IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MARKING AND MEASURING LENGTHS CHIEFLY APPLICABLE TO TEXTILE FABRICS BUT APPLICABLE ALSO TO OTHER GOODS"
Year: 1883

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LETTERS PATENT to Carl Albert Weckbecker and Laurence Schwabe both of
Manchester in the County of Lancaster for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR MARKING AND MEASURING LENGTHS CHIEFLY APPLICABLE
TO TEXTILE FABRICS BUT APPLICABLE ALSO TO OTHER GOODS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Albert Weckbecker and
Laurence Schwabe at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
29th August 1883.
CARL ALBERT WECKBECKER and LAURENCE SCHWABE, both of Manchester in
the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MARKING AND
MEASURING LENGTHS, CHIEFLY APPLICABLE TO TEXTILE FABRICS BUT APPLICABLE
ALSO TO OTHER GOODS
"
The object of our Invention is to impress a mark or sign at any required point
upon a length of cloth or other goods in order to indicate the exact length of such
piece of cloth or goods.
In performing our Invention we employ a disc on the periphery of which are
stamps or marks which may be formed in one piece with the disc or may be made
separate and movable. These stamps or marks may be placed at regular intervals
upon the periphery of the disc and may be formed of figures, letters or other
marks and give the required impression to the cloth. The disc is actuated by a
cam or other suitable gearing which imparts to it a reciprocating motion and the
stud upon which the disc is mounted slides in a slot formed in the frame: a spindle
passes through the stud and two spiral springs are coiled on it: one above and one
below the stud: the upper one is employed to quicken the downward motion of
the disc and the lower one to cushion the stroke of the disc on the fabric.
Projections are cast or fixed on the face of the disc corresponding in number to the
marks or figures.
The cloth passes over the measuring drum, on which is secured a pinion which
gears into a spur wheel on the shaft which carries the cam for raising the marking
disc: as the cam revolves it raises the marking disc, compresses the top spiral spring
and causes one of the projections or studs on the face of the disc to travel up an
incline or guide secured to the frame, till the point at which the cam passes the

page_text: stud when the projection will have reached the top of the incline and the disc
aided by the spiral spring will fall and mark the cloth. As each projection in turn
comes against and travels up the incline, the disc moves forward and changes the
mark for the next stroke or impression.
In order to set the starting point of the disc back to zero whenever required we
turn a recess in the boss of the disc and put a small spiral spring in it, held by a
screw and washer: by this means the disc can be drawn forward out of contact
with the projecting incline on the frame, turned round to the point desired and
when released the spring causes it to move back to the working position.
The stamps upon the disc may be inked by a roller or rollers covered with any
suitable material and passing through a vessel containing the necessary liquid or
in any other convenient manner.
For measuring the fabric we employ the pinion and spur wheel above described:
these wheels are covered by a shield secured to the frame which is open round the
centre of the spur wheel and graduated so that each revolution of the pinion may
indicate any required length of fabric.
The index finger is fixed to the spur wheel and it acts at the same time
as a catch to move a ratchet wheel mounted on the shield one tooth for every
revolution of the spur wheel.-The ratchet wheel has as many teeth as there are
figures or stamps on the marking disc and it is numbered in order that the length
of fabric measured may be easily read off.
This apparatus may be used for all kinds of textile fabrics and other goods, such
as oil cloth, india-rubber, paper, and the like either manufactured or during the
process of manufacture.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed 2
by the said Carl Albert Weckbecker and Laurence Schwabe in the Patent
Office on the 20th February 1884.
CARL ALBERT WECKBECKER and LAURENCE SCHWABE, both of Manchester in
the County of Lancaster IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MARKING AND
MEASURING LENGTHS, CHIEFLY APPLICABLE TO TEXTILE FABRICS BUT APPLICABLE 3
ALSO TO OTHER GOODS
:
The object of our Invention is to impress a mark or sign at any required point
upon a length of cloth or other goods in order to indicate the exact length of such
piece of cloth or goods.
1
In performing our Invention we employ a disc on the periphery of which are 3
stamps or marks, which may be formed in one piece with the disc or may be made
separate and inovable. These stamps or marks may be placed at regular intervals.
upon the periphery of the disc and may be formed of figures letters or other innrks
and give the required impression to the cloth. The disc is actuated by a cam or

page_text: other suitable gearing which imparts to it a reciprocating motion and the stud
upon which the disc is mounted slides in a slot formed in the frame: a spindle
passes through the stud and two spiral springs are coiled on it, one above and one
below the stud: the upper one is employed to quicken the downward motion of the
disc and the lower one to cushion the stroke of the disc on the fabric. Projections
are cast or fixed on the face of the disc corresponding in number to the marks or
figures.
i
The cloth passes over the measuring drum on which is secured a pinion which
gears into a spur wheel on the shaft which carries the cam for raising the marking
disc; as the cam revolves, it raises the marking disc, compresses the top spiral
spring and causes one of the projections or studs on the face of the disc to travel
up an incline or guide secured to the frame, till the point at which the cam passes
the stud when the projection will have reached the top of the incline and the disc
aided by the spiral spring will fall and mark the cloth. As each projection in turn
comes against and travels up the incline, the disc moves forward and changes the
mark for the next stroke or impression
In order to set the starting point of the disc back to zero whenever required, we
turn a recess in the boss of the disc and put a small spiral spring in it, held by
ta screw and washer: by this means the disc can be drawn forward out of contact
with the projecting incline on the frame, turned round to the point desired and when
released the spring causes it to move back to the working position.
The stamps upon the disc may be inked by a roller or rollers covered with any
suitable material and passing through a vessel containing the necessary liquid or in
any other convenient manner.
For measuring the fabric we employ the pinion and spur wheel above described:
these wheels are covered by a shield secured to the frame which is open round the
centre of the spur wheel and graduated so that each revolution of the pinion may
indicate any required length of fabric.
.
The index finger is fixed to the spur wheel and it acts at the same time as a
catch to move a ratchet wheel mounted inside on the shield one tooth for every
crevolution of the spur wheel.-The ratchet wheel has as many teeth as there are
figures or stamps on the marking disc and it is numbered in order that the length
of fabric measured may be easily read off.
This apparatus may be used for all kinds of textile fabrics and other goods such
as oil cloth, india-rubber, paper, and the like, either manufactured or during the
process of manufacture.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect we will proceed to describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation of our improved machine or apparatus for marking and
measuring lengths. Fig. 2 is a section of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a plan of the
apparatus for inking the stamps. Figs 4, 5, 6 and 7 are detailed views of the
measuring apparatus.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
a is the marking disc on the periphery of which are formed the figures or marks a¹
and on the face of the disc are formed the projections or studs a² corresponding
in number to the marks a¹: the disc a is mounted upon a stud a³ which is free to
slide vertically in a slot 6¹ formed in the frame b of the machine: 62 is an oblique
slot or guide for the projections a²: in the boss of the disc a is a recess in which is
a spiral spring a retained on the stud a³ by a set screw and washer: by this
means the disc may be drawn outward to set the starting point of the disc back to
zero when required: a spindle a on which are two spiral springs a6 a7 passes
through the stud a³: c is a cam in this case formed with the spur wheel c' fixed on
the shaft c² which is driven in any convenient manner: d is an ink box in which
are rollers for inking the figures or marks a¹: the rollers are turned by the train of
pinions which receive motion from the spur wheel c¹: secured to the shaft c² is
the spur wheel c³ which gears into the pinion e fixed on the shaft e¹ of the

page_text: ´measuring, drum e": f is a shield open in the centre fixed over the wheels and es
secured to the spur wheel is a finger c the front part of which moves over the
index on the shield f: a portion of this finger actuates a numbered ratchet wheel g
which turns on a stud at the back of the shield: the ratchet wheel g is moved one
tooth for every revolution of the spur wheel and it has as many teeth as thero
are figures or marks on the disc a: a slot f' is made in the shield through which
the numbers on the ratchet wheel appears successively to indicate the length of
material measured.
*
When motion is given to the shaft it is communicated by the spur wheel c³
pinion e and shafte to the measuring drum e over which the fabric passes; at the
same time the cam c revolves and raises the stud a³ and disc a, which is set, say, at
zero: as the disc rises one of the projections a enters and travels up the guide b
and thus imparts a rotary motion to the disc a, bringing the figure 5 (or the mark
next to zero on the disc), in a position for stamping the fabric and as the
projection a leaves the upper end of the guide. b the cam c passes from under the
stud a and thus allows the disc a aided by the spiral spring a to fall and mark the
fabric on the measuring drum e: the spring a cushions the stroke of the disc and
lifts it clear of the fabric directly the latter is marked. Each time the disc a is
raised by the cam c, a fresh projection a enters and travels up the guide be, turns
the disc as already described and brings the next mark a' into position ready for
stamping the fabric. The projection which forms the lower part of the guido &* is
about as wide as the spaces between the projections a² and the marks on the disc a
are by it caused to fall evenly on the fabric.
The gears and o are shown in the drawings made in the proportion of five to
one, it will thus be seen that the marks on the disc a will stamp the fabric at every
fifth revolution of the measuring drum e. It is obvious that these proportions
may be varied if desired.
'
Having stated the nature of our Invention and described the manner of
performing the same
Wo doclare that we claim.
The improvements in apparatus för marking and measuring lengths of textile
fabrics and other goods, substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof we the said Carl Albert Weckbecker and Laurence Schwabb
have hereunto set our hands and seals this twenty seventh day of February One
thousand eight hundred and eighty four.
A