IMPROVEMENTS. IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING. AND MEASURING WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Hacking and Thomas Hacking,
both of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING. AND
MEASURING WOVEN FABRICS."
Sealed the 24th September 1872, and dated the 17th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Hacking
and Thomas Hacking at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,,
with their Petition, on the 17th April 1872.
We, WILLIAM HENRY HACKING and THOMAS HACKING, both of Bury,
in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLD-
ING. AND: MRASURING WOVEN FABRICS," to be as follows :—
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Hacking
and Thomas Hacking at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,,
with their Petition, on the 17th April 1872.
We, WILLIAM HENRY HACKING and THOMAS HACKING, both of Bury,
in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLD-
ING. AND: MEASURING WOVEN FABRICS," to be as follows :—
Our improvements consist,-
First. Of an arrangement of worm shafts and wheels by means of
which the rails used for holding the folded cloth are moved' simultaneously
and by one operation to suit the various lengths of folds required to be
made, instead of moving each rail separately as heretofore, the said

page_text: arrangement being applicable, with slight modifications, to either flat or
circular tables.
Secondly. In an arrangement of bevel' wheels and shafts whereby the
crank studs which determine the length of the stroke of the folding arms
and consequently the length of the fold are moved simultaneously and 5
by one operation, instead of moving each stud separately as now
customary.
Thirdly. In the use of certain inclines and bowls in lieu of the ordinary
swivel arms, by means of which the folders or plaiting knives are raised
and dropped in the centre of their stroke, so as to be able to plait any l
desired length of fold without any adjustment of these parts.
Fourthly. In the use of double folders or plaiting knives placed one
above the. other about half an inch apart, and the employment of fingers
actuated by cams and springs which lay hold of and retain the cloth at
the end of each fold, the fingers being made to lay hold of the cloth 1
between the double folders and in the interstices between them.
5:
Fifthly. In an arrangement of parallel bars, cranks, and sidė arms,
by means of which the folders or plaiting arms are made to fold cloth on
flat tables.
.
Sixthly. In the use of a spiral cone for the chain which carries the 20
balance weights, by means of which the leverage of the weights is
increased to balance the increased weight of the table as the cloth is
being folded.
And, lastly. In the use of fingers working in recesses in the folding.
Heimas faz holding the cloth securely when folded the said fingers are 91
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Henry Hacking and Thomas Hacking in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM 30
HENRY HACKING and THOMAS HACKING, both of Bury, in the County
of Lancaster, Machine Makers, send greeting.

page_text: '
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year)
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
5 and grant unto us, the said William Henry Hacking and Thomas
Hacking, Her special licence that we, the said William Henry Hacking
and Thomas Hacking, our executors, administrators, and assigns; .or;
such others as we, the said William Henry Hacking and Thomas Hack-,.
ing, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
O 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING AND MEASURING WOVEN FABRICS,",
3 upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Henry:
Hacking and Thomas. Hacking, our executors or administrators, by:
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or 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.
..
•
'
i
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Henry Hacking and
Thomas Hacking, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly.
described, and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is
to say):
Our improvements consist,-
First. Of an arrangement of worm shafts and wheels by means of
which the rails used for holding the folded cloth are moved simultanously
and by one operation to suit the various lengths of folds required to
be made, instead of moving each rail separately as heretofore; the said
arrangement being applicable, with slight modifications, to either flat or
circular tables.
Secondly. In an arrangement of bevel wheels and shafts whereby the
crank studs which determine the length of the stroke of the folding
arms, and consequently the length of the fold, are moved simultaneously
and by one operation, instead of moving each stud separately as now
customary.
i
!
.

page_text: Thirdly. In the use of double folders or plaiting knives placed one
above the other about half an inch apart, and the employment of fingers
actuated by cams and springs which lay hold of and retain the cloth at
the end of each fold, the fingers being made to lay hold of the cloth
between the double folders and in the interstices between them.
Fourthly. In an arrangement of parallel bars, cranks, and side arms,
by means of which the folders or plaiting arms are made to fold cloth
on flat tables.
And lastly. In the use of fingers working in recesses in the folding
knives for holding the cloth securely when folded; the said fingers are 1
raised by cams and pulled down by springs.
These improvements will be clearly understood by the following
description, and reference to the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings,
in which Fig. 1 represents an end elevation of a circular top folding and
measuring machine having our improvements attached; and Figs. 2, 3, 1
and 4 are detached elevations of some of the parts; Figs. 5 and 6
represent the end and front elevations; and Fig. 7, a plan of a flat top
folding and measuring machine with our improvements attached.
In Fig. 1 the ordinary card rail brackets are shewn prolonged by
arms at a¹, a³, terminating in bosses bored to fit loose on the ordinary 2
rocking shaft x. On the arms a³, a³, are fixed quadrants b', b³, being
segments of worm wheels, having the centre of the shafts x for a
common centre. Gearing into the quadrants 6', 6, are two conical
worms c³, c³, one being a right-hand worm, and the other left hand.
These worms c³and c³ are fixed on the hollow shaft d. When the shaft d §
is turned round by means of the handle B which fits on the square of
the shaft & the arms a¹, a², are caused to approach or recede from one
another according to the direction in which the handle is turned. On
the shaft d is also fixed a worm 9 which gears into a quadrant & working
on a stud. This quadrant has an arm attached to it, and a curved slot i
which clips the stud of the ordinary swivel arm k, and by the rotation
of the shaft d causes the stud of the swivel arm to move in the slot j.
The quadrants 6, 6, and the quadrant are proportioned so as to work
in unison with each other, so that the rotation of the shaft d causes the
swivel arm k to take the right position for the length of fold to which:
the arms a', a³, are moved.
On the shaft d is also placed a mitre wheel e gearing into a mitre

page_text: .
wheel of similar size ƒ placed on the shaft D, which extends across the
machine.. On the opposite end of the shaft D is placed a mitre wheel
corresponding to f, which gears into another mitre wheel corresponding
to e placed on a shaft corresponding to the shaft d, upon which are
placed worms corresponding to c³, c³, and g, gearing into quadrants
corresponding to b¹, b³, and h, attached to the card rail brackets and
swivel arms on the opposite side of the machine. By the train of wheels
thus described the card rail brackets a', a³, and the corresponding card
rail brackets on the other end of the machine and the swivel arm k, and
the corresponding swivel arm at the other end of the machine, are all
moved simultaneously by the rotation of the shaft d.
In the interior of the hollow shaft d is placed a small shaft 7; 7, see
Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, one end of which projects at ü, Fig. 1, and is made
square so as to fit in the smaller recess of the handle B. At the other
end of the shaft is placed the bevel wheel m gearing into another bevel
wheel n, Fig. 2, which has a long boss and another bevel wheel o
attached to it. The bevel wheels nand o are loose on the ordinary crank
shaft of the machine. The bevel wheel o gears into a small bevel wheel p
placed at the end of the crank screw q, and to which is attached in the
ordinary way the crank stud r. By this apparatus the crank stud r is
shifted to give the required movement to the knives of the machine
by the rotation of the shaft turned by means of the handle B, and
acting on the train of wheels m, n, o, and p. The bevel wheel p,
Fig. 2, gears into another bevel wheel 8, which is fastened to a shaft t
; passing through the centre of the crank shaft, and having at its opposite
end another bevel wheel corresponding to the wheel 8, gearing into
another bevel wheel corresponding to the wheel p, placed at the end
of the crank screw at the opposite end of the machine, by which
means both the crank studs are moved simultaneously.
The handle B, Fig. 1, has in it two recesses, one fitting on the
square u, and the other on the square v, so that both shafts & and 1
can be turned simultaneously by the same handle B; and the size of the
bevel wheels m, n, o, p, are proportioned to the segments 6', 'b³, and h, so
that the rotation of the shafts & and together move in unison the four
5 card rail arms, the two swivel arms, and the two crank studs, so that
each part retains its proper, working adjustment in respect of the others.
Instead of the ordinary nuts we employ winged or thumb nuts, as shewn
in Figs. 1 and 2 at w¹, w³, w³; w', fór the purpose-of-attaching the card

page_text: rail brackets, swivel arms, and the crank studs in their places. By this
means we are enabled to alter the machine for a different length of fold
without the aid of a screw key.
In Figs. 1 and 3 y³, y³, represent a tempered spring carried by the
bracket fixed on the bottom cross rail of the machine. A³, A³, are two!
arms fixed by means of screws to the rocking shaft z, having slots in
them through which the ends of the springs y', y³, are passed. When
the machine is set in motion the arms A, A³, are oscillated by means of
the shaft x, and have to overcome the resistance of the spring y', y³.
The strength of the spring y', y³, is proportioned to the weight of the 1
side and swivel arms, and through the medium of A, A', and x acts as a
counterpoise to them, enabling the driving pulley of the machine to be
turned with about the same amount of power in all positions of the side
arms.
In Fig. 4 a section of our improved card rail is shewn at E, and 1
a plan of the same at F. The space usually filled with card is in our
improvement filled with alternate strips of india-rubber and wood placed
at an angle to the rail. These strips of india-rubber and wood are
shewn as going in a parallel direction with the card rail at E and F.
A modification of the same arrangement is shewn at G, H, in which 2
the alternate strips of india-rubber and wood, instead of being placed
parallel with the card rail, are placed transversely, G being a longi-
tudinal section, and H a plan of the same. We also employ in lieu of
the ordinary card india-rubber backed with strong cloth, and covered on
the face with coarse or fine emery or glass to prevent injury to bleached 24
and finished fabrics. In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 the card rail bracket is shewn
at 1, 2, 3, 4, and is attached to the screw 5, 5ª, by means of a boss
tapped to the same pitch as the screw. The screw 5, 5", is made with a
left-hand thread one portion of its length, and with a right hand for the
other. On the extremity of 5 is placed a mitre wheel 6, gearing into 30
another mitre wheel 7 placed on the shaft 8, extending across the
machine, and having at its opposite extremity another mitre wheel 9
gearing into another mitre wheel 10, which actuates a screw 11 cor-
responding to 5, 5". By this means the rotation of the screw 5, 5*,
causes all the card rail brackets, 1, 2, 3, and 4 to approach or recede 35
from one another according to the direction in which it is turned.
The ordinary side arm 12 made to oscillate in the usual manner by
means of a crank communicates motion to the knife bracket 13, which

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moves in a horizontal manner on the rods 14, 15. The bracket 13 has
on it two pillars or studs 18, 19, on which the knives 16, 17, are so
placed that they can be made to move up and down on the studs 18, 19,
by means of bowls and inclines shewn at 20, 21, 23, 24, in a similar manner
to that described in the Specification of a Patent granted to Samuel
Knowles and Robert Hayward, of Tottington, on the Twenty-fourth day
of June, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, Numbered 1589.
i
On the first motion shaft we place a bevel wheel 25, gearing into
another bevel wheel 26, placed on a shaft 27, running along the end of
the machine, and driven at the same speed as the crank shaft. On the
shaft 27 are placed two cams 28, 28, of the shape shewn in Fig. 6.
These cams' act on the bowls 29, 29ª, placed at one extremity of the
levers 30, 30°, carried on the shaft 37, see Fig. 6. The other extremity
of the levers 30, 30°, are attached to sliding bars 31 passing through the
card rail brackets 1, 2, 3, 4, and supported by brackets 35 fixed on the
rails 34.
. The sliding bars have on them adjustable hooks or bent fingers 32, 32",
shewn at Fig. 7; the bars are also in two parts in the width of the
machine, as shewn in Figs. 6 and 7, and are connected in the centre of
the spiral springs 33.
The mode of working this combination is as follows:-When a piece
of cloth is to be folded and measured the fingers 32, 32, are set so that
they will hook or lay hold of the selvages of the cloth. As the knife 16,
bringing with it the cloth in the usual manner, approaches the card rail
bracket 1 the fingers 32, 32, are drawn out beyond the width of the
cloth by means of the levers 30° and the cams 28. When the knife 16
has arrived at the end of its stroke in the direction of the card rail
bracket 1, the cam is shaped so as suddenly to release the lever 30°, and
the spring 33 draws the fingers 32, 32, so as to lay hold of and retain
the selvages of the cloth carried by the knife 16. The knives 16, 17, are
bent in a U form, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to allow the finger to lay hold
of the cloth in the hollow formed by the bend of the knives. As the
knife 17, carrying with it the cloth to be folded, approaches the card rail
bracket 2 a similar movement of the fingers is effected by means of the
cams 28 and levers 30.
The rails 36 are for the purpose of retaining the folded cloth in its

page_text: Having now fully described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we declare that we
claim,―
First. The prolonged card rail brackets carried by the rocking shaft as
à centre, as shown in Fig. 1.
Secondly. The manner of moving the card rails altogether by one
handle.
Thirdly. The apparatus for moving the centres of both swivel arms by
one handle and by one operation, as shewn in reference to Fig. 1.
Fourthly. The apparatus for moving both crank studs by one handle 1
and by one operation, as shewn in reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
Fifthly. The apparatus for combining the movements of the card
rails, the swivel arms, and crank studs, so that the whole are actuated
by one handle and by one operation, and move in unison with each
other.
Sixthly. The apparatus for balancing the weight of the side arms, as
shewn and described in reference to Fig. 3.
Seventhly. The use of the winged nuts to³, to, to³, and wo*, see Figs. 1
and 2, for securing the parts in their position, as described.
1
Eighthly. The card rail furnished with india-rubber used in strips, as 2
shewn and described in reference to Fig. 4, and the india-rubber covered
with emery or glass, as described for holding the cloth when folded.
And, lastly. The mode of holding the cloth during the process of
folding by means of bent fingers or jointed arms moving in and out, and
the manner of actuating the same, as shewn and described in reference 20
to Figs. 5, 6, and 7.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Henry Hacking and
Thomas Hacking, have hereto set our hands and seals, this
Fifteenth day of October One thousand eight hundred and
WILLIAM HY. HACKING. (L.S.)
THOMAS HACKING.
(L.S.)