IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RIGGING OR DOUBLING, FINISHING, AND CUTTLING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Schofield, Crabber, in the employ of
William Edleston and Company, of Sowerby Bridge, in the
County of York, Dyers and Stovers, and William Mellor, of
Sowerby Bridge, aforesaid, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RIGGING OR DOUBLING,
FINISHING, AND CUTTLING TEXTILE FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Schofield and
William Mellor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 9th November 1871.
We, JOHN SCHOFIELD, Crabber, in the employ of William Edleston
and Company, of Sowerby Bridge, in the County of York, Dyers and
Stovers, and WILLIAM MELLOR, of Sowerby Bridge, aforesaid, Mechanic,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RIGGING OR DOUBLING, FINISHING, AND
CUTTLING TEXTILE FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing, combining, and arranging
mechanism or apparatus in such manner that the various processes of
"rigging" or folding fabrics longitudinally, "finishing," or smoothing

page_text: them, and cutting or folding them crosswise in layers is performed by
the same machine or apparatus in one operation, thus saving time and
labour.
The machine is constructed as follows:- -On suitable framework are
mounted intermediately thereof a series of ordinary steam drying and
finishing cylinders, and upon one end of the said frame is mounted an
ordinary cuttling apparatus, also upon the other end of the said frame
is mounted one, two, or more plain conducting rollers, which are placed
at right angles to the cylinders, and at a suitable or convenient height
above them.
Fabrics to be "rigged," finished, and cuttled are either placed on the
floor or upon a roller under the conducting rollers over which the said
fabrics are caused to pass and whence they are conducted by two pairs
of nipping and guiding rollers so arranged and adjusted and aided by
fences suitably placed and fixed that when the two lists or edges of the
fabrics are passed between the said rollers respectively the said lists
will be conducted together to a roller in front of the first cylinder.
Also intermediately of and between the conducting rollers and the
cylinders are placed two thin grooved pulleys, around which is a cord
(by preference of catgut), one pulley being placed near to and under
the last conducting roller on a stud in a fixed bearing, while the
other pulley is placed near to the roller in front of the first cylinder on
a stud in a slide or moveable bearing acted upon by cord and weight so
that the said pulley will be pressed against the middle of the fabric
intermediately between the two lists or edges. These pulleys and cord:
thus form the " rigg" or effect the longitudinal folding of the fabrics,
which thence pass over and under the said finishing cylinders in the
folded state, and thence to the cutting apparatus, which cuttles or
folds them crosswise in layers in the usual manner ready for the
market.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Schofield and William Mellor in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
SCHOFIELD, Crabber, in the employ of William Edleston and Company, 38

page_text: of Sowerby Bridge, in the County of York, Dyers and Stovers, and
WILLIAM MELLOR, of Sowerby Bridge, aforesaid, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John Schofield and William Mellor,
Her special licence that we, the said John Schofield and William
Mellor, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said John Schofield and William Mellor, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR 'RIGGING' OR DOUBLING, FINISHING, AND
CUTTLING TEXTILE FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said John Schofield and William Mellor, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Schofield and William
Mellor, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and
accompanying Sheets of Drawings (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists in constructing, combining, and arranging
mechanism or apparatus in such manner that the various processes of
"rigging" or folding fabrics longitudinally, finishing or smoothing
them, and cuttling or folding them crosswise in layers is performed
by the same machine or apparatus in one operation, thus saving time
and labour.

page_text: The machine is constructed as follows:-On suitable framework are
mounted intermediately thereof a series of ordinary steam drying and
finishing cylinders, and upon one end of the said frame is mounted
one, two, or more plain conducting rollers, which are placed at right
angles to the cylinders and at a suitable or convenient height above
them.
Fabrics to be "rigged," finished, and cuttled are either placed on the
floor or upon a roller under the conducting rollers, over which the said
fabrics are caused to pass, and whence they are conducted by two pairs
of nipping and guiding rollers so arranged, and adjusted, and aided by
fences suitably placed and fixed, that when the two lists or edges of the
fabrics are passed between the said rollers respectively the said lists will
be conducted together to a roller in front of the first cylinder. Also
intermediately of and between the conducting rollers and the cylinders.
are placed two thin grooved pulleys, around which is a cord (by
preference of catgut), one pulley being placed near to and under the
last conducting roller on a stud in a fixed bearing, while the other
pulley is placed near to the roller in front of the first cylinder on a
stud in a slide or moveable bearing capable of being adjusted so that
the said pulley will be pressed against the middle of the fabric inter-
mediately between the two lists or edges. These pulleys and cord thus
form the "rigg" or effect the longitudinal folding of the fabrics, which
thence pass over and under the said finishing cylinders in the folded
state, and thence to the cuttling apparatus, which cuttles or folds them
crosswise in layers in the usual manner ready for the market. Or
instead of the two pulleys and catgut the one pulley mounted on the
1:1 bd will be aufficiant

page_text: oscillatory arms B. The operation of this cuttling apparatus is well
known, and needs no special description here. C is a conducting roller,
supported on a framework at any convenient or suitable elevation above
the cylinders; D are a series of stretching or straightening bars carried
on the said frame.
Fabrics to be rigged and finished are laid on the floor, as shewn by
dotted lines, and one end passed through the stretchers D, thence over
the roller C, each edge or selvedge passing between two pairs of con-
ducting or guiding rollers E and F, which are arranged and adjusted so
as to guide the lists or selvedges between fences G, whilst the middle of
the fabric is pressed by a pulley H mounted on a stud I capable of
adjustment, and being set or fixed in position by a screw bolt J binding
on the frame J'. The fabric then passes in a longitudinally folded or
doubled state between a pair of nipping rollers K placed in front of the
first cylinder A, receiving motion by spur wheels L in gear with said
cylinder, passing thence over and under the next two cylinders respec-
tively to and between the pair of nipping rollers A³, thence between a
pair of conducting rollers N carried in one end of a lever P, the other
end being provided with balance weights R and R¹; the said fabric
thence passes over a guide bar S to the cuttling apparatus, as shewn by
the dotted line, its course being indicated by the arrows.
Figs. 3, 4, and 5 shew the conducting and guiding apparatus, drawn
about half full size.
It will now be seen that by means of this apparatus fabrics are
"rigged" or folded longitudinally, the two lists or selvedges being
placed together, then by passing in contact with the cylinders they are
"finished" or smoothed, and passing forward to the cuttling apparatus
they are "cuttled" or folded crosswise ready for the market in one
operation.
It will also be readily seen that by having a series of straightening
bars, as shown at T, fixed to the end of the machine the fabric may be
passed over the cylinders and cuttled without being rigged, or in its
open state.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and shewn
by Drawings in what manner the same is to be performed or carried
into practical operation, we would have it understood that what we

page_text: claim as our Invention is, the construction, combination, and arrange-
ment of mechanism or apparatus for effecting the several processes set
forth in manner substantially as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Schofield and William
Mellor, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventh 5
day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
JOSEPH STEAD,
Clerk to Tasker & Brierley,
Patent Agents,
Halifax & Bradford.
(L.S.)
JOHN SCHOFIELD.
WILLIAM MELLOR. (L.S.)