IMPROVEMENTS IN SPOOLS FOR SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPOOLS FOR SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLES." -A com-
munication from abroad by Thomas Hutchins Dodge, of Worcester,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd December 1872.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of No. 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPOOLS FOR SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLES,"
a communication to me from abroad by Thomas Hutchins Dodge, of
Worcester, in the State of Massachusetts, United States of America, to
be as follows :-
The object of this Invention is to produce a spool of thread (machine
wound) for sewing machine shuttles which shall obviate the objections

page_text: to these hitherto in use, and thus greatly facilitate and cheapen the
operation of sewing by machinery. To this end I first form the spool
itself differently from those heretofore in use for a similar purpose.
According to this Invention the spool is formed from wood in lieu of
metal, the barrel or central part upon which the thread is wound is
turned with parallel sides and has a head at each end thereof, the inner
sides of such heads being formed on an outwardly inclined angle from
the barrel to the periphery of the head in lieu of being at a right angle
thereto, the periphery being made with a plain surface for a short
distance. The outer sides of the heads are cut down at right angles, or
nearly so, with the axis of the barrel, while from the centre of each head
projects a conical pivot or rounded fournal in one piece therewith, and of
a form to fit the usual holding sockets in the ends of the shuttle of the
particular machine in which the spool of machine wound thread may be
used. As the inner sides of the spool heads are formed with bevelled or
inclined surfaces which are left with the natural roughness of the
severed fibres of the wood the thread when wound upon the spool
receives the proper and required support at the ends of the layers so that
it will not catch or become bound or drawn down between the heads of
the spool and unwound layers of thread while it is being withdrawn
from the shuttle by the rapid operation of the sewing machine, as is
often the case with spools having metallic heads, or where the inner
surfaces of the heads are formed perpendicular or nearly so to the axis of
the spool. This is a feature of very great importance since the delays
and time lost in running sewing machines in consequence of the breaking
of the shuttle thread have heretofore proved a serious matter and elicited
many attempts to remedy the difficulty.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SPOOLS FOR SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLES," a communication
to me from abroad by Thomas Hutchins Dodge, of Worcester, in the
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say :-
-
The object of the said Invention is to produce a spool of thread
(machine wound) for sewing machine shuttles which shall obviate the
objections to those hitherto in use, and thus greatly facilitate and cheapen
the operation of sewing by machinery.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents on an enlarged
scale a side view of the improved spool of thread (machine wound) for
sewing machines adapted for use in the Weed sewing machines, so called;
Figure 2 represents a longitudinal central section of the same.
Figures 3 and 4 represent a side view and central section respectively
of the improved spool of thread (machine wound) as adapted to the
Howe" sewing machine.
"

page_text: And Figures 5 and 6 represent respectively a side view and central
section of the improved spool of thread (machine wound) as adapted to
the "Singer" sewing machine.
In carrying out this, Invention the spool itself is formed from wood in
lieu of metal, the barrel or central part A upon which the thread is
wound is turned with parallel sides and has a head B at each end thereof,
the inner sides 6 of such heads B being formed on an outwardly inclined
angle from the barrel A to the periphery of the head in lieu of being at
a right angle thereto, the periphery being made with a plain surface c
for a short distance. The outer sides of the heads are cut down at right
angles or nearly so with the axis of the barrel as shewn at d, while
from the centre of each head projects a conical pivot or rounded
journal D in one piece therewith, and of a form to fit the usual holding
sockets in the ends of the shuttle of the particular machine in which the
spool of machine wound thread is to be used. As the inner sides of the
spool heads are formed with bevelled or inclined surfaces which are left
with the natural roughness of the severed fibres of the wood the thread
when wound upon the spool receives the proper and required support at
the ends of the layers so that it will not catch or become bound or drawn
down between the heads of the spool and unwound layers of thread
while it is being withdrawn from the shuttle by the rapid operation of
the sewing machine, as is often the case with spools having metallic
heads, or where the inner surfaces of the heads are formed perpendicular
or nearly so to the axis of the spool. This is a feature of very great
importance since the delays and time lost in running sewing machines
in consequence of the breaking of the shuttle thread have heretofore
proved a serious matter and elicited many attempts to remedy the
difficulty.

page_text: As the body, heads, and pivots of the spool are formed from wood and
in a single piece the relative position of each part always remains the
same, and consequently as the spool is turned upon a centre coincident
with the axis and indicated by the points of the pivots when the thread E
is wound thereon, it will be observed that the thread when unwinding
from the spool in the shuttle will be delivered in a uniform and regular
manner, which is a feature of much importance as it greatly facilitates
and perfects the operation of the sewing machine.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that this improved
spool of thread (machine wound) for sewing machine shuttles differs
materially from those heretofore in use or attempted to be used prior to
this Invention.
Metal bobbins or spools are objectionable by reason of their weight,
want of facility for dogging the bobbin when the thread is to be wound
thereon, besides the constant necessity of using more or less oil about
their centres or pivots, this last subjecting the thread upon the bobbin
to the danger of being soiled as well as the work, especially when the
operative has occasion to change the bobbin. By this Invention all of
these objections are obviated, since the entire bobbin, including the
centres, is made in one piece and from wood, while the perpendicular
parts of the sides of the bobbin head afford the desired surfaces into
which the dogging spurs or points can be readily inserted during the
operation of winding on the thread. Then again the pivot being formed
of wood and so that the ends of the wood fibres press into and against
the sewing machine sockets no oil is required, while the bobbin turns
with great uniformity of tension. Then again it is of vital importance
in operating shuttle sewing machines to have the shuttle bobbin contain
all the thread possible, while at the same time the construction of the
bobbins and arrangement of thread thereon is such that the tension on
the shuttle thread will be uniform and even, whereby a great saving
of valuable time is effected, while at the same time perfect work is
produced.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the peculiar

page_text: construction and use of spools (machine made) for the shuttles of
sewing machines, as and for the purposes herein-before described, and
illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth 5
day of May One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)