IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CROPPING OR SHEARING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clayton, of Bradford, in the County of York,
Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CROPPING OR SHEARING TEXTILE FABRICS."
Sealed the 21st April 1871, and dated the 7th November 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clayton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th November 1870.
I, JOHN CLAYTON, of Bradford, in the County of York, Mechanic, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CROPPING OR SHEARING TEXTILE FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to machinery well known as cropping or
shearing machinery used for cutting the projecting fibres from the
surface of textile fabrics, wherein a cylinder with spiral knives or blades
is caused to rotate and operate against another knife called a ledger
blade. In the process of cropping fabrics it is usual to join a series of
them end to end when they are drawn or pulled over a bed or pad in
succession through the machine to be operated upon; now the joinings

page_text: of the fabrics necessarily of two or more thicknesses of the said fabric
passing over the bed together, it is evident that the knives on the
cylinder would cut the fabric itself at those joinings if the cylinder
was not lifted at the time of those joinings passing, and heretofore this
has been done by the attendant lifting the cylinder at the proper time
which required personal vigilence to prevent damage.
The object of my Invention is to cause the machine to be self-acting
in thus effecting the lifting of the cylinder at the time required. For
this purpose I employ a roller for the fabric to pass over in addition to
the bed, and which I flatten on one side, or I have a portion cut away,
the remaining periphery or cylindrical surface I cover with card clothing
or pointed pins, or both, which the joining ends of fabrics will catch
upon and by the passage or travel thereof will cause rotation of the
roller until the flattened side or the part having no cards or pins upon
it comes round when the fabric ceases to turn it, and when a spring
or weighted holder acts on the flattened side and thereby holds the
roller in position until another joining of the ends to take on to the pins
or cards and again turning the roller. On the shaft of this roller I fix
a suitably formed cam or tappet, which by the rotation of the roller
operates a lever in connection with the axis of the cylinder and thereby
lifts it so that the knives are clear of the fabrics during the passage of
the joined ends over the bed or between it and the knives and so on,
the joined ends catching on the card roller gives rotation thereto and
the cam acting on the lever lifts the cylinder so that the knives are out
of contact with the fabrics at the time required, and on the said card
roller ceasing to be in contact with the fabric the cylinder is lowered
again to the proper position for the knives to operate in cutting the
projecting fibres from the surface of the said fabrics in the ordinary
manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;
filed by the said John Clayton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CLAYTON, of Bradford, in the County of York, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Clayton, Her special licence
that I, the said John Clayton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Clayton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CROPPING OR SHEARING TEXTILE FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Clayton, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly described 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 Scal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Clayton, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:-
I
This Invention relates to that class of machinery known as cropping
or shearing machinery used for cutting or shearing the projecting fibres
from the surfaces of textile fabrics, wherein a cylinder with spiral knives
or blades is caused to rotate and operate against another knife called a
"ledger blade." In the process of cropping or shearing fabrics it is
usual to join a series of lengths of them end to end in order that they
may be drawn or pulled over a bed or pad in succession in position to
be operated upon by the machine. According to the ordinary method
at the point where the lengths of fabric are so joined in consequence of
there being necessarily two or more thicknesses of the fabric passing
over the bed together, the knives on the cylinder would cut the fabric
itself at those joinings unless the cylinder were lifted at the time those
joinings pass the cutters, and heretofore this cutting of the joinings
has been prevented by the attendant lifting the cutting cylinder at the
time the joinings are required to pass, thereby requiring great personal
vigilance to prevent damage.

page_text: The object of my Invention is to cause the machine to be self-acting
by effecting the lifting of the cutting cylinder at the time required.
For this purpose I employ a cylindrical surface or roller for the fabric
to pass over (in addition to the bed), and which I flatten on one side,
or I have a portion cut away. To the remaining portion of the periphery
of the cylindrical surface or roller I apply card clothing or pointed pins
(or both) which the ends of the lengths of fabric at the joinings will
catch upon and in their passage or travel through the machino will
cause the cylindrical surface or roller to revolve, until the flattened side
or the part having no cards or pins upon it comes round, when the
fabric will cease to turn it, and a spring or weighted roller may if
required act on the flattened side, and thereby hold the roller in position
until the length of fabric under operation has been cropped or shorn,
and another joining of the ends comes into position to take on to the
pins or cards when the roller will be again caused to revolve. On the
shaft of this flattened card roller I fix a suitably formed cam or tappet,
which by the rotation of the roller operates a lever in connection with
the axis of the cutting cylinder, and thereby lifts the cutting cylinder
so that its knives are clear of the ends of the lengths of fabric during the
passage of the joined ends over the bed or between it and the knives,
and so on continuously, the joined ends of the lengths of fabric catching
on the card roller causing the same to rotate, and by means of the cam
acting on the lever causing the cutting cylinder to be lifted so that the
knives are out of contact with the fabrics at the time required; and
on the card roller ceasing to be in contact with the fabric, the cutting
cylinder is lowered to the proper position for the knives to operate, and
cut the projecting fibres from the surface of the said fabrics in the
ordinary manner.
a plan of so much of a machine for cropping or shearing textile fabrics
as will enable persons acquainted with such machinary to understand 3
the nature of my Invention; Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, are detailed views.

page_text: a, a, is the main framing; 6 is the cutting cylinder which receives
motion by means of a gut or band passing over a pulley affixed to a
shaft, receiving motion from a steam engine or other suitable power,
and passing over the pulley 6¹ affixed on its axis 6*; c is a cylindrical
surface or roller over which the fabric under operation passes in addition
to passing over the bed x only, as is the usual method. The cylindrical
surface or roller c is flattened or cut away at c¹, c¹, and the remaining
portion of its periphery is provided with card clothing c³, c, or it may
be provided with pointed pins or a combination of pointed pins and card
clothing against which the ends of the lengths of fabric at the joinings
will catch, and in their passage or travel through the machine will cause
the cylindrical surface or roller c to revolve until its flattened side c¹,
or the part having no cards comes in contact with the fabric, and
consequently the fabric will cease to turn it, and it will remain in this
position until another joining of the ends of the lengths of fabric
requires to pass through the machine. On the shaft c³ of the roller c
is affixed a cam or tappet c', which in the revolution of the roller c by
mcans of the truck or bowl d, and connecting lever d¹ raises or lowers
the front end of the levers or arms e, carrying the bearings e¹, in which
the cutting cylinder 6 revolves; e³, e², are brackets in which the axos
of the levers e turn; f, represents the fabric; and f¹a joining of the
ends of the lengths of the same; g, g, are guide rails which are supported
by brackets g¹, g¹. The dotted lines h in Fig. 3 represent the "ledger
blade." The fabric is drawn through the machine in the ordinary
manner with the ends f¹ of the fabric at the joinings, projecting on the
under side as shown, in order that when the ends ✓ come against
the points or cards cat the point (1), they will take on to those points
and cause the roller c to revolve, and in so doing to cause the cam or
tappet c to raise the truck or bowl d, and connecting link d, con-
sequently raising the levers or arms e and lifting the cutting cylinder c
out of the way of the fabric, and it will continue to hold the cutting
cylinder b away from the fabric until the card cylinder c and the cam
or tappet c' have made a complete revolution, and the ends of the
joinings have passed the cutting blades, when it will be again lowered
into position to operate on the fabric, and so on continuously without
requiring constant personal attention.
Hoving thus described the nature of my Invention, and means by

page_text: that I do not confine myself to the exact details shown and described,
as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar character
of my Invention; but what I do claim is,―
Firstly. The arrangement or combination of means for the purpose of
lifting the cutting cylinder of machinery for cropping or shearing textile
fabrics, substantially as described.
Secondly. I claim the employment of points or teeth, arranged in
position to be taken hold of by the ends of lengths of fabric at the
joinings for the purpose of causing the cutting cylinder to be lifted;
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clayton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one:
Witness,
W. COLBORNE BROOKES,
Patent Agent,
20, King's Road,
Bedford Row,
London.
JOHN CLAYTON.
(L.S.)