Systems and methods for manufacturing footwear with felting
US-12161192-B2 · Dec 10, 2024 · US
US12325940B2 · US · B2
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Publication number | US-12325940-B2 |
| Application number | US-202118265853-A |
| Country | US |
| Kind code | B2 |
| Filing date | Nov 17, 2021 |
| Priority date | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Publication date | Jun 10, 2025 |
| Grant date | Jun 10, 2025 |
A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.
What the patent document calls the invention.
A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.
Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.
Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.
The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.
Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.
Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.
Official abstract text for this publication.
A sewing machine needle ( 1 ) is described, which reduces the friction between the blade ( 2 ) of the sewing machine needle ( 1 ) and the fabric and which can be manufactured economically in large numbers. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) includes a needle eye ( 3 ) and at least one recess ( 5 ), wherein the distance between an upper edge ( 6 ) of the recess ( 5 ) and the lateral position of the axis ( 12 ) of the needle eye ( 3 ) differs from the distance between a lower edge ( 7 ) of the recess ( 5 ) and the lateral position of the axis ( 12 ) of the needle eye ( 3 ).
Opening claim text (preview).
The invention claimed is: 1. A sewing machine needle ( 1 ), comprising: a blade ( 2 ) which extends in a longitudinal direction (L), a needle eye ( 3 ) which extends completely through the sewing machine needle ( 1 ) in an elevational direction (H), the elevational direction (H) being orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (L), a scarf portion ( 24 ) of the blade ( 2 ) extending along the longitudinal direction (L), the scarf portion ( 24 ) comprising a scarf ( 16 ); at least one recess ( 5 ) formed in the blade configured to reduce friction between the blade ( 2 ) and a fabric, wherein the at least one recess ( 5 ) extends outside of the scarf portion ( 2 ) in the longitudinal direction (L) and which reduces a reach of the blade ( 2 ) in a lateral direction (B), the lateral direction (B) being orthogonal to the elevational (H) and the longitudinal (L) directions, wherein the at least one recess ( 5 ) has an upper edge ( 6 ) and a lower edge ( 7 ), at which the at least one recess ( 5 ) ends in the elevational direction (H), wherein the at least one recess ( 5 ) has, at least at one position along its length in the longitudinal direction (L), a height ( 11 ) which corresponds to at least 30% of a height ( 10 ) of the blade ( 2 ) at the at least one position, and wherein an upper edge distance (O), which corresponds to a distance in the lateral direction (B) between the upper edge ( 6 ) of the at least one recess ( 5 ) and a position of an axis ( 12 ) of the needle eye ( 3 ) in the lateral direction (B), differs from a lower edge distance (U), which corresponds to a distance in the lateral direction (B) between the lower edge ( 7 ) of the at least one recess ( 5 ) and the position of the axis ( 12 ) of the needle eye ( 3 ) in the lateral direction (B). 2. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one recess ( 5 ) has a uniformly shaped section ( 37 ), which makes up at least 10% of an entire reach of the at least one recess ( 5 ) in the longitudinal direction (L), and the at least one recess ( 5 ) has at every position along the uniformly shaped section ( 37 ), a height ( 11 ) which corresponds to at least 30% of the height ( 10 ) of the blade ( 2 ). 3. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the upper edge distance (O) is smaller than the lower edge distance (U). 4. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one recess ( 5 ) and the scarf ( 16 ) at least partially overlap in the longitudinal direction (L). 5. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein at least at one position along the length of the at least one recess ( 5 ) in the longitudinal direction (L), a distance in the elevational direction (H) between the upper edge ( 6 ) and a highest point of the blade ( 2 ) in the elevational direction (H) is a maximum of 35% of the blade height ( 10 ). 6. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a distance in the lateral direction (B) between a surface ( 13 ) of the sewing machine needle ( 1 ) and the axis ( 12 ) of the needle eye ( 3 ) is described by a lateral distance function (s (h)) wherein the lateral distance function (s (h)) is dependent on a height coordinate (h) and decreases monotonically, with increasing height over at least 90% of an elevational reach of the recess ( 5 ). 7. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one recess ( 5 ) is spaced in the lateral direction (B) at every point therealong from a position of the axis ( 12 ) of the needle eye ( 3 ). 8. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a lead-in tangent ( 14 ) to the at least one recess ( 5 ) at the upper edge ( 6 ) encloses a lead-in angle ( 15 ) of 5° to 70° with the elevational direction (H). 9. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein at least one thread groove ( 4 ) extends in the longitudinal direction (L) and follows on from the needle eye ( 3 ) in a negative longitudinal direction (L) and constitutes a depression in the elevational direction (H). 10. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein at least at one point along the length of the at least one recess ( 5 ) in the longitudinal direction (L), in an area between the lower edge ( 7 ) and the upper edge ( 6 ), in a plane defined by the elevational (H) and lateral (B) directions, a surface ( 13 ) of the sewing machine needle ( 1 ) is shaped as a circular arc with a constant radius, and a center of the circular arc lies outside a cross-sectional area of the sewing machine needle ( 1 ) in the plane defined by the elevational (H) and lateral (B) directions. 11. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 6 , wherein at least at one point along the length of the at least one recess ( 5 ) in the longitudinal direction (L), the recess height ( 11 ), which corresponds to the distance between the upper edge ( 6 ) and the lower edge ( 7 ) in the elevational direction (H), is 60% to 170% of a maximum of the lateral distance function (s (h)). 12. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 6 , wherein at least at one point along the length of the at least one recess ( 5 ) in the longitudinal direction (L), the upper edge distance (O) is 10% to 60% of a maximum of the lateral distance function (s(h)). 13. The sewing machine needle ( 1 ) according to claim 6 , wherein at least at one point along the length of the at least one recess ( 5 ) in the longitudinal direction (L), the lower edge distance (U) is 50% to 100% of a maximum of the lateral distance function (s (h)). 14. A method for production of a sewing machine needle ( 1 ), comprising: producing the sewing machine needle using a tool movement exclusively in an elevational direction (H) and/or a longitudinal direction (L), the sewing machine needle comprising: a blade extending in the longitudinal direction (L), a needle eye ( 3 ) that extends through the sewing machine needle ( 1 ) in an elevational direction (H), which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (L), a scarf portion ( 24 ) of the blade extending along the longitudinal direction (L), the scarf portion ( 24 ) comprising a scarf ( 16 ); at least one recess ( 5 ) formed in the blade configured to reduce friction between the blade ( 2 ) and a fabric, wherein the at least one recess ( 5 ) extends outside of the scarf portion ( 2 ) in the longitudinal direction (L) and, which is delimited in the elevational direction (H) by an upper edge ( 6 ) and a lower edge ( 7 ), wherein an upper edge distance (O) corresponding to a distance in a lateral direction (B) between the upper edge ( 6 ) of the at least one recess ( 5 ) and a position of an axis ( 12 ) of the needle eye ( 3 ) in the lateral direction (B), differs from a lower edge distance (U), the lower edge distance (U) corresponding to a distance in the lateral direction (B) between the lower edge ( 7 ) of the at least one recess ( 5 ) and the position of the axis ( 12 ) of the needle eye ( 3 ) in the lateral direction (B). 15. The method for production of a sewing machine needle according to claim 14 , further comprising producing the at least one recess ( 5 ) by a separating process-or by a forming process.
Related publications grouped by family.
Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.