BEADS THREADING MACHINE

Abstract

To provide a beads threading machine with which a thread can easily be put through a plurality of beads of various shapes, the beads threading machine comprising supporting portions which are disposed at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction to thereby support annular projecting portions of the beads, a thread holding portion which is disposed at one end side of the row of supporting portions, an insertion member having at a distal end thereof a hook portion, wherein by rotating the rotary plate in a forward direction, the insertion member is inserted through the beads to thereby dispose the hook portion in the thread holding portion, whereas by rotating the rotary plate in a reverse direction, a thread is caused to be hooked on the hook portion so that the thread hooked on the hook portion is put through the bead holes.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC 119 of Japanese Utility Model Application No. 2010-148 filed on Jan. 13, 2010, the entire disclosure of which, including the description, claims, drawings and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a beads threading machine with which a thread is put through beads.

2. Background Art

Conventionally, there have been proposed various threading machines with which a thread can be put through beads to make an accessory such as a necklace or a bracelet. For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2003-213552, which is referred to as Patent Document 1, there is proposed a beads threading machine. In this beads threading machine, a shaft which is to be put through bead holes in beads is held by a holding device having a plurality of pairs of holding members. An abutment member is provided on a rotating shaft so as to open and close sequentially the plurality of pairs of holding members. While the holding members are sequentially opened and closed by the rotation of the rotating shaft so as to hold the shaft vertically, beads which are arranged for the shaft to be put through the bead holes are caused to drop along the shaft by opening and closing the holding members sequentially, so that a thread hooked at a lower end of the shaft is put through the bead holes in the beads.

In addition, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 57-185796, which is referred to as Patent Document 2, there is proposed a beads threading machine comprising a beads accommodating portion, from which a thread is put through beads via a wire, wherein a selector member is provided at a lower surface of a dropping port of the beads accommodating portion, so that beads are fed out selectively.

In the beads threading machine described in Patent Document 1, the registration of the abutment member and the pairs of holding members is facilitated by providing the abutment member on the rotating shaft so as to open and close the pairs of holding members. In addition, even infants can use the beads threading machine easily by employing an arm member as a driving device. However, this beads threading machine is designed to make an accessory to be worn by consecutively linking beads of the same diameter, and hence, there is caused a problem that different types of beads having different outside diameters cannot be linked together consecutively with this beads threading machine.

In addition, in the beads threading machine described in Patent Document 2, although a plurality of types of beads can be selected for threading, since beads need to be guided to the dropping port, beads to be threaded are limited to those having shapes enabling the beads to roll or slide easily. Additionally, in the beads threading machine, since a direction in which beads are dropped needs to be maintained constant at all times, round beads or beads of complex shapes cannot be threaded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the related art, and an object thereof is to provide a beads threading machine with which even infants can easily thread a plurality of beads of various shapes.

With a view to attaining the object, according to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a beads threading machine for threading a plurality of beads each having a bead hole which passes therethrough and annular projecting portions which project outwards from end portions of the bead hole, the beads threading machine comprising a plurality of supporting portions which are disposed at predetermined intervals along a circumferential direction of a circular main body on the main body to thereby support the annular projecting portions of the beads, a thread holding portion which is disposed at one end side of the row of supporting portions which is disposed circumferentially, an insertion member having at a distal end thereof a hook portion on which a thread disposed in the thread holding portion is hooked, a guide path for guiding the insertion member at the other end side which is opposite to the end side of the row of supporting portion which is disposed circumferentially where the thread holding portion is disposed, a rotary plate having a fixing portion where a rear end of the insertion member is fixed and an accommodation path for accommodating the insertion member so that the insertion member follows a circumferential edge of the rotary plate, wherein by rotating the rotary plate forwards, the insertion member is inserted through the bead holes in the plurality of beads which are supported on the supporting portions to thereby dispose the hook portion in the thread holding portion, whereas by rotating the rotary plate reversely, a thread disposed in the thread holding portion is caused to be hooked on the hook portion so that the thread hooked on the hook portion is put through the bead holes.

In addition, the beads threading machine comprises a thread pick-up plate which is detachably attached at a thread exit side of the row of supporting portions which is disposed circumferentially, and this thread pick-up plate has a holding portion for holding the tread below an opening through which the insertion member is inserted.

In the beads threading machine, the insertion member has a strip-like shape in which a width measured in a vertical direction of the main body is larger than a thickness measured in a radial direction of the main body.

In addition, in the beads threading machine, the supporting portions may be made detachable.

Further, in the beads threading machine, a base plate on which the supporting portions are placed may be made replaceable.

In the beads threading machine, the supporting portions may be made movable in the circumferential direction.

According to the aspect of the invention, there can be provided the beads threading machine with which even infants can easily thread a plurality of beads of various shapes.

According to the aspect of the invention, by providing the thread pick-up plate at the thread exit side of the row of supporting portions which is disposed circumferentially, the accessory made up of the beads can easily be removed.

In addition, by forming the insertion member into the strip-like shape in which the width is larger than the thickness, the insertion member can be made easy to be deflected in the radial direction of the main body and difficult to be deflected in the vertical direction of the main body. By adopting this configuration, since the insertion member can be inserted through and pulled out of the beads holes smoothly, there can be provided the beads threading machine with which the thread can easily be put through the bead holes.

Further, by configuring the supporting portions as being detachably attached to the base plate, the user can make an accessory by disposing beads of various sizes and shapes in preferred positions in the row of supporting portions.

By making the base plate on which the supporting portions are place replaceable, the use can make easily an accessory in which various kinds of beads are arranged into a string.

By arranging the supporting portions to be movable in the circumferential direction, the degree of freedom in making an accessory made up of the beads and the thread can be increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a beads threading machine according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a rotary plate of the beads threading machine according to the embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a main body of the beads threading machine according to the embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 4 is a side view of an insertion member of the beads threading machine according to the embodiment of the invention.

In addition, FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing supporting portions and a thread holding portion of the beads threading machine according to the embodiment of the invention, and FIGS. 5B and 5C are perspective views showing beads each having annular projecting portions according to the same embodiment.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are exemplary plan views showing operations of the beads threading machine according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 7A to 7D are exemplary side views showing operations of the beads threading machine according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are exemplary plan view showing operations of the beads threading machine according to the embodiment of the invention.

Additionally, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a thread pick-up plate of the beads threading machine according to the embodiment of the invention, and

FIGS. 10A to 10C show other forms of supporting portions and base plates of the beads threading machine according to the embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A mode for carrying out the invention will be described. A beads threading machine 1 is a device for putting a thread 7 through a plurality of beads 5 each having a bead hole 50 which passes through the bead 5 and annular projecting portions 56 which project outwards from both end portions of the bead hole 50.

The beads threading machine 1 includes a circular main body 2, a plurality of supporting portions 6, a thread holding portion 8, an insertion member 4, a guide path 26a, a rotary plate 3, and an accommodation path 26. The plurality of supporting portions 6 are disposed at predetermined intervals along a circumferential direction of the main body 2 on the main body 2 to thereby support the annular projecting portions 56 of the beads 5. The thread holding portion 8 is disposed at a thread entrance side which constitutes one end side of a row of supporting portions which is made up of the plurality of supporting portions 6 and which is disposed in the circumferential direction. The insertion member 4 has a strip-like shape of a predetermined length in which a width of the insertion member 4 which is measured in a vertical direction of the main body 2 is made larger than a thickness of the insertion member 4 which is measured in a radial direction of the main body 2. In addition, the insertion member 4 has at a distal end thereof a hook-shaped hook portion 40 on which the thread 7 disposed in the thread holding portion 8 is hooked.

The guide path 26a is a passageway which guides the distal end of the insertion member 4 into the row of supporting portions at the other end side (a thread exit side) which is opposite to the side (the thread entrance side) where the thread holding portion 8 of the row of supporting portions which is disposed in the circumferential direction is disposed.

The rotary plate 3 has a thin circular plate or disk-like shape and includes a lever 31 which is provided thereon so as to be erected upwards and a fixing portion 36 for fixing a rear end of the insertion member 4. The accommodation path 26 is a passageway which accommodates the insertion member 4 in such a way as to extend along a circumferential edge of the rotary plate 3.

In the beads threading machine 1, by rotating the rotary plate 3 in a forward direction (a clockwise direction as viewed from thereabove) by the lever 31, the insertion member 4 is inserted through the beads holes 50 in the plurality of beads 5 which are supported by the supporting portions 6, and the hook portion 40 is disposed in the thread holding portion 8. Then, by rotating the rotary plate 3 in a reverse direction (a counterclockwise direction as viewed from thereabove) by the lever 31, the thread 7 disposed in the thread holding portion 8 is caused to be hooked on the hook portion 40, so as to put the thread 7 hooked on the hook portion 40 through the bead holes 50.

In addition, the beads threading machine 1 includes thread pick-up plates 9 which are detachably attached in recess portions 96 which are provided at the thread entrance side and the thread exit side of the row of supporting portions which is disposed in the circumferential direction. As is shown in FIG. 9, this thread pick-up plate 9 has a holding portion 94 for holding the tread 7 below an opening 92 through which the insertion member 4 is inserted.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described in detail based the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a beads threading machine 1, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views showing a rotary plate 3 and a main body 2 of the beads threading machine 1. As is shown in FIG. 1, the beads threading machine 1 has a main body 2 which includes a circular pedestal 10 and a cylindrical portion 11 provided on the pedestal 10 and a rotary plate 3 which is installed rotatably on the main body 2. The pedestal 10 has a base plate 20 as an upper plate, and a plurality of supporting portions 6 for supporting beads 5 are placed on the base plate 20. The cylindrical portion 11 is also provided on the base plate 20.

As is shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical portion 11 has a substantially cylindrical shape although part of an outer circumferential wall 24 is opened. The cylindrical portion 11 has a smaller diameter than that of the pedestal portion 10, whereby a space in which the supporting portions 6 and a thread holding portion 8 are disposed is ensured between the outer circumferential wall 24 of the cylindrical portion 11 and an outer circumferential edge of the pedestal 10.

As is shown in FIG. 1, the thin circular disk-like rotary plate 3 is rested at an upper end of the cylindrical portion 11. As is shown in FIG. 2, the rotary plate 3 has a shaft 32 at a center of the disk and is made to rotate in the circumferential direction by inserting the shaft 32 through a center hole 22 in a circular rotary plate supporting table 12 which is disposed inside the cylindrical portion 11.

As is shown in FIG. 3, the rotary plate supporting table 12 is a member having a circular resting surface on which the rotary plate 3 is rested and is disposed inside the outer circumferential wall 24 of the cylindrical portion 11. Specifically speaking, the rotary plate supporting table 12 which supports the rotary plate 3 is made up of a circular supporting plate which constitutes a sliding surface of the rotary plate 3 and a circumferential wall which is provided along an outer edge of the supporting plate so as to extend downwards vertically therefrom. The center hole 22 in which the shaft 32 of the rotary plate 3 is securely inserted is provided in a center of the supporting plate. The rotary plate 3 can also be configured as being supported with an upper surface of the outer circumferential wall 24 of the cylindrical portion 11 acting as a sliding surface.

As is shown in FIG. 2, a lever 31 is provided on an upper surface of the rotary plate 3 in a position lying in the vicinity of an outer circumferential portion so as to be erected upwards therefrom, so that the rotary plate 3 can easily be rotated by manipulating the lever 31. The rotary plate 3 is not limited to the configuration in which the lever 31 is provided thereon, and hence, various configurations can be adopted with respect to the rotating operation of the rotary plate 3, including one in which a depression or irregularities are provided in the upper surface of the rotary plate 3 so that the rotary plate 3 can be operated with the finger or fingers of the hand of the user. In addition, a square fixing portion 36 for fixing a rear end of an insertion member 4 is formed on a lower surface of the rotary plate 3 in a position lying in the vicinity of the outer circumferential portion.

The insertion member 4 is a thin strip-shaped elongated piece formed of a synthetic resin. The insertion member 4 is sized so that a thickness which is measured in a radial direction of the main body 2 is of the order of 0.5 mm and a vertical width which is a length measured in a vertical direction of the main body 2 is in the range of the order of 2.0 to 3.0 mm. Namely, the insertion member 4 has the strip-like shape in which the vertical width is larger than the thickness, so that the insertion member 4 is made easy to be deflected in a horizontal direction (that is, in the radial direction of the main body 2), whereas the insertion member 4 is made difficult to be deflected in the vertical direction of the main body 2.

A hook portion 40 is formed at a distal end of the insertion member 4, and a thread disposed in a thread holding portion, which will be described later, is hooked on this hook portion 40. As is shown in FIG. 4, the hook portion 40 has a hook shape made up of a tapered portion 42 and a depression 43. Then, this insertion member 4 is disposed in an accommodation path 26 and a guide path 26a which are formed in the main body 2 shown in FIG. 3 in such a state that the insertion portion 4 is curved.

This accommodation path 26 is a passageway (an accommodation space) which accommodates the insertion member 4 in such a way that the insertion member 4 extends along a circumferential edge of the rotary plate 3 and is formed between the outer circumferential wall 24 of the cylindrical portion 11 and the rotary plate supporting table 12. Namely, the outer circumferential wall 24 of the cylindrical portion 11 is disposed in a position which faces a circumferential wall of the rotary plate supporting table 12, so as to form the accommodation path 26.

The accommodation path 26 is partially opened, and a guide wall 24a is formed so as to extend outwards from the outer circumferential wall 24 which forms the accommodation path 26, whereby the guide path 26a is formed between the guide wall 24a and the outer circumferential wall 24 of the cylindrical portion 11. The guide wall 24a extends as far as an end portion (a thread exit side, which will be described later) of a row of supporting portions which is made up of the plurality of supporting portions 6, the row of supporting portions being disposed in a circumferential direction. By adopting this configuration, the guide path 26a enables a distal end of the insertion member 4 to be guided into the row of supporting portions at a thread exit side thereof when the rotary plate 3, which will be described later, rotates in a forward direction.

A surface on which the insertion member 4 is disposed in the accommodation path 26 and the guide path 26a is substantially same level with the bead holes in the beads 5 which are supported on the supporting portions 6. The insertion member 4 is disposed in the accommodation path 26 together with the fixing portion 36, so that the fixing portion 36 can move in the circumferential direction within the accommodation path 26. A distal end side portion of the insertion member 4 which includes the hook portion 40 is disposed in advance in the guide path 26a.

Further, the insertion member 4 is disposed in such a way as to be deflected towards a central side. Namely, when disposed in the accommodation path 26, the insertion member 4 is accommodated therein so as to extend along the circumferential edge of the rotary plate 3 below the rotary plate 3 in such a state that an outward (a radial) expansion of the insertion member 4 is suppressed forcibly. A first stopper 27 and a second stopper 28 are provided in the accommodation path 26. The first stopper 27 and the second stopper 28 are brought into engagement with the fixing portion 36 which fixes the rear end of the insertion member 4 so as to restrict a rotating operation of the rotary plate 3 in such a way that a rotating range of the rotary plate 3 is limited to about one rotation.

Consequently, when the rotary plate 3 is rotated, the insertion member 4 moves on the accommodation path 26 and the guide path 26a and along the outer circumferential wall 24 and the guide wall 24a. As this occurs, the hook portion 40 moves on the guide path 26a along the guide wall 24a and is then guided into the bead holes in the beads 5 which are supported on the supporting portions 6.

The plurality of supporting portions 6 are disposed on the base plate 20 of the pedestal 10, that is, on the main body along the circumferential direction of the main body 2. These supporting portions 6 are disposed at predetermined intervals which correspond to sizes of the beads 5 which are supported thereby. Specifically speaking, the supporting portions 6 are disposed alternately at short intervals (of about 10 mm) and long intervals (of about 17 mm), whereby beads 5 of a small size and beads 5 of a large size can be disposed alternately between the supporting portions 6.

As is shown in FIG. 5A, the supporting portions 6 each have a semicircular supporting groove 65 which supports one of annular projecting portions 56 which are provided at the left and right of the bead 5 (at both end portions of the bead hole 50). Here, the beads 5 which are threaded by the beads threading machine 1 have various shapes including a round or spherical shape and a decorated pillar-like shape as is shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, or a triangular shape, which is not shown.

The bead hole 50 through which the thread and the insertion member 4 pass is formed in the bead 5 so as to pass therethrough, and the annular projecting portions 56 are formed at the end portions of the bead hole 50 so as to project outwards therefrom.

As is shown in FIG. 5A, the thread holding portion 8 is provided at a thread entrance side which is one end side of the row of supporting portions which is disposed in the circumferential direction. Namely, in the beads threading machine 1, the thread holding portion 8 is disposed at the one end side (the thread entrance side) of the row of supporting portion which is disposed in the circumferential direction, and the guide path 26a, which has been described above, is formed at the other end side (the thread exit side) which is opposite to the side where the thread holding portion 8 is disposed (refer to FIG. 1). A passageway 84 is formed in the thread holding portion 8 through which the hook portion 40 provided at the distal end of the insertion member 4 is inserted. In addition, side plates 80 are provided at both sides of the passageway 84 so as to be erected upwards therefrom.

A cut 82 is provided in each of both the side plates 80, so that the thread can be disposed in the cuts 82 from thereabove. Further, an opening/closing lid is pivotally connected to the thread holding portion 8, so that by being closed after the thread is disposed in the cuts 82, the opening/closing lid can prevent the thread from being disengaged from the cuts 82 when the hook portion 40 of the insertion member 4 is inserted through the thread holding portion 8.

Further, substantially rectangular recess portions 96 which detachably hold corresponding thread pick-up plates 9, which will be described later, are formed at the thread entrance side and the thread exit side which constitute both the end sides of the row of movably supporting portions which is disposed in the circumferential direction on the main body 2 of the beads threading machine 1.

Next, a procedure for putting the thread 7 through the beads 5 with the beads threading machine 1 and operations of the beads threading machine 1 then will be described by reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIGS. 6 and 8 are exemplary plan views showing operations of the beads threading machine 1, and FIG. 7 shows exemplary side views showing operations of the insertion member 4 in a position in the vicinity of the thread holding portion 8 of the beads threading machine 1. In FIGS. 6 and 8, the rotary plate 3 is indicated by a chain double-dashed line and the beads 5 and the thread pick-up plates 9 are shown in section. Further, the opening/closing lid of the thread holding portion 8 is omitted, and movements of the insertion member 4 and the thread 7 are shown exemplarily.

Firstly, as is shown in FIG. 5A, the user places the annular projecting portions 56 in the supporting grooves 65 of the supporting portions 6 so that the bead 5 is disposed between the supporting portions 6. Then, the user disposes the beads 5 in the way described above continuously until the beads 5 are disposed between all the supporting portions 6. In this embodiment, the beads 5 can be disposed between the supporting portions 6 which are disposed at two different intervals. In addition, the user disposes the thread 7 in the cuts 82 of the thread holding portion 8.

Then, as is shown in FIG. 6A, when the user rotates the rotary plate 3 in a forward direction (a clockwise direction as viewed from thereabove) using the lever 31, the insertion member 4 can be inserted through the head holes 50 in the plurality of beads 5 which are supported on the supporting portions 6. Here, the hook portion 40 of the insertion member 4 is guided into the bead 5 at the one end side of the row of supporting portions by the guide path 26a and is then inserted through the individual beads 5 while its traveling direction is restricted by the bead holes 50 in the respective beads 5. Then, when the insertion member 4 has been inserted through the bead holes 50 in all the beads 5, the fixing portion 36 of the rotary plate 3 is locked by the first stopper 27, whereby the insertion member 4 stops moving. As this occurs, the hook portion 40 is disposed in the thread holding portion 8.

As is shown in FIG. 7A, the hook portion 40 moves from a state in which it is disposed before the thread 7 so as to raise the thread 7 in an upward direction by the tapered portion 42. Then, as is shown in FIG. 7B, the hook portion 40 passes underneath the thread 7 to be inserted deeper into the thread holding portion 8, whereafter the fixing portion 36 is locked by the first stopper 27. Thus, the hook portion 40 is stopped deep in the thread holding portion 8.

Next, when the user rotates the rotary plate 3 in a reverse direction (a counterclockwise direction as viewed from thereabove) by employing the lever 31, as is shown in FIG. 7C, the thread 7 is hooked in the depression 43 in the hook portion 40 of the insertion member 4, and as is shown in FIGS. 7D and 8A, the thread 7 is pulled to be guided into the bead holes 50 in the beads 5 by the hook portion 40. Then, as is shown in FIG. 8B, when the rotary plate 3 is rotated in the reverse direction until the fixing portion 36 of the rotary plate 3 is locked by the second stopper 28, the insertion member 4 is accommodated in the accommodation path 26 and the hook portion 40 is disposed on the guide path 26a, whereby the thread 7 is inserted through all the beads 5.

The invention is not limited to the configuration in which the insertion member 4 is fed out by rotating the rotary plate 3 by the lever 31 with, the thread 7 disposed in the thread holding portion 8 in advance. Thus, a configuration can also be adopted in which the insertion member 4 is fed out by rotating the rotary plate 3, the insertion portion 4 then passes through the head holes 50 in the beads 5 so that the hook portion 40 provided at the distal end of the insertion member 4 is positioned in the thread holding portion 8, thereafter the thread 7 is disposed in the thread holding portion 8 so that the thread 7 is hooked in the hook portion 40, and the thread 7 is put through the beads 5 by rotating the rotary plate 3 in the reverse direction.

Finally, an accessory made up of the plurality of beads 5 through which the thread 7 is put is formed by picking up the thread 7 at the thread entrance side and the thread exit side of the row of supporting portions which is disposed in the circumferential direction. Here, the thread pick-up plates 9 are disposed at the thread entrance side and the thread exit side. These thread pick-up plates 9 are detachably mounted in the recess portions 96 at the thread entrance side and the thread exit side of the row of supporting portions which is disposed in the circumferential direction.

As is shown in FIG. 9, the thread pick-up plate 9 is a substantially rectangular thin flat plate and has formed therein an opening 92 through which the insertion member 4 is passed and a holding portion 94 for holding the thread 7 which is provided below the opening 92. The holding portion 94 is formed into a size which allows the thread 7 to be fastened from sides thereof to thereby be held therein.

Namely, in the event that the user picks up the thread pick-up plates 9 from the corresponding recess portions 96, the thread 7 is fastened in the holding portions 94 of the thread pick-up plates 9, and the thread 7 is picked up at both the end sides of the row of supporting portions which is disposed in the circumferential direction. Thus, the accessory made up of the plurality of beads 5 through which the thread 7 is put can be removed easily from the beads threading machine 1 without pinching the thread 7 with finger tips.

In this way, according to the invention, the beads threading machine 1 can be provided with which even infants can easily put the thread 7 through the plurality of beads 5 of various shapes. In addition, the accessory made up of the beads 5 can easily be removed by providing the thread pick-up plates 9 at the thread exit and entrance sides of the row of supporting portions which is disposed in the circumferential direction. Note that the thread pick-up plate 9 may be disposed only at the thread exit side. As this occurs, the user picks up the thread 7 at the thread exit side with the thread pick-up plate 9 and also picks up the thread 7 at the thread entrance side by pinching a portion of the thread 7 which is suspended outwardly from the thread holding portion 8 of the beads threading machine 1, whereby the accessory can be removed from the beads threading machine 1.

In addition, by configuring the insertion member 4 so that the width dimension is larger than the thickness dimension, the insertion member 4 can be made easy to be deflected in the radial direction of the main body, whereas the insertion member 4 can be made difficult to be deflected in the vertical direction of the main body 2. By adopting this configuration, the insertion member 4 can be inserted through the bead holes 50 smoothly and further can be pulled out of the bead holes 50. Thus, the beads threading machine 1 can be provided with which the thread 7 can easily be put through the beads 5.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment that has been described heretofore but can be modified or improved freely without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, various intervals can be adopted at which the supporting portions 6 are disposed in accordance with sizes of beads 5. In addition, as is shown in FIG. 10A, projecting portions are provided on bottoms of the supporting portions 6, and recess portions 29 are formed in the base plate 20, so that the supporting portions 6 may be detachably attached to the base plate 20. By adopting this configuration, an accessory can be made by disposing beads 5 of various sizes and shapes in any positions the user selects.

In addition, as is shown in FIG. 105, the base plate 20 to which the supporting portions 6 are attached is made to be replaced by another base plate 20′, whereby an accessory can easily be made in which beads are arranged in various ways.

Further, as is shown in FIG. 10C, a rail 70 is provided on the base plate 20 on which the supporting portions 6 are installed, so that the supporting portions 6 may be made to slide to move on the rail 70. As this occurs, wire-like projections 71 are formed at narrow intervals in a direction which is at right angles to the rail 70 on the rail 70 of the base plate 20, and an elastic member which biases the supporting portions 6 downwards and engaging portions which can be brought into engagement with the wire-like projections 71 are provided at lower ends of the supporting portions 6.

By adopting this configuration, the user can slide to move the supporting portions 6 against an elastic force exerted by the elastic member. In addition, in the event that the user disposes the supporting portions 6 in arbitrary positions, the supporting portions 6 are biased downwards by the elastic member and the wire-like projections 71 and the engaging portions are brought into engagement with each other. Thus, the supporting portions 6 can be fixed in the arbitrary positions. In this way, by configuring the supporting portions 6 so as to move in the circumferential direction, the degree of freedom in making accessories can be increased.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

In this way, the beads threading machine according to the invention is the beads threading machine 1 with which even infants can easily put the thread through the plurality of beads 5 of various shapes.

Claims

1. A beads threading machine for threading a plurality of beads each having a bead hole which passes therethrough and annular projecting portions which project outwards from end portions of the bead hole, the beads threading machine comprising:

a plurality of supporting portions which are disposed at predetermined intervals along a circumferential direction of a circular main body on the main body to thereby support the annular projecting portions of the beads;

a thread holding portion which is disposed at one end side of the row of supporting portions which is disposed circumferentially;

an insertion member having at a distal end thereof a hook portion on which a thread disposed in the thread holding portion is hooked;

a guide path for guiding the insertion member at the other end side which is opposite to the end side of the row of the supporting portion which is disposed circumferentially where the thread holding portion is disposed;

a rotary plate having a fixing portion where a rear end of the insertion member is fixed; and

an accommodation path for accommodating the insertion member so that the insertion member follows a circumferential edge of the rotary plate, wherein

by rotating the rotary plate in a forward direction, the insertion member is inserted through the bead holes in the plurality of beads which are supported on the supporting portions to thereby dispose the hook portion in the thread holding portion, whereas by rotating the rotary plate in a reverse direction, a thread disposed in the thread holding portion is caused to be hooked on the hook portion so that the thread hooked on the hook portion is put through the bead holes.

2. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 1, comprising a thread pick-up plate which is detachably attached at a thread exit side of the row of supporting portions which is disposed circumferentially, and wherein

the thread pick-up plate has a holding portion for holding the tread below an opening through which the insertion member is inserted.

3. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein the insertion member has a strip-like shape in which a width measured in a vertical direction of the main body is larger than a thickness measured in a radial direction of the main body.

4. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supporting portions are made detachable.

5. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein a base plate on which the supporting portions are placed is made replaceable.

6. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supporting portions are made movable in the circumferential direction.

7. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein the insertion member has a strip-like shape in which a width measured in a vertical direction of the main body is larger than a thickness measured in a radial direction of the main body.

8. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein the supporting portions are made detachable.

9. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein a base plate on which the supporting portions are placed is made replaceable.

10. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein the supporting portions are made movable in the circumferential direction.

11. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 3, wherein the supporting portions are made detachable.

12. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 3, wherein a base plate on which the supporting portions are placed is made replaceable.

13. A beads threading machine as set forth in claim 3, wherein the supporting portions are made movable in the circumferential direction.