IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MATTING OR FABRIC FROM STRAW AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBRES, AND RODS OR BARS OF WOOD AND METAL
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Peters Moody, of Corton Denham, in the
County of Somerset, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MATTING OR FABRIC FROM STRAW AND
OTHER VEGETABLE FIBRES, AND RODS OR BARS OF WOOD AND METAL."
Sealed the 22nd November 1859, and dated the 23rd May 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Peters Moody
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd May 1859.
I, CHARLES PETERS MOODY, of Corton Denham, in the County of Somerset,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MATTING OR FABRIC PROM STRAW
AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBRES, AND RODS OR BARS OF WOOD AND METAL," to be.
as follows:-
My improvements consist, first, in a machine for dividing the fibres or rods
into small bundles, which are afterwards to be tied together by the machine
hereafter described in order to form the fabric.
The dividing machine consists of a bed plate supporting at each end a series
of upright bars pointed or bevelled at top, and separated by a space of, say,
one inch, and increasing gradually in height from the ends of the bed plate
towards the centre; within a-frame rising from the bed plate is a vertical
beam, free to move to and fro on the bed within certain limits. This beam.
carries on each side several horizontal bars, also pointed or bevelled at their

page_text: ends, which decrease in length gradually from the bottom towards the top;
there is about the same space between these bars as between those first
mentioned. The material to be divided is placed in the upright bars, and the
beam is advanced so as to drive the horizontal bars between the fibres or rods,
whereby they are separated into convenient sized bundles. While the beam is
advanced towards one set of vertical bars, the fibres or rods are fed into the
other set, and so on.
The machine for tying the bundles of fibres or rods consists of a frame
carrying as many bobbins as there are intended to be rows of ties along the
fabric, one, two, three, or more, according to the width of the fabric; on these
bobbins stout wires or cords are carried, and to these bobbins retarding
weights are attached to prevent the wires running off too freely; after leaving
the bobbins the wires or cords first pass round a pulley and then through
a hollow spindle to the work, that is, the bundles of fibres or rods. These
hollow spindles are made to rotate by toothed gear, and carry reels at right
angles to those first named, furnished with thin wire or cord. A species of
flyer is connected to and revolves with these reels and spindles, and delivers
the thin wire or cord round the first-named large wire or cord. At every
revolution or half revolution a fresh bundle of fibres or rods is so advanced by
the attendant as to cause the whole to be tied together to form a continuous
fabric. As soon as each bundle is tied, the same motion which drives the
revolving reels, spindles, and flyers, moves fingers which push on every suc-
ceeding bundle. The finished fabric passes over friction rollers on to a
gathering spindle, which is made to take up the work.
I have described two wires or cords for each tie as being the most simple,
but each tie may be composed of more than two wires or cords, according to
the materials of which the fabric is formed and its thickness; and wires or
cords of similar size may be wound both on the bobbins and reels. And
although I have mentioned bundles of fibres and rods, I sometimes use a
single fibre or rod according to circumstances.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Peters Moody in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
PETERS MOODY, of Corton Denham, in the County of Somerset, Gentleman,
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of May, 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 Charles Peters Moody, Her special licence that I,.
the said Charles Peters Moody, my executors, administrators, and assigns,.
or such others as I, the said Charles Peters Moody, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
MATTING OR FABRIC FROM STRAW AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBRES, AND RODS OR
BARS OF WOOD AND METAL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Charles Peters Moody, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Peters Moody, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
In my Provisional Specification I stated that my improvements consisted,
first, in a machine for dividing the fibres or rods into small bundles, which
were afterwards to be tied together by the machine therein-after described in
order to form the fabric, and I then proceeded to describe this machine; but I
have since discovered that the fibres or rods may be divided into bundles by
hand as advantageously as by a machine, and I therefore omit from this my
Final Specification all description of and claim to this machine.
The machine for tying the bundles of fibres or rods into a fabric consists of
a frame carrying as many bobbins as there are intended to be rows of ties
along the fabric, one, two, three, or more, according to the width of the
fabric; on these bobbins stout wires or cords are carried, and to these bobbins
retarding weights are attached to prevent the wires running off too freely;
after leaving the bobbins the wires or cords pass round a pulley, and then
through a hollow spindle to the work, that is, the bundles of fibres or rods.

page_text: These hollow spindles are made to rotate by toothed gear, and carry reels at
right angles to those first named, furnished with thin wire or cord; a species
of flyer which receives the small wire or cord from the reels is connected to
and revolves with these spindles, and delivers the thin wire or cord round the
first-named large wire or cord. At every revolution a fresh bundle of fibres or
rods is so advanced by the attendant and inserted within the flyers as to cause
the whole to be tied together to form a continuous fabric. As each bundle is
being tied, the same motion which drives the revolving spindles and flyers,
moves fingers which push on every succeeding bundle. The finished fabric
passes over friction rollers on to a gathering spindle, which is made to take up
the work.
I have described two wires or cords for each tie as being the most simple,
but each tie may be composed of more than two wires or cords, according to
the materials of which the fabric is formed and its thickness; and wires or
cords of similar size may be wound both on the bobbins and reels. And
although I have mentioned bundles of fibres and rods, I sometimes use a
single fibre or rod according to circumstances.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a plan of my machine for tying
the bundles of fibres or rods, and consists of a frame A, A, carrying as many
bobbins a, a, a, as there are rows of longitudinal wires. In the Drawings I
have shown three of these longitudinal wires b, b, but a larger or less number
may be employed. These wires are led through a tube c to the front of the
machine, as shown. The bobbins a, a, a, carry each a cord having a weight
depending therefrom, which prevents them giving out the wire too freely. Or
in place of the weights, springs acted upon by thumbscrews may be employed.
From the bobbins a, a, a, the wire passes once round a small pulley d, d, d,
before entering the tube, to relieve the bobbins from a portion of the required
tension of the wire rather than to increase the retarding weights; this is to
insure the wire taking the centre of the tube, and prevents abrasion. The
tubes c have a rotary motion communicated to them by bevil gear e, supported
by a spindle across the machine, and worked by a winch handle g. The
tubes c each carry another bobbin or reel h, which revolves on it independently
by the tension of the wire from the reel through the flyers; these reels h
having also retarding weights attached to them, have a finer wire, which passes
through hollow flyers i of the shape shown, and furnished with small rollers or
not. Near the front of the machine small plates jare placed, having apertures
through which inclined spring catches k project; these catches are depressed
by the bundle of fibre being forced along on the longitudinal wires b, b, by
fingers 1, 1, 1, which spring catches rise again and hold the bundle firmly

page_text: during one revolution or more of the flyers i, as the nature of the work
requires. The fingers 1, 1, 1, are supported by a spindle m placed across the
machine; this spindle is actuated by a connecting rod n, and crank motion
from the spindle of the bevil gear e.
As the work is completed it is passed
over a friction roller o, and under the machine to a movable spindle p,
supported by brackets projecting from the rear legs of the machine; this
spindle is caused to rotate by a pawl and ratchet wheel worked at pleasure by
a connecting rod on the side of the machine, or by the winch handle g. A
sectional view of the machine through the dotted line x, x, is shown in
Figure 2.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the construction
and method of working of machinery for the manufacture of matting or fabric
from straw and other vegetable fibres, and from rods or bars of wood and
metal, essentially as herein-before described and illustrated in the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Peters Moody, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of November, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
A. ENSELL.
CHARLES PETERS MOODY. (L.S.)