An Improved Paper or Textile Fabric, and Methods of and Apparatus for Producing said Paper or Fabric.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Paper or Textile Fabric, and Methods of and Apparatus
for Producing said Paper or Fabric.
I, SETH WHEELER, of Montgomery, corner of Colonie Street in the City and
County of Albany, and State of New York, United States of America, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of paper, fibrous
material or fabric or analogous substance.
One object of my said invention is to manufacture an improved product, that is
to say paper, fibrous material, or analogous substance, permanently wrinkled so as
to have thereon practically clear and distinct figures or ornamentations of any
configuration desired, such as, for instance, diamonds or stars.
Another object of my invention is to construct improved machinery for the
manufacture of the said improved product.
Such wrinkled material is particularly advantageous for use for the purposes to
which ordinary "sauitary" paper is applied, inasmuch as it' presents a corrugated
or uneven surface instead of a surface of the usual kind.
According to my invention I make the said improved product either by operating
upon material already manufactured, or by operating upon material the manufacture
of which is not quite completed.
In the first instance I damp the material or fabric at suitably-situated spots or
points, by touching it with a damping device or by sprinkling it or otherwise
treating it so that certain points or parts of the material have moisture imparted
thereto. The material or fabric thus operated upon is then dried, preferably by
artificial heat; the dampened spots, during the drying, cause the adjacent portions
of the material or fabric to form into permanent wrinkles, and these wrinkles,
unlike indents formed by folding, crimping, corrugating, plaiting or embossing,
remain absolutely permanent and are not obliterated by the roughest usage.
In the second instance, that is to say the production of the said improved
product from material the manufacture of which is but partially completed, I dry
wet material, for instance paper after it leaves the forming machinery, in varying
spots or lines and at different points by passing the wet web over a series of heated
surfaces so formed as to dry the web at certain spots or points only, leaving the
intervening spaces to be dried afterwards. Or I may treat it in any other manner
whereby it is first dried in spots, and the spaces intervening between the spots are
afterwards dried. Or I may obviously damp manufactured material over its entire
surface and deal with it in the manner hereinbefore described with reference to
partially-manufactured material.
I do not limit myself to any particular method of producing this article
of manufacture, the methods hereinbefore described being given by way of
example.
The improved machinery for the manufacture of the said improved product
according to this invention will now be described, with reference to the example
wherein a fabric or material is operated upon after its manufacture is completed.
Suitable bearings are provided wherein a supply-roll of paper, for instance, in the
state in which it comes from the mill can be rotated. Rolls are provided to draw
the paper from the said supply roll and to deliver it to damping-devices hereinafter
particularly described. From the said damping devices it is guided by guide-rolls
to travel upon almost the entire exterior circumference of a hollow drying roller,
or to travel on to or over any suitable drying apparatus. When a drying roller is

page_text: employed it is preferably heated by a suitable heating medium introduced thereinto
through its trunnions.
After the paper is dried upon the said heated roller it fed by other rollers to
suitable storage rolls, or to devices whereby it is cut into suitable lengths and
afterwards wound upon small rolls or made into packages in readiness for
immediate use.
The damping device hereinbefore referred to may consist for example of a pair
of parallel drums, between which the material to be damped is passed. Radial
tubes or channels are provided in the said drums; the said tubes or channels are in
communication with liquid-receptacles provided within the drums, and they are
filled with a wick or with sponge, and their outer extremities open upon the
peripheries of the drums. The said openings upon the peripheries are arranged in
any suitable pattern. The fabric as it passes between the drums is damped in a
similar pattern by liquid maintained at the ends of the said channels by the
aforesaid wicks or sponges.
As an alternative to the construction of the damping device hereinbefore
described I may employ suitably perforated drums, provided with means for
maintaining a supply of liquid at the outer ends of the perforations. For instance
the interior of each drum can be charged with liquid, and a sheet or coating of
absorbent material placed around the inner periphery of each drum in proximity to
the perforations to keep the said perforations charged with liquid. Or if the
perforations are sufficiently small the said sheet or coating may be dispensed with.
Or the exterior of each drum may be channeled or grooved in any suitable manner,
the said channels or grooves being filled with absorbent material which is kept
charged by the passage of liquid therein to form the interior of the drum through
suitable holes.
Where a web which is damp all over as aforesaid, is to be afterwards dried in
parts, I provide a heated roll with suitable heated projections thereon, and in
conjunction therewith I provide means whereby the damp web is delivered upon
the projections and dried at the points with which the said projections make
contact; I provide also, means whereby the remainder of the said surface may be
afterwards dried, cut into lengths, and rolled or otherwise put into readiness for
service.
Dated this 10 of M. 1902
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Paper or Textile Fabric, and Methods of and Apparatus
for Producing said Paper or Fabric.
I, SETH WHEELER, of Montgomery, corner of Colonie Street, in the City and
County of Albany, and State of New York, United States of America, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of paper, fibrous 4
material or fabric or analogous substance.
One object of my said invention is to manufacture an improved product, that is
to say, permanently wrinkled paper, fibrous material, or analogous substance. I
may so arrange that said paper or the like will have thereon practically clear and
distinct figures or ornamentations of any configuration desired, such as, for instance, 5
diamonds or stars.
Another object of my invention is to construct improved machinery for the
manufacture of the said wrinkled paper or the like.

page_text: Such wrinkled material is particularly advantageous for use for the purposes to
which ordinary "sanitary" paper is applied inasmuch as it presents a corrugated
or uneven surface instead of a surface of the usual kind.
According to my invention I make the said improved product either by operating
upon material already manufactured, or by operating upon material the manufacture
of which is not quite completed.
In order that my invention may be fully understood 1 will proceed to describe the
same in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a view shewing a piece of paper wrinkled or ornamented according
to my invention.
Figure 2 is a view of a roll of paper ornamented in a different manner.
Figure 3 is an end elevation, and
Figure 4 is a plan shewing one form of my improved machinery for wrinkling and
ornamenting paper.
Figure 5 is an end elevation shewing a modification of such machinery, and
Figure 6 is a view of a roller for use in the machine shewn in Figure 5.
In manufacturing paper wrinkled in the manner shewn in Figure 1, I proceed as
follows, that is to say, I first dampen the sheet of paper or the like uniformly
over its entire surface, and then pass the damp web of paper over drying surfaces
arranged to allow freedom to the drying paper to contract, so that when the paper
is dry wrinkles are permanently formed by the shrinkage of the paper.
Instead of dampening a sheet of finished paper I may take a sheet of paper,
fibre or pulp which has been dried in the usual manner until a point is reached
where the fibre or pulp has sufficient strength to be drawn over the remaining
drying cylinders.
In forming paper ordinarily, the paper is continuously and snugly pressed by the
apron against the cylinders during its entire passage over all of them, but my
process differs from that method, in relieving the damp sheet of paper from all
such assistance and pressure by the apron at the point where it is possessed of
sufficient strength to pass around the cylinders without the assistance of the apron.
When so treated the partially dried sheet lies against and passes over the remaining
heated cylinders without assistance from or pressure by the apron, and as the
drying progresses, the heat from the cylinders wrinkles the paper in practically
horizontal, fine and somewhat interlaced wrinkles, by contracting minute portions
of the paper more than others, producing a paper that somewhat resembles a piece
of crape.
I will now describe the preferred form of mechanism for carrying out the
processes above indicated.
Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the web of paper A. passes through the calender-
rolls B, and from thence passes through my apparatus shown at C, C1 and C2, in
which C2 is a roller having a doctor-board C, said roller C revolving in a body of
water, the doctor-board regulating the amount thereof carried over by the roller,
said roller C² keeping the roller C constantly and evenly dampened. The web of
paper A in passing under roller C₁ is kept in contact therewith by the roller directly
under it, and is evenly dampened or practically so and it is then fed about the
drying cylinder D with or without an apron, and just enough tension is placed on
the damp sheet of paper to draw it in contact with the drying cylinder D,
allowing it freedom to contract and wrinkle, which wrinkles assume the form and
have the appearance of fine interwoven threads, and the surface of the paper
somewhat resembles crape. After being so dried, the web A is rolled upon the
paper-rolls E. I do not confine myself to the exact form of mechanism shown in
the drawings, as any form of mechanism that will evenly dampen the sheet and then
dry it, allowing freedom to the sheet to contract while drying, may be used.
When operating upon paper fibre or pulp which has not been finished I prefer to
employ mechanism such as shown in Figure 5 wherein F, F1, F2 and F3 are
successive drying cylinders of the ordinary paper forming machine. A is the web
of paper passing from cylinder to cylinder and as it reaches and is about to pass

page_text: 0
between the cylinders G, G, it is preferably dry enough to sustain itself and pass
between these cylinders. Said cylinders G, G, are tubular and heated by steam as
are the ordinary drying cylinders of the paper machine.
The processes and mechanism above described are modified when it is desired to
produce paper figured with any predetermined form of ornamentation such as is
shewn in Figure 2 for example. In this figure A is a roll of paper and A', A' are
spots or centres from which wrinkles radiate, said spots being set in zig-zag rows,
the wrinkles assume the form of diamonds. The process of producing these wrinkles
or ornamentations is as follows: I preferably use a good quality of very thin
paper. The paper is damped preferably at the spots A¹ only, by touching
the paper with a dampened brush or pad, or by bringing the paper into contact
with a brush or pad. The spots are then allowed to dry naturally or are dried
by artificial heat as may be preferred. The dampening of the paper may also be
done by sprinkling or in any manner desired and by use of any mechanical
contrivance. I do not confine myself to any particular method of producing the
dampened spots, and these spots may in fact, assume the form of lines, if desired or
any other configuration the operator may see fit to use. The paper may not be
perfectly dry when thus dampened in spots or lines, as if it is dampened more at
the spots or lines and then dried the ornamentation will be produced. The result
is that drying the dampened spots A' shrinks the paper at these spots or lines and
causes the paper or other analogous or fibrous material to wrinkle and these wrinkles
will remain permanently in the paper, unlike mere folds, creases or plaits, and
herein lies the novelty of the result of my process over all forms of crimping,
folding, creasing or plaiting paper, for with very thin paper, crimping, creasing, or
folding produces results that are not lasting but will soon disappear, while the
wrinkles caused by my process will remain permanently in the
I therefore
paper.
make a distinction between wrinkling and mere folding, creasing, plaiting and the like.
The mechanism shewn in Figures 3 and 4 may be used for ornamenting paper in
this manner that is to say with wrinkles following predetermined lines, the damping
rollers C are in that case constructed in such a manner as not to damp the entire
surface of the paper.
One method of constructing such a roller is as follows.
Said roller is hollow, and radial tubes or channels are provided therein which are
in communication with liquid-receptacles provided within the roller. Said
receptacles are filled with a wick or with sponge and their outer extremities open
upon the periphery of the drum. The said openings upon the periphery are
arranged in any suitable pattern. The fabric as it passes round the drum is
then damped in a similar pattern by liquid maintained at the ends of the said
channels by the aforesaid wicks or sponges.
As an alternative to the construction of the damping device hereinbefore
described I may employ two suitably perforated drums, provided with means for
maintaining a supply of liquid at the outer ends of the perforations. For instance
the interior of each drum can be charged with liquid, and a sheet or coating of
absorbent material placed around the inner periphery of each drum in proximity to
the perforations to keep the said perforations charged with liquid. Or if the
perforations are sufficiently small the said sheet or coating may be dispensed with.
Or the exterior of each drum may be channelled or grooved in any suitable manner,
the said channels or grooves being filled with absorbent material which is kept
charged by the passage of liquid thereinto from the interior of the drum through
suitable holes.
Another method of producing wrinkled paper with a predetermined pattern such
as shewn for example in Figure 2 is as follows, that is to say, I dry wet material,
for instance paper after it leaves the forming machinery or a sheet of paper which
has been uniformly dampened, in varying spots or lines and at different points by
passing the wet web over a series of heated surfaces so formed as to dry the web t
certain spots or points only, leaving the intervening spaces to be dried afterwards.
Or I may treat it in any other manner whereby it is first dried in spots, and the
spaces intervening between the spots are afterwards dried.

page_text: Mechanism for drying a damp sheet of paper or the like in predetermined spots
or lines may be arranged as shewn in Figure 5 the rollers G being cut away or
grooved as shewn at H in Figure 6.
The grooves H as they cross form figures in the shape of diamonds H', said
figures being practically raised surfaces. These figures may be stars, crescents,
faces or assume any form desired or may be straight, broken or curved lines if
preferred. I prefer to operate on paper as it is being formed in the process of
manufucture but paper after its manufacture may be dampened or wet and operated
on as aforesaid by passing it over the drying cylinders and in contact with my
figured rolls.
The operation of the machine is as follows; that is to say, the wet and forming
sheet or web of paper is carried round the cylinders F and F' until it reaches
cylinders G, G, whose surfaces are figured or raised. As the paper passes in contact
with the cylinders G, G, the raised surfaces being heated, dry the damp web in
spots corresponding to the conformation of the raised surfaces while the intervening
parts of the paper are not dried but left damp. As the web of paper progresses,
it passes round cylinders F2 and F3 and the remainder of it is dried. The result
is, that the paper is wrinkled permanently and in the form of figure carried by the
faces of the rollers G, G.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A sheet of paper or other fibrous or analogous material having its surface
figured by wrinkles along or in proximity to predetermined pattern lines or spots
arranged in any desired manner, substantially as described.
2. The process of wrinkling paper or like material by passing a damp sheet of
the finished or partly finished material over drying surfaces which allow the paper
liberty to contract and wrinkle, substantially as described.
3. The process of ornamenting paper, by first drying the pulp until it forms a
sheet of wet paper, by pressing and holding it snugly against drying devices and
then removing the pressure so that the paper may have freedom to contract, and
passing the sheet over drying devices until it is dried, substantially as described.
4. Mechanism for wrinkling paper constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figures 3 and 4 or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In a paper drying machine such as claimed in the preceding claiming clause
a roller having some portions of its surface raised above the other portions thereof,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
6. The process of ornamenting paper or like material in a finished or partly
finished state by drying some portions of the same forming predetermined patterns
and then drying the other portions thereof, substantially as described for the
purpose specified.
7. The process of ornamenting paper or analogous material by first dampening
or wetting some portions of a dried or partially dried sheet of either finished or
partially finished material in predetermined patterns, or by dampening some portions
more than other portions thereof, and then drying the whole, substantially as
described.
Dated this 16th day of Wahr 1901
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.