US2897774A - Method and article for lubricating sewing machines and the like - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 4, 1959 METHOD AND ARTICLE FOR LUBRICATING SEWING MACHINES AND THE. LIKE Filed Feb. 4, 1958 W. W. ALEXANDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WILL/AM M ALEXANDER ATTORNEY 4, 1959 w. w. ALEXANDER 2,897,774

METHOD AND ARTICLE FOR LUBRICATING SEWING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed Feb, 4, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WILL/AM $4. ALEXANDER Y QshgmcYom/nw ATTORNEY nited tates 7 2,897,774 Patented Aug. 4, 1959 METHOD AND ARTICLE FQR LUBRICATING SEWING MACliS AND THE LIKE William W. Alexander, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to The Distributors Group, Inc, Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application February 4, 1953, Serial No. 713,172 2 Claims. or. 111-256 This invention relates to the lubrication of sewing machine elements, and more particularly, to the concept of applying a lubricant to certain functioning and expendable parts of the sewing machine heretofore impossible to lubricate without deleterious effect on the material being sewn.

This application for patent is a continuation in part of my copending patent application Serial No. 602,410 Lubricating System, filed August 6, 1956, now abandoned, in the United States.

Broadly, the invention comprises locating interme diate the thread supply and the needle, a source of silicones. Upon moving the thread through the silicones in operation the thread is efiectively coated with the silicones lubricant and the thread itself thus serves as a carrier for the silicones so that as the thread passes points of contact with sewing machine parts, each of the surfaces contacted will receive a silicones lubricant coating. Hence, upon the sewing machines all of the guides, the needle groove and eye, foot and hook surfaces receive a silicones coating. Since the desired silicones are colorless, transparent, and stable in the presence of dyes, there will be no staining or other objectionable effects on the finished work. Furthermore, since the present viscosities of silicones coating resists heat, even at the highest sewing speeds, there will be no needle burn, and as the silicones will not permit residues, lint or foreign matter to adhere to the sewing surfaces, charring, fusing or clogging is substantially eliminated in the needle eye.

I am particularly concerned at this time with a blend of Dow Corning Fluid 200 having 40% of the fluid at a viscosity of 200 centistokes with 60% of the same fluid having a viscosity of 350 centistokesflash point at 600 F. and other well known characteristics found in Dow Corning Silicone Notes, Reference 3-106, January 1957, subject, Dow Corning Silicone Fluids.

Since silicones having these particular viscosities are non-inflammable, fire hazard is eliminated through the use of the present invention. Silicones are non-toxic and accordingly they may be handled safely by sewing machine operators; moreover, as the silicones will not readily deteriorate nor evaporate as other lubricants, the units may be handily stored over extended periods of time, an important contrast to the waste and dissipation storage and use of ordinary petroleum-base sewing machine lubricants.

Inasmuch as the silicones coat but do not soak the fibers of the thread, there will be no loss of thread strength and the silicones action on the thread allows the threads to be drawn down tightly thus making cleaner and tighter stitches.

It is an object of this invention to provide suitable means for use on sewing machines and the like whereby threads passing through the device and which are used in stitching may be lubricated, said threads simultaneously and continuously lubricating and cooling working parts of the device with which said threads come in contact.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a suitable lubricating materials retaining device for threads used in heavy duty and high speed sewing machines, said device being detachable and adjustable with respect to the disposition of moving threads or thread and working elements of the device, restraining said threads against backlash and twisting and without materially affecting tension adjustment.

A further objective of invention is to provide a kit for use on domestic and industrial sewing machines and the like, which may be adapted to conform to such machines having varying contour, the present device serving to lubricate expendable threads, eliminating fusing of synthetic fibers both in thread and stitched fabric, reducing thread breakage, avoiding needle burn, and clogging in the needle eye due to friction at high speed operation, and eliminating stain to the stitched fabric due to lubricants and/or fusing.

From a study of the ensuing description, the various objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent to a person skilled in the art, and with the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the combination of parts now to be more fully described. and claimed.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein similar numerals indicate the same parts, and, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the invention incorporated;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one form of holder for the silicones;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view of the holder shown in Figures 2 and 3 attached to a commercial machine.

A sewing machine is indicated generally at 10, the machine depicted being a single thread type primarily for domestic use, but, it is to be understood that the machine may be of any type, either single or multiple thread. A spool of thread 11 is shown to be supported by needle carrying arm 12, thread 13 passing sequentially through guide 14, tensioner 15, eye of needle 17, presser foot and hook of the looper unit. Intermediate the thread spool 11 and the tensioner 15, the arm 12 supports a lubricant carrying unit 20. See Figure 1.

The unit 29 comprises a holder 21, preferably rectangular in outline, formed of an inert plastic or related material, the holder having a removable cover or lid 22 of the same material. Holder 21 includes side walls 23, end walls 24 and a bottom 25, the bottom being concave in the transverse direction to permit the holder to fit the contour of the arm 12 properly. Additionally, the bottom may have a resilient spongeous outer covering 34 to conform substantially completely to the contour of the machine.

The side walls 23 are provided with a plurality of equally spaced parallel slots 26, the slots extending from the upper edges of such walls to points at least onehalf the height of the side walls. The end walls 24 are formed with similar slots 27 although these latter slots are located closer together. The slots of the respective walls are diametrically opposed and serve mainly to guide the thread or threads throughout the interior of the holder 21.

A felt pad 28 impregnated and saturated with silicones is fitted into the holder, the upper surface of the pad being slightly above the lower extremities of the slots in the Walls. The thread 13 extends through one pair of the aligned slots 27 in the end walls and rests on the upper surface of the pad 28. A second pad 29, similar to the pad 28 is then placed on top of the pad 28 thereby sandwiching thread 13 between the pads thus ensuring that the entire surface of the moving thread within the holder will be coated with silicones.

The upper edges of the side and end walls are recessed to form a horizontal inner shoulder The thickness of the contiguous pads 28 and 29 is such that the upper surface of pad 29 is approximately flush with rectangular shoulder 30. The purpose of the shoulder 30 and corresponding covered interior is to insure that no substantial pressure is exerted on the pads per se. The cover may also be correspondingly recessed about its perimeter as at 31 so that the cover interior will rest upon the shoulder 30 and pad 29 assuring first, that the pads will be maintained in surrounding contact with the thread, and secondly, that a substantially air-tight seal is maintained between the holder and the cover to prevent the entry of foreign matter into the holder.

It will be further noted that the cover 22 is provided with pairs of diametrically opposed circular posts 32, with one pair located approximately equidistant of the sides of the cover and the other pair at the mid-point of the ends, the posts being preferably adjacent the outer edges of the cover. The posts 32 define one facet of the means for attaching the holder 21 to the needle arm 12. The other facet of the attaching means includes a resilient band 33, such as a rubber band or the like. To make the connection, the loop at one end of the band is placed in engagement with one post, the band is then passed beneath the arm 12 of the machine and the other loop is placed in engagement with the opposite post 32. It will be readily appreciated that this is a very simple means for the attachment of the holder. In addition to securing the holder to the machine, the cooperation between the posts and the band serves to attach the cover to the holder.

By virtue of the attaching means, the holder may be attached to the machine in the horizontal, vertical or any angular position so that the holder may be used with machines having various types of thread feed to the needle. In addition, the holder may be mounted on the needle arm with the longer dimension of the holder locate/d transversely of the arm instead of longitudinally as shown in Figure 1.

It should be mentioned that the slots 26 and 27 are of suflicient width to permit the thread to pass freely therethrough yet prevent the silicones from leaving the interior of the holder. The slots can be of varying shape [and, in lieu of slots it will be apparent that the walls of the holder could be provided with aligned holes at the proper level.

In operation, when the moving thread passes through and leaves the holder 21, it is coated with silicones, and, each time that the thread contacts a surface of the machine, a coating of silicones remains on the surface. Thus the guides, the tensioner, the needle groove and eye, the foot and the hook of the looper, which parts have always provided problems in lubricating, continuously receive the silicones coating. Heretofore, in sewing machine lubrication, various means have been employed to apply the lubricant continuously to the machine parts. Wicks, conduits, special attachments and the like have been employed but none of these prior devices have lubricated the needle groove and eye and the looper hook satisfactorily. We have solved these problems by using the thread itself as the means of carrying the lubricant to the parts in question, and by employing silicones which have the characteristics described above. The colorless, odorless lubricant having these characteristics is a blend of dimethyl silicones fluid of 200 and 350 centistokes viscosity, in amounts of and 60% respectively. These silicones, unlike ordinary petroleum lubricants are stable at high temperatures, and hence where suitably blended provide a heat barrier to the surface of such fast moving parts as the needle and its eye and also lubricate same for facile operation. Since threads contact the needle shaft, groove, eye and point, each of these critical portions must be lubricated against the formation of burrs, and the formation of foreign deposits, which result in clogging of needle eye and distortion of the groove. The desired blend of fluid silicones serves to form the heat barrier (silicone of 350 centisokes) and to suitably lubricate the critical areas mentioned (fluid silicone of 200 centistokes). In effect, the unusual characteristics of blended silicones have been combined to take advantage of the peculiar molecular characteristic in the high viscosity fluid silicone to ward off heat due to friction, and to utilize the peculiar molecular characteristic of the lower viscosity fluid silicone to do the lubricating job; all as opposed to the varied molecular construction found in petroleum lubricants, with attendant disadvantage.

In connection with certain types of commercial embroidery machines wherein the needles are stationary, and are horizontally disposed, We propose to make use of an elongated channel-shaped holder having the requisite number of slots in the side walls, but the ends of the holder are imperforate. The channel-shaped holder may be suitably supported by the machine frame between the spools and the needles. This assembly functions in approximately the same fashion as that described above.

Another important feature of the holder 21, particularly in the case of sewing machines used in the home, is that the holder may also function in the nature of a pin holder. The largest percentage of home machines is of the single thread type, thus numerous slots in the walls of the holder are not used. The housewife can insert pins or needles in the other slots, and by the application of the silicone coating to the pins or needles, the same may be inserted more easily into the material. Furthermore, the pins and needles by virtue of the coating are not subject to oxidation and they do not rust.

From the foregoing description, it is believed quite manifest that we have provided a simple means of using the thread of the machine as a medium for carrying the lubricant to parts of the sewing machine heretofore substantially impossible to lubricate without any adverse effects either to the machine, its operation or the material being sewn. In fact, it has beenascertained that better and tighter stitches can be made with a thread coated with the silicones. The devices may be readily incorporated with all types of machines, improving substantially the maintenance thereon, and present no problems from the maintenance viewpoint. Aside from the primary purpose of lubricating the machine, the device may be used to improve and protect the needles or pins as well as increase the effectiveness of other implements, such as irons, mixers and the like.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the device may be used for multiple needle machines wherein a plurality of threads are simultaneously drawn into the device and passed through opposed apertures either in parallel relation or crossing one another.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, usable in association with moving thread passing through sewing machines and wherein thread-contacted elements of such machines are lubricated by the moving thread itself: a liquid silicones lubricant carrying unit removably adapted to selective positioning on such machine between a source of thread supply and its station of thread tensioning, the silicones of said unit comprising a blend of fluid silicones within the range of 200-350 centistokes viscosity, said blend having substantial percentages respectively of fluid silicone of a viscosity of approximately 200 centistokes and fluid silicone of a viscosity of approximately 350 centistokes, opposed silicones saturated thread lubricant pads within the unit, said unit including means for confining the pads whereby the pads may envelop and coat the thread without soaking the said thread, said means comprising a holder for the pads including a cover therefor,

and said holder including at least one thread inlet aperture and at least one aligned thread outlet aperture, both said apertures being disposed adjacent opposed surfaces of the pads, means on the container facilitating selective positioning thereof upon the machine as aforesaid.

2. The device according to claim 1 in which the percentages of silicones in the blend are respectively 40% 200 centistokes silicone and 60% 350 centistokes silicone.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,143,010 Woodward June 15, 1915 1,703,781 Rubel Feb. 26, 1929 1,856,882 Myers May 3, 1932 2,316,647 Giglio Apr. 13, 1943 OTHER REFERENCES The Rayon Industry, Second Edition, copyrighted 1929,

pages 657 and 658.

(Copy in Div. 15, US. Patent

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