A NEW OR IMPROVED FABRIC FOR TABLE MATS OR TRAYS, MATS OR COVERINGS FOR FLOORS AND. OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES, AND MODES OR APPARATUS FOR MANDRAGIRING GAME
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Paton, of Johnstone, in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "A
NEW OR IMPROVED FABRIC FOR TABLE MATS OR TRAYS, MATS OR COVERINGS
FOR FLOORS AND. OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES, AND MODES OR APPARATUS FOR
MANDRAGIRING
GAME
"
Sealed the 28th January 1876, and dated the 6th September 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Paton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th September 1875.
I, WILLIAM PATON, of Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North.
Britain, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED FABRIC FOR TABLE MATS OR TRAYS, MATS
OR COVERINGS FOR FLOORS AND OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES, AND MODES OR APPA-
RATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
-
This said Invention consists in the rolling or placing of platted,
plaited, woven, or twisted braids, cords, bands, or strands of any desired
thickness, either with or without central cores, close and tight together
i

page_text: in parallel rows in a flat plane in the form of a fabric or cloth of the
thickness of the said braids or strands. These strands or braids are
previously manufactured in the twisting, weaving, or braiding machines
in the usual manner employed for that purpose out of silk, cotton, wool,
-hemp,-flax, jute, manilla, or other suitable fibrous material, or out of
strands, threads, or cords of any-of-these twisted or platted together,
or mixed with gold, silver, or other metallic cords, laces, or-wires._
After which, for smaller mats or pieces of fabric, these ornamented
braids or twisted strands are rolled or laid in rows in the parallel
manner stated on a revolving spindle, or other equivalent, between
two discs set at the width apart of the thickness of the braids or
strands, and when the groove between the discs is full or the mats
large enough they are removed from the narrow space and spindle and
compressed in hydraulic or other powerful presses to give it solidity
in the form of a fabric or matting, after which it may then be sewn
by sewing or embroidering machines in parallel, radial, or ornamental
lines (or the sewing may be done by hand) with "invisible" thread
and sewing, or with different colored threads to form ornamental sewing
or otherwise; the strands or braids may be fixed together by laying
these pieces of the fabric on ordinary cloth, paper, oilskin, felt, india-
rubber, or other backing, with some adhesive substance between them,
such as glue or gutta percha solution, either before or after being.com-
pressed to insure perfect cohesion; or these mats or pieces of the new
fabric may be coated or varnished with any suitable adhesive substance
on one or both sides for the like purpose, and for making them more
durable and impervious to water, or for-brightening or subduing the
_colors on the-surface of the fabric, as may be desired.
To give contrast and variety of color or different textile effects to this
_new or improved fabric, whether made in small pieces, as stated, or in
large pieces or lengths, the foundation braids or material out of which
it is folled or formed may each be made of various colors, and textile
threads or strands twisted or platted together to give a party-colored
effect as of hard polished threads with strands of soft yarns, such as
chénille, piled, frizzed, or looped wefts or yarns, or the individual braids
may be wholly of different colors, and form or textile quality, and then
have these rolled or laid together in any variety to give greater-effect
in colored patterns or designs in the small or large pieces of this new or
improved fábric.

page_text: The small pieces might be made in round, elliptical, oblong, poly-
gonal, or other forms, and laid together and cemented on a backing of
cloth or other equivalent to form large design in the manner of mosaic
or inlaid wood and straw work, having the smaller interstices filled up
with small designs or pieces, or in parallel rows of the braid by hand
for forming large lengths or pieces of this new or improved fabric, as
for floorcloths, mattings, or other purposes.
Pieces of this fabric may be made, as stated, in sizes and forms
suitable for making ornamental trays or shallow vessels, as for fruit
dishes, and then be shaped and embossed or compressed into these
articles in suitable dies or moulds in hydraulic or other powerful
presses.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Paton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th March 1876. .
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PATON, of Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Paton, Her
special licence that I, the said William Paton, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Paton,
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
**A NEW OR IMPROVED FABRIC FOR TABLE MATS OR TRAYS, MATS OR COVERINGS
FOR FLOORS AND OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES, AND MODES OR APPARATUS FOR
MANUFACTURING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Paton, my executors or administrators, by an instru-

page_text: .
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals,
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 William Paton, do hereby declare
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 in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say :—
'
My said Invention consists in the rolling or placing of platted, plaited,
woven, or twisted braids, cords, bands, or strands of any desired thick-
ness, either with or without central cores, close and tight together, in
parallel rows in a flat plane in the form of a fabric or cloth of the
thickness of the said braids or strands. These strands or braids are pre-
viously manufactured in the twisting, weaving, or braiding machines in
the usual manner employed for that purpose, out of silk, cotton, wool,
hemp, flax, jute, manilla, or other suitable fibrous material, or out of
strands, threads, or cords of any of these twisted or platted together,
or mixed with gold, silver, or other metallic cords, laces, or wires;
after which for the making of small mats (such as table mats) or
such sized pieces of fabric, these ornamented braids, or twisted strands
or threads are rolled or laiḍ in rows in the parallel manner stated on a
revolving spindle-or-other equivalent between two discs set at the width
apart of the thickness of the braids or strands, and when the groove
between the discs is full, or the mats wound large enough, these rolls or
pieces of the material so far prepared are removed from the narrow space
and spindle and compressed in hydraulic or other powerful presses to
give it solidity in the form of a fabric, or matting, or other article, after
which it may then be sewn or stitched together by-sewing or embroidery
machines in parallel rows at the edges or otherwise, or radial or in
ornamental lines (or the sewing may be done by hand), as embroidery,
or with nearly "invisible" thread and sewing, or with different coloured
threads to form ornamental sewing, or otherwise. The strands or braids
may be fixed together by laying these pieces of the fabric without sewing
on ordinary cloth, paper, oilskin, felt, india-rubber, or other backing,

page_text: •
either before or after being compressed, with some adhesive substance
between them, such as glue, or gutta percha solution, or other suitable
dissolved gums or adhesive cementing substance which would dry by
heat or evaporation and insure the perfect cohesion of the new work or
material without the backing; or these mats or pieces of the new fabric
may be coated or varnished with any suitable adhesive substance on one
or both sides for the like purpose of imparting to it the firmness of an
elastic or limp fabric, and for making them more durable and impervious
to water, or for brightening or subduing the colours on the surface of
the fabric as may be desired, either with or without the
backing herein-before referred to.
or
To give contrast or variety of colour or textile effects to this new or
improved fabric, whether made in small pieces, as stated, or in large
pieces, lengths, or webs, the foundation braids, cords, or material out
of which it is rolled or formed may each be made of various colours,
and textile threads or strands, twisted or platted together, to give a
party-coloured effect as that of hard polished threads, or with strands of
soft yarn, such as chenille, piled, frizzed, or looped wefts or yarns mixed
therewith; or these individual braids for subsequently forming new
fabric may be plaited or twisted wholly of one of the various colours
and form or textile quality, and then have these rolled or laid together,
all of one colour or in any variety, to give great difference of effect in
coloured patterns or designs to the small or large pieces of this new or
improved fabric, or the mats or other articles made therefrom.
The small pieces may be made in round, elliptical, oblong, polygonal,
or other forms, and laid together and cemented on a backing of cloth
or other cquivalent to form large designs in imitation of mosaic or inlaid
wood and straw work, having the smaller interstices filled up with small
designs or pieces, or in parallel rows of the braid by hand as a
"ground." For forming large lengths or pieces of this new or improved
fabric, as for floorcloths, mattings, or other purposes, or the interstices
might be left narrow and hollow without being filled in so that the
backing would show as a ground.
Picces of this fabric may be made as stated. in sizes and forms suitable
for making ornainental trays or shallow vessels, as for fruit dishes, and
then be shaped and embossed or compressed into these articles in
suitable dies or moulds in hydraulic or other powerful presses.

page_text: "
And in order that the nature and mode of performing my said
Invention may be fully understood, I now proceed to describe the
several Figures on the accompanying Sheet of. Drawings, which I have
hereunto appended for the purpose of showing the best modes and
means I am at present aware of for carrying the same into effect or
practice, the same letters of reference indicating the same or like parts
in all the Figures-where-shown.
"
"
Figures 1 and 2 are a vertical elevation and a corresponding horizontal
view of the same taken on the line 1---1 in Figure 1 of a simple form
of machine or spindle and discs for rolling or winding the foundation
plaited or twisted strands into the new or improved fabric or articles,
in cases where the strands are laid close together as a compact fabric
of simple shapes, such as round, oval, or polygonal, an oblong oval for
table mats being represented in Figure 2 as in the act of being rolled,
while Figure 3 indicates a front or top view of such a mat as finished
with a small part of it coloured, and Figures 4 and 5 represent the front
or top view of the small corner piece of "squares or large mats, such
as for floorcloths and coverings for side tables and similar uses; and
Figure 6 shows a similar front view of a round form of mat, all shown
as made of this new fabric in accordance with my Invention, each with
a part coloured to indicate the effects which may be produced thereby,
while Figure 7 shows a stopper, jar, or bottle as covered with this new
or improved fabric formed or plaited round it, giving the effect and
advantages of basket, wicker, or reed work; and Figures A, B, and C
show a small piece of the ordinary foundation plaited or twisted strands
or material out of which the body or-foundation of the new or improved
fabric is made.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the construction and arrangement of the
'machine for rolling or winding the simple forms of pieces or articles of
this new or improved fabric consist of one actual rolling or winding
disc A keyed or fixed on-the-top of the vertical spindle B, revolving in
bush bearings in the frame or headstock C, secured at Z to a wall,
column, or other stationary part of the building, the spindle being
actuated by the fast and loose pulleys D, D', mounted on its lower end
through the band D₁ from any adjacent prime moving shaft, or it
might-be by a winch handle or wheel direct or with gearing. A second
disc A¹ is mounted on the lower cnd of a spindle B¹, so as to revolve
- loose in the headstock C' secured at Z', as the headstock C is secured,

page_text: all so that the disc A³ and spindle B₁ would revolve in the same axial
line as the driving spindle and disc B, A, and fitted so as to be raised
or lowered in the headstock by the handle E, and fixed at any desired
height by the hand screw and gripper F, F", in the headstock C¹, the
5 'disc A' or the handle E being made loose, so that the disc may revolve
on the spindle, or the spindle in the headstock, as desired, without
turning the handle E.
The foundation strands a and b, Figures A and B, are previously
plaited or braided in ordinary braid plaiting or weaving machines, either
) with or without a core d, as shown respectively in these Figures A and
B, the core when used being made of metal, twine, or other limp
material, or of india-rubber, or a combination of any of these, to give
any desired degree of stability, softness, or elasticity found desirable for
the particular purpose or article to be produced in accordance with this
> Invention.
The outer plaited surfaces of these foundation strands a and b of
Figures A and B might either be made all of one plain or uniform
colour or texture of yarn, or of various colours and textures, or with
metallic wires, to give particular effects in the individual strands, in
O addition to the effects of design in colour or form produced by the use
of various colours and textures of the plain strands, and for some
purposes the strands may be made of ordinary plain white, or coloured
or variegated coloured twisted strands or cords, as shown at c, in
Figure C, to give variety with the plaited cords, Figures A and B. For
making the simple mats or forms of pieces a* before mentioned in the
rolling machine, Figures 1 and 2, any of these cords or strands a and b,
Figures A, B, and C, may be wound from off reels or hanks on to the
disc A by attaching or laying the free end as a' of the material a firmly
against the projecting centre A*, and after forming one layer or so the
upper disc A¹ is lowered by its handle E and spindle B₁ until it rests on
the centre A or nearly so, as indicated in red lines in Figure 1, leaving
a narrow space at 1- 1, which guides and maintains the braids a
while they are being wound into the thin flat fabric form a*, indicated
in Figure 2, the disc A' revolving with the 'under one A either by
friction or by the centre piece A* passing up into it. When the
material a is wound to the size desired the motion of the winding disc
A is stopped by shifting the band D" on to the slack pulley D', and the
top disc and spindle A, B², are raised and fixed up by the hand screw
-- "

page_text: ·
F, as shown in black lines in Figure 1, when the wound piece is
removed from the disc and centre A, A*, the outer end being cut off.
and thined or scarfed and laid inwards, as dotted in at a", in Figure 2,
_or_sewed_to_the_outer roll as desired, preferably the former when, a
backing of oilskin or other material is glued or cemented over the one
side, which may be done either before or after removing the wound
piece of fabric a* from the disc A. In Figure 2 the wound piece of
fabric a is shown as made out of a plain plaited braid a, all of one
colour and texture, with a twine core in it, but in Figure 3 it is shown
as formed out of an ornamental or parti-colored plaited cord a, as:
shown in Figure A, with a central piece 6* similar to that shown in
Figure B (without a core) with a piece of wood or other hard substance
inserted into the hole in the centre formed by the revolving spindle A*
to give stability to the table mat, which in this case is finished by
compressing it within a screw or hydraulic press upon a backing of
American cloth or other material as before mentioned (not shown
in the Drawings) with glue or other cementing substance between
them.
Referring to Figures 4 and 5, these show different surface patterns
suitable for squares or large pieces of floorcloth matting, with the
borders formed of plaited and twisted foundation strands a* and c*,
corresponding to a and c in Figure A and Figure C respectively, the
former, Figure 4, shown as cemented on a blue floorcloth f, and the
latter, Figure 5, as cemented upon a green floorcloth 7 as a backing for
_strengthening and supporting the whole, the design or work being
formed-round-fine-pins set in a pattern board, and the main central or
body part of the square is filled in with diagonal parallel rows of strands,
similar to that shown in Figure A, as indicated at a³ in these Figures 4
"and¯5.—But-when-a-wire-core-is-put in the centre of these foundation
strands a*, or when made strong and heavy, the pattern might be formed
with interstices right through the fabric without a backing so as to be
reversible, the strands being sewed or cemented together while or after
being formed into the design or pattern.
Referring to Figure 6, this show a round table mat formed much as
described in reference to Figures 4 and 5, but with small centre pieces e
within circles round the border, which may be formed separately and
afterwards cemented on the blue backing, the centre of the mat being
formed of parallel rows of strands a³, as described in reference to

page_text: row C", when the whole may be varnished to ensure greater strength,
durability, and brilliancy.
Having now described the nature and mode of performing my said
Invention, I-wish-it-to-be-understood, that I do not confine myself to
the precise details and examples herein described and shown in the
Drawings; neither on the other hand do I claim the mere making of
the ornamental plaited or twisted foundation strands, as shown in
Figures A, B, and C, out of which the body of my new or improved
fabric is formed, but what I consider novel and original and therefore
claim as the Invention, secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is, the modes and means of, or apparatus for,
manufacturing the new or improved fabric for forming table mats or
covers, trays, fruit dishes, coverings for floors, jars, and other analogous
purposes, all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown
in the accompaniny Drawings or any merc modification thereof.
In witness whereof,.I, the said William Paton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Signed, sealed, and delivered,
in presence of
JAMES LAMONT,
JOHN TOUGH.-
WN. PATON. (L.S.)