IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION WITH CALICO PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Tomlinson, of New Mills, in the County of
Derby, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
USED IN CONNECTION WITH CALICO PRINTING MACHINES."
Sealed the 3rd September 1867, and dated the 6th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Tomlinson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th March 1867.
1, WILLIAM TOMLINSON, of New Mills, in the County of Derby, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION WITH CALICO PRINTING MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates principally to the machine technically called the gray
machine, used in connection with calico printing machines, and consists in
improved arrangements for changing the positions of the grays, that is the shells
which are continuously uncovered and covered with gray cloth. I employ three
shells mounted on two triangular frames fixed to a shaft working in bearings in
framework fixed to the floor of the building, which framework carries a friction
or driving drum and also a guide roller. At the commencement of operations
two shells covered with gray cloth are mounted on the triangular frames and
one empty shell, the gray on one of the full shells being connected to the printing
[Price Sd.]

page_text: machine, which when at work gradually unwinds the cloth from the shell. The
empty shell is in contact with the friction or driving drum driven by a strap or
gearing from any driving shaft, and when in motion winds the cloth on the empty
shell after it has passed through the printing machine and the second full shell
is waiting until the first full shell is emptied and the empty one covered. The
brasses or bearings of the shaft of the friction or driving drum work in slots
in the framework and the drum is kept against the cloth winding on the
shell at a gradually decreasing pressure by means of two double levers having
top arms which are in contact with the brasses, and bottom arms carrying
bowls, rods, and weights. The double levers are jointed to the framework
and are attached by rods to other levers connected by arms to the rods
carrying the weights, and as the cloth winds on the shell the brasses work
in the slots and move the double levers and cause the weights to ride on
their bottom arms and gradually decrease the weight. For regulating the
tension of the cloth which is passing into the printing machine, 1 fix a pulley
on one end of the square shaft or centre of the shell, and place in contact
with the pulley a break consisting of a curved block of wood fixed to one arm
of a double lever jointed to one of the triangular frames, the other arm of the
lever being held by a catch when the machine is working. When the shell
is full of cloth the greatest weight is exerted on the break and as the cloth
decreases in diameter the friction decreases in proportion, and this description
of break apply to the printing machine for regulating the delivery of the
white cloth on which the patterns are printed. In order to turn the triangular
frames so as to place the second full shell in position for giving off cloth to
the printing machine, and place the shell last covered in its working position,
and also the shell just uncovered in contact with the friction or driving drum,
I fix on the shaft which carries the frames a toothed wheel gearing into
a pinion on a shaft carrying a worm wheel gearing into a worm which can
be turned by hand in bearings fixed to the framework. When the cloth is
nearly unwound from the shell it is usual to pull it entirely off by hand and
connect it to the waiting covered shell, and then pull it to regulate the tension.
To remedy the many inconveniences of this method cause the cloth from
the shell to pass between two rollers, then into a box, and afterwards between
two other rollers, from whence it passes to the printing machine; one of the
first pair of rollers is driven by power and draws the cloth off the shell, and
the printing machine draws the cloth through the second pair of rollers, there
being between the two pairs of rollers a quantity of cloth.
In this arrangement all the cloth is drawn off the shell, and then the drawing
rollers stopped, after which the cloth is pulled out of the box and pieced up

page_text: to the waiting full shell, and at the same time the other rollers keep the cloth
at the proper tension as it passes to the printing machine. For raising the
shells covered with white cloth to their bearings in the printing machine, I
employ an overhead shaft working in bearings in overhead brackets, and fix
on the shaft drums having fixed to them ropes or chains, carrying hooks, into
which the shafts or centres of the shells, are hooked, and for giving motion to
the drum shaft I employ a worm and worm wheel or other gearing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Tomlinson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1867.
TO ALL. TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
TOMLINSON, of New Mills. in the County of Derby, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her, heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Tomlinson, Her special license that I, the said William Tomlinson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Tomlinson, 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 OR APPARATUS
USED IN CONNECTION WITH CALICO PRINTING MACHINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Tomlinson, 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
the said William Tomlinson, do hereby
declare the nature of iny said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
This Invention relates principally to the machine technically called the
grey machine used in connection with calico printing machines and consists

page_text: 33
in certain improved arrangements for changing the position of the " greys
that is the shells or beams which one after the other are continuously being
uncovered and covered with grey cloth.
The manner in which my Invention is to be performed will be clearly
understood by the following particular description thereof, reference being
had to the figures and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in
which Fig. 1 is a back elevation, and Figs. 2 and 3, side elevations of my
improved grey machine. I employ three shells a, b, c, mounted on two
triangular frames d, fixed to a shaft e working in bearings in the framework/
fixed to the floor of the building, which framework carries a friction or driving
drum g and also a guide roller h. At the commencement of operations two
shells a, b, covered with grey cloth and one empty shell c are mounted on
the triangular frames, and the cloth i, Fig. 2 on the full shell a is connected
to the printing machine, which when at work gradually unwinds the cloth
from the shell. The empty shell c is in contact with the friction or driving
drum which is covered with flannel and driven by a strap or gearing from
any driving shaft, and when in motion winds the cloth after it has passed
through the printing machine on the empty shell c, and the second full shell b
is waiting until the first shell a is emptied and the shell c covered. The
brasses or bearings of the shaft of the friction or driving drum g work
in slots m in the framework, and the drum is kept against the cloth winding
on the shell at a gradually decreasing pressure by means of two double levers
having top arms n which are in contact with the brasses and bottom arms o,
carrying bowls or rollers p, rods g and weights r. The double levers work
on fulcrums fixed to the framework and are attached by rods s to other
levers connected by rods u to the rods q carrying the weights r, and as the cloth
winds on the shell c the brasses k work in the slots m and move the double
levers and also the levers t so as to cause the bowls p to ride on the bottom
arms o and shift the weights nearer the fulcrums in order to gradually lessen
the leverage and reduce the pressure on the shell c. For regulating the
tension of the cloth which is passing through the printing machine, I fix a
pulley v, Fig. 3, on one end of the square shaft or centre of each shell, and
place in contact with the pulley a break consisting of a curved block of
wood w, fixed to one arm of a double lever jointed to one of the triangular
frames, the other army being held by a catch z when the machine is working;
and for enabling the breaks to act, with certainty I make the bearings for
the shafts of an oval shape, so that when the breaks are pressed against the
pulleys they shall slightly raise the shafts from their bearings. When the
shell is full of cloth the greatest weight is exerted on the break and as the

page_text: cloth decreases in diameter the friction decreases in proportion, and this
description of break I apply to the printing machines for regulating the
delivery of the white cloth on which the patterns are printed, and it may also
be used for other similar purposes. In order to turn the triangular frames
so as to place the second full shell in position for giving off cloth to the
printing machine and place the shell last covered in its waiting position, and
also the shell just uncovered in contact with the friction or driving drum g I
fix on the shaft e a toothed wheel a gearing into the pinion b fixed to a
short shaft working in a bearing in the framework and also carrying a catch
wheel c¹ which is held by the catch d' when the frames are turned to their.
proper position. When the printing machine is drawing the cloth from the
shell a the said cloth passes over a roller e' through a slit f in the side of a
box g', then under a rod h, and between two rods ' fixed to levers l' the
cloth passing over the rollers m and n' to the printing machine. When the
cloth is nearly unwound from the shell it has hitherto been the custom to
pull it entirely off by hand and connect it to the waiting covered shell and
then pull it to regulate the tension. To remedy the many inconveniences of
this method and obtain time for tacking the cloths together without stopping
the printing machine I place on the shaft of the roller e fast and loose
pulleys o¹, and employ an additional roller p', the shaft or pivots of which are
placed in slots q' in the frames r¹, and this roller can be raised above the
cloth or lowered upon it by means of links s' and levers worked by a chain
or rope u'. When the strap is on the loose pulley and the roller p' raised
the roller e can run loose and act as a simple guide roller, but when the
strap is on the fast pulley and the roller p' lowered on the cloth, the roller e¹
acts as a drawing roller. and when used as such it is made to travel faster
than the cloth in the printing machine. When the cloth is nearly unwound
from the shell a the roller p' is lowered and the strap put on the fast
pulley, and then the roller el quickly draws the cloth off the shell and allows
a quantity of the cloth to fall into the box g, after which the levers l' and
rods are placed as shewn by the dotted lines, the drawing roller e' stopped.
the roller praised, and the cloth pieced up to the waiting full shell, the
rods keeping the cloth at its proper tension whilst the cloth is being taken
out of the box to pass onwards to the printing machine. For raising the shells
covered with white cloth to their hearings in the printing machine I employ
an overhead shaft working in bearings in overhead brackets, and fix on the
shaft two drums having fastened to them ropes or chains carrying hooks in
which the shafts or centres of the shell are placed; and for giving motion to the
overhead shaft and drums I employ a worm and worm wheel or other gearing.

page_text: Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I claim, the improvements in grey machines as herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and the
application of the breaks herein described and illustrated to calico printing
machines and other similar purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Tomlinson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Signed, sealed and delivered, by
the within-named William Tom-
linson, in the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
WILLIAM TOMLINSON. (L.S.)