CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PLAITING, OR FOLDING, AND MEASURING FABRICS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mould, of Belmont, near Bolton, in the
County of Lancaster, Dresser, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PLAITING, OR FOLDING, AND
MEASURING FABRICS."
Sealed the 23rd June 1868, and dated the 30th December 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mould at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
December 1862.
I, WILLIAM MOULD, of Belmont, near Bolton, in the County of Lancaster,
Dresser, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PLAITING, OR FOLDING, AND
MEASURING FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in having two swinging concave blades or knives
placed above a reciprocating table in the form of a segment, such table being
supported in a suitable framework, and allowed to yield or fall, the yielding
being obtained by means of a vertical rod to which the segmental table is
attached, such rod sliding through the axis of the segment, and supported by
means of a strong elastic material passing around the axis of the segment,
and underneath a transverse projection fixed to the lower end of such vertical

page_text: supporting rod. On each side of the segmented table is a roller covered with
flannel or other suitable material actuated and caused to revolve in one
direction by means of the cloth being forced beneath it, and retained in such
position during each repetition of the folding blades by means of a
ratchet wheel upon its end coming in contact with a paul or catch. In order
that the action of the several parts may be readily understood, suppose the
machine is just commencing to plait or fold the fabric, the afore-mentioned
yielding table is caused to oscillate by any suitable mechanical arrangement
at the same time, and identical with each oscillation the swinging concave
blades are brought into contact with the fabric to be folded, forcing with each
oscillation the fabric beneath the afore-mentioned small rollers, giving at the
same time a slight turn to such roller, the small rachet wheel fixed to its end
preventing, by means of a pawl or catch, any backward movement to such
rollers, at the same time causing the fabric to be firmly retained between the
rollers and yielding segmented table, forming thereby one complete fold
during each oscillation, and so repeating such oscillation until the whole piece
is folded.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Mould in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MOULD, of Belmont, near Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Dresser, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Mould, Her special license, that I, the said William
Mould, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Mould, 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 terin 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 IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PLAITING, OR FOLDING, AND MEASURING

page_text: FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Mould, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Mould, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):
--
My improvements consist in having two swinging concave blades or knives
placed above a reciprocating table in the form of a segment of a circle, such
table being supported in a suitable framework, and allowed to yield or fall, the
yielding being obtained by means of a vertical rod, to which the yielding seg-
mented table is attached, such rod sliding through the axis of the segment, and
supported by means of a strong elastic material passing around the axis of the
segment, and underneath a transverse projection fixed to the lower end of such
vertical supporter rod. On each side of the segmented table is a roller covered
with india-rubber, flannel, or other suitable material, and which may, if re-
quired, be actuated and caused to revolve in one direction by means of the
cloth being forced beneath it, and retained in such position during each repe-
tition of the folding blades by means of a ratchet wheel upon its end coming
in contact with a pawl or catch.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings made upon a scale of
about one inch and a half to the foot, similar letters of reference being marked
upon corresponding parts in both Figures.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine for folding or plaiting fabrics,
shewing the table and its elastic bearing upon which the fabric is folded,
and the curved blades for placing the fabric beneath the rollers to retain the
fabric in its position. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same.
In Fig. 1, a, a, is the framing of the machine, and 6 the main driving
shaft supported therein; c, c, is the vibrating or oscillating framing, within
which the yielding table d (in the form of a segment of a circle), and sup-
ported separately by the framing c¹ is placed; the framing c, c, terminates at its
lower extremity in the counterbalance weights e, e, and is mounted on the
central shaft ff, upon which it oscillates, the elastic endless band 9 passes

page_text: round the said shaft, and also round the rod or bar h attached to the vertical
'bars c', by this means a constant upward and yielding pressure is imparted to
the table to retain the fabric in contact with the rollers m, m, during its
folding. The blades i, i, are sécured to the rods k, k, and are kept by means
of the fingers and studs l, l, in the required position to place the fabric
between the table and rollers m, m, which are covered with india-rubber, the
said rods k, k, being attached to the beams n, n, which are caused to vibrate
on a centre in a contrary direction to the table by means of the bell-crank
lever o, and connecting rods p, p, from the crank on the main driving shaft b;
the oscillation of the blades being nearly uniform. The strap 9 extends from
one end of the yielding table to the other, passing beneath the rod h, and is
pressed alternately by the bowls or rollers r, r, so as to depress the ends of the
table, and ease the cloth from the pressure of the rollers m, m, whilst the blade
is placing the next fold beneath them, the bowls r, r; being secured upon the
sliding rods, actuated by the cam t, and driven by the spur gearing w.
In order that the action of the several parts may be readily understood,
suppose the machine is just commencing to fold or plait the fabric, the afore-
mentioned yielding table and framing is caused to oscillate by the crank and
connecting rod, or other suitable mechanical arrangement at the same time
and identical with each oscillation, the swinging concave blades are brought
into contact with the fabric to be. folded shewn in red, and which passes over
the guide board u, the blades forcing with each oscillation the fabric beneath
the afore-mentioned rollers, giving at the same time a slight turn to such
rollers which are covered with india-rubber, or to which a small ratchet wheel
is fixed, preventing by means of a pawl or catch any backward movement to
such rollers, at the same time causing the fabric to be firmly retained between
the rollers and yielding segmental table, and forming thereby one complete
fold during each oscillation, and so repeating such oscillation until the whole
piece is folded, an index for measuring the length of the folded fabric being
applied to the machine, and worked by the rack and pinión v as shewn.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I claim;-
First, the employment and use of swinging or vibrating blades in combi-
nation with an oscillating table for folding the fabric thereupon.
Secondly, the novel and peculiar method of suspending by means of elastic
bands the table whereupon the fabric is folded for the purpose of obtaining
& vielding surface.

page_text: And, thirdly, I claim the general construction and arrangement of apparatus
for plaiting, or folding and measuring fabrics as herein-before described and
illustrated in the Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mould, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-three.
WILLIAM MOULD. (L.s.)