IMPROVEMENTS IN SHUTTLES FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Morton, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Sewing Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHUTTLES FOR SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 7th May 1878, and dated the 9th November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Morton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th November 1877.
JOHN MORTON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Sewing
Machine Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHUTTLES FOR SEWING MACHINES."
This Invention has for its object to construct shuttles for sewing machines in
an improved manner, and so as, whilst being capable of holding a maximum
quantity of thread in a cop form, to admit of the tension of that thread being
regulated in a satisfactory and uniform manner, and of the tension being altered, or
of fresh thread being placed ready for sewing in a very convenient way.
The shuttle has hinged to it at its flat side a lid, which is held by a spring.
catch when shut. No tension appliances are fitted inside the shuttle, so that the
largest possible part of the interior is available for holding the cop of thread.
The thread is led from the cop at the heel end of the shuttle through a lateral
hole, whence it passes, and is slightly compressed between a thin metal blade and
the side of the shuttle to a series of holes, through more or fewer of which it is
passed, according to the tension required. The thread finally passes under an
external curved spring guide.
.
It is a common thing for sewing machine shuttles to be made with a curved
spring guide for the thread to finally pass under, but in the improved shuttle this
spring guide is formed with a breadthways extension at one part, constituting the
thin metal blade herein-before referred to, as that between which and the shuttle
side the thread passes.

page_text: To save labor and time in entering the thread, or in altering the tension, slits
for introducing the thread are made from the edge of the shuttle down to the
several holes herein-before referred to.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Morton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th May
1878.
JOHN MORTON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Sewing
Machine Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHUTTLES FOR SEWING MACHINES."
My said Invention has for its object to construct shuttles for sewing machines
in an improved manner, and so as, whilst being capable of holding a maximum
quantity thread in a cop form, to admit of the tension being regulated in a
satisfactory and uniform manner, and of the tension being altered, or of fresh thread
being placed ready for sewing in a very convenient way.
My improved shuttle has hinged to it as usual at its flat side a lid, which is
held by a spring catch when shut. No tension appliances are fitted inside the
shuttle, and consequently the largest possible part of the interior of the shuttle is
available for holding the cop of thread. The thread is led from the cop at the
heel end of the shuttle through a lateral hole, whence it passes, first between a
thin metal blade; secondly, through more or fewer tension holes in the side of the
shuttle; and, finally, under the ordinary external curved spring guide.
To save labor and time in entering the thread, or in altering the tension, slits
for introducing the thread are made from the edge of the shuttle's side down to
the several holes.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of explanatory Drawings
to be herein-after referred to, and representing a sewing machine shuttle as made
with my improvements.
In these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or
like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a view showing the interior
of the shuttle, the lid being supposed to be removed.
Figure 2 is a view of the side of the shuttle which is uppermost in working;
and Figures 3 and 4 are respectively external and internal views of the lid as
detached. The lid 5 is shown partly open in Figure 2, and is at its front end
hinged upon a transverse pin fixed in the sides of the shuttle. On the inside of
the lid there is rivetted by its front end a spring catch 6 formed with a tongue 7
to enter a slot or notch in the side of the shuttle when the lid is closed, whilst for
opening the lid the catch 6 has formed on it a projection 8, which, working through
a notch in the lid, can be acted on by the thumb or finger nail.
In Figure 1 the cop 9 is shown in its place, but as partly used, the entire length of
the shuttle (excepting a small part at the point) being available for the complete

page_text: cop, as there are no tension appliances inside the shuttle. The thread, indicated' by
a peculiarly dotted line, proceeds from the heel end of the cop 9 through a hole 10
at the side of the heel of the shuttle, issuing under a thin metal blade 11, and
passing forwards between that blade to a series of tension holes 12 in the side of
the shuttle. The thread is slightly pressed by the thin blade 11, and some tension
thereby applied to it, whilst snarls are prevented from passing forward. The
tension of the thread is supplemented and adjusted to the requirements by passing
it through more or fewer of the tension holes 12, the thread being finally brought
out through the most forward of those holes, and led under the curved spring
guide 13.
It is a common thing for a sewing machine shuttle to be made with a curved
spring guide, more or less like the one, 13, which is rivetted to the side of the
shuttle at its forward end, and has its after end hooked into a notch in the heel of
the shuttle; but in my improved shuttle this spring guide 13 and the pressing blade
11 are, for convenience and simplicity, made in the same piece of metal. Slits are
formed from the edge of the shuttle side down to the holes 12 and 10 for convenience
in entering the thread, as herein-before explained.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to be novel and original,
and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,
1. The construction of a sewing machine shuttle for cops with tension appliances
exclusively on the outside, and consisting of a pressing blade combined with the
usual tension holes, substantially as herein-before described.
2. The forming of the pressing blade (11) and curved spring guide (13) in one
piece, as herein-before described.
3. The forming of slits from the edge of the shuttle side down to the thread holes
(12, 10,) as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Morton, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Second day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-eight.
JOHN MORTON. (L.S.)