Improvements in Sewing Machine Shuttles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 27th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 1st June, 1995
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machine Shuttles.
I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of The Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(as communicated to me from abroad by The Singer Manufacturing Company, of
New York, in the United States of America, Sewing Machine Manufacturers) to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to that class of shuttles adapted to oscillate in circular
shuttle races, and my invention has for its object to provide a thin shuttle more
particularly intended for use in multiple sewing machines in which it is desirable
to employ a number of closely-placed shuttles. In order that the shuttles of
a multiple sewing machine may be placed near together it is necessary that the
same should be made comparatively thin, and to this end it is desirable to supply
these thin shuttles with cops of thread, rather than with bobbins. In using cops of
thread in shuttles of this class to which my invention relates, more or less difficulty
has been experienced in the use of cops from the centres of which the thread is
drawn, as when a cop has been nearly used up the shell composed of the last few
layers of thread is liable to collapse, and thus the thread may liecome entangled and
broken.
My invention has for its object to provide a shuttle, of the class referred to, which
will be free from the objections existing in similar shuttles heretofore constructed.
To this end my improved shuttle is provided with a thread cavity which is
preferably eccentric to the axis of oscillation of the shuttle (to enable the needle
loops to be cast off earlier in the movements of the shuttle than would be possible
with a shuttle having a thread cavity or chamber concentric with its axis of
movement) said thread cavity having at or near its centre a stud or post on which
a cop of thread, having a central opening, will be held stationary relative to the
shuttle, said stud or post preferably having its exterior somewhat roughened to
prevent the cop, fitted somewhat tightly thereon, from turning, and said stud or
post having through it a thread delivery hole or aperture from which the thread of
the cop, drawn from the exterior of the latter, may be passed. The rear wall of
the shuttle is cut away for the reception of a tension spring which can lie in the
recess provided for it so that its outer or rear face will be just flush with the outer
or rear face of said wall, the tension spring being provided with an open slot
leading into a thread delivery hole or aperture which is nearly concentric with the
axis of oscillation of the shuttle, and thus the said shuttle, notwithstanding the fact
that the thread cavity may be eccentric to its axis of movement, will have a thread
delivery which is near the centre of its axis of oscillation. The tension spring is
attached to the body of the shuttle near the periphery of the latter, and its free
end presses against the rear end of the stud or post on which the cop of thread is
held, the outer end of said stud or post being partly cut away for the reception of
said spring so that the latter will not project out beyond the outer face of the rear
wall of the shuttle. To provide for a friction surface of suitable extent, to make a
smooth and efficient tension pressure on the thread, the hole through said post or
stud, through which the thread running from the exterior of the cop is delivered,

page_text: instead of being made straight through said post or stud is preferably made as an
inclined funnel so that the thread delivery end of said hole, at the rear part of said
post or stud, will beffar enough away from the thread delivery hole in the tension
spring to furnish an extended tension bearing for the thread.
The thread cavity of the shuttle is closed by a hinged cover having a peripheral,
inturned lip which, when the said cover is closed, fits against an annular shoulder
formed on the wall of the thread cavity in the shuttle, said hinged cover having a
spring finger provided with a slight projection adapted to snap into a recess in the
wall of the said thread cavity to hold the cover closed.
The shuttle body is provided with a peripheral rim portion adapted to fit in the
shuttle race and having a loop seizing point or beak.
The cover of the shuttle, having the inturned lip fitting against a shoulder around
the wall of the thread chamber, provides means for securely closing the shuttle and
thereby enclosing the cop of thread without leaving any inwardly projecting part
against which the thread could, by any possibility, come in contact. In other
words, the inturned annular lip on the cover fitting against a shoulder formed for
its reception on the wall of the thread cavity of the shuttle provides
enclosed chamber in which the cop of thread is held, and avoids any catching of the
thread on any projection within said thread chamber.
Dated this 26th day of July 1894.
a smooth
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machine Shuttles.
I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of The Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to that class of shuttles adapted to oscillate in circular
shuttle races, and my invention has for its object to provide a thin shuttle more
particularly intended for use in multiple sewing machines in which it is desirable
to employ a number of close-placed shuttles. In order that the shuttles of a
multiple sewing machine may be placed near together it is necessary that the same
should be made comparatively thin, and to this end it is desirable to supply these
thin shuttles with cops of thread, rather than with bobbins. In using cops of
thread in shuttles of this class to which my invention relates, more or less difficulty
has been experienced in the use of cops from the centres of which the thread is
drawn, as when a cop has been nearly used up the shell composed of the last few
layers of thread is liable to collapse, and thus the thread may become tangled and
broken.
My invention has for its object to provide a shuttle, of the class referred to,
which will be free from the objections existing in similar shuttles heretofore
constructed. To this end my improved shuttle is provided with a thread cavity
which is preferably eccentric to the axis of oscillation of the shuttle (to enable the
needle loops to be cast off earlier in the movements of the shuttle than would be
possible with a shuttle having a thread cavity or chamber concentric with its axis
of movement) said thread cavity having at or near its centre a stud or post on
which a cop of thread, having a central opening, will be held stationary relative to
the shuttle, said stud or post preferably having its exterior somewhat roughened
to prevent the cop, fitted somewhat tightly thereon, from turning, and said stud or
post having through it a thread delivery hole or aperture from which the thread

page_text: of the cop, drawn from the exterior of the latter, may be passed. The rear wall of
the shuttle is cut away for the reception of a tension spring which can lie in the
recess provided for it so that its outer or rear face will be just flush with the outer
or rear face of said wall, the tension spring being provided with an open slot
leading into a thread delivery hole or aperture which is nearly concentric
with the axis of oscillation of the shuttle, and thus the said shuttle, notwith-
standing the fact that the thread cavity may be eccentric to its axis of
movement, will have a thread delivery which is near the centre of its axis
of oscillation. The tension spring is attached to the body of the shuttle near the
periphery of the latter, and its free end presses against the rear end of the stud or
post on which the cop of thread is held, the outer end of said stud or post being.
partly cut away for the reception of said spring so that the latter will not project
out beyond the outer face of the rear wall of the shuttle. To provide for a friction
surface of suitable extent, to make a smooth and efficient tension pressure on the
thread, the hole through said stud or post, through which the thread running from
the exterior of the cop is delivered, instead of being made straight through said
stud or post is preferably made as an inclined funnel so that the thread delivery
end of said hole, at the rear part of said stud or post, will be far enough away from
the thread delivery hole in the tension spring to furnish an extended tension
bearing for the thread.
The thread cavity of the shuttle is closed by a hinged cover having a peripheral,
inturned lip, which, when the said cover is closed, fits against an annular shoulder
formed on the wall of the thread cavity in the shuttle, said hinged.cover having a
spring finger provided with a slight projection adapted to snap into a recess in the
wall of the said thread cavity to hold the cover closed.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a perspective, view of my improved shuttle, with the. cover partly
lifted..
Figure 2 is a front view of the same, with the cover raised' at right angles to the
body of the shuttle.
Figure 3 is a rear view with the tension spring in place, and Figure 4 is a similar
view with the tension spring removed.
Figure 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of Figure 2, and
Figure 6 is a detail section on line 6-6 of Figure 2.
A denotes the shuttle body provided with a peripheral rim portion a adapted to
fit in the shuttle race and having a loop-seizing point or beak a'. The shuttle
body A is formed with a thread cavity or chamber 6 which is preferably eccentric.
to the axis of oscillation of the shuttle, said thread cavity having: at or near its
centre a stud or post through which runs an inclined thread delivery hole d made
in the form of an inclined funnel. The rear wall a of the shuttle body is provided
with a recess a³ for the reception of a tension spring which is attached, by a
screw e, to the peripheral rim portion of the shuttle; said tension, spring being
provided at its free end with a thread delivery hole e3 which is arranged to be
nearly concentric with the axis of oscillation of the shuttle, and into which, from
the extreme end of said spring, opens a threading: slot e³. By inclining the
tapering thread delivery hole d. through the post c, as more clearly shown. in
Figure 5, its thread delivery portion at the rear side of the shuttle will be farther
from the thread delivery hole e in the tension spring than would be the case were
said. hole d made.straight through the said stud or post, and this inclined position of
the said hole d affords a longer bearing, surface, at c', on the rear end of the said:
post, for the pressure of the tension spring against the thread, than would otherwise,
be provided; so that the friction surface between the rear end of said. post and said:
tension spring will be of sufficient extent to ensure a smooth and efficient tension.on
the thread.
The stud or post c is intended to tightly fit a central opening in a cop of thread,.
so that the said cop will be held stationary on the said stud or post; and to more
securely hold the cop of thread stationary on the said stud or post the surface of

page_text: the latter is preferably corrugated or otherwise roughened or notched so that it will
have a suitable frictional hold on the cop of thread placed thereon, and from the
periphery of which cop the thread will run through the hole d in the said stud or
post as it is delivered.
The thread chamber of the shuttle is closed by a hinged cover f, preferably
provided with an annular, inturned lip f' to fit closely against an annular shoulder a
formed for its reception on the wall of the said thread chamber, said cover having
also a spring finger f" which will preferably be provided with a slight projection f³
adapted to spring into a slight recess as formed for its reception in the wall of the
thread chamber, to hold the cover closed.
With my improved shuttle constructed as above described I am enabled to secure
a proper tension on the thread in a shuttle having a thread cavity which is eccentric
to the axis of oscillation of the said shuttle, this eccentric arrangement of said thread
cavity being desirable for the reason that a shuttle thus constructed can cast off the
loops of needle thread earlier in its oscillating movements in the machine than is
possible with a similar shuttle having a thread cavity which is concentric with its
axis of oscillation. Furthermore, my improved shuttle is specially adapted to carry
a cop of thread held therein in such a manner that the thrend may be entirely used
up without danger of breaking the thread by any tangling of the same incidental
to the collapsing of a nearly used-up cop; while the cover of the shuttle, having
the inturned lip fitting against a shoulder around the wall of the thread chamber,
provides means for securely closing the shuttle and thereby enclosing the cop of
thread without leaving any inwardly projecting part against which the thread could,
by any possibility, come in contact. In other words, the inturned annular lip on
the cover fitting against a shoulder formed for its reception on the wall of the thread
cavity of the shuttle provides a smooth enclosed chamber in which the cop of thread
is held, and avoids any catching of the thread on any projection within said
thread chamber.
4
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 thread cavity which is provided with a
stud or post having a thread delivery hole through it from front to rear, combined
with a tension spring recessed into the rear wall of the said shuttle and arranged to
press on the rear end of the said stud or post.
2. A sewing machine shuttle having a thread cavity which is provided with a
stud or post having a thread delivery hole through it from front to rear, combined
with a tension spring recessed into the rear wall of said shuttle and arranged to
press on the rear end of the said stud or post, said tension spring having a thread
delivery aperture, the said thread delivery hole through the said stud or post being
inclined so as to bring its delivery end at the rear side of said shuttle as far as
possible from the said thread delivery aperture of said tension spring.
3. A sewing machine shuttle having a thread cavity which is provided with a
stud or post having a thread delivery hole through it from front to rear, combined
with a tension spring recessed into the rear wall of the said shuttle, and arranged
to press on the rear end of the said stud or post, and the latter having a roughened
surface to afford a strong frictional hold on a cop of thread to be placed
thereon.
4. A sewing machine shuttle provided with a thread cavity which is recessed to
form an annular shoulder around the same, combined with a cover hinged to the
body of the said shuttle and provided with an annular, inturned lip to fit against
the said annular shoulder, and thus form a smooth, enclosed chamber with said
shuttle.
5. A sewing machine shuttle provided with a thread cavity which is recessed to
form an annular shoulder around the same, combined with a cover hinged to the
body of the said shuttle and provided with an annular, inturned lip adapted to fit

page_text: against the said annular shoulder, and thus form a smooth, enclosed chamber within
said shuttle, said cover also having a spring finger, and the wall of the said cavity
being provided with a recess to be engaged by the said spring finger to hold the
said cover closed.
Dated this 26th day of Anril 1905
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.