CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OB APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PILED GOODS OR FABRICS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Whyatt, of Openshaw, in the County of
Lancaster, Dyer, for the Invention of " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OB APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PILED GOODS OR FABRICS."
Sealed the 6th November 1855, and dated the 12th May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Whyatt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 12th
May 1855.
I, GEORGE WHYATT, of Openshaw, in the County of Lancaster, Dyer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PILED GOODS OR FABRICS" to be as
follows:-
My Invention applies to well-known machines now in use for cutting,
shearing, or cropping piled goods or fabrics in the process of finishing. The
machines are provided with rapidly revolving spiral cutters or knives mounted
in the "cutting cylinder," which act against a stationary or "ledger blade," in
a similar manner to the two edges of cutting shears, by which the pile upon the
face of the cloth becomes cropped or shorn, the cloth passing over a straight
edgo or "bed plate" placed immediately under the revolving cutting shears,
so as to present the pile in a suitable position to be cut, cropped, or shorn.
All this arrangement is common and well understood.
My improvements in such machinery consist in giving or imparting an
upward or downward movement or action to the said revolving spiral cutters
or blades against or upon the stationary "bed plate" at any required distance-

page_text: or interval, which movement of the revolving cutters or knives will necessarily
cause the cloth to be alternately pressed against the "bed plate," and the pile
of the cloth will be cropped or shorn, whilst the revolving knives or cutters
are bearing closer to the "bed plate," cutting the pile closer or shorter in
those places; thus producing the novel effect of a striped long and short
pile or nap either transversely (or diagonally if required) across the piece
of goods, or from selvage to selvage.
This alternate upward and downward motion of the revolving spiral knives
or cutters may be produced by any suitable mechanical contrivance, such as a
crank or eccentric, being actuated by any convenient part of the machine.
The intervals of space between the reciprocating movements of the revolving
"spiral cutters" will be regulated by such crank or eccentric, and the width
of the stripe of either the long or short pile may be varied at pleasure to suit
the pattern required to be cut or produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Whyatt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WHYATT, of Openshaw, in the County of Lancaster, Dyer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Whyatt, Her especial licence that I, the said George Whyatt, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Whyatt, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PILED GOODS OR FABRICS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said George Whyatt, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Whyatt, 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 Drawings (that is to say):--
My Invention applies to well-known machines now in use for cutting,
shearing, or cropping piled goods or fabrics in the process of finishing. These
machines are provided with rapidly revolving spiral cutters or knives mounted
in the cutting cylinder, which act against a stationary or "ledger blade," in a
similar manner to the two edges of cutting shears, by which means the pile
upon the face of the cloth becomes cropped or shorn, the cloth passing over a
straight edge or "bed plate" placed immediately under the revolving cutting
shears, so as to present the pile in a suitable position to be cut, cropped, or
shorn. All this arrangement is common and well understood.
My improvements in such machinery consists in giving or imparting an
upward or downward movement or action to the said revolving spiral cutters
or blades against or upon the stationary "bed plate" at any required distance
or interval, which movement of the revolving cutters or knives will necessarily
cause the cloth to be alternately pressed against the "bed plate," and pile of
the cloth will be cropped or shorn, whilst the revolving knives or cutters are
bearing closer to the "bed plate," cutting the pile closer or shorter in those
places; thus producing the novel effect of a striped long and short pile or nap
either transversely (or diagonally if required) across the piece of goods, or from
selvage to selvage.
This alternate upward and downward motion of the revolving spiral knives
or cutters may be produced by any suitable mechanical contrivance, such as a
crank or excentric, being actuated by any convenient part of the machine.
The intervals of space between the reciprocating movements of the revolving
spiral cutters will be regulated by such crank or excentric, and the width of
the stripe of either of the long or short pile may be varied at pleasure to suit
the pattern required to be cut or produced.
In order that this Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail, I have attached to these presents a Sheet of Drawing, made upon a scale
of about two inches to the foot, having throughout the several Figures similar
letters of reference placed on corresponding parts of the machinery or apparatus.
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal sectional elevation of a machine or apparatus
for cutting piled goods, having these improvements attached thereto; Fig. 2
exhibits a plan er top view of the same, representing the fabric as passing

page_text: through the machine; and Fig. 3 exhibits an end view of Figs. 1 and 2, and
clearly illustrates the position of the spiral knives or cutters, together with the
actuating mechanism; Fig. 4 illustrates these improvements detached from
the machine, with the exception of the tension pulley. The pile of the cloth
or fabric to be operated upon is first to be produced, and cropped or shorn in
the ordinary manner, being consequently of an equal length and evenness
throughout the piece.
My improvements being intended to cut such pile shorter or closer at any
given intervals, and thereby producing the effect of stripes as required, the
cloth' is to be passed through the machine, as indicated by the arrows, the
novel and peculiar arrangement and operation of the machine being as
follows: a, a, represents the frame of the machine, and b, the revolving
circular cutters or knives; c, the "ledger blade," and d, the "bed, plate; d'
being the straight edge of the bed plate.
My improvements consist in giving to the rapidly revolving spiral cutters an
upward and downward motion, in such a manner that as the fabric passes under
the rapidly revolving spiral cutters or knives b, the limit of depression brings
the spiral cutters or knives into contact with the surface of the piled fabric, the
effect of which is to take off, shear, or crop such position of the pile as shall
be in contact with the knives or cutters, thus producing a stripe. Secured on
the framing a, a, of the machine or apparatus is a small fitting e, which carries
the pinion f, actuated from the spur wheel g. On the shaft of the pinion is
secured the disc h, on which an adjustable finger or pin m is secured. Beneath
the bearings of the revolving knives or cutters, and extending transversely
across the machine, is the shaft n, having at each end a small projecting finger
0, 0. This shaft is sustained in two fittings p, p, secured to the side of the
framing, and is connected to the dise h by the vertical rod q (suspended from
the shaft n), which is slotted at its lower end. In this machine motion is
communicated from the drawing pulley r to a pulley and strap or band at
the opposite side of the framing, from whence a rapid rotary motion is imparted
to the revolving circular knives or cutters b; a second motion is then given
from the shaft of the driving pulley, through the pulleys and straps, to the
shaft t and pinion, secured to it; this, through the spur wheel and appro-
priate gearing, communicates motion to the "winding-on" and "draught"
rollers, at the same time imparting motion through the spur-wheel-y to the
pinion f, from whence it is through its shaft transmitted to the disc h. It will
now be observed, that as the disc h revolves, the adjustable pin m, secured upon
it, imparts a vibratory motion to the suspended rod or lever, from whence an
alternate motion is given to the shaft n, and consequently to the projecting

page_text: fingers o, o, at either end of the shaft n; by the action of these projecting
fingers the upward and downward motion is transferred to the rapidly revolving
circular knives or cutters b, the spaces of the original fabric remaining between
the strips shorn or cropped by the cutters or knives being regulated by the
action of the adjusting pin m. Such is the process of producing the stripe or
design by the elevation and depression of the rapidly revolving spiral cutters
or knives; but to perfect this motion a tension pulley w is employed, the
necessity of which will be evident, when it is remembered that the distention
of the strap a, which drives the spiral cutters or knives, will necessarily be
unequal, consequent upon the elevation and depression of the spiral cutters.
The inequality of friction upon the driving pulley of the spiral cutters or knives
is, by the use of the tension pulley w (acting loosely) readily restored, and a
continuous and regular motion given or imparted to the revolving cutters or
knives. The tension pulley w is maintained in position by the fitting y,
secured to the side of the framing.
It will now be readily understood that the novelty of action in this machine
consists in the elevation and depression of the spiral cutters at such intervals
as may be desired and regulated, as before described, in such a manner that
in the descent of the cutters such pile as is presented to or comes in contact
with them may be removed from the fabric, while in the rise of the cutters
the pile fabric may be left unoperated upon, thus producing on the face of the
piled fabric a striped design or pattern.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same may be performed, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I claim
as my improvements in machinery or apparatus for cutting piled goods or
fabrics, the causing of the circular or spiral revolving knives or cutters to be
alternately raised or depressed, in order that the cutting shears shall only
operate in such places and at such intervals on the piled fabric as may be
desirable, for the purpose of effecting a stripe or pattern by cutting the pile
shorter, as herein particularly described and set forth, and fully illustrated in
the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Whyatt, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of November, in the year of our Lor
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
GEORGE WHYATT. (L.B.)