Machine for making spring mattresses

742,039. Mattress &c. making apparatus. SPRING MACHINERY CO. Nov. 13, 1953 No. 31497/53. Class 52(4). [Also in Group XXII] In a machine for applying continuous helical connectors to the upper and lower end turns of upholstery springs arranged in contiguous rows to form a spring assembly or mattress the springs 108 are manually fed along rearwardly directed upper and lower bars 111, Fig. 12, having guide ridges 113, into seatings 116 from which, when a one-revolution clutch is operated, they are subsequently carried rearwardly by jaws 119 on cam-actuated transverse bars 117 to grooves 112 along which the connecting helices 91 are projected, the spring turns being positioned by plates 122, 124, gapped to accommodate the helices, carried respectively by the bars 117 and by coacting rearward bars 118, similarly actuated, there being provided toggle linkages 140, operated by the pistons 160, 161, Fig. 9, of pneumatic cylinders, to lock the bars 117, 118 in position. The helix forming and advancing mechanism then comes into operation and means are provided to sever the helix wire at each side of the assembly and to bend its ends into eyes, the toggle linkage is then released and the bars 117, 118 under the action of their cams 33, 34, Fig. 9, are separated in both the horizontal and vertical directions and the succeeding row of springs can then be inserted. In a modification, projections are provided on the bars 111 to tilt the bases of the incoming row of springs to facilitate the production of the desired overlap and spring pawls are provided giving a positive ejection of the coupled springs towards a rear receiving table on the machine while a limit switch and restoring device, operated by the advance of the assembly along the table, causes the omission of the connecting helices for one cycle so that separate spring squabs of predetermined length can be made in succession. Should either helix be obstructed during its advance the resultant buckling thereof is caused to operate a safety switch to stop the machine. The helix forming and feeding devices 27, 28, Fig. 1, provide feed wheels 72, Fig. 4, for the wire 73 which is rough-formed around a fixed groove mandrel 79 and accurately pitched by a die 85 adjustable to and from the mandrel end to expand or contract the pitch as desired. The severing and endtwisting units 41 . . 44, Fig. 1, each provide a cutter coacting with a shear-plate 186, Fig. 8, and a shaft 203 carried by a slide and lifted by a wedge cam 21