mproved Automatic Tentering Clip for Stretching Cloth or other Fabrics.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1899-Accepted, 10th June, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
mproved Automatic Tentering Clip for Stretching Cloth or other
Fabrics.
THOMAS ROBINSON, Bleacher, Dyer and Finisher, Hope Mill, Bolton Road,
Ramsbottom, near Manchester, England, and FRANK FARNWORTH, Engineer,
4, Bolton Road, Ramsbottom, near Manchester, England, do hereby declare
he nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to an improved automatic tentering clip, for stretching
cloth, or other fabrics, & consists essentially of a bottom jaw plate A, Fig. 1, secured
to chain link bracket B, & a loose top jaw C, fulcrumed on a pin D, fixed in end
of swinging arm E, this arm to be provided with a tilting finger F, & to be
fulcrumed on a pin G, fixed in any convenient position in bracket B.
Figs. 1, 2, 3, & 4 are respectively side elevation plan, front elevation, & sectional
side elevation of clip.
Figs. 5 & 6 are side elevations of modifications thereof.
The bottom jaw plate A, Fig. 1, on which the cloth or other fabric to be stretched
is placed to be made of brass, or other suitable material, turned up slightly at the
back edge, as shewn, & to be either cast on bracket B, or secured thereto by suit-
able means, the bracket B, to be of cast iron or other suitable material, & to have
chain link preparation cast on, this link preparation to have pin holes drilled in,
so that any number of the clips can be coupled together, as at Fig. 2 so as to form
a chain, the chain link preparation to be machined on it flat sides, so as to slide
in framework K, as shewn at Figs. 1 & 4.
The top jaw C, also to be made of brass, or other suitable material, the bottom
end of same being brought to a sharp edge, so as to grip the cloth keenly, as
shewn at Fig. 1, this top jaw to have a tongue piece c¹, cast on bottom, & a pro-
jecting piece c, cast on top, this projecting piece cl, to engage with a projecting
piece f, cast on tilting finger F. This finger F also to be made of cast-iron or,
other suitable material, & to be fulerumed on pin H, fixed in swinging arm E,
the arm E to be fulcrumed on pin G fixed in bracket B, in any suitable position,
preferably in position shewn in Figs. 1 & 4.
The swinging arm E, to be provided with a spring I passing round pin G, &
pressing against projection el cast on arm E, & forcing same against the projec-
tion 6, cast on bracket B, thus tending to keep the arm E, in position shewn in
Fig. 1.
The tilting finger F, to be also provided with a spring J, passing round pin H,
5 & pressing against back of said finger, tending to keep same in position shewn in
Fig. 1.
When it is desired to place the cloth, or other fabric into the clip, the top
jaw C, is lifted by means of a bevelled edged camb plate L, this plate being secured
to framing K, in any convenient position, this lifting operation being performed by

page_text: reason of the chain of clips being drawn, by suitable mechanism, through the
frame K, (which remains stationary), when the front side of finger F is brought
in contact with bevelled edge of camb plate L, & is by this means tilted backwards
on the pin H.
Whilst the finger F is being tilted, the projection f¹, cast on same, comes in
contact with projection e, on the top jaw C, & the top jaw, is by this means lifted
off, the bottom. jaw plate A, to position shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 4. When
the top jaw C, has been lifted the requisite height the projection of tilting
finger F, comes in contact, with the projection el, cast on arm E, & the swing-
ing arm E, along with top jaw C, is then forced backwards, swinging on the
pin G, by reason of the tension of camb plate L, on tilting finger F, to position
shewn in Fig. 4 thus leaving the bottom jaw plate A, Fig. 4, exposed, & ready, to
receive the cloth X, which is placed on same as shewn at X Fig. 4.
After the cloth has been placed on plate A, Fig. 4 the tilting finger F, with
swinging arm E, & top jaw C, is, owing to the receeding edge of camb plate L,
& by reason of the tension exercised on arm E, by spring I, allowed to regain the
position shewn in Fig. 1, & on the finger F being released by camb plate L, the
top jaw C, falls downwards, towards bottom plate, A, the tongue piece c', alighting
on the cloth, & thus preventing the sharp edge of jaw C from coming in contact
with the cloth, as shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 1. As the clip chain travels along
framework K, still supporting the cloth X, the edge of cloth by reason of the
angularity of frame K, receeds towards the edge of bottom jaw plate A, & thus
passes from beneath the tongue piece c', which, on being released, drops down
between a slot cut in plate A to receive same & the sharp edge of top jaw C, drops
onto the cloth X, laid on bottom plate A, the jaw C, gripping the cloth near the
edge as at Fig. 1.
By reason of the tension applied to the cloth, when same is gripped in clip, &
is being stretched, the top jaw C (owing to the positions of pins G & H respectively),
is drawn down, close against the cloth X on plate A, the tightness of the grip
increasing with the increasing tension on cloth.
When it is desired to release the cloth from the clip the top jaw C, is lifted off
the plate A, & the arm E, through the medium of the tilting finger F & camb L,
is pushed back, exactly in the same manner as heretofore described, when it is
desired to place cloth into the clip.
Or, for preference, the top jaw C, may be without the tongue piece c¹, as shewn
in Fig. 5, the clip by this method being made much shorter & lighter than when
tongue piece is cast on.
Or, again, for preference, instead of the tilting finger F, being fulcrumed on
a pin fixed in arm E, as shewn in Fig. 1, same may be cast on swinging arm E as
shewn in Fig. 6, the top projection, on top jaw C being also arranged as shewn in
Fig. 6, the jaw C being in this case tilted, to position shewn by dotted lines, by
means of double edged camb plate M, & the swinging arm E is then pushed back
on the pin G to position shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 6, the arm E, being brought
back to position by means of spring I, and on the top jaw C, being released by
camb M, it drops onto the plate A, Fig. 6, the top jaw C in this case being pro-
vided with a spring N.
Having now particularly described, & ascertained the nature of our said
invention, & in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. An improved automatic tentering.clip for stretching cloth, or other fabrics,
& consisting of bottom jaw plate, attached to bracket, having chain
link attached thereto, & a loose top jaw, fulcrumed on a
in end of a swinging arm, this
pin fixed
arm being in turn fulcrumed on pin
preferably fixed in bracket attached to bottom jaw, & arranged in such a manner
that same can, by suitable mechanism, be made to swing back on its pin, &
thus, by carrying the top jaw of clip with it, leave the bottom jaw plate exposed

page_text: in such a manner that the cloth or other fabric can be placed thereon, & securea
between the top & bottom jaw of clip, whilst the clip is in motion, all substantially
as heretofore described & illustrated by drawings annexed.
THOMAS ROBINSON.
FRANK FARNWORTH.