Improvements in Carpet Binding Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 25th June, 1898
[Communicated from abroad by THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, of New
York, in the United States of America, Sewing Machine Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Carpet Binding Apparatus.
I, WILLIAM HARVEY INSLEE, Manager of The Singer Manufacturing Company,
Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire, 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 certain improvements to be used in connection with
the carpet holding and sewing apparatus described in the Specifications of Letters
Patent Nos. 16460 of 1894 and 20365 of 1895, the object of the present invention
being to provide means whereby a binding may be applied to the raw edge of.
a carpet, and more particularly to a device whereby one edge of a binding tape
may be sewed flat to the pile face of the carpet preparatory to being folded over
the said edge and over the seam first formed, so as to be finally sewed down taut
over the carpet edge by the apparatus hereinafter described. To this end I have
provided, in connection with an apparatus by which a carpet is supported edge-
wise vertically, and with a travelling sewing machine, a depending combined
carpet and binding guide preferably of such construction that the edge of a
flat-wise held binding tape will be caused to register with the edge of the carpet
to be bound so that a seam may be formed through both the carpet and binding,
near to and parallel with their edges, to attach one edge of the binding to the
carpet; the binding to be subsequently folded over the seam thus formed and
the carpet edge, and then finally sewed down by another seam, as heretofore
stated. In connection with the depending carpet and binding guide, of what-
ever form used, a tape support or reel, carried by the travelling sewing machine
and so supported thereon as to be in advance of the guide will preferably be
employed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide means whereby, when
a binding has been sewed to the pile face of the raw edge of a carpet, as above
mentioned, the said binding, when folded over the seain first formed and over
its own edge and the edge of the carpet, may be stretched or drawn taut over
the carpet edge, and the carpet and binding be properly held while the travelling.
sewing machine advances and sews down the last or folded-over edge of the
binding strip to the back of the carpet. To this end I have provided, in connec-.
tion with a carpet-holding or supporting apparatus and a sewing machine, a
stretching-device for drawing the folded binding taut over the raw carpet edge
being bound, this stretching device consisting preferably of a wedge-shaped
finger reciprocating in a plane transverse to the plane of movement of the
travelling machine (or of the movement of the work if the latter be the moving.
part) and having a roughened or serrated working face which, acting against
the free edge of the binding strip, continually draws the same tight over the
carpet edge to be bound. This reciprocating stretcher in this binding operation
takes the place of the reciprocating piler; described in the Specification of Letters
Patent No. 16460 of 1894.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front end view of the travelling
sewing machine with a carpet and binding guide applied thereto, the machine
guide-way and carpet support being also partly shown. Fig. 2 is a detail side view
to show the relative positions of the guide and tape reel. Fig. 3 is a detail side
view of the carpet and binding guide which causes the binding tape to register
with the edge of the carpet, and Fig. 4 is a detail end view of the same. Figs. 5
and 6 are detail side and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a depending guide
adapted to present the binding and carpet to the needle with the binding folded
over the carpet edge. Fig. 7 is a front end view similar to Fig. 1 but showing
the stretching device applied to the machine. Fig. 8 illustrates the binding
operation and Fig. 9 is a detail side view of the binding guide and the recipro-
cating stretcher.
.f
The travelling sewing machine A is, or may be, essentially the same in con-
struction and operation as the machine shown and described in the Specifications
of Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to, and is adapted to run on guide-rails
or tracks B and to be moved along by feeding devices which engage a stationary
rack-bar b, as fully set forth in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 16460
of 1894. The carpet to be bound is supported edge-wise vertically and prefer-
ably by the holding and clamping devices operating in connection with fixed
supports, as d, as fully described in the said latter specification, and one of which
holding and clamping devices d¹ with its impaling pin is herein shown pivoted
at its upper end to the fixed arm attached to a support or standard d³.
E is the depending carpet and binding guide removably attached to the
travelling machine A and having a carpet-passage e and a separate binding strip
passage e¹ the upper edges of both of which are at the same level, or in the same
horizontal plane, so as to cause the upper edges of the carpet and binding to be
brought into register with each other. The carpet passage is open at its bottom
for an obvious reason, while the bottom of the binding strip passage is closed, the
vertical extent of the latter passage being equal to the width of the binding
which is to be used.
To adapt the binder for use in connection with bindings of varying widths
without requiring entire interchangeable binders of different sizes to be used,
a portion of the binder comprising the division wall or plate e and the lower
part of the outer wall or plate of the binder is formed separate from the upper
part of said outer wall or plate and is removably attached thereto in any suit-
able or convenient manner, as by screws es. By providing interchangeable
parts 3, 3, of different sizes or widths the binding passage e¹ may be varied in
extent to accommodate bindings of different widths, as will be understood.
To facilitate the entrance of the binding into the binding passage by the
attendant at the commencement of the work a slot e is preferably formed in the
outer wall of the said binding passage and through which slot a pointed instru-
ment may be introduced to move the binding along in said passage.
F denotes a binding-carrying reel or support which is sustained by an arm
or bracket attached to any suitable part of the frame A' of the travelling sewing
machine and extending out in front of said machine so as to carry the binding
in advance of the binding and carpet guide. The binding tape on the reel is
pressed down slightly to hold it smooth by a metal plate f¹, and to hold the
binding under proper tension as it unwinds the said plate, which turns with the
reel or coil of binding, is pressed against by a friction spring f having a rectan-
gular or other suitable opening to engage a corresponding or rectangular portion
of the fixed pin f3 around which the binding reel or coil turns.
For use in applying a folded binding to a carpet edge, so that both edges of
the binding may be sewed to the carpet at one operation, the depending guide E¹
having the carpet passage e7 and the separate enclosed binding passage
e8 may
be employed. With the use of this form of guide, however, the binding cannot
be so tightly and neatly applied to the carpet edge as when the binding is first
applied flatwise to the pile face of the carpet by means of my guide E herein-

page_text: before described, and then afterwards folded over the carpet edge and drawn
taut over the same in being finally sewed down by the apparatus now to be
described with reference to Figures 7, and 9 of the drawings in which E is a
depending saddle-guide which rides over the upper edge of the carpet which is
supported edge-wise vertically and over which upper edge the binding tape or
strip 9, (one edge of which has been previously attached to the pile face of the
carpet) is, folded. G is the wedge-shaped reciprocating stretcher the working.
face of which is roughened or serrated with the teeth facing downward so as to
engage the binding strip in the down strokes of the stretcher, but sliding freely
upward over said binding strip on the return strokes. The shank g¹ of the said
stretcher is attached, as by a set screw g², to the reciprocating loop-spreader bar g³
to which, in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 16460 of 1894, the piler is
shown as being attached, thus taking the place of the said piler. The saddle-
guide E is provided with an opening e' through which the stretcher can work
to engage the folded-over binding strip, and stretch the same transversely in
front of the needle.
In the operation of the machine herein shown in sewing down the last edge
of a binding strip one edge of which has already been attached by a line of stitches
to the pile face of the carpet, the stitches of the last seam will pass through the
carpet and binding in the same plane as the stitches of the first seam, or sub-
stantially. so, but as the stitches of the first seam will be covered by the folded-
over binding, and as the last seam will be made with its enchained side at the
back of the carpet, the binding attaching stitches, when the thread or threads
thereof correspond in colour to the carpet and binding, will be hardly visible
on the face of the carpet, being nearly hid by the pile thereof; and as the folded
binding will be drawn tight over the edge of the carpet by the stretching device
a neat and durable finish will be given to the carpet edges thus bound.
Although I prefer, in the..use of, the binding device hereinbefore described, to
employ a carpet holding and sewing apparatus which sustains the carpet being
bound edgewise vertically, and which employs a travelling sewing machine, I
do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to these features; as the
carpet to be bound might be supported horizontally, or the sewing machine might
be stationary and the carpet fed through the same by any well-known form of
feeding apparatus. Neither do I wish to be understood as limiting my invention
to the particular form of binding stretching device herein shown, as I consider
that any device which will stretch the folded-over binding laterally, or trans-
versely to the seam, would be an equivalent for the reciprocating stretcher herein
shown and described.
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 guide E having the carpet passage e open at its bottom and the binding
passage el closed at its bottom, the connected parts e², e3, of the said guide, forming
the closed bottom of said passage, being detachably secured to the part e thereof,
to permit of the use of similar interchangeable parts of different sizes.
2. The combination with appliances for supporting a carpet edgewise vertically,
a travelling sewing machine, and a track or guideway on which said machine
may move, of a depending, carpet and binding guide carried by said machine
and having separated carpet and binding passages, and a binding support also
carried by said machine.
3. The combination with appliances for supporting a carpet edgewise vertically,
a travelling sewing machine, and a track or guideway on which said machine
may move, of a depending, carpet and binding guide carried by said machine
and having separated carpet and binding passages, the tops of both of said
passages being at the same level or in the same horizontal plane to bring the

page_text: upper edges of the carpet and binding into register with each other, and a
binding support also carried by said machine.
4. The combination with a carpet holding apparatus, of a track or guideway,
a travelling sewing machine running on said track or guideway, an inverted or
saddle guide for the edge of the carpet and its attached binding, and which guide
is carried by said travelling machine, and a stretching device, also carried by
said travelling machine and comprising means to act on the binding to draw
the same tight in a plane transverse to the line of the seam, and by which a
folded-over binding, one edge of which has been previously attached to a carpet
near the edge thereof, may be drawn taut over the said edge of the carpet when
the other edge or part of said binding is to be sewed down to the carpet.
5. The combination with a carpet holding apparatus, of a track or guideway,
a travelling sewing machine fitted to run on said track or guideway, a guide for
the edge of the carpet and its attached binding, a binding stretching device
having a serrated or roughened face, and means for reciprocating the said stretch-
ing device in a plane transverse to the seam formed by said travelling sewing
machine.
6. The combination with a carpet holding apparatus, a travelling sewing
machine and a track or guideway for said machine, of a depending saddle carpet
guide carried by said machine, and provided at its top with an opening, and a
reciprocating binding stretcher working through said opening and serving to
draw taut a folded-over binding one edge of which has already been attached to
the edge of the carpet.
70.
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Of the Firm, of Cruikshank & Fairweather,
Chartered Patent Agents,
62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Agent for the Applicant.