IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SIEVES
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
Foor, of Spital Square, in the County of Middlesex, Silk Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifth day of April,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the eleventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Foot, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Joseph Foot, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Foot, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF SIEVES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said Joseph Foot, should cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Foot, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed; are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to. the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to.say:―
My Invention has for its object improvements in the weaving of sieve
cloths, in order to insure greater uniformity of the sizes of the meshes.
Heretofore the weaving of sieve cloth has been by hand, the workman by his
judgment and skill throwing in the weft, and winding up the work from time
time, so as to cause the weft to be as nearly as may be at equal distances
apart in the fabric; and my Invention consists in causing sieve cloth as it is
woven to be nipped or held between two rollers, and caused to move (after
beating up the weft) a distance equal to that which is necessary to form square
meshes, the nipping rollers receiving motion each time of beating up the weft;
and in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
b
Figure 1 shews a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 a front view of a hand
loom, having my improvements applied thereto. a is the warp beam; 6 is the
batten for producing the necessary beat-up to the work, and d is the work
beam or roller for receiving the work as it is made; but in place of the work
being received immediately on to the work beam, as is ordinarily the case, the
work passes partly round the rollers e and f, by which it is gradually brought
forward as it is made, thence it passes to the work roller d, which has motion
given to it to wind up the work by means of the weighted cord c, such cord
being capable of being rewound on to the roller d as required in the progress
of the work. The rollers e and ƒ have their surfaces covered with felt (or it
might be other suitable cloth or fabric), in order to their better holding the
work, and the roller f is constantly pressed towards the roller e by means of
springs acting upon the bearings of the axle of the roller.f. The rollers.e
and fare geared together so as to revolve at the same surface speed. ..And
I would here remark, that it is by the distance which these rollers are caused
to move between each beat-up of. the loom that the distance between each.
weft thread is regulated, and upon it the coarseness or fineness of the work
(so far as the weft threads are concerned) depends. This. movement is
accomplished according to the arrangement shewn in the following manner,
but this may be varied. To two of the levers 9, 9 (which are worked by the

page_text: treadles in the ordinary manner), are attached cords g', g', which at their
other ends are attached to one end of the lever h, which turns upon a centre
pin h', and towards its other end is connected by means of the spring cord h²
to the lever i, to lift that lever, which falls again by its own weight. This
lever i carries the driver for giving motion to the ratchet wheel j; and the
distance which this lever i shall rise or fall, and consequently the distance
which it moves round the ratchet wheel j, is regulated by the adjustable stops
(1, 2,) as shewn. To the ratchet wheelj is affixed the pinion k, which takes
into and drives the toothed wheel 1, which has affixed to it the pinion m,
which takes into and drives the toothed wheel n affixed to the roller e.
stop which regulates the distance the batten shall move forward at each
beat-up.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would remark that I am aware that, in respect
to some classes of weaving, the use of nipping rollers has before been resorted
to, I do not, therefore, claim the same separately as of my Invention; and I
would state that, in carrying out my Invention, I do not confine myself to the
precise details shewn and described, and, although I have only shewn a hand
loom, power may be resorted to for giving motion to the looms employed; but
what I claim is, the applying nipping rollers in such manner as successively
to wind up a quantity of the warp corresponding to the distance required
between two warp threads.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Foot, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.