Sewing Machine Needle Shank Grooves for Visual Identification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Sewing machine needles are difficult to visually identify due to their small and thin nature, making it challenging to determine the type, size, or product information.

Innovation Solution

A sewing machine needle design featuring a cylindrical shank portion with continuous circumferential groove portions that extend over the entire circumference, allowing for easy visual identification of the needle type, size, and product information, regardless of the needle's orientation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If sewing machine needles are made thin and small for precise sewing operations, then sewing precision is improved, but visual identification of needle type becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesewing precisionVSAvoidvisual identification
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The shank portion is segmented with groove portions that divide the circumferential surface into distinct sections. These grooves create visible patterns (such as dividing the surface into 2, 3, or 4 sections) that can be easily distinguished by sight, solving the identification difficulty while preserving the needle's thin and small dimensions for precise sewing operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The groove portions are strategically positioned on the shank portion to create unique local patterns that identify specific needle types. By varying the number, position, and configuration of grooves in different regions of the shank, each needle type acquires a distinctive visual signature without affecting the overall needle geometry required for precise sewing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3992344B1Sewing machine needle
Publication Date: 2024.03.20 ORGAN NEEDLE CO LTD
  • EP3992344B1 patent drawingFigure 1(a)~1(d)
  • EP3992344B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(b)
  • EP3992344B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides a sewing machine needle including: a cylindrical shank portion 11 that is attached to a sewing machine; and a needle shaft portion 20 that is provided closer to a tip of the sewing machine needle than the shank portion 11; wherein one or more groove portions 12 are formed in a circumferential face of the shank portion 11 to extend continuously over the entire circumference. Thus, a type of the sewing machine needle can be visually checked easily.