GB2370044A - Needle for a system for weaving beads - Google Patents

Abstract

A needle 50 for a system 10 for weaving beads 20 comprises a body including at one end an eye 51 for passage of a weft thread 60 and at the other end a blunt point 52, the needle surface including means for retaining said beads 20. The retaining means upon the needle may include a plurality of barbs or lamellae, e.g. arranged helically, or flocked projections (53, Fig 2.3) formed from plastic mouldings or flocking fibres. This provides a non-smooth surface to the needle preventing the bead from sliding off.

Description

NEEDLE FOR A SYSTEM FOR WEAVING BEADS

The present invention relates to the field of weaving beads.

The present invention relates more particularly to a needle for a system for weaving beads, the said needle having a body including at one end an eye for passage of a weft thread and at the other end a point, the said beads each being pierced by a hole through their diameter and being intended to be threaded on the said weft thread.

Traditionally, weaving of beads for entertainment, craftwork, or industrially, is done by hand and requires particular dexterity, in particular when the beads are threaded onto the needle. This operation is the more difficult as the beads already threaded must be retained with a finger to prevent them from falling back due to gravity when it is required to thread more of them.

The present invention is intended to remedy the disadvantages of the prior art by proposing a system which facilitates

weaving and permits the easy production of products, without a particular display of dexterity.

To do this, the present invention is of the type described above, and it is remarkable, in its broadest sense, by the fact that the needle includes means for retaining the said beads.

The unengaged diameter of the retaining means is between 110% and 200% and preferably of the order of 140% of the mean internal diameter of the said holes.

In an alternative embodiment, the said retaining means are formed by flocking.

In another alternative, the said retaining means are formed by a plurality of barbs.

In another alternative, the said retaining means are formed by a plurality of lamellae.

The said lamellae (55) are longitudinal, transversal, or helicoidal. The point of the needle is preferably blunt.

Advantageously, due to the retaining means, the beads already threaded on the needle are retained, the beads already threaded to not hamper the threading of other beads, and it is much easier to thread other beads.

The invention will be better understood with the assistance of the description, given hereinafter purely by way of

explanation, of an embodiment of the invention, with reference to the attached figures: figure 1 shows a perspective view of a system for weaving beads; figures 2.1 to 2.4 show frontal views of different alternative embodiments of the needles figures 3.1 to 3.5 show different views of the bead rest device; figures 4.1 to 4.3 show different views of the storage device; figures 4.4 to 4.6 show different views of the use of the storage device, the top wall of which has been artificially removed; and figures 5.1 to 5.5 show different views of the use of the bead rest device.

The system (10), shown in figure 1, is a system for weaving beads (20).

The system (10) includes at least a frame (30) for working a plurality of warp threads (40) and a needle (50), able to be connected to a weft thread (60), to permit stringing of the said beads (20).

The system (10) includes means allowing the spacing of a plurality of warp threads (40).

The frame (30) has lateral sides (31, 32), and at least one transversal guide ( 33) and preferably two transversal guides (33), including a succession of hollows and reliefs, the hollows being intended to receive the warp threads (40).

The frame (30) also includes means (34) for attaching the ends of the warp threads ( 40).

The said beads (20) are each pierced with a hole (21) through their diameters (22) and are intended to be threaded on a weft thread (60).

The needle (50) has a body including at one end an eye (51) for the passage of a weft thread (60) and at the other end a point (52), as shown in figure 2.1.

The needle ( 50) includes means for retaining the said beads (20). The length overall is of the order of 60 millimetres.

The point ( 52) is preferably slightly conical over approximately 6 millimetres and blunt, in order to make it less

dangerous, particularly for children, and the eye (51) has a length of at least 2 millimetres in order to facilitate passage of the weft thread (60) .

The weft thread (60) is held on the needle (50) by threading in the eye (51).

The beads (20) are threaded on the needle (50) by the point (52) and are then threaded on the weft thread (60). It is therefore necessary for the external diameter of the needle (50) to be less than the diameter of the holes (21) in the beads (20).

The needle (50) includes, at least at its point (52) and even over virtually the whole of its surface or the whole of its surface means for temporarily retaining the said beads (20).

These retaining means are intended to co-operate with the internal surfaces of the holes (21) in the beads (20), in order to simplify pricking of the beads by permitting their retention along the body of the needle without manual intervention.

The unengaged diameter of the retaining means is between 110% and 200%, and preferably of the order of 140% of the mean internal diameter of the said holes (21).

These retaining means may be formed for example, by flocking (53), i.e. a gluing of very small viscose fibres, or other fibrous material, on the surface of the needle, these fibres being oriented substantially perpendicularly to the axis of the needle, as shown in figure 2.2.

These retaining means may also be formed, for example, by a plurality of longitudinal, transversal, or helicoidal lamellae (55). When the lamellae (55) are longitudinal, as shown in figure 2.3, they form a sort of fletching, when they are transversal, they are substantially concentric with the body or

the needle (50) and when they are helicoidal, they form a sort of screw thread.

These retaining means may also be formed, for example, by a plurality of cylindrical barbs (54), as shown in figure 2.4.

These barbs (54), which are semi-rigid, may be formed by moulding of material added to the body of the needle (50) or injected simultaneously on production of the body of the needle by injection of plastics material.

In one version of the invention, the system (10) also comprises at least a bead rest (70) formed of a base plate (71) intended to be positioned under the warp threads (40), in order to allow the said beads (20) to be supported during the to and fro weaving of the said weft thread (60) transversally of the said warp thread (40), as shown successively in figures 5.1 to 5.5.

This device is intended to allow the beads (20) to be kept aligned between the warp threads (40), to weave the weft thread (60) in one transversal direction, as shown in figures 5.1 and 5.2, and then in the other, as shown in figures 5.3 to 5.5.

The base plate (71) has means for uniformly spacing the said warp threads (40) formed, for example, of a plurality of uniformly spaced hollows (72) in which the free part of the warp threads (40) can be positioned, as shown in figures 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3.

The base plate (71) also includes a turned-down end (73), as shown in figure 3.4.

Thus, to position the needle (50) including the beads (20) and connected to the weft thread (60), it is necessary to slightly raise the warp threads (40), in order to slide the needle (50) beneath, as shown in figure 5.1.

The base plate (71) includes means permitting suspension of the bead rest device (70) from the said warp threads (40), formed, for example, of a strip of material (74) able to be arranged across the said warp threads (40), as shown in figure 3.5. Thus the bead rest device (70) is detachable.

The bead rest device (70) can also be completely integrated with the frame (30) or totally separate from the frame (30).

The bead rest device (70) is preferably positioned downstream of the work under production.

The base (71) of the bead rest (70) has at least partially a non-smooth surface (75), made for example by flocking or of baize, in order to prevent the beads (20) from rolling.

In one version of the invention, the system (10) also comprises at least one storage device (80) of the type including at least one container (81) having a bottom wall (82), a top wall (83) and lateral walls (84), as shown in figures 4.1 face on, and 4.2 from the side.

The container (81) includes at least one opening (85) formed in a lateral wall (84) and opening onto a reception tray (86) including raised edges (87) to make at least the partial contents of the said container (81) available, and to concentrate the re-entering flow on storage inside the said container (81).

The reception tray (86) is positioned in the extension of the bottom wall (82).

The reception tray (86) thus facilitates both the filling and extraction of the contents of the said container (81).

The reception tray (86) includes a non-smooth covering, made for example by flocking or of baize, in order to facilitate pricking of the beads (20) and their threading onto the needle (50), as shown in figures 4.6. In fact, the said non-smooth covering facilitates the positioning of the beads so that the axes of their holes are perpendicular to the reception tray (86). The opening (85) is provided with at least one closure means.

The said containers (81) are arranged in pairs and each pair of containers (81) is provided with a single reception tray (86) and a single obturator (88), mobile between a position for freeing a first opening (85), shown in figure 4.5, a position for closing both openings (85) shown in figure 4.4 and a position for freeing a second opening (85), not shown.

The obturator (88) separates the said reception tray (86) into two compartments.

The obturator (88) can have a rigid hammer form, the handle of which is mounted mobile on an axis (89), as shown in figure 4.1. Thus, to extract the beads (20) stored in a container (81), it is only necessary to displace the obturator (88) on its axis (89), to free the opening (85), and then to slide the beads (20) onto the reception tray (86) and return the obturator (88) to its original position. Means of the spring type may be provided so that this return in automatic.

To store the beads (20) in their containers (81), it is only necessary to displace the obturator (88) in the opposite direction and to slide the beads towards the opening (85) or to tip the storage device (80).

The obturator (87) may also have the form of a flexible hammer, the displacement of which is substantially similar.

The containers (81) preferably include coloured reference marks or transparent windows so as to allow the colour of the beads stored in them to be predicted or seen.

The storage device (80) can preferably be firmly attached to the said frame (30), for example by means of clips (90), as shown in figures 4.1 and 4.3.

The storage device (80) is preferably made by injection of plastics material. The bottom (82) of the container (81), the reception tray (86) and the axis (89)) form a first piece and the rest of the storage device (80), i.e. the top wall (83) and the lateral walls (84) of the container (81), and the obturator (88) and raised edges (87) of the reception tray (86) form a second piece.

The invention is described above by way of example. It is understood that the man skilled in the art is able to create different modifications of the invention without thereby departing from the scope of the patent.

Claims (10)

Claims

1. Needle (50) for a system (10) for weaving beads (20), the said needle (50) having a body including at one end an eye (51) for passage of a weft thread (60) and at the other end a point (52), the said beads (20) each being pierced by a hole (21) through their diameter and being intended to be threaded on the said weft thread (60), characterised by the fact that it includes means for retaining the said beads (20).

2. Needle (50) as described in claim 1, characterised by the fact that the unengaged diameter of the retaining means is between 110% and 200%, and preferably of the order of 140% of the mean internal diameter of the said holes (21).

3. Needle (50) as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterised by the fact that the said retaining means are formed by flocking (53).

4. Needle (50) as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterised by the fact that the said retaining means are formed by a plurality of barbs (54) .

5. Needle (50) as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterised by the fact that the said retaining means are formed by a plurality of lamellae (55).

6. Needle (50) as described in claim 5, characterised by the fact that the said lamellae (55) are longitudinal.

7. Needle (50) as described in claim 5, characterised by the fact that the said lamellae ( 55) are transversal.

8. Needle (50) as described in claim 5, characterised by the fact that the said lamellae (55) are helicoidal.

9. Needle (50) as described in any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the said point (52) is blunt.

1O. A needle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of Figures 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 of the accompanying drawings.