Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 15th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 7th June, 1887.
We, HERMANN WILLIAM BREWTNALL, Wire Manufacturer & ARTHUR WILFRED
BREWTNALL, Electrical Engineer, both of The Clough, Thelwall, near Warrington,
Lancashire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
"
or folded
Our invention consists of an apparatus for enabling cloth to be "hooked
without perforating its margin as in the present method. This object is effected by a
mechanical appliance for taking hold of each fold of the cloth as it is made, the holding
device at the same time acting as an end gauge to ensure the folds all being of equal
length. Each fold is caught & retained by a suitable clip which only takes hold
when caused to do so by the hand which raises the cloth into position. The regularity
of the edges of the cloth is secured by suitable guides or gauges. When the whole
"piece" of cloth has been folded and it is required to remove it from the holders, all
the clips are made to release their individual folds simultaneously by moving a.
suitably arranged lever or catch.
In order to put the apparatus in readiness for the next operation the clips are put
into starting position by another device actuated by a suitable lever or other
arrangement.
Dated this 13th day of October 1886.

page_text: Improvements in Cloth Folding Frames.
We, HERMANN WILLIAM BREWTNALL, wire manufacturer, & ARTHUR WILFRED
BREWTNALL, electrical engineer, both of The Clough, Thelwall, near Warrington, in the
county of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
Our apparatus for enabling cloth to be folded, without perforating it, consists of a
pair of brackets, to fix on the bar of the ordinary "hooking" frame, each supporting
a number of clips, the number to be varied according to the length, or lengths, of
material to be folded. Each clip is either acted upon by a spring, or is a spring blade
itself, so arranged as to close against a stop, or the preceeding clip, at the will of the
operator. The said clips on each bracket are alternately caused to close by
the operator, when he has raised the cloth into position for being clipped. The
position of the clips is regulated by a series of cams, on an axle at the rear of
the bracket frame. Each clip has its own cam, by which it is actuated through the
medium of a tumbler & connecting rod. The cam holds the clip open until it is
turned round into a position which allows the point of the tumbler, bearing upon it, to
sink into a pitfall in its circumference, this movement of the tumbler permitting the
spring to close this particular clip. The series of cams is threaded on to a square
spindle, which has, on each end, outside the frames, a ratchet-wheel, played upon by a
catch lever. One of these ratchet-wheels has the same number of teeth on its
circumference as there are clips in the bracket, which number varies for different kinds
of material. The operator, after lifting the cloth into position at either bracket,
pushes the lever before mentioned, & thus moves the cam-shaft round one tooth, &
causes one clip to close & take hold of the fold just lifted. He then doubles back the
cloth, & lifts it again to the opposite bracket, & moves the lever, as before, to cause
another clip to take hold. When the whole "piece" is folded, the inner lever, on both
brackets, is brought into play. This lever acts upon the second ratchet-wheel, which
has only two teeth for moving the cam-shaft, & other two for preventing recoil. The
first stroke with this lever revolves the cam-shaft to such a position that all the clips
are spread out, apart from each other, & the cloth is released. When the cloth is
removed, a second stroke, with the levers now being described, moves the cam-shaft
round to a position which opens all the clips to their greatest extent, "cocking" them,
ready for beginning a fresh piece. In some cases, we prefer to bring about this
movement by means of a clutch-wheel acting upon a ratchet-wheel, so formed that the
clips may be opened out & "cocked at any moment.
"
The releasing & "cocking" movements are brought about either by hand or foot.
Where it is desired to fold a number of short lengths, such as "dhooties," which are
five yards, or so, long, & ten, or so, to the "piece," we so arrange the cam-shaft &
ratchet-wheels, that we can fold the ten, or more, short lengths, forming the piece,
without intermission, & then we can release these short lengths, one by one, as they
are to be removed from the folder.
°
The outside edges of the clips act as end gauges, & may be either flush with one
another when closed, so that every fold of the piece is precisely the same length, or
they may be arranged so as to make each successive fold slightly shorter than the
preceeding one, so that the "piece" may "make up" more neatly.
In a second form of "Hooker," instead of the pivotted clips, closed by attached
springs, as before described, we use steel blades, with sufficient elasticity in themselves,

page_text: to close tightly on each other & retain the cloth between them. In this apparatus, the
control of the clips is effected by a frame, F, Fig. 6, rocking in a vertical plane, &
having, on each side, a catch H, which comes against wings, or protuberances, on the
blades. These wings are fixed in the same position on Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, Fig. 7, &c.,
& the wings on the intermediate blades, Nos. 2, 4, 6, 8, Fig. 7, &c., are a little higher,
or lower, in position. Thus, when the rocking-frame is raised, it disengages a blade
with the lower wings, & when depressed, a blade with the higher wings. When a
piece of cloth is folded with this, & is ready for removal, the two rods, R¹. & R².
Figs. 6 & 7 on which the spring-blades are threaded, are allowed to slide forward, so
spreading out the clips releasing the cloth. To prepare for folding a fresh piece, the
rods are pushed in again, & the catch-plate G, Fig. 7 falls into notches in the said
rods, & retains them in this position. The blades are then "cocked," or lifted into a
starting position, by means of a lever, E, Fig. 6, as shown in the drawings.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 shows the starting position of the clips (only
five clips are depicted for the sake of simplicity) & the "tripping lever," A with the
catch on the first tooth of the ratchet-wheel. Fig. 3 shows two folds of cloth held at D
& the remaining three clips in open position. Fig. 2 gives front view of bracket.
Fig. 4 is a pivotted clip. Fig. 5 is explanatory of the action of cams; A shows
position of tumbler on cam when clip is open, B when clip is closed & C when partially
open to release cloth.
Figs. 6. & 7. show the second form of apparatus herein described. Fig. 6 represents
a bracket with the spring clips "cocked" & in a starting position, having been
opened to this position by lever E being pushed up as far as shown by dotted line.
This lever then falls clear by its own weight, the bar P in fig. 6 going into recess Qin
Fig. 7. The wings or blades, as hereinbefore described, are inside the rocking frame F
& rest against the side catches H in this frame. The two rods R¹ & R2 on which
the blades are threaded as shown are held in the inner position as in Fig. 6 by the
catchplate G being pulled into notches in said rods by the spring S, Figs. 6 & 7.
Now when frame F is raised it allows a blade with lower wings to close & when
lowered a blade with higher wings as described. The object in having intermediate
shorter blades is to allow of the releasing of the actual clipping blades to be done by a
movement of the hand always in the same direction, that is a thrust against the
cushioned arm T. attached to frame F. the opposite movement of frame being brought
about by a spring not shown in drawing. In Fig. 7 the spring blades are shown
hanging freely for the cloth to be removed after folding. This freedom is given by
raising lever B which lifts catch-plate G out of notches in rods R & R & allows them
to slide forward to position shown in Fig. 7. To restore the apparatus to the starting
condition the rods R & R² are pushed in again until catch-plate G engages with
notches, then the blades are cocked" by lever E as before described.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of our said invention
& in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
1. In "hooking" or folding cloth the taking hold of each fold of the material by a
separate clip or holding device which retains it until released at will.
2. The method of simultaneously releasing all the folds from their individual clips
or holders when the cloth is to be removed from the folding frame as herein set forth.
3. The method of restoring all the said clips or holding devices to the starting
position, that is to say to a position for folding a fresh "piece" by the movement of a
lever or rotation of a clutch-wheel combined with suitable cams substantially as
described.
Dated this 14th day of February Eighteen hundred and eighty seven.