IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING, DYEING, STAINING OR PRODUCING MARKS OR PATTERNS IN OR UPON WOVEN, FELTED, OR OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WOOD, late of High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, but now of Dean
Street, Soho, in the said County, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by IIer
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Seventh day of December, in the eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Wood, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority that I, the said William Wood, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said William Wood, my executors, adminis-
trators 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 mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING, DYEING, STAINING OR PRODUCING
MARKS OR PATTERNS IN OR UPON WOVEN, FELTED, OR OTHER FABRICS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said William
Wood, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly
to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Wood, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say)—
These improvements apply principally to printing or staining fabrics of the
carpet kind, whether manufactured by the known processes of weaving or
felting, or other means, the object being to communicate to or deposit upon
these and the like fabrics such copious supplies or quantities of dyeing
material as will be sufficient to penetrate deeply into the fabric in order to dye
or stain it through or down to the ground work, or nearly so, the ordinary
modes of printing being in general only capable of colouring the surface, or a
very little way below the surface. By my improved means I am enabled to
print or stain fabrics which have a raised terry, pile, or nap, such as the fabrics
commonly called or known by the denominations Brussels carpeting or Wilton
carpeting, and the like, or thick fabrics without pile, such as Kidderminster
carpeting and druggets. In carrying out this object I provide series of cells
or compartments, each being capable of holding a considerable quantity of the
dyeing or staining matter, forming and arranging such cells or compartments
either upon a level or a curved surface in any figures or devices capable of
producing patterns; and I divide these cells by partitions in order to limit and
'define laterally the flow of the dyeing or staining materials, the several colours
employed being placed in separate cells, according to the desired colors of the
pattern to be produced. These arrangements being made, I bring the face of
'the fabric into contact with the open parts of the cells, and cause it to dip or
penetrate into the cells for the purpose of taking up such quantities of the
colouring matter as will suffice to dye or stain those parts of the fabric
operated upon to the depth required. 'I have several modes of adapting these
elementary principles to the purpose of printing, dyeing, or staining patterns
on the said fabrics, which I will now describe :-
In the first place I provide a flat plate or surface (I prefer it of metal), and
set upright upon that plate narrow strips or ribs of metal, arranged into figures
or forms agreeable to any required pattern. These I. solder or otherwise

page_text: attach to the plate, so as to constitute several cells or receptacles for the
colouring matter, the upper edges of the strips being all level or coincident, so
as to produce an even surface.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents a portion of a flat plate
5 A, A, A, having the elevated ribs, strips, or partitions a, a, a, of thin metal
set up on its surface, by which the cells are formed that are to hold the
coloring matter to produce the pattern. B, B, B, is a continuous cell formed
to the desired figure, containing, say, a pale green color, which is supplied
through a flat plate 6 from a pan or reservoir (at the side of the table, but not
shewn in the Drawing), and when the first cell B, B, B, has become filled
the color flows from thence by other communicating pipes 6*, *, to corre-
sponding cells B*, intended to form similar parts of the pattern at other
parts of the plate. The cell c, c, is for producing another shade and portion
of the figure. It contains, say, a dark-green color, which is conducted into it
in the way before explained by the pipe C, and passed thence by the pipes
C, C, to other parts of the pattern C*. The cell D, containing, say, a brown
color, is supplied by the like means through the pipe d, and that color is
conducted forward by the pipe d* to the cell D*. The ground color (say
ruby) intended to cover the main part of the fabric is made to flow over the
surface of the plate A, A, A, and over the before-mentioned feeding pipes, as
shewn in the Drawing, and is confined within the marginal ribs E, E, E, on
the outside. This apparatus being so prepared, the face of the fabric to be
printed or stained is brought over and pressed upon the upper surface of the
partitions a, a, a, on the plate A, A, A, by a flat platten, as in the ordinary
way of type printing, by which means certain parts of the surface of the
fabric are forced into the cells or recesses containing the coloring matter, and
it thereby becomes stained or dyed with the several colors in those parts
where the pattern is intended to be produced.
I will now describe a construction and arrangement of machinery or press
which I have found well calculated for the purposes of printing or staining
fabrics of the kind described by means of my improved apparatus; that is, a
plate with cells, as shewn at Fig. 1. This press I do not intend to claim as
new, but only shew it for the purpose of explaining my mode of printing or
staining more perfectly.
.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the press, represented partly in section. The cloth
or fabric a, a, a, to be printed is wound upon the rollers b, and thence con-
ducted under the rollers c in a horizontal direction to the rollers d, passing face
downwards over the dyeing plate A, A, before described, which plate is laid
upon the table of the press. The table whereon the plate A rests I prefer to

page_text: be heated by a steam chest B below, of which indeed the table may be said to
form the upper part. The cells of the plate A, A, being filled with colors by
the means described, or by any other means that may be found eligible, that
portion of the distended fabric a, a, which is stretched over the face of the
plate A, A, is pressed upon the upper surfaces of the partitions, and the 5
parts intended to be printed made to dip into the cells of the plate by the
descent of the platten C, and having remained there a sufficient time to take
up the necessary quantity of colour or dyeing materials, the platten is then
to be raised and the cloth drawn onward. In the progress of the cloth
toward the taking-up roller e it passes over a hot plate D for the purpose of
drying the color, which plate I find may be conveniently heated by the flame
of jets issuing from a gas pipe E, though it may be done by other means; and
indeed it may not always be necessary to dry the colouring matter upon the
fabric in this part of the operation.
Having now explained the construction of my improved plate with cells
capable of printing four colours at one operation, and the manner of applying
it in a press to the purpose of printing or staining fabrics, I proceed to shew
a modification or variation of the apparatus, by which I am enabled to print a
great variety of colors upon the fabric at one time.
Fig. 3 represents a series of angular tubes a, b, &c., connected together side
by side in close contact by solder or other convenient means, Fig. 4 being a
vertical section of the same, the top surfaces of these conjoined tubes forming
together a flat surface equivalent to the plate first described. Upon this flat
surface I arrange strips or ribs of metal, as before, in such curved or other
shapes as will correspond with the outlines of the pattern I intend to print,
in order to produce distinct cells or receptacles for the colouring matter, the
strips or ribs forming the partitions between the cells. The colors or colouring
matters in a fluid state are to be supplied to this apparatus from pans or reser-
voirs on the sides from whence the several colouring fluids will pass into the
pipes a, b, &c., and rise through small openings from the several horizontal
pipes into the several recesses or compartments. Care, however, must be taken
that the colouring matters do not overflow from one compartment into an
adjoining compartment, for if that occurred, the patterns would become ill
defined and confused; but this defect is prevented by keeping the surfaces of
the colouring material in the pan at the same level as in the recesses.
surface of Fig. 3, it will be seen, is divided into cells, A, A, B, B, &c., by
the ribs or strips of metal; it will therefore merely be necessary to say
that the lateral trough A* being supplied with a red coloring matter or
dye, that color will flow through the communicating pipes a, a, a, to the
The

page_text: several cells or compartments A, intended to contain the red liquor, and the
cells B, B, will in the same manner be supplied with a slate color from the
lateral trough B, through the pipes b, b, b. All the other compartments will
be supplied by similar means with their respective colors from lateral troughs
through pipes, each of which pipes have a small aperture or apertures through
which the liquors flow upwards to their several compartments. Another mode
of constructing cells to contain the coloring liquors is by forming pipes or
hollow tubes in small pieces about the size and shape of printing types, which
may be combined into figures by the ordinary means of composition, hollow
types being employed for forming the cells, and solid types for the blank parts
of the pattern. These types having been composed into the desired figure
may be placed over a trough containing the coloring liquor, and the, cloth being
laid thereon, the liquor may be forced up through the hollow types into the
fabric by any convenient means. A convenient mode of applying these hollow
types is shewn at Figures 5 and 6.
Fig. 5 is a horizontal view of a form of these types, set up to represent a
diamond pattern, the types being circumscribed and held fast by a frame or
chase A, A, A. The red squares represent the hollow types through which
the coloring matter is forced on to the fabric, and the other parts are solids or
blanks.
Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the same. The frame A, A, A, is a box, in
the mouth of which the types are inserted and made fast. Within this box a
vessel B is attached, intended to contain the dyeing or staining material in a
semi-fluid state, the siles of the vessel being formed of a flexible material.
When the form of type has been placed upon the fabric to be printed in the
usual way of applying blocks for printing, the moveable top of the vessel B is
to be slightly depressed for the purpose of forcing a quantity of the dyeing or
coloring matter through the hollow types on to the fabric.
Another mode of adapting these hollow types to the purpose of dyeing or
Ostaining fabrics as shewn at Fig. 7. This consists of a hollow cylinder A,
perforated with small holes, into which the smaller ends of types are to be
inserted, the whole periphery of the cylinder being covered with types set
radially, agreeable to the pattern or device to be printed. I insert at certain
parts of the cylinder hollow types, and having charged the interior of the
5 cylinder with the coloring material, force that coloring material through the
hollow types on to the cloth or fabric passing under it to be printed. The
coloring matter being of such a consistency as will only fill the hollow types,
but not flow freely through them, I conduct a volume of steam at a slight
degree of pressure through the central axle, and cause that steam to fill the

page_text: "
.
chamber or passage B, which extends the whole length of the cylinder, by which
pressure of the steam the coloring matter will be forced through the hollow
types which are in contact with the cloth below, and dye or it accordingly.
Fig. 8 represents, in sectional elevation, an improved apparatus, whereby I
am enabled advantageously to apply a rotary surface printing cylinder to the
printing of woven and other fabrics. a, a, is the printing cylinder, and b a roller
mounted and revolving in the color trough c for taking up and depositing color
upon the surface of the cylinder. The raised parts or surfaces of the patterns
on this cylinder are perforated, as shewn at d, d, d, and when the pattern has
been supplied with color from the roller b, and by the revolution of the
cylinder a is brought under the steam passage or chamber e, similar to that
above described in Fig. 7, the steam will enter the perforations and force out
the color on to the fabric, while at the same time the pressure of the cylinder
on the fabric will cause the color on the solid parts of the pattern to be taken
off. The perforations may, if thought desirable, be covered by woollen cloth
or cther porous material.
Having now described my Invention, I would remark that various modifica-
tions of what I might call the principles of my Invention, differing from those
which I have pointed out above, may be employed to carry out the same
intentions. I therefore desire it to be understood that the particular matters
which I claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent, are,-
First, the employment of a series of cells or recesses capable of containing
dyeing, colouring, or staining materials, and formed to the shapes or configura-
tions of the patterns or devices required to be printed upon the fabric when
brought in contact with them.
Secondly, the employment of hollow or perforated tubes or types capable of
being composed or set up into forms or patterns in frames, or inserted in per-
forated boxes or hollow cylinders, by means of which coloring matters may be
deposited upon fabrics.
.
Thirdly, the employment of perforated surfaces, through which colouring
matters might be expressed to produce patterns upon the face of a fabric.
And lastly, the employment of steam or pneumatic pressure. passed through
perforated blocks or surfaces for the purpose of assisting the deposition of
colouring matters in the operations of printing or staining fabrics.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Wood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-five.
WILLIAM (L.S.) WOOD,

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Seventh day of June,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Wood came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute in that case made and provided.