Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of the Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
a communication to me from abroad by The Singer Manufacturing Company
of New York in the United States of America, Sewing machine manufacturers,
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide a convenient and effective "self-
threading" sewing machine shuttle capable of carrying a comparatively large
quantity of thread, and adapted for use in that class of oscillating shuttle machines
in which the loops of needle thread, after being caught by the point of the shuttle,
are not materially enlarged for the passage of the body of the shuttle until the
eye of the needle has risen above the work, thus permitting the thread to run
freely through the eye of the needle when the loops are enlarged by the passage of
the shuttle body through them.
My new shuttle, while lighter and smaller in circumference than similar shuttles
heretofore in use in the Singer "Oscillator" machines is capable of holding as
much thread as the old shuttles, and admits of the use of shorter needles than have
heretofore been required in the machines referred to.
In the drawings Figs. 1 and 2, are opposite side views of my shuttle. Figs. 3
and 4, are top views thereof with the beak in section, the bobbin-retaining latch
being partly open in the latter figure. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on line 5--5
fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a rear end view of my shuttle. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail on
line 7--7 fig. 2, fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the tension spring, and fig. 9
is a side view of a preferred form of my invention.
My shuttle is segmental in form so as to be adapted to work in a circular shuttle
race or to move in the arc of a circle. The body of the shuttle is a rigid piece of
metal and is provided with a chamber 10 in which is placed lengthwise of such
body, the spool or bobbin 11, the latter being loosely held in said chamber between

page_text: an outwardly projecting frame or cradle 12 of thin metal attached to one side of
the shuttle, and an outwardly projecting, pivoted latch 13 attached to the other.
side thereof. The bobbin being arranged lengthwise of the body of the shuttle has
its axis of rotation at right angles to the axis of rotation of the latter, so that the
bobbin thread may be drawn off without having its tension disturbed by the
movements of the shuttle.
By making the frame or cradle 12 and latch 13 of thin metal and separate from
or independent of the body of the shuttle and bulging or outwardly projecting, as
shown, sufficient room is afforded for a comparatively large bobbin without making
said shuttle body so thick as to be unnecessarily heavy, and cheapness of con- 1
struction is also secured. Moreover the outwardly, projecting latch is of convenient
form to be taken hold of easily when it is to be lifted or swung outward to permit
of the insertion or removal of the bobbin, and as it is held in place by light spring
pressure it can be easily lifted.
The frame or cradle 12 is attached to the shuttle body by screws 9 and is
preferably of thin spring metal and made open in its centre for greater lightness, a
part of the central portion being (in the form of my invention shown) bent
inwardly to form the latch-spring 14. The latch 13 is preferably provided with
an angular portion, 15 at its pivoted end, against which the spring 14 bears, said
latch being thus adapted to be retained in either an open or closed position by said
spring.
L
1. .
The part 16 which forms the wall of the bobbin chamber on the inner or
straight side of the shuttle has a flattened outer face against which presses the
tension spring 17. Said spring is preferably held in place by a pin 18 passing
above or outside of a bend 19 arranged in a recess 20 in the body of the shuttle.
The said retaining pin thus serves as a pivot or fulcrum for the said spring 17
which, when thus arranged, becomes a lever-spring. To provide for the adjustment
of the tension a screw 21 is tapped in the shuttle body, said screw having a
tapering or conical portion 22 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3) against which the
rear end of said spring impinges; said rear end being preferably bevelled off, as
shown in Fig. 8 to fit the said conical portion of the screw.
By forming the tension spring with a bend by which it is pivoted and held in
the recess 20 of the shuttlo a pivoted spring which may be stamped from thin
metal is produced, thus making the construction thereof much simpler and cheaper
than would be possible with a pivoted spring having a thick end bored through for
the pivot. Also by arranging the spring so that the end thereof impinges against
the bevelled tension screw, and by bevelling the end of said spring so as to conform
it to the contiguous portion of the screw, a more compact arrangement of these
parts is secured than would otherwise be possible.
The wall 16 is provided with a thread hole 23 over which the tension spring
extends, said hole being preferably open or slotted to the edge of said wall for
convenience in threading. The wall 16 is also provided with projecting rib 24
having a slotted thread-delivery eye 25 which is at or near the axis of rotation of
the shuttle, the said eye being guarded by a thread hook 26 which effectually
prevents the thread from escaping sidewise therefrom when it has once been drawn
therein.
The beak 27 of the shuttle is preferably of uniform size, or nearly so, between
the body of the shuttle and the tapering point. The point of the beak is preferably
a continuation of the curved arc forming the outer boundary or periphery of the
shuttle. By thus forming the point at the periphery of the shuttle, instead of at
a slight distance inside thereof, a shorter needle than has heretofore been used with
this class of shuttles may be employed, as the extreme point of the shuttle will be
as high or as near to the needle as possible, and will catch the loops of needle
thread higher than heretofore.
The bobbin 11 need not be provided with pivots, but may rest loosely in the
T

page_text: thread the shuttle the bobbin thread is first drawn into the hole 23 and then into
the delivery,eye 25 in which latter it is securely retained by the guard-hook 26.
Instead of using the hook 26 for guarding the delivery-eye 25 a spring guard-
arm 28 (see Fig. 9) formed integral with the latch 13 and extending across the slot
through which the thread is drawn into said eye, will preferably be employed. In
this form of my invention the point of the guard 28 rests in a slight recess 29 in
the outer face of the rib 2+ and thus prevents the thread from escaping from said
eye in the same manner that the guard hook 26 does. This form of my invention
is preferable to that shown in Fig. 1 for the reason that it admits of the use of a
larger threading slot for the delivery-eye, and the guard, being part of the latch 13,
is more cheaply constructed than the guard hook 26 which requires a nice
adjustment in securing it in its recess in operative position.
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
(1.) A sewing machine shuttle having a rigid metallic body, an independent,
outwardly-projecting frame or cradle secured to one side of said body, and an
outwardly-projecting latch pivoted to the opposite side thereof and provided with
an angular portion at its pivoted end, combined with a spring bearing against said
angular portion and thus adapted to retain the said latch in two positions, substan-
tially as set forth.
(2.) A sewing machine shuttle having a rigid body, an independent, outwardly-
projecting frame or cradle secured to one side of said body, an outwardly-projecting
Jatch pivoted to the opposite side thereof, combined with a spring pressing against
said latch, substantially as set forth.
(3.) A sewing machine shuttle having a rigid body, an independent, outwardly-
projecting frame or cradle secured to one side of said body and an outwardly-
projecting spring-pressed latch pivoted to the opposite side thereof, combined with
a non-journalled or pivotless bobbin held loosely between said frame or cradle and
latch, substantially as set forth.
(4.) A segmental shuttle for sewing machines having a rigid body, a bobbin-
retaining latch pivoted to one side of said body, a frame or cradle secured to the
opposite side thereof, and a spring integral with said frame or cradle, projecting
inwardly and bearing against said latch, substantially as set forth.
(5.) A segmental sbuttle for sewing machines having on its inner or straight side
a wall provided with a flattened outer face and a recess, combined with a bent
tension spring pivoted in said recess and bearing against said face, and an adjusting
screw having a tapering or conical portion against which the end of said screw
impinges, substantially as set forth.
(6.) A sewing machine shuttle having a pivoted tension spring provided with
a bevelled rear end, combined with an adjusting screw having a tapering or conical
portion against which said bevelled end impinges, substantially as set forth.
(7.) A segmental, sewing machine shuttle having a forwardly projecting beak
and rearward of said beak a wall having a flattened outer face and a recess,
combined with a bent tension-spring projecting within said recess and bearing
against said face, and a pivot-pin passing through said recess outside of the bend in
said spring, substantially as set forth.
(8.) A segmental, sewing machine shuttle having on its inner or straight side a
wall provided with a flattened outer face and an open or slotted thread delivery-
eye, combined with a hook or guard placed at the side of said shuttle and extending
across the slot of the said delivery-eye, substantially as set forth.
(9.) A segmental shuttle for sewing machines having on its inner or straight side
a wall provided with an open thread delivery-eye, combined with a latch pivoted
to one side of the shuttle body and having a guard arm bearing against the side of
said wall and extending across the slot leading into said delivery-eye, when said
latch is closed, substantially as set forth.

page_text: (10.) A segmental shuttle for sewing machines having a forwardly projecting
beak and, rearward of said beak, a wall provided with an open thread delivery-eye,
combined with a latch pivoted to one side of the shuttle body, said latch having an
integral guard arm bearing against the side of said wall and extending across the
slot leading into said delivery-eye when said latch is closed, substantially as set
forth.
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