AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THREADING NEEDLES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
:
I, JOHN DARLING, of Eleven Bothwell Street Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for 'AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THREADING NEEDLES
" to be as
follows:-
This Invention which relates to improvements in threading needles mechanically,
that is to say, to avoid the tedium of threading needles in the ordinary way, has
for its object to enable several needles to be threaded simultaneously so that any
desired number of needles may always be at hand threaded for the user to take up
and employ as required.
The apparatus or mechanism by which the threading of several needles is offected,
consists of a small tube in the upper part of which is a longitudinal slit wide
enough to admit the head or eye-part of the needle so that when the heads of any
number of needles are passed into or through the said slit, the heads thereof all
rest on the bottom of the tube.-Over or enclosing the tube is a spiral spring, the
spaces between the spirals of which are of the requisite width to admit the heads
of the needles and the sides of each spiral of the said spring bearing upon the
flattened sides of the heads of the needles cause all of the said needles to at once
assume the same relative position in the tube that is to say, with their eyes all in
a row or facing each other. A stiletto or like instrument of sufficiently small size
to pass through the eye of the needles is provided, and this stiletto or its equivalent
has an eye or hook on its outer end which when passed into or through the eyes of
the several needles in the apparatus catches the thread to be used which by means
of the said instrument being drawn out of the eyes of the several needles causes
the thread attached to it to be pulled through the eyes of all the needles simul-
taneously so that any number of needles are thus instantly threaded. When it is
intended to use a needle so threaded the user of such needle simply draws one of
them from the apparatus together with the necessary length of thread.-The
apparatus may be attached to a table, or to a work-box, or placed in any other
suitable position as convenience may suggest.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN DARLING of Eleven Bothwell Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THREADING NEEDLES and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
My Invention, which relates to improvements in threading needles mechanically,
that is to say, to avoid the tedium of threading needles in the ordinary way, has
for its object to enable several needles to be threaded simultaneously so that any
desired number of needles may always be at hand threaded for the user to take up
and employ as required.
The apparatus or mechanism by which the threading of several needles is
effected, consists of a small tube in the upper part of which is a longitudinal slit
wide enough to admit the head or eye-part of the needle so that when the heads
of any number of needles are passed into or through the said slit the heads thereof
all rest on the bottom of the tube. Over or enclosing the tube is a spiral spring,
the spaces between the spirals of which are of the requisite width to admit the
heads of the needles and the sides of each spiral of the said spring bearing upon
'the flattened sides of the heads of the needles cause all of the said needles to at
once assume the same relative position in the tube, that is to say, with their eyes
all in a row or facing each other. A stiletto or like instrument of sufficiently
small size to pass through the eye of the needles is provided, and this stiletto or
its equivalent has an eye or hook on its outer end which, when passed into or
through the eyes of the several needles in the apparatus, catches the thread to be
used, which, by means of the said instrument being drawn out of the eyes of the
several needles, causes the thread attached to it to be pulled through the eyes of all
the needles simultaneously so that any number of needles are thus instantly
threaded. When it is intended to use a needle so threaded the user of such needle
simply draws one of them from the apparatus together with the necessary length
of thread. The apparatus may be attached to a table, or to a work-box, or placed
in any other suitable position as convenience may suggest.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1, is a side elevation of a needle threader constructed according to and
constituting my present Invention, the said needle threader being therein repre-
sented as filled with a series of needles about to be threaded.
Figure 2, is a similar view of the same with the needles contained. therein,
represented as threaded as hereinafter more particularly explained.
Figure 3, is a transverse of the same drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figures 4 and 5 are views of a detached portion of the same.
The apparatus for the simultaneous threading of several needles as provided for
under my present Invention consists of the tube a, in the upper part of which a
longitudinal slit is formed. This slit b, as shewn at Figure 3 is of width sufficient
to admit the head or eye part of the needle c, so that when the heads of any
number of needles are passed into or through the said slit b, the heads thereof all
rest on the bottom of the tube a, and are consequently all on the same level. Over

page_text: and enclosing the tube a, is the spiral spring d, the spaces between each spiral or
coil of which are of the requisite width to admit the heads of the needles, and
the sides of each such spiral or coil of the said spring bearing upon the flattened
sides of the heads of the needles c, cause all of the said needles to at once assume
the same relative position in the tube a, that is to say, with their eyes all in a row
or facing each other. The tube a, and spiral spring d, are both supported and
secured in their proper relative position by and to the feet or brackets e, or their
equivalents the vertical members of each of these feet or brackets e, being drilled
for the passage therethrough of the cotton or thread as hereinafter explained. The
upper parts of the feet or brackets e, carry the plate f, which is drilled, as
represented more particularly in transverse section at Figure 3, and so constitutes
a guide through which the needles c, are first passed and in which they are
supported until required for use. The stiletto g, or like instrument, is of size
sufficiently small to pass through the eyes of the needles c, and is provided at one
end with an eye h, as represented at Figures 1 and 2 or a hook i, as shown at
Figures 4 and 5, and at its opposite end the said stiletto is provided with a knob
or other handle j.
In threading needles c, by the apparatus afore described, they are inserted head
downwards as represented at Figures 1, 2 and 3 through the guide plate ƒ, and
between the spirals or coils of the spring d. The stiletto g, is then passed through
the eyes of the several needles c, and the eye h, (Figures 1 and 2) or hook 2,
(Figures 4 and 5) is threaded with cotton or thread k, from an adjacent reel or
bobbin . The stiletto g, is then withdrawn as shewn at Figure 2, and carries the
thread k, with it through the eyes of all the needles c. The stiletto g, may then he
disengaged from the thread k, and the needles c, are ready threaded for use.
needles c, so prepared are drawn upwards and carry with them any desired length
of thread; the order in which the threaded needles are so used is in the order in
which they approach the reel or bobbin l, that is to say, the needles c, farthest
from the bobbin l, is used first, and the noedle nearest to the said bobbin is used
last.
The
When the stiletto g, is formed with a hook i, as shewn at Figure 4, I protect
the point thereof by means of a projection m, which prevents the said point from
coming into contact with the eyes of any of the needles c, through which it is
passed.
The improved needle threading apparatus hereinbefore described, may be secured
to the board n, to a table, or to a work-box, or the said apparatus may be secured
in any other suitable position as convenience may suggest.
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 needle threader shewn upon the annexed drawings in which a number of
needles are simultaneously threaded and from which they may be withdrawn
threaded and separately, consisting of the tube a, the spiral spring d, and the
stiletto g, with the eye h, or hook i, at the point thereof, or the mechanical
equivalents of all or any of the said parts and all combined together and operating
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
J. H. JOHNSON, DAY & JOHNSON,
Applicant's Agents.