IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PLANKING THE BODIES OF HATS." MACHINERY
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Haigh, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Hat Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR PLANKING THE BODIES OF HATS."
MACHINERY OR
Sealed the 9th April 1868, and dated the 11th October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Haigh at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th October
1867.
I, EDWARD HAIGH, of Leeds, in the County of York, Hat Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR PLANKING THE BODIES OF HATS," to be as follows:-
From a driving shaft mounted upon the framework of my apparatus or
machine I drive two broad toothed wheels, such wheels having an internal
cam and conical formation; between the said wheels I have six or more
beaters made of wood or other convenient material, and having small pulleys
upon their extremities which are acted upon by the internal surfaces of the
toothed wheels before named; these beaters it may be observed have alternate
motions towards their centre, wherein is placed the roll of hat bodies to be
planked. By means of an overhead lever a portion of the beaters are raised

page_text: up for the admission of the roll to be planked. To the end of this lever a
weight is attached to facilitate the raising of the beaters. To each of the
toothed wheels before named cranked arms are connected, such arms being
operated upon by means of levers worked by a paul and ratchet motion, the
effect of which is to cause the said wheels to approach each other, and con-
sequently to receive the pulleys at the end of the beaters, and by reason of
the internal conical formation to bring the said beaters more and more
closely on to the roll which is being operated upon. By another lever con-
nected to the overhead lever before named, and having a catch in it, I am
enabled when the beater pulleys have got as far as is desirable within the
toothed wheels to cause the said wheels to return to their previous position,
when the roll being planked is ready for removal. I further have another
motion for ejecting the roll placed under the same and operated upon by a
cross shaft having two or more arms.
Another portion of my Invention consists in what I may term a reversible
box with a rocking shaft motion having two compartments and placed at
the front of the machine to receive the rolls as they are ejected from the
machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Haigh in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
HAIGN, of Leeds, in the County of York, Hat Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edward Haigh, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Haigh,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Ilaigh, my 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR PLANKING THE BODIES OF HATS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Haigh, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,

page_text: 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 I, the said Edward Haigh, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
From a driving shaft mounted upon the framework of my apparatus or
macbine I drive two broad toothed wheels, such wheels having an internal cam
and conical formation; between the said wheels I have six or more beaters
made of wood or other convenient material, and having small pulleys upon their
extremities which are acted upon by the internal surfaces of the toothed wheels
before named; these beaters it may be observed have alternate motion, or
work alternately in pairs towards their centre, wherein is placed the roll of hat
bodies to be planked. By means of an overhead lever a portion of the beaters
are raised up for the admission of the roll to be planked. To the end of this
lever a weight is attached to facilitate the raising of the beaters. To each of
the toothed wheels before named cranked arms are connected, such arins
being operated upon by means of levers worked by a paul and ratchet motion,
or by preference a clutch box motion afterwards described, the effect of which
is to cause the 'said wheels to approach each other and consequently to receive
the pulleys at the end of the beaters, and by reason of the internal conical
formation to bring the said beaters more and more closely on to the roll which
is being operated upon. By another lever connected to the overhead lever
before named and having a catch in it I am enabled when the beater pulleys
have got as far as is desirable within the toothed wheels to cause the said
wheels to return to their previous position when the roll being planked is ready
for removal.
In order however, that my Invention may be the better understood reference
is made to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation; Figure 2 an end view; Figure 3 a section
5 of one portion of my apparatus; and Figure 4 a detail view of the clutch box
arrangement. .
Letters A shew the side frames of my apparatus; letters B shew the broad
toothed wheels having the internal conical and octagonal formation before

page_text: referred to, the same being driven by the pinion C upon the driving shaft D;
E represents the cylinder within which the beaters E' work; F is the over-
head shaft to which is connected the levers, by means of which one portion of
the cylinder E working upon a joint is raised for the admission of the roll of
hat bodies. The weight G is likewise connected by means of a chain with the
lever Fits object and purpose being hereafter explained. Letter I likewise
shews the rod or bar by which the beating action upon the hat bodies is
controlled and regulated.
The operation of the machine will be understood by the following explana-
tion The driving shaft D upon the end of which are keyed the fast and
loose pulleys D' and D³ is always in motion. Upon the attendant depressing
one arm of the overhead lever I the weight D is thereby raised, the rod H
is also raised and with it the catch rod h; this action throws the stud K
through the intermediate levers J, J', within the clutch box L; this operation
causes the worm wheel L' which forms a part of or is connected to the clutch
box L and which by the constant motion of the shaft D is perpetually driven
through the intermediate wheels shown on the Drawing "to bite," thereby
revolving the shaft M. Upon that shaft is fixed the double lever N, with
which are connected levers n, the latter being connected to the levers 0;
these it will be seen are right-angled levers, by means of which the broad
wheels B are moved inwards and outwards so as to catch the pulleys affixed
to the ends of the beaters E¹. The lifting portion of the cylinder E being
raised therefore, and a roll of hat bodies being introduced in the centre, and
the lever I being depressed, the beaters are thrown into motion in alternate
pairs, the internal cams of the wheels B being so arranged as to cause beaters
opposite each other to act at the same time. By the time that the hat bodies
havo been sufficiently operated upon the pin i on the disc 1 (which is keyed
to the clutch box L) strikes upon the curved end of the lever h, the consequence
of which is that by the aid of the weights G the rod H descends (the bell crank
being thrown out of catch) this operates upon the levers J, and J', and the
clutch box L is relieved from the pressure caused by the square K. Another
feature consists in my arrangement for ejecting hat rolls when planked.
It will be seen on reference to Figure 3 that a groove is cut in the cylinder
E for the admission of a tongue which is operated upon through the plates e
by the action of the tappet h³ upon the small lever h³, which causes it to ascend
in the groove e aud thus throw up the roll of hat bodies into the hands of the
attendants or into a box which may happen to be placed near. The descent
of the rod h further causes the wheels B to be thrown out of connection with
the beater pulleys e¹.

page_text: In Figure 4 will be seen a section of the clutch box arrangement. Letter a
shews a rectangular piece of metal keyed on to the shaft b and which slides
in the lips c; letters d shew two loose pieces placed at an angle & pressing
against segmental pieces e; upon the square therefore being thrust in wards
by the action of levers previously named the segments are pressed tightly
against the internal surfaces of the clutch box g, the rectangular piece a biting
against the lips c. It will readily be seen that the traverse of the square f to
produce this effect is limited.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what
I claim as the most essential features of my planking apparatus is, the beating
action upon the hat bodies from a number of beaters playing in pairs, such
action being caused by the internal conical formation of the wheels B referred
to, such formation causing the beaters gradually to approach nearer and
nearer as the bodies become planked; I do not however confine myself to
the precise details shewn for effecting such beating action.
Secondly. I claim the method of ejecting the bodies when planked.
And, lastly. I claim the whole combined apparatus whereby hat bodies are
planked by a beating action and afterwards ejected from the machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Haigh, bave hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
P. H. SHARP,
Leeds.
EDWARD HAIGH. (L.S.)