IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLAITING OR FOLDING FABRICS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bridson, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster,
Bleacher, and John Alcock, of the same Place, Millwright, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLAITING OR FOLDING
FABRICS."
Sealed the 15th April 1864, and dated the 22nd October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bridson and John
Alcock at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 22nd October 1863.
We, HENRY BRIDSON, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Bleacher, and
JOHN ALCOCK, of, the same Place, Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLAITING OR FOLDING
FABRICS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in an improved combination of self-acting machinery
for plaiting or folding fabrics without injuring the selvages or other parts of
the fabrics, and to hold each fold separately and absolutely.
In performing our Invention, instead of making use of clamps or other
agents for securing the whole width of the fold, we employ two sets of short
pins or bolts, which secure only one selvage of the fabric. The bolts are
supported in stands placed at the requisite distance apart, and they are placed
in vertical rows when the folds are required all of the same length, or one or
both of the rows may be slightly diagonal when the folds are required of
different lengths, as in book fold.

page_text: The fabric to be folded is delivered to each row of bolts by a double folding
stick, the ends of which are guided in rectangular or elliptical slots; this
folding stick is actuated by vibrating levers, put in motion by cranks or other-
wise, or the folding stick may be suspended to levers hinged to a frame, which
slides to and fro on a table, or any other suitable arrangement of machinery
may be employed to actuate the folding stick. The bolts are held back in the
stands by a toothed segment fixed on a shaft, to which is also fixed a ratchet
wheel, by which it is moved one tooth at every vibration of the folding stick ;
each bolt has a spring to shoot it forward when liberated.
On starting the machine the end of the fabric is secured to the table, and
the first motion of the folding stick deposits the first layer of fabric on the
table, and moves the ratchet wheel one tooth to liberate the lowest bolt, which
is shot forward by the spring above referred to; the folding stick then begins
to return and loops the fabric around the said bolt. When the folding stick
arrives at the other set of bolts a similar action takes place, and so the
operations are repeated until the whole length of fabric has been folded over
the bolts, which are successively liberated by the ratchet wheels and toothed
segments referred to.
In order to release the piece of fabric all the bolts are drawn out of the
folds by levers or otherwise, and in so doing all the selvages are brought level,
or if preferred the fabric can be withdrawn from the bolts at once; the
moment the bolts are withdrawn from the folds the toothed segments are
drawn forward to retain them by a weighted cord passing over a pulley or by
a spring.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Bridson and John Alcock in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
BRIDSON, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Bleacher, and JOHN ALCOCK,
of the same Place, Millwright, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Henry Bridson and John Alcock, Her special
license that we, the said Henry Bridson and John Alcock, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry Bridson

page_text: and John Alcock, our 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 MACHINERY FOR PLAITING OR FOLDING FABRICS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry Bridson and John
Alcock, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of our or 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 we, the said Henry Bridson and John Alcock, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say) :—
Our Invention consists in an improved combination of self-acting machinery
for plaiting or folding fabrics without injuring the selvages or other parts of
the fabrics, and to hold each fold separately and absolutely.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, and Fig. 2 a side view, also in
section, of our improved machinery.
In performing our Invention, instead of making use of clamps or other
agents for securing the whole width of the fold, we employ two sets of short
pins or bolts marked a, a, which secure only one selvage of the fabric. These
pins or bolts are supported in stands 6 placed at the requisite distance apart
and in vertical rows when the folds are required all of the same length, or one
or both of the rows may be slightly diagonal when the folds are required of
different lengths, as in book fold.
The distance between the standards can be varied by the screws 6, 63, one
of which is right-handed and the other left-handed; these screws take into
nuts formed at the lower ends of the stands b. The fabric to be folded is
delivered to each row of bolts by the double folding stick c, the end of which
fits in the bush d, and the ends of this bush are furnished with antifriction
rollers guided in the slotted frames e, e; this folding stick c is actuated by and
slides in a slot in the vibrating lever f, which is put in motion by the crank g

page_text: and link or otherwise. The crank g is fixed on the driving shaft g', which
is provided with fast and loose pulleys g and g³, actuated by steam or other
power; or the folding stick may be suspended to levers hinged to a frame,
which slides to and fro on a table, or any other suitable arrangement of
machinery may be employed to actuate the folding stick. The bolts a are
held back in the stands by the segmental toothed recesses i cut in the disc
of the ratchet wheels j, by which they are moved one tooth at every vibration
of the lever f. The catches act alternately. on the ratchet wheels j; these
catches are jointed to the rods m, which bear on the tappets n fixed to the
shaft o, on which the lever f vibrates. Each bolt a has a spring to shoot it
forward when liberated. These springs are fixed to the end of the bolts and
to the stands b; on starting the machine the end of the fabric is secured to
the table k, and the first motion of the folding stick c. deposits the first layer
of fabric on the table, and moves the right-hand ratchet wheel jone tooth to
liberate the lowest bolt a, which is shot forward by the spring above referred
to; the folding stick c then begins to return and loops the fabric around the
said bolt. When the folding stick arrives at the other set of bolts a similar
action takes place, and so the operations are repeated until the whole length
of fabric has been folded over the bolts a, which are successively liberated
by the ratchet wheels j and toothed segmental recesses i above:referred to.
In order to release the piece of fabric all the bolts are drawn simultaneously
out of the folds by the extra stands 63, furnished with screwed bosses for the
screws p, which are turned round by the hand wheels p², and in so doing all
the selvages are brought level, or if preferred the fabric can be withdrawn
from the bolts by hand; the moment the bolts are withdrawn from the folds
the ratchet wheels j, with toothed segmental recesses, are moved round so as
to bring the blank space between the segmental recesses against the ends of
the bolts, thus retaining, them until they are. required for recommencing
operations.
Fig. 3 represents a modification of our Invention; in this arrangement the
double folding stick c is connected to the band 7, which passes over the guide
pulleys s, and the ends are secured to the segment, t, which is moved
alternately in opposite directions by a crank g and connecting link h, as shewn
in Fig. 1; the pins or bolts a are liberated successively to take hold of the
selvage of the fabric, as in the machinery described in reference to Figs. 1
and 2.
By means of these improved combinations of machinery, and by only
securing one selvage of the fabric, the operation of plaiting or folding may be
performed without injuring the selvage or other parts of the fabric,, which in

page_text: delicate materials is very desirable, and has hitherto not been successfully
accomplished, but we wish to observe that we do not limit ourselves to
securing only one selvage of the fabric, as in some cases it may be
necessary to secure by the shot bolts or pins above described both the
selvages.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, we declare that we claim the combinations of
machinery described and shewn in the Drawings, or any equivalent combination
of machinery for securing the selvage or selvages of fabrics in performing the
operation of plaiting or folding.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Alcock, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Nineteenth day of April, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-four.
JOHN ALCOCK. (L.S.)