IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING OR CARDING LACE OR OTHER LIGHT FABRICS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Wright Roe, of Arkwright Street, in the
Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING OR CARDING LACE OR OTHER
LIGHT FABRICS."
Sealed the 31st October 1865, and dated the 3rd May 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Wright Roe
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd May 1865.
I, THOMAS WRIGHT ROE, of Arkwright Street, in the Town and County of
the Town of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING AND CARDING LACE OR LIGHT
FABRICS," to be as follows:-
understood I will shortly describe the
The workman is provided with a box
In order that my Invention may be
present mode of folding lace by hand.
and carding board and a number of wires similar to knitting pins; the lace
is passed over the board, when a wire is laid in; the lace is then passed to the
other side of the board, when another wire is laid in; the bottom wires
are then withdrawn, leaving several in on each side to support the lace.
This Invention consists in constructing a machine for the purpose of
simplifying the mode of folding lace, and at the same time performing
the operation in a more expeditious manner, thereby securing great economy
in labour.
By this Invention the lace is passed from one side of the machine (berein-

page_text: In these
after described) to the other by means of an arm with a slot for the lace to
pass through; slides are used to secure the lace as it passes over; these
; these
slides are placed in boxes which have room inside to hold eight slides
boxes are screwed on the frame of the machine, one on each side.
boxes seven slides are placed, so that one place is left empty to allow the
Near the front end of these
slides to pass from back to front, and vice versa.
boxes a division stud is fixed to keep the slides clear of each other; these
boxes are so fitted that when the top slides are brought forward they will
allow one slide to pass between the stud and the top, and one to pass between
the stud and the bottom. A shoulder on the slide, and a projection on the
box keep the slides from coming out, but will allow them to protrude far
enough to secure the lace, the first slide is drawn backwards, and passes under
and rises the back slide up past the stud ready to come forward, it will thus
be seen that when the front bottom slide is raising the back slides, it lets the
front slide down, the stud keeping the slides from catching each other; the
slide motion is so arranged that when the top slide of one side of the machine
is coming forward the bottom slide of the other side is going back. I use
two presses with two fingers on each to lay the work straight, so that one can
The box in which the work is
hold one lap while the other takes the next.
deposited is provided with a sliding bar having a down motion for the work
The fingers on
to accumulate on, and is held up by two levers and a spring.
the press bar keep the work down below a straight line so that the lace when
laid over the slide is held perfectly straight.
I will now describe the working of the machine as shewn by the Drawing.
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Drawing A. a, a, side frames of the machine; 6, 6, the main shaft, which on
being turned by a band on the pullies z, z, or by a handle x, x, on the fly
wheel y, y, y, gives motion to all the parts of the machine; c, the main
eccentric fixed upon and turned by the shaft b, b; d, a connecting rod which
is attached to the ring of the eccentric, and being caused to rise and fall,
thereby gives a rocking niotion by the crank h to the spindle or shaft e. By
the rocking motion of the shaft e, the rods j, j, and arm f, are caused to radiate
from the centre to the right and left as shewn by the dotted lines. The lace
folder h1 which hangs from the cross spindle g at the head of the rods j, j, is
thus caused to swing from the position m on the left to m¹ on the right. The
lace or material to be folded is received through a slot in a projecting stud g¹
at the head of the swinging folder, passes down the front of the same and
through a slot or projecting arm 9 at the bottom of the folder, the lace being

page_text: free to run as the loops formed by the right and left motion of the swinging
folder are caught and held by small sliding loop holders n, n, which slide
forward at the sides m, m³, passing over the fabric as it is carried past
by the swing folder which then forms a loop with the loop holder in it.
The sliding motion of these loop holders, which come forward on the left
and right alternately, is given by the eccentric wheels o and q on the
main shaft, the folded fabric is held down by cranked presses or fingers i, i,
which rise clear of the folds as they are formed, and fall upon them by the
action of the cam wheels 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the main shaft. The folded fabric
is laid in a receiving box, the bottom of which is adjustable and is held
up by a spring which allows it to yield as the fabric in the receiving box
accumulates.
Drawings B and C shew the machine in plan view and side elevation with
enlargements of the slide box and fold holders, and the letters on Drawing A
which are repeated on Drawings B and C, refer to the same parts of the
machine shewn from different points of view.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Wright Roe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd November 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WRIGHT ROE, of Arkwright Street, in the Town and County of the Town of
Nottingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Wright Roe, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Wright Roe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Thomas Wright Roe, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FOLDING AND CARDING LACE OR LIGHT
FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Wright
Roc, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,

page_text: or their, or one of their bands 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 1, the said Thomas Wright Roe, 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 :-
In order that my Invention may be understood I will shortly describe:
the present mode of folding lace by hand. The workman is provided with a
box and carding board and a number of wires similar to knitting pins;;
the lace is passed over the board, when a wire is laid in; the bottom
wires are then withdrawn, leaving several in on each side to support the
lace.
This Invention consists in constructing a machine for the purpose of simpli-
fying the mode of folding lace, and at the same time performing the operation
in a more expeditious manner, thereby securing great economy in labour.
By this Invention the lace is passed from one side of the machine (berein-
after described), to the other by means of an arm with a slot for the lace to
pass through; slides are used to secure the lace as it passes over; these
slides are placed in boxes which have room inside to hold eight slides; these
boxes are secured on the frame of the machine one on each side. In these
boxes seven slides are placed, so that one place is left empty to allow the slides
to pass from back to front and vice versa. Near the front end of these boxes
a division stud is fixed to keep the slides clear of each other; these boxes
are so fitted that when the top slides are brought forward they will allow one
slide to pass between the stud and the top, and one to pass between the stud
and the bottom. A shoulder on the slide, and a projection on the box, keep
the slides from coming out, but will allow them to protrude far enough to
secure the lace, the first slide is then drawn backwards, and passes under, and
raises the back slide up past the stud ready to come forward, it will thus be
seen that when the front bottom slide is raising the back slides it lets the front
slide down, the stud keeping the slides from catching each other; the slide
motion is so arranged that when the top slide of one side of the machine is
coming forward the bottom slide on the other side is going back. I use two
presses, with two fingers on each, to lay the work straight, so that one can hold
one lap while the other takes the next. The box in which the work is
deposited is provided with a sliding bar having a down motion for the work to

page_text: accumulate.on, and is held up. by two levers and a spring, the fingers on the
press.bar keep the work down below a straight line so that the lace when laid:
over the slide is held perfectly straight..
. I will now describe the working of the machine as shewn by the Drawings.>
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS.m
Fig...1, is a .front; Fig. 2, aside, and. Fig: 3, a plan view of one of my
improved machines; Fig. 4, is an end view; and Figs. 5 and 7, side views of
one of the slide boxes.and.slides, on an enlarged scale; Fig: 6, a single slide
detached; Figs. 8.&.9 show the improved revolving slide used for folding
fancy laces. Where similar letters:appear in different.Figures they refer to:
the same parts.
: a, a, side frames of the machine?; b, b, the main shaft, which on being turned
by a band on the pulleys 3, 3, or by the handle x, ix, on the fly wheel Y, y, 'y,
gives motion to all parts of the machine; c, the main eccentric fixed upon and;
turned by the shaft b, b;d; a connecting rod which is attached to the ring of
the eccentric, and being caused to rise and fall, thereby gives a rocking motion
by the crank h to the spindle or shaft e. By, the rocking motion of the shaft
e the rods j, j, and arms fare caused to radiate from the centre to the right:
and left as shewn by the dotted lines., The lace holder h¹ which hangs from
the cross spindle 9 at the head of the rods j, j, is thus caused to swing from
the position m on the left to.m' on the right. The lace or material to be folded
is received through a slot in a projecting stud g' at the head of the swinging
folder, passes down the front of the same, and through a slot or projecting
arm at the bottom of the folder, the lace &c. being free to run as the loops
formed by the right and left motion of the swing folder are caught and held
by small sliding loop holders n, n, which slide forward at the sides m, m',
passing over the fabric as it is carried past by the swing folder which there
forms a loop, and the loop holder in it. The sliding motion of these loop
holders which come forward at the left and right alternately is given by the
eccentric wheels o and q on the main shaft, the folded fabric is held down by
cranked presses or fingers i, which rise clear of the folds as they are formed,
and fall upon them by the action of the cam wheels on the main shaft. The
folded fabric is laid in a receiving box, the bottom of which is held up by a
spring which allows it to yield as the fabric in the receiving box accumulates.
For folding fancy laces I remove the ordinary top and bottom lace holding
slots g, 9, (Fig. 2) from the rod h', and in lieu thereof use a revolving slide
as shewn at Figs. 8 and 9, which moves backwards and forwards with the
arm h', to which it is attached by means of screws or otherwise; this slide

page_text: when required. is inserted into the bearing Fig. 8, and has a collar 8 forming:
a pulley to which a cord can be attached or lapped round, and thence fastened
to a double ended lever shewn at Fig. 3, freed at g, and worked at pleasure
either by the machine or by the person in charge thereof, but if worked by the
machine itself a cam, lever, and measuring tackle is provided, and which
can be regulated at pleasure to the required width or measurement, and the
collor 8 (Fig. 9) rests on the top of the shaft or bearing Fig. 8, and. holds
it in position.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in.
which the same is or may be carried into effect, I declare that what I claim
and desire to be secured by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,―
1st, the peculiar folding mechanism for folding and carding lace or light
fabrics substantially as herein-before described and illustrated on Drawings.or
any mere modification thereof.
And, 2ndly, the revolving folder herein-before explained, but I wish it to
be understood that I do not restrict or confine myself to the exact arrange-
ment of the several parts of the machine, as the same may be variously
modified at pleasure.
: In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Wright Roe, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
THOMAS WRIGHT KOE. (L.B.)