CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS, RUGS, AND PILED FABRICS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
TAYLOR, of Lochwinnoch, in the County of Renfrew, Carpet and Rug Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Tenth day of October, in the ninth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Taylor, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said James Taylor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others
as I, the said James Taylor, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CARPETS, RUGS, AND PILED FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said James Taylor, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the
same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Taylor, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
My Improvements in the Manufacture of Carpets, Rugs, and other Piled
Fabrics refer to that class of fabrics which is produced by cementing the pile
to strong cloth (which forms the back of such fabric) by means of india
rubber or other suitable adhesive substance. The difficulty experienced in
arranging the lengths of wool or worsted yarn used in this manufacture to
form the pile, so that their ends shall form any desired pattern, has long pre-
vented the successful working of this method of producing piled fabrics; but
by my improvements I am enabled to lay down given lengths of differently
coloured yarn in such quantities as will admit of any required pattern being
copied with precision and rapidity.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings are several views of the apparatus
which I employ for the above-mentioned purpose. Fig. 1 represents in
elevation, and Fig. 2 in plan view, an arrangement of machinery somewhat
similar in construction to the bed and slide rest of a lathe for winding up the
variously coloured threads which are to form the pile of the fabric to be
manufactured. A, A, is a cast-iron bed, the edges of which are planed true.
B, B, are standards for supporting the bed A, which is provided at one end
with an adjustable headstock C, similar to that of a common turning lathe,
and at the other end with a fast headstock D. E is a spindle having its
bearings in the headstock D, and carrying on its outer end a wheel or pinion
F. In its inner end is provided with a square socket G. H is a beam or roller
which may be made either of metal or wool; but if of wood I prefer to con-
struct it of strips or pieces of wood joined together, in order to prevent the
beam froin warping. This beam is intended to receive upon its surface a
coating of worsted thread or yarn, which is to form a portion of the piled face
of the fabrics to be produced; it is furnished at each end with a centre pin,
one of which is made square to fit into the socket. G, and the other is hollowed
to receive the centre pin of the adjustable headstock C. In the face of the
roller H, and at opposite sides to each other, two longitudinal grooves 1 and 2
are cut (see Fig. 3), which reach from end to end of the roller. One of these
grooves is intended to receive a stud 3, projecting from the inner face of a
flanged collar I (see Fig. 4), which fits into the roller, for the purpose to be
hereafter explained, and the other groove is for receiving a hooked wire J, for

page_text: holding the ends of the several worsted threads while being wound upon the
roller. This collar I has an opening 4 in its circumference on the opposite
side to that of the stud, and when placed upon the beam comes in a line with
that groove which receives the wire J, before mentioned. K is a screw
mounted in bearings attached to the bed A of the apparatus, and has a cog
wheel L keyed on its outer end, which takes into the pinion F. This screw K
passes through a female screw, which is bolted to the under side of a saddle M,
and when made to rotate by manual or other power causes the saddle M to
traverse the bed plate in the manner of a slide rest of a lathe. From the
upper face of the saddle two studs 5, 5, project, which are intended to fit into
the groove of the collar I (see Fig. 5), formed by the flanges before mentioned.
By this means the saddle M, when it traverses the bed A, will draw the color
I over the roller or beam. N is a bent arm attached to the saddle M, and
carries on its upper end a hook similar to the end of a flyer, for the purpose of
guiding the yarn whilst being wound upon the roller. O is an index hand,
which points to the graduations on the table P, in order to shew the workman
the progress of the winding-on operation.
Having described the various parts of the machine, I will now proceed to
shew the manner of working the same. Suppose a number of bobbins contain-
ing woollen yarn of different colors to be suspended above the machine, and a
strip of paper containing one row of a pattern of a carpet, squared and colored
similar to a pattern for Berlin weol work, to be laid on the table P, the workman
turus the screw K in order to bring the saddle M to the left-hand end of the
roller H. A thread is then drawn down from a bobbin containing, say, red
worsted, passed through the hook or guide on the end of the arm N, and tied
round the roller H. Rotary motion is then given to the screw K, by a handle
on its end; and by means of the cog wheel L and pinion F on the spindle E
the roller H is caused to revolve and take up the thread on to its surface.
When two or three coils are wound on the roller H, the wire J is slidden into
the groove 1 of that roller, just below the cut 3 in the collar I, and it is held
in its place by the thread which has just been wound on the roller and covers
part of the groove. It will now be understood that as long as the screw
revolves the movements of the saddle M and the roller H will be continuous,
and that their respective speeds may readily be adjusted by changing the
gearing L and F as required. From the foregoing description it will likewise
be seen that as the saddle H traverses the bed A, the index hand will be
carried forward over the colored pattern, and shew the workman when to cut
off the red thread, and commence winding on the next colour, say blue. The
arm N and the collar I will be also carried forward, and at the same time the

page_text: collar I will rotate with the roller by reason of the pin 4 on its inner surface,
which projects into the groove 2, and guides the collar as it slides along
that roller. Let it now be supposed that the index hand O has passed over
the first red portion of the pattern, and indicates blue as the next color, the
motions of the machine are suspended until a blue thread is brought into the
machine. To effect this the workman cuts off the red thread, pulls down from
a bobbin above one of blue, ties a knot in the thread, and passes it under the
wire J, and into the guide of the arm N. Rotary motion is again communi-
cated to the machine, and continued until the index hand points to another
color, when a similar change of thread is effected, according to the pattern on
the table P. The changing of the threads is thus continued until the roller is
filled with colored threads or yarn forming a counterpart to the pattern of the
table. By the time the surface of the roller is covered, the collar I will have
traversed the whole length of the roller, and slidden off at the end. The centre
pin of the stockhead C must then be drawn back, to allow of the roller being
taken out of the machine. Another roller is then mounted in its place, and
the next succeeding strip of pattern being exchanged for that which was
previously on the table, the workman can proceed as before. The use of the
collar I is to compress the threads laterally as they are wound upon the roller,
for if the pattern or design be eight lines or a greater or less number of lines
to the inch, the collar, by resisting the lateral spreading of the worsted or
woollen threads, will cause the thread to rise on the surface of the roller to the
extent of an eighth of an inch, or in the same ratio, more or less, according to
the size of the pattern or the number of lines it may have to the inch, the
necessary pressure on the yarn being given by a relation subsisting between
the wheels connected with the main screw and beam or roll, as well also as by
regulating the thickness of the line of wool and the speed of the main screw.
As the collar I traverses the roller, the hooked wire J must be drawn forward
by the operator, to prevent its being buried in the thread. The beam or roller
H having received a coating of wool as above explained, two narrow strips of
wood or metal of the length of the roller are affixed thereto, one on each side
of either of the grooves, by pins or otherwise. A knife is then passed up the
groove thus enclosed, to cut the coil of wool into lengths; the roller is then to
be stripped of the wool, and for that purpose it is taken to the machine
represented in Sheet II., which I will now explain.
Fig. 1 represents a front view, partly in section, of a machine in which the
wool as it is taken off from the rollers is laid out flat in layers, to form any
desired pattern. By this machine also the wool, when "built up" or formed into
a compact body, may be forced forward, and brought into contact with the edge

page_text: of a sharp rotary knife, which will slice it into sheets, after the ends of the
threads of wool have been cemented to a strong cloth or other suitable fabric.
Fig. 2 represents the machine in end elevation; and Fig. 2 is a section taken
in the line A, B, of Fig. 1. The machine consists of a platform or flooring
a, a, mounted on four grooved wheels, b, b, which are intended to traverse a
railway. On each side of the flooring are two standards c, c, attached together
by the cross pieces d, d, and the back e, which is closed, the front of the
machine being open, as shewn in the Drawing. , f, are side pieces firmly
bracketed to the platform or flooring, and carrying each a bracket on their
upper end in which grooved wheels are mounted. These wheels have also a
bar over which they run, and they are intended, together with the wheels b, to
guide the machine forward and backward, as will be hereafter described.
9, 9, are four vertical screws having their bearings in the flooring a and the cross
pieces d, d. These screws pass through the sockets h, h, which are temporarily
fastened to the ends of a table i, i, and being made to rotate simultaneously
will, by taking into a worm made on the inner face of the sockets h, for that
purpose, cause the the table to ascend or descend as required. By referring to
the Drawings, it will be seen that at the upper end of the standards c, c,
are brackets, which carry the rollers k, k, one on each side of the machine.
Upon each of these rollers a thin sheet of copper and also a sheet of cloth,
both of a suitable length, is wound, and so attached thereto that when unwound
the sheets may be readily unfastened to allow of the rollers and their brackets
on the front of the machine being removed. The sheet of cloth is wound on
with the copper, in such a manner that when drawn into the machine it is
against the side of the worsted. One end of these sheets is attached to the
table i, i, the descent of which causes the sheets to unwind from the rollers.
Above the cross pieces d, d, on each side of the machine, is a metal bar l.
These bars serve as guides, as will be presently explained, and are so placed
that the sheets of copper may pass beneath them when unwinding. When a
beam or roller, covered with the wool or worsted yarn coiled round its surface
is brought to this machine to have the wool taken off, and laid down flat,
the table i, i, is brought up to the top of machine, and one of the strips of
wood or metal fixed on the beam or roller, to keep the threads even while
being cut is taken off. The beam is then rolled along the guides 1, which
steady it, and keep it even in its progress to the back of the machine. In this
manner the wool is unlapped from the beam, and the second strip of wood or
metal being taken therefrom, the threads are altogether detached from the
roller, and laid flat and even on the table i. Every succeeding beam is in
like manner stripped of its wool, until a sufficient number of layers are placed

page_text: in the machine to make up the pattern required. As the layers of wool are
placed above each other, the table i is proportionably depressed by means of
the screws, so that the surface of the uppermost layer of wool shall be at the
height the table was at the commencement of "building up" or forming the
body of woollen threads. The mode of actuating the four vertical screws will
be best seen at Fig. 4, which represents the gearing employed for that purpose
as if seen from below. Upon the end of the shafts of the screws g a concave
toothed worm wheel m is keyed. These wheels are actuated by the endless
worms n, upon the horizontal shaft o, and on one end of these shafts o the bevil
-wheels p are keyed, which take into bevil wheels 9, mounted on the short rod r,
suspended by brackets from the platform a, as shewn in the Drawing. On
the other end of these short rods similar bevil wheels are keyed, which are
actuated by a bevil wheel placed between them, and mounted on the upright
shafts, at the upper end of which a handle for working the gearing is provided.
It will now be evident, that on the turning the handle of the shaft s, the
vertical screws g, g, will revolve simultaneously, and cause the table i to rise or
fall to any required distance. When a sufficient number of layers of worsted
to form the pattern of the fabric to be made is placed in the machine, the
table is brought down to the platform a, and the sockets are removed from
the sides of the table, so as to allow of the free action of the screws without
reference to the table. A presser head t (see Fig. 3) is then placed in the
machine on the top of the wool, and sockets, similar to those attached to the
table i, are also fastened to the ends of this presser head. On rotary motion
being communicated to the screws, the presser head (by reason of the screws
taking into the thread on the inside of the sockets) will be brought down, and
made to compress the mass of woollen yarn or thread into a proper consistency.
The next operation is to cause the ends of the woollen yarn to protrude a
certain distance from the front of the machine, so that the cement of india
rubber or other adhesive substance may be applied. This forward motion is
effected by the advance of a back board u, a number of screws u, v, (which
bave their bearings in sockets in the back of the machine) being made to
rotate simultaneously, and press against the back board. The mode of
actuating the screws which I have shewn in the Drawings is by passing a
chain w over a toothed wheel x keyed to the shaft of each of the screws v.
In this case tho screw v¹ must have a reverse thread to the others. The copper
sheets serve to reduce the friction of the wool in passing out of the machine,
when the pressure of the back board is applied. It will be obvious to any prac-
tical mechanic that various plans may be devised for forcing forward the wool
in an even and uniform manner; but to this, as well as the mode of cementing

page_text: the threads to the cloth or fabric which is to form the back of the rug or
carpet, I lay no claim, as such part of the process may be performed in the
way heretofore practised. After the cementing has been effected, and the
fabric is ready to be cut off, the machine is advanced along the railway, in
order to bring the wool which stands out from the machine into contact with a
large rotary knife (see Fig. 5) mounted in an iron framing. By this means a
slice of wool will be cut off from the main body of the threads, the machine
being made to advance gradually, and pass the face of the wool against the
edge of the knife. The fabric, as it is cut off by the rotary knife, is wound up
by vertical rollers, one of which is shewn at Fig. 5, and may then be taken
away to be shorn, if thought desirable.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying out my improvements in the manufacture of carpets, rugs, and piled
fabrics, I wish it to be understood that I lay no claim to the mode herein
described of pushing out the wool from the machine, nor to the cementing of
the same to the fabric which forms the back of the rug or carpet; but that
which I claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the employment of a beam or roller for winding on the threads or
yarn of wool or worsted, to form the pile of cemented pile fabrics, as above
explained; and also the use of the collar for compressing the threads laterally
while being wound on the beam or roller.
And, secondly, the manner herein described of laying such coils of
threads out flat in layers, ready to be worked up into piled fabrics as
required.
In witness whereof, I, the James Taylor, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand

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