Improvements in and relating to the Construction of Shuttles for Sewing Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1890-Accepted, 1st Nov., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Construction of Shuttles for
Sewing Machines.
I, PETER JENSEN, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents of 77, Chancery Lane,
in the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which
has been communicated to me from abroad by Samuel Burge Fuller, residing at
the corner of Seventh Street and Western Avenue, in the City of Watertown, in the
County of Jefferson, and State of Wisconsin, United States of America, Merchant),
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object the construction of a shuttle for sewing machines,
consisting, primarily, of a shell having solid sides and a threading slit wholly in its
upper surface, with a slot communicating with said threading slit, a tension spring
having a raised inner free end yielding within said slot, and a superimposed shuttle
spring normally resting on said raised portion of the tension spring, and secured to
the shuttle at each end, as well as in certain other details of construction, all as is
more fully explained hereinafter, in connection with the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved shuttle, in the form showing an open end.
Figure 2 is a like view with the shuttle spring removed.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.
Figures 4 and 5 are transverse sectional views on the lines 4-4, and 5-5,
respectively of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a plan view, partly broken away, of that form of the shuttle having'a
closed end.
Figure 7 is a longitudinal vertical section of said form.
Figure 8 is a detail plan view of one end of said form with the shuttle spring
removed, and
Figure 9 is an end view of said closed end of this form of the shuttle.
Figure 10 is a sectional detail of a modified construction.
A represents the shell of the shuttle, which has one pointed end, and one blunt
end, as is common, said shell receiving a bobbin B, as shown. In this shuttle the
sides thereof are solid and the threading slit, a, is cut through the top, extending
from the blunt end to about the centre of the slot b which receives the free end of
the tension spring (%. In the open-ended form of shuttle the threading slit a extends
first in a line oblique to that of the blunt end, nearly to one side of the shuttle, and
then abruptly extends forward and more than half way across the top, to said slot b,
leaving a narrow tongue of metal, c, between it and the rear portion of said slot.
In the other form of shuttle, having a closed end, the threading slit, a, starts from
the blunt end in nearly a straight line, and then continues, as before, to the slot b.
Forward of and in line with this slot 6 there is a recess or depression, d, in the top of
the shuttle, for the reception of the forward end of the tension spring C, which is
secured in place by a screw e, the rear end of said spring being offset or elevated, as
shown at f, and terminating in a downward bend, as shown at 9, and said spring ▸ is
further provided with a right-angled slot, h, cut in from one side, at about the centre,
balf way across and thence extending rearwardly in a central longitudinal line to about
the beginning of the offset portion f, of said spring, and preferably somewhat
enlarged, or rounded out at its end, as shown.
Dis the shuttle spring, of the general shape shown in the drawings, and having
its front end offset or bent down, as shown at i, so as to rest flatly upon the front end

page_text: of the tension spring C; and there secured to the shuttle by the same screw, e. The
main portion of the spring D is of a higher plane, so that is central part normally
rests squarely upon the raised portion of the spring C. The rear end, j, of the
spring Dengages with the rear end of the shirtles that said spring is fastened at
each end. In the form of spring shown in the st five figures of the drawing, the
rear end of the shuttle spring D is turned outward and inserted through a hole k in
said shuttle shell, while in the form shown in the last four figures of the drawing, the
said end is inturned, and (after passing through the upper end of the door E that
closes the end of the shuttle) fits into a recess in the shuttle shell. The said
door is of ordinary construction with the usual latch
for engagement with the
under side of the shuttle. In the first form of device, the bobbin B is merely
slipped within the shuttle, but in the second form, the bobbin has trunnions or
pintles, nn, on its heads, which fit into corresponding mortises in the head of the
shuttle and inside of the door.
m,
The thread, o, is admitted to place through the slit a, slot b and angle-shaped
sloth, and thence passes back between the part f of the tension spring and the
superimposed shuttle-spring D, and out beyond the rear of the latter, as shown in
Figure 1. There is no pressure on the thread after it leaves the tension spring, and
as the inner end of the latter is free, there will always be the same amount of tension
between the two springs, no matter whether a very fine or a very coarse thread, (or
anything between the two) is used, and no adjustinent of the tension is necessary in
changing from thread of one degree of fineness to another. When it is desired to
diminish the tension in the shuttle, at any time, this can be instantly done by turning
the screw e either to the right or left, the former turn resulting in raising the tension
spring Cmore firmly against the shuttle spring D, which increases the tension, while a
turn of the screw e in the opposite direction allows the tension spring C to drop
away from the spring D, thereby diminishing the pressure, and causing a looser
tension, and these changes in the tension can be made without removing the shuttle
or displacing any work.
The operation of threading the shuttle is simple and almost instantaneous, being
always directly from the rear end, and no elaborate instructions, or patient practice is
required. Again, as the threading slit is on top, it is free from the injury, by wear
and friction, that occurs with shuttles threaded from the side, and further, having
solid smooth sides, the shuttle has less frictional resistance to overcome in its
movements.
Further, in the operation of threading the shuttle, the thread cleans out all dust,
lint, fibres and other foreign matters between the two springs, thereby forming a
non-clogging tension, and as the thread goes back, in a straight line, after leaving the
inner end of the right-angled slot h, it is much less liable to break than in the
former constructions, where it was fed transversely across, or between and against
posts, and other obstructions.
In Figures 3 and 7, there is shown an increased space, or added depth, d¹ to the
front end of the described recess, d, beneath the front end of the tension spring C,
the object of this being to provide space for the front end of said spring C, when the
screw e is screwed down, so as to raise the rear end f of said spring more firmly
against the shuttle spring D, as already described, to increase the tension, the higher
part of the said recess or depression d, just back of this portion d' thereof acting as
a fulcrum point for the said spring C, in this operation. In Figure 10, the front
end, d², of the said spring C, is shown somewhat raised, to accomplish this same
result without deepening the recess d at the point d¹.
Having thus 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 shell, having solid sides, and a slot in its upper
surface intermediate between the ends thereof, a tension spring secured to said shell,
and having a free end yielding vertically within said slot, a superimposed shuttle.

page_text: spring, and a threading slit formed wholly in the top surface of said shell and
extending from the rear edge thereof forward to a point about midway of the length
of the said tension spring.
2. A sewing machine shuttle having a threading slit and a slot in its upper
surface communicating with the threading slit, a tension spring having a right
angled slot communicating with said first named slot, and a raised inner free end
yielding within said slot, and a superimposed shuttle spring normally resting on said
raised portion of the tension spring, and secured to the shuttle at each end.
3. In a sewing machine shuttle, the combination with the shell having a slot in its
upper surface, and a depression or recess at one end, next and in line with said slot
and of less length than the latter, and a tension spring having one end in said recess
and the other end yielding within said slot and extending the full length thereof, of a
superimposed shuttle spring secured at one end of said shell, and a screw passing
through both springs at the other end of said shell, and into said recess, whereby,
when said screw is loosened the free end of the tension spring will drop away from
the shuttle spring, by gravity, and when said screw is tightened, said free end of the
tension spring will automatically rise and press against the under side of said
shuttle spring, and the latter spring be simultaneously compressed down against the
tension spring.
4. In a sewing machine shuttle, the combination with a solid sided shell having a
longitudinal slot in its upper surface, a threading slit extending from the rear end of
the upper surface of said shell to a point about mid way of said slot, and a tension
spring movably located in said slot and having a right angled slot communicating
transversely with the end of the said threading slit in the shell and thence continuing
rearward in the direction of the length of the said tension spring, whereby the
shuttle may be threaded directly from the rear end with one direct pull of the thread
towards the point of the shuttle.
5. In a sewing machine shuttle, the combination with a solid sided shell having a
longitudinal slot in its upper surface, a threading slit extending from the rear end of
the upper surface of said shell to a point about midway of said slot, a tension
spring movably located in said slot and having a right angled slot communicating
transversely with the end of the said threading slit in the shell, and thence continuing
rearward in the direction of the length of the said tension spring, and a shuttle
spring secured at each end only to the upper surface of the shell, and normally in
contact with the free end of the tension spring, whereby the said shuttle may be
threaded directly from the rear end with one direct pull of the thread towards the
point of the shuttle, and any foreign substance between the two springs simultaneously
removed thereby.
Dated this 92nd dose of
1000
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.