A New or Improved Process for the Decoration or Ornamentation of Velvets, Plushes, and other Pile Fabrics.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 29th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May,
1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Process for the Decoration or Ornamentation
of Velvets, Plushes, and other Pile Fabrics.
I, BENJAMIN Joseph Barnard MILLS, of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from Victor Crépet, of 20 bls Rue Godefroy, Lyons,
in the Republic of France, Manufacturer of Silk Goods) to be as follows:-
The process of decoration or ornamentation constituting the subject of the
present invention is applicable to the figuring of velvets, plushes and other pile
fabrics.
It consists in principle in replacing engraved or prepared blocks, plates or
cylinders at present in use for this operation, by separate parts or instruments
acting individually upon the fabric according to the design to be reproduced.
These parts or instruments, which are pins or studs, are arranged upon a cylinder
or fixed to the ends of levers put in action at the times desired by Jacquard or
other analogous or suitable mechanism. Also, by varying the form of the said
parts or instruments, the course taken by them, and their periods of action upon
the fabric, there can be obtained a great variety of designs without having recourse
to the long and costly work of preparing blocks, plates or cylinders.
And in order that the method of putting the invention into practice may be
clearly understood, I will describe its application in connection with the figuring
of velvet.
In the most simple cases, such as the production of spots or of straight or
uudulated stripes, the arrangement represented at Figs. 1 and 2 of the accom-
panying drawing will be employed.
Studs or pins a a of any desired form and dimensions are arranged upon a
perforated cylinder A, which enables them to be grouped or arranged according to
the design to be produced; they are heated by gas jets h in the interior of the
cylinder.
The fabric V passes over two fixed bars B C which present it distended to the
action of the studs or pins; the bar C is hollow and heated to distend and smooth
the fabric after the nap or pile has been laid by the figuring.
The cylinder A can receive rotary motion of various speeds by change gear
and an alternating movement by a cam D, Fig. 2, the shape and speed of which
may also be modified.
It will be readily understood that if the cylinder revolves at the same speed and
in the same direction as the fabric, the studs or pins will accompany the fabric
without displacement or slipping and will produce points. If the speeds are
different, in the same direction or in the opposite direction, the studs or pins will
drag on the fabric and will produce stripes more or less long which may join each
other and form one continuous stripe; finally, if the cam D is made to act at the
same time, there will be obtained continuous or interrupted undulated stripes.
The points or stripes thus obtained will vary in form according to that of the
extremity of the stud or pin which has produced them and their direction can be
changed by varying the shape of the cam.
Several cylinders furnished with studs or pins may also be caused to act on the
fabric, thereby enabling lines or details of design to cross each other in contrary
directions on the same transverse line.

page_text: It is essential to remark that this process lays the nap alternately in one direction
then in another which produces a very agreeable dappled effect, whilst cylinders
laying the nap always in the same direction only produce a dull surface without
brilliancy. This effect obtained transversely by the alternate movement of the
cylinder may be obtained longitudinally by giving to the cylinder an oscillating
movement in lieu of a continuous movement.
In the case of complicated patterns or designs, the pins or studs will be carried
by one or several series of levers E, Fig. 3. These levers will be operated either
by a Jacquard machine or by heddles or other suitable pattern mechanisin, which
will lower the desired pins or studs and hold them in contact with the fabric during
the required time. By this process by employing a sufficient number of pins or
studs, various designs may be obtained.
Dated this 13th day of June 1895.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
A New or Improved Process for the Decoration or Ornamentation
of Velvets, Plushes, and other Pile Fabrics.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS of 23 Southampton Buildings in the
County of London, Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
a communication to me from Victor Crépet of 20s Rue Godefroy, Lyons, in the
Republic of France, Manufacturer of Silk Goods, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The process of decoration or ornamentation constituting the subject of the
present invention is applicable to the figuring of velvets, plushes and other piled
fabrics.
It consists in replacing engraved or prepared blocks, plates or cylinders at
present in use for this operation, by separate parts or instruments in the form of
studs or pins acting individually or by groups, upon the fabric, and applied to its
surface according to the design to be reproduced.
These studs or pins, which may be of various forms, can be operated individually
by Jacquard or other analogous or suitable mechanism, but in most cases it will
be sufficient to unite them in groups upon cylinders or bars put in motion by cams,
the form of which corresponds with the designs to be reproduced.
And in order that the method of putting the invention into practice may be
clearly understood I will first describe its application in the most ordinary or
usual form, in which the studs or pins are fixed upon a cylinder; this form is.
represented at Figures 1 and of the accompanying drawing.
Studs or pins a. a of any desired form and dimensions are arranged on a
perforated cylinder A which enables them to be grouped or arranged according to
the design to be produced; they are heated by gas jets in the interior of the
cylinder. The fabric V passes over two fixed bars B, C, which present it
distended to the action of the studs or pins, the bar C is hollow and heated, to
distend and smooth the fabric after the nap or pile has been laid by the
figuring.
The cylinder A can receive rotary motion of various speeds by change gear and
an alternating endway movement by a cam D, see Fig. 2, the shape and speed of
which may also be modified.
It will be readily understood that if the cylinder revolves at the same speed and
in the same direction as the fabric, the studs or pins will accompany the fabric
without displacement or slipping and will produce spots.

page_text: If the speeds are different, in the same direction or in the opposite direction,
the studs, or pins will drag on the fabric and will produce stripes more or less
long, which may join each other and form one continuous stripe, finally if the
cam D is made to act at the same time, there will be obtained continuous or
interrupted undulated stripes.
The spots or stripes thus obtained will vary in form according to that of the
extremity of the stud or pin which has produced them.
Several cylinders furnished with studs or pins may also be caused to act on the
fabric, thereby enabling lines or details of design to cross each other in contrary
directions on the same transverse line.
Fig. 1 shows in dotted lines the position of a second cylinder A', similar to the
cylinder A, and capable of being operated by an independent cam.
Very varied effects can be obtained without causing the cylinders to revolve and
by their simple end wise movement; in this case a single row of studs or pins is
required for each cylinder, and these studs or pins can be fixed upon a simple bar
operated by the cam D. It is to be remarked that the use of separate studs or
pins furnishes an economic means of composing different designs upon the same
cylinder or upon the same bar, but that the same result would be obtained if these
studs or pins were in one piece with the cylinder or with the bar.
The essential character of this process, is that by the various movements given
to the studs or pins the nap or pile of the fabric is laid alternately in several
directions, which produces different dappled or shaded effects, according to the
direction in which it is viewed, and the side whence the light comes, but always
visible. These entirely new effects cannot be produced by the known processes
which lay the nap or pile always in the same direction and produce only an
uniform surface, either brilliant or dull, according to the direction in which it
is seen.
For certain kinds of designs, it might be advantageous to use studs or pins
separately moved; these studs or pins will in that case be carried by levers E,
see Fig. 3, operated at the desired times by cords e, which connect them to a
Jacquard machine or to heddles or other suitable pattern mechanism, which will
put the studs or pins in contact with the fabric at the desired times.
The dappled or shaded effects will be obtained in this instance, by giving to all
the levers, an alternate transverse motion. For this purpose these levers will be
mounted on a transverse carriage or bar band will receive their movement from a
cam as in Fig. 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A process for figuring velvets, plushes and other nap or piled fabrics, by
means of heated studs or pins fixed individually or in groups, to cylinders, bars,
levers or other carrying means capable of being moved together or separately
on the fabric, in manner to produce various designs, in which the nap or pile is
laid in various directions substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The process for figuring velvets, plushes and other nap. or pile fabrics
substantially as herein set forth.
Dated February 29th 1896.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, Loudon, W.C., Agents.