US2528976A - Sewing thimble - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 7, 1950 E. L. SCHIAVONE SEWING THIMBLE Filed March 5, 1947 INVENTOR. EDWARD JcH/A VO/VE BY fiaymm W Patented Nov. 7, 950

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE SEWING. THIMBLE Edward L. Schiavone, Silver Spring, Md. Application March 5, 1947, Serial No. 732,555

2 Claims. (Cl. 223-101) advantage that it hinders, rather than helps, a

person from drawing a needle through the material being sewed after the needle has pierced the material. This is because the conventional sewing needle is .made throughout of a hard material which presents a slippery outer surface. When a needle 'is gripped between the thumb and the usual thimble, as in ordinary sewing practice, it .is diificultto grip the needle with sufficient firmness topull it through the material because the smooth surface of the thimble causes the needle to slip.

' It is therefore apparent that the conventional sewing thimble partially defeats its own purpose. Sewing thimbles are employed to assist the manual sewing operation, especially when stitching thick or firm material. When thin or light weight material is being stitched, a thimble --is not a necessity as the needle is easily pierced into thematerial and then is easily gripped between the fingers and withdrawn.

When sewing thick or firm materials, as, for example, heavy cloth fabrics or leather, the use of a thimble becomes a necessity in order to push the needle into the material. The thimble prevents the needle from piercing the fingers as the needle is being pushed into the material and therefore serves a highly important purpose. However, although the conventional thimble is useful in this respect, it makes it more difflcult to gri the needle sufiiciently tight to pull the needle through the thick or firm material.

Thus a conventional thimble is of considerable help to back-up a needle in pushing it through firm material, but because of the slippery outer surface of the conventional thimble it makes it harder to grip the needle to fully withdraw it through the fabric. In fact, the needle can be pulled more easily through the fabric by gripping it between the bare fingers, than it can be by gripping the needle against the conventional thimble.

In accordance with the present invention, a thimble is provided which gives valuable assistance both in the step of thrusting a needle into the material, and in the subsequent step of drawbetter on the finger.

ing the needle through the material. When thick or firm material is to be sewn, and the use of a thimble is necessary to push the needle into the material, the use of the present thimble assists, instead of hinders the step of gripping the needle to pull it through the fabric. vantage, is obtained by, providing the thimble with a hard, strong surface zone, and with a trio'- tional surface zone.

Several possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view showing the usual manner of gripping a needle to pull it through material being sewn, a thimble made according to the invention being used,

Figure 2, is a sectional view through the axis of a thimble of the invention,

Figure 3, is a sectional view on the Figure 2,

Figure 4, is a sectional view through the axis of a. modified form of the thimble,

Figure 5, is .an .elevational viewof another modification of the invention, and

Figure 6 is a sectional view through the axis of the thimble of Figure 5. I 5

Referring first to the thimble of Figures 2 and 3, the body I of this thimble is generally of conventional formation and material. Thus the body 1 is hollow to receive the end of the finger and is generally frusto-conical in shape to fit The top 8 or smaller end of the body is closed and the base or open end has a peripheral flange 9 to strengthen, the body. It is not material whether the wall of the body is of uniform thickness.

The body I may be made of any usual hard material, as metal or a rigid plastic. For example it may be of aluminum, or of one of the phenolformaldehyde or urea-formaldehyde condensation products. Its outer closed end is formed with a plurality of small depressions to afford the usual needle seats.

As an important feature of the invention, the base portion of the thimble is provided with a body of frictional material l0. As here shown this frictional material is a band which completely encircles the base of the thimble, but this is not a necessary relationship as the frictional material may be upon only an arcuate portion of the outer surface.

Rubber, of the consistency usually employed for rubber bands, or erasers, is representative of the many materials which may be employed to provide the frictional surface. Other known This dual admaterials, as synthetic resins which present a frictional surface may be used. This frictional material may or may not contain some abrasive constituent to increase its frictional effect, as desired. For example, one of the abrasive maeraser may be distributed throughout the frictional material H] or may simply be embedded in its outer surface. a

If the frictional =material I is in the form of a band, as is ;here shown, it .inay be positioned upon the base of the thimble by simply passing it over one end of the thimble. erably is made of such size that it will be vunder tension on the thimble and will thus retain itself in position. However, the .frictional :ma;- terial may be cemented or vulcanized in place upon the thimble and this is "to be praticedif the resilient material is merely around :an arm-- material [9 maybe of a rubber IikeQmateriaL' 'WIlfiC'hld'QBS or do'es'notcontain anf"abrasive. f In Figure 4 is shown africtionalmaterial 12 which isprincipally of an abrasivematerial. For'.ex- ,ampl'e this may be the "abrasive containing sub- "stance which'is applie'dto'paPer'gin making sand- "paper or emery-"cloth. This'may be.ap plied to the thimble and heated to setit and cause it to adhere to the thimble body. Or, the invention contemplates cutting ."a :strip of ordinary sand- "paper of the proper length'and width and cementing its ends together after encircling 'it about the-base of the thimble.

( Another variation of the invention "is shown inFigures and (Lin which the .body 13 of the thimble is of affr'ictional material such as rubper, a-rubber-li-ke plastic, or any substance such .as that of the frictional 'material' l2, which has "suiiicient strength. This body !3 is ofFtheusual fthimble'shape and its base portion provides the frictional surface against which the, needle is pressed as shown in Figure 1. 9

The band pref-;

.terials employed in making the common ink To the closed end of body I3 is applied a cappiece 14 of hard, strong material such as metal or a firm plastic as, for example, one of the above formaldehyde condensation products. This cap-piece I4 is cemented, vulcanized,

riveted, or affixed in any other manner to the closed end of the thimble. The outer surface of cap-piece I4 is indented in the usual manner to provide a plurality of needle seats.

0 It'wi'll be appreciatedgthatzthe thimble of the present invention is so -simple in construction that it can be made at a low cost. The elements ":nf the thimble are easily fabricated and their assembly into the final thimble is readily per- "formed.

-1. A sewing thimble comprising a hollow body of "relatively hard, strong material, one end of saidt body being closed and the opposite end open, and a substantially wide flat resilient friction band encircling ,the .body adjacent the open end thereof, said friction band being tightly Theld :along the axial length of said body and extending .a substantialfdistance th erealong providing a 'frictionalsurfaceinto. which *a needle maybe pressed and "frictionally hel'd'inpulling said needle through' a; material. 7 12..A'sewing thimble comprising 'a hollow "body of [relatively "hard .'str ong"'material, -said body having a relative y' wide circumferential ,groove therearound, said 'ggroov'e extending a'substanvtial ,distance alongthe'axial length of said body, and aband of1substantia1ly wide, flat resilient V ifricltion material encircling said body and seat- 'ing in said groove, .said jfr'iction .material pre-.

:senting ;a surface into which pa :needle may be pressed and .frictional'ly lielii .in pulling the nee- Idle fthrough amaterial.

a "EDWARD TL. :SCHTAVONE.

"REFERENCES CITED .T-hefollowing neferencestare of record .in the file of this patent;

UNITED {STATES sPAtrE'N'rs Number Name "Date 291,355 'Demme Apr. "22,1884 1,109,457 gPike Sept. 1 1914 "1,191,388 .Mullen' "Sept. 5, 1916 "2,207,672 Levey July 9,.1194'0

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