IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLES AND REELS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Griffiths, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Sewing Machine Shuttle and Materials Manufacturer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLES AND
REELS."
Sealed the 17th April 1874, and dated the 18th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Griffiths at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th February 1874.
I, GEORGE GRIFFITHS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Sewing Machine Shuttle and Materials Manufacturer, do hereby.declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE
SHUTTLES AND REELS," to be as follows:
My Invention consists principally of the improvements herein-after
described in constructing the yielding or elastic centre of sewing machine
shuttles, by means of which yielding or elastic centre one end of the
reel spindle is supported and fixed in the shuttle,

page_text: I construct the said yielding or elastic centre in the following manner :
-I take a bearing or supporting plate of a size and shape proper to be
fixed across the shuttle at one end thereof, and in the said bearing plate
a circular hole is made. In the said hole in the bearing plate a flat
convolute spring is secured, that is, a spring made by taking a flat ribbon
of steel or flat steel wire and coiling it into a series of convolutions after
the manner of a watch spring, the coils being wrapped so close to each
other as to prevent the spring yielding otherwise than axially. The said
flat spring is attached to the bearing plate by preference by hard
soldering its outer ring to the edge of the circular hole in the bearing
plate. In the axis of the flat convolute spring a cupped centre piece is
fixed, in which the end of the spindle of the reel works. The said
centre piece is recessed on its periphery so as to form a collar, in which
collar the inner ring of the spring is wound. A centre thus constructed
yields in the direction of the length of the shuttle, but in consequence
of the close juxtaposition of the several coils of the spring the said
spring is incapable of yielding laterally or in a direction at right angles
to the axis of the shuttle. The other end of the shuttle is provided
with an ordinary fixed bearing or centre.
The bearing plate described, in which the flat convolute spring is
secured, may be omitted, and the last or outer coil of the said spring
may be soldered directly to the shuttle.
Yielding or elastic centres for the reels of sewing machine shuttles
constructed according to my Invention are more durable than the
ordinary elastic centres. They also occupy less space than ordinary
centres. The solid ends generally used in sewing machine shuttles are
not required in shuttles having my yielding or elastic centres.
My Invention consists further in making the flanges of the reels of
sewing machine shuttles by raising them from sheet metal in dies and
fixing them to the spindles of the reels by pressure. I make the said
raised flanges with a hollow or tubular centre of a size somewhat less
than that of the reel spindle, and the said flanges are secured to the said
spindle by forcing the ends of the spindle into the tubular centres of the
reel ends.
Reels for sewing machines made according to my Invention have more

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Griffiths in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
GRIFFITHS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Sewing Machine
Shuttle and Materials Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Griffiths, Her special license that
I, the said George Griffiths, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said George Griffiths, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agrec with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE
SHUTTLES AND REELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Griffiths, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Griffiths, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists principally of the improvements herein-after
described in constructing the yielding or elastic centre of sewing machine
shuttles, by means of which yielding or elastic centre one end of the
reel spindle is supported and fixed in the shuttle.
I construct the said yielding or elastic centre in the following manner:
-I take a bearing or supporting plate of a size and shape proper to be

page_text: fixed across the shuttle at one end thereof, and in the said bearing plate
a circular hole is made. In the said hole in the bearing plate a flat
convolute spring is secured, that is, a spring made by taking a flat ribbon
of steel or flat steel wire and coiling it into a series of convolutions after
the manner of a watch spring, the coils being wrapped so close upon
each other as to prevent the spring yielding otherwise than axially. The
said flat spring is attached to the bearing plate by preference by hard
soldering its outer ring to the edge of the circular hole in the bearing
plate. In the axis of the flat convolute spring a cupped centre piece is
fixed, in which the end of the spindle of the reel works. The said
centre piece is recessed on its periphery so as to form a collar, on which
collar the inner ring of the spring is wound. A centre thus constructed
yields in the direction of the length of the shuttle, but in consequence
of the close juxtaposition of the several coils of the spring the said
spring is incapable of yielding laterally or in a direction at right angles
to the axis of the shuttle. The other end of the shuttle is provided
with an ordinary fixed bearing or centre.
The bearing plate described, in which the flat convolute spring is
secured, may be omitted, and the last or outer coil of the said spring
may be soldered directly to the shuttle.
Yielding or elastic centres for the reels of sewing machine shuttles
constructed according to my Invention are more durable than the
ordinary elastic centres. They also occupy less space than ordinary
centres. The solid ends generally used in sewing machine shuttles are
not required in shuttles having my yielding or clastic centres.
My Invention consists further in making the flanges of the reels of
sewing machine shuttles by raising them from sheet metal in dies and
fixing them to the spindles of the reels by pressure. I make the said
raised flanges with a hollow or tubular centre of a size somewhat less
than that of the recl spindle, and the said flanges are secured to the said
spindle by forcing the ends of the spindle into the tubular centres of the
reel ends.
Reels for sewing machine shuttles made according to my Invention
have more cotton room than reels of the ordinary construction.
I will now describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention may be carried into effect:-
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section a sewing machine shuttle

page_text: centre being constructed according to my Invention.
Figure 2 represents in end clevation section and side elevation the
said yielding or elastic centre detached from the shuttle.
Figure 3 represents the cupped centre piece of the yielding centre
detached; and Figure 4 represents the bearing plate which carrics the
elastic centre detached.
Figure 5 represents a portion of a shuttle having a solid end to
receive and support the spring centre instead of a bearing plate.
Figure 6 represents the reel of the shuttle detached, and Figure 7
represents one of the flanges of the said reel.
a is the bearing plate fixed across the shuttle b. In this plate a
circular hole c is made, in which the yielding or elastic centre repre-
sented is placed and fixed. The said yielding or elastic centre consists
of a flat convolute spring d (the coils of which are wrapped so closely
upon one another that the spring cannot yield otherwise than axially),
and a cupped centre piece e situated in the axis of the said spring. The
exterior of the cupped piece e constitutes a collar. In this cupped centre
piece e the end of the spindle f of the reel works as represented. The
flat convolute spring d is soldered by its outer ring to the edge of the
hole c in the bearing plate a, and the inner ring of the said spring is
wound upon the collar of the cupped centre piece.
By an examination of the Drawing it will be seen that a centre con-
structed as described yields only in the direction of the length of the
shuttle, the close juxtaposition of the several coils of the spring pre-
venting the said spring yielding laterally.
The fixed bearing or centre g of the shuttle is of the ordinary kind.
The reel is placed in and removed from shuttles provided with my
improved yielding or spring centre in the usual way.
In applying my improved yielding or spring centre to shuttles having
a solid end, as represented in Figure 5, a recess h is made in the solid
end, in which recess the outer ring of the convolute spring d is soldered.
The centre piece e of the spring in this arrangement is represented of a
tubular figure instead of being cupped.

page_text: The flanges i, i, of the reel fare made and fixed according to my
Invention. The said flanges are raised from sheet metal, the said raised
flanges having a hollow or tubular centre of a diameter somewhat less
than that of the reel spindle f, as shown in Figure 7. The said flanges
i, i, are secured to the spindle f by forcing the ends of the said spindle
into the tubular centres,, of the said flanges.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention, but I claim as my Invention of improvements in sewing
machine shuttles and reels,-
First. Constructing the yielding or elastic centre of sewing machine
shuttles, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, constructing the said centre of a
flat convolute spring and a cupped or tubular centre piece, the said parts
being constructed and combined and fixed to the shuttle, substantially
as described and illustrated.
Secondly. Making and fixing the flanges of the reels of sewing
machine shuttles, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Griffiths, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
as described and illustrated.
Secondly. Making and fixing the flanges of the reels of sewing
machine shuttles, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated 2
in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Griffiths, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
GEORGE GRIFFITHS. (L.S.)