AN IMPROVED TISSUE FABRIC OR STRUCTURE
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED TISSUE FABRIC OR STRUCTURE."-A communication from abroad
by Mr. Michel Antoine Graziani, Engineer, of 29, Boulevart St. Martio,
Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 28th June 1861, and dated the 29th December 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
December 1860.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,.
Engineer & Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED TISSUE FABRIC OR STRUCTURE," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new fabric, tissue, or structure, formed of con-
tiguous parallel strips of wood either round, flat, or of other form, connected
by warps of thread, wire, or cords of silk, flax, hemp, cotton, or other material.
These connecting warps which run transversely to the strips of wood may be
placed at any suitable distance apart according to the strength to be given
to the fabric or tissue. The length and width of the fabric may be of any
requisite dimensions. This fabric or tissue is applicable for window or other
blinds, curtains, screens, floor coverings, or other purposes, and its surface
may be either plain or ornamental.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer &
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clark Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Clark, 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 "AN IMPROVED TISSUE
FABRIC OR STRUCTURE," a communication to liim-from-abroad, by Mr.-Michel
Antoine Graziani, Engineer, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, in the Empire
of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said William Clark, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of a new kind of fabric, intended
especially for application as curtains, window and other blinds, floor coverings,
screens, lamp and other shades, and similar purposes. This fabric is formed
of contiguous strips of wood, reeds or rushes, rattan or cords of cotton thread,
wool, silk, and other material, suitably stiffened, or of other stiff or rigid
strips, united parallel, the one with the other by strings, cords, wires, or
other flexible substances. The rigid strips may be of a round, flat, elliptical,

page_text: or other form, and may be placed at greater or less distances apart according
to the strength to be given to the fabric or the amount of space required
in it for ventilation. The rigid strips constitute the weft and the flexible
wires or cords the warp of the fabric. The flexible wires or cords which form
the warp are placed alternately above and under each of the rigid strips.
These wires are also placed at equal distances apart and may be more or
less in number according to the width of the fabric, but should always be
flexible, so as to permit of rolling up the fabric the same as a piece of cloth.
The width of this improved fabric is regulated by the length of the strips,
it may also be manufactured of any thickness and be made as thin and
limp as desired, and may be further colored and ornamented in various
ways.
These fabrics are manufactured by means of looms & other special appa-
ratus, whereby great solidity or closeness of texture may be obtained, which
intercepts the rays of the sun, at same time permitting of a free ventilation
and of its being easily seen through when held up to the light.
I have represented in the annexed Drawings different arrangements of
this improved fabric.
Fig. 1 shows a front view of a fabric formed of round wood strips; Fig. 2
shows an edge view of the same; Fig. 3 shows a front view of a flat wooden
strip fabric; Fig. 4 an edge view of the same; Fig. 5 shows a front view of
a fabric manufactured with large cords, suitably stiffened by means of size
or otherwise; Fig. 6 shows a front view of a fabric made of small cords,
also stiffened in a similar manner; lastly, Fig. 7 shows a front view of a
fabric, formed of canes, rattans, or reeds. In all the Figures the warps or
chains are represented in red.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of perform-
ing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the new manufacture of
fabric above described, applicable for window and other blinds, curtains, floor
coverings, screens, lamp and other shades, and other similar purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)