IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TENTERING OR STRETCHING WOOLLEN AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Whiteley, of Lockwood, near Hudders-
field, in the County of York, Machine Maker, for the Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TENTERING OR STRETCHING
WOOLLEN AND OTHER FABRICS,"
Sealed the 8th August 1864, and dated the 13th February 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Whiteley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
February 1864.
I, WILLIAN WHITELEY, of Lockwood, near Huddersfield, in the County of
York, Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TENTERING OR
STRETCHING WOOLLEN AND OTHER FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to machinery or apparatus for which Letters Patent
were granted to me dated February 10th, 1854, No. 332, in the Specification
of which endless chains are shewn and described travelling in a serpentine or
zig-zag direction supported on pullies or rollers. Fabrics tentered and
stretched thereon are conducted over and press against the said rollers in
passing through the machine, both sides of the said fabrics coming in contact
therewith alternately, which has the effect of pressing or flattening the surfaces
thereof, which effect is objectionable to some kinds of fancy fabrics.
Now my present improvements consist in arranging and constructing the

page_text: apparatus in such manner that only one side of the fabrics will come in contact
with the rollers, consequently they will only press one of the sides or surfaces;
I arrange the chains to travel in a direction forming a quadrilateral
figure composed of a series of parallel lines and angles coiled within each
other after the manner of an involute. The chains are expanded by guide
frames in passing from the inner line to the outer line, thereby clearing
the intermediate lines of the chain. The apparatus is placed in a heated
chamber, as heretofore, and the fabrics fed on the outer line, which after
travelling along through the series of lines is delivered upon a table fixed in
the space within the inner quadrangle. To detach the fabric from the hooks
I employ a roller with conical ends which is placed so as to push the fabric
off the hooks in passing it, and the fabrics may be folded by any ordinary
cutting apparatus.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Whiteley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WHITELEY, of Lockwood, near Huddersfield, in the County of York, Machine
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Whiteley, Her special licence that I, the said William
Whiteley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Whiteley, 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TENTERING OR STRETCHING WOOLLEN AND
OTHER FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Whiteley,my executors or administrators, by aninstrumentin writing undermy,
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

page_text: 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 Whiteley, 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 (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to machinery orapparatus for which Letters Patent
were granted to me, dated February 10th, A.D. 1854, No. 332, in the Speci-
fication of which endless chains are shewn and described travelling in a
serpentine or zig-zag direction, supported on pullies or rollers. Fabrics
tentered and stretched thereon are conducted over and press against the said
rollers in passing through the machine, both sides of the said fabrics coming
in contact therewith alternately, which has the effect of pressing or flattening
the surfaces thereof, which effect is objectionable to some kinds of fancy fabrics.
Now my present improvements consist in arranging and constructing the
apparatus in such manner that only one side of the fabrics will come in
contact with the rollers, consequently they will only press one of the sides or
surfaces. I arrange the chains to travel in a direction forming a quadrilateral
figure, composed of a series of parallel lines and angles coiled within each
other, after the manner of an involute. The chains are expanded by guide
frames in passing from the inner line to the outer line, thereby clearing the
intermediate lines of the chain. The apparatus is placed in a heated chamber
as heretofore, and the fabrics fed on the outer line, which after travelling
along through the series of lines is delivered upon a table fixed in the space
within the inner quadrangle. To detach the fabric from the hooks I employ
conical rollers, which are placed so as to push the fabric off the hooks in
passing, and the fabrics may be folded by any ordinary cutling apparatus.
The manner in which this Invention is performed or carried into practice
will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, where Fig. lis a side elevation of a machine constructed according
to my improvements; Fig. 2, a longitudinal and vertical section in part,
shewing by dotted lines the course of the fabrics when passing through the
machine, and Fig. 3, ahorizontal section of the same; Figs. 4 and 5 are details,
full size, of the conical rollers or unhooking apparatus.
The parts marked A. represent the several lines of grooved rails for sup-
porting and guiding the endless chains B, which slide or travel therein,
passing over or partly around expansive rollers C at each angle. The rails,
chains, and rollers are similar to those described in my former Specification
herein-before referred to, The several lines and angular turns of the chain

page_text: form a series of parallelograms or quadrilateral figures, one within another,at
convenient distances apart,and are arranged so that when fabrios are hooked
on to them at D (in the usual manner) they will be conducted in the direc-
tion of the arrows along the four lines forming the outer quadrangle E, and
returned along the next lines forming the quadrange F, thence along the
next quadrangle G, and again along the inner quadrangle H, from which they
are pushed off by the conical rollers I; they are thence drawn betwixt the
rollers J, and cutled or folded by ordinary cutling apparatus K on the
table L. The last line of chain of the quadrangle H is thence caused to pass
forward outside the chains G, F, E, by means of the deflected rails M. to and
under the roller N, thence over the roller D, where it again travels along the
outer quadrangle E, and so on continuing the same course.
It will now be seen that by means of this improved arrangement of appa-
ratus the fabrics to be stretched and dried may always pass the rollers with
the back side towards them, which in the drying of plush or pile fabrics is the
object desired to be obtained, so as to prevent any pressing or flattening of the
pile surfaces.'
In witness whereof, I, the said William Whiteley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-four.
WILLIAM WHITELEY. (L.B.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named William Whiteley, in
the presence of
JAMES KENWORTHY.