IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING AND SHAPING GARMENTS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF DRESS FOR THE HUMAN BODY
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
DAWSON, of Melton Street, Euston Square, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighteenth day of
October (One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine), in the thirteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Dawson, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Dawson, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Dawson, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and 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, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING AND SHAPING GARMENTS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF
DRESS FOR THE HUMAN BODY;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, that I, the said Thomas Dawson, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Dawson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of cutting several thicknesses of fabric or material
into proper forms for parts of garments or dress at one time, by so constructing
the knives or cutters as to admit of adjustment, and in such manner that the
same knives at different times may be enabled to cut out parts of garments
or dress of different sizes and shapes.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a metal plate having numerous holes through it. Figure 2
shows an end view of the same plate with several standards carrying the
cutters or blades. Figure 3 shows a plan of some cutters, according to my
Invention, arranged suitably for cutting out fronts for waistcoats or other
garments, but it will readily be understood that this pattern is only given as
an example. The other detail views show some of the parts separately. I
would here state that I am aware that cutters acting in a similar manner to
those of my Invention have before been fixed to a plate or other surface
suitably for cutting out gloves, and it may be for other parts of dress, but in
such case the cutters were fixtures, and only suitably arranged for cutting out
one side, so that each part of an article, where they differed in size or in shape,
required different apparatus. Now, the peculiarity of my Invention consists
of so forming the cutters that they may be varied from time to time, so as to
enable them not only to cut out different sizes of pieces of the same shape, but
also different shapes of pieces, owing to the cutters being made in several
pieces, and adjustable one with the other to produce different forms according
to requirement. For this purpose I employ single knives, and also knives
sliding one on the other, so as to admit of their length being extended or con-
tracted. a, a, is the plate or surface on to which the blades or cutters are to
be fixed; b, b, are standards or stems, which, being fixed by their upper
ends to the plate a, afford the means of fixing the blades or cutters according
to the forms desired, the blades or cutters being fixed to the standards 6, 6*,
by stems c, c, fixed to the blades or cutters d, which enter into the standards,
as shown, and the standards 6 are fixed to the plate a by means of screws b',

page_text: which pass through the plate a, and are made fast by the nuts 6%; or the
standards 6 may be otherwise fixed to the plate a. The standards 6* are
formed with enlarged heads 63, which rest against the under side of the plate
a; e, e, are filling pieces used between the plate a and the top plate of the press,
with which the apparatus is used. Figure 4 shows a single blade, and Figure
5 a compound blade, capable of contracting and extending by the blades or
cutters sliding together, as shewn, and when at the proper positions they are
retained by set screws e, e. The cutters or blades are hinged together at their
ends, as shewn. In some cases, such as for fustians, I have found it advan-
tageous to use a serrated or corrugated cutter, as shown at Figure 6.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the details as herein described so long as the peculiar character of the Inven-
tion be retained. This apparatus is to be placed under a suitable press and
the several thicknesses of fabric or other material spread evenly, the cutters
are to be pressed through the same in like manner to what has before been
done when using similar apparatus with fixed and unadjustable cutters. But
what I claim is, the composing apparatus for cutting or shaping parts of
garments or dress by so arranging cutters that they may be varied in their
combination and positions so as to vary the shape of the cuts made by a series
of such cutters, as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Dawson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day day of April, in the year of our
L.S.) DAWSON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of April, in
the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid Thomas Dawson came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
0 above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One