Improvements in Machines for Plaiting Fabrics.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 11th May, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Plaiting Fabrics.
HANDEL BEECH, late of 17 Bismarck Street Oldham in the County of Lancaster
Engineer, now of 2 Brompton Street, Oldham, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates, to what is known, as a plaiting machine, for textile fabrics,
but more particularly to that class, which are attached to sewing machines, and
consists in a suitable frame, being made to carry a lever of any suitable section, up
an inclined plane, to which is attached a flexible piece of steel, in combination with
a rotating, or oscilating shaft, at the end of the said shaft is an excentric, or cam
which lifts the lever in its backward movement, and drops it before commencing its
forward movement thus preventing the before mentioned flexible piece of steel,
from pulling the fabric back, which is frequently the case in other known
appliances.
The second part of my invention consists in employing a series of wheels, whereby,
I can get a variable number of stitches to each plait, and also plaits of different
widths. The said wheels being driven from the shaft end of the sewing machines.
Dated this First day of September 1892.
HANDEL BEECH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Plaiting Fabrics.
HANDEL BEECH late of 17 Bismarck Street Oldham in the County of Lancaster,
now of 2 Brompton Street, Oldham, Engineer 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:―
My present invention relates to what is known as a "plaiting machine for textile
fabrics," but more particularly to that class which are attached to sewing
machines, preferably the Willcox and Gibbs' principle, but is applicable to any
other.
It consists of a suitable frame being made to carry a lever of any suitable
section, up an inclined plane, to which is attached a flexible piece of steel in
combination with a rotating, or oscillating shaft. At the end of this shaft, there is
an eccentric, disk, or cam, which lifts the lever in its backward movement, and
drops it before commencing its forward movement, thus preventing the before
mentioned "blade or flexible piece of steel from pulling the fabric back, or
unfolding it, which is frequently the case in other known appliances.
The second part of my invention consists in employing a series of wheels whereby
a variable number of stitches can be got to each plait, and also plaits of different
widths. These wheels are driven from the rear or back end of the horizontal shaft.
In the accompanying sheets of drawings:-
Fig. 1. is a front elevation shewing arrangement of lever, eccentric &c. which
feed or fold the fabric.
Fig. 2. is a back elevation shewing arrangement of wheels, which can be made
to give a variable number of stitches to each plait, and also plaits of different
widths.
Fig. 3. is a side elevation shewing the wheels mentioned in connection with
Fig. 2, and also the frame which carrys all the mechanism for this invention.
a-is the frame (self contained) which carries all mechanism for this invention.
6-is a lever to which is attached a blade or flexible piece of steel.

page_text: c-is a blade or flexible piece of steel attached to lever b.
d is a shaft which is made to rotate or oscillate.
e is a disk fastened on to the end of shaft.
fis an inclined groove or slot in the lever b.
g-is a moveable carrier bracket for carrying or holding the compound wheels or
connecting wheels.
h-is a lever lock nut which fastens the stud to moveable bracket .
-is a lever lock nut which fixes the bracket
j-is a stud on which bracket g is hinged.
-is the driving wheel.
دلا
in position.
1-m are wheels which form a compound carrier.
is the driven wheel, on rear or back end of shaft d.
p-is a small lever to which is attached a reacting spring to press and draw
forward the aforesaid lever when when making the plaits.
is the horizontal shaft of sewing machine."
s is a small bracket or regulator screwed, or otherwise fastened to the side of
the lever so as to be adjustable. The aforesaid regulator by its adjustment
letermines the amount of material which shall be folded or plaited.
t-is a reacting spring.
20 is a stud and bowl fastened on to the disk e.
...
-is a stud screwed, or otherwise fastened to the frame-a-forming a fulcrum.
y-is a screw which fastens the regulating brackets.
are the guides in combination, for guiding the fabric to the plaiter.
When the shaft d is made to rotate or oscillate, the bowl we (which is fastened to
disk e) moves against, or pushes, the regulating bracket, which is fastened to
lever. The lever (on the end of which is a blade or flexible piece of steel) is
thus forced or pushed backwards. The fulcrum stud being stationary and fitting
in the inclined slot or groove f, the lever is thus guided upwards, the blade or
flexible piece of steel c being clear of the fabric. (An inclined slot may be put in
the frame a, and stud fastened to lever b, instead of as just described.) The
inclined slot in lever is preferable for hat linings or other similar goods, but for
ordinary plaiting, a plain straight slot or groove is suitable.
Attached to lever there is a reacting spring t so that when bowl w escapes
or has pushed the lever to its extremity-this spring pulls in the lever, and the
before mentioned blade c.
Just before the bowl w has pushed the lever to its extremity it allows the lever b
to drop down so that the flexible blade e lies or presses on to the fabric, and then
the bowl w escapes allowing the lever to feed or fold the fabric.
The lever p and spring i can be thrown back, as shewn in dotted lines, thus
releasing the lever from tension, or throwing it out of action, thus enabling it to
be drawn back at the will of the operator. The work or fabric can then be
withdrawn from the machine more casily.
The arrangement of wheels to get a variable number of stitches to cach plait, or
plaits of different widths is shewn in Figs. 2 and 3.
k-is the driving wheel which is fastened on to the horizontal shaft r.
-m-form a compound carrier which may be geared as shewn viz. :—l geared
with k, and m with nor may be reversed thus-m geared with k, and with n.
Other changes can be made as desired by varying the number of teeth in the
wheels.
The number of teeth in wheel n, in combination with the other wheels as
described, determines the number of stitches which can be made to each plait.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:―
"1. The arrangement of a suitable frame made to carry the whole of the aforesaid
mechanism

page_text: 2. The arrangement of a series of wheels in combination with a rotating or
oscillating shaft, -cam or disk,-stud and bowl for moving the feed or folding lever
backward and forward, all as described.
3. The arrangement of a lever (with flexible blade) moving along an inclined
slot or groove in combination with a regulator or adjustable bracket all as described.
4. The arrangement of a lever with a reacting spring attached, to pull in the
feed or folding lever, when released from bowl, all as described and shewn in
drawing.
5. The arrangement of driving from the rear or back end of machine, in
combination with a series of wheels, which shall determine the number of stitches
to every plait, as described and shown in drawing.
1000
HANDEL BEECH.