IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SIZING THE BACKS OF CARPETS AND OTHER PILE FABRICS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Garrett Tongue, of the Firm of Tongue
& Birkbeck, Patent Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SIZING
THE BACKS OF CARPETS AND OTHER PILE FABRICS."-A communication
from abroad by Henry Graham Thompson, of New York, United
States of America.
Sealed the 31st March 1868, and dated the 11th January 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Garrett Tongue
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th January 1868.
I, JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue & Birkbeck, Patent
Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SIZING THE
BACKS OF CARPETS AND OTHER PILE FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the arrangement
and construction of machinery or apparatus suitable for applying size

page_text: to the backs of terry and cut pile carpets and other pile fabrics. For
this purpose the carpet to be sized is conducted to the sizing apparatus
by passing partly around or under and over two or more rollers where
it enters the machine, one of which rollers is furnished with fine points
to take hold of the under surface or back of the carpet or other pile
fabric as it passes over it. Friction pulleys are mounted on cach end
of the roller, to which frictional brake power is applied, so as to put a
requisite amount of tension upon the carpet as it is drawn through the
machine at the opposite end during the operations of sizing and drying.
The carpet as it enters the machine passes under an inverted table or
resisting surface, the position of which is capable of adjustment. The
pile or face of the carpet passes in contact with the under surface of
the table and passes onwards over suitable supporting rollers to and
over a drying and smoothing cylinder (heated by steam or otherwise),
from which it passes partly around a roller furnished with points on its
periphery, and thence over and between other rollers, all of which are
geared together and actuated so as to draw the carpet uniformly through
the machine and deliver it on the floor, or otherwise. A rotating brush
roller is mounted underneath the inverted table, so that the rows of
bristles may act with considerable friction upon the back of the carpet,
in order to apply the sizing matter thereto, and thus force it into the
web. The fluid size or starch (which requires to be of considerable
strength and prepared by dissolving seven pounds of starch or size in
one gallon of water, or thereabouts) is contained in a trough, from which
it is taken up by the under surface of a roller revolving in it and
delivering the size to the surface of another roller heated by steam, or
otherwise, which delivers it to the rotating brush, such rollers being
covered with cloth and capable of adjustment relatively to each other.
An important feature of this Invention consists in maintaining the size
or starch in a fluid state by means of heat applied to the trough in which
it is contained; this is conveniently accomplished by means of steam
pipes passing through the trough, although other means of maintaining
the size at a suitable temperature to prevent coagulation may be
employed for this purpose. Steam pipes are arranged below the back
surface of the carpet as it passes through the machine, and a current of
air heated by coming in contact with the surface of the steam pipes (or a
current of air otherwise heated) is driven by means of a rotary fan against
the back surface of the carpet, so as to partially dry the sizing matter
applied thereto, which is effectually dried in its passage over the heated

page_text: drum or cylinder revolving in the opposite direction to the carpet, which
heated drum also keeps the under surface of the carpet smooth and even
as it is being delivered from the machine. Terry or cut pile carpets
sized in the manner above described feel more substantial, are more
compact and smooth, have a superior appearance, and lay better than
when they are not so treated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Garrett Tongue in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent Agents
and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Garrett Tongue, Her special
licence, that I, the said John Garrett Tongue, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Garrett"
Tongue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SIZING THE BACKS
OF CARPETS AND OTHER PILE FABRICS," a communication to me from abroad
by Henry Graham Thompson, of New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Garrett
Tongue, 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

page_text: 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 John Garrett Tongue, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the arrangement.
and construction of machinery or apparatus suitable for applying size
to the backs of terry and cut pile carpets and other pile fabrics. For
this purpose the carpet to be sized is conducted to the sizing apparatus
by passing partly around or under and over two or more rollers where
it enters the machine, one of which rollers is furnished with fine points
to take hold of the under surface or back of the carpet or other pile
fabric as it passes over it. Friction pulleys are mounted on cach end
of this roller, to which frictional brake power is applied so as to put
a requisite amount of tension upon the carpet as it is drawn through
the machine at the opposite end during the operations of sizing and
drying. The carpet as it enters the machine passes under an inverted
table or resisting surface, the position of which is capable of adjustment
or other equivalent means may be employed. The pile or face of the
carpet passes in contact with the under surface of the table and passes
onwards over suitable supporting rollers to and over a drying and
smoothing cylinder (heated by steam or otherwise), from which it passes
partly around a roller furnished with points on its periphery, and thence
over and between other rollers, all of which are geared together and
actuated so as to draw the carpet uniformly through the machine, and
deliver it on the floor or otherwise. A rotating brush roller is mounted
underneath the inverted table so that the rows of bristles may act
with considerable friction upon the back of the carpet in order to apply
the sizing matter thereto, and thus force it into the web. The fluid,
size or starch (which requires to be of considerable strength and
prepared by dissolving seven pounds of starch or size in one gallon of
water or thereabouts) is contained in a trough, from which it is taken
up by the under surface of a roller revolving in it and delivering the
size to the surface of another roller heated by steam or otherwise,
which delivers it to the rotating brush, such rollers being covered with
cloth and capable of adjustment relatively to each other. An important
feature of this Invention consists in maintaining the size or starch in

page_text: a fluid state by means of heat applied to the trough in which it is
contained. This is conveniently accomplished by means of steam.
pipes passing through the trough, although other means of maintaining
the size at a suitable temperature to prevent coagulation may be
employed for this purpose. Steam pipes are arranged below the back.
surface of the carpet as it passes through the machine, and a current
of air heated by coming in contact with the surface of the steam pipes
(or a current of air otherwise heated) is driven by means of a rotary
fan against the back surface of the carpet so as to partially dry the
sizing matter applied thereto, which is effectually dried in its passage over
the heated drum or cylinder revolving in the opposite direction to the
carpet, which heated drum also keeps the under surface of the carpet
smooth and even as it is being delivered from the machine. Terry or cut
pile carpets sized in the manner above described feel more substantial;
are more compact and smooth, have a superior appearance, and lay
better than when they are not so treated.
The arrangement of the machinery and apparatus previously described.
may be varied without departing from the nature of this Invention.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into practice, I will proceed to describe the manner of
carrying the same into practice, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed.

page_text: the pile on the face of the fabric more compact, and to give more
stiffness to the whole fabric when the sizing dries. The sizing has
heretofore been applied with a hand brush and dried in the atmosphere
or by heated air, but this mode of procedure is very laborious, the sizing
matter fails to enter to a sufficient extent into the web of the fabric, and
in drying does not leave the fabric sufficiently smooth, but by means of
the present improvements these difficulties are removed.
carpet c to be
a represents a
suitable frame, and b is a roller, the surface of which is smooth, the axis
being supported in bearings on the side frames a; the
sized passes under the roller and over another roller d. The periphery
of the roller d is finished with fine teeth or points to hold on to the
under surface or back of the carpet as it passes over it, the shaft of the
roller d being provided at each end with a friction pulley d, d³, and
with brake apparatus to impart sufficient friction to hold back the carpet
when pulled through by apparatus at the other end of the machine, so that
it may be under tension during the operations of sizing and drying. The
friction of the brakes can be regulated at pleasure by screws or other
well-known equivalent means to regulate the tension. From the last-
described roller d the carpet passes under a stationary surface e supported
at the four corners by pillars ff, and the height of the surface e is
capable of adjustment by means of nuts f', f¹. The pile face of the
carpet or other pile fabric passes in contact with the under face of the
stationary surface e, and thence passes over supporting rollers g, g, to
and over a hollow drying and smoothing cylinder h to the mechanism by
which it is uniformly drawn along through the machine. This drawing
mechanism consists of a roller i furnished on its periphery with pins to
take into the web, and of the rollers j and k, around which the carpet
passes, as shown. The roller i is driven at a suitable speed from a
pulley upon the driving shaft by means of the driving belt i* and
pulley and toothed wheels is, is, is, and i, motion being communicated
from the roller i to the rollers j and k by means of the toothed wheels i", j',
and . As the carpet is drawn with a regular motion by this mechanism
and the roller d at the other end over which it passes is controlled by an
adjustable friction brake, any degree of tension can be given to it in its
passage through the machine. Below the stationary surface e there is
a rotating bush m formed of rows of stiff bristles projecting from the
surface of a cylinder, and so placed relatively to the under surface of the
surface e that while the pile or face of the carpet passes in contact with
and is kept smooth and even by the surface e, the brush m acts with

page_text: considerable force against the under face or back of the fabric for the
purpose of applying the sizing matter to such surface and forcing it into
the meshes of the web. The brush rotates in the direction of the
arrow (see Figure 2) by means of a belt m¹ passing around a pulley m²
on the driving axis 1, and a pulley m³ on the axis of the brush m. The
liquid sizing matter prepared in the usual manner for sizing fabrics is
contained in a vat n, from which it is taken by a revolving roller o, the
lower part of which rotates in the sizing matter, and from the periphery
of this roller it is taken up by the periphery of another revolving roller p,
and presented to the rows of bristles of the rotating brush by which it is
taken and applied to the back of the pile fabric.
and
In order to prevent the coagulation of the size contained in the
trough n steam is caused to circulate through the pipes n', and so
maintain the size at the desired temperature. The roller p from which
the rotating brush m is supplied with size is so constructed as is well
understood as to be heated by steam supplied by means of the steam
pipe p', as shown, or the roller p may be heated by other convenient
means, the effect of heating the roller p being to prevent the coagu-
lation of the sizing matter before it is taken up by the rotating brush m.
The bearings within which the axes of the rollers o and p revolve are
so constructed as to be capable of adjustment in relation to each other
and to the rotating brush m. Motion is communicated to the rollers o
p so as to cause them to revolve at a suitable speed from a pulley m
on the axis of the brush m by means of the belt o', pulleys o, o, belt o*,
pulley os, and toothed wheels 0%, 07, 0%, and p2. Between the rotating
brush m and the drying cylinder there is a series of longitudinal
steam pipes q connected at their ends with two cross pipes q¹ and q²,
and the series of pipes q are heated by means of steam, as is well
understood. The pipes a heated by the circulation of steam through
them cause heat, is radiated from them, and the current of heated air
induced by the rotating fan on the vertical shaft, will partially dry
the sizing matter applied to the under face of the web, so that it shall
not adhere and accumulate on the surface of the cylinder ½ to which
it next passes, and whose office it is to finally dry the sizing and keep
the under surface of the carpet smooth and even during such final
drying. The hollow cylinder his heated by steam, the axis being
hollow and supplied with steam, as is well understood. The hollow
cylinder h is caused to rotate by means of the toothed wheels h, ha, h
at a suitable speed, which may be greater or less than that at which

page_text: the carpet is travelling, so as to dry smooth and impart a finished
surface to the back of the carpet which has been sized. After the carpet
has been thus treated it will be found that the pile is more compact
and smooth, and that the carpet will lay better on a floor than when
sized by hand, as heretofore practised.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into practice, it will be evident that the series of
pipes and the drying cylinder may be heated by the circulation of
heated atmospheric air instead of steam, although it is preferred to use
steam, and it will also be obvious that the sizing applied to the carpet
may be partially dried as it passes to the drying cylinder by a blast of
heated air instead of heated pipes; and it will also be evident that other
cquivalent means may be substituted for the mechanism therein described
for drawing the carpet regularly through the machine, and keeping it
distended while the sizing is applied and dried; and that instead of
making the surface e adjustable relatively to the brush the surface e
may be fixed and the brush made adjustable.
What I claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent for
improvements in machinery for sizing carpets and other pile fabrics is,-
First. The arrangement and combination of parts into a machine for
sizing, drying, and finishing the backs of carpets and other pile fabrics,
substantially as herein described and shown in the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Secondly. The application of heat by means of steam, or otherwise
to the sizing matter contained in the trough or vessel n, and upon the s
surface of the roller p in machinery or apparatus for the purpose of
sizing the backs of carpets and other pile fabrics in order to prevent
the coagulation of the sizing matter, substantially as herein shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Garrett Tongue, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the
vear of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE. (L.S.)