CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORDS, ROPES, BANDS, STRONG CLOTHS, QUILTINGS, SACK, AND CUSHIONS, IN WHICH MANUFACTURE CAOUTCHOUC FORMS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT, AND IN THE APPLICATION OF PARTS OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE MANUFACTURE OF PADS, STOPPERS, TUBES, BOXES, BASKETS, COVERINGS, WRAPPERS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES OF UTILITY
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Eighth day of June, in the thirteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Newton, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Newton, my exors, adññors, and assigns, and such others
as I, the said William Newton, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time, and at all times during the term of years
therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORDS, ROPES, BANDS, STRONG CLOTHS, QUILTINGS, SACK,
AND CUSHIONS, IN WHICH MANUFACTURE CAOUTCHOUC FORMS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT,
AND IN THE APPLICATION OF PARTS OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE MANUFACTURE OF
PADS, STOPPERS, TUBES, BOXES, BASKETS, COVERINGS, WRAPPERS, AND OTHER LIKE
ARTICLES OF UTILITY," being a communication from a foreigner residing
abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the.
said William Newton, by an instrument in writing, under my hand and seal
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in

page_text: what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, that is to say:—
The first part of this Invention relates to the application of caoutchouc or
india rubber to the making of various articles of manufacture and wares, such
as hose, hat boxes, gun cases, baskets, tumblers, vases, mats, hollow chamber
and kitchen ware, covers for the protection of glass and other bottles, tow
lines or ropes, coal scuttles, and a variety of other articles, but particularly
such as are formed in or on moulds.
The Invention, as communicated to me, consists in making such articles of
cords of metallic india rubber, by winding or laying such cords into the form
required whilst the rubber is in a green or uncured state that by reason of the
adhesive qualities of the metallic rubber in that state the several windings,
layings, or crampings of the various parts of the cord against or upon one
another may adhere, and thence become thoroughly united by subjecting the
whole to the curing process. The cords may be made of "india rubber vellum,"
prepared in the following manner :-I take a sheet of prepared india rubber,
such as is used in making metallic or vulcanized india rubber, but before it has
been cured by heat, and of about the thickness of the intended fabric. This is
rolled on to a beam with a sheet of cotton or other cloth interposed, to prevent
the surfaces of the rubber from adhering. The beam thus prepared is placed
on appropriate bearings near the usual callendering rollers. A thin fleece or
bat of cotton or other fibrous substance is in like manner rolled up on a bean,
and also mounted near the callendering rollers. One end of the sheet of
india rubber without the cloth, and one end of the fleece or bat of fibres, are
put together in the bite of the callendering rollers, and thus one on the other
rolled through the rollers, being so adjusted to press and force the fibres of the
bat or fleece into the sheet of india rubber, or so much of them as the india
rubber will receive, and the surplus, if any, is then to be stripped or rubbed
off'; or, instead of this, the sheets may be made according to the improved
process herein-after described for making strong cloths. For making the cords,
I prefer to cut or form the sheets into strips of the required or any desired
length and breadth, and then roll them up in the green state, to form the

page_text: required diameter of cord.
But instead of this, the sheets of "vellum" may
be made of a thickness about equal to the intended diameter of cord, and then
passed between grooved callendering rollers, to cut each sheet into a series of
cords of the intended diameter; or for very large work requiring great strength
and size, such as engine hose, tow lines or ropes, tubes, baskets, coal scuttles,
&c., the sheets of india rubber vellum are wound on to hempen or other cords
of the required size, so that the "vellum" shall adhere to such cords, and
effectually protect them, and present an adhesive surface for the union of the
various parts of the intended fabric. When thus prepared, and still in the
green state, the cords are worked either in or over a mould or pattern, so that
the parts of the cord of the various windings shall come together, or touch
and adhere, by virtue of the tacky quality of the metallic rubber in the green
state; as, for instance, for the making of engine hose the cord is wound in
the form of a helix upon a mandril, the contiguous turns being well pressed
together, to insure their union along the entire line of the helix; it is then put
into an oven, and heated to the required temperature to cure the india rubber,
whereby the tackiness is removed, and, at the same time, the junctions of the
several windings are rendered strong, permanent, and waterproof; after this
the mandril on which the cord was wound is removed, and the hose is completed.
In this way articles of a variety of forms which will admit of moulding in or on
a single or divided mould, can be produced, by winding either over or within
the mould. The thickness can be increased at pleasure, either by using cords
of greater diameter, or by two or more windings, one over the other, the
various windings adhering to one another.
For tow lines or other ropes, india rubber vellum cords may be wound on to
a cord or rope composed of hemp or other like substance, or of metal wire.
In this case the winding of the india rubber cords will not only adhere to one
another, but to the inner cord or rope, unless such inner cord or rope be made
of metal. In making baskets, vases, or other articles of like kind, the
cords, instead of being wound close together inside of or over a mould, nay
be applied so as to form various open figures, and crossed to forin the connection,
and tie the whole together. And for making mats and other flat work the
method of procedure last described may be followed, except that the laying of
the cords is to be done on a flat surface, but such articles may also be made by
coiling the cords in volutes, commencing at the centre, or the cords may be
coiled around a centre piece made of any form desired.
I have thus described the mode of operation for the production of various
articles of cords of india rubber vellum, but I do not wish to confine myself
specially to the application of this material (in the manner described above)

page_text: to the objects enumerated, as the same is equally applicable to other articles
of like character; but a sufficient number is herein specified to indicate the
range of articles to which such cords in the manner substantially as described
are applicable.
Having thus specified some of the articles which can be fabricated in accor-
dance with the Invention communicated to me, and specified particulary, the
mode of procedure for the production of some of them, without however
meaning to be understood as confining myself to the precise details set forth,
as the process whereby the Invention is carried out may be otherwise varied,
I wish it to be understood that I claim, under the head of india rubber cord
fabrics, the making of the various articles herein enumerated, as well as other
like or similar articles, by winding or connecting cords together of "india rubber
vellum," in the green state, and then submitting the same to the process of
curing, to secure the union of the various parts, the whole being effected in
the manner substantially as described. .
The second part of the Invention consists in making cellular india rubber
cloth, by uniting at intermediate places two sheets of prepared india rubber
vellum tissue, or vegetable leather, or other fabric made of india rubber, com-
pounded or united to or with fibrous substances, by interposing some non-
adhesive substance or substances, where the two sheets are not to be united,
to form the cells, which cells may be filled with water or other liquid, or with
atmospheric air or other gas, or filled in with some clastic, yielding, or buoyant
substance or substances, such as carded cotton, horse hair, cork, &c., such elastic
substance or substances, in the latter case, being used as the substitute for the
non-adhesive substance used to form the cells. The method of procedure
for the production of the aforesaid fabric is as follows, viz:-I take two
sheets of india rubber vellum tissue or vegetable leather, or other like india
rubber fabric, whilst they are in the green tacky state and will adhero
together, and on one of the sheets I lay at proper intervals, according to the
figure I wish to produce, double pieces of india rubber vellum cut to any
desired form, taking care to put together the two surfaces of the pieces of
the said vellum which are inadhesive. I then lay on the top of this the other
sheet of prepared india rubber vellum, &c., and pass the whole between two
roilers (one or both of which are covered with some elastic substance), such
as are used for making shirred india rubber fabrics. By this means the two
sheets of prepared india rubber are united to each other along the spaces not
occupied by the interposed pieces of india rubber vellum, and they are also
united to the outer surface of such pieces of vellum; but as the surfaces of
the interposed pieces of vellum which come together are covered with fibres of

page_text: cotton, they will not adhere by the pressure, and hence such spaces will form
cells into which water or other liquid or atmospheric air can be forced, to
inflate or distend the cells. After the sheets have been thus prepared and
united they may, if desired, be submitted to artificial heat, or any other curing
process. The india rubber vellum used for the interposed pieces is formed by
laying on to one surface of a sheet of prepared india rubber a bat of carded
cotton or other fibrous substance, and by the application of pressure forcing
the fibres of the bat into the sheet of rubber, and then removing the surplus
fibres. By this means the articles produced has one face, which before curing
will be adhesive, and the other nonadhesive. This improved fabric I do not
herein claim, as it is the subject of another application for Letters Patent.
In making this new fabric in the manner above described, care should be
taken so to form the interposed pieces as that all the cells shall communicate
with one place, to which is to be applied an inflating tube, or a valve through
which water or other liquid, or air or other gas, is to be introduced, or the cells
may be arranged in series, each series being made to communicate with one
distending or inflating tube or valve. This latter will be preferable when
the cellular fabric is to be used for the production of life preservers. When
the cells are to be filled with some elastic or light substance or substances as
a substitute for water, air, or gas, then I arrange on one of the sheets of pre-
pared india rubber a thick bat of carded fibrous substance or substances, or
horse hair, or cork, or any other light or elastic substance, so cut or formed as
to leave portions of the surface of the sheet of india rubber vellum, &c.,
uncovered by it, and the whole is then covered with the other sheet of pre-
pared india rubber vellum, &c., and those parts of the surfaces of the two
sheets betwen which there is no interposed substance or substances are brought
together by pressure, so as to cause them to adhere, and then the whole is, if
desired, submitted to the curing process. When the interposed substance, is
not very thick, the two sheets of vellum, &c. can be brought together to cause
them to adhere by passing the whole between two elastic rollers, as described
above. For all articles, such as beds, cushions, &c., which require to be ven-
tilated, the fabric prepared as above described may be perforated or rendered
porous where the two sheets are united, that is, between the cells, for the free
passage of air.
I do not wish to limit myself in either of the two examples above given to
the kind of substance interposed between the sheets of india rubber, for other
substances may be substituted for those described, as, for instance, in the first
example, for making the fabric with air cells, instead of using india rubber
vellum, two thicknesses of cloth or paper, or a single thickness_of:some. sub-

page_text: stance which will not adhere to the sheets of india rubber in the green state,
may be used; and under the second example, if the fabric is to be used as
a float, the cells may be formed by the interposition of any light or buoyant
substance, and if for a bed or other article requiring elasticity then any suit-
able elastic substance may be used. It will be obvious from the foregoing that
the cells may be made so as to present any desired figure, to suit the fancy of
the manufacturer, or the purpose to which the fabric is to be applied. Under
this head of the Invention, I claim the manufacture of cellular fabrics, by
uniting together sheets of prepared india rubber vellum tissue, vegetable
leather, or such other like or equivalent india rubber fabric, at given intervals
to form cells in the manner above set forth.
The third part of the Invention relates to the method of making what
I denominate "strong cloth," which is composed of india rubber, and a bat
or fleece of cotton or other fibrous substance.
The method heretofore essayed for forming fabrics of india rubber and a
bat of cotton or other fibrous substance was to pass the bat or fleece of fibres,
together with a sheet of prepared india rubber in the green state (that is,
before the same has been subjected to the curing process) between callender-
ing rollers, to force the fibres into the sheet of rubber, or to pass the bat or
fleece of cotton or other fibrous substance, together with dissolved india
rubber or caoutchouc, between callendering rollers. It has been found
by repeated experiments that this is attended with serious difficulties. In
the first place, the india rubber or vegetable gum, when softened simply
by the action of heat, still preserves so much tenacity that the fibres of the
bat can only be forced into it in a very imperfect manner, and therefore the
sheet of gum receives but a slight increase of strength; and, in the second
place, when the bat in passing between the callendering rollers comes in
contact with a solid or unyielding surface it becomes so matted by the
pressure as to prevent the passage of the gum between the fibres; and, in the
third place, if, instead of using the gum simply softened by heat, dissolved
gum be used in passing between the callendering rollers, the gum in that state
will adhere to the surface of that callendering roller which is directly in contact
with it, and the solid surface of the other callendering roller will so mat the
fibres of the bat or fleece as to prevent the liquid gum from passing through.
The object of this part of the Invention is to avoid these difficulties, and
thereby allow of a fabric being produced in which the fibres of the bat or fleece
will become thoroughly incorporated with the gum, and thus acquire a strength
greater than heretofore attained by any other method.
The improvement in the manufacture of such fabrics consists in passing the

page_text: bat or fleece of cotton or other fibrous substance, together with the dissolved
india rubber, or the preparations thereof, between callendering rollers, with
the bat or fleece in contact with an elastic substance either surrounding one
roller or passing between the rollers, which put pressure on the surface of the
bat or fleece, a glazed or other apron being interposed between the gum and
the roller not in contact with the elastic substance. For carrying into practice
this part of the Invention I take two callendering rollers, such as are usually
employed by india rubber manufacturers, and place them in the same hori-
zontal plane, or nearly so.
Around one of these rollers I pass an endless apron
of glazed cloth, which also passes around another roller, by which it is kept in
a distended state; around the other callendering roller I pass an endless apron
of woollen felt cloth or other elastic substance, giving the preference, however,
to the woollen felt cloth, and this also passes around another roller, to keep it
in a distended state. If desired, however, instead of the endless apron of felt,
or other elastic cloth, the callendering roller may be simply covered over with
such elastic substance, but the endless apron will be found to be the best in
practice. The machine being thus mounted, and the rollers geared and put in
motion in the usual manner, I spread the india rubber, or the preparation
thereof, on to the glazed apron, and introduce a bat or fleece of cotton or other
fibrous substance between the elastic apron and the dissolved gum, and thus
cause the two to pass between the rollers, by which the gum will be forced
entirely through the bat or fleece, thus incorporating or uniting the fibres with
the gum. The fabric thus produced will pass along from the rollers adhering
to the surface of the glazed cloth, from which it can be readily removed. If
the gum is sufficiently liquid or soft, the fabric thus made will be porous to a
certain degree, so as to permit the passage of air or perspiration, and obstruct
the passage of water to a certain extent. By an additional coat of gum, less
liquid or soft, this fabric will be rendered air and waterproof. The fabric may be
submitted to the curing or vulcanizing process, or not, as may be desired. When
it is desired to give the fabric great strength, and render it applicable for ships'
sails or other like purposes, I place, either by hand or machinery, fibrous
threads or cords, or strips, or wires, at suitable distances apart from each other,
parallel or crossing each other, or otherwise arranged between two sheets of
the fabric, which are to be united, or cement the threads, cords, strips, or wires,
upon the surface of the fabric.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand sight hundred and fifter
WILLIAM (L.S.) NEWTON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid William Newton came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid; and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.

page_text: n the Matter of Letters Patent granted to William Newton, of the
Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, for an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CORDS, ROPES, BANDS, STRONG CLOTHS, QUILTINGS,
SACKS, AND CUSHIONS, AND IN ELASTIC MATERIAL FOR STUFFING THE
"LATTER, IN WHICH MANUFACTURE CAOUTCHOUC FORMS AN ESSENTIAL
INGREDIENT, AND IN THE APPLICATION OF PARTS OF THESE IMPROVE-
MENTS TO THE MANUFACTURE OF PADS, STOPPERS, TUBES, BOXES,
"BASKETS, COVERINGS, WRAPPERS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES OF
UTILITY," being a communication from a foreigner residing abroad;.
bearing date at Westminster, the Eighth day of June, One thousand.
eight hundred and fifty.
"
6i
AIMER entered by the said William Newton with the Clerk of the
atents of England, pursuant to an Act passed in the fifth and sixth
ears of His late Majesty's reign intituled "An Act to amend the Law
touching Letters Patent for Inventions."
e said WILLIAM NEWTON, do hereby declare that since the grant of the
etters Patent I have received from my foreign correspondent a more
1 description of the nature of the Invention, from which I have dis-
that the elastic material for stuffing cushions is not new, or likely to

page_text: be of general benefit and advantage, I am therefore anxious to disclaim the
words relating to the same in the title of the said Letters Patent previous to
the inrolment of my said Specification, and for this purpose bave applied to
Her Majesty's Attorney-General, and obtained his leave to enter a Disclaimer
of such part of the title of my said Letters Patent.
And, for the reason aforesaid, I, the said William Newton, do hereby make
the following Disclaimer of part of the title of my said Letters Patent, in order
that the said title may be consistent with the enrolled Specification of the said
Invention (that is to say), I disclaim and omit the words and "in Elastic
"Material for Stuffing the latter," in the title of my said Letters Patent,
whereby the said title will be made to read as follows, "Certain Improvements
"in the Manufacture of Cords, Ropes, Bands, Strong Cloths, Quiltings, Sacks,
and Cushions, in which Manufacture Caoutchouc forms an essential Ingre-
dient, and in the Application of Parts of these Improvements to the Manu-
"facture of Pads, Stoppers, Tubes, Boxes, Baskets, Coverings, Wrappers, and
"other like Articles of Utility," being a communication from a foreigner
residing abroad.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Newton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
This is to certify, that William Newton has applied to me for leave to enter
the above-written Disclaimer of part of the title of a certain Invention com-
municated to him by a foreigner residing abroad, for which Letters Patent
were duly granted under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighth day of June last. And on considering of the said
application, and no objection having been made thereto, I have accordingly
granted leave to the said William Newton to file his said Disclaimer pursuant
to the Statute passed in the sixth year of the reign of His late Majesty, intituled
"An Act to amend the Law touching Letters Patent for Inventions," dated
this Seventh day of December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid William Newton came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Disclaimer
aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Disclaimer aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.