IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND FINISHING
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Heptonstall, of Kirkburton, near Hudders-
field, in the County of York, Stay Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND FINISHING
Sealed the 20th December 1864, and dated the 22nd June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Heptonstall at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd June 1864.
I, CHARLES HEPTONSTALL, of Kirkburton, near Huddersfield, in the County
of York, Stay Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND
FINISHING STAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to means of working the harness or healds for
opening the shed or operating the warp threads so as to produce the different
kinds of weaving required. Heretofore the several knives or lifting bars
of the jacquard apparatus employed for this purpose have been operated
by the weaver acting upon separate treadles with his feet. My improve-
ments consist in dispensing with all treadles, lambs, jacks, and their
connections, and instead of which a hooked rod is jointed to each end of
each lifting bar, and the two rods on one bar are connected by another rod or

page_text: needle, and springs are applied to hold them in position; also a block or
cross head capable of moving up and down in the jacquard frame, to which are
attached two other lifting bars crossing the ends of the former bars, to which
reciprocatory motion is given by lever and rod from a crank or eccentric
on the crank, or other shaft of the loom. I also apply a perforated cylinder
suspended in an oscillatory frame, which actuates the needles according to the
arrangement of the perforations therein, and this cylinder is capable of being
readily moved endwise, so as to bring other sets of perforations into position
for acting upon the needles according to the kind of fabric required to be
produced.
way
Secondly, the Invention relates to means of taking up and holding the
fabric or stay cloth as it is woven. Heretofore, on account of the unevenness
of such fabrics or inequalities in lengths at various parts of the fabrics warp-
(the stays being woven whole to fit the human body), clamps or nipping
bars have been employed to hold them, and the fabrics have had to be drawn
forward and adjusted by the weaver between the clamps, and the clamps
screwed together to hold the said fabric until another portion is woven, when
the process of unscrewing and taking up and screwing has again had to be
gone through, which occupied a considerable amount of time. Now I accom-
plish the taking up by employing a roller in place of the clamps, to which an
ordinary taking up motion is applied, and I employ a series of weighted levers
to bear against the roller for nipping and holding the fabric in contact there-
with, and to take up the slack I introduce a "swell" or block of wood or
other suitable substance made to the size and form necessary to thicken the
roller in that part to the required extra length of fabric.
Thirdly, this Invention relates to means of ironing or pressing stays, which
hitherto has been done by hand. Now I employ a bust or block of suitable
form and capable of being adjusted to the size required to fix what is commonly
called a 65
pair of stays" upon, and which bust or block is mounted on a spindle
or on pivots, and is capable of rotating in a frame. A series of weighted
levers are mounted side by side on a carriage capable of reciprocating under-
neath the block. The levers are so formed and arranged as to press equally
against each part of the unequal surface of the stay or fabric, and having
smooth surfaces with a hollow or cavity on the opposite side in each, with a jet
of gas placed therein to heat the irons or levers, Rotary. motion is given (by
hand or power) to the bust or block, and a slow reciprocatory motion to the
carriage, so that the pressers are brought in contact with every part, which
thereby becomes pressed. The frame for supporting the bust or block is
formed with three, four, or other number of wings, and is capable of turning

page_text: into and out of position, so that whilst one block is in position for the pressing
of à stay, another block may be in position for preparing another, whilst also.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Heptonstall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HEPTONSTALL, of Kirkburton, near Huddersfield, in the County of York, Stay
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of Junie, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and' successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles Heptonstall, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Heptonstall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others ás I,
the said Charles Heptonstall, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND FINISHING
STAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Hepton.
stall, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Charles Heptonstall, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 and accompanying four Sheets of Drawings (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates, firstly, to means of working the harness or healds for
opening the shed or operating the warp threads so as to produce the different
kinds of weaving required. Heretofore the several knives or lifting bars of the
jacquard apparatus employed for this purpose have been operated by the

page_text: weaver acting upon separate treddles with his feet. My improvements con-
sist in dispensing with all treddles, lambs, jacks, and their connections, and
instead of which a hooked rod is jointed to each end of each lifting bar, and
the two rods on one bar are connected by another rod or needle, and springs
are applied to hold them in position; also a block or cross head capable of
moving up and down in the jacquard frame, to which are attached two other
lifting bars crossing the ends of the former bars, and to which reciprocatory
motion is given by lever and rod from a crank or eccentric on the crank or
other shaft of the loom. I also apply a perforated cylinder suspended in an
oscillatory frame, which actuates the needles according to the arrangement of
the perforations therein, and this cylinder is capable of being readily moved
endwise so as to bring other sets of perforations into position for acting upon
the needles according to the kind of fabric required to be produced.
Secondly, the Invention relates to means of taking up and holding the
fabric or stay cloth as it is woven. Heretofore, on account of the unevenness
of such fabrics or inequalities in lengths at various parts of the fabrics warp-
way (the stays being woven whole to fit the human body), clamps or nipping
bars have been employed to hold them, and the fabrics have had to be drawn
forward and adjusted by the weaver between the clamps, and the clamps
screwed together to hold the said fabric until another portion is woven, when
the process of unscrewing and taking up and screwing has again had to be
gone through, which occupied a considerable amount of time. Now, I accom-
plish the taking up by employing a roller in place of the clamps, to which an
ordinary taking-up motion is applied, and I employ a series of weighted levers
to bear against the roller for nipping and holding the fabric in contact there-
with, and to take up the slack I introduce a "swell" or block of wood or
other suitable substance made to the size and form necessary to thicken the
roller in that part to the required extra length of fabric.
Thirdly, this Invention relates to means of "ironing" or pressing stays,
which hitherto has been done by hand. Now I employ a bust or block of
suitable form, and capable of being adjusted to the size required to fix what
is commonly called "a pair of stays upon, and which bust or block is
mounted on a spindle or on pivots, and is capable of rotating in a frame. A
series of weighted levers are mounted side by side on a carriage capable of
reciprocating underneath the block. The levers are so formed and arranged
as to press equally against each part of the unequal surface of the stay or
fabric, and have smooth surfaces with a hollow or cavity on the opposite side
in each, with a jet of gas placed therein to heat the irons or levers. Rotary
mction is given (by hand or power) to the bust or block, and a slow recipro-

page_text: catory motion to the carriage, so that the pressers are brought in contact with
every part, which thereby becomes pressed. The frame for supporting the
bust or block is formed with three, four, or other number of wings, and is
capable of turning into and out of position, so that whilst one block is in
position for the pressing of a stay, another block may be in position for pre-
paring another, whilst also another is in position for removing a pair of stays
that have been pressed.
In order that this Invention may be clearly understood reference is given
to 4 accompanying Sheets of Drawings illustrative of the said Invention,
wherein Fig. 1 (Sheet 1) is a side elevation of an ordinary stay loom with
my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a part of the same side elevation
drawn on a larger scale, shewing the jacquard apparatus, the improvements
in which form the first part of my Invention; and Fig. 3 (Sheet 2) is a back
elevation of the same. A are the hooked rods jointed to each lifting bar B,
one at each end of the two rods, being connected by a needle C, on which is a
spiral spring C¹ to press and hold the hooked rods in position to be acted on, as
herein-after described. D is the block or cross head, having a loop D¹ at each
end, capable of sliding on the rods D³, fixed to the framing. To each end of
this block are attached two rods E, which support two lifting bars F, which
the hooked rods take on and are lifted by. Motion may be given thereto by
cord G passing over pulleys and operated in the usual manner, or by a rod
attached thereto and to one end of the lever or beam, having another rod at
the other end connected with a crank or eccentric fixed on the crank shaft or
other shaft of the loom. H (Fig. 3, Sheet 2) is the perforated cylinder, which
is suspended in a frame I, to which oscillatory motion is given by means of a
friction pulley J attached to an arm or projection J' fixed to the cross head,
which pulley is caused to move in a groove K fixed to the frame I as the
cross head reciprocates. This cylinder is turned by a catch L taking on the
pins L', and held in position by a hammer M acting on the star wheel M' in
the usual manner. The cylinder is perforated to suit the pattern or design of
fabric required to be woven. Where there are perforations in the cylinder
the needles'enter when it beats up, thus allowing the hooked rods A to be
held by the springs in position to catch and hold on the lifting bars F; but
where there are no perforations in the cylinder the needles are pushed against
the springs by the action of the cylinder, thus removing the hooked rods out
of position, so that they are not lifted by the lifting bars. This cylinder is
also capable of being moved end wise to bring other series of perforations into
action by means of a lever N (Fig. 1) acting on the shaft end, and is held in
any one of several positions by means of a latch or notch bar O, which is lifted

page_text: by a rod P and taking on to a catch Q in any notch, according to the particular
series of perforations required to be brought into action to suit the pattern or
design of fabric intended to be woven, and spiral springs R operate to force
the cylinder back when released from the notches. Or a clutch may be fixed
on the cylinder shaft for the lever N to take into, and thereby the cylinder
may be moved in either direction without the aid of the spiral springs, and
the lever N may itself enter a notch bar S fixed on the frame I.
The second part of my Invention is shewn at Fig. 1 (Sheet 1) and Fig. 4
(Sheet 2), where T is the roller I employ for taking up, and which is operated
by an ordinary taking-up motion U, which is actuated by any usual means.
V and V¹ are two rows or series of weighted levers which have friction rollers
attached thereto for nipping and holding the woven fabric against the roller
T, as drawn forward by the taking-up motion, and W is a swell or block
made to the proper size for the slack which is placed betwixt the roller and
fabric, the weighted levers nipping thereon as against the roller. Or instead
of using swells for this purpose, I apply one, two, or more levers as X, to
which I attach cords and connect them to the lever cords Z in sections as
required, so that by operating one or other of such levers the action or
pressure of such weights may be taken off, when the friction rollers of these
levers will also cease to nip, and therefore not draw the fabric forward in
that part, whilst other friction rollers not relieved of their weight will nip and
draw the fabric forward as the taking-up roller is caused to rotate, and thereby
take up the extra slack of the said fabric as it is woven.
The third part of my Invention is exhibited in Sheets 3 and 4, where Fig. 5
is an end elevation of apparatus for "ironing" or pressing stays, and Fig. 6 is
a side elevation of the same. A is a frame or pair of stands supporting a
frame composed of four wings B, which is mounted on a spindle and capable
of rotating. Each wing is provided with slots or bearings to receive the
spindle of a bust or block C, which is constructed and formed to hold and
stretch a pair of stays thereon. This block is shewn in longitudinal section
at Figs. 7 and 8 (Sheet 4), and shewing more particularly how the bust is
expanded by screws and levers to the size and form required. D is a shaft,
with fast and loose driving pulleys D¹ and D³, partly supported in one of the
stands A and partly in another stand E. On this shaft is a driver F, to act
on a catch pin G on the block spindle, by which rotary motion is given to the
block when driving power is applied to the shaft. H are a series of weighted
levers or pressers mounted upon a carriage I, which is capable of reciprocating
or moving endwise underneath the block upon rails J by means of rods K,
carrying friction rollers L, acted upon by an eccentric M mounted on a shaft

page_text: N, which receives motion by a worm wheel O from a worm P fixed on the
main shaft. These levers are hollow or have a cavity in each under the part
which acts on the block. A jet of gas R is applied to each lever, which heats
it so as to produce effect upon the stays by heat and pressure. It will be
observed, that whilst one block is being operated upon by the pressers another
block may be supplied to the frame, whilst also another may be removed
from the opposite side of the frame. The pressers or levers may be acted
upon by springs S instead of weights, if found desirable.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Heptonstall, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
CHARLES HEPTONSTALL. (L.S.)