IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLAITING AND MEASURING WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Knowles, of Tottington Mill, near Bury, in
the County of Lancaster, Calico Printer, and Robert Hayward, of the
same Place, Machine Engraver, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
n
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Knowles and
Robert Hayward at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 24th June-1863.
We, SAMUEL KNOWLES, of Tottington Mill, near Bury, in the County of
Lancaster, Calico Printer, and ROBERT HAYWARD, of the same Place, Machine
Engraver, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLAITING AND MEASURING WOVEN FABRICS," to be as
follow's
The nature of our Invention consists of an improved combination: of
machinery for plaiting and measuring woven fabrics, which are brought over
rails or rollers from the drying machine or elsewhere by means of moveable
plaiters, and laid in regular folds upon a fixed table; as the folds increase the
traversing carriage with the plaiters and parts connected therewith gradually
rise until a sufficient quantity of fabric has been operated upon. The plaiters
are-then raised to a convenient distance by a lever to allow the fabric to be
removed. The machine is made of sufficient width to operate on two or more
lengths of fabric at the same time. At each side of the fixed-table are

page_text: standards for guiding the moveable rails on which the plaiters are moved to
and fro by a rack and pinion, actuated by a quadrant and a crank pin fitting
in a slot in the driving wheel; these parts are counterbalanced by a weight,
and they are raised by the fabric as it accumulates. When the carriage
arrives near the end of its traverse one of the plaiters is raised by an incline
and acts on a catch which liberates the grip to allow the fold of fabric to be
introduced under the grip by the other plaiter; but as soon as the carriage
begins to move in the other direction the grip secures the fold of fabric and
a similar action takes place when the carriage arrives at the other end of its
traverse. When a sufficient quantity of fabric has been plaited and measured,
the plaiters and parts connected therewith are raised by a weighted lever and
quadrants gearing into racks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Knowles and Robert Hayward in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 22nd December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,. SAMUEL
KNOWLES, of Tottington Mill, near Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Calico
Printer, and ROBERT HAYWARD, of the same Place, Machine Engraver, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Samuel Knowles and Robert Hayward, Her special license that
we, the said Samuel Knowles and Robert Hayward, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Samuel Knowles and
Robert Hayward, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PLAITING AND MEASURING WOVEN FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Samuel Knowles and Robert Hayward, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in-writing under, our or their,
or one of our or their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was

page_text: 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 we, the said Samuel Knowles and Robert Hay-
ward, do hereby declare the nature of our 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) :-
The nature of the said Invention consists in an improved combination of
machinery for plaiting and measuring woven fabrics. The machines now in.
use for effecting these operations are limited in their application, and they are.
liable to injure delicate surfaces. These defects are obviated by our Invention.
The pieces of fabric to be folded or plaited are brought over rails or rollers,
from the drying machine or elsewhere by means of moveable plaiters, and
they are placed thereby in regular folds upon a fixed table; as the folds increase,
the plaiters and parts combined therewith gradually rise until a sufficient.
number of pieces are folded; the plaiters and grip plates are then raised to a
convenient distance from the fabric by a lever, so as to allow the plaited pieces
to be removed. The machine is not limited to width, and may be adapted to,
work with the drying machine, taking two or more pieces at the same time.
The operation of plaiting and measuring is performed as follows, reference
being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters.
marked thereon.
.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 an end elevation, and Figure 3 a plan
of our improved machinery.
a represents one side of the iron frame, on the top of which is a smooth
level plate a; b is an upright standard, with a pulley at its base, which
traverses on the plate a¹; c is a moveable bracket sliding in the standard b,
carrying the plaiters and traversing pulley c', which rise as the fabric, shewn
by dotted lines, accumulates on the table; d are the plaiters between which
the fabric is passed; e is the carrying plate attached by the brackets f to the
racks g, which rise or fall as required. The racks 9 are placed inside the
standards h; i, i are grooved pulleys, upon the shafts of which are fixed the
pinions to work the racks 9 up or down, the rollers keeping the racks
steady; m, m, are pulleys mounted on studs fixed in the frame n, over which
the chains o pass, and to which is attached the balance weight p; q is an
upright rack, acted upon by a toothed quadrant r and levers; the rack is
attached to the carrying plate e, being kept steady by the stud pulley t; u is a
balance weight hung to the lever u³, fixed upon the quadrant shaft v, to assist
the balance weight p; w, w, are the standards for the relieving motion and

page_text: grip plate; these standards are attached to the plate e.
standards w is a small inclined bar a, upon which the
On the top of the
pulley y ascends or
descends for raising or lowering the plaiters in the slotted bracket c. As the
plaiters & pass up the bars & the pulley c² comes in contact with the bracket a³,
d
and thus depresses the heel of the relieving motion a³; and raises the grip plate
a³ to allow the approaching plaiter d to carry the fabric under the said grip
plate. When the plaiter recedes the spring 6 brings down the grip plate a³
upon the fold of fabric, keeping it firm, whilst the fabric & returns to the other
side of the machine, where a similar operation is repeated; is the table upon
which the fabric is plaited; this table is fixed on the cross pieces c³. The
requisite to-and-fro motion is given to the upright 6 and to the plaiters d in-
the following manner:-³ is a crank wheel, deriving its motion from a driving
shaft, and to the wheel e is attached a connecting rod f, for moving the
quadrant 92, which works in a pinion h³, fixed to the same shaft as the wheels ;
these wheels work in the racks, which are attached to the rods, which are
attached to the upright standards 6, thus giving the to-and-fro motion to the
plaiters d; the rods and racks work between the rollers m.
2, 2, are the
drying cylinders, from which the fabric is taken between the rollers, then
over the guide rail and guide rods to the slot between the plaiters d.
Figure 4 represents part of our improved machinery particularly applicable
for folding or plaiting and measuring printed fabrics. The plaiters are similar
to those described previously, but the to-and-fro motion is imparted to them by
the crank A, fixed to the vertical shaft B, to which motion is imparted by steam
or other power. The crank A is connected to a cross bar uniting the rods l
by the link C. The rods are guided between rollers, as in Figure 1. In
order to produce what is called the printer's fold at the end of the fabric to be
plaited, we have applied to this machine a roller D, furnished with springs or
needle points to hold the end of the fabric; this roller is turned round a limited
number of times, so as to wind a given length of the fabric upon it, by the
band E passing around the pulley F, which revolves on a stud in the weighted
lever G; to the boss of the pulley F is fixed one end of a spring H, the other
end of which is fixed to the fulcrum of the lever G, which is held up when
required by the spring catch I. The mode of operation is as follows:-The
end of the fabric having been secured by the springs or needle points to the
roller D, the attendant, by means of a handle, turns the pulley F round until
the spring H is wound up; by this means a certain length of fabric, or suffi-
cient to make the printer's fold, is wound on the roller D; the lever G is then
raised on to the spring catch I, to slacken the band E, and the attendant then
tinwinds the fabric off the roller D, and after passing the end through the slot

page_text: between the two plaiters d, see Figure 1, and under one of the grip plates,
he starts the machine, which then continues the operation as before described.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the means by which
it is to be performed, we declare that we claim,-
First, the arrangement of apparatus for plaiting and measuring fabrics,
which apparatus rises as the fabric accumulates on a fixed table, and is lowered
again on recommencing operations.
Secondly, the grip plate, with its inclined bar, spring, and relieving motion,
which opens to receive the fold of fabric, and afterwards falls upon the fold to
secure it.
Thirdly, the arrangement of machinery for forming the printer's fold, as
shewn in Figure 4.
And, lastly, the general arrangements and combinations of machinery for
plaiting and measuring fabrics, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel Knowles and Robert Hayward,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
SAMUEL KNOWLES (ra)