IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED FOR FINISHING WOOLLEN AND OTHER CLOTHS
Year: 1859

page_text: In the Matter of a Patent granted to JAMES HOLROYD, of Leeds,
in the County of York, Cloth Finisher, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED FOR FINISHING WOOLLEN AND
OTHER CLOTHS," bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, Oue
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to Be-
entered by the said James Holroyd, as such Patentee as aforesaid,..
according to the Statutes in that case made and provided.
WHEREAS since filing my Specification to the said Letters Patent, I have
ascertained that that part of the Invention which relates to the raising and
lowering of the bed and the cloth thereon to and from the cutters was not new
at the date of the said Letters Patent; I, for this reason, wish to disclaim,.
and do hereby disclaim, all parts of my said Specification which relate to the
raising and lowering of the bed and the cloth thereon to and from the
cutters.
And in order that it may be fully understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts of which the machine described is composed, I
introduce the following words, viz., I make no claim to any of the mechanical
parts separately, but in the claiming clause near the end of the said Specifi-

page_text: cation; and as the second and third parts of the claiming clause are ambiguous,
I wish to alter the said Specification by striking out the words following, viz.,
"Also the application to finishing machines called 'perpetual cutting machines,'
"of self-acting apparatus for giving the requisite intermittent motion, in order
"to produce the desired pattern on the napped surface of cloths made of wool
or wool mixed with other suitable substances, as herein described; also, the
use of such appliances as will give the desired intermittent motion at suitable
intervals, as herein described."
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And in order that the effect of the Disclaimer and Memorandum of
Alteration may be better understood, I annex a copy of the Specification
as it will appear when such Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alteration have
been made as aforesaid.
"This Invention consists in applying certain improvements to the well-known
"machines used for shearing or cropping the nap produced on the surfaces
"of woollen and other cloths, such as those wherein wool is mixed with other
"suitable substances, the nap being previously raised in the usual way.
"In those machines a fixed cutting blade and a revolving spiral knife or
"cutter are made to act in contact with and parallel to each other, the cloth
66
"
passing over a straight edge or bed fixed immediately underneath, and the
object of my Invention is so arranging the spiral revolving cutter and
straight blade that they shall be caused to rise and fall by self-acting means
"as the cloth passes beneath them over a stationary bed. This rising and
falling of the cutters may be effected by means of cranks, cams, or excentrics,
or by any other equivalent self-acting apparatus."
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"
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"In order to illustrate my Invention, I have hereunto annexed a Drawing, in
which Figure 1 represents the end view of a 'perpetual cutting machine,'
" with this-part of my Invention shown as applied thereto.
"A, A, is the revolving cylinder on which the spiral cutters B, B, are fixed;
"D is the stationary or fixed blade; C is the bed. It will be evident that as
"the cloth passes over the bed C, it will be exposed to the action of the cutters
"at the point E; G is the stock or frame in which the cylinder revolves,
"and to which the blade is fixed; its fulcrum is a pivot H, and it rests on a
screw I, by which it is prevented from coming in too close contact with the
bed, and is regulated at pleasure.
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66
"Now my improvement consists in connecting the stock or the cylinder and
"fixed blade by the levers F, F', with an indented 'cam or tappet' at K,
"which is actuated by the spur gearing L, and by which the stock G is
alternately lifted from the rest or screw I, as shown in Figure 2, and let
"down on to it again, as shown in Figure 1. It will be seen in Figure 2,

page_text: "which represents the opposite end of the machine, that when the 'stock' is
"thus lifted up, the revolving cutters and 'fixed blade' no longer remain in
contact with the bed C; the cloth will therefore pass over it uncropped, and
"as the stock is alternately lifted and let down, the cloth will be alternately
cut,' and be left 'uncut,' thus producing a pattern from list to list, as in
"the case of the vertical motion of the bed. Figures 3, 4, and 5 are views
"of a variety of forms of cams, which may be employed for producing different
designs or stripes across the cloth.
Having now described the nature and object of my said 'Improvements
"in Machinery used for Finishing Woollen and other Cloths,' together
"with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I make no claim
to any of the mechanical parts separately; but I claim as my Invention the
"combination of parts forming my improved machinery for finishing woollen
"and other cloths, applied as herein-before described."
In witness whereof, I, the said James Holroyd, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand sicht hundred and aint
ROUNDELL PALMER, S.G.
Lincoln's Inn, 31st December 1861.

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Holroyd, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Cloth Finisher, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED
FOR FINISHING WOOLLEN AND OTHER CLOTHS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Holroyd at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
April 1859.
I, JAMES HOLROYD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Cloth Finisher, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
USED FOR FINISHING WOOLLEN AND OTHER CLOTHS," to be as follows:-
The Invention applies to the well-known machine called the "perpetual
cutting machine," wherein the nap or pile previously produced on the surface
of the cloth by the action of the raising machinery is shorn by means of. a
fixed cutting blade and a revolving spiral knife or cutter, placed in contact
with and parallel to each other; and the object of the Invention is to produce
a certain novel and peculiar effect on the surface of the cloth when finished..
The first improvement consists in so constructing and arranging the bed.
(over which the cloth passes) that when the machine is set in motion it shall
move up and down in a vertical direction by self-acting means, at such speed
and at such intervals as may be desired. And as the cloth passes over this
bed, and between it and the cutters, it follows that when the bed is raised up
the cloth is more fully exposed to the action of the cutters, and is therefore

page_text: cut shorter; and that when the bed is lowered, the cloth not being so exposed,
is left longer in the nap. This variation in the length of the nap produces a
novel and peculiar effect, the nap being alternately long and short in lines
running transversely across the piece from list to list.
The second improvement is a modification of the above, and consists in so
arranging the spiral revolving cutter and straight blade that they shall be
caused to rise and fall by self-acting means as the cloth passes beneath them
over a stationary bed; by which modification it will be evident that the same
result will be produced. This rising and falling of the bed or the cutters may
be effected by means of cranks, cams, or excentrics, or by any other equivalent
self-acting apparatus.
I may bere reinark, that I am aware that the bed and the cutters in such
machines have sometimes been so arranged as to allow of their being
occasionally raised and lowered with a lever by hand, for the purpose of
allowing the "heading" of a piece of cloth to pass through uncut; but the
novelty of this Invention consists in employing self-acting means, and the
object is quite different, namely, to produce a novel effect, according to design,
upon the surface of the cloth when finished.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Holroyd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HOLROYD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Cloth Finisher, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of.
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Holroyd, Her special licence that I, the said James
Holroyd, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Holroyd, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED FOR FINISHING WOOLLEN AND OTHER CLOTHS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Holroyd, my exe-

page_text: cutors or administrators,
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 per-
formed, 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 James Holroyd, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:-
This Invention consists in applying certain improvements to the well-known
machines used for shearing or cropping the nap produced on the surfaces of
woollen and other cloths, such as those wherein wool is mixed with other
suitable substances, the nap being previously raised in the usual way. In
those machines a fixed cutting blade and a revolving spiral knife or cutter
are made to act in contact with and parallel to each other, the cloth passing
over a straight edge or bed fixed immediately underneath; and the object of
my Invention is to produce a certain novel and peculiar effect on the napped
surface of the cloth when finished, by adding to and combining with the said
machines the self-acting apparatus which produces the desired result in the
manner herein-after particularly described.
The first improvement consists in so constructing and arranging the "bed"
(over which the cloth passes), that when the machine is set in motion it shall
move up and down in a vertical direction by self-acting means, at such speed
and at such intervals as may be desired. And as the cloth passes over this
bed, and between it and the cutters, it follows, that when the bed is raised up,
the cloth is more fully exposed to the action of the cutters, and is therefore
cut shorter; and that when the bed is lowered, the cloth not being so exposed,
is left longer in the nap. This variation in the length of the nap produces the
required novel and peculiar effect, the nap being alternately long and short in
lines or stripes running transversely across the piece from list to list.
The second improvement is a modification of the above, and consists in so
arranging the spiral revolving cutter and straight blade that they shall be
caused to rise and fall, by self-acting means, as the cloth passes beneath them
over a stationary bed; by which modification it will be evident that the same
result will be produced. This rising and falling of the bed or the cutters may
be effected by means of cranks, cams, or excentrics, or by any other equivalent
self-acting apparatus.

page_text: I may here remark, that I am aware that the bed and the cutters in such
machines have sometimes been so arranged as to allow of their being
occasionally raised and lowered with a lever by hand, for the purpose of
allowing the "heading" or end of a piece of cloth to pass through uncut; but
the novelty of this Invention consists in employing self-acting means for
be
giving the required motions, at such speed and at such intervals as may
desired, and the object is quite different from that of ordinary machines,
namely, to produce a novel effect, according to design, upon the napped surfaces
of cloths made of wool or wool mixed with other suitable substances when
finished.
It has been usual heretofore, in most cases, to fix the bed over which the
cloth is passed to the ends of the machine, thus rendering it a fixture; or
in some cases it has been connected to slides fitted to the ends of the machine,
these slides being connected to a hand lever, by which the bed could be
moved up and down in a vertical direction. This latter contrivance being
designed, as before stated, for allowing the "ends" or heading of a piece of
cloth (without stopping the machine) to pass through the machine, without
coming in contact with the cutters by suddenly letting down the bed as the
ends were about to pass over.
Now my improvement, so far as concerns the bed, consists in bringing the
slides (to which it has heretofore in some cases been fixed) into contact with
certain "cams or "tappets," so fixed as to revolve when the machine is set
in motion, giving an intermittent vertical motion, at the required speed and
the required intervals, to the slides, and consequently to the bed which they
support. Now as the cloth passes tightly over the bed, and is only in that
way brought in contact with the cutters, it necessarily follows that if the bed
has an intermittent vertical motion imparted to it by which it alternately sinks
and rises, sinking from the cutters or rising to them, it will also alternately
bring the cloth into contact with the cutters and out of contact, by which the
nap will alternately be cut and remain uncut, thus presenting a pattern or
stripe from list to list, the width and position of the stripes being regulated by
the aforesaid intermittent vertical motion; the same result may also be
produced by applying the self-acting apparatus for giving the required inter-
mittent motions in connection with the "revolving cutters and fixed blade."
In order to illustrate this part of my Invention, I have hereunto annexed a
Drawing, in which is shewn the improvement in question; in this case the
bed is either fixed and stationary, or moveable only by a hand lever for the
purpose before described.
Figure 1 represents the end view of a "perpetual cutting machine," with

page_text: this part of my Invention shewn as applied thereto. A, A, is the revolving
cylinder, on which the spiral cutters B, B, are fixed; D is the stationary or
fixed blade; C is the bed. It will be evident that as the cloth passes over the
bed C, it will be exposed to the action of the cutters at the point E. G is the
stock or frame, in which the cylinder revolves and to which the blade is fixed;
its fulcrum is a pivot H, and it rests on a screw I, by which it is prevented
from coming in too close contact with the bed, and is regulated at pleasure.
Now my improvement consists in connecting the stock or the cylinder and
fixed blade by the levers F, F¹, with an indented "cam or tappet" at K,
which is actuated by the spur gearing L, and by which the stock G is alter-
nately lifted from the rest or screw I, as shewn in Figure 2, and let down on to
it again, as shewn in Figure 1. It will be seen in Figure 2, which represents
the opposite end of the machine, that when the "stock" is thus lifted up, the
revolving cutters and "fixed blade" no longer remain in contact with the
bed C, the cloth will therefore pass over it uncropped, and as the stock is
alternately lifted and let down, the cloth will be alternately "cut," and be left
"uncut," thus producing a pattern from list to list, as in the case of the
vertical motion of the bed. Figures 3, 4, and 5 are views of a variety of
forms of cams which may be employed for producing different designs or
stripes across the cloth.
Having now described the nature and object of my said "Improvements in
Machinery used for Finishing Woollen and other Cloths," together with the
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim as my Invention the
combination of parts forming my improved machinery for finishing woollen
and other cloths, applied as herein-before described. Also, the application to
finishing machines called." perpetual cutting machines" of self-acting apparatus
for giving the requisite intermittent motion in order to produce the desired
pattern on the napped surface of cloths made of wool or wool mixed with
other suitable substances, as herein described. Also, the use of such appliances
as will give the desired intermittent motion at suitable intervals, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Holroyd, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
JAMES HOLROYD. (L.S.)