IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING' AND 'STOPPING DOWN' FABRICS DURING THE PROCESS OF DYEING THEM.
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Oldroyd and Mark Oldroyd, junior, of the
Firm of Mark Oldroyd and Sons, of Dewsbury, in the County of
York, Woollen Manufacturers, and Joshua Woodcock, of the same
Place, Dyer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS
FOR OPENING' AND 'STOPPING DOWN' FABRICS DURING THE PROCESS OF DYEING
THEM.
"
Sealed the 1st August 1871, and dated the 3rd February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Oldroyd, Mark
Oldroyd, and Joshua Woodcock at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 3rd February
1871.
We, JOHN OLDROYD and MARK OLDROYD, junior, of the Firm of
Mark Oldroyd and Sons, of Dewsbury, in the County of York, Woollen
Manufacturers, and JOSHUA WOODCOCK, of the same Place, Dyer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR 'OPENING' AND 'STOPPING DOWN' FABRICS DURING THE PROCESS
OF DYEING THEM," to be as follows:
This Invention consists, firstly, in the employment of a spirally
grooved roller of suitable length according to the width of the fabrics

page_text: to be dyed, which is placed in front of the dye vessel for the fabric to
pass over or under. The spirals at one end of the roller run in opposite
directions to those at the other end, so that by causing this roller to
rotate, either at a different surface speed to the travel of the fabric or to
rotate in a different direction, it will have the effect of opening, spread-
ing, or expanding the fabric in its width during its passage into the dye
vessel. We also apply a bar or plain roller in front of and parallel to
the spiral roller, which is capable of being moved laterally so as to cause
the fabric to bear more or less upon the spiral. roller according to
requirement.
Secondly. This Invention consists in the application of a winged roller
placed in the dye vessel, upon one side of which the fabric falls on
entering the vessel and which turns it, or the said roller may be driven
by mechanical means, so that the fabric passes underneath and is thereby
"stopped down" or forced into and held in the dye liquor. Or we may
make the roller hollow, and the wings to move in and out through slits
therein and so as to project out only, on the side of the roller which the
fabric falls upon or on the descending side and withdrawn on the other
side, thereby preventing the action of the wings. on the fabric on the
rising side of the roller. Or instead of employing the above described
rollers we may employ a travelling scray or an endless chain of laths or
small rollers suspended from suitable bearings on the top of the vessel
and depending into the dye liquor, the said scray being suitably arranged
and operated or caused to travel so that the fabric falling upon it or
between one side of it and the side of the vessel it will be carried into
the liquor and "stopped down" or held down, and thereby prevented
from rising out of the dye liquor. Or instead of employing a travelling.
scray a fixture scray may be employed, it being placed at a sufficient
incline in the vessel to allow space for the fabric to lodge in the liquor
below it. Or a scray may be hinged to the top of the vessel so as to be
capable of lateral movement at its bottom part to afford space for the
fabric in the vessel under it, and this scray may be either straight or
curved on its surface and of such weight at its.bottom part as to hold
down the fabric, and a stop may be provided to prevent its being raised
out of the liquor by the action of the fabric thereon when passing out of
the vessel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Oldroyd, Mark Oldroyd, and Joshua
Woodcock in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd August
1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
OLDROYD and MARK OLDROYD, junior, of the Firm of Mark Oldroyd
and Sons, of Dewsbury, in the County of York, Woollen Manufacturers,
and JOSHUA WOODCOCK, of the same Place, Dyer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Oldroyd, Mark Oldroyd, junior, and
Joshua Woodcock, Her special licence that we, the said John Oldroyd,
Mark Oldroyd, junior, and Joshua Woodcock, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Oldroyd, Mark
Oldroyd, junior, and Joshua Woodcock, our 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 "IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR
'OPENING' AND ⚫ STOPPING DOWN' FABRICS DURING THE PROCESS OF DYEING
THEM," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John
Oldroyd, Mark Oldroyd, junior, and Joshua Woodcock, our exécutors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said John Oldroyd, Mark Oldroyd,
junior, and Joshua Woodcock, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment and accompanying Sheet of Drawings (that is to say) :-

page_text: This Invention consists,-
Firstly. In the employment of a spirally grooved roller of suitable
length according to the width of the fabrics to be dyed, which is placed
in front of the dye vessel for the fabric to pass over or under. The
spirals at one end of the roller run in opposite directions to those t
at the other end, so that by causing this roller to rotate cither at
a different surface speed to the travel of the fabric or to rotate in a
different direction, it will have the effect of opening, spreading, or
expanding the fabric in its width during its passage into the dye vessel.
We also employ a bar or plain roller in front of and parallel to the 1
spiral roller, which is capable of being moved laterally so as to cause
the fabric to bear more or less upon the spiral roller according to
requirement.
Secondly. This Invention consists in the application of a winged roller
placed in the dye vessel, upon one side of which the fabric falls on 1
entering the vessel, and which turns it, or the said roller may be driven
by mechanical means so that the fabric passes underneath and is thereby
stopped down or forced into and held in the dye liquor.
Or we may make the rollers hollow and the wings to move in and out
through slits therein, and so as to project out only on the side of the
roller which the fabric falls upon, or on the descending side and with-
drawn on the other side, thereby preventing the action of the wings on
the fabric on the rising side of the roller.
Or instead of employing the above-described rollers we may employ a
travelling scray or an endless chain of laths or small rollers suspended
from suitable bearings on the top of the vessel and depending into the
dye liquor, the said scray being suitably arranged and operated or caused
to travel so that the fabric falling upon it or between one side of it and
the side of the vessel it will be carried into the liquor and "stopped
down" or held down, and thereby prevented from rising out of the dye
liquor.
Or instead of employing a travelling scray a fixture scray may be
employed, it being placed at a sufficient incline in the vessel to allow
space for the fabric to lodge in the liquor below it..
Or a scray may be hinged to the top of the vessel so as to be capable of
lateral movement at its bottom part to afford space for the fabric in the

page_text: vessel under it, and this scray may be either straight or curved on its
surface, and of such weight at its bottom part as to hold down the fabric,
and a stop may be provided to prevent its being raised out of the liquor
by the action of the fabric thereon when passing out of the vessel..
In order that this Invention may be clearly understood we herein
refer to an accompanying Sheet of Drawings of a dye vessel with our
improvements applied thereto, or such of them as we find to answer best
in practice or most convenient in use and least costly in applying.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section; Fig. 3
is a vertical and longitudinal section, and Fig. 4 is a plan of the same.
A is an ordinary vessel used in the dyeing of textile fabrics; B is the
usual winch by means of which the fabrics are passed through or into
and out of the liquor; and C is the spirally grooved rollers the spirals
of which run in opposite directions from the middle, and which we apply
to keep the fabrics straight in passing, or to open, spread, or expand
them in their passage over the said roller so as to deliver them straight
or open to the winch. This roller is supported in pedestals C₁ fixed to
the vessel and capable of rotation. In front of the said spiral roller is
a rail D rounded on one side for the fabric to pass over, which is
mounted at each end in slot holes formed in the toothed segment
arms E, and a rotary shaft carrying two pinions F gearing into the
segment arms is supported in the pedestals. This shaft the attendant
can turn by means of a handle so as to alter the relative position of the
rail to the spiral roller, and thereby cause the fabric to bear more or
lcss upon the said spiral roller in its passage. This rail is also hinged
in the middle to another rail G which is fixed at each end to the segment
arms, the slot holes which receive the ends of the said rail enabling
it to oscillate to a certain distance when required. On each end of the
said rail is a short fluted roller H capable of rotating thereon, and to
each fluted roller is fixed a small toothed wheel I which gears into short
racks J fixed to the segment arms. The fabric is intended to pass over
the rail between or clear of both these fluted rollers, but should it move
laterally and run upon one of them rotary motion is thereby given to it
which causes it to run up the rack and raise that end of the rail, which
will have the effect of moving the fabric towards the other end of the
rail which then rectifies it. It will now be seen that if this spirally
grooved (having the spirals as here shewn) has a greater surface

page_text: speed given to it in the same direction as the travel of the fabric, it
will have the effect of opening, spreading, or expanding the fabric whilst
the rail can be so adjusted as to cause the fabric to bear more or less
upon the roller, and the self-acting means of keeping it in proper
position so that the fabric can thus be delivered to the winch in a
suitable state as required. And it will be readily understood that if the
spiral roller was placed the other way in the machine or the spirals in
the contrary direction then by running it at a slower surface speed than
the travel of the fabric the same effect would be produced of opening or
spreading it. The fabric after passing or being passed forward by the
winch falls into the dye liquor in the vessel, where it forms in folds as
shewn, but in consequence of the action of the boiling liquor the fabric
has a tendency to float and rise to the surface thereof, to prevent which
is very desirable and has usually being done by manual labour.
We have herein-before set forth various mechanical means of effecting
this object, and the means we have found most simple and effective we
have shewn in the Drawings, and herein refer to. K is a plain or
straight wood scray hinged to the top of the vessel, and made in two
parts hinged together in the middle so as to be capable of being folded
and lifted out of the liquor when required for the purpose of more
conveniently passing the end of the fabric under it to join ends together
when commencing. This scray is held when in use in the position
shewn by means of the hooked rods L which are attached to the sides of
the vessel and readily turned to either fasten or release the said scray.
We have also found it preferable to have a similar scray M hinged to
the vessel and prevented from rising by a stop N hinged to the vessel.
This scray assists in keeping the fabric in order or prevents entangle-
ment thereof in passing through the liquor. We have also found it
desirable to use a series of prongs P fixed to a bar Q carried upon slide
racks R which have an up-and-down or rising and falling motion
imparted to them by means of toothed wheels S gearing in the said
racks and other racks T formed on the opposite side of the slide
frames U. These toothed wheels being connected by rods V to stud
toothed wheels W which receive rotary motion by toothed pinions and
shaft X on which is a pulley Y driven by strap from a pulley Z fixed on
the winch shaft. These prongs P in their downward motion force the
fabric into the dye liquor, and the scray prevents it from floating about
and getting twisted or becoming entangled.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and shewn
by Drawings and description in what manner the same is or may
be
performed, we would have it understood that we do not confine ourselves
to the precise details of apparatus shewn and described, but what we
claim as of our Invention is,-
Firstly. The application and use of a spirally grooved roller in con-
nection with dyeing vessels in manner and for purposes shewn and
described.
Secondly. The application and use of a bar or rail in front of the said
spiral roller in manner and for purposes substantially as shewn and
described.
Thirdly. The methods or means shewn and described of "stopping
down" and preventing fabrics from floating about the dye liquor during
the process of dyeing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joshua Woodcock, for and on
behalf of myself and the said John Oldroyd and Mark Oldroyd,
junior, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-one.