IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MEASURING AND FOLDING CLOTH BASICS OR MANTRACTURED MATERIALS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MEASURING AND FOLDING CLOTH
BASICS OR MANTRACTURED MATERIALS "A communication.
444
VERMANY
FABRICS OF MANTRACTURED MATERIALS
communication
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with, his Petition, on the
3rd March 1854.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MEASURING AND FOLDING
CLOTH AND OTHER FABRICS OR MANUFACTURED MATERIALS" to be as follows:-
This improved machinery consists of a reciprocating table, formed of the
segment of a cylinder, the arms of which are keyed to an axle or central shaft
that vibrates in a suitable frame at intervals, adjustable according to circum-
stances. The reciprocating movements of the table are effected by attached
rods or arms leading from a rotary crank. The cloth or other material is to
be delivered from a roll above and conducted down to the table, where one end
of the cloth is made fast to the extreme edge of the segment. The table being
then moved upon its axle, a certain length of cloth is drawn from the roll
passed under a guiding folder, and spread evenly upon the surface of the table,

page_text: the exact length being determined by previous adjustments of the machinery.
One length of cloth being by these means laid upon the table, an apparatus is
made to fall upon the cloth, so as to hold it firmly whilst the table vibrates in
the opposite direction, and thereby folds an equal length of cloth upon the
former layer.
Thus, by a succession of vibrations of the table, certain lengths of cloth are
drawn from the roll above, spread upon the curved surface of the table, and
measured with exactness, and folded into a heap, each fold being of the like
dimensions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 MACHINERY FOR MEASURING AND FOLDING CLOTH AND
OTHER FABRICS OR MANUFACTURED MATERIALS," being a communication from
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of "Improved Machinery for Measuring and Folding Cloth
and other Fabrics or Manufactured Materials," and which has been commu-
nicated to me by my foreign correspondent as aforesaid, is shewn in several
views in the accompanying Drawing.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine for folding and measuring
cloth. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the opposite side of the same. Fig. 3 is an
end view. Fig. 4 is a plan of the supporting platform or table and one folder;
and Fig. 5 is a top view of the machine with the platform and folding table
removed.
In most of the machines employed for folding and measuring cloth, the
folding operation has been accomplished by means of moving folders, or by
delivering rollers set in a carriage which is made to traverse to and fro across
or along the table, and deposit the cloth thereon in layers of equal length.
Machines constructed on this principle will not always, or under all circum-
stances, fold and measure accurately the cloth which is passed through them,
as the effect of the moving folders is very variable upon the cloth, and the
rollers in the traversing carriages do not always deliver evenly and accurately.
By the improved machinery, for which I have obtained Letters Patent, as
aforesaid, the folding and measuring operations are unerringly and accurately
performed; and the essential features of the machine are a moving table formed
of a segment of a cylinder, and having a reciprocating vibratory motion im-
parted to it, the length of which motion may be regulated and adjusted for
different lengths of folds. This table is provided with a pair of guiding folders,
which operate alternately, and form successive folds of the cloth. There is also
a pair of adjustable holders at each end of the traversing table to hold the folds
as they are made, these holders being arranged so as to be lifted at the time
that the end of each fold is approached, and then shut down upon the same as
soon as the table begins to reverse its motion.
In the Drawings, a, a, a, a, in the several Figures represent the framework of
the machine; b, b, is a platform mounted upon the top of a portion of this
framework, and supporting the standards, in which are mounted the journals of
the rollers c, c, which contain the cloth to be folded and measured. Near
the front edge of the platform b, b, is an elongated slot d, d, made of such
dimensions as to accommodate the greatest width of cloth to be folded, and..
having an adjustable guide e, e, at each end, so that the slot may be contracted,
to accommodate cloths or fabrics of lesser width. The guides e. c, may be..

page_text: secured in any desired position by means of the slots and set screws, shewn at
ff, (Fig: 4.).
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, 9, 9, is the moving folding table, formed of a seg
ment of a cylinder, and of sufficient breadth to receive cloths of the greatest
width. This table is supported on the upper end of the radial: arm h, h,
(Figs. 2 and 3,) and its braces i, i, the lower end of this radial arm being
connected to the rocker shaft k, k, (Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5.) The journals of this
shaft have proper bearings in the lower part of the framework, as shewn in the
Drawings. The radial arm h, h, upon being vibrated, imparts a reciprocating
motion to the folding table g, g, and the vibrations of the said arm are effected
by means of the connecting rod 1, l, attached at one end to the crank m, and
at the other to the arm h, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, and the said crank
being revolved by being attached to the end of the revolving shaft n
resting and turning in bearings in the lower part of the framework, as shewn
in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5.
"
On the centre of the shaft n is a large toothed wheel o, which engages with
the pinion p on the crank or driving shaft q, q, and through the connection
thus established between the shaft n and the driving shaft q, q, the former is
made to revolve, when motion is communicated to the driving shaft by means
of the winch z. The length of vibrations of the radial arm h, h, and con-
sequently of the sweep through which the folding table is made to traverse
forward and back, may be varied by varying the length of the crank m, and
this may be effected by making the end of the connecting rod 7, 1, which is con-
nected to the crank m, adjustable in a slot r, r, by means of the clamp screw
s, (Fig. 2,) as will be readily understood on examination of Figs. 2 and 3.
The object of thus varying the traverse motion of the folding table is to vary
the length of folds in the cloth, according to the desire of the manufacturer.
The end of the cloth to be folded being conducted down from the roller c, c,
through the slot d, d, is passed underneath the rectangular guiding folders
t, t, t, t, and confined under one of the elongated holders or clamps u, u,
arranged at each end of the folding table, so that they may operate with the
said tableas nippers. The two guiding folders t, t, are arranged so as to rock
in bearings at opposite ends of the framework of the machine, as shewn in the
Drawings, and operate alternately so as to guide the cloth only against the top
of the table, and under each of the two holders u, u, alternately; but they
have nothing to do with determining the length of the folds, this, as before
observed, being effected by the movements of the folding table. The inner edges
of these guiding folders t, t, are (when they are operating to guide the cloth)
kept in contact with the surface of the folding table by means of the helica.

page_text: springs arranged, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, and they are alternately relieved
from the cloth or table, when not wanted to guide the former, by the following
combination of mechanical parts.
An arm,, projects at an obtuse angle to the plane of the folders from
the rear of each, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, and these armis *,*, are con-
nected by the rods w, w, to the lower ends of the two diverging levers x, x,
which turn on proper pins or fulcra in the connecting rod y, y. The edges of
the shorter arms of these levers x, x, bear against the two sides of the central
cleatz, (as shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) so that these arms may turn upon
their fulcra in one direction, or so that their lower ends may approach each
other, but may not be turned in the other direction. By this arrangement,
when the connecting rod y, y, is made to vibrate, it will alternately, by its
motions, through the medium of the said levers x, x, rods w, w, and arms *,*,
raise the folders from the cloth, as above mentioned.
The vibrations of the rod y, y, are connected with the motion of the rocker
shaft k, k, and consequently with the movement of the folding table, by means
of the crank a¹ on one end of the said rocker shaft, as shewn in Fig. 1, and by
reason of this connection the folders will always be lifted at the proper time,
whatever variation may be made in the movement of the folding table for the
purpose of making different lengths of folds. The holders u, u, are always kept
down upon and caused to gripe the folds, except at the moment when a new
fold is being guided under them by the folders, at which time they are lifted for
an instant, and immediately after descend again to hold the folds. These holders
are narrow rectangular frames, as shewn in the Drawing, and rock on journals,
which rest in adjustable angular supports 6', 6', 6', 6', the horizontal arms of
which are slotted, so that they may be secured to the under side of the
folding table, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, by means of the screws c¹, c¹; this
adjustment being necessary, as will readily be perceived, in order to provide for
different lengths of folds. The griping edge of the holders is kept down upon
the folds by means of the rods d', d', d', d', connected at one end to a projecting
arm or tail e, e', of the holders, the other end of these rods d', d¹, moving in a
guiding hole in the sector-shaped block f on the rocker shaft.
A coiled spring g', g', on each rod d', d¹, bears at one end on the periphery
of the said block f, and at its other end against a nut h¹, secured at any proper
position on the rod d', d', so as to keep the holders constantly on the folds,
unless when relieved from the same, as above suggested, and so as to accommo-
date the accumulating pile of folds. The lifting of the holders u, so that each
new fold may be guided under the same, is effected by means of a pin or stud i¹
arranged on one edge of each holder, and at or near its front; which stud, by

page_text: coming in contact at the proper time with a cam k, k, hung on a support ',,
fixed on one of the inner corners of each of the folders slightly raises the holder,
as the cam is curved, so as to secure the requisite degree of lift. This cam k
is arranged so as to tilt upwards (to allow of an easy escape of the pin 2¹ in its
back traverse) by being supported on a pin m¹ in the supports l', but it is kept
from moving downwards by a lateral arm, which rests on a ledge of the support
1, as shewn at n', in Figs. 1 and 2. A spring o¹ may be used to prevent the
cam from flying up.
In order to remove the cloth (when folded) from the folding table, it is
necessary to lift the folders and holders altogether from the table. This opera-
tion is effected as follows:-A treadle lever p', p¹, has a fulcrum at one end on
the framework, and at its other end it has chains or cords q', q', which connect
it to the lower ends of the diverging levers x, x, before referred to, as operating
the folders, and by depressing the treadle by the foot, these folders will be lifted
entirely from the cloth, as desired. Another chain from the same treadle
lever p¹ works a cross lever s, s, (Fig. 3,) having a proper fulcrum in the radial
arm h, h, and from the opposite end of the said levers a cord t¹, t', depends, and
passes around a fixed pulley u¹ to the lower ends of two rods v¹, v³, (Fig. 2;)
the upper ends of which rods v¹, v¹, are connected to the arms e¹, e¹, of the
holders, so that, from what has been before explained, it will be seen that the
depressing of the treadle p' will raise the two folders t, t, and two holders u, u,
and entirely disengage them from the cloth, which may then be removed from
the table with perfect ease, and without disturbing the folds.
Having thus described the Invention that has been communicated to me, as
aforesaid, I would observe, in conclusion, that although I have described the
best means with which I am acquainted for carrying the improvements into
effect, I do not mean or intend to confine myself to the precise arrangement or
construction of parts herein shewn and described, as they may doubtless be varied
without departing from the nature and object of the present improvements;
but what I claim as new in the above described Invention, and desire to have
secured to me by Letters Patent is,―
First, making the folding table of a machine for folding and measuring cloth
to move with a reciprocating axial motion, as above set forth. I also claim
making the said motion adjustable, in order to change the length of the folds to
be made and measured.
Second, I claim the combination of the moving folding table, operating as
above specified, with the guiding folders, and the elongated holders to each side
of the table for folding and guiding the cloth to be folded.
Third, I claim making the said holders adjustable upon the ends of the

page_text: folding table, so as to accommodate different lengths of folds, as herein above
set forth.
Fourth, I claim the arrangement herein set forth, or any mere modification
thereof, for lifting the holders alternately.
Fifth, I claim the arrangement above described, or any mere modification
thereof, for relieving the cloth when folded from the folders and holders, so
that it may be removed from the folding table.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)