Improvements in Apparatus for Planking Felt Hats.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left. 29th Oct. 1896-Accepted. 12th Dec.. 1896
SIONAL SPECIF
TION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Planking Felt Hats.
I, HENRY SUTTON, of The Orchards, Buxton Road, Stockport, in the County
of Chester, Hat Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention is designed to provide a machine for planking felt hat bodies
during the process of felting with a rolling and pressing motion only without
friction on the material and which will have a continuous feed receiving the rolled
hat body at one end and automatically delivering it at the other.
It consists essentially of an oscillating cradle or appliance with a curved base
working in conjunction with a flexible travelling bed between which the hat bodies
are placed.
In carrying out the invention I mount upon a suitable frame an oscillating
cradle or other appliance with a curved base pivoted in any convenient position
and caused to move to and fro by a crank eccentric or other device. The base
may be made of wood or other material covered with canvas or of canvas or other
material stretched tightly on bars or rollers and caused to oscillate to and fro.
Below the oscillating cradle is tightly stretched a flexible endless travelling bed
passing over rollers at each end so placed that the top surface of the table follows
the curve or contour of the curved surface of the cradle and lies closely against it.
The flexible bed may be made of canvas rubber either in sheet or strips or of laths
of wood or other material connected together.
The flexible bed moves only in one direction moving forward simultaneously
with the oscillating cradle but remaining stationary when the oscillating cradle
moves in the reverse direction thereby giving a rolling motion to the roll of hat
bodies.
Below the travelling table is a tank or trough to hold hot water or liquid and
above the cradle which is perforated or made with interstices is a pipe from which
a continuous jet or spray of hot water or liquid may be caused to flow upon the
hats during the operation. If desired the flexible travelling bed may run through
the hot water in the trough when returning under the machine or the upper surface
during the process of planking may be immersed in water.
The hat bodies are rolled into rolls and placed between the oscillating cradle
and the endless flexible travelling bed at one end of the machine and the action
of the cradle upon the bed rolls them over and over a number of times and carries
them through upon the travelling bed automatically delivering them at the other
end of the machine.
Dated this 28th day of January 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Planking Felt Hats.
I, HENRY SUTTON, of The Orchards, Buxton Road, Stockport, in the County
of Chester, Hat Manufacturer, do hereby declare the 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 is designed to provide a machine for planking felt hat bodies
during the process of felting with a rolling and pressing motion only without
friction on the material and which will have a continuous feed receiving the rolled
hat body at one end and automatically delivering it at the other.
It consists essentially of an oscillating or reciprocating cradle or appliance
moving to and fro above a flexible travelling bed which moves in one direction
with the reciprocating cradle the hat bodies being placed between these two parts
of the apparatus at one end of the machine and delivered therefrom at the
other end.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
as examples several forms of the invention are illustrated.
Fig. 1. Longitudinal section.
Fig. 2. End elevation partly in section.
Fig. 3. Elevation of the roller F with the apron E and driving mechanism
partly in section.
Fig. 4. Longitudinal sectional elevation of a modified form of the machine.
Fig. 5. Side clevation showing other modifications.
Fig. 6. Longitudinal section of same.
Fig. 7. End elevation.
Fig. 8. Detailed section of spring buffer and slide.
I construct a frame work A of metal or wood and of any suitable or convenient
design which carries at each side a rail or slide a upon which I mount a recipro-
cating cradle B. The cradle B is reciprocated or caused to traverse to and fro by
the eccentric C¹ connecting rod C and the rails a are fixed upon the top of rod d
supported on spring buffers d in the tubes D.
The reciprocating cradle B is formed of wooden planks in which a number of
boles or perforations are formed to allow water to percolate through:
Below the reciprocating cradle B is placed an endless travelling bed or table E
capable of moving in one direction with the reciprocating cradle B but prevented
moving in the reverse direction. The endless travelling bed E is formed of a
number of laths of wood e attached to strips of canvas rubber or other suitable
material aud stretched over rollers F F at each end of the machine. Along its
length the flexible travelling bed E is supported by rollers G journalled in the
frame of the machine.
The endless flexible travelling bed E is moved forward simultaneously with the
reciprocating cradle B by means of a pawl h actuated by the eccentric H engaging
with the ratchet wheel on the front roller F and is prevented moving in the
oprosite direction by the pawl h engaging with the ratchet wheel f' on the back
roller F the flexible bed E thus remains stationary when the reciprocating cradle
moves back thereby giving a rolling motion to the hat bodies placed between the
cradle 13 and the bed E. The travelling bed E may be driven solely by the
friction upon the rollers F F or in addition as shown in Fig. 3. friction discs
may also be employed to grip the edges of laths e held in position against them by
springs e. Or it may be worked by an endless chaiu band or other appliance
connected to each separate lath if required.

page_text: Below the travelling bed or table E is placed a tank or trough L to hold hot
water or liquid into which the hats may be dipped to wet them as required and
from which water may be elevated and sprayed over the travelling bed E to keep
the hats wet when under operation.
Referring to Fig. 4 instead of the reciprocating cradle B moving to and fro on
slides it may be pivoted or hung upon a spindle placed above it upon which it may
swing or oscillate to and fro over the endless travelling bed E.
Referring to Figs. 5 to 7 the main parts of the machine are similar to those
described and marked with the same letters of reference. The endless flexible
travelling bed E is moved forward simultaneously with the reciprocating cradle B
by means of a rack H pivoted to the side of the cradle engaging with a ratchet
wheelf on the front roller F and is prevented moving back in the opposite direction
by the pawl engaging with the same wheel f. Below the travelling bed E there
may if desired be placed a second travelling table M made of canvas or other
suitable material to receive the hat bodies at the delivery end of the machine and
return them to the feeding end to avoid the necessity of having an attendant to
receive them as they are delivered. Below the travelling table is placed a tank or
trough L to hold hot water or liquid and above the cradle which is perforated or
made with perforations or interstices is a pipe from which a continuous jet or
spray of hot water or liquid may be caused to flow upon the hats during the
operation. If desired the flexible travelling bed may run through the hot water in
the trough when returning under the machine or the upper surface during the
process of planking may be immersed in water.
The hat bodies are rolled into rolls and placed between the reciprocating cradle B
and the endless flexible travelling bed E at one end of the machine (over roller F)
and the action of the cradle upon the bed rolls them over and over a number of
times and carries them through upon the travelling bed automatically delivering
them at the other end of the machine (over roller Fi).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.-
1. A machine for planking hat bodies comprising a reciprocating cradle moving
to and fro over an endless flexible travelling bed and an endless travelling bed
moving simultaneously in one direction with the cradle and remaining stationary
when the cradle moves in the reverse direction the hat bodies being rolled and
pressed between the two substantially as described.
2. In a machine for planking hat bodies the combination with the reciprocating
cradle B of the rails or slides a upon which the cradle moves to and fro the rods d
and spring buffer d' upon which rails or slides a are supported substantially as
described.
3. Apparatus for planking felt hats constructed and arranged substantially as
described and shown with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, Fig. 4 or Figs. 5, 6 and 7 of
the drawings.