IMPROVEMENTS IN SHUTTLES, SPOOLS, AND BOBBINS FOR SEWING MACHINES AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Lewis Matthews Becker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st January 1874.
I, LEWIS MATTHEWS BECKER, of Peckham, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHUTTLES, SPOOLS, AND BOBBINS FOR SEWING MACHINES AND
OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is firstly to construct shuttles in such a
simple and reliable manner that they shall be economical in first cost,
and not liable to wear rapidly or to get out of order; secondly, to furnish
for sewing machines, bobbins, and spools having thread, cotton twist,
silk, or other sewing material wound uniformly and tightly thereon,
which bobbins and spools may be instantly placed upon the spindle
within the shuttle, or which spools may be as quickly placed upon the
spindle for carrying the same in other than shuttle sewing machines,
and when exhausted or partially used another bobbin or spool may be
substituted therefor, so that hand-winding hitherto necessitated and
causing so much loss of time and wear and tear of machines is entirely
dispensed with.

page_text: My improvements consist firstly in making my shuttles without any
internal springs, latches, or other such contrivances as heretofore used,
but in place thereof I make at either or both ends an orifice, through
which a spindle is passed removable at will, upon which spindle the
bobbin revolves or the spindle itself may revolve. The head of the
spindle is countersunk in the shuttle, so that the cotton or other sewing
material will not catch or be checked.
The spindle may be round or of other suitable section, and may be
held firmly or otherwise at either end by means of a screw countersunk,
or by a screw at each end, or by its own impact when in motion, or it
may be of a wedge shape at one or both ends, wormed or threaded or
otherwise secured in position most suitable.
I propose to make my shuttles out of solid steel or other suitable
metal, and to harden the ends, or the whole may be hardened.
My improvements consist secondly in the spools, and in order that the
two discs or pieces forming the spools may be separated at will to recieve
the ready wound cotton or other sewing material to fit the same I make
a spool of a size suitable for the sewing machine, to which it is to be
applied detchable. In lieu of the orifice in the present spools I make
the centre of the discs solid. Upon the internal side of one disc is a
boss (of a sufficient thickness to carry the ready wound cotton or other
sewing material) of a square, round, or other convenient shape, upon
which boss is a thread or screw capable of receiving the other disc of
the spool, or they may be fastened by an outside screw countersunk or
otherwise, or by any other ready mode.
When it is required to place the spool of ready wound cotton or other
sewing material in between the circular discs of the spools one of the
discs or plates of the spool is detached, the ready wound spool of sewing
material is placed therein, and then fastened in between the two discs
by the screw or other means mentioned, the ready wound spools of
cotton or other sewing material may be wound on a card or piece of
metal or other suitable substance or material kept in position by a strip
of the same material or other suitable material, which may be taken,
torn off, cut, or otherwise displaced after the ready wound spool has been
put in position ready for work between the discs of the spool, upon which
I propose to print, attach, or otherwise indicate the trade mark or other
designs; also the quantity, quality, or other information relating to the

page_text: class of sewing machine for which the spool is intended, or of the cotton
or other sewing material wound thereon.
I also propose to make the discs of the spool of steel hardened partially
or wholly.
My improvements consist thirdly in constructing the spindles of the
shuttles in the following manner:-I make the spindle of a length
suitable to the shuttle, to which it is to be applied, having upon it near
to one end a fast or fixed collar, pin, or other suitable contrivance, so as
to keep the ready wound bobbin in its place. These spindles may be
pivoted at ends or rounded suitable to the size or class of sewing machine
shuttles to which they may be applied. The corresponding part of the
other end of the spindle may be provided with a thread, upon which
thread a loose or moveable collar can be screwed, or other suitable
means.
My improvements consist fourthly in the construction of the bobbins,
which I prefer to make of very thin metal so as to form a tube split or
unsplit for its entire length. The tube thus formed is provided with end
pieces or collars. On the ends of the collars I propose to print or
otherwise mark or designate the class or make of the sewing machine to
which the ready wound bobbin or shuttle is applicable, together with the
trade mark or other design; also the number, quality, and quantity of
the cotton or other sewing material wound thereon. Upon this bobbin
is wound uniformly and tightly the cotton or other sewing material.
On one or both of the collars or ends of the bobbins is a small nick or
cut on the edge or edges, through which the cotton or other sewing
material is fastened off at will, whereby entanglement or waste is
prevented.
The ready wound bobbin is placed upon the spindle herein-before
described and screwed up against the fast collar or pin by the movable
collar upon the threaded portion of the spindle, or by the means
mentioned, or it may revolve on the spindle. By means of the spring
of the tube and the screwed collar the bobbin is held very tightly in
position.
It will be seen that the same spindle is constantly used, and the
bobbin may be very quickly removed and replaced; also that the empty

page_text: The spindles and bobbins may be made of any desired length and of
any suitable metal or other material cast, moulded, or otherwise, and
may be round, square, triangular, or of other suitable section, and the
loose collar may be held by other means than the thread or screw, such
as by the shape of its central orifice, and that of the spindle, or by
tapering the spindle or otherwise.