IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING PIECE GOODS OR WEBS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Duffus, of Cullen, in the County of Banff,
North Britain, Cabinet Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR MEASURING PIECE GOODS OR WEBS."
Sealed the 21st November 1862, and dated the 27th May 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Duffus at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th May
1862.
I, JOHN DUFFUS, of Cullen, in the County of Banff, North Britain, Cabinet
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING PIECE GOODS OR WEBS," to be as follows, that is
to say:-
This Invention has for object to provide, for shop use and otherwise,
simple and convenient apparatus for measuring, in a rapid and accurate
manner, various kinds of piece goods and webs, including cloths, ribbons, tapes,
trimmings, and paper and other webs.
The improved apparatus comprises a roller, round or partially round which
the article is made to pass, and the spindle of which communicates by a wheel-
work train with the index of a dial showing yards or other desired measure.
Provision is made for winding the fabric upon a roller or spindle by means of
a crank handle, and also for pressing it closely in contact with the measuring
roller. In ordinary cases this pressing appliance may keep the web tight enough,
but if necessary it may be further passed between surfaces capable of being

page_text: pressed together more or less firnily, whereby any desired tightness may be
imparted to it in winding it up. If the web to be measured is in a roll it may
be mounted upon adjustable brackets or centres provided for the purpose.
The apparatus may be constructed for various widths, and each machine will
answer for all widths less than the extreme one, for which it is made adjustable,
guides being provided, if necessary, for the narrower widths. If the web is to
be folded upon a flat card or board, such card or board is fixed to the winding
details by appliances provided therefor, and if the web is to be made up in
alternate back and forward folds, an oscillating frame with hooks may be fitted
to or substituted for the winding-up spindle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Duffus in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOIN
DUFFUS, of Cullen, in the County of Banff, North Britain, Cabinet Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in t'e twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Duffus, Her special licence that I, the said John Duffus, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Duffus, 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEA-
SURING PIECE GOODS OR WEBS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Duffus, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, 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 Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Duffus, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,.

page_text: to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures.marked thereon, that is to say. :-
My said Invention has for object to provide, for shop use and otherwise,
simple and convenient apparatus for measuring, in a rapid and, accurate
manner, various kinds of piece goods and. webs, including cloths, ribbons, tapes,
triminings, and paper and other webs.
The improved apparatus comprises a roller, round or partly round which
the article is made to pass, and the spindle of which communicates by a wheel-
work train with the index of a dial showing yards or other desired measure.
Provision is made for winding the fabric upon a roller, board, or spindle, by
means of a crank handle, and provision is also made for pressing the fabric
closely in contact with the measuring roller so as to. insure the accurate
turning of this roller and its correct measuring completely to the extreme end
of the piece passing through. In ordinary cases this pressing appliance may
keep the piece or web tight enough, but if necessary it may be further passed
between surfaces capable of being pressed together more or less firmly, whereby
any desired tightness may be imparted to it in winding it up.
And in order that my said Invention. and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings representing a convenient modification of my improved
measuring apparatus, Figure 1 of the said Drawings being a front elevation
thereof; Figure 2, a transverse vertical section parallel to the front; and
Figure 3, a plan; whilst Figure 4 represents the indicating train as removed
from its box; and Figure 5 is a side elevation of a portion of the winding.
details for ribbons and the like.
The details of the apparatus are mounted in and; upon a shallow wooden
tray (A, B, C,) having bottom pieces A, front and back pieces B, B, and side
pieces C, and it is designed to be placed upon a counter or bench, or it may
be fitted with legs to form an independent, table. The measuring roller is a
roller D, of hard wood, or other hard but not beavy material, and it is, by
preference, not covered with cloth or other material, which is liable to become
worn and so render the measuring inaccurate. This roller D is mounted in
the front and back pieces B, B', of the tray, its front end being fitted with a
square socket to receive the inner squared end of a spindle E, forming the
first detail of the indicating train (shown detached in Figure 4). This indi-
cating train. is contained in a recess or box formed in the front piece B, and is
covered. by. the dial F, this dial, having a graduated circle upon it showing
yards or other convenient. measure. The spindle, E, which receives motion

page_text: from the measuring roller D, is formed with a worm which drives a worm
wheel G, on the same spindle with which there is a pinion H driving a crown
wheel I carried upon a central spindle J which projects through the dial F
and carries externally an index or pointer K. The crown wheel I is fitted to
the spindle J, with frictional spring plates, which permit of the index or
pointer K being at any time set to the starting or other required point on the
graduated circle. This indicating train is arranged to reduce the motion of
its first spindle E very considerably in order that the measuring roller D may
be made of the conveniently small size represented. In order to call the
attention of the operator whenever the index or pointer K makes a complete
circuit, a bent pin L is fixed in the spindle J in such a position as, on the
circle being completed, to lift a spring hammer M, causing it to strike a coil
of wire N, acting as a bell. And this bell may be made use of in measuring
off a certain length by setting the index or pointer K as far backward from
the striking point as equals the quantity required, so that the operator may
know, by the striking of the bell, when the required length has been passed
through. On the top of the measuring roller D there rests, by its own weight,
a counter-pressure roller P formed with end spindles which have play in short
vertical slots in the inner faces of the front and back pieces B, B'. This
counter-pressure roller P is made of considerable weight, and is, by preference,
covered with cloth, or the like soft or slightly rough material, and it is between
it and the measuring roller D that the piece Q to be measured passes. In
the Drawing a piece of goods is represented as being measured from off a
roller R. For the purpose of holding such a roller, or a board or other detail
upon which the goods may be wound, there are at that side of. the apparatus
two brackets or standards S, S¹, one S' of which can be adjusted at any con-
venient distance from the other by being shifted along a slot formed for the
purpose in the bottom piece A. The standards S, S¹, are provided with
chucks or centres T which are made to grasp the roller R between them,
being at the same time free to turn therewith. The fabric Q to be measured
is drawn off the roller R, and passed, as indicated, first under a rod U at one
'side of the measuring roller D, and then between this measuring roller and
the counter-pressure roller P, whence it passes under a rod V at the other
side and up to the winding-up spindle W. This winding-up spindle W is, by
preference, a narrow flat bar formed with end collars and journals and mounted
in bearings formed for it in brackets X, X', which are fixed to the front and
back pieces B, B¹. The front end of this winding-up spindle is squared to
receive a winch handle Y, by means of which the winding up is effected. In
using the apparatus, the index pointer K being set to zero, the end of the

page_text: piece of goods is entered between the measuring roller D and the counter-
pressure roller P, as described, and is held by hand upon the winding-up
spindle W whilst one or two turns are taken, after which the whole may be
wound up with facility. When the whole is wound up the spindle W may be
lifted out of its brackets and it may be drawn endways out of the roll of cloth.
Adjustable claw pieces Z are fitted upon the spindle W to hold a board or
card when it is wished to wind the cloth thereon, the spindle being drawn out
after winding, as before. To provide for winding narrow goods, such as
ribbons, a short winding spindle w is arranged in a bearing below the other
one in the front standard X, and the outer end of this short spindle wis
squared so that the winch handle Y may be transferred to it. In connection
also with this lower spindle an adjustable bracket is provided, fitted with an
adjustable centre a to support the inner end of the spindle w or to support
one end of a roller which may be introduced to wind the fabric upon.
When
a piece of goods to be measured has been wound up without any central roller
or board it is simply laid upon the part of the tray to the right of the measuring
roller D and between the brackets S, S', and its proper unrolling is facilitated
by a roller b fitted across the tray a little to the right of the measuring
roller D, whilst the rail C at the further side prevents it from rolling away
from or off the apparatus. A large roll of carpeting, for example, is, in
Figure 2, indicated by dotted lines as being measured in this way. It will be
obvious that the minor details may be modified; and where apparatus of low
cost is required, and for a small variety of goods, some of the adjustments and
other details may be omitted.
Ilaving thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what
I claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is, the arranging and combining together the parts of measuring
apparatus, substantially as herein described and delineated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Duffus, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOHN DUFFUS. (L.S.)