Improvements in the Method of Measuring Cloth and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of Measuring Cloth and the like.
I, HEINRICH STEIN Jun. of Remscheid-Hasten in the Kingdom of Prussia
German Empire, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement
--
It has been the custom up till now with cloth, silk wares, laces, ribbons and in
short all such goods as are sold by length measurement, to measure the pieces
up after they have been manufactured, by means of measuring machines. In
retailing these wares the required length must then be again measured off with
a rule or by means of yard measures fixed to the counters.
The object of the present invention is to obviate the necessity of these two
operations in a most simple and effective manner by applying a measure to the
selvedge of the stuff or printing the yards feet and inches directly on the said
selvedge.
All cloth, silk goods etc. are provided with a more or less broad selvedge, which
is entirely useless in working the material and I propose to convert this selvedge
into a measuring tape or band by printing the number of yards thercon or by
attaching thereto strips of paper or other material containing the yards etc. This
can be done by printing the required measuring system on strips of paper such as
are used for telegraphing machines, and gumming the back of said strips.
In order to make this invention more easily intelligible reference is had to the
accompanying drawings in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout
the several views.
Fig. 1 shows the selvedge with measure and Fig. 2 a bale of cloth partly
unwound.
The drawing shows the cloth a having the measuring system printed, stamped
sewn, stuck, or otherwise attached to the selvedge at b.
If a piece of cloth thus provided with a measure, is required to be cut off it is
only necessary to look at the number of yards at the end, subtract the number of
yards required to be cut off, therefrom and cut off the cloth at the figure obtained.
Supposing the cloth to be 83 yards long and that 12 yards are required the bale
need only be unwound up to the figure 71 and the cloth cut off at that point.
The advantages of this system of measuring cloth are obvious; in the first place
no measuring machines are required, then the great loss of time and money con-
sequent on the measurement of large quantities of cloth is avoided and the
possibility of errors occurring in the measurement is excluded. These advantages
are of enormous importance in taking stock in large wholesale houses, where, up till
now, all remnants had to be re-measured to ascertain their exact lengths. By
simply inspecting the end of the cloth, the number of yards which the bail still
contains will be found printed thereon.
With cloth or silks marked on this system any attempt to swindle customers or
any error in measuring is made utterly impossible.
With laces and ribbons and all silk goods which have no selvedge, the measure
can be printed on strips of paper and stuck onto the said goods.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is performed 1 declare that what I claim is :-
1) The method of measuring cloth and similar goods by combining with the same
a measure extending their full length substantially as described.

page_text: 2) A paper measuring strip attached to the edge of lengths of cloth and
extending throughout the full length of said pieces substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of May 1892.
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.