CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF NARROW FABRICS, SUCH AS 'TAPES,' 'WEBBINGS,' 'BANDS,' 'RIBBONS,' OR OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Radcliffe, of Hollinwood, and Major Radcliffe,
of Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturers, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF NARROW
FABRICS, SUCH AS 'TAPES,' 'WEBBINGS,' 'BANDS,' 'RIBBONS,' OR OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Sealed the 31st January 1865, and dated the 4th August 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Radcliffe and
Major Radcliffe at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 4th August 1864.
We, JAMES RADCLIFFE, of Hollinwood, and MAJOR RADCLIFFE, of Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
NARROW FABRICS, SUCH AS 'TAPES,' 'WEBBINGS,' 'BANDS,' 'RIBBONS,' OR OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention is designed for the purpose of manufacturing that description
of narrow fabrics known as "tapes," "webbings," "bands," "ribbons," and
such like narrow fabrics, by the employment of one shuttle only, such narrow
fabrics having bitherto been woven side by side in a very wide loom, and
separate shuttles being used for each width of "tape," "ribbon," or other
fabric. The weaving is effected in the ordinary manner, the warp and weft
being employed as in weaving calico or other fabric, (or if preferred, the warp
may extend from back to front, as usual, and the weft be thrown across
diagonally to the warp); but instead of weaving an entire fabric across the
loom, the selvedge is formed by well-known means in many places across the
width, thus dividing the fabric into a series of bands joined together by

page_text: the continuation of the weft threads. In this state the piece may be bleached,
dyed, and embossed with a rib or pattern or not, or may be otherwise treated
as picce goods; and when finished by severing the weft threads close to the
selvedges, a number of finished ribbons, tapes, or bands will be produced the
entire length of the piece, and in a finished state.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Radcliffe and Major Radcliffe in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 4th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
RADCLIFFE, of Hollinwood, and MAJOR RADCLIFFE, of Manchester, both in the
County of Lancaster, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Radcliffe and Major Radcliffe, Her special license that we, the
said James Radcliffe and Major Radcliffe, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said James Radcliffe and Major Radcliffe,
our 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF NARROW FABRICS, SUCH AS TAPES,' 'WEBBINGS,' 'BANDS,'
RIBBONS, OR OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others),
that we, the said James Radcliffe and Major Radcliffe, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or one of our, 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 Major Radcliffe, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):
:-
Our Invention is designed for the purpose of manufacturing that description

page_text: of narrow fabrics known as "tapes," "webbings,"
66
bands," ribbons," or such
like narrow fabrics, by the employment of one shuttle only, such narrow
fabrics having bitberto been woven side by side in a very wide loom, and
separate shuttles being used for each width of "tape," "ribbon," &c. The
weaving is effected in the ordinary manner, the warp and weft being employed
as in weaving calico or other fabric (or if preferred the warp may extend from
back to front, as usual, and the weft be thrown across diagonally to the warp);
but instead of weaving an entire fabric across the loom the selvedge is formed
by well-known means, in many places across the width, thus dividing the
fabric into a series of bands joined together by the combination of the weft
threads. In this state the piece may be bleached, dyed, and embossed with a
rib or pattern, or not, or they may be otherwise treated as piece goods, and
when finished by severing the weft threads close to the selvedges, a number of
finished "ribbons," "tapes," or bands will be produced the entire length of the
piece, and in a finished state.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail, we have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings made upon a scale of
to the foot. Similar letters of reférence being marked
about
upon corresponding parts of the apparatus.
Fig. 1 represents the front elevation of that portion of the loom in which
the "tappets" and "jacks" are situated, actuating the supplementary shafts
of the selvedge healds.
Fig. 2 represents a plan view of the same, shewing more particularly the
subdivision of the warp threads into tapes or ribbons, and also the position of
the selvedge and ordinary heald shafts.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse Diagram of the healds, shewing the arrange-
ment of the extra or supplementary heald shafts, and the method of connect-
ing the same at the top and bottom, with the front or selvedge healds. This
Diagram shews also the respective position of such healds in connection with
the ordinary healds at the time of twisting or forming the selvedges of each
respective tape or ribbon.
In Figs. 1 and 2, a, a, is the framing of the loom, and b, b', the tappets
actuating through the "jacks" o, o, the extra or supplementary shafts of the
front or selvedge healds c, c¹; these heald threads (shewn in red) are placed so
as to act upon the outside warp threads of each respective tape, in the manner
herein-after described, the subdivision of the warp threads into tapes (shewn
in blue) being more readily seen in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, the selvedge healds c, c',
and the ordinary healds d, d', are shewn with the shed open, and in the
position when forming the selvedges of the tapes, the action of which will be

page_text: understood on reference to the Diagram. The warp threads passing through
the first loop c of the extra or supplementary healds, is continued thence to
the first eyelet or loop d² of the ordinary healds d; the bottom or lower warp
threads forming the "shed" is passed in like manner through the loop e of
the back or selvedge heald c', from thence it passes through the eyelet e¹ of the
ordinary back heald d', thereby causing, as the "shed" closes, a twist or knot
to be given to the outside warp threds of cach tape with the weft as it is
delivered from the shuttles during its traverse across the "shed."
We would here remark, that we do not desire to claim the method of
weaving or forming the selvedges, as the same means has been employed to
form selvedges in fabrics of wide width.
We would also remark that since the filing of the Provisional Specification
for our said Invention we have ascertained that the portion of the Invention,
as therein described, relating to the shuttle being thrown diagonally to the
warp
has proved to be impracticable, and we therefore hereby disclaim that
portion of the Invention.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, we wish it to be distinctly
understood that we claim weaving narrow fabrics such as "tapes," "bands,"
"webbings," or "ribbons," with one shuttle only, by subdividing the warp into
narrow widths, and forming a selvedge at each side of each width or tape by
the action of the healds, such narrow fabrics having hitherto been woven by a
number of shuttles each traversing only the width of one tape, so as to form
the selvedges, as berein-before described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the
Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said Major Radcliffe, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
MAJOR RADCLIFFE. (L.S.)
Witnessed by
JNO. L. DAVIES,
Patent Agent,
4, St. Ann's Sq., Manchester.