163,225. Jackson, W. J. Mellersh-, (Rockwell & Co., Inc.). June 28, 1920. Sewing - machines; sewing padded edges of mattresses. - The top and bottom corners of the sides of a mattress are sewn simultaneously by duplicate stitching devices mounted on a travelling carriage which is fed step by step along the side of the mattress, each of said devices forming a seam comprising a series of independent loops of twine, the ends of which loops are knotted together and severed. The mattress 3 is clamped, with its corner against the gauge 6, on a fixed support 2 by means of a bar 7 actuated by a handle at the front of the machine. The carriage 30 carrying the stitching devices runs on ways 19 and is moved intermittently between each stitch by a chain and sprocket gear actuated by a cam on the shaft 20 which is manually clutched to a driving-pulley to start the machine. On reaching the end of its travel an arm 39 on the carriage engages a tappet on a rod 36 which acts to declutch the shaft 20 and to set the feed mechanism so that the carriage is fed in the reverse direction when the machine is again started. The stitching-devices are all operated by a cam-carrying sleeve 50, which travels with the carriage and is feathered on the shaft 20 to 'rotate therewith. A bracket 61 pivoted at 62 to the carriage supports the stitching devices and is rocked by the cam 52 to press the work-supports 63, 64 into engagement with the side of the mattress during the formation of each stitch. The presser-feet 65 carried on rods 66 are pressed against the mattress by a cam-actuated lever 67. Knot-tying devices; needle guides; needles, vibrating laterally.-The stitching-devices for the upper corner are a duplicate of those for the lower corner, which comprise a needle 100 mounted in a carrier 71 on a needle bar 72 reciprocated twice for each stitch through a link 73 and camactuated lever 74 to cause the needle to penetrate the mattress at two closely adjacent points to present the twine to devices which grip it and tie the held portions together in a weaver's knot. A pair of needle-guiding slots are formed in each of the pressers 63, 65 and the carrier 71 is rocked between successive needle penetrations so that the needle enters first one and then the other slot, by the mechanism shown in Fig. 18. The boss on the needle bar 72 to which the link 73 is connected has a projection 77 engaging in a slot in a bar 78 which has inclined end portions 79 adapted to move in fixed guideways, so that when the bar 78 is moved longitudinally by a rack 80 thereon engaged by teeth 82 on a camactuated lever, the bar 78 is jogged laterally and rocks the needle-bar 72 to cause the needle to be vibrated laterally. At its first penetration, Fig. 7, the needle presents the twine to be gripped between two jaws 120, 121 mounted in a tube 102 eccentrically carried in the knotter body 101. A hook 122, Fig. 9, on a rotary sleeve 103 now engages the loose end of twine and carries it to the position shown in Fig. 8, while the knotter body 101 is rotated a quarter turn in the opposite direction to place the groove 123 for the needle at its next penetration. As the needle again approaches the knotter, fingers 124 carried on rods 424 are advanced by a cam 428, Fig. 3, on the needle bar to separate the lower limb 113 of the twine loop from the knotter, Fig. 9, and the jaws 120, 121 open to release the twine. The sleeve 103 is now further rotated so that a spreader 125 thereon spreads the second bight 115, whereby the hook 122 carries the first twine end through the second bight and places it in the jaws of a puller 130, Fig. 12. The puller comprises a jaw 132 pivoted at 138 to a fixed jaw which is pivoted at 135 to a bracket 133 secured to a rock-shaft 134. A trigger 140 holds the jaws apart against a spring 139 which closes the jaws on the twine when the trigger 140 is tripped by a pin carried on a part secured to the sleeve 103. A spring 136 urges the puller 130 against a stop 137 on the bracket 133, so that when the shaft 134 is rocked by a cam on the sleeve 50, the twine end is yieldingly pulled to tighten the knot as the needle withdraws. In the further movement of the bracket 133, a pin 141 on the jaw 132 engages a fixed cam 142 and the jaws are opened to release the twine so that the last part of the needle withdrawal pulls the knot into the mattress body. A clamp 164, Fig. 18, on the bracket 61 and a clamp 165 on the needle carrier 71 engaged by cams 170, 171 respectively control the twine passing to the needle. Thread-cutters.-Mounted to slide in guideways in the pressers 63, 65 are cutting blades 150 carried on sliding bars 151, Fig. 12, which are advanced to sever the twine through connection with a cam-actuated lever.