IMPROVE- MENTS IN COLOURING OR DYEING FLOOR CLOTHS AND OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Pearce Wilding, of 23, Rood Lane, Fenchurch
Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN COLOURING OR DYEING FLOOR CLOTHS AND OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS
AND MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR." A communication from
abroad by George Gregory Smith, of St. Alban's, in the State of Vermont, in
the United States.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Pearce Wilding at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th February 1880.
SAMUEL PEARCE WILDING, of 23, Rood Lane, Fenchurch Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COLOURING OR DYEING FLOOR CLOTHS
AND OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFORE."
A communication by George Gregory Smith, of St. Alban's, in the State of Vermont,
in the United States.
This Invention has for its purpose an improved method of colouring or dyeing
floor-cloths and other textile fabrics and materials, so that the pattern or device
produced therein will have permeated through their substance, and will wear
throughout the duration of the material without alteration of the contour or pattern
of the design.
The improved apparatus for producing the above effect is as follows:-
Between two strong standards or frames I place a rectangular sliding box of cast
iron or other suitable material, which is divided into a suitable number of compart-
ments, according to the variety of colours to be used. The lower face of this box
has a circular opening for each compartment, which is fitted with a stuffing box and
gland, and passes over a fixed upright plunger, upon which the box is thus capable
of sliding up and down. Each of these hollow plungers is fixed to a bed plate, and
is perforated through the upper end with a number of small holes to allow the dye
or colour to pass from the plungers into the different compartments of the sliding
box. Each plunger is connected by a pipe with a small force pump operated from
a suitable shaft or part of the machine, which drawing dye or colour from suitable
tanks keeps the fixed plungers constantly and regularly supplied with fresh dye or
colour.
The sliding box may be guided, if necessary, by guide bars in the side framings,
and it rests upon four or more springs on the bed plate, to which it is further

page_text: attached by holding down bolts, by means of which the compression of the springs
may be accurately adjusted.
The tops of the hollow plungers or the compartments of the box may be filled
with sponge or other suitable porous material, to strain or filter back the colour
before reaching the cloth or material to be dyed or coloured.
The top of the sliding box is open at each compartment, but it is covered by a
large perforated plate which contains the necessary channels to carry the dye or
colour to the particular portions of the pattern at which each colour may be
required.
Over and upon this plate is fixed another, which may be termed the pattern plate,
and in which the pattern to be produced is perforated right through, the different
colours being separated by bars or gratings which come to a fine edge on the upper
surface. A duplicate pattern plate lies on this face downwards, the textile fabric,
floor cloth, or material to be dyed or coloured lying between. This top pattern plate
also is capable of sliding up and down through a small distance on guides fixed in
the side framing.
Supported on the top of the side frames is a shaft and cog wheel driven by a
higher speeded counter shaft and pinion. On this top shaft are keyed three or
more cams, two or more of which operate on rollers and spring pistons to produce a
downward pressure on the pattern plates and sliding box. One or more of the
cams on the other hand serve to lift the top pattern plate away from the fabric
after the pressing has been accomplished.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The paint, dye, or colouring matter is filled into the sliding box and hollow
plungers nearly up to the level of the top plate, at which level it is kept by means
of the plunger pumps before described. The textile fabric, floor cloth, or material
to be dyed or coloured is fed on rollers between the pattern plates. This feeding
may be automatically carried on by the feeding machine being stopped and set
going by a detent connected to some moving part of the colouring machine. When
the fabric lies motionless between the pattern plates the top plate descending by
the action of the cams depresses the fabric and holds it tightly between the pattern
plates. A further depression then causes the liquid colour or dye to be forced from
the sliding box through the channel plate, and thence through the perforated
pattern plates, and the fabric lying between these plates is thus coloured or dyed
right through its thickness. The pressure is kept on for some time, when the lifting
cám or cams take off the top pattern plate, allow the bottom box to rise by the
action of its springs, and finally to release the material, which is then fed on for
another breadth.
The form of this apparatus may be modified if desired, so that the sliding box or
colour chamber, as before described, may be secured to the side frames, and the
displacing plungers may be raised and lowered by means of cranks, cains, or other
suitable and well known means, so as to meet the pattern plate in its descent for
the ejectment of the colour or dye.
In order to remove the excess colour from the fabric, and to partially dry the
same, I so arrange my moving plungers that the colour is drawn back into the
colour chamber with a current of air induced to follow it; or may alternatively
use the motion of the pattern plate plunger or an independent compressor to generate
a puff of air which I may pass downwards or upwards through the material. The
admission of this puff of air through the material I may effect by causing a valve
to be tripped at the required moment, or by the juxta position of ports on the
sliding faces of the plungers and colour chambers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Samuel Pearce Wilding in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th August 1880.
"
"
SAMUEL PEARCE WILDING, of 23, Rood Lane, Fenchurch Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent. IMPROVEMENTS IN COLOURING OR DYEING FLOOR CLOTHS
AND OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR. A
communication from abroad by George Gregory Smith, of St. Albans, in the State
of Vermont, in the United States.
This Invention has for its purpose an improved method of colouring or dyeing
floor cloths and other textile fabrics and materials, so that the pattern or device
produced therein will have permeated through their substance, and will wear
throughout the duration of the material without alteration of the contour or pattern
of the design.
The improved apparatus for producing the above effect is as follows:-
Between two strong standards or frames is placed a rectangular sliding box of
cast iron or other suitable material, which is divided into a suitable number of
compartments, according to the variety of colors to be used. The lower face of
this box has a circular opening for each compartiment, which is fitted with a stuffing
box and gland and passes over a fixed upright plunger, upon which the box is thus
capable of sliding up and down. Each of these hollow plungers is fixed to a bed-
plate, and is perforated through the upper end with a number of small holes, or is
open at the top to allow the dye or colour to pass from the plungers into the
different compartments of the sliding box. Each plunger is connected by a pipe
with a small force pump operated from a suitable shaft or part of the machine,
which drawing dye or colour from suitable tanks keeps the fixed plungers constantly
and regularly supplied with fresh dye or colour.
The sliding box may be guided, if necessary, by guide bars in the side framings,
and it rests upon four or more springs on the bed plate, to which it is further
attached by holding down bolts, by means of which the compression of the springs
may be accurately adjusted.
The tops of the hollow plungers or the compartments of the box may be filled
with sponge or other suitable porous material, to strain or filter back the colour
before reaching the cloth or material to be dyed or coloured.
The top of the sliding box is open at each compartment, or it may be covered by
a perforated plate carrying the sponge box, which is again covered by a large
perforated plate which contains the necessary channels to carry the dye or colour
to the particular portions of the pattern at which each colour may be required.
upper
Over and upon this plate is fixed another, which may be termed the pattern plate,
and in which the pattern to be produced is perforated right through, the different
colours being separated by bars or gratings which come to a fine edge on the
surface; a duplicate pattern plate lies on this face downwards, the textile fabric,
floor cloth, or material to be dyed or coloured lying between. This top pattern
plate also is capable of sliding up and down through a small distance on guides
fixed in the side framing.
Supported on the top of the side frames is a shaft and cog wheel driven by a
higher speeded counter shaft and pinion. On this top shaft are keyed three or
more cams, two or more of which operate on rollers and spring pistons to produce a
downward pressure on the pattern plates and sliding box. One or more of the
cams on the other hand serve to lift the top pattern plate away from the fabric
after the pressing has been accomplished.
And in order that the Invention may be the better understood I now proceed to

page_text: describe the Drawings hereunto annexed, reference being had to the letters and
figures marked thereon, and in which like letters designate like parts in each of the
Figures.
Figure I. is a sectional transverse elevation of the apparatus, and Figure II. is a
sectional longitudinal elevation.
B is the sliding box, divided into as many compartments as there are different
colours, which slides between the standards A, A, and on the stuffing boxes C, C,
upon the upright hollow plungers D, D, corresponding to the compartments attached
to the bed plate E. It is pressed constantly upwards by the springs G, G, the action
of which is adjusted as desired by the holding down bolts G. F are the small force
pumps to maintain the supply of dye or colour from suitable tanks to the hollow
plungers. His sponge or other porous material for filtering back the excess colour
or dye.
K is the perforated plate carrying the sponge box, covered by another plate L
perforated with the necessary channels for the conveyance of the colour or dye to
the pattern plates M, M². M, M', are the two pattern plates perforated right through,
the different colours being separated by fine edged bars, and I is the fabric lying
between them. O is the shaft, and P a cog wheel which is driven by the higher
speeded counter shaft and pinion Q. R, R, are cams keyed to the shaft O, which
operate on rollers and spring pistons S to produce downward pressure on the pattern
plates M, M, and sliding box B.
R', shewn in detail in Figure III., is a lifting cam to raise the top pattern plate
M between the guides N away from the fabric I after the pressure has been
accomplished.
T are rollers over which the fabric is fed to and drawn from the pattern plates.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The paint, dye, or colouring matter is filled into the sliding box B and hollow
plungers D nearly up to the level of the top plate L, at which level it is kept by
means of the plunger pumps F.
The textile fabric, floor cloth, or material to be dyed or colored is fed on rollers
T, T, between the pattern plates M, M; this feeding may be automatically carried
on by the feeding machine being stopped and set going by a detent connected to
some moving part of the colouring machine. When the fabric I lies motionless
between the pattern plates M, M¹, the top plate M', descending by the action of the
cams R, R, depresses the fabric I and holds it tightly between the pattern plates
M, M. A further depression then causes the liquid colour or dye to be forced from the
sliding box B through the channel plate L, and thence through the perforated pattern
plates M, M', and the fabric lying between these plates is thus coloured or dyed right
through its thickness. The pressure is kept on for some time, when the lifting cam
R¹ or cams take off the top pattern plate M¹ and allow the bottom box B to rise by
the action of its springs G, and finally the top plate rises sufficiently to release the
material, which is then fed forward for another breadth.
The form of this apparatus may, be modified, if desired, so that the sliding box or
colour chamber, as before described, may be secured to the side frames, and the
displacing plungers may be raised and lowered by means of cranks, cams, or other
suitable and well known means, so as to meet the pattern plate in its descent for
the ejectment of the colour or dye.
In order to remove the excess colour from the fabric, and to partially dry the
same, the moving plungers are so arranged that the colour is drawn back into the
colour chamber with a current of air induced to follow it; or alternatively may be
used the motion of the pattern plate plunger or an independent compressor to
generate a puff of air which may be passed downwards or upwards through the
material. The admission of this puff of air through the material may be effected
by causing a valve to be tripped at the required moment, or by the juxta position
of ports on the sliding faces of the plungers and colour chambers.
And having now fully described and ascertained the Invention communicated to

page_text: me by my foreign correspondent, and its mode of operation, be it known that what
I wish to protect by Letters Patent as a novel and useful improvement is,-
I. The improved mode of colouring or dyeing floor cloths and other textile fabrics
and materials by means of the apparatus hereinbefore specified through the thickness
of their substance.
II. The construction of the apparatus hereinbefore described, that is to say, the
combination of a sliding box and plungers and perforated channel and pattern plates
actuated from a driving shaft, as and for the purpose indicated, substantially as
herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Pearce Wilding, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
In the presence of
JOHN C. FELL,
City Patent Office,
23, Rood Lane,
Fenchurch St.,
London, E.C.
S. P. WILDING. (L.S.)