Abstract: A cloth feed apparatus particularly adapted for feeding a heavy cloth roll mounted on a cloth spreading machine. The cloth feed apparatus includes a pair of freely rotatable transverse support rollers in a cloth support frame for supporting substantially the entire weight of a heavy cloth roll transversely of the spreading machine. A cloth feed roller element, in tangential engagement with the outer surface of the cloth roll without supporting any substantial part of the weight of the cloth roll, is driven to feed cloth from the roll. The feed roller element may include a plurality of transversely cleated gripping members and a plurality of transversely spaced belt members entrained about the feed roller element.The cloth feed apparatus also preferably includes a front dancer roller for controlling the speed of the cloth feed roller element and a rear retainer roller movable betweeen a lower loading position and an upper retaining position, to facilitate loading the cloth roll on the support rollers.

Abstract: A knife assembly for cutting an elongated web into belt loop strips for a belt loop sewing or tacker machine. The knife assembly has a blade configuration including a plurality of knife blades diverging in opposite directions along the feed path of the web. For each cutting operation, not only is the web of belt loop material severed to form a leading piece and a trailing portion, but the laterally opposite corner portions of the trailing end of the leading piece and the leading end of the trailing portion are trimmed, prior to the formation of a belt loop from each successive leading piece of belt loop material.

Abstract: An apparatus for securing a pair of elongated cooperative interlocking tapes to the corresponding edges of a pair of fabric pieces, for guiding the edge portions of the fabric pieces to an overlapping vertically aligned position, and for pulling and compressing the overlapping portions into interlocking engagement. The apparatus is particularly adaptable for stitching cooperative tapes of "Velcro" to the opposed edges of fabric pieces, such as the margins of an opening in an edge panel in a sofa cushion cover. The overlapping edges with their opposed tapes are compressed into interlocking relationship so that the edges may be retained closed when the fabric pieces are subsequently stitched to other fabric pieces to complete a sofa cushion cover.

Abstract: A belt loop sewing apparatus including a stitching machine having a stitching station and shiftable clamps for moving a belt loop in the stitching station between two stitching positions, and a loading apparatus. The loading apparatus includes a pair of turning finger members mounted at the end of a pair of longitudinally reciprocable turning rods adapted to receive and carry a belt loop strip from the loading position to the stitching station. The turning rods are mounted in a pair of spiral cam devices capable of causing the rods to rotate through approximately 270.degree. to turn the ends of the belt loop strip and deliver it to the stitching station, in a single, continuous operation.

Abstract: A cloth feed apparatus for a cloth spreading machine adapted to travel reciprocably and longitudinally over a cloth spreading table in order to spread successive layers of cloth, from a cloth supply roll mounted transversely of the machine. The cloth feed apparatus includes a first belt feeder device swingably mounted below the cloth supply roll and biased into constant engagement with the cloth roll for feeding a web of cloth from the roll. A second belt feeder device is mounted beneath the first belt feeder device for receiving a web of cloth from the first belt feeder device and for feeding the web to a discharge station at one end of the spreading machine for deposit upon the spreading table as the machine moves longitudinally of the table. The cloth feed apparatus made in accordance with this invention provides substantially tensionless feeding of the cloth web from the machine to the spreading table, and without the necessity of manually threading the cloth web on the machine.

Abstract: A portable clamp device for releasable mounting upon the track of a cutting table supporting a longitudinally reciprocal cloth spreading machine having a position-control switch and switch actuator, the clamp device being longitudinally aligned with the switch actuator for cooperation therewith. The clamp device includes a body member having a switch actuator element for engagement by the switch actuator, and a fixed jaw and a lever-actuated movable cleat opposing the jaw, adapted to straddle the track for releasable clamping of the track in any desired operative position along the cutting table.

Abstract: A motor-driven cloth spreading machine having a rotary and longitudinally shiftable elongated control shaft for controlling the speed, direction, and braking of the motor driving the cloth spreading machine. The rotary movement of the control shaft is adapted to vary the speed and control the braking means for the motor, while the longitudinal shiftable movement of the control shaft actuates directional switches for controlling the direction of the machine movement.

Abstract: A variable speed control device operatively connected between the wheel of the longitudinally movable frame of a cloth spreading machine and a cloth feed roll on the frame, including a pair of variable pitch pulleys linked by an endless belt, and a manually operable control member for simultaneously varying inversely the diameters of the pulleys in order to change the relative speed of the cloth feed roll and the linear speed of the machine frame.The variable speed control device also includes a clutch control device for selectively engaging and disengaging the drive between the frame wheel and the cloth feed roll.

Abstract: A cloth spreading machine for accurately spreading layers of cloth upon a cloth supporting surface without a catcher mechanism, including a longitudinally reciprocably movable spreader frame having a vertically movable spreader element, a motor for elevating the spreader element and a sensor adapted to detect an increase in the height of the cloth layers and coupled to the elevator motor for continually maintaining a substantially uniform height between the spreader element and the top layer of cloth within close tolerances. A cutter mechanism mounted on the spreader element is operative to cut the cloth when the spreader frame is in a stationary position spaced longitudinally a short distance from the end of the traverse of the spreader frame so that when the cloth is cut, it will fall free upon the next lower layer so that its cut end will lie substantially in a vertical plane containing all of the cut ends of the spread layers.

Abstract: A turntable for supporting a cloth spreading machine adapted to abut the end of a conventional cutting table having an elongated track on each side. The rotary platform of the turntable includes a straight track adapted to align with one track of the cutting table, in one rotary transfer position of the turntable, to permit a cloth spreading machine to be transferred from the cutting table to the turntable. When the turntable is rotated 180.degree., the platform track is aligned with the other track of the cutting table to permit the cloth spreading machine to be transferred back to the cutting table with the cloth spreading machine reversed end-for-end.