as its perimeter or its equivalent wears away

page_text: which construction consists substantially in so adapting a portion of the perimeter or
its equivalent that it acquires the necessary elasticity or spring.
3. A rotary hook shuttle for sewing machines having a slit or portion of the rim
removed at D and a recess E formed or cut in its rim substantially as and for the
purposes herein described.
Dated this Eighth day of March 1890.
WILLIAM BLAKEY.
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.