IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOORCLOTHS AND LIKE COVERINGS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Turnbull and Frederick Turnbull, both of
Holywell Mount, Shoreditch, in the County of Middlesex, Card Makers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOORCLOTHS
AND LIKE COVERINGS."
Sealed the 14th November 1862, and dated the 22nd May 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Turnbull and
Frederick Turnbull at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 22nd May 1862.
We, SAMUEL TURNBULL and FREDERICK TURNBULL, both of Holywell Mount,
Shoreditch, in the County of Middlesex, Card Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
FLOORCLOTHS AND LIKE COVERINGS," to be as follows:-
Our improvements in the manufacture of floorcloth consist, first, in the
application of a surface of paper to the woven cloth, on which surface of
paper we apply the paint to form the surface of the manufactured article,
thereby producing a smoother surface, and requiring much less paint than
usual.
We further manufacture floor coverings, according to our Invention, of
thick paper painted, without the use of woven fabrics as a foundation.
Di da

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Turnbull and Frederick Turnbull in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 22nd November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
TURNBULL and FREDERICK TURNBULL, both of Holywell Mount, Shoreditch,
in the County of Middlesex, Card Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Samuel Turnbull and Frederick Turnbull, Her special licence,
that we, the said Samuel Turnbull and Frederick Turnbull, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Samuel Turnbull
and Frederick Turnbull, our 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOORCLOTHS AND LIKE COVERINGS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Samuel Turnbull and Frederick
Turnbull, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, 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 we, the said Samuel Turnbull and Frederick
Turnbull, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say):-
Our Invention of improvements in the manufacture of floorcloth and other
like covering relates to such coverings as are coated with paint to produce, in
the case of floorcloths, the wearing surface, which may be more or less orna-
mental; or it may be used as table and other covers; and in some cases the
manufactured article may be used for waterproof purposes as coverings for
baskets, carts, and otherwise.
In the ordinary manufacture of floorcloth repeated coatings of paint are
applied to a substance of canvas or other woven fabric until it is saturated

page_text: with paint and becomes a solid mass, the upper or last coating or coatings
being more or less ornamental. In the ordinary manufacture a large amount
of paint is absorbed, while at same time the surface of the manufactured
article presents a want of smoothness, which detracts from its appearance,
and moreover contributes to its speedy wear. Not only is a great expense
incurred for paint absorbed in the manufacture of ordinary oil or floor cloth,
but it must necessarily be on a comparatively good canvas foundation to
offer the requisite surface for the paint, which is also a considerable itein of
expense.
According to the first part of our Invention, we employ a canvas or other
woven foundation, of greater or less strength, and suitable for the quality of
the oilcloth to be made; on this we apply a thickness or thicknesses of paper
on one or both sides, and glue, paste, or otherwise cement it thereto. Ouc
or more such coatings of brown or other paper or paper stuff may be applied
in the manner and as applied to canvas, or linen, or for other purposes. The
canvas may be of a close texture if desired, or it may be very open, and the
meshes filled up with the adhesive material cementing the paper thereto, or
with the substance of the paper stuff itself. Having so prepared the canvas
with a surface of paper which will present a smooth surface, we then proceed to
apply the necessary coats of paint to give it the wearing or waterproof surface
desired; this, of course, should be of a greater or lesser thickness according
to the quality of the article to be manufactured, but which, by reason of the
smoothness of the surface of its foundation, will afford a considerable amount
of wear, even although the substance of paintapplied should be comparatively
slight. By reason of the smoothness of surface of the foundation more
ornamental patterns may be depicted on it at comparatively trifling cost.
The back of the floor or other similar cloth may or may not be coated with
paper, but in all cases we prefer to do so where paint is applied to such back
surface to prevent the absorption of paint by the canvas. In uniting the
paint or paper stuff to the canvas, it may be subsequently passed through
between rollers to smoothen its surfaces and render it of uniform thickness
throughout.
Iustead of applying the paper surface, to which the paint is to be applied
in the manufacture of floor cloth and other like covering, to a foundation of
canvas or woven fabric, the paper itself may form the sole foundation, to
strengthen which we prefer to mauufacture such foundation with cross or
parallel threads interposed between thicknesses of paper; or it may be
embedded in the body of the paper during its manufacture; or long fibres
simply may be embedded to add to the tenacity of the paper foundation.

page_text: In either case we simply paint the surface to render it suitable for the
covering purpose to which it is to be applied. In using paper alone as a
foundation for floorcloth, or other like covering, it will mostly be necessary to
combine two or more thicknesses of paper, and further to feld or double in
the edges of one or more of such combined sheets, in order to strengthen the
edge and form a border thereto; or a thread or string, or a strip or tape of
woven fabric may be applied around the border or edge with advantage.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention, to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the application of a surface of paper to the canvas or foundation of
woven fabric of floorcloth or other like coverings, as and for the purposes
herein-before described.
Secondly, we claim the manufacture of floor and other coverings of painted
paper, in manner and as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel Turnbull aud Frederick
Turnbull, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first
day of November, in the year of our Lord Oce thousand eight
hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
W. CLARK,
Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
SAMUEL TURNBULL. (..)
FRED TURNBULL. (L.S.)