IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING SILK AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SWIFTS, AND 'IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF APPARATUS FOR WINDING SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTHONY
BARBERIS, of Mondovi, but now of Leicester Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Sixteenth day
of January, One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, in the twelfth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Anthony Barberis, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole 'privilege and authority, that I, the said Anthony
Barberis, my exors, adñors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said
Anthony Barberis, my exors, adiñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING SILK AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SWIFTS, AND
'IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF APPARATUS FOR WINDING SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
the said Anthony Barberis, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what mannier the same is to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and

page_text: 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
Anthony Barberis, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
The Invention consists, first, of a new mode of constructing expanding swifts
used in the winding of silk and other fibrous substances; and, secondly, in a
new mode of constructing expanding reels or apparatus for winding silk and
other fibrous substances. But in order that the Invention may be fully
understood, I will proceed to describe the Drawings.
In the Drawings marked No. 1, Figure 1 represents a front view of a swift,
constructed according to my Invention, in which it will be seen there are six arms,
but this number may be varied according to fancy. Figure 2 shows a vertical
section taken through the line a, b. A is the shaft or axle of the swift upon
which are fitted the two plates or discs B, B', which are adjusted to the axis so
as to move freely thereon, and to be capable of moving the one. independantly s
of the other. D, D', arc rods which are attached to the discs B and B'; those
marked D are attached to the disc B, and those marked D¹ to the other disc
B', by means of small metallic pins, in which they move or oscillate freely.
F is a thin circular plate of metal or other suitable material fitting freely on
the middle of the shaft, and passing between the two series of arms or rods a
D, D', in order to facilitate their sliding freely past each other. When it is
required to turn the discs a certain distance so as to increase or diminish the
diameter of the swift, the other ends of the rods are connected together by
means of pins to the cross piece E, over the outer surface of which the threads
or skeins are passed. The various parts composing the swift are thus arranged s
in relation to each other, as shewn by the black lines upon the Figure 1; and
when it is desired to increase the diameter of the swift, all that is necessary to be
done is to press the ends of the rods d, d', outwards; this will cause the discs to
revolve in contrary directions to each other, and all the parts will then assume
the position indicated by the red lines, which will give the required increase in s
the diameter of the swift. And in order to give a solidity to the rods with the
axle, there is a pin or cotter g, which is driven into a hole made through the
axle on each side of the disc, as shewn in the Drawings, and serve to press
the discs together against the ends of the rods sufficiently to hold them in the

page_text: position in which they may be placed. Figure 3 shews two modifications, in
which it will be seen that the rods D, D', are differently arranged.
In the Drawing marked No. 2, I have shewn an application of the principle
of expansion to a reel or apparatus for winding silk or other substance, and
which is constructed in the following manner :-a is a hollow shaft or tube
running through the recl; d is a shaft or axle which passes through it. At each
end of the hollow shaft are attached circular plates or discs b, and to which
are affixed the rods f, by means of pins as in the swift, and at the side and
parallel to them are the similar discs c, of the same character as the disc b,
they being fixed to the axle d by means of the cotter e. To these discs the
rods f¹ are connected by means of pins, and they project as well as the first
ones and unite with them, and are connected to the cross pieces or tongues g,
over which the threads pass. By this arrangement the diameter of the
apparatus may be increased or diminished as required. The cotters e are let
into a slot on the exterior surface of the discs c, in order to connect them
rigidly with the rod d, so that the two discs at each end of the rod should
work together to effect the uniform expansion or contraction of the reel.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise details herein given, so long as the character of the Invention
be retained. But what I claim is,―
First, the mode of constructing swifts as herein described; and,
Secondly, I claim the mode of constructing or arranging reels or apparatus
for winding silk and other fibrous substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said Anthony Barberis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.

page_text: I, the said Anthony Barberis do hereby declare, that since I obtained the
said Letters Patent I have discovered that the Invention which was intended.
to have been described under that part of the title which is contained in the
following words, "in spinning silk and," is.not.of such, utility to me as would
make it desirable to retain it in the said Patent, for which reason I am
desirous to and do hereby disclaim all that part of the title which is contained
in the following words, "in spinning silk and."
T
In witness whereof, I, the said Anthony Barberis; have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this. Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.
To the Clerk of the Patents of England.
This is to certify that Anthony Barberis, of Mondovi, but now of Leicester
Square, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, has applied to me for leave to
enter with you the above written Disclaimer of part of the title of a certain
Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to him under the Great Seal,
dated the 16th day of January, 1849; and having considered the said
application, and no objection having been made to the same, I have accord-
ingly granted leave to the said Anthony Barberis to file his said Disclaimer,
pursuant to the Statute passed in the 5th & 6th years of the reign of His

page_text: late Majesty King William the 4th, entitled An Act to amend the Law
touching Letters Patent for Inventions.
JOHN JERVIS.
IT REMELDERED,
teent
the year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid Anthony Barberis 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.
Enrolled the Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.