US1450101A

US1450101A - Needle for tufting machines

Info

Publication number: US1450101A
Application number: US385396A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wilfred B Mathewson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1920-06-01
Filing date: 1920-06-01
Publication date: 1923-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 1940-03-27

Description

Mar. 27, 1923.

W. B. MATHEWSON. NEEDLE FOR TUFTING MACHINES.

HLED JUNE 1, 1920.

\nvenTor.

. S V o A WW \n M d e H W Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

UNlTED STATES WILERED B. MATHEWSON, OF NORTH WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS.

NEEDLE FOE TUFTING MACHINES.

Application filed June 1, 1920.

T0 aZl 10/1011 it may concern Be it known that I, lVILrnnn B. MATHEW- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Weymouth, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Needles for Tufting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to needles such as are used in machines for sewing and it has for its object to provide an improved needle which is constructed so that the operation of threading it is greatly facilitated.

My improved'needle is adapted for use in various kinds of machines where it is. necessary to perform a sewing operation, but it is particularly applicable to needles that are provided with a central thread-receiving bore leading to the eye and through which the thread is passed. As illustrative of one machine employing a needle of this type, I

would refer to a tufting machine for tufting mattresses and the like, but I wish it distinctly understood thatthe invention is not limited to a needle for a tufting machine, but may be embodied in needles employed in va rious other types of sewing machines.

' In order to give an understanding of the invention, I have chosen in the drawings to illustrate it as it would be employed in a needle for a tufting machine.

Fig. l is a sectional view of a portion of a tufting machine showing the manner in which the needle is mounted;

Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional view through the needle on the line 2-2, Fig. 3, said figure showing the manner in which the needle is threaded;

- Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the needle;

F 4 is an enlarged section on theline 44, Fig. 2.

Inasmuch as the invention relates entirely to the needle I have not thought it necessary .to illustrate herein a complete tufting ma,-

chine. but have only shown a-sufiicientportion thereof to enable the invention to be understood.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 indicates a portion of a mattress to be'tufted, 2 represents the lower compressor or support on which the mattress rests, and 3 represents the upper compressor which is vertically movable in'the head'portion 4 of the frame and'wh'ich byits downward movement 00- Seiial No. 385,396.

operates with the lower compressor 2 to compress the mattress at the point where the tuft is to be inserted.

In tufting the mattress, the tufts which are indicated at 5 are tied in place by means of tufting twine 6, the latter being manipulated by a tufting needle '7 which is carried in a vertically-movable needle-bar 8 and adapted to penetrate the mattress l, and also by a suitable knotting mechanism (not shown) associated with the lower compressor 2 and which serves to form suitable knots in and to fasten the tufting twine 6 as it is inserted through the mattress.

For a more complete description of the construction and operation of the tufting machine as a whole, reference maybe hadto United States PatentNo. 819,954, dated May 8, 1906.

The present invention relates simply to the needle 7, and as stated above, it has for its principal object to provide a novel construction of needleby which the operation of threading the needle is greatly facilitated.

The tufting needle which is usually employed is an eye-pointed needle, that is, it

twine-receiving bore extending longitudi-v nally of the needle, and the operation of threading the needle has involvedinserting one end of the twine into the bore at the upper end of the needle and forcing the twine down through the bore to the eye. If the twine is of a soft nature this is a rather difficult and tedious operation, because the lack of stiffness in the twine permits it to bunch up and clog the bore. In order to prevent this and to facilitate the threading operation, 1 form my improved needle with a slot extending longitudinally thereof which communicates throughout its length with the bore 10, but which is narrower than-the normal diameter of the twine 6. Said slot is preferably,constructed so that each side of the slot at the mouth thereof presents relatively sharp edges that are directed toward each other. The upper end of the slot is of a width to freely, admit the twine and from this wide upper end the slot has a progressively-decreasing width to that of the body of the. slot, In threading up the needle it is simply necessary to enter the twine'into the upper end of the'bore and draw'it into the upper end of the slot, after which a pull on the twine in the direction of the point of the needle will draw it longitudinally of the slot and into the bore throughout the entire present threading the through the aperture 13 from .the non-slotted length thereof. t

The needle herein shown has at its upper end a transverse opening 13 which communicates with the borelO, and from this opening to theeye 9, the needle is provided with theslot 14: which communicates with the bore but which is'narrower than the diameter of the twine 6. The slot is formed to the relatively sharp edges 15 at'the mouth thereof which are directed towards each other. The upper end 16 of the slot opposite the transverse aperture 13 is of a width to freely receive the twine 6, and at the lower end opposite the eye 9 the slot is also of a similar width,-as shown at 17. In needle,-the twine 6 is inserted side of the needle to the slotted side, so that W aperture on the the-end of the twine projects through the slotted side, as shown at 18 in dotted lines. This end of the twine is then drawn downwardly toward the point of the needle thereby drawing the twine into the slot 1 1, as indicated in full lines, Fig. 2.

- Owing to the fact that the slot is of less width than the diameter of the twine 6 and is provided with the relatively sharp edges 1,5 which are directed towards each other,

said edges will bite into the twine 6 as the latter. enters the slot, as shown in'Fig. 4:, thus making it diflicult to pull the twine v transversely"through the slot. Hence any pulling on the twine in the general direction of the arrow at in Fig. 2 will simply draw the twine down theslot 1 1, thus drawing it into the bore 10. When the twine has been drawn clear to the enlarged .portion the'bore' throughout its entire length.

threading. of'the needle is then completed 17 of the slot, said twine will he occupying The by inserting the end of the twine through the eye 9, as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 2.

'Owingto the fact that the slot is of less width than the diameter of the twine, there is no danger that the needle will become decause with my invention a long needle can name to this specification-- be threaded with just as much facility as a. short needle.

The needle is preferably inserted into the needle-bar so that. the slot is situated on the front side ofthe needle. In the construction herein shown the needle bar is jointed, it' having the main section 19 to which is pivotally mounted the section 8 to which the needle is secured. The twine passes from the source of supply longitudinally of the needle-bar section 19 and under a suitable tension 20 and thence through a diago- 'nal aperture 21 formed in the needle bar section 8, thence alongthe back side of said needle bar, section 8 to the aperture 13, and through the aperture 13 into the bore of the needle, and thence tothe eye 9 thereof.v

The provision of the pivotally-mounted needle bar section 8 is of advantage because it facilitates the threading of the needle in the machine. If the twine breaks it is sim ply necessary to swing the, needle bar section 8 upwardly, as shown by dotted lines, thereby placing the needle/in such position that the operator can readily insert the twine through the aperture 13 from the back side of the needle, then pull the twine longitudinally of the needle to draw it into the bore, and then insert the twine through the eye 9. The needle-bar section 8 is held in its opera-- tive position hy'means of a spring-pressed retaining member 22.

In the above description I have referred to the thread which the needle controls as tufting twine because in the art of tufting mattresses such thread is usually referred to as twine. The character of the thread, however, is not important so far as the invention is concerned. Asstated above, the invention is also applicable to needles which are to he used with sewing machines other than tufting machines, and, therefore, I do not wish to be limited to a tufting machine in the use of the invention. In other sewing machine adapted for uses other than tufting mattresses, the thread whichis used may not be in the nature'of twine,'hut will he thread of some other character.-

I claim: A. needle for sewing machines comprising a pointed body provided at its pointed end with an eye and having a central threadreceivingbore leading to but terminating at said body also having a slot eXtendmg longitudinally thereof and throughout the eye,

the length ofthe bore said slot communicatiug with the bore and having a progressively decreasing width from the bore to the peripbery' of the to present relatively sharp edges at the mouth of the slot which are directed toward 7 each other. 1

In testimony whereof, I have signed my WILFRED n- MA'rinnwsoN.

body, the-body being shaped