Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 31st Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 17th Feb., 1888
[Communicated from abroad by FRANK LOOMIS PALMER, of New London, in the
State of Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The Inventor thus describes his Invention:
:-
My invention relates to the method of making comfortables, which involves the
bringing together of two continuous face fabrics, and an interposed filling to form a
continuous compound fabric, which is subsequently cut transversely into pieces of
proper size for comfortables.
After the several component parts of the compound fabric are brought together as
described, the compound fabric is quilted throughout its width, and its longitudinal
edges are sewed, and it is cut transversely. These several operations are often
performed in the order named, but sometimes the longitudinal edges are sewed at the
same time the quilting is performed, and my invention applies equally where the
compound fabric is cut before quilting, to form comfortables which are quilted on
another machine or machines.
When the sewing of the longitudinal edges is left until after the fabric is quilted
throughout its extent, it is difficult to perform properly, leaving the quilt in proper
shape, because the two face fabrics, which often overlap one another at the edges,
cannot be evened and made coincident after the fabric is quilted, and because, if the
filling happens to fall short of or protrude beyond the face fabrics at any points in
their edges, it cannot be drawn out to such edges, or tucked in, or evened, as could
be done if the quilting had not then been performed. Furthermore, when the sewing
of the longitudina! edges is done by edge sewing machines after the quilting, or
simultaneously with the quilting, and while the fabric is under tension, or is in its

page_text: direct and continuous travel through the gang machine, any derangement of the
needles or machines for sewing the edges will necessitate the instant stoppage of the
gang machine, and a suspension of the operations until the defect can be remedied.
The object of my invention is to improve upon the method above referred to, so
that the compound fabric, before being passed through the gang machine to be quilted,
or before being cut transversely to form comfortables, shall have its longitudinal edges
evened and sewed or finished, thereby avoiding the objections above referred to.
The invention consists, first, in the improvement in the method of making
comfortables, consisting in bringing together two continuous face fabrics and an
interposed filling, in securing them together at their longitudinal edges to form a
compound fabric having its face fabrics united at their longitudinal edges, and in
subsequently quilting the compound fabric in order to secure the face fabrics and
filling together between their longitudinal edges, as distinguished from a method of
making comfortables which involves the quilting of the compound fabric before, or
at the same time that its longitudinal edges are secured.
Second, the improvement in the method of making comfortables, consisting in
bringing together two continuous face fabrics and an interposed filling, and in
securing them together at their longitudinal edges to form a continuous compound
fabric having its face fabrics united at their longitudinal edges, and in afterwards
passing the compound fabric through a gang sewing machine to quilt it, and then
cutting the quilted fabric transversely to form comfortables, as distinguished from
a method of making comfortables which involves the quilting of the fabric before,
or at the same time that its longitudinal edges are secured.
+
Third, the improvement in the method of making comfortables consisting in
bringing together two continuous face fabrics and an interposed filling, and in
securing them together at their longitudinal edges to form a continuous compound
fabric having its face fabrics united at the longitudinal edges, in maintaining a
surplus of the fabric, with its united longitudinal edges, in advance of the edge
sewing machines, and then passing the fabric from such surplus through a gang
sewing machine for quilting it between its longitudinal edges, and in finally cutting
the compound quilted fabric transversely to form comfortables.
The invention also consists in novel arrangements and combinations of parts in
the machinery or apparatus for carrying out my invention. Such machinery
comprises edge sewing machines for sewing the longitudinal edges of the compound
fabric, and a gang sewing machine for quilting the fabric, the machines which
accomplish said two results being arranged one in advance of the other, and having
independently operating feed mechanism, whereby a surplus of fabric may be
maintained between the machines, so that in case of the stoppage of either machine
or machines, the other or others will not be necessarily stopped, but may work on
the surplus of prepared fabric.-I may, for example, arrange the two-edge sewing
machines behind the gang sewing machine, and provide them with a feed for the
compound fabric entirely independent of the feed of the gang machine. The edge
sewing machines may then do more rapid work than the gang, and a surplus of
fabric having finished longitudinal edges may be maintained in advance of the edge
sewing machines, and behind the gang machine, and in case of the failure of either
of the edge sewing machines, the gang machine can be supplied from the surpitts
until the necessary repairs or changes can be made. Because of thus maintaining
a surplus of fabric between the machines for sewing the edges and the gang
quilting machine, it is possible for two operators to do the edge sewing for two gang
sewing or quilting machines, the operators being able to sew the edges rapidly enough
to accumulate behind one gang machine a surplus sufficient to supply that machine
while they provide a similar surplus for the other gang machine.
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1 1037
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Comfortables from
Continuous Fabrics.
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents 6 Breams Buildings Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer 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:-
Bed-comfortables of the less expensive grades are now made from a continuous
fabric, that is to say, the print-cloths or other outer fabrics which form the two faces
of the comfortables are unwound from rolls or beams, and the filling material, which
is in the form of laps taken from a carding engine or other machine, is unwound and
spread out between the converging portions of the two face fabrics as they pass
between two feeding or drawing rolls. The compound and continuous fabric thus
produced is often passed directly and continuously through a gang sewing machine
having a sufficient number of needles on one reciprocating needle bar to quilt the
fabric throughout its width, and after being quilted, the continuous fabric is cut
transversely to form comfortables, which are sewed and bound or hemmed all round
their edges. It has also been proposed to sow the side edges of the continuous fabric
by separate needles at the opposite sides of the gang sewing machine attached to the
same needle bar as the quilting needles, or by means of two single needle sewing
machines, through or past which the fabric moves after passing through the gang
sewing machine.
The methods of operation above described are objectionable for several reasons.
The two face fabrics are often uneven, lapping or extending one beyond the other at
the edges, and the compound fabric is quilted with the edges in such uneven condition,
thereby necessitating a reduction in the width of the fabric when the longitudinal
edges are sewed and finished. The cotton or wool used as filling, whether supplied
from a lap, or spread by hand between the face fabrics, will also be somewhat uneven,
and will project slightly beyond, or fall short of the edges of the face fabric, and
pieces of the filling are apt to be caught and pulled or shaken out while passing
through the gang sewing machine, and before the longitudinal edges of the fabric are
sewed up and furnished.
Any method in which the edges of the continuous fabric are sewed and finished by
needles or machines operating in connection with the gang machine, and while the
fabric is under tension, or is in its direct and continuous travel through the gang
machine, is also objectionable, for the reason that any derangement of the needles or
machines for sewing the edges will necessitate the instant stoppage of the gang
machine, and a suspension of operation until the defect can be remedied.
The object of the present invention is to improve upon the methods above described,
so that the compound fabric, before being passed through the gang machine to bu
quilted, or before being cut transversely to form comfortables, shall have its
.

page_text: longitudinal edges evened and sewed or finished, thereby avoiding the objections
above referred to.
The improved method consists essentially in bringing together two continuous
face fabrics and an interposed filling; in securing them together at their longitudinal
edges to form a compound fabric having its face fabrics united at the longitudinal
edges, and in subsequently quilting the compound fabric in order to secure the face
fabrics and filling together between their longitudinal edges, as distinguished from
the method of making comfortables which involves the quilting of the compound
fabric before or at the same time that its longitudinal edges are secured.
The improved method also consists in bringing together two continuous face fabrics
and an interposed filling; in securing them together at their longitudinal edges to
form a continuous compound fabric having its face fabrics united at their longitudinal
edges, and in afterwards passing the compound fabric through a gang sewing-
machine to quilt it, and cutting the fabric transversely to form comfortables, as
distinguished from a method of making comfortables which involves the quilting
of the compound fabric before, or at the same time that its longitudinal edges
are secured.
The method also consists in bringing together two continuous face fabrics and an
interposed filling to form a continuous compound fabric; in then sewing the
longitudinal edges of the compound fabric, and in afterwards passing the fabric
through a gang sewing-machine to quilt it throughout its width, and then cutting
the quilted fabric iransversely to form comfortables.
In carrying out this method, the inventor prefers to keep a surplus of the compound
fabric with finished longitudinal edges between the sewing machines which sew the
edges and the gang sewing machine, and then the edge sewing machines can be
stopped for a time without necessitating the stopping of the gang machine. This
surplus of fabric which is ready for the gang machine enables the edge sewing
machine to be fixed in case of their derangement without stopping the gang machine,
and it also enables two operators to do the edge sewing of the fabrics for two gang
machines, the edge sewing of the two fabrics being performed alternately, and a
surplus of fabric having finished edges being provided for passage through one gang
machine while the operators are providing a similar surplus of fabric for the other
gang machine.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section.
Fig. 2 is a plan of a system of machines for carrying out the improved
method; and
Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the dotted linex Fig. 1.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
The present invention does not include any improvement in either the gang
sewing machine or edge sewing machines, and hence the drawings shew arbitrary
representations of such machines. Such machines may be of similar construction to
those ordinarily employed. The gang sewing machine A has a reciprocating needle
bar carrying a sufficient number of needles to quilt the fabric throughout the whole
or any part of its width, and the edge sewing machines B have each a single needle,
and are of usual or any suitable construction.
The two print cloths or face fabrics cc are taken from beams or rolls C, and
converge to an idler roll d arranged above a table or bed D, over which they pass.
The filling which is interposed between the two face fabrics c to form the compound
fabric c, is unwound from laps e, which are produced by a carding engine or other
machine; or it may be spread in a loose state by hand. The table or bed D extends
forward to the gang sewing machine, and in front of the edge sewing machines B is
a pair of feed rolls f, which may be geared together and given with a step-by-step
movement, or continuously.
By the feed rolls the compound fabric is drawn forward through or past the
edge sewing machines B, and by the operators at these machines the face fabrics c
and filling are evened at the longitudinal edges, and sewed together or finished.

page_text: The compound fabric c¹, before it passes to the gang sewing machine A, has its
longitudinal edges evened and finished, and the filling secured and protected at
these edges. The inventor prefers to have a surplus of compound fabric e' with
finished edges accumulate in folds on the table D between the feed rolls and the
feed rolls which are behind the needle bar of the gang machine A, and then the
edge sewing machines B may be stopped for a time without necessitating the stoppage
of the gang machine. After the compound fabric e¹ has been quilted by the gang
machine, it may be cut transversely to form the individual comfortables which then
have their remaining edges finished.
In some cases the inventor sews and finishes the longitudinal edges of the compound
fabric by the edge sewing machines B, and then cuts it transversely without passing
it through the gang machine, and such comfortables would then be quilted on another
machine.
Although the inventor prefers to secure the face fabrics and filling together at
both longitudinal edges of the compound fabric before quilting the same, it is obvious
that the advantages of this invention may, in a measure, be secured by sewing the
compound fabric at one longitudinal edge only, before quilting and sewing the other
longitudinal edge at the time of quilting or afterwards.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The improvement in the method of making comfortables consisting in bringing
together two continuous face fabrics and an interposed filling, in securing them
together at their longitudinal edges to form a compound fabric having its face fabrics
united at their longitudinal edges, and in subsequently quilting the compound fabric
in order to secure the face fabrics and filling together between their longitudinal
edges, as distinguished from a method of making comfortables which involves the
quilting of the compound fabric before, or at the same time that its longitudinal edges
are secured, substantially as herein described.
2. The improvement in the method of making comfortables consisting in bringing
together two continuous face fabrics and an interposed filling, and in securing thom
together at their longitudinal edges to form a continuous compound fabric having its
face fabrics united at their longitudinal edges, and in afterwards passing the compound
fabric through a gang sewing machine to quilt it, and then cutting the quilted fabric
transversely to form comfortables, as distinguished from
a method of making
comfortables which involves the quilting of the fabric before, or at the same time that
its longitudinal edges are secured, substantially as herein described.
3. The improvement in the method of making comfortables consisting in bringing
together two continuous face fabrics and an interposed filling, and in securing them
together at their longitudinal edges to form a continuous compound fabric having its
face fabrics united at the longitudinal edges; in maintaining a surplus of the fabric
with its united longitudinal edges in advance of the edge sewing machine, and then
passing the fabric from such surplus through a gang sewing machine for quilting it
between its longitudinal edges, and in finally cutting the compound quilted fabric
transversely to form comfortables, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 31st day of December 1887
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.