US2318235A - Needle for making matted fabrics - Google Patents

Description

May 4, 1943. E. M..LAPHAM 2,318,235 v 5 NEEDLE FOR MAKING MATTED FABRICS Filed Aug. 18. 1941 -l-HHr-- E7264 1%. Lapham Patented May 4, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NEEDLE FOR, MAKING MATTED FABRICS Ella M. Lapham, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application August 18, 1941,.Serial No. 407,320

1 Claim.

My present invention provides a simple and highly efiicient needle for use in the making of matted fabrics, such as rugs, mats, carpets, and the like.

The improved needle has been especially designed for applying the stitching thread in the making of matted fabrics such as that disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 2,138,108 of date November 29, 1938, but is not, of course, limited to that particular use.

In the making of such matted fabrics the stitching thread, for the making of a rug, for example, out of cloth strips, the needle should b forced through the material a certain predetermined distance depending on the nature of the rug-forming material and the thickness thereof. Under different conditions the depth to which the needle should be inserted will vary. As an important feature of the invention I provide an adjustable stop for limiting the depth of the insertion of the needle; and as a further feature this stop is provided with a loop or guide for the stitching thread. The needle is formed with a curved end near the point of which the eye of the needle is placed. The needle is provided with a longitudinal channel that extends along its shank and leads to the eye of the needle. The stop is formed by a wire coil that embraces the shank of the needle and frictionally holds itself in different set positions.

A commercial form of the needle is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sid elevation of the improved needle;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the needle showing the same on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the needl showing the same on the same scale as in Fig. 2';

Fig. 4 is a view looking downward toward the top of the needle; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are transverse sections taken respectively on the lines 5-5 and 6-6 of Fig. 2.

The shank or body of the needle is indicated by the numeral l0. Near its point the needle I0 is curved, as shown at H, and terminated in a sharp point. The eye [2 of the needle is located a suitable distance from the sharp point thereof and the shank is formed with a longitudinal groove or channel I3 that leads to the eye l2 and extends past the same nearly to the point of the needle. The groove I3 is located in that side of the needle that leads to the concave side of its bent end H. At its upper end the needle is provided with a suitable handle that may be formed in different ways but preferably, and as shown, is formed by bending the upper end of the needle upon itself to form a head portion I 4 around which the fingers may be readily gripped.

The adjustable stop is formed by a coiled spring I 5 that embraces and frictionally engages the shank or body of the needle with sufficient friction to prevent accidental adjustments thereof but with a frictional force that can be overcome by axial pressure thereon. The lower end of the coil I5 is bent to form an eye or loop l6 that terminates in an end ll that is yieldingly pressed against the side of the coil.

The stitching thread or material a is adapted to pass through and be guided by the eye or loop I6 which latter, it will be noted, is aligned with the groove l3 so that the stitching thread will be directly guided into the said groove and from thence to the eye l2. The stitching thread can be inserted into the eye I 6 simply by pressing the same laterally under the spring prong or end 11.

In actual practice this improved needle has been found highly efiicient for the purposes had in view such as those above indicated but may be found serviceable in th making of various kinds of needle work where a thread or material is to be forced in and out through the various materials.

As a means for keeping the coil l5 from turning on the needle stem, and to keep the eye or guide loop I 6 aligned with the channel l3, the upper end of said spring is bent inward into the groove l3.

Fig. 5 illustrates how the inturned upper end of the coiled spring engages the groove in the needle to hold the guide eye aligned with the groove, and Fig. 6 shows the guide eye thus aligned with the groove.

What I claim is:

The combination with a needle having a curved portion terminating in a pointed end and an eye in said curved portion, said needle having an external longitudinal groove leading to said eye on the concave side of the curved portion of the needle, in combination with a stop coil slidable on said needle, one end of said coil being inwardly bent into said groove and the other end thereof having a guide loop overlying said groove and held in alignment therewith by the inturned end of said stop coil, the latter being slidably adjusted on the body of said needle.

ELLA M. LAPHAM.

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