IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SMOOTHING AND PRESSING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Schofield, Crabber, in the Employ of
William Eddleston and Company, of Sowerby Bridge, in the County
of York, Dyers and Stovers, and William Mellor, of Sowerby
Bridge aforesaid, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MA-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Schofield and
William Mellor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 13th February 1873.
We, JOHN SCHOFIELD, Crabber, in the Employ of William Eddleston
and Company, of Sowerby Bridge, in the County of York, Dyers and
Stovers, and WILLIAM MELLOR, of Sowerby Bridge aforesaid, Mechanic,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SMOOTHING AND PRESSING TEXTILE FABRICS,” to
be as follows :—
This Invention consists in the construction of a machine to be
employed for the purposes of smoothing and pressing or finishing fabrics

page_text: in lieu of the steam press heretofore used for the purpose of pressing and
finishing fabrics, and consists of suitable framework carrying a number
of guide rollers and steam cylinders for smoothing and pressing the
fabric.
66
"
The
The fabric to be smoothed and pressed is passed over a number of
guide rollers supported by brackets attached to the framework of the
machine, thence under a steam cylinder and over a steam smoothing
cylinder, to which, by means of gearing, rotation is imparted in the
direction opposite to that of the travel of the fabric. By the rubbing
action of this cylinder the fabric is rendered smooth and even.
fabric is now directed by means of a guide roller over a larger steam
cylinder and wound upon a 'piece roller," the axis of which is on the
vertical line of the large steam cylinder just referred to. Resting on
the "piece roller" is another large steam cylinder connected by means
of links with weighted levers, which exert considerable (hot) pressure
on pressure cylinders and the piece or fabric as and when wound on the
piece roller." Rotation is imparted to the pressure steam cylinders by
means of spur gear. Provision by means of slot holes in the side
frames of the machine is made so as to allow the top pressure cylinder
to rise as the " piece roller" fills or becomes larger by the fabric wound
thereon, whilst the continuation of a supply of steam to this roller is
maintained by means of its steam pipe rising through a stuffing box and
glands formed in the upper end of a vertical steam pipe which supplies
steam to the lower pressure cylinder and to the first-mentioned steam
cylinder and smoothing cylinder. The rotation of the top pressure
steam cylinder is imparted and maintained by means of spur gear wheels
on the bottom and top pressure rollers coupled by an intermediate wheel.
This latter wheel is kept in gear during the varying attitudes of the top
pressure cylinder by means of arms connected with the shafts of the
pressure cylinders, and with the shaft of the intermediate wheel chains
or cords are passed over pulleys and connected to the bearings of the
top pressure roller for the purpose of raising the said roller clear of the
piece roller" when the latter is required to be removed from the
machine with the smoothed and pressed piece thereon. The raising
the top cylinder may be accomplished by gearing or by winch and
kr
handle

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Schofield and William Mellor in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 13th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
SCHOFIELD, Crabber, in the Employ of William Eddleston and Company,
of Sowerby Bridge, in the County of York, Dyers and Stovers, and
WILLIAM MELLOR, of Sowerby Bridge aforesaid, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Schofield and William
Mellor, Her special licence that we, the said John Schofield and
William Mellor, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John Schofield and William Mellor, 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 MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR SMOOTHING AND PRESSING TEXTILE FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said John Schofield and William Mellor,
our executors and 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 Schofield and William
Mellor, 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 statement and accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in the construction of a machine to be
emploved for the purposes of smoothing and pressing or "finishing"

page_text: fabrics in lieu of the steam press heretofore used for the purpose of
pressing and finishing fabrics, and consists of suitable framework carry-
ing a number of guide rollers and steam cylinders for smoothing and
pressing the fabric.
66
The fabric to be smoothed and pressed is passed over a number of guide
rollers supported by brackets attached to the framework of the machine,
thence under a steam cylinder and over a steam smoothing cylinder, to
which, by means of gearing rotation is imparted in the direction
opposite to that of the travel of the fabric. By the rubbing action of
this cylinder the fabric is rendered smooth and even. The fabric is now
directed by means of a guide roller over a larger steam cylinder and
wound upon a "piece roller," the axis of which is on the vertical line of
the large steam cylinder just referred to. Resting on the "piece roller"
is another large steam cylinder connected by means of links with
weighted levers, which exert considerable (hot) pressure on pressure
cylinders and the piece or fabric as and when wound on the "piece
roller." Rotation is imparted to the pressure steam cylinders by means
of spur gear. Provision by means of slot holes in the side frames of the
machine is made so as to allow the top pressure cylinder to rise as the
piece roller" fills or becomes larger by the fabric wound thereon,
whilst the continuation of a supply of steam to this roller is maintained
by means of its steam pipe rising through a stuffing box and glands
formed in the upper end of a vertical steam pipe, which supplies steam
to the lower pressure cylinder and to the first mentioned steam cylinder
and smoothing cylinder. The rotation of the top pressure steam cylinder
is imparted and maintained by means of spur gear wheels on the bottom
and top pressure rollers, coupled by an intermediate wheel. This latter
wheel is kept in gear during the various altitudes of the top pressure
cylinder by means of arms connected with the shafts of the pressure
cylinders and with the shaft of the intermediate wheel. Chains or cords
are passed over pulleys and connected to the bearings of the top pressure
roller for the purpose of raising the said roller clear of the "piece roller"
when the latter is required to be removed from the machine with the
smoothed and pressed piece thereon. The raising the top cylinder may
be accomplished by gearing or by winch and handle.
In order that this Invention, together with the construction and
working the machinery employed, may be clearly understood we have
illustrated the same by Drawings (annexed) and have marked the same

page_text: with figures and letters of reference, the same letter indicating the same
part in the various views or figures.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is
an end view (left band) of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical section of cylinders
and rollers on line A, B, of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail of gearing.
دو
At C, C, are shewn a number of guide rollers supported and carried
by the brackets C₁, these being attached to the framing C³ of the
machine. The fabric D under operation after passing over these guide
rollers, as shewn by the dotted line, passes thence under the steam
cylinder E and over the steam smoothing cylinder E'; this smoothing
cylinder has rotation imparted thereto by means of the gear wheels
e, f, g, in the contrary direction (as shewn by arrows) to the travel of
the piece, and so a rubbing and smoothing action is exerted on the fabric
by this heated roller. F is a guide roller, which directs the fabric over
the steam cylinder F, whereon it is secured by and wound upon the
"piece roller" G. Resting on the "piece roller" G is another steam
cylinder F², connected by means of the links F with the weighted levers
F', and so considerable pressure, by means of the heated cylinders F¹, F³,
is applied to the fabric as and when wound on the " "piece roller G.
The steam cylinders F, F, have rotation imparted thereto by means of
the spur gear wheels L, L', L³. H are slot holes in the side frames, so
as to allow the steam cylinder F to rise as the piece or fabric is wound
on the "piece roller" G, steam being supplied to the cylinder F² by
means of its steam pipe J, which rises through the stuffing box and
glands J¹ formed in the upper end of the vertical steam pipe K, K¹ being
the steam connection with the cylinder F¹. The steam pipe K, as well
as the steam cylinder E and the smoothing cylinder E', are supplied from
the steam pipe K³. The rotation of the steam cylinder F³ is imparted
and maintained by means of the gear wheels L, L, and I, the wheel
L' being an intermediate wheel, and as shewn is kept in gear during the
varying altitudes or raising and lowering the steam cylinder F by means
of the arms M, M', connected with the shafts or necks of the cylinders
F¹ and F, and with the pin of the intermediate wheel L' (see Fig. 5
detail). Chains or cords N are passed over the pulleys N¹ and connected
to the links F³ for the purpose of raising the cylinder F by means of
the winch P and wheels R, R¹, when the "piece roller" G is to be
removed from the machine. S are ordinary driving pulleys mounted on
the first motion shaft T. W, W, are taps for shutting off the supply of

page_text: steam to the cylinders F1 and F' when desirable, for the purpose of
cooling the same by means of cold water, which is admitted by way of
the pipes Y, Y.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of this our
said Invention, together with the manner in which the same is to be t
performed, we would have it understood that we claim the construction
and use of the machinery or apparatus as and for the purpose herein
fully described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Schofield and William
Mellor, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this First day 1
of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-three.
(L.S.)
JOHN SCHOFIELD
WILLIAM MELLOR. (L.S.)
Witness,
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Tasker & Brierley,
Patent Agents,
Halifax, Bradford, & Blackburn.