Printing and Quilting Method and Apparatus

Abstract

A quilting machine ( 10, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 ) is provided with a printing station ( 20, 125, 225, 325, 425, 525, 611, 626, 631 ) and a quilting station ( 44, 127, 227, 327, 427, 527, 627, 632 ). A master batch controller ( 90, 135, 235, 335, 435, 535 ) assures that the proper combinations of printed and quilted patterns are combined to allow small quantities of different quilted products to be produced automatically along a material web. The controller also controls the printing so that patterns on different panels of the same product are spatially or aesthetically coordinated.

1 . A method of forming coordinated quilted mattress cover panels comprising: 
 digitally printing ornamentation to ticking material, said ornamentation including at least one of a plurality of patterns for each of a plurality of panels that are to form different panels of the same quilted mattress cover;    with a controller, controlling the applying of the printed ornamentation so that the patterns on the different panels are coordinated ornamentally and spatially among different panels across the mattress cover when the panels are quilted and joined to form the quilted mattress cover.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the controlling includes controlling the printing of the ornamentation so that locations of the patterns on each of the different panels align with each other when the panels are quilted and joined to form the mattress cover.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising: 
 forming a quilted mattress cover by joining the panels such that the locations of patterns on different panels align to form an integrated ornamental design throughout the mattress cover.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein: 
 the printed ornamentation includes a pattern for a top panel of a mattress cover and an ornamentally coordinated pattern for one or more side panels of the same mattress cover; and    the controlling includes controlling the printing of the ornamentation on the panels so that the pattern on the top panel spatially aligns with the pattern on the one or more side panels when the panels are joined to form a mattress cover to form an integrated ornamental design throughout the mattress cover.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising: 
 combining the printed panels with a layer of fill material and quilting the panels to the fill material to form quilted mattress cover panels thereby.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising: 
 joining a plurality of quilted mattress cover panels so that the patterns thereon are in mutual alignment to form a quilted mattress cover having spatially coordinated patterns thereon that form the integrated ornamental design.    
   
   
       7 . A quilted mattress cover formed according to the method of  claim 6 .  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the quilted mattress cover includes at least two panels of different materials that have appearances that differ prior to the printing the ornamentation on one of the panels; and    the controlling includes controlling the printing of the ornamentation to the one of the panels so that the mattress cover formed of the panels of the different materials have a similar and matching appearance.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein: 
 one of the panels is formed of a Jacquard material having a pattern woven therein; and    the controlling includes controlling the printing of the ornamentation to another of the panels to impart an appearance thereto that is substantially matching that of a panel formed of the panel formed of the Jacquard material.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising: 
 quilting a panel so formed of the Jacquard material to form a mattress cover top panel; and    quilting a panel so imparted with the appearance substantially matching that of the panel formed of the Jacquard material to form a mattress cover side panel.    
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising: 
 joining the quilted panels to form a mattress cover having top and side panels matching in appearance.    
   
   
       12 . A mattress cover formed according to the method of  claim 11 .  
   
   
       13 . A method of forming a coordinated quilted mattress cover having a Jacquard pattern, the method comprising: 
 providing a first ticking material panel formed of a Jacquard material;    digitally printing ornamentation on a second ticking material panel that will cause the second material to resemble the appearance of the Jacquard material; and    quilting the panels and joining the quilted panels to form a mattress cover.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising: 
 joining the quilted panels to form a mattress cover having a top panel formed of Jacquard material and having one or more side panels printed to match the top panel in appearance.    
   
   
       15 . A mattress cover formed according to the method of  claim 14 .  
   
   
       16 . A method of forming a single-sided, patterned mattress cover comprising: 
 digitally printing ornamentation on a ticking material;    controlling the printing of the ornamentation to integrally arrange atop panel with a plurality of adjacent side panels on the same continuous piece of the ticking material so as to coordinate the printed ornamentation across the top and side panels to form a mattress cover having an integrated ornamental design.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising: 
 quilting the printed ticking material; and    folding the quilted printed ticking material to form a mattress cover having the top panel and the plurality of integral adjacent side panels having coordinated ornamentation printed thereon in the integrated ornamental design.    
   
   
       18 . A mattress cover formed by the method of  claim 17 .  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising: 
 covering an spring interior assembly with the mattress cover to form a single-sided mattress.    
   
   
       20 . A single-sided mattress formed by the method of  claim 19 .  
   
   
       21 . A method of forming a quilted product comprising: 
 establishing the dimensions of features of a product to be quilted from a multi-layered material; and    with a controller, controlling the application of tension the multi-layered quilted material to control the quilting induced shrinkage of the material to maintain the established dimensions of the features of the product after quilting.    
   
   
       22 . A method of quilting a multi-layered material that includes a facing material having a pattern thereon, the method comprising: 
 feeding the facing material into a quilting machine;    adjusting the facing material to eliminate the skewing thereof by differentially applying force to opposite side edges of the facing material as it is being fed by controlling servo motors or brakes linked to elements engaging the side edges of said facing material.