IMPROVEMENTS IN DIVIDING AND MEASURING BREADTHS OF LACE AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Dearman Dunnicliff, of Nottingham, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DIVIDING AND MEASURING BREADTHS OF
LACE AND OTHER FABRICS."
Sealed the 5th March 1858, and dated the 10th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Dearman Dunnicliff
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th September 1857.
I, JOHN DEARMAN DUNNICLIFF, of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DIVIDING AND MEASURING BREADTHS
OF LACE AND OTHER FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The instruments for cutting are a few inches long, and work upon a bar the
entire width of the machine; these instruments have each a blade at one end
and a small pulley at the other, so as to allow them to move either to the right
or left, as the selvages of the breadths may determine. As the breadths are
cut they wind round a reel, after which they are taken off by means of rollers
which run the entire width of the machine, and work near the top of
two troughs having separate divisions, one for each breadth. The work being
deposited in the troughs is drawn out by being passed over a small roller and
under another one a yard in circumference. A dial plate is fixed at one end,
which gives the measure of the lace or other fabric as it is passed' round the
swift or carding reel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Dearman Dunnicliff in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
DEARMAN DUNNICLIFF, of Nottingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first. year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Dearman Dunnicliff, Her special licence that I, the said. John
Dearman Dunnicliff, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Dearman Dunnicliff, 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 DIVIDING AND MEASURING BREADTHS OF LACE AND OTHER
FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Dearman
Dunnicliff, 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 John Dearman Dunnicliff, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
The instruments for cutting are a few inches long, and work upon a bar the
entire width of the machine; these instruments have each a blade at one end
and a small pulley at the other, so as to allow them to move either to the right
or left; as the selvages of the breadths may determine. As the breadths are
cut they wind round a reel, after which they are taken off by means of rollers,
which run the entire width of the machine, and work near the top of two
troughs having separate divisions, one for each breadth. The work being
deposited in the troughs is drawn out by being passed over a small roller, and
under another one a yard in circumference. A dial plate is fixed at one end,
which gives the measure of the lace or other fabric as it is passed round the
swift and carding reel.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
A
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews an end elevation of a machine combined according to part
of my Invention; Figure 2 shews part of a front elevation of the same; and
Figure 3 shews one of the cutting instruments separately.
a, a, is the framing of the machine; b is a reel on to which a piece of lace
is placed or wound, and in order that this may be conveniently done, two
of the rails on opposite sides of the axis of the reel are made to fold with their
spokes towards the axis, so as to lessen the circumference of the reel, and a
light cone of tin plate is placed on one end of the reel, so that the lace as it
comes folded from the dressing process is slided on to the reel, which is then
expanded to its full size and so as to hold the lace distended. The breadths of
lace are divided by means of cutters c, c, such as are shewn in Figure 3, which
are placed on the bar d, the grooved pulley coming against the edge d', by
which, and by reason of the peculiar form of the instruments c, c, such
instruments are capable of following any irregularity of the edges of the
breadths of lace. The bar d is carried by the arms d², d, and when cutting it
rests on supports e, fixed to the framing. When the breadths of a piece of lace
have been cut or separated the bar d is raised up out of the way. The
breadths of lace as they are cut are wound on to the reel f, and in order that
the end of a piece of lace (about to be cut or divided into its breadths) may
be held correctly on the reel f, one of the bars of the reel is provided with
points, on to which the end of the piece of lace is put before causing the reel
to rotate. The end of a piece of lace having been attached to the reel f, the
bar d is lowered into position, as shewn at Figure 1; the respective cutters c
are introduced into position, so as each to divide the selvages of two neigh-
bouring breadths of lace. The reel is then caused to rotate till the piece of
lace has been divided into its several breadths, which will have been received
on to the reel f. The reel 6 is then removed, and the reel f is, by means of a
cord g at each end of the machine, raised up into the position shewn by dotted
lines, and so that the ends of its axes will be supported by the recesses h¹, in
the upper ends of the slots h, in the end framings at the two ends of the
machine. On the end of the reel is a wheel i, with studs 3, suitable for
receiving an endless chain, and such endless chain is also placed on the chain
wheel j' on the end of the roller j, which is covered with two or three coatings
of soft flannel, hence, when the roller j is put in motion by the handle j³, the
reel will also be caused to revolve; k is a light roller or cylinder of sheet
metal, which rests on the surface of the roller j. On the roller j. is a crossed

page_text: band, which gives motion to the roller m, which is like the roller j, and is for
the same purpose; k is a light roller or cylinder which works with the
roller m.
When the wheelf has been raised as above explained, the ends of
the breadths of lace are alternately taken to the rollers j and m, the rollers k
being raised out of their bearings, to admit of the breadths being placed
between the rollers j, k, and m, k; and the rollers k, k, having been replaced,
motion is given to the roller j, the breadths will be alternately received into
the divided troughs m, m, as is indicated by the red lines. The breadths of
lace having been received into the troughs are next measured and wound on
to a reel, which is performed by, another machine, which is also suitable for
measuring and reeling other fabrics. Figure 4 is an end view of the machine
for this purpose, and Figure 5 is a front elevation thereof. The breadth of
lace or other fabric is conducted from the trough over a bar o between the
pegs p, which are placed in holes in the bar, according to the width of the
.breadth which is for the time being wound and measured. q is a roller or
cylinder of a yard in circumference, on the axis of which is a worm q', which
gives motion to the worm wheel q, on the axis of which is a pinion which
gives motion to the wheel g³, and the pointers q', 9, (which are fixed) point to
numbers on the wheels, which indicate the quantity of fabric which has passed
through the machine; r is a roller which presses on the roller q. The lace or
other fabric is wound on a reel s, from which the wound quantity is slid off or
otherwise; and to facilitate the sliding off, one or more of the bars of the reel
may be arranged to move towards the axis. The rollers q, r, are covered with
cotton velvet.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim the
separate parts of which each machine is composed; but what I claim is,
First, the combination of mechanism described in respect to Figures 1, 2,
and 3 of the Drawings.
And, secondly, I claim the combination of mechanism described in respect
to Figures 4 and 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Dearman Dunnicliff, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
JNO. D. DUNNICLIFF. (L.S.)
S. CARPMAEL.