Improvements in Hearthrugs and in Machinery for Making the same.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Feb., 1891-Accepted. 21st Mar.,
1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hearthrugs and in Machinery for Making
the same.
I, GEORGE MARSDEN, of Marsden, near Huddersfield, in the County of York,
General Dealer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to hearthrugs of that description wherein the rug is formed
of strips of cloth or the like inserted in a canvas or similar backing, and. to
machinery for making the same.
Heretofore hearthrugs of this character have been made by hand, the strips
being inserted in the canvas or other backing by means of a suitable needle; or
they have been manufactured in the loom simultaneously with the weaving of the
backing. In the latter mode of manufacture, the strips are passed around the
individual warp threads and a pick is then taken and the slay board beat up to
secure the said strips in position. Another line of strips is then introduced and
another pick taken to secure the same, and so on repeatedly until the rug is finished.
Hearthrugs manufactured in this manner are inferior to hand made rugs inasmuch
as the strips are not firmly held and are easily withdrawn or shook out, or are very
liable to become loosened by the breakage of the warp. By my mode of manu-
facture I insert the strips in a finished piece of canvas or other backing in the same
manner as is done by hand but the boring and threading operations are effected by
automatic machinery with consequent increase of productiveness and reduction
of cost.
Moreover, in lieu of clipping as heretofore, I make the strips by stamping or
punching, and I form them with a reduced width at the centre, that is to say, at
the part in contact with the backing when in position, so that the withdrawal of the
strips is rendered more difficult (by reason of the width of the free ends being
greater than that part which is gripped by the backing) than is the case when the
strips are of the same width throughout.
According to my invention the canvas or other backing is stretched between
suitable supports, and the boring needles are traversed from side to side underneath
the same.
The said needles are periodically raised to pierce the backing and
receive the strips and are then withdrawn again to pull the said strips through the
backing. After the insertion of each strip, the needles are shifted the desired
distance for boring the next holes and receiving the next strip, and so on till a row
of strips has been inserted. The backing is then fed forward a sufficient distance,
and the needles are again traversed across to insert another line of strips, and so the
operation is continued until the rug is completed.
An important feature of my invention relates to the construction and operation
of the needles. These are split longitudinally or in other words are formed in two
parts, and the said parts can be separated after insertion in the backing for the
purpose of taking hold of the strips and again when withdrawn from the backing in
order to release the strips. The said parts have a strong spring-like action and
tend to remain closed, and form when closed a true point for piercing the backing.
There are two adjacent needles of the said description, for inserting the strips,
mounted on a common sliding needle bar. Or I may use a single needle with a
double point. The two needles or the two points of the single needle take hold of
opposite ends of the strip and pull the same through the backing when they retire
or are withdrawn. The two ends of the strips are thus drawn through separate
holes in the backing and are then firmly held in just the same manner as are the
strips in hand bored rugs.
The said needle bar or slide is mounted to work between guides on a suitably

page_text: constructed carriage, the latter being mounted on transverse rails so as to permit
of traversing the needles across the backing for the purpose herein-above specified.
The needle slide is reciprocated by a crank pin or equivalent arrangement mounted
on the said carriage and which may be driven by gearing from a driving shaft
passing transversely across the machine. The said shaft may be of square cross
section, and the driven wheel which is carried by the carriage may have a square
hole so as to be capable of sliding on the shaft while being compelled to rotate
therewith; or the driving shaft may be round and arranged to drive the said
gearing by a sliding fenther key. I may adopt several modes of opening the
needles for seizing and releasing the strips, as for instance may provide two
T-headed arins projecting outwards from the needles and having the T-heads of
the arms sitting in recesses formed between the two parts of the said needles. I
may then provide upper and lower stops fixed at suitable heights, between which
the said arms work when the needles move up and down. On the arm meeting
either of the said stops they are canted up or down as the case may be and the
T-portions or heads thereof are thus caused to act as levers to open the needles.
Or I may hollow out or recess the needles on the immer sides of each part, providing
that the ends of the recesses are sloping or contracted in width, and I may provide
a fixed stop passing freely through the said recess of each needle. When the
needles are reciprocated, the upper and lower ends of the said recesses come
alternately in contact with the said stops and on the movement continuing for some
little distance further the needles are opened in consequence of the stops entering
the contracted parts of the recesses. The strips are fed to the needles, when the
latter have pierced the backing, and are fully open, by hand or by a feeding
device.
Another important feature of my invention relates to the general arrangement
and construction of the machine. I provide two end frames or standards separated
and supported by stay rods at any convenient distance apart. The canvas or other
backing is carried by a roller mounted in bearings at the front of the machine and
the finished rug is wound upon a take up roller situated at the back of the machine.
Between these two rollers, the backing passes first over a teusion roller the purpose
of which is hereinafter described, then over a breast beam and preferably in a
horizontal direction to a carrier roller and finally to the take up roller. The rug
is made between the breast beam and the carrier roller.
The needle carriage is mounted on rails fixed between the end frames and is
intermittently traversed after each descent of the needles as follows: --that is to
say, I provide a fixed toothed rack running parallel with the said carriage rails,
and mount on the needle slide two catches, one on each side thereof, either of
which may gear with the said rack, but not both at the same time. With this
object may couple the catches to opposite ends of a lever pivoted at its centre to
the needle slide so that by canting the said lever, either catch may be lifted out of
gear and the other dropped in gear with the rack. The catel in gear with the
rack for the time being will gradually fall inwards during the ascent of the needle
slide, assuming a position approaching more and more to the vertical, and on the
commencement of the descent of the needle slide the said catch will engage with a
tooth of the rack, and, being thereby prevented from sliding out again, the carriage
will be compelled to retreat along its supporting rails in order to allow the needle
slide to descend. By this action, the needles are brought into position for boring
the next holes in the line. This operation is repeated until the carriage arrives at
the end of its traverse, or in other words until the needles arrive at the extreme
side of the backing, when the motion of the carriage is required to be reversed to
insert the next line of strips. In order to effect this reversal, I may so arrange
that the raised end of the lever connected as above described to the catches is
brought underneath a fixed stop pin by the last movement of the carriage, and then
during the next rise of the needle slide the said end of the lever will encounter the
said pin and be depressed and will disengage the catch previously in gear with the
rack and lower the catch previously out of gear so as to reverse the traverse at

page_text: the next descent of the needle slide. An arrangement of this or a similar kind is
provided at each side of the machine to continually reverse the carriage move-
inent after each line is completed. I nay, however, vary this actuating
mechanism considerably, for instance, I may mount on the carriage two pinions,
cach gearing with the toothed rack, and I may fix a ratchet wheel to each pinion,
the teeth of the ratchet wheels, however, being arranged to face in opposite
directions. On the sliding needle bar I may hinge a turnover or a double pawl
which may gear with either ratchet wheel and traverse the carriage in either
direction according to the wheel with which it is in gear. A stop may then be
provided to turn the said pawl when the carriage arrives at the end of its
stroke so as to gear with the ratchet wheel on the opposite side and reverse
the carriage movement. Or, again, I may actuate the carriage by an endless
screw driven intermittently by a peg and star wheel arrangement, the peg wheel
being reversed by a sliding clutch box or other suitable arrangement governed by
the position of the carriage. Although I have thus far only described my improved
machine as possessing one needle carriage, it is obvious that I may provide two or
more carriages if it is desired, each carriage being arranged to work over a portion
only of the width of the rug instead of over the whole width as is the case when
one carriage only is employed.
For feeding forward the backing after each line of strips has been inserted I
may adopt the following device, that is to say I provide the hereinbefore mentioned
take up roller for receiving the finished rug, and a tension roller for preventing
the backing slipping forward. The said tension roller has a rough surface which
grips the backing and is itself prevented from rotating while the strips are being
inserted by a lever, provided with a lug that drops into notches formed in the rim
of a disc fixed to the end of the roller. There is one such lever and notched disc
at each end of the tension roller, and the notches are so spaced that the two levers
alternately engage therewith. That is to say the levers are not both in engage-
ment with notches at the same time. When one lever is raised out of engagement
with its noteh, the roller is allowed to revolve until the other lever drops into
engagement with the succeeding notch of its disc thereby arresting rotation after
the desired amount of feed has been permitted. Then when the next advance is
desired, this lever is raised and the roller revolves until the first lever drops into
the next notch and so on, each lever in turu acting to retain the roller. As soon
as the tension roller is released the feed is effected by a slack rope which drives
the take up roller. This rope is always working, and is adjusted to maintain the
desired drag on the backing, but when the tension roller is arrested, and further
feed thereby prevented, the said driving rope slips over the pulley.
1 may
however obviate this constant slipping by arranging that the rope driving y
which has a square hole shall be mounted loosely on a rourl portion of the main
driving shaft and be normally maintained in that position by springs on both sides.
I may then provide connections whereby the rccdle carriage shall, when nearing
the end of its traverse, push or draw the sad pulley on a square portion of the
shaft, in which position it will be driven and will actuate the take up roller. The
pulley will be immediately slid back to the round part of the shaft when the
carriage retires and the motion of the rope will then cease. It is obvious that
many other equally efficient devices may be adopted for arresting the driving rope
when not required for feeding so as to avoid unnecessary slipping. As for instance
a clutch box may be provided to be put in and out of gear by the movement of the
carriage. In this case, or in any case, I provide a pawl and ratchet arrangement
to prevent the take up roller slipping backwards. The release of the tension roller
retaining levers is effected by a pin on the needle slide which passes under the
levers alternately when the carriage arrives at the end of its traverse and raises
the said levers during the upward movement of the slide.
A further important feature of my invention relates to a device for removing the
ends of the strips, already inserted into the backing, out of the way of the needles
when rising to bore the next holes. The said device consists of a spring actuated

page_text: lever attached to the carriage and having a bent end adapted to the desired
purpose. The said lever is depressed by the descent of the needle slide until it
passes behind the ends of the strip last inserted, and immediately the slide begins
its next ascent, the lever is released and it is then drawn upwards by the spring
and carries with it the ends of the strips thus ensuring a clear passage for the
necilles.
Another important feature of my invention relates to the shape of the strips and
the method of cutting the same. Instead of clipping the strips with shears as has
been the common practice heretofore, I stamp or punch the said strips out by
means of male and female dies fixed in an ordinary punching machine, and I ain
thus enabled to readily form at the same time a contracted part at the centre of
each strip for the purpose of providing for more securely holding the same in the
backing as hereinbefore stated.
Dated this 30th day of Anril 1894).
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hearthrugs and in Machinery for Making
the same.
1, GEORGE MARSDEN, of Marsden, near Huddersfield, in the County of York,
General Dealer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
My invention relates to hearthrugs of that description wherein the rug is formed
of strips of cloth or the like inserted in a canvas or other backing, and to machinery
for making the same.
Heretofore hearthrugs of this character have been made by hand, the strips
being inserted in the canvas or other backing by means of a suitable boring needle:
or they have been manufactured in the loom simultaneously with the weaving of
the backing. In the latter mode of manufacture, each strip is passed around one or
more warp threads and when a line of strips has been inserted in this manner a pick
is taken and the slay board heat up to secure the said strips in position. Another
line of strips is then inserted and another pick taken to secure the saine,
and so on
repeatedly until the rug is finished. Hearthrugs manufactured in this manner are
inferior to hand made rugs inasmuch as the strips are not firmly held and are easily
withdrawn or shook out, or are very liable to become loosened by the breakage of
the warp. By my mode of manufacture I insert the strips in a finished piece of
canvas or other backing in the same manner as is done by hand but the boring and
threading operations are effected by automatic machinery with consequent increase
of productiveness and reduction of cost. Moreover, in lieu of clipping the strips as
heretofore, make the said strips by stamping or punching, and form them with
a reduced width at the centre, that is to say, at the part embraced by the backing
when the strips are placed therein, so that the withdrawal of the strips is rendered
difficult, by reason of the width of the free ends being greater than that part which
is gripped by the backing.
In the manufacture of a hearthrug according to my invention, the canvas or other
backing is stretched between suitable supports, and the boring needles are traversel
from side to side underneath the same. The said needles are periodically raised to
pierce the backing and receive the strips and are then withdrawn again to thread
the said strips through the backing. After the insertion of each strip, the necilles
are shifted the desired distance for boring the next holes and receiving and threading
the next strip and so on till a row of strips has been inserted. The backing is then
fed forward a suflicient distance, and the needles are again caused to travel under
the same to insert another line of strips, and so the operation is continued until the
rug is completed.

page_text: arrangement of the machine and also in the construction and mode of operation of
many of the parts.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine for making hearthrugs constructed
according to one form of my invention, parts of the delivery and tension rollers
being broken away to show the needle carriage more clearly.
Figure 2 is an elevation of one end of the machine.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the needle carriage drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figures 4 and 5 are front and side views of one form of needle, and
Figures 6 and 7 similar views of another form of needle constructed according to
my invention.
Figures 8 to 14 are views of details hereinafter described.
Figure 15 is a side elevation of a punch for cutting the strips.
Figures 16 to 19 are views of the male and female dies, and
Figure 20 shows a strip shaped according to my invention.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A, A. is the frame work of the machine comprising two end standards connected
by rails or stay rods and formed with bearings for the driving shaft and rollers and
other parts hereinafter described. The canvas or other backing B in which the
strips to form the rug are inserted is carried by a delivery roller C and in its
passage through the machine passes around a tension roller D then over a breast
beam E, thence in a horizontal direction and around a carrier roller and finally
over a take up roller G. The strips are inserted in the horizontal portion of the
backing between the breast beam E and carrier roller F, and the finished rug is
delivered by the take-up roller G on to the floor behind the machine. H is the
main driving shaft of the machine having at one end fast and loose pulleys H', H2
which are driven by a belt H³ from any convenient source of power. I is the
needle carriage which is mounted on transverse rails on which it is capable of
travelling from one side of the machine to the other. The said carriage comprises
an upright frame or plate provided with guide ways for receiving the needle slide
and a base plate l'constructed to fit and slide on the transverse rails J. An
opening 12 is formed in the carriage to receive the driving shaft H.
The construction and mode of operation of the boring needles may be described
as follows. a, a are two spring like fingers which are bifurcated and pointed at
their upper extremities to form when closed two true needle points a', a'. The said
fingers a are secured to a common needle bar or slide a. Considerable force is
required to open the needle points, and when free they close tightly and take very
firm hold of anything that may be placed between them. The needle slide a² is
mounted so as to be capable of sliding between suitable vertical guide ways formed
on or attached to the carriage I. In some cases I employ two pairs of needle
fingers a instead of one pair having double points. For reciprocating the needle
slide provide a disc crank fixed on a shaft mounted in bearings in the
carriage I. On the shaft is fixed a wheel which gears with a wheel on the
driving shaft H. This shaft may be square and the wheel have a square hole or
the shaft may be round and the wheel mounted on a feather key so that in either
case it is free to slide along the shaft while being compelled to turn therewith. A
bracket c forked at its upper end is fixed to the carriage I, the said forked
extremity engaging with a neck formed in the boss of the wheel thereby
causing the said wheel to be moved laterally along the shaft II by the movement
of the carriage I. The pin of the disc crank works in a horizontal slot a³
formed in the slide a', and as the disc crank revolves causes the slide to be
reciprocated vertically between its guides on the carriage I. During the upward
novement, the needle pierces or bores the backing B in two places corresponding
to the two points a' and the said points are withdrawn from the backing during
the downward movement, and it is obvious that if a strip of cloth or the like is
placed between the points of the needle when thus inserted in the backing the said

page_text: "
strip will be threaded through the backing when the needles are withdrawn, the
two ends of the strips being drawn through separate holes. For opening the needle
points to permit of the insertion therein of such a strip, and again to release the
strip when the same is threaded through the backing I provide the following device,
that is to say, I bend one of the arins a to form a recess as shown at a Figure 5
and on this arm 1 thread a rectangular frame forming a head one side of which
is adapted to rest freely in the said recess. A stem or arm & projects from the said
frame or head d' some distance in a rearward direction and serves as a lever by
canting which either in the upward or downward direction the head d' is caused to
turn between the arms a and open the same by force. When the arm is allowed
to return to the horizontal position the spring fingers a immediately close again.
The said arm d is actuated during the up and down movement of the needles by
means of upper and lower stops formed on a bracket which is bolted to the
carriage through a slot and can be moved up and down to adjust its position
relatively to the needles. When the needles ascend and after they have pierced
the hacking, the arm d encounters and is arrested by the upper stop before the
needle bar las completed its stroke and the said arm is then caused by the continued
movement of the needles to cant downwards thereby neting to force the fingers a
apart as above described. The downward movement of the needles allows the arin d
to resume its horizontal position again and the needles thereby to close. In
precisely the same manner, the lower stop e' acts to open the needles just before the
completion of the downward stroke while the needles are released and allowed to
close again immediately after the commencement of the next up stroke. In some
cases thumb screws are provided in the stops ef for readily varying the times of
opening and closing the needles. In Figures 6 and 71 have shown a double
pointed needle of slightly different construction. In this form the bars a are curved
hear their upper ends to form an elongated opening a' the width of which is
contracted at each end. I fix to the carriage I a pair of rods or stops/ the ends of
which project into the said opening a' and when the needles are reciprocated the
upper and lower ends of the opening a come alternately in contact with th said
upp. r and lower stops respectively and on the movement being continued for some
little distance further the needles are opened in consequence of the stops entering
the contracted part of the opening. The said stops are adjustably connected to
the carriage to permit of varying their position in order to regulate the times of
opening the needles.
h
After each ascent and descent of the needles the carriage I requires to be moved
little along its supporting rails J to bring the needles into position for boring
the next pair of holes. For this purpose I provide a transverse rack a placed
underneath the carriage and I pivot to the needle slide at a pawl
and on the other side of the slide a² at 42 a pawl. a vertical slot being
formed in the carriage through which the pawl projects. The slot 1 more
over allows of the free up and down movement of the pawl h I, moreover,
fix to the slide an upright bracket af to which is pivoted at a bent
lover The aforesaid pawls h, are suspended by chains or otherwise
from the opposite ends of the lever so that by turning the said lever about its
pivot the pawls may be raised or lowered as desired one pawl being raised
while the other is lowered and rice versa. Moreover, the said pawls being
suspended immediately above the rack y either pawl may be lowered to engage
with the said rack. To prevent accidental movement of the lever i provide
the same with an upwardly projecting spring arm which rests in contact
with a horizontal arm a' of the bracket a. The said arma is provided with two
side notches with either of which the arm may be placed and which serve to
retain the arm and prevent accidental movement thereof when placed therein.
When the arm is placed in one of the said side notehes the corresponding pawl is
allowed to fall into engagement with the rack. Assuming that one of the pawls
is so engaged with the rack it is obvious that the said pawl will gradually fall
inwards during the ascent of the needle slide and will take up a position more

page_text: and more approaching to the vertical, but on the commencement of the downward
movement of the slide the pawl or catch is prevented from sliding outwards again
by reason of its engagement with a tooth of the rack, and the carriage I will then
he compelled to retreat along its rails J in order to allow the needle slide to
descend. By this action the needle points are moved after each descent and
brought into position for boring the next pair of holes during the succeeding
ascent. The carriage is moved in one direction when one of the pawls is in gear
and in the contrary direction when the other pawl is in gear with the rack and
the direction of motion is governed by the arm by means of which either pawl
can be placed in engagement with the rack as above described. The automatic
intermittent traverse movement of the carriage I continues until it has arrived at
the side of the machine or until the needle has arrived at the edge of the
backing and then its direction of travel is reversed as follows. At each end of
the machine I place a stop j so arranged that the raised end of the lever i passes
underneath the said stop during the last movement of the carriage, and then during
the next rise of the needle slide the said raised end of the lever will encounter
the said stop piece and will be held thereby while the carriage is raised. This
action disengages the catch previously in gear with the rack anil lowers the catch
previously out of gear with the rack and thus, reverses the traverse of the carriage
at the next descent of the slide. The carriage is then traversed back across
the machine until the opposite end of the lever which is now the raised end
comes in contact with the stop piece at the other side of the frame so reversing
the direction of traverse once more. In this manner the motion is reversed
cach time the carriage arrives at the side of the machine. I prefer to make the
stops adjustable towards and from the centre of the machine to provide for
lengthening and shortening the extent of travel of the carriage and this
adapting the same to rugs of varying width without having any unnecessary lost
motion at the sides.
After each line of strips has been inserted, the backing is required to be fed
forward a definite distance to bring the same into position for receiving the next
line of strips. For this purpose I provide the following arrangements. The
tension roller D and the take-up roller G have both roughened surfaces for
gripping the backing and preventing slipping. On each end of the roller D I fix
a notched disc D' and to each side of the frame AI pivot at a lever & which
is formed with a lug or tooth adapted to engage with the teeth of the corre-
sponding disc D'. A spring attached at one end to the frame A supports the
lever and acts to lift the same into gear with the dise D' again after it has been
disengaged therefrom as hereinafter described. A stop limits the upward move-
ment of the said lever. The arrangement of the lever and disc D' on cach
side of the machine is such that when one lever is in engagement with its corre-
sponding disc the tooth of the other lever is situated about midway between two
teeth on the corresponding disc D'. So that when that lever that is in engage-
ment with the disc D' is depressed and releases the said disc the roller D is then
free to turn through an angle corresponding to half the pitch of the teeth of the
discs D', that is to say until the disc on the opposite side of the machine is arrested
by the stop on the corresponding lever. Thus by alternately depressing and
releasing again the levers I provide for allowing an intermittent rotation of the
roller D and the amount of feed thus allowed corresponds to the required distance
between two lines of strips. To take up the backing as it is released by the
tension roller I may simply suspend a weight on the finished part of the rug which
hangs over the take-up roller G but I prefer the following device, that is to say, I
connect the roller G by a suitable train of gear wheels 7, 1, 1, to a wheel m (see
Figs. 10 and 11) which is loosely mounted on a shaft a but is connected to the said
shaft by a coiled spring m. On the said shaft n I fix a ratchet wheel n¹ and I
provide for driving the ratchet wheel by a pawl n³ carried by a lever n³ which is
pivoted at n to the frame A. The said lever is loaded at its rear end by an
adjustable weight n which maintains the forward end of the lever in contact with

page_text: a cam o fixed on the main driving shaft H. By means of the cam o and weight n
the lever is caused to oscillate about its pivot once for each revolution of the
driving shaft and the ratchet wheel a is thereby driven and turns the shaft a in
such a direction as to wind up the aforesaid spring m. The degree of tension
obtained in this spring is governed by the weight as it is obvious that when a
balance between the weight and spring is effected the lever will remain out of
practical contact with the cam. The spring m having been thus wound up its
tendency is to turn the wheel mand, through the train of guar wheels P³, l', l, the
take-up roller (i, but so long as the tension roller is prevented from rotation by
either lever & the roller G cannot revolve. As soon, however, as the tension roller
is released the roller G is immediately rotated and drags the backing forward
until arrested by the locking of the tension roller again. By this movement the
spring m becomes partially unwound and the ratchet driving gear above described
then operates again to re-wil it ready for the next release of the tension roller.
A pawl p pivoted to a bracket fixed to the frame A serves to prevent any back-
ward rotation of the wheel and consequently of the take-up roller G. The
release of the tension roller at the proper moment is effected by pins q pivoted one
on each end of a horizontal bar which projects on each side the needle slide and
which pins are brought alternately by the movement of the needle carriage over
the levers & when the carriage arrives at the end of its traverse. The pin thus
brought over one of the levers & will during the next descent of the needle slide
depress the said lever and thus release the tension roller. A vertical slot 1 is
formed in the carriage to receive and permit of the up and down movement of the
bar g.
It is sometimes desirable to vary the number of strips inserted in a given width
of backing and this may be done by employing a rack having courser or finer
teeth as may be required. I prefer to form enel rack with teeth on its upper and
lower faces, as seen in Figure 14, so that by turning the same it may be used for
varying the number of strips inserted per row.
It is also desirable to provide a support for the backing to resist the push of the
needles when the latter are boring and for this purpose 1 find the following con-
venient and simple device very advantageous. Imount on the frame A and
immediately above the needle slide a tube or pipe K which is formed with a
narrow slit K, see Figure 13, extending the whole length of the pipe along the
lower side thereof. 1 pass into the said pipe a small cylindrical shaped piece »
which has a narrow finger projecting downwardly through the slit K, the lower
end of the said finger resting just above the backing and in line with the centre
of the two needle points and forming a support for the backing when it is pushed
upwards by the ascending needles. To maintain the finger piece vertically above
the needles I cause the same to be traversed along the pipe K by cords or chains, a
which connect the same to the carriage. The cond or chains passes around guide
pulleys ², ³, and stand is attached to an eye piece a fixed to the carriage 1, and
the cord or chain a¹ passes around guide pulleys and two other pulleys mounted
loosely on the same axles as the pulleys, and and finally attached to an
eye piece fixed to the carriage. Any movement of the carriage in either
direction on its rails J thus causes an equal movement of the finger piece ♬ in the
same direction and consequently maintains the same above the needles.
A further important feature of my invention relates to a device for removing the
ends of the strips, already inserted into the backing, out of the way of the needles
when rising to bore the next holes. The said device consists of a levert having a
bent end adapted for taking hold of the ends of the strips. This lever is pivoted
on a lever which is centered at 2 on the carriage I. The said lever is depressed
during the descent of the needle slide by a hug or projection a on the said slide
which works in a vertical slot 1 formed in the carriage until the curved end of the
lover t passes behind the ends of the strip last inserted, and immediately the slide
begins its next ascent, the lever is released and it is then drawn upwards by a
spring and curries with it the levert thereby moving the ends of tlie strip last

page_text: inserted towards those previously inserted and thus ensuring a clear passage for
the needles.
Another device which I may employ for keeping the ends of the inserted strips
clear of the needles consists of a brush so arranged under the backing as to receive
the ends of the strips when the latter are released by the needles. The strips
are retained by the brush and prevented from subsequent entanglement with the
needles.
The mode of operation of my improved machine will be clear from the foregoing
description. By the rotation of the main shaft H the needles are given a
reciprocatory movement and are caused alternately to pierce and then be with-
drawn from the backing which is held meanwhile tightly by the tension and take-up
rollers and is further supported by the travelling finger. On piercing the backing
the needles are opened as above described and a strip is then placed by hand
between the points thereof one end being inserted in one needle and the other end
in the other needle. Immediately the needles begin their descent and are released
they close tightly and grip the strip that has been placed therein and draw the ends
of the same through separate holes in the backing. Then the needles are opened
again to release the strip and the carriage is at the same time moved on its rails
and brought into position for boring the next holes and receiving and threading
another strip. This operation is repeated until a line of strips has been inserted,
when the reversal of the direction of motion of the carriage is effected and the
backing is fed forward in the manner above described.
It is obvious that I may modify my invention in detail without departing from
the nature thereof, as for instance I may employ two or more needle carriages
instead of one only, and in this case I arrange that each carriage shall traverse only
a portion of the width of the rug. Or again 1 may employ two or more needle
slides mounted on a common carriage and actuated by the same crank shaft. I
may further vary the mechanism for traversing the carriage by mounting on the
carriage two pinions each gearing with the toothed rack and each provided with a
ratchet wheel the teeth of which face in opposite directions. On the sliding needle
bar I then hinge a turnover or a double pawl arranged to be capable of gearing
with either ratchet wheel and so traverse the carriage in either direction according
to the wheel with which it is in gear. A stop may then be provided to turn the
said pawl when the carriage arrives at the end of its stroke so as to gear with the
ratchet wheel on the opposite side and reverse the carriage movement. Or, again,
I may actuate the carriage by an endless screw driven intermittently by a peg and
star wheel arrangement, the peg wheel being reversed by a sliding clutch box or
Moreover
other suitable arrangement governed by the position of the carriage.
for feeding the backing forward I may arrange that a catch or pawl attached to the
lever & shall engage with a ratchet wheel on the take up roller and partially rotate
the said roller when the lever k is depressed. This catch or pawl would preferably
have a spring insertion, to relieve the drag on the backing intil the tension roller
permits it to be fed forward.
An important feature of my invention consists in the employment, for the
manufacture of rugs, of strips which are reduced in breadth at the centre, that is to
say, at that part of the strip which is gripped by the backing. Strips so shaped
are much more securely held by the backing than strips that are of uniform
breadth throughout their entire length and hence are not so liable to be pulled
or shook out during use. In some cases I form the strip with a scalloped edge.
I prefer to manufacture the said strips by stamping the same from a piece of
material by means of male and female dies.
Figure 15 shows an ordinary power driven punch such as I use for stamping
out the strips and Figures 16 to 19 show the preferred shape of dies. The male
die u is formed with a stem u' which is inserted in a hole provided for it in the
reciprocating arm 6 of the punch and is secured therein by a screw a' in the usual
manner. is the female die which is secured in any suitable manner on the base
B

page_text: plate of the punch. Figure 20 indicates on a larger senle the shape of the
finished strip as stamped out by the dies a². For feeding the material between
the dies employ according to one method a fork secured to one end of a bell-
crank lever which is pivoted to the punch. The other end of the said lever
works between stops on the reciprocating arm of the punch and the said lever
is thereby oscillated about its pivot by the up and down movement of the
said arm.
During its forward movement, the fork feeds the cloth between the dies while
during its return movement it slides over the cloth.
Another feeding arrangement is shown in Figures 15 and 19 which consists of a
roller mounted in bearings in brackets secured to the bed plate of the punch
and which roller is provided with a rough surface for feeding the cloth to the dies.
For rotating the roller a ratchet wheel is provided on the end of the roller which
wheel is operated by a pawl secured in a bracket on the reciprocating
arm v of the punch. It is arranged to feed the required amount of cloth at each
descent of the purreh.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A hearthrug constructed of cloth or like strips inserted in a canvas or other
backing and wherein the said strips are reduced in width at that part embraced by
the backing for the purpose specified.
2. A machine for the manufacture of hearthrugs by the insertion of cloth or like
strips in a canvas or other backing, comprising an intermittently travelling needle
carriage which traverses the canvas backing and serves for boring and threading
the strips through the same in combination with an automatic feeding arrangement,
and a tension device, which act to stretch the backing during the insertion of the
strips and to feed the backing forward after each line of strips is completed,
substantially as described.
3. In a machine for the manufacture of hearthrugs, the employment of a
transversely intermittently moving needle carriage as, and for the purpose,
specified.
4. In a machine for the manufacture of hearthrugs, the means herein described
for intermittently sliding the needle carriage to and fro, for the purpose specified.
5. In a machine for the manufacture of hearthrugs the devices herein described
for reversing the direction of motion of the said carriage, for the purpose
specified.
6. The needles constructed substantially as above described with reference
to either of the forms or modifications shown in the drawings for the purpose
specified.
7. In a machine such as is herein described the means for opening the needles when
near their highest and lowest positions substantially as described for the purpose,
specified.
8. In a machine such as is herein described, the travelling finger for supporting
the backing while the needles are pushed therethrough mounted and operated, sub-
stantially as described.
9. The devices herein described for removing or retaining the ends of the inserted
strips to prevent their forming an obstruction to, or becoming entangled with, the
needles.
10. In a machine such as above described the means for locking and unlocking the
tension roller substantially as described for the purpose specified.
11. In a machine such as above described the automatic mechanism for feeding
forward the backing when the tension on the said backing is released, substantially
ns described.
12. The machine constructed substantially as herein described with reference

page_text: to Figures 1 to 14 of the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for the
purposes, specified.
Dated this 27th day of January 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.