Improvements in or relating to the Application of Cops, Spools, Balls, or the like to Sewing and other Machines Using Thread.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 13th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Application of Cops, Spools,
Balls, or the like to Sewing and other Machines Using Thread.
I, JAMES FINLAYSON, Junior, of the Flax Mills, Johnstone in the County of
Renfrew, Scotland, Flax Spinner and Linen Thread Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the application to sewing and other machines of thread
wound in the form of cops spools balls and the like, the attachment being constructed
to receive and hold the cop &c. and so that the thread may be drawn off from it
and delivered to the tension device which latter is preferably connected to or
formed as part of the attachment so that the thread may not run off the cop or
reel too freely, a point of considerable importance as otherwise the thread might
easily be drawn too fast and become entangled.
The word cop in this Specification is to be understood as also covering spools,
reels, balls and the like.
In carrying out this invention the attachment may be placed in any desired
position and I will describe two attachments, one for use upon the ordinary sewing
machine with the cop in a horizontal position, and the other for use with waxed
thread machines with the cop in a vertical position.
For the horizontal cop the attachment would conveniently consist of a bracket
adapted to fit upon the vertical reel spindle of an ordinary sewing machine or other
suitable support and be fixed thereon in some convenient manner, say by means of
a set screw in a perforated boss of the attachment, or by a spring clip or other
suitable means. The attachment has a horizontal arm terminating in an upward
extension in or upon which is placed the tension device with a wire or other thread
guide to direct the thread to the tension device from which the thread may proceed
to the sewing machine in the usual manner. The thread guide is preferably
placed in the axial line of the cop and the tension device suitably arranged behind
it. The cup may be wound upon a central tube or hollow core or spool and the
attachment is provided with spring fingers or the like which enter the hollow of
the core and are compressed as the core is forced upon them thus holding it in its
proper position while allowing perfect freedom for applying and removing it, and
also allowing considerable adjustment. With this arrangement the whole attachment
is self-contained.
In the case of the vertical cop the attachment may consist of a plate or stand
having if desired a perforated boss or projection to fit on to the ordinary reel or
spool holding pin or other support upon which it may be fixed all as previously
described. The cop supporting fingers or other device in this case lie in a vertical
instead of a horizontal plane while the arm which in the former case was horizontal
in this is also vertical and may be turned over at its end forming a horizontal
extension which may be perforated to serve as a thread guide and receive the
thread from the spool. From the thread guide the thread is taken to the tension
device which may be formed in or attached to the attachment boss or may be
otherwise conveniently placed upon the attachment. In this case also I prefer to
place the thread guide in the axial line of the cop so that the thread may be drawn
off with an even pull all round. However, in this and the previous case I do not
wish to restrict myself to this placing of the thread guide as the apparatus will
still work when it is not so placed.

page_text: The above description of two ways of carrying out this invention will serve to
indicate how it may be carried into practice, but the details may evidently be
greatly varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.
A special advantage of this invention as applied to spools or reels on sewing
machines is that whereas with the ordinary arrangement the reel turns upon its
support thus varying the tension as it jerks round, with this arrangement the reel
is fixed and the thread comes freely and regularly off all the time without affecting
the tension.
Dated this 26th day of November 1894.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Application of Cops, Spools,
Balls, or the like to Sewing and other Machines Using Thread.
I, JAMES FINLAYSON, Junior of the Flax Mills, Johnstone, in the County of
Renfrew, Scotland, Flax Spinner and Linen Thread Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-.
This invention relates to the application to sewing and other machines of throad
wound in the form of cops spools balls and the like, the attachment being constructed
to receive and hold the cop etc. and so that the thread may be drawn off from it
and delivered to the tension device which latter is preferably connected to or
formed as part of the attachment so that the thread may not run off the cop or
reet too freely, a point of considerable importance as otherwise the thread might
easily be drawn too fast and become entangled.
The word cop in this Specification is to be understood as also covering spools,
reels, balls and the like.
In carrying out this invention the attachment may be placed in any desired
position and I will describe two attachments, one for use upon a sewing machine
with the cop in a horizontal position, and the other for use upon a machine with
the cop in a vertical position.
For the horizontal cop the attachment would conveniently consist of a bracket
adapted to fit upon the vertical reel spindle of an ordinary sewing machine or
other suitable support and be fixed thereon in some convenient manner, say by
means of a set screw in a perforated boss of the attachment, or by a spring clip or
other suitable means. The attachment has a horizontal arm terminating in an
upward extension in or upon which is placed the tension device with a wire or other
thread guide to direct the thread to the tension device from which the thread may
proceed to the sewing machine in the usual manner. The thread guide is
preferably placed in the axial line of the cop and the tension device suitably
arranged behind it. The cop may be wound upon a central tube or hollow core or
spool and the attachment is provided with spring fingers or the like which enter
the hollow of the core and are compressed as the core is forced upon them thus
holding it in its proper position while allowing perfect freedom for applying and
removing it, and also allowing considerable adjustment. With this arrangement
the whole attachment is self-contained.
In the case of the vertical cop the attachment may consist of a plate or stand
having if desired a perforated loss or projection to fit on to the ordinary reel or
spool holding pin or other support upon which it may be fixed all as previously
described. The cop supporting fingers or other device in this case lie in a vertical
instead of a horizontal plane while the arm which in the former case was horizontal,
in this is also vertical and may be turned over at its end forming a horizontal

page_text: extension which may be perforated to serve as a thread guide and receive th
thread from the spool. From the thread guide the thread is taken to the tension
device which may be formed in or attached to the attachment boss or may be
otherwise conveniently placed upon the attachment. In this case also I prefer to
place the thread guide in the axial line of the cop so that the thread may be drawn
off with an even pull all round. However, in this and the previous case I do not
wish to restrict myself to this placing of the thread guide as the apparatus will
still work when it is not so placed.
The above description of two ways of carrying out this invention will serve to
indicate how it may be carried into practice, but the details may evidently be
greatly varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.
A special advantage of this invention as applied to spools or reels on sewing
machines is that whereas with the ordinary arrangement the reel turns upon its
support thus varying the tension as it jerks round, with this arrangement the reel
is fixed and the thread comes freely and regularly off all the time without affecting
the tension.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation and
Figure 2 a plan partly in section of the horizontal form of the spool or cop
attachment,
Figure 3 being an elevation partly in section and
Figure 4 a plan of the vertical attachment.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a double attachment of the horizontal
type and
Figure 6 is an enlarged view of one of the tension devices.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
In Figures 1 and 2 A is the cop, ball or equivalent and B the bracket, the
thread guide and D the tension device. The bracket B is shown provided with a
lug or boss B' perforated at B 2 so as to fit upon the vertical reel-spindle of an
ordinary sewing machine, the set screw E serving to tighten it thereon. From the
bracket or lug B project any suitable spring fingers F upon which the tube or
the core A of the cop A is forced, a sufficiently tight hold being thus obtained to
maintain the cop in position while allowing some little adjustment between the
spring fingers F and the cop tube A. The cop can easily be placed upon the
spring fingers and removed by the hand of the operator. These spring fingers
may be made in various ways and of various shapes and either as skeleton fingers
as shown in the drawing or as merely a split tube but the former is preferred as
allowing more adjustment than would be obtainable with a split tube. The
bracket B has an arm B3 the end B 4 of which is turned up as shown in Figure 1,
and carries the tension device D which may be secured to it by a screw G or in
other convenient manner. The tension device consists of two circular metal discs H
and I with their edges turned partly over so as to leave a peripheral groove H¹
between them into which the thread can be easily slipped forcing the disc H away
from the disc I against the pressure of the coiled spring H 2 which surrounds the
screw G. The tension may be regulated by increasing or diminishing the
compression of the spring H 2 by turning the screw G.
'
The thread guide J may consist simply of a piece of wire bent into the form
of a loop J' through which the thread passes before reaching the tension device.
As already explained and as shown in the drawings the thread guide is
preferably arranged in the axial line of the cop so that it may draw regularly
from the cop; excellent results however can be attained even if it is not central.
In the vertical cop holder, Figures 3 and 4, the bottom plate B is substituted
for the bracket B of Figure 1, the lug or boss B', perforation B 2 and screw E
being employed for fixing as before. In this case the arm B3 is shown as a separate
piece of metal, conveniently wire, secured to the plate B or a boss or lug B 5 thereof
and turned over at the end B 4 and perforated at 136 to serve as a thread guide.
The tension device is the same as that already described, and the manner of fixing

page_text: the cop is also the same excepting that the spring fingers stand up vertically
instead of lying horizontally, and consequently the cop also stands vertically. The
operation is the same as in the previous case.
The double holder shown in Figure 5 is of the horizontal type and is substantially
the same as that described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, excepting that
provision is made for two cops, two guides and two tension devices, the guiding
and tensioning of the thread in this example being fulfilled by devices combining
both these functions. In this case the bracket is provided with two arms K turned
up at K and carrying the spring fingers F, the arm B 3 being turned up at B4 as
before to carry the tension devices and thread guides, but the end is divided into
two arms L each of which carries a tension device. This double holder is
applicable either as a vertical or horizontal attachment according as the hole B 2 is
placed in the axial line of the arm B 3 or perpendicular thereto as in the drawing,
the position of the screw E being correspondingly altered.
The chief object of this double cop holder is to hold cops of different colours,
and it is so constructed that it may be placed over the ordinary reel holder, and
an ordinary spool, reel or cop may be placed thereon, so that three separate
threads of different colours if necessary may be used at once, a third thread guide
and tension device being employed if required.
The tension device shown in Figure 6 is somewhat similar to those already
explained, but in this example each of the discs H is provided with a tongue H 3
adapted to fit into a recess 1¹ of the corresponding disc 1 so as to prevent the thread
from accidentally escaping from between the two discs and also to prevent the
disc H from turning, the disc I being securely fixed upon the arm which carries it.
It is preferred to considerably dish these discs the spring H 2 then lying conveniently
in the hollow of the disc H.
When it is desired to introduce the thread or remove it laterally from between
the discs H and 1 all that is necessary is to draw the disc H outwards from the
disc I, against the pressure of the spring, so as to disengage the tongue H 3 from
the recess and then move the thread laterally in the required direction. When
the thread is between the discs H and I and the tongue H3 in engagement
with the recess I' the device retains the thread in position and simultaneously
exerts the necessary tension upon it. If desired the tongue H 3 may be provided
on the disc I and the recess I¹ in the disc H.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A cop holder such as described in which the thread guide or tension
device or both the thread guide and tension device are placed in the axial line of
the cop.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete cop
holder substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, or Figures 3
and 4 or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In a cop holder the combination with spring fingers such as F of a bracket
such as B and tension-device carrying-arm as B3 B4 substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a cop holder a bracket such as B B B2 B3 B4 substantially as and for
the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In a cop holder the combination with a cop having a central tube or core A¹
of spring fingers such as F substantially as and for the purpose described.
6. The combination with the ordinary reel-spindle of a sewing or other thread-
using machine of a detachable cop-holding attachment whereby the machine may
be used with cops or reels at pleasure or with both together.
7. The combination with the ordinary reel-spindle of a sewing or other thread-
using machine of a detachable double cop-holder whereby two or three different
threads or different coloured threads may be used.

page_text: 8. The application to sewing or other thread-using machines of cops, spools,
balls or the like by means of detachable holders substantially as described.
9. In a thread guide or tension device for sewing and other thread-using
machines the combination with one disc such as I fixed upon its support of
another disc such as H loose upon its holder and engaging with the fixed disc
by a tongue such as H 3 on one of the discs engaging with a recess such as I' in
the other disc substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
10. The combination with a cop holder such as described of a combined thread
guide and tension device substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 6 of
the accompanying drawings.
Dated his 10th
1005
JAS. FINLAYSON, JUNR.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.