AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR PLAITING TEXTILE AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hardy Kent, of Kirby Street, Hatton
Garden, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR PLAITING TEXTILE AND
OTHER MATERIALS."-A communication from abroad by G. E. King,
of the City and State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 12th March 1872, and dated the 22nd September 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hardy Kent
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 22nd September 1871.
I, WILLIAM HARDY KENT, of Kirby Street, Hatton Garden, in the '
County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for 'AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR PLAITING TEXTILE
AND OTHER MATERIALS," a communication, to be as follows:-
66
The object of my Invention is the construction of a simple and
efficient machine for plaiting textile and other. materials. The said
machine may be used with great advantage for plaiting materials for

page_text: ornamenting skirts or petticoats and other articles of dress, and for
other similar purposes, and it will form the plaiting either straight or
obliquely across the material.
I construct the said machine as follows:--Upon a conveniently formed
stand or frame I place and secure a horizontal flat table or plate of
iron or other suitable metal. On this table I arrange the folding,
doubling, creasing, and pressing apparatus, whereby I accomplish the
object of my Invention. This apparatus consists of the following
parts, viz., A vertically reciprocating blade, a horizontally reciprocating
blade, and a presser bar, all operated by eccentrics, cams, or other 1
similar contrivances. The vertically moving blade works through a
slot or long narrow aperture in the table. The horizontal blade is
arranged to move to and fro over the slot. The presser bar is arranged
to rise and descend immediately behind the slot. These blades, the
slot and the bar, are parallel to each other, but may be placed at
any desired angle with regard to the edge of the table or the
direction in which the material is fed forward on the same, and
the angle at which they are placed determines the obliquity of the
plaiting.
The end of the piece of calico or other material to be plaited is
pushed over the edge of the vertical blade, which in rising carries it up
through the said slot. Then as the vertical blade descends, the
horizontal blade advances and carries a fold of the stuff forward under
the rising and descending bar, which as the horizontal blade recedes
another
compresses the fold so formed. The vertical blade then brings up
fold and the operations are repeated. If desired, the edge of the
horizontal blade may have teeth somewhat like a fine saw, to prevent
its pushing the work to one side.
The pressing bar is connected to two frames one at each end of the
table, which extend downward at the sides of the machine. These
frames are raised by cams on the end of a shaft which extends across
the machine below the table; and they are depressed and held down
by springs attached to them and to the frame of the machine. The
said shaft also has on it two discs in which are secured crank pins for
operating the horizontal creasing blade. These pins are made adjustable
to change the width of the plaiting. The said blade is attached to a
bar or rod, which, works in guideways at the top of the table, and is

page_text: connected to the aforesaid crank pins .by suitable connecting rods.
Another shaft extending across the machine below the table is
provided with discs and adjustable crank pins for moving the aforesaid.
vertically reciprocating blade through the slot in the table. The said
discs are, connected to the ends of a bar which carries the said blade by
short rods or links. The aforesaid two shafts are geared by toothed
wheels with a driving shaft, which may be operated by hand or by
means of a belt or band.
The table or plate on which the plaiting is performed must be heated,
and for this purpose I prefer to use an arrangement of gas jets placed
below the said table and in line or nearly so with the pressing bar.
In some cases I may use a guide for the material to be fed through,
and this guide may be conveniently formed of a piece of tin or other
thin metal made slightly wider than the material, and attached to the
front edge of the table.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Hardy Kent in the Great Seal Patent *
Office on the 21st March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HARDY KENT, of Kirby Street, Hatton Garden, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturer, send greeting,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Hardy Kent, Her special
licence that I, the said William Hardy Kent, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Hardy
Kent, 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, usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR PLAITING TEXTILE AND OTHER.
.

page_text: MATERIALS," a communication to me from abroad by G. E. King, of
the City and State of New York, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Hardy Kent,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Hardy Kent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner.
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to
the accompanying Drawing forming a part of this Specification: -
The object of my Invention is the construction of a simple and
efficient machine for plaiting textile and other materials. The said
machine may be used with great advantage for plaiting materials for
ornamenting skirts or petticoats and other articles of dress, and for other
similar purposes; and my Invention is designed to make either
"straight" or "oblique" plaiting; that is to say, the machine may be a
constructed to make the plaits cither directly or obliquely across the
material.
I construct the said machine as follows:-Upon a conveniently
formed stand or frame I place and secure a horizontal flat table or plate
of iron or other suitable metal. On this table I arrange the 2
folding; doubling, creasing, and pressing apparatus, whereby I
accomplish the object of my Invention. This apparatus consists of the
following parts, viz. :-A vertically reciprocating blade, a horizontally
reciprocating blade, and a presser bar or plate, all operated by eccentrics,.
cams, or other similar contrivances. The vertically moving blade works 3
through a slot or long narrow aperture in the table. The horizontal
blade is arranged to move to and fro over the slot. The presser plate
is arranged to rise and descend immediately behind the slot. These
blades, the slot and the presser plate, are parallel to each other, but may
be placed at any desired angle with regard to the edge of the table or 3
the direction in which the strips are fed forward on the same, and
the angle whercat they are placed determines the obliquity of the
plaiting.

page_text: The end of the strip of calico or other material to be plaited is
pushed over the edge of the vertical blade, which in rising carries it up
through the said slot; then as the vertical blade descends, the horizontal
blade advances and carries a fold of the stuff forward under the rising
and descending plate, which as the horizontal blade recedes compresses
the fold so formed. The vertical blade then brings up another fold and
the operations are repeated. If desired, the edge of the horizontal blade
may have teeth somewhat like a fine saw, to prevent its pushing the
work to one side.

page_text: which extends across the machine through the vertical guideways a³;
its end being carried in the blocks c³ which are fitted to slide in the
slots in the arms k² of the levers k. As this lever is caused to vibrate
on its fulcrum the arm ² gives the required up-and-down motion to
the blade c. The horizontal blade d is also attached to a bar di
extending across the machine. This bar is supported in horizontal
guideways a², and its ends are carried in the blocks d which are fitted
to slide in the slots in the arms ³ of the aforesaid rocking levers. It
will be obvious that by this rocking lever k the vertical knife c is raised
through the slot fas the horizontal knife d is drawn back, and the
latter is moved forward to take the fold from the said vertical knife as
the same descends. The pin or stud n of the disc is made
adjustable in the slot or groove n² in the said disc, to allow the
excentricity of the pin to be increased or diminished according to the
size of the plaiting. It will be readily understood that if desirable I
might operate the two blades by separate shafts and eccentrics or
cranks, but the machine would then be less compact, simple, and
convenient, than with the arrangement shown.
The table or plate 6 on which the plaiting lies must be heated, and
the heating must be effected in such a manner as not to injure the
work or impair the efficiency of the machine. For this purpose I prefer
a pipe or tube r, which is arranged immediately under the table bas
shown, and is supplied with gas by means of any convenient
connections. This pipe has any desired number of holes which form so
many burners whose flames impinge on the under surface of the table;
s is a tap or cock whereby the supply of gas is regulated, so that the
heat may be increased or diminished as required.
The driving shaft q passes through the frames g, and is provided
with the handle q¹ or other convenient means for putting the machine
in motion.
I prefer to provide the machine with a thin plate t secured to the
under side of the table b. The material to be plaited is introduced
between this plate and the table, its end being pushed up through the
slot f.
The machine is then put in operation and the plaiting is
accomplished by the combined action of the blades c and d, and the
presser plate e, as above described.
When the machine is to be used for "straight" work, the relative
arrangement of the blades, presser plate, slot, and other parts, will be

page_text: the same, but they will be placed parallel with the front edge of the
table instead of obliquely thereto as shown.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. In a machine for plaiting textile and other materials the
combination of mechanism consisting of a table with a narrow aperture
or slot, a vertical blade working through the said aperture or slot, a
horizontal blade and a presser plate working above the table, all
acting together to form the plaits in the fabric either directly or
obliquely across the same as it passes over the said table.
Second. In a machine for plaiting textile and other materials, the
combination of the aforesaid table with its narrow slot or aperture, the
vertical and horizontal blades and the presser plate, with the
contrivances for giving the required movements to the different parts of
the mechanism as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hardy Kent, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the
year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two..
Witness,
EDWARD C. JACKSON.
W. H. KENT. (L.S.)