US1225045A - Needle. - Google Patents

Description

"UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

JAMES ALEXANDER LIND, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO WILLIS Q. SAMPSON AND ONE-THIRD TO FRED. E. HORTON, BOTH OF GRANSTON,

RHODE ISLAND.

NEEDLE.

Patented May 8, 1917.

Driginal application filed February 29, 1912, Serial No. 680,653. Divided and this application filed March 5, 1913. Serial No. 752,037.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Julius A. LIND, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an easy threading sewing machine needle, and has for its object to provide such a needle of practical construction whereby it may be formed of one integral piece of wire by reducing a portion of the body of the wire, forming a transverse slot in the body portion a short distance inward from the reduced portion for the eye of the needle, also forming a longitudinal groove in the body portion whose length, width and depth is substantially that of said reduced portion, the depth of said groove at the point between the eye and reduced portion being approximately that of, or a little greater than, the diameter of the corresponding part of the reduced portion. Said re duced portion is then folded back upon the body portion into said groove, forming a flexible arm integral with the end of the body, the stock at the fold or bend is then drawn out into a needle point and at the same time the walls of the deepened groove below the eye are folded, bent or swaged over and around said correspondingly reduced portion at that point thereby gripping, binding and supporting this slender arm firmly in position below the eye of the needle.

Another feature of the invention is that by laying the resilient arm under a slight spring tension in a groove across the eye the thread is permitted to be readily drawn into the eye of the needle, but positively prevented from being withdrawn through the same channel.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1shows a straight piece of wire from which the needle is constructed.

Fig. 2-shows the first operation which reduces the end portion of the wire.

Fig. 3shows a transverse slot through the body near the reduced portion thereof.

Fig. alshows a longitudinal groove the depth of said groove at the point between the eye and the reduced portion being substantially that or a little greater than the diameter of the reduced portion at a corre sponding point.

Fig. 5is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing the longitudinal groove in which the flexible arm lie-s when depressed or locked in operative position.

Fig. 6is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the eye slot and the longitudinal groove with its deepened portion between the eye and the reduced portion, also showing the short flattened portion which forms the thread retaining shoulder in the eye.

Fig. 7is an enlarged section on line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8-shows the reduced portion as having been bent back into the groove of the body portion.

Fig. 9is an enlarged section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8 showing the reduced portion as lying in the'deepened part of the groove.

Fig. 10shows the reduced portion at the fold as having been drawn out into a point.

Fig. 11is an enlarged section on line l111 of Fig. 10 showing the side walls of the deepened groove as having been bent or swaged over and around the corresponding part of the reduced portion.

Fig. 12-is an enlarged section on line 12 12 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 13-illustrates our improved needle in finished condition.

Referring to the drawings, 20 designates.

a plain piece of wire from which the needleis formed, a portion of the body of said wire being reduced at 21 (forming 1a tapering shoulder 22. The second operation is to mill or swage the transverse slot 23 a short distance inward from the shoulder 22 for the eye of the needle. The walls at each side of this slot are undercut and nicely rounded at 36 and 37 and smoothed off to receive the thread and prevent cutting the same as it is drawn therethrough. A longitudinal groove 24 is formed in the body preferably by milling, the same being of a length, width and ners 27 and 28 also facilitate the passing of depth sufficient to receive the reduced portion 21 when bent back upon the body. An essential feature of my present invention is that this groove below the eye at the point 25 is preferably formed a little deeper, usually by milling or swaging, than the diameter of the corresponding part of the reduced portion. In other words, this portion of the groove should be formed of a depth sufficient to receive the corresponding part of the reduced portion so that the edges of its walls when closed over said portion may be made to substantially meet to bind and hold the same in position.

After forming the groove 24 and the slot 23 a broad faced cutter is used. for removing the sharp corners 27 and 28 on either co e of said slot to prevent these corners from engaging the fabric as the needle passes there through in sewing. The removal of the corthe thread into the eye. of the needle.

The next operation is to bend this reduced portion substantially at a just below the shoulder 22 and lay the same into the groove at 24 and 25 back upon the body portion see Fig. 8 forming a thin flexible arm or reduced portion 21.

The stock at the fold or bend 29 is drawn out preferably by a swaging process, into a point tapering back substantially to the eye, at the same time-this swaging process binds, draws, turns, or folds the wall edges or lips 30 and 31 of the groove, at the point 25, over that part of the reduced portion which lies between them, securely binding and holding that portion between the eye and the point firmly to the body portion of the needle, materially supporting the flexible arm portion making the needle very strong adjacent the point rendering it impossible for the parts to separate there.

The balance of this flexible arm lies in the groove 24 where it is nicely protected throughout its length from lateral strains, and its upper end 32 is turned slightly out-- ward to facilitate passing the thread in back of the arm in threading the needle. As will be seen in Figs. 8 and 10 the way to thread the needle is to pass the bight of the thread over the end 32 of this flexible arm and slide the same down until nearly to the eye where a slight pull on the thread overcomes the spring tension of the arm and the thread passes into the eye of the needle. W hen the thread is straightened out it is in sewing, the end walls 3637 on either side of the groove 24- serve in conjunction with the spring arm to lock the thread into the eye and effectively prevent its withdrawal through the entering channel.

Grooves 33 are formed lengthwise of the body portion on opposite sides thereof in which the thread may lie while the needle is passing through the work and a suitable collar 34 may be provided, if desired, on the body portion to be slid down over the free end of the flexible arm to retain the same firmly in the longitudinal groove, but the use of a collar for this purpose is not neces sary with a needle of my present construction.

It is found in some cases that in order to facilitate the forming of the needle a wire may be employed whose diameter is substantially that required for the body portion of the needle so as to minimize the drawing or reducing operation, in which case the shank of the needle is naturally smaller than the standard size, and must be enlarged. This invention, however, is not restricted to forming the enlarged shank portion 35 of a separate piece of metal wrapped around a shank of smaller size, as the stock may be of I this diameter originally and drawn down successively to the different diameters required, if desired.

I have shown and described the needle as being formed with a groove into which the flexible arm is adapted to lie throughout its length, but I do not wish to be restricted to this particular construction as in some cases the groove may not be employed. I have also shown and described a deepened groove as at 25 below the eye into which the corresponding portion of the reduced flexible arm is laid when the same is bent back upon the body of the needle and have described the walls of the groove at this point as being turned and swaged over this portion of the arm for retaining the same permanently in position, but I do not wish to be restricted to this particular means of fastening this arm as any suitable means may be employed for fastening or securing the arm to the body portion at this point near the bend below the eye without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

No claim is made in the present application to the method of forming the needle as the same forms the subject-matter of my Patent No, 1,056,187, patented March 18, 1913.

I claim:

1. A needle comprising a pointed body portion provided with a thread receiving eye adjacent its pointed portion, a resilient guide arm integral with the pointed portion of the body and extending longitudinally of said body and having a free end that facilitates the placing of a thread between the arm and body, said body being provided with means (for engaging the arm between the eye and the pointed portion of the body to hold the arm across the eye.

2. A needle comprising a body and a resilient arm extending therefrom, said needle being pointed atone end and provided with an eye near the point, a groove formed in the body between the eye and the point to receive said arm, the walls of said groove overlying said arm whereby the latter is permanently united to said body between said eye and said point.

3. A needle comprising a body portion having an elongated longitudinal groove therein, said body being provided with an eye near its pointed end and having a reduced part united therewith at the point and 10 lying in said groove over said eye and the walls of said groove below the eye being closed over said reduced portion for binding the two parts together above the point.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES ALEXANDER LI ND.

Witnesses:

HOWARD E. BARLow, E. I. OGDEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G."

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