A New or Improved Thread Cutter.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 25th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 27th May 1893
A New or Improved Thread Cutter.
-
I, FREDERICK JULIUS HÖHS, of 129 Oakfield Road, Penge, in the County of
Surrey, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a new or improved thread cutter, more particularly
designed for use with a sewing machine.
It is well known that before a piece of work can be removed from a sewing
machine it is necessary to bite, break, or cut, the cotton by which it is attached to
the machine. Now in the ordinary way each of these operations occupies a certain
amount of time, and it is one of the purposes of my invention to save this loss of
time.
According to this invention I provide a suitable base piece from which projects
a knife blade, the straight cutting edge of which lies at an angle with the said base.
Over this base piece I secure a suitable hood or cover which is slotted on its under
surface to receive and enclose the higher or inore protruding part of the said knife
blade. The cover piece is in contact with but one end of the base piece so that the
distance between these two parts gradually increases towards that end of the device
at which the narrowest portion of the knife blade projects from the base piece.
The underside of the cap or hood is hollowed out immediately over the narrower
end of the knife blade. The outer end of the space between the base piece and the
cover may be made flaring by bending these parts away from each other so as to
afford an easy entrance for the thread or cotton.
In use this device may be secured to a sewing machine at the side and preferably
on a level with the cloth plate of the same, and with its flaring mouth turned away
from the operator. When the sewing is finished the operator usually draws it away
from the machine in order to leave a sufficient length of thread protruding therefrom
to form the next stitch required. All that is then necessary to sever the work from
the machine is for the operator to draw it towards herself. As the device herein-
before described lies in the path of the thread the latter is bound to enter its
flaring mouth and be drawn across the edge of the cutting blade at an acute angle
whereby it becomes severed.
It will be seen that this invention takes advantage of the almost universal
practice of drawing the work away from the machine on the completion of the seam,
thereby providing for the instant cutting of the thread without any additional
effort whatever on the part of the operator.
Though the use of this device has been described in connection with a sewing
machine, it is obvious that it may be employed in many other ways for cutting
cotton, thread, string, and the like, for which purpose it may be attached to counter,
desk, table &c.
Among the many advantages possessed by this device it may be mentioned that
the cover piece acts as a shield or protector by which the cutting blade is always
covered, so that it is impossible for any injury to come by its use. Furthermore,
there is no occasion whatever to rub the thread across the blade as there is with the
majority of thread cutters now in use on string boxes, and other articles of the
kind.
CASTLE SMITH,
"Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
. Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Thread Cutter.
J, FREDERICK JULIUS HÖHS, of 129 Oakfield Road, Penge, in the County of
Surrey, Clerk, 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 a new or improved thread cutter, more particularly
designed for use with a sewing machine.
It is well known that before a piece of work can be removed from a sewing
machine it is necessary to bite, break, or cut, the cotton by which it is attached to
the machine. Now in the ordinary way each of these operations occupies a certain
amount of time and it is one of the purposes of my invention to save this loss of
time.
According to this invention I provide a suitable base piece from which projects
a knife blade, the straight cutting edge of which lies at an angle with the said base.
Over this base piece I secure a suitable hood or cover which is slotted on its under
surface to receive and enclose the higher or more protruding part of the said knife
blade. The cover piece is in contact with but one end of the base piece so that the
distance between these two parts gradually increases towards that end of the device
at which the narrowest portion of the knife blade projects from the base piece.
The underside of the cap or hood is hollowed out immediately over the narrower
end of the knife blade. The outer end of the space between the base piece and the
cover may be made flaring by bending these parts away from each other so as to
afford an easy entrance for the thread or cotton.
In use this device may be secured to a sewing machine at the side and preferably
on a level with the cloth plate of the same, and with its flaring mouth turned away
from the operator. When the sewing is finished the operator usually draws it away
from the machine in order to leave a sufficient length of thread protruding therefrom
to form the next stitch required. All that is then necessary to sever the work
from the machine is for the operator to draw it towards herself. As the device
hereinbefore described lies in the path of the thread the latter is bound to enter its
Haring mouth and be drawn across the edge of the cutting blade at an acute angle
whereby it becomes severed.
It will be seen that this invention takes advantage of the almost universal
practice of drawing the work away from the machine on the completion of the same,
thereby providing for the instant cutting of the thread without any additional effort
whatever on the part of the operator.
Though the use of this device has been described in connection with a sewing
machine, it is obvious that it may be employed in many other ways for cutting
cotton, thread, string, and the like, for which purpose it may be attached to counter,
desk, table, &c.
Among the many advantages possessed by this device it may be mentioned that
the cover piece acts as a shield or protector by which the cutting blade is always
covered, so that it is impossible for any injury to come by its use. Furthermore,
there is no occasion whatever to rub the thread across the blade as there is with
the majority of thread cutters now in use on string boxes, and other articles of the
kind.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood and carried into
practice I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the following
sheet of drawings illustrative of my said invention of which
Fig. 1 shows a thread cutter constructed according to my invention for attaching
to a sewing machine, desk or counter, and
Fig. 2 a transverse section at the line A, B, Fig. 1.
This device consists of a suitable base piece a from the upper side of which

page_text: projects a knife blade b, the whole or part of the cutting edge of which lies at an
angle with the said base. Over this base piece is secured a suitable hood or cover c
which is recessed on its under surface as shown at Fig. 2, to receive and enclose the
higher or more protruding part of the knife blade b. The cover c is in contact with
the base piece at the end nearest the higher end of the blade and gradually
diverges from the same towards that end of the device at which the narrowest
portion of the knife blade lies.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the manner in which this invention is applied to string cutters
as generally mounted upon string boxes. It will be seen that the cutter bis
mounted in one jaw a of the device so that its cutting edge projects into the recess
in the other jaw c so that on the piece of string or cord being drawn between the
jaws the outer edges of the jawe will press it against the gradually widening blade
and so sever it without any rubbing across the blade being necessary.
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 :-
A thread or string cutter consisting essentially of a knife blade lying at an angle
to a base or jaw from which it projects and partly enclosed within a recessed cap or
jaw lying at an angle to the edge of the knife blade substantially as hereinbefore
set forth and described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
" Invention
CASTLE SMITH,
Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.