IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRAIDS AND PLATS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
AUGUSTUS TAYLOR, of New York, now of Milk Street, Cheapside, in the City
of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-eighth day of May, in the third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Augustus Taylor, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Henry Augustus Taylor, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Augustus Taylor, my
exors, admors, 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 expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRAIDS AND PLATS," communicated to me by
a certain Foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said Henry Augustus Taylor, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Augustus Taylor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,"

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE BRAIDING MACHINE.
The nature of this Invention consists in causing spools of the fibre attached
to "carriers" to traverse a serpentine path two thirds round a "pot," and
return interlacing the fibres so as to produce a braid. To enable others to
make and use this Invention, its construction and operation are herein
described. The size of the whole machine for making ordinary braid is
about eighteen inches in diameter, and about fifteen inches high. There is
a spherical shaped body, called technically the "pot," (from its resemblance
to a cooking utensil), surrounded by a rim which supports the machinery.
The Drawings made half the size of the ordinary sized machine. The driving
machinery is placed on the outside, and the working machinery on the inside
of the pot A. The machinery on the outside cousists of ten or twelve (more
or less) cog wheels, all of which are connected and driven by one of the
number. They extend two thirds round the pot A. The cog wheels are on
spindles B attached to the rim C. This is placed within it. These wheels
are of three sizes. The wheel No. 1 (so marked in the Drawing) is about
five inches in diameter, Nos. 2 and 3, and the corresponding ones 10 and
11, are one inch and a half in diameter, and serve to connect the wheel No. 1
. with No. 4, which last, together with Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, is four inches in
diameter. No. 12 is the same size as No. 1. On the same shaft with No. 1
is a small cog wheel outside of it, about one inch and a half in diameter,
with which is connected a bevel driving wheel, over which on its upright
shaft is the band wheel D. There is cut in the pot two thirds round it a
serpentine path or sloat formed by a series of intersecting circles, the first and
the last of which are larger than the others. The circular pieces which are
cut out in making this sloat are held in position by the spindles which run
upon one journal each, and are set upon the rim. The "carriers
E arc
formed each by a circular disc, upon which are two standards holding between
them the spool; at the bottom of this disc is the fid, sec Drawing, Plate IV.
The fid fits into the serpentine sloat, and is made long enough to pass through
half an inch. The carrier being inside and the fid passing through, there is
a cap F placed on the fid outside to hold it in place. There are "drivers
placed on every spindle outside the pot; they are marked G. On wheels
Nos. 1 and 12 they have five arms, each armi having in it a sloat made to
"

page_text: receive the fid on the other spindle; the drivers have but four arms similarly
constructed. The number of drivers correspond with that of the carriers.*
The machine is made to contain as many of these as there are strands
required in the braid. These carriers, by means of their fids connecting with
the drivers, are made to traverse the serpentine sloat backward and forward
from end to end, the arm of one driver conveying the carrier over one
circle, and the arm of the next driver catching the fid in its sloat and convey-
ing it under the next circle, and so on. Each spool H contains within.it a
spring to prevent it unwinding too fast, see Plate IV. The "eye plate" is
placed inside the pot near the top, so that the eye will be in the centre of the
work. The plate is supported by a standard on one side of the pot inside.
The eye plate is marked I. The standard is marked J. On the top of the
eye plate there is a spring i. The shaft of the band whéel D has upon its
top an endless screw, which works in a small cog wheel upon a horizontal
shaft, which rests on a part of the same standard that supports the shaft of
the band wheel. The horizontal shaft L has upon the other end a roller M,
over which passes the braid. There is another roller N, under which the
braid passes, and by which the braid is held and pressed. The roller N is on
a hinged standard O, to which is attached a spring P, for the purpose of:
pressing it against the braid. The guides Q are on the end of shafts R set
in the circular pieces of the larger circles at the end of the serpentine sloat.
They are either plain discs, as shown in the Drawing, or they may be made as
cylinders. They are placed near the "eye," and serve to guide the fibres.
The following is a more minute description, by immediate reference to the
Drawings. Plate 1 contains a perspective view or plan scen from above the
machine, shewing the general positions of the parts. Plate II. is a side view or
elevation, partially in perspective. Plate III. shews the manner in which the
serpentine path is made. Figure 1 of this Plate shews the connection and
relative sizes of the cog wheels on the rim. Figure 2 shews the larger circle
of the serpentine path, and smaller ones with one of the drivers drawn full,
and another in occult lines. Plate IV. shews the spool and the eye plate.
Figure 3 of this Drawing shews the eye plate and its support. Figure 4 the
same. Figure 5 the carriers, spools, and spring, and the spool in section.
The same letters refer to the same things in all the Drawings. A, the pot;
B, the spindles of the cog wheels; C, the rim; D, the drum; E, the carrier;
F, the cap; G, the drivers; H, the spools; I, the ey plate; J, its support;
i, the spring on eye plate; k, the shaft of drum; L, horizontal shaft of roller;
M, first roller; N, second roller; O, hinged standard; P, spring to press
second roller against first; Q, the guides; R, the shafts; S, the boxes in

page_text: which run the journals of the spindles B; 'T, the standard supporting the
upright shaft of the band wheel; U, the bevel driving wheel; V, the band
upon the drum; W; the platform or bed of the machine; X, support of the
horizontal shaft of the first roller. 'In the operation of the machine the
spools are filled with the fibre to be braided; and the strands passed through
the eye. They are then passed over the end of the spring i, and then over
the roller M and under N. The machine being then put in motion by the
band wheel or drum, the spools are made to traverse the serpentine sloat, and
the braid is formed. The spools are restrained from turning too fast by the
spring plate N inside the spool: This is an ordinary watch spring coiled
and put inside the hollow spool, on the shaft of which (that does not turn)
there is a small ratchet which catches one end of the spring, so that the
spool will not turn fast on account of the friction of the spring on the inside
of the spool. What I claim and desire to secure is,―
Firstly, the guides "Q."
Secondly, the rollers M and N.
Thirdly, the spring in the spool H.
Fourthly, the combination of the first three claims with the braiding machine,
äs above described..
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Augustus Taylor,. have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November, One thou-
sand eight hundred and forty.