IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING CARPET LINING
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING CARPET LINING."—A
communication from abroad by Joel Fisher Fales, of Walpole, in the
County of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville.
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 8th November 1870.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING'
CARPET LINING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for manufacturing
carpet lining, which improvements consist in the application to such
machines of a sewing mechanism which is arranged between the guide

page_text: and feed rolls, so that the said sewing mechanism does not in the least
interfere with the continuous motion of the fabric. For this purpose the
mechanism for moving the swinging needle is so arranged that the
needle when it enters the fabric will move forward with the fabric and
will move back again over the cloth when out, thus not interfering with
the motion of the fabric. The Invention consists in attaching - the
sewing mechanism to a reciprocating swinging frame, and in providing
it with a stationary slotted bed or cloth plate over which the fabric is
continuously fed.
The machine consists of a frame, on which are hung small guide rolls
which receive the slicet paper from feed rolls above and below for the
lining of the carpet with the batting between them, and large measuring
rolls all arranged and operating by gearing in the usual way. On one
end of the measuring rolls is affixed a wheel, having a tooth or spur on
its periphery, which engages with the teeth on another wheel pivoted
to the machine framing. On the side of the latter wheel is a spur that
catches a hammer which strikes a bell, and thus gives the signal when
the measuring rolls have made a certain number of revolutions and
passed between them a given number of yards of fabric. The driving
shaft for the sewing mechanism has its bearings in the lower part of the
frame of the machine. Upon the machine framing is placed, in front of
the guide rolls, a frame to support a series of needles for stitching or
quilting the fabric as it moves forward to the measuring rolls.
The needle frame consists of two slotted uprights at the opposite sides
of the frame of the machine, and of a horizontal plate connecting their
lower ends. This plate is under the fabric, and serves as a cloth plate,
it being slotted to allow the needles to pass through and move it. The
needles, of which any suitable number may be used, project downward
from a frame which has projecting pins at its ends that fit into vertical
slots of the uprights. It must here be stated that the slots of these
uprights are vertically above the driving shaft. The sewing frame has
downwardly extending arms which are with their lower ends pivoted to
cranks or eccentrics that are formed at the ends of the driving shaft.
Each needle fits through the horizontal arm of a presser foot. Each
presser foot is fitted through two horizontal bars of the sewing frame,
and is by means of a spring, under one of the horizontal bars, held down
and made yielding to pressure from below.

page_text: The operation of the sewing mechanism is as follows:-The fabric is
drawn continuously ahead, at the same time the sewing frame receives a
combined oscillating and reciprocating motion by its connection with
the driving shaft, and the needles then pierce the fabric. They are
then swung forward so as to move as fast as the fabric, and are
then pushed up and out of the fabric. The presser feet reach the
fabric when tho needle has just pierced the same, and remain there
on the fabric supported by the cloth plate while the needles pass still
further down. The presser feet springs allow this displacement of the
presser feet, and adjust them again when the needles have been raised
out of the fabric. Under the cloth plate is arranged a horizontal shaft,
on which a number of rotating loopers are mounted, one to each needle.
These loopers receive motion from the driving shaft or otherwise, and
from the stitch while the needle is under the cloth plate. Between the
needle frame and the upper guide roll is placed a flat metal smoothing
plate which has a double inclined rib running from the middle on the
rear side to the ends of the plate for the purpose of pressing out the
wrinkles in the paper as it comes up to the sewing needles, the wrinkles
being carried to the edges successively. An adjusting screw is arranged
to bear on each end of the feed rolls, hung on springs for the purpose of
keeping the paper from passing beyond the ends of the roll and pro-
ducing friction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLArk, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors,

page_text: administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Melville Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING CARPET LINING," a
communication to me from abroad by Joel Fisher Fales, of Walpole, in
the County of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander
Melville Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say)
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for manu-
facturing carpet lining, which improvements consist in the application
to such machines of a sewing mechanism which is arranged between
the guide and feed rolls, so that the said sewing mechanism does not in
the least interfere with the continuous motion of the fabric. For this
purpose the mechanism for moving the swinging needle is so arranged
that the needle when it enters the fabric will move forward with the
fabric, and will move back again over the cloth when out, thus not
interfering with the motion of the fabric.
The Invention consists in attaching the sewing mechanism to a
reciprocating swinging frame, and in providing it with a stationary
slotted bed or cloth plate over which the fabric is continuously fed.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 represents a side sectional
view of a machine for manufacturing carpet lining with the improvements
attached taken on the line y, y, of Figure 2; Figure 2 is a vertical cross

page_text: section taken on the line x, x, of Figure 1; Figures 3, 4, and 5 are
details. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A is the frame, on which are hung the small guide rolls B, B', B",
which receive the sheet paper from the feed rolls D, D', above and below
for the lining of the carpet with the batting between them, and the
large measuring rolls C, C', all arranged and operating by gearing in
the usual way.
On one end of the measuring rolls C is affixed a wheel
E, having a tooth or spur a on its periphery, which engages with the
teeth b, b, on a wheel F, and on the side of the wheel F is a spur c that
catches a hammer d which strikes a bell, and thus gives the signal wlien
the measuring rolls have made a certain number of revolutions and
passed between them a given number of yards of fabric, as shown in
Figure 4, in detail. 1, is the driving shaft for the sewing mechanism; it
has its bearings in the frame A. Upon the frame A is placed, in front
of the guide rolls B, a frame G to support a series of needles for stitching
or quilting the fabric as it moves forward to the measuring rolls. The
frame G consists of two slotted uprights f, f, at the opposite sides of the
frame A, and of a horizontal plate i connecting their lower ends; the
plate i is under the fabric and serves as a cloth plate, it being slotted to
allow the needles to pass through. and move it. The needles e, e, (of
which any suitable number may be used, three being shown in Figure 2)
project downward from a frame H, which has projecting pins j, j, at its
ends that fit into vertical slots of the uprights f, as shown. It must
here be stated that the slots of the uprights ƒ are vertically above the
driving shaft h. The frame H has downwardly extending arms / which
are with their lower ends pivoted to cranks or eccentrics that are formed
at the ends of the shaft h, as shown. Each needle fits through the
horizontal arm of a presser foot o, as shown in Figure 2. Each presser
foot is fitted through two horizontal bars of the frame H, and is by
means of a spring (which is under one of the horizontal bars) held
down and made yielding to pressure from below.
The operation of the sewing mechanism is as follows:-The fabric is
drawn continuously ahead, at the same time the sewing frame H
receives a combined oscillating and reciprocating motion by its con-
nection with the driving shaft h, and the needles then pierce the fabric.
They are then by their connection with / swung forward so as to move
as far as the fabric, and are pushed up and out when the cams are in

page_text: front of . The presser feet reach the fabric when the needle has just
pierced the same, and remain there on the fabric supported by the cloth
plate i while the needles pass still further down. The springs allow
this displacement of the presser feet, and adjust them again when the
needles have been raised out of the fabric; under the table i is arranged
a horizontal shaft S, on which a number of rotating loopers g are
mounted, one to each needle. These loopers receive motion from the
driving shaft h, or otherwise, and form the stitch while the needle is
under the cloth plate. In Figure 2 but one looper is shown, although
for each needle. Between frame G and guide
roll B is placed a flat metal smoothing plate H', which has a double
inclined rib K, K, running from the middle on the rear side to the ends
of the plate, for the purpose of pressing out the wrinkles in the paper
as it comes up to the sewing needles, the wrinkles being carried to the
edges successively. An adjusting screw m is arranged to bear on each
end of the feed rolls D, D', hung on springs n, n, for the purpose of
keeping the paper from passing beyond the ends of the roll and pro-
ducing friction.
there should be one
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The combination with the mechanism for moving the material
forward continuously of a reciprocating swinging frame H, carrying the
sewing mechanism, the needle extending and moving forward with the
fabric, and moving back over the fabric when out, substantially as set
forth.
2ndly. The swinging frame H carrying the sewing mechanism when
operating in connection with the bed plate i, and with a continuous
feeding mechanism for the fabric, substantially as specified.
3rdly. The yielding presser feet o, o, arranged in the swinging
reciprocating frame H, operating substantially as herein shown and
described.
4thly. The combination of the guide rolls B, B³, smoothing plate H³,
a sewing mechanism and feed rolls C, C¹, all arranged and operating
substantially as set forth.
5thly. In combination with a carpet lining machine constructed as
described, the sewing devices, smoothing plate H', wheels E, F, and

page_text: hammer a, all arranged and operating as described for the purposes
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, havo
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Fifth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
M. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)