IMPROVEMENTS IN NEEDLES FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I JOSEPH WHITELEY of Leeds, in the County of York, Foreman Mechanic,
in the employ of Messieurs Pearson & Co, New Dock Machine. Works, Leeds
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
NEEDLES FOR SEWING MACHINES" to be as follows:-
Hitherto needles for sewing machines have been made with two grooves, one at
the back and one at the front, the front groove being less deep immediately above
the eye than the remainder of its length and the back groove being deepest at the
eye and generally running shallower towards the ends; and in order to strengthen
the needles it has been customary to make the back groove shorter than and not so
deep as the front groove.
Now according to my Invention I provide a needle which will allow of using a
much thicker thread than bitherto without increasing the size of the needle, at
the same time increasing its strength.
For this purpose I dispense with the back groove from the eye to the shank
and I make the front groove of the same depth throughout its entire length so
that the sewing thread shall lie within, or be protected by the edges of the groove
during the passage of the needle through the material to be sewn. By dispensing
with this portion of the back groove as above described I am enabled to produce a
much stronger needle (without increasing its size) with greater thickness and
strength of metal at the part in which the eye is formed. By this construction
the thread passes in a straighter direction through the eye whereby the friction on
the thread is considerably. reduced as it passes through the eye. This is of great
importance where a strong thread is required to be used, as for example, in
machines employed for sewing leather in which case it enables me to dispense
with the awl which sometimes has to be employed for piercing the material
previous to each stitch. I have found by experiment that I can with my improved
needle employ an eight or ten cord thread with less strain upon the thread and
at the same time produce better and stronger work than with a needle of the
old construction of similar size and with which a six cord thread only could
be used.
Ath 9
3004

page_text: I JOSEPH WHITELEY of Leeds in the County of York, Foreman Mechanic
in the employ of Messieurs Pearson & Co, New Dock Machine Works, Leeds
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
NEEDLES FOR SEWING MACHINES" and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
Hitherto needles for sewing machines have been made with two grooves, one at
the back and one at the front, the front groove being less deep inmediately above.
the eye than the remainder of its length and the back groove being deepest at the
eye and generally running shallower towards the ends; and in order to strengthen 1
the needles it has been customary to make the back groove shorter than and not
so deep as the front groove.
2
Now according to my Invention I provide a needle which will allow of using a
much thicker thread than hitherto without increasing the size of the needle, at
the same time increasing its strength.
For this purpose I dispense with the back groove from the eye to the shank
and I make the front groove of the same depth throughout its entire length so
that the sewing thread shall lie within, or be protected by the edges of the groove
during the passage of the needle through the material to be sewn.
:
In order to enable my Invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing in which Figure 1, is a view
of my improved needle shewing the front groove; Figure 2, a plan of the opposite
side of the needle and Figure 3, is a longitudinal section on line A B of Figure 1.
All the Figures are drawn to a large scale and similar letters in all the Figures
represent similar parts.
a, is the shank of the needle; b, the front groove of the needle which groove
I make of the same depth throughout its entire length so that the sewing thread
may lie within the groove or be protected by the edges c, d, of the groove during
the passage of the needle through the material to be sewn; e, is the eye of the
needle; f, the back groove from the eye to the point of the needle, there being no
back groove as hitherto from the eye to the shank.
"
By dispensing with this portion of the back groove as above described I am
enabled to produce a much stronger needle (without increasing its size) with
greater thickness and strength of metal at the part in which the eye is formed.
By this construction the thread pasises in a straighter direction through the eye
whereby the friction on the thread is considerably reduced as it passes through the
eye. This is of great importance where a strong thread is required to be used as
for example in machines employed for sewing leather in which case it enables me
to dispense with the awl. which sometimes has to be employed for piercing the
material previous to each stitch. I have found by experiment that I can with my
improved needle employ an eight or ten cord thread with less strain upon the
thread and at the same time produce better and stronger work than with a needle
of the old construction of similar size and with which a six cord thread only could
.be used.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The improved needle for sewing machines herein before described and represented
in the accompanying Drawing.