IMPROVEMENTS IN PLAITING OR KILTING MACHINES, WHICH INVENTION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltino, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLAITING OR KILTING MACHINES, WHICH INVENTION 18
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th May 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. " IMPROVEMENTS IN PLAITING OR KILTING
MACHINES, WHICH INVENTION IS PARTLY APPLICABLE TO SEWING AND SIMILAR
MACHINERY." [A communication from abroad by Charles James Appleton, of
Paris, France.]
This Invention relates to improvements in plaiting or kilting machines, chiefly
designed for making what are known as double or "box" plaits, that is to say,
plaits in which the fabric is folded alternately in opposite directions. The said
machine is also applicable for making single plaits.
Part of the mechanism is also applicable to sewing and other light machines.
The chief feature of the said Invention consists in providing two knives or
combs so arranged and operated that they slide to and fro one upon the other,
the material passing between them and being folded thereby, as hereinafter
described.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide a suitable frame or base,
upon which the working parts are mounted, and this frame has an opening extending
through it to provide for heating the bed plate if desired by means of gas, oil, or
otherwiso. There is also a metal box or presser which presses the work upon the
bed-plate. This box has an arm which is pivotted to a part of the frame to
provide for the lifting movement necessary when the knives and the material enter
between the bed-plate and the box. The box is designed to contain heaters, so
that the plaited material may be ironed or pressed in its passage under the box.
If however the bed-plate is heated it will not be necessary to heat the box.

page_text: The two knives or combs designed to fold or plait the material are arranged at
an angle to each other, that is to say, the front edges come together, and from that
point the upper knife is inclined upward and the lower knife downward, thus
leaving a space for the material to enter. An upper and a lower cross-bar are
provided, and extend across the front part of the machine; the ends of these cross-
bars are fitted to work in bearings in the frame of the machine. The said cross
bars are united by means of a connecting rod, that is to say, an arm extends
outward from each of the cross-bars, and the connecting rod is attached to these
arms. The cross-bars are also provided with arms whose ends are forked and
which are connected with carriers attached to or forming part of the knives or
combs. These carriers are furnished with lugs through which pass pins, and over
these pins the forked part of the arms passes.
From the carrier of the lower knife
a curved plate projects outward at the front of the machine, and extends along the
whole length of the knife, this plate acting as a support and guide to the work or
fabric. To the lower part of this curved plate a spiral spring is attached, its other
end being secured to an adjusting nut in the lower cross-bar. A plate also extends
from the carrier of the upper knife, and is connected to one end of a spiral spring
whose other end is secured to an adjusting nut on the upper cross-bar. These nuts
serve to adjust the tension on the knives by tightening or relaxing the spiral
springs; the said springs are designed to cause the folding or plaiting combs to
converge, so that the material may be pressed between them.
I provide a driving wheel with a handle; on the shaft of this wheel there is a
pinion gearing with a toothed wheel, on the shaft of which is a crank-plate or disc.
On this plate there is a slide with a crank pin, to which a connecting rod is
attached, the other end of which rod is connected with the upper cross-bar. The.
turning of the driving wheel thus gives motion to the upper cross-bar, and through
the rod connecting the upper to the lower cross-bar motion is also imparted to the
latter.
The connecting rod uniting the two cross bars is made in two parts, one part
being screwed into the other part in such a manner as to provide means for
lengthening or shortening the rod at pleasure for the purpose of regulating the
travel of the knives, so as to increase or diminish the depth of the plaits. The rod
which gives motion to the upper cross-bar is also made in a similar manner, and by
being lengthened or shortened the oscillation of the combs or knives will be varied
without altering the position of the slide on the crank-plate.
I provide two cans with inclined faces. These cams operate in such a manner
as to press the knives or combs towards each other at the proper moment, so that
they may be in a line with the bed-plate and enter between this plate and the box
without raising the latter.
In the operation of the machine the two knives or combs move continually to
and fro in such a manner that when the upper one is advancing the lower one is
retreating, and vice versa. The edge of the advancing knife pushes forward the
fabric, making a fold at the same time, this fold, being held down by the box; then
this knife recedes, and at the same time the other knife advances, making a fold in
its turn, and so on continually, that is to say, there is ordinarily always one knife
or comb moving forward and one moving rearward, the advancing one pushing
forward and folding the material into a plait, and the receding one returning to its
proper position to move forward again when the other has completed its forward
movement.
Each knife may move exactly at the same time as the other, or one may move
after the other, or one may move any given number of times to one movement of
the other. By causing one knife to remain stationary it will serve as the bed, and
the other knife will then make ordinary single plaits.
It will be obvious that these knives or combs may also be applied to a machine
in which two rollers are used instead of a flat bed-plate and a box, or in which there
is one roller with a bed-plate.
When the machine is to be driven by steam, or similar power, instead of by hand,

page_text: I substitute for the hand-wheel a fast and a loosely pulley on the driving shaft.
The driving belt or cord passes through a guide or shipper arranged in front of the
pulleys, and this guide is connected to a rod arranged to slide in bearings on the
frame of the machine a sufficient distance to shift the band or cord from one pulley
to the other. This rod is connected to one end of a lever, at the other end of which
a cord or chain is attached leading over a pulley or roller to a treadle conveniently
placed to be operated by the foot of an attendant. There is a spiral spring around
the rod which keeps the latter forward in such a position that the driving band or
cord is upon the loose pulley, but immediately the operator presses the treadle the
rod recedes and the band or cord is shifted to the fast pulley, and the machine
starts at once at full speed. This arrangement is also particularly suitable for
sewing machines driven by power, also to other light machinery which is required
to be stopped and started quickly.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
November 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLAITING OR KILTING
MACHINES, WHICH INVENTION IS PARTLY APPLICABLE TO SEWING AND SIMILAR
MACHINERY." A communication from abroad by Charles James Appleton, of
Paris, France.
This Invention relates to improvements in plaiting or kilting machines, chiefly
designed for making what are known as double or "box" plaits, that is to say,
plaits in which the fabric is folded alternately in opposite directions. The said
machines are also applicable for making single plaits.
Part of the mechanism is also applicable to sewing and other like machines.
The chief feature of the said Invention consists in providing two knives or
combs so arranged and operated that they slide to and fro one upon the other, the
material passing between and being folded by them as hereinafter described,
In the accompanying Drawings,--
Figure 1 is a plan or top view partly in section of my improved kilting or
plaiting machine, and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a front elevation, and
Figure 4a rear elevation of the said machine.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the said machine on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a plan partly in section of a sewing machine shewing my improved
belt-shifting devices applied to the same, and

page_text: Figure 7 is a side elevation of the said sewing machine, some of its parts being
omitted.
Figure 8 is a rear elevation of a portion of the same.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
Referring first to Figures 1 to 5, a represents the frame upon which the working
parts are mounted; this frame has an opening extending through it to provide for
heating the bed-plate if desired by means of gas, oil, or otherwise; b represents a
metal box or presser which presses the work upon the bed-plate c. This box is
provided with arms b¹, b', as shewn, the said arms being pivoted at 6ª to the
frame of the machine to allow the said box to rise when the knives or combs d, e,
and the material being plaited enter between the bed-plate c and the box b. This
box is designed to contain a heater or heaters, so that the plaited material may be
ironed or pressed in its passage through the machine beneath the box. If however
the bed-plate c is heated it will not be necessary to heat the box b.
The two knives or combs d, e, designed to fold or plait the material are arranged
at an angle to each other, as shewn in Figures 2 and 5, that is to say, the upper
knife d is inclined upward and the lower knife e downward, thus leaving a space f
for the material to enter; g represents an upper cross-bar; and a lower cross-bar
which extend across the front part of the machine, as shown in Figure 3; the ends
of these cross-bars are fitted to work in bearings a¹ in the frame of the machine.
The said cross-bars are united by means of a connecting rod i attached to the arms
or levers g, h, extending outward from each of the cross-bars g, h. The said
cross-bars are also provided with vertical arms g, h, whose ends are forked, and
embrace pins d', e', extending through lugs or ears d³, e², formed on the carriers
d*, e*, of the knives or combs d, e. From the carrier e* of the lower knife e a
curved plate e projects outward at the front of the machine and extends across
the whole length of the knife; this plate acts as a support and guide to the work
or fabric to be plaited. To the underside of this curved plate a spiral spring j is
attached, its other end being secured to an adjusting nut j' in the lower cross-bar h.
An arm d³ extends from the carrier d* of the upper knife, and is connected by a
spiral spring with an adjusting nut on the upper cross-bar g. These nuts j¹, k¹,
serve to adjust the tension or pressure of the knives upon the fabric by tightening
or relaxing the spiral springs. The said springs are designed to cause the folding
or plaiting combs d, e, to converge so that the material may be pressed between
them. The said machine constructed as above described may be operated by hand
by applying to the upper cross-bar ga lever or handle, which on being reciprocated
by hand will impart a reciprocating movement to the knives or combs, but I
prefer to operate the same through a belt and pulleys, and for this purpose I
provide the said machine with the following devices, that is to say:- represents
a shaft supported in suitable bearings in the frame of the machine, and provided
with fast and loose pulleys m, m', and with a crank plate or disc n whose crank-
pin n is attached to a plate or slide capable of sliding within the said disc to
permit the distance of the crank-pin from the centre of the said crank-disc to be
varied. To the crank pin n¹ is secured one end of a connecting rod or bar o, whose
other end is connected to the upper cross bar g. When therefore motion is
imparted to the shaft through the fast pulley m motion will be imparted to the
upper cross,bar g and through the rod i to the lower cross-bar h.
The connecting rod i uniting the two cross-bars is made in two parts ¹, 2³, the
part being screwed into the other part in such a manner as to provide means for
lengthening or shortening the rod at pleasure by means of the nuts 2³, for the
purpose of regulating the travel of the knives, so as to increase or diminish the
depth or width of the plaits made by the same. The rod o may also be made in a
similar manner, and by being lengthened or shortened, the oscillation of the combs
or knives will be varied without the necessity of altering the position of the slide
upon the crank-plate n.
PP, represent cams or projections with inclined faces. These cams are formed
on the frame a of the machine, and operate in such a manner as to press the knives

page_text: or combs d, e, towards cach other at the proper moment, so that they may be in a
line with the bed-plate c, and enter between this plate and the box b without
materially raising the latter.
In the operation of the said machine the two knives or combs d, e, move
continually to and fro in such a manner that when the upper one d is advancing
the lower one e is retreating, and vice versa. The edge of the advancing knife
pushes forward the fabric, and at the same time makes a fold therein, this fold
being held down by the box b. Then this knife & recedes, and at the same time
the knife e advances, making a fold in its turn, and so on continually, that is to
say, there is ordinarily always one knife or comb moving forward and one moving
rearward, the advancing ono pushing forward and folding the material into a plait,
and the receding one returning to its proper position to move forward again when
the other has completed its forward movement.
Each knife may move exactly at the same time as the other, or one knife may
move after the other, or one knife may have any number of movements to one or
more movements of the other. By causing one knife to remain stationary it will
serve as the bed, and the other knife will then make ordinary single plaits.
When it is desired that the knives should move together in the same direction
and at the same time form the box-plait, and form any number of plaits in either
direction, I effect this result by supporting the two knives which push the work
under the box or pins at both sides of the machine on a line with the front end of
the box; for these pins two slides are arranged to work, and attached to these
slides are the two knives with their forward edges close together, and their rear
edges slightly separated to permit the passage of the material to be plaited. When
it is desired to plait in one direction, the two knives are depressed below the line
of the edge of the lid and box, so as to cause the material to double upon the
upper side of the knife. When it is desired to alter the plaiting the knives are
raised above the line of the edge of the lid and box, and the material is forced
downwards and the plait formed below.
.
When it is desired to cause one knife to move alternately a number of times in
one direction, whilst the other remains stationary, I dispenso with the connecting
rod i, and substitute therefor a forked lever which may be forced forward and
drawn backwards by a crank on the main shaft when the machine is driven by
steam or other mechanical power, or by means of a suitable lever when it is
operated by hand. This forked lever is held in position by a cam or chain, and
when at its highest position engages with a pin fixed to the lower part of the arm
that holds the knife, the other knife remaining stationary. After a certain number
of plaits are made in one direction, the cam that holds the lower end of the forked
lever in position to take the upper arm will change, and the forked lever will drop
upon the pin fixed to the upper end of the lower arm, and causes the same to make
a certain number of plaits in the opposite direction. One knife is therefore caused
to work or move a certain number of times before the other one commences to
move, and then the other knife moves, according to the shape of the cam or chain
which is constructed to suit the number of plaits to be produced, alternately in each
direction.
It will be obvious that these knives or combs may also be applied to a machine
in which two rollers are used instead of a flat bed-plate c and a box b, or in which
there is one roller with a bed-plate.
When the said machine is to be driven by steam, or other like motive power,
instead of by hand, I employ in connection with the belt an improved belt-shifting
device which I will now proceed to describe. The driving belt or cord passes
through a guide or shifter arranged at the rear of the pulleys, and this guide is
connected to a rod s arranged to slide in bearings 8¹ on the frame a of the machine
a sufficient distance to shift the band or cord from one pulley to the other. This
rod s is provided with an arm s³, having a piece of leather, india-rubber, or other
suitable material at to serve as a brake to stop the machine when the rod is
released, as hereinafter described. The said rod s is also provided with a collar t,

page_text: between which and the frame of the machine I interpose a spring t¹, which
constantly tends to keep the belt on the loose pulley and the brake & in contact
with the fast pulley m. Projecting from the collar t or from the shaft is a pin or
cje u to which a cord or chain u¹ is attached. This cord passes over a pulley u²,
preferably attached to the main frame of the machine, and is carried down into a
convenient position 'to be operated by the hand or foot of the attendant. When
the said cord is strained it moves tho rod 8 lengthwise against the force of the
spiral spring and also moves the belt or cord shifter, thereby shifting the belt
on to the fast pulloy m and starting the machine, the brake being also drawn
out of contact with the pulley m. When, however, it is desired to stop the
machine the strain upon the cord or band is relaxed, and the spring t¹ immediately
shifts the band or cord on to the loose pulley and forces the brake 8³ in contact
with the side of the fast pulley, thereby immediately retarding or stopping the
motion of the machine.
In Figures 6, 7, and 8 I have shewn the said belt-shifting devices applied to a
sewing machine. The arrangement of the parts is substantially similar to that
above described, and will readily be understood without further description.
Instead, however, of connecting the cord or chain u¹ directly to the shaft 8, I attach
the same to one end of a lever v, whose other end is pivoted at v¹ to the base or
stand of the machine. This lever bears against a pin projecting from the rod s, and
imparts end wise movement to the said rod to shift the belt onto the fast pulley,
when a treadle (to which the cord or chain u¹ is attached) is depressed.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,―
First. In a plaiting or kilting machine, the combination of the converging
knives or combs having a reciprocating motion imparted to them in such a manner
that when one of the said knives or combs is advancing the other is receding, the
material between them being alternately. forced forward by one and plaited
by. the other knife or comb, as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Second. In a plaiting or kilting machine, the employment of two converging
knives or combs, so arranged that they may be caused to work separately or
simultaneously in the same direction, for the purposes above described.
Third. The combination of the knives or combs, the cross-bars; and the
connecting rod, substantially as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. For instantaneously starting or stopping a plaiting, sewing, or similar
machine driven by steam or other power, the mechanism consisting of the fast and
loose pulleys on the driving shaft, the sliding belt-shifter, the spring, and the pin
or lever and cord in connection with a treadle, or otherwise, all as above set forth
and as shown in the Drawings.
Fifth. A kilting or plaiting machine, consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially, as shewn in the accompanying Drawings, and operating as
above set forth and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.