Mattress edge sewing machine

A mattress edge chain-stitch sewing machine having a frame with a material supporting surface, a drive shaft revolubly mounted about a fixed axis in said frame, a reciprocally driven needle bar mounted in said frame and operable along a fixed and generally vertical centerline, and a feed mechanism for advancing material beneath said needle bar and along a generally horizontal direction, said feed mechanism comprising:

• a lower feed roller mounted for rotation about a fixed axis arranged below the material supporting surface of said machine;
• an upper feed roller biased into operable combination with said lower feed roller, with said upper feed roller being mounted for rotation about an axis in a manner permitting said upper feed roller to be shifted relative to said lower feed roller between a first position, wherein said upper and lower feed rollers are arranged in constant operable combination relative to each other to advance the material beneath the needle bar, and a second position, wherein said upper and lower feed rollers are separated form operable engagement relative to each other;
• and
• wherein said upper and lower feed rollers are arranged in the line of and rearwardly of the generally vertical centerline of the needle bar by a distance ranging between about 0.4 inch and about 1.0 inch, measured in the direction of materials advancement, with said upper and lower feed rollers being positively and intermittently driven such that material advancing beneath the needle bar is moved in timed relation relative to the reciprocation of said needle bar.

A mattress edge chain-stitch sewing machine having a frame, a drive shaft revolubly mounted in said frame, a needle bar driven by said shaft and reciprocal along a fixed path of travel, a throat plate arranged beneath the needle bar and forming part of a material supporting surface for said machine, with an edge of said throat plate being disposed in proximate lateral relation to said needle bar defining a working edge of said machine, and a stitch forming mechanism comprising:

• stitch forming instrumentalities including a needle mounted to a lower end of said needle bar for movement along a fixed generally vertical reciprocal path of travel;
• and with said stitch forming instrumentalities further including a looper arranged pivotal and across-the-line of feed movements relative to and in combination with said needle to form chain stitches in a workpiece, and with a tip of said looper remaining to one side of the working edge of said machine during a sewing operation;
• and
• wherein the needle traverses a distance in a single vertical direction at a ratio greater than 3:1 relative to the distance in a single lateral direction traversed by said looper during a single stitch forming cycle of said machine.