IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FACILITATING THE APPLICATION OF LABELS TO BOBBINS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Brook, of Meltham Mills, near Hudders-
field, in the County of York, Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FACILITATING THE APPLICATION OF LABELS TO
BOBBINS AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 16th July 1872, and dated the 7th May 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Brook at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th May 1872.
I, EDWARD BROOK, of Meltham Mills, near Huddersfield, in the
County of York, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FACILITATING THE APPLICATION
OF LABELS TO BOBBINS AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of machinery for
applying labels to bobbins and other articles, the object being to facilitate
the operation. Bobbin labels are commonly printed in sheets, which
are prepared at the back with some adhesive substance, and when
stamped out they are moistened with the tongue and applied by the

page_text: fingers to the bobbin. This occupation has proved injurious to the
health of the operator, and it is now proposed to damp the labels by
mechanical means.
My improved machine may be thus described. Affixed to a table is
a bracket arm, which carries a water trough of any given length. In
this trough is mounted a damping roller, which receives continuous
rotary motion from any suitable driving gear. Above this roller is
mounted a brass pressing roller, the periphery of which is turned down
so as to leave only narrow rings of pressing surface throughout its
length. The trough is provided at one of its edges with a ledge or
flange projecting outwards for the purpose to be presently explained.
The trough is raised sufficiently above the table to allow of a tray of
reels or bobbins being passed under it, and by means of a treadle motion
the trays of bobbins are moved forward to bring lines of fresh bobbins
in succession close up to the ledge or flange of the trough. The treadle
through a pawle and ratchet wheel gives rotary motion to a pair of
propelling wheels, which, by taking into racks on the under side of the
trays will move them forward under the trough.
The attendant in labelling by the aid of this machine rests one foot
on the treadle and with a number of labels in her left hand she places
them singly face upwards in the bite of the rollers, taking care to spread
them over the length of the damping roller. This roller will in its
rotation, aided by the pressing roller, deliver the labels moistened at the
back, but comparatively dry at the face, on to the shelf of the trough,
and the attendant will with her right hand remove them from the shelf
and place them on the nearest row of bobbins. As fast as one row is
labelled she will by the pressure of her foot advance the next row,
feeding in meanwhile fresh labels to be damped. Thus the operation
of labelling will be performed with great expedition.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 30
filed by the said Edward Brook in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th November 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Edward
BROOK, of Meltham Mills, near Huddersfield, in the County of York,
Manufacturer, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Brook, Her special licence
that I, the said Edward Brook, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Brook, 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 "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR FACILITATING THE APPLICATION OF LABELS TO BOBBINS AND OTHER
ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward
Brook, my executors or administrators, by 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 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 Edward Brook, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of machinery for
applying labels to bobbins and other articles, the object being to facilitate
the operation. Bobbin labels are commonly printed in sheets, which
are prepared at the back with some adhesive substance, and when.
stamped out they are moistened with the tongue and applied by the
fingers to the bobbin. This occupation has proved injurious to the
health of the operator, and it is now proposed to damp the labels by
mechanical means.
In the accompanying Drawings my improved machine is shewn in
several views.
In Sheet I. Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the damping apparatus;

page_text: section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. The reservoir for supplying the
water used in the damping process being applied thereto.
Fig. 4, Sheet II., also shews the damping apparatus in transverse
vertical section, but in this instance the mechanism for traversing the
trays of bobbins under the damping apparatus is also shewn.
A is the table of the machine and B is a bracket arm made fast
thereto by scrow bolts. This bracket arm, which is made of cast iron,
I constitutes the framing of the damping apparatus. Affixed to the bracket
arm is a water trough C, which is intended to supply water to a damping
roller D. The length of this trough and its damping roller is determined
by the speed with which the attendant can apply the damp labels to the
bobbins. I have found a convenient length to be sixteen inches. The
damping roller D is made by preference of brass, and it turns in bearings
in the bracket arm B, one half of its periphery dipping into the
trough C. This trough (see the plan view Fig. 2) is formed with a
ledge C¹at its front side extending from end to end thereof for the
purpose to be presently explained. At its back the trough has a lateral
extension C' over which is suspended a water reservoir consisting in this
case of an inverted bottle E, which bottle is supported in a pillar stand
F, made fast to the table A. The axle of the roller D is prolonged
beyond the bracket arm B to receive a driving pulley G which is
keyed thereto. A continuous rotary motion is given to the damping
roller by means of a band from any prime mover passing round its
driving pulley. Above the roller D is mounted loosely a brass pressing
roller H, the periphery of which is turned down so as to leave only
narrow rings of pressing surface throughout its length. The trough is
raised sufficiently above the table to allow of the passage under it of a
tray I (see Fig. 4) containing the reels or bobbins intended to be
labelled. Those reels or bobbins are set up endwise and packed in rows
in the tray, and they are traversed under the damping apparatus hy
means of a treadle motion of any approved construction.
An arrangement for traversing the tray under the damping trough is
shewn in Fig. 4, which consists of an axle K mounted below the table
and having keyed thereto a ratchet wheel L and a pair of spur pinions M.
These spur pinions project through openings cut in the table and gear
into racks fitted to the under side of the trays. The axle K serves
as a fulcrum for a bell crank lever N, one limb of which carries a
pawle O for driving the ratchet wheel L, and the other is connected

page_text: by a rod P to the treadle Q. It will now be understood that by
working the treadle Q an intermittent forward traverse motion may be
given to the trays.
The attendant, in labelling by the aid of the above described machine,
will first supply the trough C with water to about the level indicated
at Figures 3 and 4, she will then rest one foot on the treadle Q, and
with a number of labels in her left hand will place them singly face
upwards in the bite of the rollers D, H, taking care to spread them
over the length of the damping roller. This roller will in its rotation,
aided by the pressing roller, deliver the labels moistened at the back,
but comparatively dry at the face, on to the ledge C' of the trough, and
the attendant will, with her right hand remove them from the ledge
and place them one by one on the bobbins of the nearest row.
So soon
as one row is labelled, she will by the pressure of her foot on the treadle
advance the next row, feeding in meanwhile fresh labels to be damped.
Thus the operation of labelling will be performed with great expedition.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved
Machinery for Facilitating the Application of Labels to Bobbins and other
Articles," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent, I claim, the combination of mechanism above described whereby
the process of damping and applying gummed labels to bobbins and
other articles may be carried on with great expedition.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Brook, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Fifth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.