Patent Application
20180009629
The invention pertains generally to the textile arts such as sewing and needlework. More specifically, the invention relates to thread storage devices such as thread spools, bobbins, and cones.
A typical thread spool is formed by two flanged end pieces attached on opposite ends of a cylindrical core. Thread of a particular color and type is tightly wound around the cylindrical core for packaging and storage. One problem encountered by both commercial and hobbyist sewers involves the organization of a large number of thread spools.
Beginner users often store spools in a general-purpose container such as an old shoe box. As time goes on, this simple organizational system becomes quite inconvenient. It is common for a hobbyist user to own hundreds or even thousands of different types of threads, each wrapped on a separate spool. As the number of spools increases, multiple shoe boxes or other containers are required and it becomes difficult to quickly find a desired spool. Because the user needs to continually unpack and repack the boxes when looking for specific threads, the spools tend to unwind and the various threads tangle with each other. An organizational system better than a plurality of general-purpose containers is highly desirable.
More advanced thread spool organization systems include speciality thread spool boxes, trays, drawers, and racks having specific positions for each individual spool. However, each of these storage systems imposes a common requirement that the thread spool positions must be planned in advance. For instance, a thread spool box may contain forty posts supporting the storage of forty different spools. When placing spools into the box, the user must decide where to put each thread spool to make it easy to find in the future. A user may wish to keep all spools of similar color in a single box and therefore reserve some empty spots in that box in order to accommodate adding more spools of that color at a future date. In the event the user does not have any reserved spaces left to add another spool, the user will need to start a second box or rearrange the positions of a large number of spools to make room. A similar issue is encountered when using racks and other spool organization systems, namely, the user must pre-plan the storage positions for their collection in order to reserve sufficient space for future thread acquisitions.
Unfortunately, advanced planning is at best a temporary solution because a typical user's spool collection will inevitably grow to a point where the reserved spaces are insufficient or the pre-planned spool order is no longer optimal. For example, in a thread box with twenty individual spool compartments or posts, a user may initially reserve the first ten spots for red threads and the next ten spots for yellow threads. After starting to store spools according to this plan, a problem is encountered as soon as the user purchases an eleventh red spool. Even if there are available spots still remaining in the spool box, the empty spots will be in the section reserved for yellow threads. To keep the reds together, the user must shuffle the yellows by at least one spot to make room for an extra spool in the red section. This problem is repeated ad nauseam as the spools in the user's collection change over time.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a thread storage apparatus including a core around which thread is wound for storage. The core extends along an axial direction from a top end to a bottom end. The apparatus includes a top connector on the top end of the core, and a bottom connector on the bottom end of the core. The thread storage apparatus may be selectively attached to a first adjacent thread storage apparatus along the axial direction by connecting the top connector to a connector on the first adjacent thread storage apparatus. Similarly, the thread storage apparatus may be selectively attached to a second adjacent thread storage apparatus along the axial direction by connecting the bottom connector to a connector on the second adjacent thread storage apparatus.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed an assembly formed by attaching several thread storage apparatuses in series.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed an adaptor for changing between one or more characteristics of adjacent thread storage apparatuses in the assembly.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a method of organizing the assembly. The method includes attaching thread storage apparatuses in the assembly according to a predetermined order. Thread storage apparatuses holding thread of a common characteristic are attached adjacent to one another. The method further includes, at a later time, obtaining a new thread storage apparatus, and determining a desired position for the new thread storage apparatus in the assembly according to the predetermined order. The method further includes detaching a first thread storage apparatus from a second thread storage apparatus in the assembly, wherein the desired position is between the first thread storage apparatus and the second thread storage apparatus. The method further includes attaching the new thread storage apparatus between the first thread storage apparatus and the second thread storage apparatus. In this way, the assembly now includes the new thread storage apparatus and all thread storage apparatuses in the assembly remain attached according to the predetermined order.
These and other advantages and embodiments of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which represent preferred embodiments thereof:
Each of the thread spools 100a,b,c in the assembly 400 in this embodiment is identical in physical structure, and any number of thread spools 100 may be added in series to the assembly 400 by simply attaching the new spools to the end connectors 108a, 110c. Specifically, the top connector 108a of the first thread spool 100a and the bottom connector 110c of the third thread spool 100c are available to attach to other additional thread spools 100 as desired. Additionally, any number of new thread spools 100 may be placed in any position of assembly 400 by simply disconnecting two spools in the assembly 400 and inserting between them. As an example, by disconnecting the first and second spools 100a, 100b, a new spool 100 or even another assembly 400 of multiple spools 100 may be attached between the first and second spools 100a, 100b.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a user organizes their thread collection by storing their thread spools 100 in one or more assemblies 400. For example, assemblies 400 may include many thread spools 100 such that the total length of one assembly 400 is five to ten feet long. The assemblies may be stored standing upright in a closet or bucket, or laid down in a trunk. Alternatively, the assemblies 400 may also be hung on horizontal rods inserted into the center hole 200 running lengthwise along the assembly 400. The rods may be mounted on the wall at one end of the rod thereby allowing the entire assembly 400 to be slid off the free end of the rod at any time.
The assembly 400 of
An example use case scenario illustrating a method of organizing a spool assembly 400 is as follows. A user first attaches a plurality of thread spools 100 from their collection to form a spool assembly 400 according to any desired sequence order. A typical sequence order may be to require that thread spools 100 holding thread of a common characteristic are attached adjacent to one another. Examples of the common characteristic include similar colors, sizes, and/or types. In a specific example, a user may create a spool assembly 400 of fifteen spools: the first ten spools 100 being different shades of red ordered from light to dark, and the next five spools 100 being different shades of yellow again ordered from light to dark.
Continuing the example assuming red/yellow sequence ordering, at a later time the user obtains a new thread spool 100 storing thread of another shade of red. This may occur if the user purchases a different shade of red, for example. To add the new thread spool 100 into their storage assembly 400, the user finds the position in the assembly 400 where the new shade of red should go and then detaches the two previously attached spools 100 in the assembly 400 at that position. To add the new thread spool 100 to this position, the user simply attaches the new thread spool 100 between the two detached spools 100. The assembly 400 is now updated to include the new shade of red and the user's desired color order sequence of the full assembly 400 is maintained. Beneficially eliminated in this example is the need for the user to pre-reserve any number of empty spaces in the assembly 400 for future red spools or to individually shuffle the positions of the other spools after a new shade of red is acquired. The connectable thread spools 100 and associated assembly 400 according to this embodiment allow the user to quickly insert new spools 100 at any time as needed. The same process can be used for any desired sequence ordering and groupings according to any desired thread characteristic.
Additional advantages may be realized in other situations. For instance, a user may start a new project and create a mini “project” assembly 400 of specific thread spools 100 they will need from their collection's “master” assembly 400. The master assembly 400 may include any number of spool assemblies 400 and together includes all spools 100 in the user's thread collection. When starting the project, the user can simply remove the required thread spools 100 from their master assembly 400 in order to form a separate project assembly 400 containing only the spools 100 they will need for that specific project. If the user later realizes they need a new spool 100 for the project, they can at any time add the new spool 100 into the project assembly 400 in the proper position without otherwise reorganizing or reshuffling the project assembly 400. When the user finishes the project, they may easily remove the spools 100 in the project assembly 400 and return them to the proper positions in the master assembly 400.
In
Although the above examples have focused on the top connector 108 having a circular ridge 112 for coupling with a corresponding bottom connector 110 having a circular slot 114, other types of top and bottom connectors 108, 110 may be employed in other embodiments. For instance, the top connector 108 may have one or more other types of protrusions that insert and frictionally engage with a corresponding set of openings on the bottom connector 110. The protrusions may include posts, clips, hooks, snaps, detents, button tops, threaded posts, screws, etc. Likewise, the openings may include slots, groves, holes, button bottoms, clasps, threaded receptacles, etc. The frictional engagement may have positive locking properties such that, once an initial frictional resistance is overcome during attachment by the user, the top connector 108 locks into place against the bottom connector 110. For removal, the user must again overcome an initial frictional resistance to unlock and detach the connectors 108, 110. Alternatively, the frictional engagement may involve a tight fit that acts to hold the top and bottom connectors 108, 110 together without technically locking them together. Other types of connectors 108, 110 may also be employed such as magnetic connectors where the top connector 108 includes a first magnet with magnetic north facing upwards along the axial direction A and the bottom connector 110 includes a second magnet with magnetic south facing downwards along the axial direction A. In another example, the core 102 of the spool 100 may itself be a magnet having north and south poles located on the top and bottom ends 104, 106, respectively.
When utilizing gendered types of connectors 108, 110 where only opposite types of connectors can be attached, for example, top-to-bottom, male-to-female, north-to-south, etc., the top and bottom ends 104, 106 may be color coded and/or include other visual symbol(s) to facilitate a user quickly determining which two ends of adjacent spools 100 are attachable. For instance, one or more arrows 120 may be painted or stamped on each spool 100 with the arrow(s) 120 all pointing toward the top end 104 of the spool 100. In this way, a user can easily attach a new spool 100 to the assembly by ensuring that the arrow(s) 120 on the new spool align (point) in the same direction as the arrows 120 on the other spools 100 in the assembly 400.
In other embodiments, genderless (hermaphroditic) connectors having the same physical connection structure on both receptacles may be employed for both the top and bottom connectors 108, 110 thereby ensuring that an adjacent spool 100 can be connected regardless of the top/bottom orientation. Examples of two-way genderless connectors include the well-known Storz hose coupling, paired knuckles, and claw type hose connectors.
Different angle adaptors 700 each having different angles between the axial directions A1, A2 of the top connector 702 and bottom connector 710 may be formed. Besides the ninety-degree adaptor 700 illustrated in
Besides angle changing adaptors 700 such as illustrated in
In yet other embodiments, a single adaptor 700 may change between multiple characteristics of different thread spools 100; for instance, a multi-characteristic adaptor 700 may change all of the size, axial angle, and connector type thereby allowing completely dissimilar thread spools 100 to be attached to one another in an assembly 400 at any desired angle. Any combination of adaptors 700 may be utilized in a single assembly 400 thereby allowing the shape and form of the assembly 400 to be more complicated than a line of identical spools 100 along a single axial direction A as illustrated in
As illustrated, the ring piece 1200 may be attached to an unused top connector 108 in order to both protect the ridge 112 on the spool's top connector 108 and to provide symmetry between the top and bottom ends 104, 106 of the thread spool 100. When attached, the ring piece 1200 extends the top end 104 of the spool 100 along the axial direction A away from the core 102 such that the combination of the ring piece 1200 and the top end 104 is symmetrical in size to the bottom end 106. In a similar manner, a ring piece 1200 may be attached to the unused top connector 108d in
Except in relation to
Although the invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications, additions and alterations may be made to the invention by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although the above description has focused on thread spools 100, other types of thread storage apparatuses can be made in a similar manner. For instance, instead of a spool, a bobbin is provided in other embodiments and has top and bottom connectors 108, 110 to allow attachment to other bobbins in a similar manner as described above. In yet other embodiments, a cone is provided with top and bottom connectors 108, 110. It is also not a requirement that adjacent thread storage apparatuses need to be the same as each other. In some embodiments, an assembly may be formed by attaching dissimilar thread storage apparatuses, either by way of compatible connectors 108, 110 or by way of an adaptor 700.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a thread storage apparatus includes a core around which thread is wound for storage. The core extends along an axial direction from a top end to a bottom end. The apparatus includes a top connector on the top end of the core, and a bottom connector on the bottom end of the core. The thread storage apparatus may be selectively attached to a first adjacent thread storage apparatus along the axial direction by connecting the top connector to a connector on the first adjacent thread storage apparatus. Similarly, the thread storage apparatus may be selectively attached to a second adjacent thread storage apparatus along the axial direction by connecting the bottom connector to a connector on the second adjacent thread storage apparatus. An assembly may be formed by attaching several thread storage apparatuses in series. One or more adaptors may be used to change between different characteristics of adjacent thread storage apparatuses in the assembly.
Thread spools 100 may be sold in stores with pre-loaded thread of any characteristic. Hobbyist sewers may thereby save money as the thread spools 100 they buy are themselves components of the user's thread storage system and may be directly added into the user's existing assembly 400 at the desired position(s).
In another example modification, a non-threaded rod may be utilized for providing support instead of the threaded rod 500 illustrated in
In yet another example modification, the thread spools 100 may also be containers to store other items inside. For instance, the core 102 of the thread spool 100 may include a door, drawer, or other movable structure to allow items to be stored within the hollow portion of the core 102.
In the above examples, the designations of “top” and “bottom” are utilized for convenience of description and were arbitrarily selected. The top and bottom directions and labels may be reversed in other embodiments.
The various above-described components such as thread spools 100, supporting rods 500, and adaptors 700 may also be utilized for other purposes different than storing thread. For instance, as the various components 100, 500, 700 can be coupled together in a variety of shapes limited only by the imagination of the user, these components 100, 500, 700 may together form a toy or kit for children to play with. This may be beneficial as a dual use where a parent or other care provider will purchase a large number of thread spools 100, rods 500, and/or adaptors 700 in advance of their thread collection actually needing so much storage capacity. In addition to benefiting from a discount on the components purchased in bulk, the parent or care provider may allow children of family or friends to play with the unused components 100, 500, 700 for building various structures. As the user's thread collection grows, the parent or care provider can reclaim thread spools 100 and other components 500, 700 to use as thread storage as needed.
In general, both empty and filled thread spools 100 can be connected together into one or more assemblies 400 to form rods or other shapes when combined with adaptors 700. Each assembly 400 can itself then be utilized to perform another separate function besides just storing thread within. In another example, thread spools 100 may be connected together to form an assembly 400 that is then utilized as a quilt rod to hang the user's work for display.
All combinations and permutations of the above described features and embodiments may be utilized in conjunction with the invention.
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/360,532 filed Jul. 11, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62360532 | Jul 2016 | US |
