Multi-needle frame quilter sewing machine

Claim 1

A MULTI-NEEDLE FRAME QUILTER SEWING MACHINE AFFORDING THE LIFTING OF ITS NEEDLE BAR AND PRESSER FOOT TO GIVE CLEARANCE ABOVE THE NEEDLE PLATE FOR THE INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF A WORK-HOLDING FRAME, INCLUDING A FRAMEWORK, A HORIZONTAL NEEDLE BAR SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAMEWORK FOR MOVEMENT ALONG THE VERTICAL, A PLURALITY OF NEEDLES DEPENDING FROM SAID NEEDLE BAR, A ROD STRUCTURE COMPRISING AN UPPER ROD PART AND A LOWER ROD PART WITH SAID LOWER ROD PART SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID UPPER ROD PART; SAID LOWER ROD PART BEING FIXED TO SAID PRESSER FOOT; SAID UPPER ROD PART BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAMEWORK FOR MOVEMENT ALONG THE VERTICAL, A FIRST MEANS RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID ROD PARTS AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT, A ROCKER SHAFT JOURNALLED ON SAID FRAMEWORK, A SECOND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID NEEDLE BAR AND ROCKER SHAFT WHEREBY UPON OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT OF SAID ROCKER SHAFT, SAID NEEDLE BAR WILL BE RECIPROCATED ALONG THE VERTICAL, A THIRD MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING THE UPPER ROD PART OF SAID ROD STRUCTURE WHEREBY UPON OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT OF SAID ROCKER SHAFT, SAID UPPER ROD PART WILL BE RECIPROCATED ALONG THE VERTICAL, A POWER-DRIVEN SHAFT JOURNALLED ON SAID FRAMEWORK, A CRANK MOUNTED ON SAID ROCKER SHAFT FOR FREE ROTATION THEREON, RELEASABLE CLUTCH MEANS RELEASABLY SECURING SAID CRANK TO SAID ROCKER SHAFT TO TURN THEREWITH, A ROD MEMBER PIVOTALLY LINKED TO SAID CRANK, MEANS DRIVEN BY SAID POWER-DRIVEN SHAFT OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID ROD MEMBER TO SAID CRANK WHEREBY SAID CRANK WILL BE OSCILLATED UPON ROTATION OF SAID POWERDRIVEN SHAFT; SAID ROD MEMBER BEING MOVABLE ONLY BY THE OPERATION OF SAID POWER-DRIVEN SHAFT AND SAID ROCKER SHAFT BEING FREE FOR ROTATION WHEN SAID CRANK IS LOOSE THEREON, SAID CLUTCH MEANS BEING CAPABLE TO HOLD SAID CRANK AND ROCKER SHAFT IN ENGAGEMENT WHEN SAID CRANK IS ONLY AT ONE CERTAIN POSITION ON SAID ROCKER SHAFT AND MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ROCKER SHAFT AND CRANK FOR TURNING SAID ROCKER SHAFT WHEN SAID CRANK IS LOOSE THEREON WHEREBY THE NEEDLE BAR IS RAISED SUFFICIENTLY ABOVE THE HIGHEST POSITION SAID NEEDLE BAR REACHES DURING THE TURNING OF THE POWER-DRIVEN SHAFT WHEN SAID CLUTCH MEANS HOLDS SAID CRANK AND ROCKER SHAFT IN ENGAGEMENT, TO GIVE CLEARANCE UNDER THE NEEDLES FOR THE INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF THE WORK-HOLDING FRAME; SAID FIRST MEANS BEING MANIPULATABLE TO ALLOW UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE LOWER ROD PART OF SAID ROD STRUCTURE WHEREBY THE PRESSER FOOT IS RAISED SUFFICIENTLY ABOVE THE HIGHEST POSITION SAID PRESSER FOOT REACHES DURING THE TURNING OF THE POWER-DRIVEN SHAFT WHILE THE CLUTCH MEANS HOLDS THE CRANK AND ROCKER SHAFT IN ENGAGEMENT, TO ALLOW THE INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF THE WORK-HOLDING FRAME.