Improvements in Furniture Trimmings, Fringes, or Edgings, and in Means or Apparatus Employed in Manufacturing the same.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 19th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furniture Trimmings, Fringes, or Edgings, and
in Means or Apparatus Employed in Manufacturing the same.
I, ROBERT HARKER of 3, 4 and 5 Well Street, in the City of London,
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
This invention relates to improvements in furniture trimmings known as fringes
or edgings and in means or apparatus for their manufacture.
In carrying out my invention I take a tape of suitable pattern and approximately
along the middle of same I form a row of loops projecting along one,―the front
side of said tape and these loops are formed by passage of a needle carrying a
worsted or other thread through such tape over an intercepting or retaining part to
make a loop to a gauge and returning through the tape, to again re-enter at another
point, repeating the looping until the desired succession has been accomplished, the
threads passing along the back of and over the intervening threads of the tape serving
as holding means for the loops. These loops. may then at their front ends be
gathered into sets and have attached to them, balls or other ornamental attachments
according to the pattern desired. One half of the tape in the finished article is
designed to be seen and is therefore of suitably ornamental design whilst the other
half being folded under may be plain.
In order to expedite and facilitate manufacture I may cause the tape to be
unwound from a reel or holder and laid on and drawn along a table or surface
provided with a suitable opening for passage of the needle and of the loops when
formed, the draught on the tape being effected by means of a roller or rollers or
equivalent means adapted to effect intermittent feed coöperating with the needle in
its reciprocating action in the formation of the loops. To hold the loops as formed
and prevent their being dislodged in the retraction of the needle I employ a finger
or part which enters the loop as it is being formed and remains therein until
a sufficient number of loops have become similarly held to withstand unmoved the
pull on the loop thread, or I employ a holder or stand in which are lodged a series
of pins and which at the bottom has an opening into which enters a pusher
actuated in season by a part of the apparatus, so that a pin enters each loop as
formed below two wires or longitudinal guides and travels with its loop for a given
distance determined by said guides when it tilts up and drops free from said loop.
Or the pins may come into position and be released as they are caused to project,
travel along and be successively retracted from a guide way by means of a cam
course or equivalent device, the holders of the pins or loop sinkers being actuated
by gearing timed so as to cause the cooperation with the looping needle.
Another modification of the apparatus may consist of a strip of metal set with
upright inclined or other form of pins at desired intervals—a corresponding strip of
metal and shorter pins in rear of first-the web to be fringed is placed in front of
the first named and a large needle (in which the cord for fringe is already threaded)
is passed through the web and between each of the front pins and then over the
rear pins where it is held when needle is withdrawn thus forming loop.
Dated the 21st day of April 1893

page_text: Improvements in Furniture Trimmings, Fringes, or Edgings, and
in Means or Apparatus Employed in Manufacturing the same.
I, ROBERT HARKER, of 3, 4, and 5 Well Street, in the City of London,
Manufacturer, 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 :—
This invention relates to improvements in furniture trimmings known as fringes
or edgings and in means or apparatus for their manufacture.
In carrying out my invention I take a tape of suitable pattern and approximately
along the middle of same I form a row of loops projecting along one, the front side,
of said tape, and these loops are formed by passage of a needle carrying a worsted
or other thread through such tape over an intercepting or retaining part to make a
loop to a gauge and returning through the tape, to again re-enter at another point,
repeating the looping until the desired succession has been accomplished, the threads
passing along the back of and over the intervening threads of the tape serving as
holding means for the loops. These loops may then at their front ends be gathered
into sets and have attached to them, balls or other ornamental attachments
according to the pattern desired. One half of the tape in the finished article is
designed to be seen and is therefore of suitably ornamental design whilst the other
half being folded under may be plain.
In order to expedite and facilitate manufacture I have devised suitable apparatus
which will be hereinafter described reference being had to the accompanying
drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews by an edge view a piece of tape with loops formed upon it
according to my invention, A being the tape, and B the material forming the loops.
Figure 2 shows the reverse side of the tape with loops shown in Fig. 1.
Figure 3 shows by front view one form of apparatus for facilitating the
manufacture of my improved trimmings and Figure 4 shows by an end view, partly
in section, the machine shown in Figure 3, the section being taken on the line 1-1
of Figure 3 looking towards the right.
Figure 5 shows by plan view, Figure 6 by front view, and Figure 7 by a cross
section on the line 2-2, Fig. 5, a modification of my apparatus.
In Figs. 3 and 4 the tape A, which may be unwound from a reel or holder, not
shown, is drawn along a table or surface a, provided with a suitable opening a¹ for
passage of the needle b and of the loops B when formed, the draught on the tape A
being effected by means of suitable rollers cc adapted to effect intermittent feed
coöperating with the needle b in its reciprocating action in the formation of the
loops. The driving spindle d (operated by suitable means, not shown) has
mounted upon it a cam or eccentric e provided with a rod e¹ and pawl e³ to operate
a ratchet e mounted on the axis of the upper roller c, thus giving to the rollers ce
an intermittent motion to pull the tape along the table as required. In order to
prevent the tape from doubling as it passes along the table sufficient back-draught
is obtained by means of the rollers which hold the tape tightly and keep it
flat upon the table. The surfaces of the rollers c, c, c², c³, are roughened so as to
obtain a grip upon the tape, this being further secured by weighting the top rollers c
and c, as by weights w, w¹ c is a guide roller.
The reciprocating motion is given to the needle 6 by means of eccentrics ff
mounted upon the shaft d and having eccentric rods f¹³ connected to the needle
support b. 9, 9 are guides, and his supporting framing. The material for the

page_text: 2
loops B is supplied to the needle from a reel i mounted upon its support ¿¹ upon
the table a.
To hold the loops as formed and prevent their being dislodged in the retraction
of the needle I employ a holder k, preferably of spirally twisted wire, and rotated
at a suitable speed by frictional contact with a roller k³, said roller having mounted
upon its axis a pulley k driven by means of a band k passing over the driving
spindle d. As the needle 6 penetrates the material and carries the loop below the
table the finger k¹ of the rotating holder k is inserted into the newly formed loop
which passes on to the next coil and so on until a sufficient number of loops have
become similarly held to withstand unmoved the pull on the loop thread; when the
holder is full the loops pass off the end k² one by one. The holder k is supported
by means of the rods k, ke, which have a space between them for the passage of
the needle with loop.
The guard e keeps the pawl e central on its place on the ratchet e³.
Another modification of the apparatus is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 and may
consist of a strip of metal with suitable pins m, m, m, at desired intervals,―a
corresponding strip of metal n, and shorter pins o, o, o somewhat inclined, in rear
of first-the web A to be fringed is placed in front of the pins m and a large
needle p (in which the cord B for the fringe or loop is already threaded) is passed
through the web A. and between each of the front pins m and then over the rear
pins o where it is held when the needle p is withdrawn thus forming the loops B.
The length of the loops required may be variably adjusted by means of gauge
blocks of suitable widths inserted between the strip and the strip support n².
The unscrewing of the fly-nuts n³ n³ permits of the rear strip n, with its support n'
being tilted up, thus releasing the row of loops.
Having now 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 :-
1. The hereinbefore described method of manufacturing furniture trimmings,
fringes or edgings as set forth.
2. The method of manufacturing furniture trimmings, fringes or edgings, with
the aid of apparatus such as is described and shewn with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3
and 4.
3. The combination or arrangement and use of parts of apparatus for the
manufacture of furniture trimmings, fringes, or edgings, substantially as set forth
with reference to Figures 5, 6 and 7 of the drawings.
4. In apparatus for the manufacture of furniture trimmings, fringes or edgings
the combination of the following instrumentalities: a tape support, an opening
therein for passage of a needle, a needle carrying the worsted or other thread, for
forming the loops in the tape, a holder for the formed loops, suitable feed means
for regulating the supply of tape, and parts for effecting and ensuring the
coöperation of the whole, substantially as set forth with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.
5. A new article of manufacture consisting of a furniture trimming, fringe, or
edging, consisting of a plain tape combined with loops of worsted or other suitable
thread, interlaced with said tape, by means of needles, holders and coöperating
parts as set forth.
Dated the 19th day of January 1894.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.