US2609771A

US2609771A - Sewing machine needle threader

Info

Publication number: US2609771A
Application number: US161182A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vogel Frank
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-05-10
Filing date: 1950-05-10
Publication date: 1952-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 1969-09-09

Description

Sept. 9, 1952 F, VQG L 2,609,771

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE THREADER Filed May 10, 1950 5 7 g 5 6 I5 j 7 12 ll 7 V27 31 2 ,3 7

2 U 5 if v INVENTOR.

K 2 w g A TTORNEY Patented Sept. 9, 1952 OFFICE SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE 'THREADER Frank Vogcl, Philadelphia, Pa. Application May 10, 1950, Serial No. 161,182

. l 1 g My invention relates to a new and useful sewing machine needle. threader and has for one of its objects to produce an exceedingly simple and inexpensive article. of this character for quickly and easily passing a thread through the eye of a needle without hesitation on the part of the operator. I a

Another objector this inventionis to produce a Strong and eflicient hook member to reduce to a minimum the likelihood of breaking the delicate point of the hook, which is a defect common to most needle threaders.

Another objectof the invention is to produce a needle threader of novel construction including two primary elements. so fashioned that one 6 Claims, (01. 112-425) element provides both needle and'thread guides and houses the other element. l l

A further object. of the present invention is to produce; a body member from sheet material folded to provide a pair of parallel spaced walls, between which the hook member is mounted, said body member being fashioned to form a pair of resilient fingers and a pair of shorter subjacent toes with curvilinear openings between the opposed edges of said fingers and toes, said openings gradually decreasing and terminating in horizontal restricted slots to function as a thread guide. 4

A still further object of this invention is to produce a hook member including a hook element consisting of a shank and a fin thinner than said shank to provide clearances on both sides of said fin.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements. hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which;

Fig. 1 is a side view of the needle threader constructed in, accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom edge view-thereof and in con nection with a needle and thread.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary face View of the hook member removed from the body member.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5-4: of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the device illustrating its relation to a needle to be threaded and the i 2 thread prior to beingpulled. through the needle eye. i

In carrying out my invention as herein embodied Hi represents the body member preferably produced from sheet material bent double ininverted U-shape providing a pair of spaced parallel side walls H and I2 joined along their upper edges to a curved back I3. Said back l 3 is cut away at the forward end of the body member to a location l4 intermediate the ends of said body member thereby separating the forward ends of the side. walls which have some inherent resiliency.

The free forward ends of the side walls are bent outwardly at a desirable location intermediate the length of said free ends and then back into planes parallel with but outside of the planes of the main or rearportions of the side walls to form companion shoulders [5, Fig. 2, which function as a needle stop. The parts of the free forward ends of the side walls, beyond the shoulders l5, therefore, are offset relative to or spaced a greater distance than the main or rear portions of the side walls and provide a needle receiving and guiding channel I'B between them.

From one edge, preferably the lower edge, of each free forward end of its respective side wall runs a wide mounted curvilinear thread receiving opening I'I which gradually decreases and finally terminates in a longitudinal restricted slot G3 which is approximately in the longitudinal center of the body member and parallel with the upper and lower edges thereof. The extreme inner end of the slot I8 is slightly enlarged as a thread clearance hole l9. The curvilinear opening ll, slot l8 and thread clearance hole H3 in each free forward end of a side wall divide such free end into a finger 29 and a subjacent toe 2i, the latter being behind a pendant portion of the former, andthe forward end of each finger is curved or beveled outwardly at 22, as is also each toe at. 23.

A hook member 24 is. secured between the side walls i l of the body member l0. Said hook memher is produced from a thinflat sheet of tough material fashioned to include a relatively large body portion 25 and a hook element 26 projecting from one end of said body portion 25 and consisting of a shank 2! and a barb 28. The barb is preferably thinner than the shank, Fig. 5, and projects from the upper edge of the outer end of the shank 21 to provide a rabbet 29 on each side of the barb to form spaces for a thread looped about the barb.

As plainly shown in Fig. 4, the outer end of the hook element is preferably beveled on curved lines both from the top and bottom, especially along the top edge and the beak of the barb 28 is preferably undercut, as at 39. In assembling the hook member 24 in the body member ID, said hook member is so positioned that the hook element projects into the rear part of the channel [6 between the free forward ends of the side walls I I of the body member and spaced from said free forward ends. Also the hook element 26 is located so that the forward portion of the arcuate beveled upper edge thereof extends below the bottom walls of the slots l 8 and the beak extends slightly above the top walls of said slots.

It might be well to state that the illustrations in the drawing are enlarged many times and the hook element 26 actually is small enough to readily pass through the eye of a needle. In other words, the shank2l is approximately as thick as the width of the average needle eye and the height of said hook element, including the shank and barb, is approximately equal to the length of the average needle eye, so that said hook element can readily and smoothly pass through the eye of the needle, especially a sewing machine needle.

It should be noted that, by preference, the forward edge of the body portion 25 of the hook member 24 is positioned flush with the shoulders l but if during assembly of the parts the forward edge of said body portion 25 should protrude slightly beyond said shoulders, the operation of the device will not be adversel effected because said forward edgeof the body portion 25 can function as a stop.

While the hook member 24 can be fastened between the side walls of the body member Iii in many suitable ways, I have disclosed unique means for this purpose. A number of hollow rivets or rivet means 30 are struck up from one of the side walls, as l2, and project through holes 3|, Figs. 3 and 4, in the body portion 25 of the hook member 24 and holes 32 in the opposite side wall ll of the body member In and the terminals of said rivets'headed as at 33.

For convenience in hanging the device on a suitable supportgsuoh as a nail or hook, or tying a string thereto, the side walls of the body member are provided with aligned holes 34 at the rear end.

In practice, the device is held by an operator with the mouth of the opening I! downward and the forward end of the threader is then projected onto a sewing machine needle 25, laterally thereof, if in a sewing machine, has been raised to expose the needle eye, so that the individual ones of the pairs of fingers and toes 2| pass along the opposite sides of said needle and, in effect, the needle registers with and enters'the channel I6. It is to be understood that the device is retained in a substantially horizontal or straight line with the hook element 26 directed towards an open end of the needle eye. If the hook element 26 is accurately aligned with the needle eye, said hook element will pass through said eyeotherwise the outer end or point of the hook element will contact an imperforate portion of the needle. Under the latter condition, the device is moved longitudinally of the needle until the hook element registers with the eye. The device, as a whole, is then propelled forwardly until the barb of the hook passes completely through the needle eye so that the beak is exposed on the opposite side of the needle and the shoulders I 5 and/or the f rward ge of 4 the body portion of the hook member 24 engages the needle.

With the threader in this position, Figs. 2 and 6, the thread 36 is entered transversely into the openings I! and moved into the slots [8 until said thread slides over the arcuate bevel of the hook barb and assumes a position to the rear of the beak which will releasably hold said thread. As the device is withdrawn from the needle the thread will be pulled through the eye of said needle in looped fashion with strands of the thread occupying the rabbets on opposite sides of the hook barb and since the bight in the thread may expand slightly after passing through the needle eye the thread material can bulge into the clearance holes [9 to prevent binding. Upon complete withdrawal of the device from the needle the thread end will be freed and the thread can then be drawn taut in the usual man nor to complete the threading operations;

In manufacturing the article, the body member I0 is completely stamped out and formed to the point .where the side walls diverge from the back wall i3 similar to a V with the free ends of the hollow rivets 3G spaced from the side wall H sufiiciently to allow the hook member 24 to be inserted and placed over said hollow rivets. The side walls are pressed together and the hollow rivets headed.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described the invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1. A needle threader comprising a double side walled body member joined to a back along the rear portions of their upper edges, the forward portions of the side walls being free and spaced to provide a needle channel, said free portions having wide mouthed curvilinear openings running from the bottom edges thereof inwardly to approximately the longitudinal centers of said side walls and gradually decreasing into restricted longitudinal slots in the same plane, a needle stop at the inner end of said slot, and a hook member including a flat body portion secured between the side walls and a hook element projecting from the forward end of said body portion and extending into the channel in the region of the slots.

2. The needle threader according to claim 1 wherein the slots terminate in holes slightly larger than the width of said slots, the rear portions of the circumferences of said holes located contiguous the needle stop.

3. The needle threader according to claim 1 wherein the hook member includes a shank passable through a needle eye, and a barb of less thickness than the shank.

4. The structure according to claim 3 wherein the barb projects from the upper edge of the shank along the longitudinal center thereof and the upper edge of'said barb in an arcuate bevel.

5. In a needle threader for sewing machine needles an inverted U-shaped body member including a pair of side walls joined to a, back along the rear portions of the upper edges of said side walls, the forward ends being free, the outer end portions of said free ends of the side walls outwardly ofifset relative to the rear portions of said side walls to provide a needle channel, a needle stop at the junction of the offset and rear portion of the side Walls, said free portions of the 5 sidewalls having curvilinear openings running from the bottom edges thereof inwardly to approximately the longitudinal centers of said side walls and gradually decreasing into restricted longitudinal slots in the same plane and terminating in enlarged thread clearance holes, a pair of parallel fingers and subjacent toes produced by the formation of said openings, slots and holes, the free ends of said fingers andtoes being outwardly flared, a hook member including a flat body portion located between the side walls of the body member and a hook element projecting from the forward end of said body portion and extending into the channel inthe region of the slots, and means to fasten the hook member in place.

6. A sewing machine needle threader comprised of an inverted U-shaped body member including a pair of side walls joined to a back along the rear portion of the upper edges of said side walls, the forward ends being free, the outer end portions of said free ends of the side walls being offset outwardly relative to the rear portions of said side walls to provide a needle channel, said free portions of the side wall having identical corresponding curvilinear openings running from the bottom edges thereof inwardly to approximately the longitudinal centers of said side walls and gradually decreasing into corresponding restricted longitudinal slots, and. a hook member secured between the rear portions of the side walls and including a hook element extending into the needle channel in the region of the slots.

FRANK VO GEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 985,624.- Gakleaf Feb. 28, 1911 1,145,258 Moore July 6, 1915 2,286,257 Eads Dec. 3, 1918