US2357716A

US2357716A - Means for guiding threads from cops, spools, or the like

Info

Publication number: US2357716A
Application number: US442577A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ballamy Leslie Mark; Sheepshanks Richard Hasell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1941-07-11
Filing date: 1942-05-11
Publication date: 1944-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 1961-09-05

Description

SePt- 5, 1944. l.. M. BALLA-MY ET AL 2,357,716

MEANS FOR 'GUIDING THREADS FROM KOPS, SPOOLS OR THE LIKE Filed May l1, 1942 Patented Sept. 5, 1.944

MEANS FOR GUIDING THREADS FROM COPS, SPOOLS, OR THE LIKE Leslie Mark Ballamy, Caterham-on-Hill. and

Richard Hasell Sheepshanks, Woodbridge, England Application May 11, 1942, Serial No. 442,577

In Great Britain July 11, 1941 2 Claims.

This invention relates to means for guiding threads from cops, spools and the like, and it has for its primary object to provide an improved construction of such means which has been developed with a view to avoiding chai-lng of the thread. The invention is of particular utility in conjunction with multi-needle sewing machines, such, for example, as those which are adapted to produce simultaneously many mutually parallel rows of stitching. In such machines the needles have hitherto been fed with individual threads from a corresponding number of cops or the like, said threads being caused to travel each through an individual rigid metal tube.

According to the present invention means for conducting a thread from a stationary cop, spool or like supply comprises a flexible tube adapted to move freely from side to side as the direction of the pull of the thread changes'.`

Further there is provided according to the invention means for conducting a thread from a cop, spool or like supply to a sewing machine, said means comprising a flexible tube, the end portion of which freely aligns itself substantially to the direction of the pull of the thread, and so reduces the danger of chafng said thread.

If desired the flexible tube may comprise a closely wound helix of wire, said tube, at a position spaced from its end, conveniently being held coaxial with the cop, spool or the like so that the end of said tube is free to trace out a circular path in sympathy with the unwinding of the thread from said kop, spool or the like.

The invention is illustrated by Way of example in the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which the needle-bar of a sewing machine is indicated at IIl and is arranged for reciprocation in a guide member I I. thread I3 from a stationary cop I4 located upon a vertical pin I5 withinl a case I6 in the usual manner. The thread is drawn upwardly from the cop I4, as indicated at I3a, and it is arranged to pass through a small diameter tube I'I, which is fastened in the top of the case I6 at I8 and which has its opposite end I9 conveniently disposed in the locality of the needlebar I0.

The tube I'l consists of a closely Wound Wire helix, and as a result it is relatively ilexible without detracting in any Way from the protection that it affords to the thread I3. Thus it will be The needle I2 is fed with seen that as the thread leaves the cop I4 at I3@` it naturally tends to trace out the curved surface of a cone as each turn unwinds. If the tube Il were rigid this would cause the thread to drag against the mouth of the tube, but the fact that the tube I 'I is flexible enables it to move bodily in sympathy with the thread, so that said thread at all times passes straight into the mouth of the tube, so avoiding any changaction. In order to reduce as much as possible the angle through which the tube Il must flex during the unwinding of a cop, the part I8 of the tube which is secured in the top of the case I6 is preferably arranged to be coaxial with the pin I5 upon which the cop I4 is mounted.

It will be understood that the arrangement which has been described is given merely as an example and that the details of construction may be modied to suit requirements. Thus, for instance, in some cases only that end of the tube nearest to the cop, spool or the like may be exible, say as far as the part I8 shown in the drawing, the remainder being of a relatively rigid nature. Further various other forms of flexible tube may be used, the material constituting the internal Wall of said tube preferably being of a hard nature, so as to avoid friction between said wall and the thread as far as possible.

What we claim is:

l. A means for conducting a thread from a freely-rotatable cop to the reciprocating needle of a sewing machine, comprising a flexible thread receiving element, means for fixing the element against movement at a point above and in spaced axial alignment with the cop, the element below its fixed point being free to follow the thread in its delivery from the cop, means for fixing the element at a point adjacent the needle, the end of the element between the needle and adjacent ixing means being free to follow and guide the thread in-needle movement.

2. A construction as dened in claim 1, wherein the flexible element between the respective fixing means is rigid against casual displacement While capable of manual distortion throughout such length for changing direction and path of the thread.

LESLIE MARK BALLAMY. RICHARD HASELL SHEEPSHANKS.