Improvements in or applicable to Knives for Cutting Pile Fabrics.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 11th Oct. 1891-Accepted, 17th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Knives for Cutting Pile Fabrics.
We DUGALD SCOTT, Manufacturer, of 12 York Street Manchester, JOHN
JAMES MANN, and JAMES HOYLE SMITH Fustian Cutters, both of Peel Mill
Adelphi, Salford all in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the knives used for the cutting of weft pile fabrics, and
more especially to those used in fustian cutting machines, the object of the
invention being to reduce to a minimum the damage occasioned when the point
of the knife cuts through the back of the cloth, particularly when cutting at high
cloth-speeds.
Many devices have been invented either to drop the knife upon the cloth or to
withdraw it from the hole before a long slit can be formed, but such devices have
been not quite successful in practice at high cloth-speeds.
According to the present invention we so mount the knife and guide in the handle
or holder that they can be retained (say between gripping jaws or otherwise)
therein when the pile is being properly cut, but if the point goes through the back
of the cloth, the said cloth will automatically release the retaining jaws or their
equivalent by means of a trigger, or otherwise, and separate the knife and guide
from the handle and the said knife and guide will fall or pass through the hole to
the back side of the cloth.
Thus there will be no tendency to form a larger hole in the cloth than is sufficient
to allow the knife and guide to pass clear through the same.
Dated this 11th day of Jonuer 1894
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Knives for Outting Pile Fabrics.
We DUGALD SCOTT, Manufacturer, of 12 York Street, Manchester, JOHN
JAMES MANN, and JAMES HOYLE SMITH Fustian Cutters, both of Peel Mill
Adelphi, Salford, all in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the knives used for the cutting of weft pile fabrics,
and more especially to those used in fustian cutting machines, the object of the
invention being to reduce to a minimum the damage occasioned when the point
of the knife cuts through the back of the cloth, particularly when cutting at high
cloth-speeds.
Many devices have been invented either to drop the knife upon the cloth or to
withdraw it from the hole before a long slit can be formed, but such devices have
been not quite successful in practice at high cloth-speeds.
According to the present invention we so mount the knife and guide in the handle
or holder that they can be retained (say between gripping jaws or otherwise)
therein when the pile is being properly cut, but if the point goes through the back

page_text: of the cloth, the said cloth will automatically release the retaining jaws or their
equivalent by means of a trigger, or otherwise, and separate the knife and guide
from the handle, and the said kuife and guide will fall or pass through the hole to
the back side of the cloth.
Thus there will be no tendency to form a larger hole in the cloth than is
sufficient to allow the knife and guide to pass clear through the same.
Such being the nature and object of our said invention we will now describe in
detail how the same is to be or may be carried into practical effect, and in order
that the same may be clearly understood we have annexed hereto a sheet of drawings
illustrative thereof and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference
corresponding with those in the following description.
Our invention can be carried into practical effect in various ways as will be seen
by the drawings of which
Fig. 1 is a section taken through about the line A-B on Fig. 2 which is a side
elevation of one form of our knife and part of the holder.
Fig. 3 is an end view and Fig. 4 a side elevation of another form thereof and
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a third modification.
In the various figures a is the handle or holder and 6 the guide which encloses
the knife in the usual way. The dotted line d (on Figs. 2, 4 and 5) represents the
cloth which is moved rapidly in the direction shown by the arrow (or the knife is
passed rapidly over the cloth in the reverse direction).
:
It will be seen in all the figures that the knife c and guide b are quite separate
from the handle or holder a but are held therein see Figs. 1 and by lovers or
arms e el or (see Figs. 3 and 4) by springs or (see Fig. 5) by a removable socket
in the form (for example) of a small cylinder e. Any other equivalent incans for
temporarily retaining the knife and guide in the holder may be employed.
The knife and guide are made as short as possible and without projecting parts
so as to pass clear through the back of the cloth without hindrance and without
causing a large hole or slit.
In the case shewn at Figs. 1 and 2 the knife c and guide b are held by the jaws e
at the lower end of the arms e e', the arme being by preference fixed to the part a
of the handle or holder a and the arm e being pivotted thereto at the point *.
The loose or pivotted end of the spring trigger f rests upon the guide band in
the groove thereof, not being in any other way connected thereto, but being self
adjusting as shown in the slotted end of the trigger lever f' to the upper end of
which is connected by a link f' a small distance piece block or wedge 9, inserted
between the upper end of the arins e and e¹ which are held together by an
india rubber ring or other spring connection. An india rubber or other spring 73
holds the lever f¹ in the position shewn on the drawing and retains the piece g
between the arms e and e¹.
The rear end of the knife abuts against the fixed piece a³ and is protected
by a hood from displacement (by the pressure of the spring trigger for
otherwise).
It will be seen that should the point of the guide 6 pierce through the back of
the cloth d, which as before explained is passing rapidly beneath it in the direction
indicated by the arrow, the cloth will move along the guide band knife c until it
meets the spring trigger which it will carry with it, causing the end of the
lever to withdraw the distance piece or wedge from between the arms e and e³,
and the spring will draw the upper ends of the arins e and e' together and separate
the jaws et, so that the knife c and the guide 6 become detached and fall from the
holder or handle a, and owing to their inertia and the rapid motion of the cloth they
will fall and drop clear through to the back side of the cloth, and only a small
puncture (sufficient to allow of this dropping through of the said knife and guide)
will be made in the cloth.
It will be seen from Figs. 3 and 4 that the trigger f and its adjuncts may be
dispensed with and the cloth will automatically detach the knife c and guide 6 from
the jaws et, which in this case may be mounted on springs which will yield to

page_text: the action of the cloth, when the guide and knife pierce the latter, and allow the
said guide and knife to be detached from the holder a.
On Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 k are guard plates fixed to the arm e, or to one or both
of the springs e, to protect the cloth against injury by the jaws e+.
Fig. 5 shews a somewhat different method of attachment. In this case we
employ a trigger lever f¹ and spring similar to those seen on Fig. 2, but
the lever retains in position a catch lever / which holds forward a sliding
piece or plate 7 the lower edge of which is formed or provided with a socket or
cylinder e
The piece is provided with a slot through which passes a fixed pivot or rod m,
and the said piece is also connected to the spring n, which has not only a tendency
to withdraw and eª but when the catch thereof is engaged with the catch
lever the spring n has a tendency to hold it firmly locked thereby. Upon the
fixed rod m is mounted loosely a lever or swing frame o, supporting a hinged rod or
piston p, the free end of which works in the socket or cylinder e, and when the
sliding piece and the socket or cylinder are drawn and locked forward in the
position shewn, the end of the piston p is at about the point in the cylinder e³,
thereby forming a socket in which the rear end of the knife c can be placed, and
the said knife c and its guide b will be held in place as shewn at Fig. 5 while the
cutting is being properly performed; but should the point pierce through the
cloth.d the latter will push in the trigger and thus disengage the catch lever f
from the upper end of the trigger lever, and the catch and the piece will be
released. The spring n will instantly withdraw the piece / sliding it back upon the
rod m and carrying the cylinder with it, and the cylinder e will slide upon
the piston p until the end of the latter has pushed the rear end of the knife from
the socket formed by itself and the cylinder e, and the knife and guide are thus
free to pass clear through the hole in the back of the cloth without enlarging the
said hole or causing a slit to be made.
We would repeat in conclusion that other means may be adopted for detaching
the knife and guide from the handle or holder without departing from the
principle of our invention, the mechanism above described and shown on the
drawings being merely examples to illustrate how the said invention may be carried
into practical effect.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The attachment of a suitable knife and guide, for cutting pile fabrics, to its
handle or holder in such a manner that the said knife and guide will be detached
from the said handle or holder by the cloth being cut and fall clear through the
said cloth, whenever the point pierces through the back of the fabric, substantially
as herein before described.
2. The combination with the knife and guide and the handle or holder thereof,
of a spring or other retaining device in such a manner that the cloth can auto-
inatically separate the knife and guide from the said handle or handles whenever
the back of the said cloth is pierced, and the said knife and guide can fall clear
through the said cloth substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The combination with the knife and guide, the handle or holder, and the
retaining device connecting them together of a trigger for releasing the retaining
device and allowing the knife and guide to be separated from the handle or holder
and fall clear through the fabric whenever the point pierces the back of the cloth,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
DJ L
10L 1
1004A
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.