IMPROVEMENTS IN STILLAGES EMPLOYED IN PACKING AND BALING PRESSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bradbury, of Prestwich, in the County
of Lancaster, Clerk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STILLAGES
EMPLOYED IN PACKING AND BALING PRESSES."
Sealed the 5th November 1867, and dated the 6th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bradbury at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th May 1867.
I, WILLIAM BRADBURY, of Prestwich, in the County of Lancaster, Clerk, lo
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STILLAGES EMPLOYED IN PACKING AND BALING PRESSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to that class of stillages having certain portions of the
surface capable of being withdrawn a short distance from the general surface
to form grooves for the passage of the hoops when being fixed around the
bale, and consists in an improved method of effecting such withdrawal. The
face of the stillage which is in contact with the bale is formed of a number
of sections which are capable of being readily withdrawn from the press and
changed to suit the different distances between the hoops; this is effected by
suspending each section of the stillage from an upper plate by moveable hooks

page_text: at the ends of the sections. Those sections the surfaces of which are to be
withdrawn from contact with the bale are formed as follows, namely:-Each
one of the said sections consists primarily of an upper and a lower compound
folding wedge formed by rivetting together or otherwise connecting two or
more rows of inclines of a triangular shape or approaching thereto, each row
consisting of two or more of such inclines, and the several rows being united
together to break joint with one another, or two or more rows may coincide
one with another and be made to break joint with another row or other rows,
as desired. The two sets of combined inclines are arranged to slide one upon
another, the action being similar to that of ordinary folding wedges, the
peculiar formation above described allowing stillages of this class to be made
of less depth than heretofore. Projections on one portion working in grooves
formed in the other are employed to retain the two portions together, and at
the same time to admit of one portion sliding on the other, and plates of
metal may be applied on each side of the sets of inclines, and also on the backs
of the inclines to cover the joints, as may be desired. The intermediate
or filling in sections I sometimes make in two parts, one side of each being
inclined in the manner of folding keys or wedges, so that the breadth of each
section may be readily varied as required. I also sometimes connect together
the sections on each side of the section first described in such a manner as to
allow the middle section to work easily between the two, and may be made to
sustain the same. In the sides of the bottom stillage or bed plate I make
grooves for finger guides to work in in such a manner that they may be fixed
in any position to constitute guides for the laying down of the hoops, or the
guides may be arranged to work on a rod or bar if preferred.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Bradbury in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BRADBURY, of Prestwich, in the County of Lancaster, Clerk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Bradbury, Her special license that I, the said William
Bradbury, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,

page_text: the said William Bradbury, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should,
at any time. agree with, and no others, from time to tinie 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. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN. STILLAGES' EMPLOYED IN PACKING, AND: BALING PRESSES;"
upon the.
condition (amongst others) that I, the said, William Bradbury, by an instrument
in writing under. my hand and seal, 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 I, the said William Bradbury, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to that class of stillages having certain portions of
the surface capable of being withdrawn a short distance from the general
surface to form grooves for the passage of the hoops when being fixed around
the bale, and consists principally in an improved method of effecting such
withdrawal. The face of the stillage which is in contact with the bale is
formed of a number of sections which are capable of being readily withdrawn
from the press and changed to suit the different distances between the hoops;
this is effected by suspending each section of the stillage from an upper plate
by movable books at the ends of the sections. Those sections the surfaces
of which are to be withdrawn from contact with the bale are formed as follows,
namely, each one of the said sections consists primarily of an upper and a
lower compound folding. wedge. formed by rivetting together or otherwise
connecting two or more rows of inclines of a triangular shape or approaching
thereto, each row consisting of two or more of such inclines, and the several
rows being united together to break joint with one another; or two or more
rows may coincide one with another and be made to break joint with another
-row or other rows as desired. The two sets of combined inclines are arranged
to slide one upon another, the action being similar to that of ordinary folding
wedges, the peculiar formation above described allowing stillages of this
class to be made of less depth than heretofore. Projections on one portion
working in grooves formed in the other are employed to retain the two
portions together and at the same time to admit of one portion sliding on
the other; and plates of metal may be applied on each side of the sets. of.

page_text: inclines and also on the backs of the inclines to cover the joints as may be
desired. The intermediate or filling in sections I sometimes make in two
parts, one side of each being inclined in the manner of folding keys or wedges,
so that the breadth of each section may be readily varied as required; I also
sometimes connect together the sections on each side of the section first
described in such a manner as to allow the middle section to work easily
between the two adjoining sections and to be sustained in position thereby.
In the sides of the bottom stillage or bed plate I make grooves for finger
guides to work in in such a manner as that they may be fixed in any position
to constitute guides for the laying down of the hoops, or the guides may be
árranged to work on a rod or bar if preferred.
In order that the said Invention may be fully understood I have annexed
to this Specification two Sheets of Drawings with letters of reference marked
thereupon, the same letters indicating corresponding parts in the various
Figures.
Referring now to Sheet 1 of the said Drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view,
and Fig. 2 a front view of the upper portion of a hydraulic packing press with
the improved upper stillage shewn in position, Fig. 8 being a side view, partly
in section, of one of the portions or sections of the stillage which are usually
employed to fill up the spaces between the sections next immediately to be
referred to, the three views being drawn to a scale of about 2 inches to a foot.
Figs. 4 and 5 are side views, partly in section, of one of the sections of the
stillage, the lower surfaces of which are capable of being withdrawn from
contact with the bale to allow of the passage of the hoops or bands around the
bale; Fig. 6 being plan of the same, partly in section, and with the sliding
portion removed; Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line A, B, in Fig. 4, and
Fig. 8 is a cross section on the same line in Fig. 5; Fig 9 is a view of the
end of the section situated to the left hand in Fig. 5.
a
In Sheet 2, Fig. 10 is a curtailed plan of the sliding portion left out in
Fig. 6, Fig. 11 being a side view of the same, and Fig. 12 a side view also
curtailed of the rising and falling portion, these two last being drawn
approximately as if the spectator were looking in a diagonal direction upon
the portions represented for the purpose of shewing more clearly the method
of construction. All the various Figures, from Fig. 4 to Fig. 12, both
inclusive, are drawn about Lalf size.
Fig. 13 is a side view, and Fig. 14 a front view of both the upper and the
Jower stillages drawn to a scale of about 2 inches to a foot, and shewing so far
as regards the upper stillage a method of dispensing with the use of the sections
shewn in Figs. 4. to 12, which method is of use. in cases where great pressure

page_text: of the bale is not required, and with reference to the lower stillage shewing
the guides for use in placing the hoops or bands.
Fig. 15 is a view about full size of the hook or catch employed to suspend
the intermediate sections when in position; and Fig. 16 is a plan shewing a
method of forming the intermediate sections with inclined sides to act:
together as folding wedges..
In Figs: 11 and 12, Sheet 2, the compound folding wedges are shewn;
composed or built up of three rows of pieces of metal of a triangular shape or:
approaching thereto, which are arranged in the example illustrated in such a
manner as that the two outer rows shall coincide one with another, the centre
row "breaking joint" with the outside rows. The separate pieces a, a, are
únited together by means of rivets, screws, or bolts passing through the
several rows and through the side plates b, 61, the said plates b, b, being,
continued beyond the inclines and united together at each end, and furnish
means for suspending the upper, incline bar in its frame and for actuating
the samé, as will be herein-after described. The lower incliné bar is
suspendeil from the upper bar by tongues or keys C attached to two or more
inclines in the centre row of the upper bar, the said tongues being fitted to
slide in grooves formed on the inner sides of the inclines on the lower bar:
between which the inclines fitted with tongues work when one bar is caused:
to slide upon the other; or the positions of the tongues and grooves may be
reversed or otherwise arranged, the said grooves being représented by dotted:
lines d in Fig. 12, but more clearly in Sheet 1 to which I will now refer.
In Figs. 4 to 9 the two bars are shewn fitted together as in operation, the
two-sections which in my Provisional Specification are described as sustaining.
the incline bars being shewn as two plates of metal e, e, the said plates being
connected together at each end by the metal blocks f, f, to which they are
united by the screws and rivets g, g.. The surface of the lower bar which
comes into contact with the bale is faced with a plate of metal h to give an
even surface to the said bar. The block f is suitably shaped to hook on to
the plate, which is suspended from the upper part of the press, and which
forms a bed for the adjustable stillage, the opposite end of the plates e, es
being fitted with a corresponding hook k which turns upon a pin. k¹ so as to
allow the said hook to be drawn back to permit the opposite end of the section
to be hooked upon the plate i, which being effected the hook k is turned into
the vertical position shewn in the Drawings, in which position it is retained
by the latch entering a notch in one of the plates e, as shewn in Fig. 9 or
by any other suitable means. The upper incline bar is suspended in the box
formed by the plates e, e,.by the ends m, m', of the said bar resting in slots in

page_text: the blocks f, f, the said blocks allowing the upper bar to slide in a horizontal
direction to a certain extent, and at the same time prevent the lower bar
from moving except in a vertical direction, so that as the lower bar is sus-
pended from the upper bar by the tongues c, c, which slide in the grooves d, d,
formed in the plates of the lower bar parallel to the inclined face of the said
plates the action of drawing out the bar m¹ will lower the bottom bar into
the position shewn in Figure 4, in which position as when in use it will be
sustained against the upward pressure of the bale, by reason of the inclined
surfaces of the plates of which it is composed bearing against the corresponding
inclines in the upper bar; and, on the contrary, when the bar m¹ is pushed or
driven in the lower bar will be raised into the position shewn in Figs. 5
and 8, thus forming an opening across the face of the stillage for the passage
of the hoop. The method of using the above-described sections in combination
is shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, where n, n, are the sections just described, and
o, o, are intermediate sections which are suspended from the plate i by means
of hinged hooks p, p, as shown in Figure 3. The two outside sections o¹, o¹,
are fitted with cam-shaped handles r, r, or other equivalent, by means of
which the said sections are firmly fixed in any position. The intermediate
sections o are preferably made of wood faced on the sides, and the lower
surface with metal plates, but any other suitable construction may be adopted.
In Figs. 13 and 14, Sheet 2, s, s, are guides across or in which the
hoops are placed, and which retain them in suitable positions during the
formation of the bale; the guides are arranged to slide upon the rods t, t,
which are attached to each side of the bottom stillage u, or they may be
attached to the press table A. The guides s, s, are fixed in any desired
position by the collars v, v, which can be slid upon the rod t, and when
adjusted fixed by a set screw or other equivalent, the guides being at liberty
to swivel on the rod so as to be turned out of the way when required, in the
manner represented by the guides at the extreme ends of the rod in Fig. 14.
In the upper "stillage" shewn in Figs. 13 and 14 the portions of the
stillage shewn on Sheet 1, described as the intermediate "sections," are alone
employed, spaces for the passage of the hoops being maintained by the
interposition of fingers w, w, between any two adjoining sections, the said
fingers sliding on the rod attached to the bed of the upper stillage or
otherwise suitably arranged. In the Drawings the fingers w are shewn as
arranged to be fastened in position by set screws, but they may be at all times
free to slide upon the rod if preferred, in which case the two outside sections
are fastened in position by the means shewn in Sheet 1, or by other equivalent
means. Each section of the stillage is fitted at each end with hinged hooks,

page_text: as shewn in Fig. 15, by which means it can be readily placed in position or
removed therefrom. In order to admit of a finer adjustment of the distances
between the hoops the "intermediate sections" can be made in the form of
folding, wedges, as shewn in Fig. 16, the outside sections y, y, being sus-
pended by hooks as above described, and sustaining the centre section Z by
means of pins or tongues on the sections y, which enter grooves, recesses, or
rebates in the sides of the section Z, or the said pins or tongues may be ön
the section Z and the grooves on the sections y. If preferred the section Z
may have one side only inclined, the other being straight. It will be readily
understood that the sections which I may describe as the collapsing sections
are usually placed at distances apart corresponding as near as may be to the
desired distances apart of the hoops on the bales which have to be packed,
the spaces between the said sections being filled up by the "intermediate
sections, which for greater convenience are usually made of two or more
different widths; or "collapsing sections" may be used to fill up portions of
the said spaces, or the upper stillage may be composed entirely of "collapsing
sections," or they may be used entirely with the exception of at the extreme
ends of the said stillage. The use of the "collapsing sections" will be
understood from the description of the same herein-before contained.
"
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I will now define what I believe to be the extent
of my Invention, and therefore wish it to be understood that I claim,―
First, the method of constructing the "sections" of stillages which are
arranged to "collapse" to form a passage for the hoops of two or more rows
of plates of a triangular form, or of a form approaching thereto, the said
plates being connected together, fitted up, and furnished substantially in the
manner herein-above described and shewn in the Drawings attached hereto,
or in any suitable manner, being a mere modification thereof.
Secondly, the employment of hinged or jointed hooks with or without the
use of springs to suspend in position the various sections constituting an
adjustable stillage.
Thirdly, constructing the intermediate sections substantially in the manner
represented in Fig. 16 on Sheet 2 of the Drawings attached, or in any of
the modifications thereof herein-above described. .
Fourthly, the employment of adjustable guides for the laying down of the
hoops, the said guides being fitted to slide on rods, or bars, or in grooves, and
otherwise arranged substantially in the manner herein-above described and
represented in the Drawings attached.
And, lastly, the general arrangement, method of construction, and manner of

page_text: carrying my Invention into effect, herein described and represented in the
Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bradbury, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WILLIAM BRADBURY. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the said
William Bradbury, in the
presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
Manchester.