CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE OF STRETCHING AND OPENING TEXTILE OR WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
SLATER and JOHN NUTTALL SLATER, of Dunscar, near Bolton le Moors, in the
County of Lancaster, Bleachers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of December, in the fourteenth year
of Her reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Slater and John Nuttall Slater, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that we, the said James Slater and John Nuttall
Slater, our exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others as we, the said James
Slater and John Nuttall Slater, our exors, adññiors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
terms of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE
PURPOSE OF STRETCHING AND OPENING TEXTILE OR WOVEN FABRICS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said James Slater and
John Nuttall Slater, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters

page_text: Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
James Slater and John Nuttall Slater, do hereby declare the nature of our
Invention of "Certain Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for the
Purpose of Stretching and Opening Textile or Woven Fabrics," to consist in
untwisting, stretching, and opening goods or woven fabrics in the process of
bleaching or dyeing. And the manner in which the same is to be performed
and carried into effect will be seen in the annexed Drawings, and the following
description. The scale to which the Drawings are made is marked thereon,
and the same letter or figure of reference indicates the same part throughout.
Before we commence the description of the annexed Drawing, we would
remark that in the old practice of bleaching, the goods were removed from
one process to another, piece by piece, and many do so at present, but in the
more recent practice the pieces of textile or woven fabric are stitched or
fastened to each other end to end, so as to form a considerable length of
woven material. In this state the goods are run or passed by machinery in a
continuous band from one process of bleaching to another, and the cost and
labour of the former practice of moving them in masses greatly reduced; but
during this passage the band or continuous length of woven textile fabric is
constantly becoming twisted in one direction or the other during the bleach-
ing or dyeing process, and considerable labour and expense is incurred in
stretching or untwisting and opening such continuous band, so that it may be
placed down in a proper form when finished, or placed with a smooth surface
on rollers preparatory to the mangling or dyeing process. We shall now
proceed to describe one arrangement of our Invention which is applicable
to the stretching and opening of ordinary calicoes in the bleaching process.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation, Figure 2 a cross section, and Figure 3
a plan of our apparatus. In these Figures A, A, are two spur wheels gearing
into each other, one of which is driven by any adequate first mover. These
wheels A, A, necessarily revolve in opposite directions. On the respective
shafts of the wheels A, A, are placed the pulleys a, a, which partake of their
rotation. Intermediate between the pulleys a, a, is suspended a small pulley Z
of peculiar construction, which we shall hereafter describe. This pulley Z is
supported on its journals by two vibrating levers B, B, see Figures 1 and 2,
and may be brought in contact with either of the larger pulleys a, a, by the
operator, who governs its position by moving the lever b at the opposite end of
the shaft C from which the levers B, B, are suspended. By this arrangement
supposing the operator to keep the levers B, B, perpendicular, the pulley Z

page_text: will remain at rest, but if vibrated and brought into contact with either of the
revolving pulleys a, a, it will by surface motion be revolved in one direction or
the other. The pulley Z is seen at half size at Figure 6, which represents a
longitudinal section, Figure 4 one end view, and Figure 5 the opposite end.
It is constructed of brass, with the exception of an iron rim or hoop y, which
comes in contact with one of the pulleys a, a, when vibrated by the operative.
The axis or centre of rotation of the pulley Z is hollow, and provided with four
small levers or finger pieces D, which move freely on their respective
fulcrums d. Around the ends of these four levers is placed a ring of caout-
chouc or india rubber, marked e (see Figure 5), which has a constant tendency
to force them together at the centre of rotation, as indicated by dotted lines at
Figure 6. The twisted band or continuous length of woven or textile fabric
marked o is passed through the centre of the pulley Z, as seen at Figures 1
and 3, and thence forwards, as indicated by small arrows, between a pair of rods
or flat bars at E, from which it proceeds to the canwry or drawing rollers at F.
The operator standing at the lever b, Figuro 1, looks on the band of woven
fabric as it is drawn forward from the centre of the pulley Z, and according to the
direction of the twist there may be in such band, vibrates the pulley Z into
contact with one or other of the pulleys a, a, which instantly revolves. The
pulley Z and the band of textile or woven fabric is untwisted or stretched by
the pressure of the levers D so as to take out any twist which may be in the
goods in one direction or the other. The continuous band of woven or textile
fabric then proceeds forward to the flat surfaces or bars at E, where it is
spread out into its original form by the constant elevation and depression of
the bars E, which stretching or vibrating movement is obtained from a crank
on the revolving shaft H, see Figures 1 and 3. From between the bars E
the band of textile or woven fabric passes over the wince or revolving ribbed
wheel G, which periodically striking and shaking the fabric as it passes over
the ribs delivers it in a smooth and flattened state to the canwry or drawing
rollers at F, where the operation is completed, the goods being afterwards plaited
or folded down by the vibrating lever X in the ordinary way. By this
arrangement the operator who stands at the lever 6 has the command of the
rotation of the pulley Z, and also by a series of levers, which we have not
thought it necessary to shew in the Drawing), the command of the rotation of
the canwry or drawing rollers at F, as well as those at M, see Figure 1, so
that he can at any moment arrest the progress of the operation when
required.
->
In the above description of the apparatus which we use for bleaching
purposes (and which is equally adapted for dyeing or other process where the

page_text: goods are passed in a continuous band as described) it will be remarked that
the two most important points of the arrangement are, the untwisting
or stretching, represented at Z, and the vibrating or opening, as described
at E.
The mechanical arrangement already described for effecting the two opera-
tions of opening and stretching are found to answer well, but it will be obvious
that such mechanical arrangements may be variously modified and varied,
without departing from the essential character of our Invention. In illustra-
tion of this, we shall firstly describe a different arrangement for effecting the
untwisting or stretching movement; and secondly, a different arrangement
for effecting the opening movement.
Figure 7 represents a front elevation, Figure 8 a side elevation, and Figure 9
a plan of another stretching or untwisting apparatus, for the same purpose as
that already described at Z, Figures 1 and 2, the same letters of reference
indicating the same parts. This apparatus is placed in a perpendicular
position (and we would here remark that the apparatus already described
may be placed horizontal, perpendicular, or at any angle, as convenience may
require). In this perpendicular position the weight of the continuous band
of goods falling into the cone Z causes them to partake of its rotation, in the
same way as the pressure of the levers D, already described. The direction
of rotation of the cone Z is governed by the traverse of the lever b, see
Figure 8, which brings it into contact with one or other of the driving
pulleys a, a (as already explained), and the stretching or taking out of the
twist is effected as required.
Figure 10 represents a side view, and Figure 11 a front view of another
modification of apparatus for vibrating or opening the continuous band of
goods. In this arrangement the driving pulley I imparts motion by a strap
to the pulley i, placed on a shaft carrying the parallel ribs or shafts K, K,
which are thereby periodically revolved. The spur wheels m, m, gear into
each other, and impart a reverse rotation to a shaft also carrying ribs R, R.
The band of goods is passed between the rods K, K, and R, R, as indicated
at 0,0, so that the goods are necessarily vibrated as the rods K, K, and R., R,
alternately pass them in opposite directions; but these and various other
arrangements may be adopted for the same purpose, though according to our
present experience, the arrangement first described fully answers the purpose
required.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, together the with
manner in which the same may be performed and carried into effect, we do
not claim the parts of the apparatus herein described or referred to when

page_text: taken separately, nor do we confine our claim of invention to the exact
arrangement of apparatus set forth and described; but what we do claim as
our Invention is,―
Firstly, the stretching or untwisting of textile or woven fabrics, as above
described, by machinery and apparatus applied for that purpose. And,
Secondly, the opening of such goods by a vibratory motion, as above
<lescribed.
And such being to the best of our knowledge and belief new, and never
before practiced, we deliver this as our true and faithful Specification of the
same.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Slater and John Nuttall Slater,
have hereunto set their hands and scals, this Twenty-seventh day of
May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-one.
(L.S.)
JOHN NUTTALL (L.s.) SLATER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid John Nuttall Slater came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifica-
tion aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.