IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF UPHOLSTERERS' TRIMMINGS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Dixon, of Wood Street, in the City of London,
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF UPHOLSTERERS' TRIMMINGS."
Sealed the 11th March 1862, and dated the 14th September 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Dixon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th September 1861.
I, GEORGE DIXON, of Wood Street, in the City of London, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF UPHOLSTERERS' TRIMMINGS," to be as follows:-
My said improvements consist in manufacturing upholsterers' trimmings
from "ruche," for which purpose silk, worsted, mohair, thread, cotton, or other
material is manufactured into a "web," in one or more "bodies," by hand or power
loom, with a warp consisting of silk, worsted, mohair, thread, cotton, or other
material, introducing in the said warp one or more ends of brass or other wire.
Each of the said "bodies," when cut through, form a "ruche," which is spun
or twisted upon a gut of either silk, worsted, mohair, thread, cotton, or other
elastic material, so as to form a cord. The said cord is woven in a hand
or power loom, in a warp of silk, worsted, mohair, thread, cotton, or other
material, so as to form a bullion fringe, which is placed in a steam chest and
there subjected to the action of steam, causing it to expand and possess a
richer appearance than it had before. The said "ruche," spun upon a "gut"

page_text: and treated as described, inay also be used for cords, curtain cords, curtain
holders, curtain loops, bell ropes, tassels, and other articles of upholsterers'
trimmings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Dixon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DIXON, of Wood Street, in the City of London, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Dixon, Her special licence that I, the said George Dixon, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Dixon, 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
terin therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Troland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
UPHOLSTERERS TRIMMINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George Dixon, 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 George Dixon, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
This Invention consists in manufacturing what are known as upholsterers'
trimmings, such, for instance, as bullion fringe, curtain cords, curtain bands,
and curtain holders, bell ropes, tassels, and other articles of similar character,
by the use, for the purposes aforesaid, of "ruche;" that is a fabric composed
of silk, worsted, mohair, thread, cotton, or other material manufactured into a
web, in one or more bodies, by hand or power loom, with a warp consisting of

page_text: silk, worsted, mohair, thread, cotton, or other material, having introduced into
the said warp one or more brass or other wires. And I prefer to weave this
web with a particularly close or thick face, which I effect, by preference, in a
leeso loom by "mounting" the said loom in accordance with tho "draught"
for mounting (shewn at Figure 10 of the accompanying Drawings hereafter
referred to) as will be readily understood by the practical weaver; but I do
not confine myself to this arrangement nor to the use of the leese loom. Each
of these bodies of the web, when cut through, form what is termed a "ruche,"
which is spun or twisted upon a central support, termed a gut, core, or centre,
of either silk, worsted, mohair, thread, cotton, or other flexible material, so as
to form a cord; and the said cord may be woven, as now practised by fringe
makers, in hand or power loom, with a warp of silk, worsted, mohair, thread,
cotton, or other material, so as to form a bullion fringe, which is then placed
in a steam chest and there subjected to the action of steam, causing it to
expand and leave a richer appearance than it had before; the time of sub-
mitting the fabric to the action of steam being from ten to twenty-five minutes,
according to the harshness or softness of the material. But instead of the
gut, core, or centre aforesaid being made of flexible, it might be made of
inflexible material, or material of but little flexibility, as wood or metal, for
instance. And, further, in all cases it may not be necessary to use any gut, core,
or centre, as the "ruche" before mentioned may be spun or twisted into the
form required without tho use of such gut, core, or centre, though I prefer to
use such gut, core, or centre as it gives greater fulness and richness of effect.
Having thus far described the nature of the said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I will now, for the further and better
description of the same, refer to the illustrative Drawings accompanying this
Specification thereof, by the words, figures, and letters following, that is to
say:-
Figure 1 denotes the front face of a web uncut for forming the "ruche"
aforesaid; Figure 2, web cut to form the rucho, A, B, denoting the lines of
cutting; Figure 3, back of tho said web uncut; Figure 4, back of the said
web cut, A, B, denoting the cutting lines; Figure 5 shews a strand of "ruche,"
completely cut away from the web, partly twisted or spun upon a central
support, gut, core, or centre, a being the strand, and
Figure 6, a piece of this ruche trimming complete;
trimming made up into a fringe; Figure 8, view of
strands intertwisted therewith to form festoon cords, bell ropes, and so forth;
Figure 9, ruche cornice fringe completo; Figure 10, the draught for mounting,
hereiu-before referred to.
the gut, core, or centre ;
Figure 7 shews the ruche
ruche trimming with silk

page_text: The designs and patterns shewn by Figures 6 to 9 may be varied, as this
ruche trimming will admit of much variation in design and pattern.
Having now particularly described the nature of the said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I claim in
regard thereto, the use of the said "ruche" for the purposes aforesaid, by
manufacturing the same into upholsterer's trimmings, and particularly as
regards the spinning, twisting, or turning the said "ruche" on a gut, core, or
centre to form a fringe.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Dixon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
GEORGE DIXON. (L.S.)
Witness to the signature of said
George Dixon,
W. H. BATEMAN,
General Patent Company, Limited,
71, Fleet Street.