Improvements in Sewing and Quilting Machinery for the Manu- facture of Quilts, Quilted Linings, Skirts, Mattresses, and other like Articles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1891
Complete Soecification Left, 22nd Apr., 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Partly communicated from abroad by JOHN HAPPE, of Wandsbeck, Hamburg,
Germany, and is partly his own invention.]
Improvements in Sewing and Quilting Machinery for the Manu-
facture of Quilts, Quilted Linings, Skirts, Mattresses, and other
like Articles.
HARRY EDLER of Portland Street Manchester in the County Lancaster
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to that class of combined feeding and multiple needle
sewing mechanism for the manufacture of quilts &c., for which Letters Patent
Number 10,223 were granted to me and dated July 2nd 1890 and consists in
employing in conjunction with the feeding mechanism described in the Specification
of such Letters Patent an adjustable apparatus whereby the filling material may
be opened spread more evenly and regulated to the thickness desired and consisting
of either a reciprocating combing bar or one or more revolving spiked drums or
eveners, the spikes of which are arranged over the length of the roller to project
more or less according to the equal thickness of quilting or to the varying
thickness of quilting extending over the width of the fabric being quilted as
required.
I sometimes employ one or more shoddy or other pickers or spiked drums for
tearing the filling material as it enters the machine.
The improved sewing and quilting machine I employ consists of a multiple (by
preference) lock stitch arrangement having a single bar or row of needles of any
number reaching across the whole width of the material to be sewn and mounted
in standards so as to have a vertically reciprocating motion either parallel
with or at any desired angle to the drawing rollers constituting the feeding
mechanism.
The improved presser foot is mounted upon rods rising from the needle bar and
is in one or more divisions having a series of holes or slots corresponding in number
and position to the needles employed and which presser foot is by means of a cam
lever arranged to raise itself from the material when it is moving and to exercise
its pressure thereupon when the needles are in the material and the same is not
moving.
Shuttle races or shuttle carriers are employed corresponding in position with the
row or gang of needles and which races are so arranged upon pivots or vertical
slides as to enable the operative to withdraw any single shuttle from below the
machine without interfering with the material being sewn and whilst the machine is
working and the remaining shuttles are sewing. In place of shuttle races I
may employ a disc shuttle with the usual hook for producing a lock or
chain stitch.
To ensure the proper delivery of the material I employ two or more feeding
rollers and on the two first I sometimes apply pins arranged in contrary spiral
directions to act as a temple acts in weaving operations to keep the quilting
material fully stretched.
In another arrangement I employ three or more drawing rollers to more effectually
hold the material and prevent it slipping backwards.
I further employ hemming guides or doubled right and left seamers consisting of
two conchoids placed one above another one being open above and the other below
so that the edges of the two fabrics (composing the quilt) on being drawn through
said conchoids are tucked under in opposite directions and as they emerge therefrom
are stitched together and so finish off the edges of the quilt.

page_text: Where I find it necessary to have more than a pair of needle bars in a multiple
needle quilting machine I prefer toiformcgaps in the frame between each pair of
needle bars and extending nearly to the floor and I so carry the material being
quilted around these gaps by means of rollers that a platform is capable of being.
formed along each such gap for the attendant to pass to and fro and so to facilitate
his access to the several needle bars.
The improved feeding mechanism shuttle races shuttle carriers hemming guides
roller delivery mechanism and gap construction of frames hereinbefore described
are equally applicable to other multiple needle sewing and quilting machines.
Dated 6th February 1891.
JOHN G. WILSON,
Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing and Quilting Machinery for the Manu-
facture of Quilts, Quilted Linings, Skirts, Mattresses, and other
like Articles.
1 HARRY EDLER of Portland Street, Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention relates first to improvements in that description of combined
feeding and multiple needle sewing mechanism for the manufacturing of quilts,
quilted linings, skirts, mattresses and other like quilted linings for which Letters
Patent No. 10223 were granted to me and dated July 2nd 1890 and consists in
employing in conjunction with the feeding mechanism described in the Specification
of such Letters Patent one or more shoddy or other pickers or spiked drums which
I employ for tearing up the filling material as it enters the machine and also of
an adjustable apparatus or evener whereby the filling material is opened spread
more evenly and regulated to the thickness desired.
Secondly my invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrange-
ment of multiple needle sewing mechanism for the aforementioned purposes as
hereinafter described.
On the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a front view and Fig. 2 a side exterior view of a multiple needle
sewing-machine embracing my improvements.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 1 on line - and also illustrating my
improved feeding-mechanism.
Figs. 4 and 5 represent transverse sections of quiltings shewing one thicker
at the outer edges than the centre and the other being of parallel thickness.
Referring first to Fig. 3 a is the shoddy or other picker or spiked drum employed
for tearing up the filling material as it enters the machine and one or more of which
may be employed.. is my improved evener or spreader supported above the
table so as to be capable of adjustment vertically in its bearings according to
the thickness of quilt required.
This evener consists of a roller the surface of which is composed of stout
radiating spikes or wires these wires are all of equal length from end to end of the
roller if the fabric is required parallel or of even thickness as in Fig. 5 but if
required to be thicker at the edges than in the middle as in Fig. 4 an evener is
.used with teeth or spikes proportionately longer in the centre.
As this evener revolves above the passing material its office is to spread and
regulate it to the required form and thickness. Instead of the evener b partaking
of a roller construction I sometimes substitute a vertically reciprocating combing
bar the teeth of which are regulated in length to suit the cross section of quilted
surface required.

page_text: ne reeding action may be described as follows:-
The two fabrics to be quilted are drawn from the rollers 1 and 2 the lower fabric
being led over a pulley 3 in almost touching contact with the picker drum a as
illustrated so as to receive the filling material as it is delivered therefrom and to
carry it forward underneath the evener or spreader and thence to the feeding
rollers e, e and sewing mechanism which will now proceed to describe. Figs. 1. 2
and 3 illustrate one form of the multiple needle lock-stitch arrangement of sewing-
machine I employ which has a single needle-bar or row of needles of any number
reaching across the width of the material to be sewn and mounted in standards d, d
such bar being raised and lowered by suitable grooved cams 4 on the driving
shaft o and thus having a vertical reciprocating motion imparted either parallel
with or at any desired angle to the drawing rollers, 7 of the machine.
The improved presser foot is mounted to slide upon rods g, g rising from the
needle bar and is in one piece or in one or more divisions having a series of holes
or slots in its curved foot corresponding in number and position to the needles
employed. The presser foot is provided with pins which project over the top
edge of the needle-bar e and so it becomes raised by such needle-bar when the
material is moving but when the needles are in the material and the same is being
sewn the presser foot exercises pressure thereupon through the action of the spiral
springs i, surrounding the rods y. g.
Shuttle races j, j corresponding in position with the row or gang of needles in
the needle-bar e are employed which are cach so arranged upon vertical slides /
held up by a latch pas illustrated as to be capable of being lowered for the purpose
of taking out the shuttle from below the machine without interfering with the
material being sewn and whilst the machine is working and the remaining shuttles
are sewing. Each shuttle is provided with a carrier and is operated-thrown to
and fro by a projecting pin upon the side of the carrier being embraced by a
slotted arm or picker 3 branching from a rocking shaft . The projecting pin j
when the shuttle race is lowered as aforesaid enters a wider part of the picker and
thus allows such picker to rock to and fro without any effect upon the carrier and
so permitting the shuttle to be removed for refilling etc. whilst the machine is
working. This rocking shaft which is connected to the pickers of all the shuttles
is operated by the short arm m and connecting rod a from the eccentric o upon the
driving shaft o driven by pulley o².
To ensure the proper delivery of the material I employ two or more drawing
rollers % 9 driven by ratchet wheel and pawl from the eccentric q³ on
the driving shaft o'. On the two first rollers I sometimes apply pins arranged
in divergent spiral directions as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to act as temples
act in weaving operations to keep the quilting material fully distended with a
middle row of pins surrounding the roller at its centre to hold the material
centrally on the roller.
In another arrangement I employ three or more drawing rollers as illustrated
in detail view Fig. 6 to more effectually draw forward the material and prevent it
slipping.
I further employ hemming guides or double right and left hand seamers s, s seen
in Fig. 1 but more clearly in detail view Fig. 7 consisting of two conchoids placed
one above another and affixed to the table top as illustrated one being open above
and the other below so that the edges of the two fabrics (composing the quilt) on
being drawn through said conchoids are tucked under in opposite directions and as
they emerge therefrom are stitched together by the extreme end needle (see Fig. 1)
and so I finish off the edges of the quilt simultaneously with its surfaces being sewn
together.
Where I find it necessary to have a pair or more than a pair of needle bars in a
multiple needle quilting machine I prefer to form a gap or race t in the frame as
illustrated in Fig. 3 between each pair of needle-bars and extending nearly to the
floor and in this case I carry the material being quilted across these gaps or races
by means of rollers w, w so that a platform vis capable of being formed along such

page_text: .
gap or race for the attendant to pass to and fro and thus facilitate his access to th
several needle-bars.
ጎ
The improved feeding-mechanism shuttle-races shuttle-carriers hemming-guides
roller delivery mechanism and gap or race construction of frame hereinbefore
described are equally applicable to other multiple needle sewing and quilting
machines.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1st. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting my improved
combined feeding and multiple needle lock-stitch sewing or quilting machine
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated on the
accompanying drawing.
2nd. The employment of one or more spiked drums or pickers in conjunction
with my improved feeding mechanism applied at the front of a multiple needle
sewing machine substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
illustrated.
3rd. The improved evener or spreader adjustable vertically in its bearings in
combination with my improved feeding mechanism substantially as and for the
purposes herein before described.
4th. The employment of a guide roller for leading the lower fabric into close
proximity to the spiked drum for conveying the filling material to and underneath
the evener substantially as herein before described.
5th. In a multiple needle sewing-machine the employment of a needle-bar or
row of needles reaching across the entire width of the fabric to be sewn and
mounted either parallel with or at any desired angle to the drawing rollers
and operated substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
illustrated.
6th. In a multiple needle lock-stitch sewing-machine the employment of shuttle-
races and shuttle-carriers each actuated by a slotted picker and capable of sliding
up and down vertically to facilitate the withdrawing and refilling of the shuttle
without stopping the machine substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
on the accompanying drawing.
7th. The employment of hemming guides or left and right hand seamers
composed of two conchoids one above another and placed at each side of the
fabric and operating substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described
and illustrated.
()
8th. The improved construction of frame gap or race and platform arrangement
between each series of multiple needle sewing-machines to give facility of access to
the several needle bars substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated on the
accompanying drawing.
9th. The employment in a combined feeding and multiple needle sewing-
machine of two or more drawing rollers for drawing forward the material as it is
sewn all mounted and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
on the accompanying drawing.
10th. The employment of pins on the drawing rollers of my improved multiple
needle sewing-machine arranged in divergent spiral directions at each end and
around the centre thereof substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
illustrated.
11th. The improved presser foot formed in one or more divisions as and for the
purposes herein before described.
1001
JOHN G. WILSON,
Agent for the Applicant.