IMPROVED MEANS OF INDICATING THE LENGTIT or PIECES, TEXTILE FABRICS, CLOTHS, CARPETS, RIBBONS, AND OTHER PIECE GOODS WHEN ROLLED, FOLDED OR OTHER- WISE
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Abraham Akeroyd at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th February 1882.
ABRAHAM AKEROYD of Bradford in the County of York, Agent "IMPROVED
MEANS OF INDICATING THE LENGTIT or PIECES, TEXTILE FABRICS, CLOTHS,
CARPETS, RIBBONS, AND OTHER PIECE GOODS WHEN ROLLED, FOLDED OR OTHER-
WISE."
The said invention relates to indicating the length of textile fabrics or other goods,
shewing at once any number of yards left on the roll or folded after a number of
yards or lengths have been cut therefrom without having to unroll or unfold the
fabrics and measure up, by which means great facility is given to manufacturers,
merchants, drapers and others in taking stock which can be done in a very short
time even weekly if desired.
Heretofore cotton goods dress goods, silks, velvets, cloths, carpets, ribbons and
other pieces in lengths dealt in by drapers and others have been folded or rolled
and tlie length of such pieces marked on the end or on a ticket and the purchaser
from the merchant has had no check on anything he purchased without unrolling
or unfolding and measuring up the number of yards and should any length or lengths
be cut off a piece it is impossible to tell to a certainty the remaining length rolled
or folded without measuring up and should a few yards be cut from a piece out of
business regulations, the owner would not be able to detect it.
By my invention I mark or number the back of the goods from the beginning to
the end either in yards or in lengths of five or ten yards and when the goods are
rolled or folded or otherwise the first mark or number shews the number of yards
on the roll, or folded and as the yards or lengths are cut off the mark or number
indicates the remaining yards on the roll or folded.
In carrying out my invention I may employ an arrangement of stamping
consecutive numbers on the pieces as they are measured by a measuring machine,
such numbers being stamped on the selvedge and the stamping hammer is so
regulated as that when the measuring machino marks a yard the hammer comes
down and stamps the yard with a number corresponding with the number of yards
measured; the stamping of the numbers may be of a different colour to the goods
and several colours may be employed.

page_text: I may also weave in the selvedge of fabrics at the back and in the length coloured
lines and at every yard or at every five or ten yards employ a different colour each
colour representing a certain number of yards which would be indicated on a card,
the same colour always indicating the same number of yards, and I prefer to weave
such pieces thirty seven inches to the yard so that when dyed and finished the
thirty seven inches would only be thirty six inches or a yard, but allowance can be
made to suit the different kinds of goods; again I may weave in the solvedge
numbers indicating the number of yards in the piece or I may weave in across the
selvedge colored threads at every thirty seven inches or at every thirty six inches
so that the shrinking of the piece could be seen when dyed or finished; I could
also employ several colored stripes for every yard, five yards or ten yards such
stripes being of different colours and each set of stripes indicating on a card a
certain number of yards, these stripes and colours being in all cases the same. When
the coloured stripes in the selvedges are employed the manufacturers, drapers and
others are furnished with the hereinbefore named cards or tables shewing that each
colour or the several coloured stripes represent a certain number of yards and the
same colours and number of stripes with the different colours in all cases indicate
the same number of yards, as an example, say that the piece is to be sixty five
yards in length the first stripe or mark for the first ten yards would be black
representing the length of the piece the next mark green or fifty five yards, the
next brown or forty five yards the next blue or thirty five yards, the next yellow
or twenty five yards, the next scarlet or fifteen yards, the mark black would be
first put on the roll or the first fold of the folding; it is obvious that other colours
can be employed if every yard is to be marked and I may employ several stripes
say one stripe for the first ten yards two stripes for the next three for the fourth
adding stripe to each ten yards, or five yards.
Printed and dyed threads may be employed which are run through the selvedge
each printed or dyed colour would represent yards or five or ten yards.
For heavy goods such as heavy cloths, carpets and other goods I may employ hooks
having plates at the end on which are stamped numbers which would represent
numbers of yards to be marked or every five or ten yards, such hooks being placed
in boxes and each box containing only similar numbers; and plates with cut out
numbers can be used so as to print at the back of the heavy goods or carpets the
number of yards.
For ribbons or such like articles I prefer the employment of lengths of papers cut
the width of the ribbon, the lengths of the paper are printed with numbers at each
yard from the first yard to the last and the paper lengths by preference are wound
on bobbins so that by a simple arrangement the lengths could be wound with the
ribbons on rolls with a winding machine.