IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC HOOPS OR BANDS FOR BALING COTTON AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Downes, of Handsworth, in the County
of Stafford, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
METALLIC HOOPS OR BANDS FOR BALING COTTON AND FOR OTHER LIKE
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 18th August 1871, and dated the 9th March 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Downes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th March 1871.
I, JOHN DOWNES, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC HOOPS OR BANDS FOR BALING COTTON AND FOR
OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
:-
Metallic hoops or bands for baling cotton and for other like purposes
as ordinarily made consist of continuous strips of hoop iron of a length
sufficient to pass around the bale, leaving the necessary overlapping parts
for fastening the hoop or band.

page_text: My Invention consists in making the said hoops or bands of two or
more pieces or lengths of hoop iron hinged or jointed together in the
mauner herein-after explained.
Hoops or bands made according to my Invention aro more con-
veniently packed for transit, and occupy less room than ordinary hoops t
and are stronger than ordinary hoops.
Further the facility which my Invention affords for using short
lengths of hoop iron permits the hoops or bands to be manufactured
more economically than ordinary continuous hoops.
In making metallic hoops or bands according to my Invention I 1
cither joint or hinge the pieces or short lengths of hoop iron togetlier
by incans of hinge joints or by means of tics. In jointing the short
pieces or lengths together by a hinge joint, I take a doubled-branched
joint pin, and pass around the branches of the pin the ends of the
strips or pieces to be jointed together, and I make at the overlapping 1
parts of each strip an eye or loop to turn freely upon the joint pin
after the manner of the knuckle of a door hinge. The overlapping
parts of each strip being rivetted, the ends of the strips are jointed
together, the jointed parts being capable of moving freely and of lying
flat or nearly so upon one another, or of opening out to any angle.
The jointed parts of the hoop or band are stronger than the unjointed
parts. The hoop or band may be composed of two strips or pieces of
the required length or of more than two strips or pieces. In jointing
together the strips or pieces by a tic, I employ a tio made by preference
of malleable cast iron, the said tic being provided with three bars, two ¦
outer bars, and a middle bar. The ends of the strips or pieces to be
jointed together aro passed around the outer bars of the tic, and tho
overlapping ends rivetted as before described, the said outer bars of
the tic constituting joint pins upon which the jointed ends of the hoops
or strips may turn freely. The free ends of the hoops or bands so
made may be fastened together while the bale is in a compressed state
by means of any of the ordinary bale tics.
I do not limit myself to the particular kinds of joints described, as
joints of other constructions may be employed with the same or nearly
the same effect, the essence of my Invention consisting in making
hoops or bands for baling cotton and for other like purposes by jointing
together two or more picces or lengths of hoop iron for the purpose of
enabling the hoops or bands to lic close together for transit, and also

page_text: for obtaining increased strength in the hoops or bands and economy in
their manufacture
My Invention is applicable not only to the baling of cotton, but also
to the baling of calico, cloth, hay, hemp, rags, and such other articles or
commoditics as are or may be made into bales.
My Invention is applicable not only to the baling of cotton, but also
to the baling of calico, cloth, hay, hemp, rags, and such other articles or
commoditics as are or may be made into bales.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Downes in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I, JOHN
DOWNES, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Downcs, Her special licence
that I, the said John Downcs, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Jolin Downes, 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, excrcise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC
HOOPS OR BANDS FOR BALING COTTON AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Downes, 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 in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
13

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
Metallic hoops or bands for baling cotton and for other like purposes,
as ordinarily made, consist of continuous strips of hoop iron of a length
sufficient to pass around the bale, leaving the necessary overlapping
parts for fastening the hoop or band.
My Invention consists in making the said hoops or bands of two or
more picces or lengths of hoop iron hinged or jointed together in the
manner herein-aſter explained.
Hoops or bands made according to my Invention are more con-
veniently packed for transit, and occupy less room than ordinary
hoops.
Further, the facility which my Invention affords for using short
lengths of hoop iron permits the hoops or bands to be manufactured
more economically than ordinary continuous hoops.
In making metallic hoops or bands according to my Invention I joint
or hinge the pieces or short lengths of hoop iron together by means of
joints of any convenient construction, but I prefer to use a joint made
in the following manner :-I take a double-branched joint pin and pass
around the branches of the pin the ends of the strips or pieces to be
jointed together, and I make at the overlapping part of each strip an
eye or loop to turn freely upon the joint pin after the manner of the
knuckle of a door hinge. The overlapping parts of each strip being
rivetted the ends of the strips are jointed together, the jointed parts being
capable of moving freely, and of lying flat, or nearly so, upon one
another, or of opening out to any angle. The jointed parts of the hoop
or band are stronger than the unjointed parts. The hoop or band may
be composed of two strips or pieces of the required length, or of more
than two strips or pieces.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a metallic hoop or a
band applied to a bale, the said hoop or band being made of three
pieces or lengths of hoop iron marked respectively a, b, c, hinged or
jointed together by the joints at d, d.
Tina
oduo view and Totius 2 in plan the ininted

page_text: Figure 4 represents a metallic hoop or band applied to a bale, the said
hoop or band being made of two pieces or lengths of hoop iron marked
respectively e, f, hinged or jointed together by the joint g.
Figure 5 represents in edge view, and Figure 6 in plan, the jointed
hoop or band; Figure 4, folded flat for transit. The ties for connecting
the free ends of the jointed hoops or bands are marked g³.
One of the joints of the jointed hoops or bands represented in Figures
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 0 is represented on a larger scale in back elevation in
Figure 7, edge view in Figure 8, and front clevation in Figure 9.
In jointing the short pieces or lengths of the hoop or band together
I take a double-branched joint pin h, and pass around the two branches
of the said pin the ends of the strips or pieces to be jointed together,
and form at the overlapping parts eyes or loops i, i, to turn frecly on
the pin joint. The overlapping parts or loops i, i, are rivetted at k to
the ends of the strips or pieces, as illustrated in the Drawing.
The ends of the strips or short pieces of hoop iron are thus jointed
together, the jointed parts being capable of turning freely on onc
another, and of lying flat, or nearly so, upon one another, or of opening
out to any angle.
I prefer to connect the free ends of the jointed band or hoop by
means of a "tie" of the kind represented in Figure 94, one end of tho
band being hooked through one of the slots of the tic, and the other end
being hooked through the other slot by passing the hooked end through
the lateral opening in the said tic.
Although I find that the particular kind of joint represented in the
Drawing is simple and efficient, yet I do not limit myself thereto, as
joints of other constructions may be employed with the same or nearly
the same effect; for example, a tie or buckle frame made of malleable
iron, consisting of three parallel bars, two outer bars and a middle bar
may be used. In this case the ends of the short pieces or lengths of
hoop iron are passed around the outer bars of the tie or buckle frame,
and the overlapping ends rivetted together, as described with respect to
Figures 7, 8, and 9, the outer bars of the frame constituting joint pins
upon which the jointed ends of the pieces or lengths may turn freely;
or eyes or knuckles may be made on the ends of the pieces or lengths
of hoop iron after the manner of an ordinary hinge joint, as illustrated
in Figures 10, 11, and 12, Figure 10 showing the pieces or lengths before
they are jointed together, and Figures 11 and 12 the same after they

page_text: have been jointed together. The eyes or knuckles on the ends of the
pieces or lengths of hoop iron are marked , and the joint pins passed
through the said eyes or knuckles after they have been fitted together
is marked m. The eyes or knuckles on the ends of the picces or
lengths of hoop iron may have strengthening pieces projecting from
them, the said pieces being bent back against the band and rivetted
thereto, as illustrated in Figure 13, where the strengthening pieces on
the cycs or knuckles are marked p.
By my Invention the waste pieces or lengths of ordinary continuous
hoops or bands may be utilized, but short pieces or lengths of hoop iron
obtained from other sources may be employed in carrying my Invention
into effect.
My Invention is applicable not only to the baling of cotton, but also
to the baling of calico, cloth, hay, hemp, rags, and such other articles
or commoditics as are or may be made into balcs.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and
illustrated as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention the improvements in
metallic hoops or bands for baling cotton, and for other like purposes
lierein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say, making the said hoops or bands by jointing or hinging
together two or more pieces or short lengths of hoop iron for the
purpose of enabling the hoops or bands to lio flat or close together
for transit, and also for obtaining increased strength in the hoops or
bands and economy in their manufacture.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Downes, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN DOWNES. (L.s.)