IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cotton, of Loughborough, in the County
of Leicester, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED
FABRICS."
Scaled the 6th July 1860, and dated the 11th January 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cotton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th January 1860.
I, WILLIAM COTTON, of Loughborough, in the County of Leicester, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED
FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The improvements have for their object means for effecting the "narrowing,"
as also the "widening," or what is commonly called "fashioning," and also the
"knotting" and "fancying" of looped fabrics, and for the most part this part
of the improvements applies to that arrangement of knitting machinery
arranged by myself, where independent sinkers are used, and now generally
known as such, or where the looping part is not connected with the knocking-
over part.
In connection with the needles, I employ, at the parts to be narrowed or
widened, hooked instruments with recesses on the under side of the hooks, to
receive the beards or ends of the needles, and the points of these hooked

page_text: instruments are capable of lying in recesses or openings in the regular needles,
whilst they are supported from behind, yet point in the same direction as the
ordinary needles.
For "knotting," in place of the hooked instruments, straight points, or
points without hooks, yet recessed on the under side, and which still come
through from the back, are employed.
The improvements also relate to the use of extra points or instruments when
"widening," to take into loops of the previous course, and raise them into the
spaces produced by the widening, so as to avoid eyelet holes.
The improvements also relate to the application of a bar adapted to lock up
the sinkers, and, when required, keep them level during working, to give
facility for increase of speed, as also for greater uniformity in the work; also
to the application of a projecting bit to every other sinker to project up
between the beaters or jacks, so that one will act as a slen for the other, and
thereby keep the beaters or jacks from either missing the sinkers or striking
two of them at once; also to hold the sinkers firmly to the inclines.
Also to slackening the speed of the thread carriers towards the end of
cach traverse. For this purpose, before the end of each traverse to the thread
carriers the ordinary motions thereto are withdrawn and inclined, or such liko
surfaces are brought into operation, adapted to produce the required slackening
of speed, by which I am enabled to give greater spoed and certainty to the
general motions of the thread carriers.
Also to the application of books, cast or otherwise fastened in a bar, the
same guage as the frame needles, to rise up between the needles and lay hold
of the loops, so as to enable the frame to start without setting or tapeing on,
as also to form the welt of a shirt or other article.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Cotton in the Great Scal Patent Office on the
11th July 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAN S
COTTON, of Loughborough, in the County of Leicester, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year of our
Jord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of 3
Hr reign, did, for Herself, Пer heirs and successors, give and grant

page_text: unto mo, the said William Cotton, Her special licence that I, the said
William Cotton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as J, the said William Cotton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
5 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 OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF LOOPED FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, tho said
William Cotton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of 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 I, the said William Cotton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by tho
following statement thereof (that is to say):-
-
The improvements have for their object means for effecting the "narrowing"
as also the "widening," or what is commonly called "fashioning" and also tho
"knotting" and "fancying" of looped fabrics, and for the most part this part
of the improvements applies to that arrangement of knitting machinery
arranged by myself, where independent sinkers are used and now generally
known as such, or where the looping part is not connected with the knocking
over part.
In connection with the needles I employ at the parts to be narrowed or
widened hooked instruments with recesses on the under side of the hooks. to
receive the beards or ends of the needles, and the points of theso-hooked
instruments are capable of lying in recesses or openings in the regular needles,
whilst they are supported from behind, yet point in the same direction as tho
ordinary needles.
For "knotting" in place of the hooked instruments straight points or points
without hooks, yet recessed on the under side, and which still come through
from the back, are employed.
The improvements also relate to the use of extra points or instruments
when" widening" to take into loops of the previous course, and raise them
into the spaces produced by the widening, so as to avoid eyelet holes.
The improvements also relate to the application of a bar adapted to lock up

page_text: capable of sliding on their pins c', in order that they may bo operated by
cither of the cams cor c. The cams care for operating the levers, and
consequently the needles c when producing ordinary knitting, that is, without
either widening or narrowing, whilst the cams & are for operating those levers
5 when either widening or narrowing to the fabrio is desired, as herein-aftor
explained. The arms c³ are kept with their trucks or bowls & bearing against
one or the other of the cam surfaces c³ or c' by means of springs c", one end of
each of which is connected to a projection from an arm c, whilst the other end
is connected to a projection from a lever . e, e, are the sinkers, which are
held between the plates 6', ', and these plates are affixed to arms from the
shaft or axis e', upon which are also affixed arms, each of which carries a
pin for a truck or bowl &', capable also of sliding thereon, so that such truck
or bowl may be resting upon and be operated by either of the cam surfaces
* or e³, whilst these arms are each borne with the truck or bowl & bearing
against one or the other of these cams & or e, by means of a spring ". Tho
lower edge of the plate & serves as a presser to press the beards of the needles
down for the knocking over motions. f is one of the thread carriers, affixed
to the travelling barf, as is well understood, such bar being provided with
clips or ears f, by which it is capable of sliding on the bar faffixed to
arms f* from the shaft or axis f. 9 are the hooked instruments, by which
according to my improvements a widening or a narrowing of the breadths of
fabric being produced may be effected.
A lead of these instruments g is shown separately at Figure 9. I have
shewn four of these instruments g acting together, but this number may be
varied according to the width of edging desired to be produced at the parts to
be widened or narrowed. The number of the instruments g desired for each
selvage are affixed in a lead g', which is capable of turning upon an axis g²,
carried by the frame g", affixed to bars g, g, and it will be seen that each of
their leads g' is at one end acted upon by a spring 9*, with a tendency to bear
that end of the lead g' against the fixed stop go, by which the instruments g
will be capable of motions hereafter referred to. The bars 9, 9, are supported
in the bar g, so as to be capable of motion towards and from the front of the
machine, as well as also of a slight up-and-down motion. For this purposo
the bar g' is formed with cars g' to receive pins, by which they are connected
to the upper ends of arms gº from the shaft g, and to this shaft go there aro
also connected other arms 9", which are capable of being operated by cams 9's
by such cams operating each upon a truck or bowl g", capable of sliding upon
a pin g, carried by a lever arm g"; but as such cams will only be required
to operate the parts during the operation for widening or narrowing of the

page_text: fabric, the trucks or bowls g¹s will at other time be slided off the respective
cam courses g" on to the simply cylindrical surfaces g¹³.
The lifting and lowering motions to the bar are obtained by means of
cams g, each of which is capable of operating on a truck or bowl 9", carried
by a pin 9 affixed to arms g". from the bar g', and these trucks or bowls garc
each capable of sliding on their pins g₁s, so that when the narrowing or widen-
ing to the fabric is not desired, the trucks or bowls 9" may simply run on the
cylindrical surfaces 9. The simultaneous sliding of the respective trucks or
bowls c, e, gl, g, i, 7, and 11, in order to change them when desired to be
acted upon by cams adapted for operating the parts for widening or narrowing
may be variously effected; but the arrangement which I have found to
answer for the purpose I will now proceed to describe:-Upon the main
shaft or axis b is affixed a cam or tappet h adapted to act upon the
truck or bowl h³, carried by one end of the lever h³, which turns upon
a centre of motion h³, and at the other end carries a clawker h', capable,
when placed in position, as indicated by dotted lines, of acting upon the
teeth of a ratchet wheel h³, and such ratchet wheel may be changed for
another with other numbers of teeth adapted to the distance between the suc-
cessive widenings or narrowings desired. Upon the ratchet wheel is affixed
a wiper ho, which at each revolution comes, and for a time rests against the
lover arm h' affixed to the axis h³, upon which is also affixed the arm h³, which
at its outer end carries a truck or bowl h", which is then brought into position
to be acted upon by the projection " of the plate h¹s affixed to the axis b, by
the action of which projection " the arm h will be acted upon to move the
nxis h lengthwise in its bearings a short distance, by which the arms his affixed
to the axis h and resting in necks formed in the respective trucks &, &, g",
g, i, 1, 7, will cause those trucks to be slided on the pins of their respective
levers, so that those levers may then be acted upon by the cams required for
effecting the respective motions during widening or narrowing. When by the
action of the clawker h the ratchet wheel is turned so as to relieve the
wiper h from the lever h', the lever h³ will be raised by the force of the
spring h", and the arm he will be brought into position for its bow! " to bo
acted upon by the projection h" on the plate h" affixed to the axis 6 when the
arm he will be acted upon to draw the axis h back again, and the parts will
be in position for producing work without narrowing or widening. Each of
the bars g. 9, is formed at one end with teeth 9, by which such bars are
capable of step-by-step motion simultaneously in either but opposite directions,
in the following manner:-Upon the main axis 6 is affixed a cam or tappet i
which is capable of acting upon the truck or bowl i' when that truck is moved

page_text: into position for that purpose by the sliding of the axis ho, as explained; but³
at other times the truck or bowl i¹ will be resting against the cylindrical sur-'
face is. The truck or bowl i¹ is capablo.of sliding on a pin is carried by the
lever i, which turns upon an axis of motion i', and at its other end carries a
driver i, adapted at the times desired to act on the ratchet wheel i' affixed to
the axis i, upon which are affixed the pattern wheels i, 1. The pattern
wheel i' is adapted to act on the nib or projection i" of the lever i", which by
a link i¹³ is connected to one end of the lever i", and this lever i" turns upon
a centre of motion and carries clawkers i, i", whilst the wheel it is for
acting on the nib or projection of the lever i", which also turns upon the
centre of motion it and carries clawkers 2", ". These clawkers are adapted
to take into the teeth of the bars and g; that is to say, one clawker will
bo brought to act upon the teeth of each bar 9, 9, adapted to move cach in
the desired direction, though one opposite to the other, and the clawker and
driver for tho timo desired to be in operation will be borne thereto by springs
And it will be understood that for each width of fabric being pro-
duced there will be one tooth or set of teeth g for one selvage on one bar g',`
whilst the other teeth or set of instruments 9 for the opposite selvage will be
on the other bar g. When desired to produce either widening or a narrowing
of the fabrio, the thread carriers will be thrown out of action, and whilst the
work is on the back parts of the needles the instruments 9 will be brought
forwards and assume the position indicated by Figure 10, and then by the
receding of the needles (without the presser coming into operation), those of
the loops to he used in the widening or narrowing will be taken on to tho
barbs of the instruments g and at the knocking-over motion, whilst the ordi-
nary work will be simply brought under the barbs of the ordinary.needles c;.
the loops selected for widening and.narrowing will be retained within the barbs
of the instruments g, as shown by Figure 11. Motion then being given to tho
instruments 9₁ to the right or to the left, will cause those loops held by the
instruments g to be brought opposite other needles, and then in the descent of
the instruments g, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 11, and the coming
forward of the ordinary neclles, the outer ends of such ordinary needles will
come under the hollow parts in the under side of the beards of the instruments
9, and by the action of the backs of the sinkers on the work all the loops will
with the work be moved to the back of the needles, as indicated by Figuro 12,
and the parts will again come into position for working the ordinary courses.
For "knotting" I employ, straight points or instruments without hooks, yet
recessed on the under side in. a similar manner to the instruments 9, operating
from the back and connected with the other parts, in such manner as simply

page_text: to take into the loops required for the "knotting" without taking those loops
entirely off their needles, but only so as to hold them out in position, to be also
laid on to other adjoining needles. And such parts are also adapted to be
used when widening to dip down at such widened parts, and tako into the
intermediate loops of the previous course so as to raise such loops of such pre-
vious course on to the needles, from which a shifting of loops has just been
effected for the widening. Each of the sinkerse has affixed to it a projection
eto pass between the bar j carried by the slur cock carriages and the bar k.
The bark is supported at intervals by being connected by pin joints to one end
of links A, the other ends of which by pin joints are supported from the bar
as shown. The left-hand end of this bar k is by a link connected to one end
of a lever, which turns upon a fixed stud k, and at the other end is, at the
times desired, acted upon by a projection attached to one of the wheels or
pulleys p for operating the thread carriers; when thus drawn the bar k will
be raised, and by acting on the under sides of the projections will lock up
the sinkers and keep them level during working, by which facility for increase
of speed will be obtained.
Every other of the sinkers e is also provided with projecting bits e¹³, to
project up between the beaters or jacks x, so as to form in fact sleas for the
correct action of those beaters or jacks on the particular or intermediate
sinkers. In operating the thread carrier bar f', I arrange the parts so that
towards the end of each traverse, the ordinary motions for the traverse shall
cease sooner than usual, and the remainder of the motions to the extent desired
are then obtained by means of inclined surfaces 1, 1, carried by the sliding
bars, which are capable of being acted upon by the plate P, carried by tho
lever arm, which turns upon the axis , and at the other end carries a truck
And in order that the cam or
or bowl P, operated by the cam or tappet m.
tappet m may operate at different times and be adapted to, whether for
widening or narrowing, it is formed of the following parts-m³ is the operating
surface of the cam m, for acting on the bowl P, to give motion to its lever
and this sliding surface m', is formed with a rack m², the teeth of which are
taken into by the teeth of the pinion m³, to which is affixed the pinion m', the teeth
of which are taken into by the teeth of the pinion m³, to which are affixed the
ratchet wheels n, m, the teeth of which are capable of being acted upon by
the drivers m, m³, carried by the lever m, and according to the direction of
motion given to the piece m', so will the cam m act sooner or
progressive changes for widening or for narrowing of the fabric.
turns upon a centre of motion ni", carried by the cam m, and it carries a truck
er bowl m, which in the revolution of the cam mu is acted upon at the times
later to effect
The lever m

page_text: pro-
desired by the projection m³, from the shaft h'. The driver m", shown in
operation is for acting on the ratchet wheel me, and is for effecting the
gressive sliding of the surface m³, for narrowing of the fabric. The driver m®
is for acting on the ratchet wheel m³, for effecting progressive widening of tho
fabric and either of these drivers when turned into position is capable of being
retained in operation by a spring m". The inclined surfaces 7, 7, are as stated
carried by sliding bars A, and they have projections, which pass into openings
formed for them in the plate P, whilst they are controlled in their motion by
sliding in guide plates 7, which slide horizontally one in one direction, and tho
other in the opposite direction to or from each other, and these motions are
effected in the following manner:-Upon the plates are formed racks,
which are taken into by worm wheels, affixed to the shafts A, upon each of
which is fixed a pair of ratchet wheels ", 7", the teeth of which are in opposite
directions and taken into by clawkers and 1", to move tho axes in one or
the other direction according to which of the clawkers 3 or 1 of each pair is
for the time in operation, and when the clawkers are to be in operation
then the springs are connected to them, by which the clawkers
brought into position for operating the wheels, and the clawkers
kept out of position for operating the wheels 2, but if the other clawkers are
to be in operation the springs will be released. The clawkers 7 and are
carried by the upper end of a lever to which turns upon an axis of motion l",
and at its other end carries a truck or bowl operated by the cam or tappet
7. To stop the motions of the slur cocks and thread carriers at the course for
widening or narrowing, a lever arm n, from the axis h", acts by its outer end
upon the lever o, carried by the projection o³, from the main framing so as to
throw the bolts p¹ of the wheels p for operating the slur cocks and thread
carriers out of action by which the connection of the chains p' is effected.
When desired the parts for narrowing or widening of either side may be used
separately.
will be
will bo
Figures 18 and 14 show two views of parts whereby hooks are adapted to
rise up between the needles and lay hold of the loops so as to enable the frame to
start without setting or tapeing on as also to form the welt of a shirt or other
article; A, A, represent ordinary needles, and A' the needle bar; B, repro-
sents the hooked instruments for this purpose set in a bar B³, and this bar B'
I prefer to be operated by hand, so that when a thread has been laid on to the
needles by a thread carrier the instruments may be raised up, and by means
of their points such thread formed into and held in loops whilst the next course
takes place and such thread is secured, and such hooked instruments may also
be used to form welts by being used somewhat as ticklers.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my improvements, and the means by
which the same are effected, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details shown and described, as such may be varied without
departing from the peculiar character of the Invention, but what I do claim is,
First the adaptation and combination of means for effecting the narrowing
and also the widening of looped fabrics during manufacture, substantially as
explained.
Also, I claim the method of effecting the "knotting," substantially as
explained.
Also, I claim the use of extra points or instruments, as explained, for taking
into the loops of the previous course when widening.
Also, I claim the application and mode of operating a bar k, as explained.
Also, I claim the arranging the sinkers so that the alternate ones of the
series, of each of them as desired, are extended upwards to project between the
beaters or jacks, as explained.
Also, I claim the so operating the thread carriers that the speed may be
slackened gradually towards the termination of each course, substantially as
explained.
Also, I claim the method of operating by hooked instruments, as explained in
respect of Figures 18 and 14.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cotton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
WILLIAM BROOKES, Patent Agent,
73, Chancery Lane, London.
WILLIAM COTTON. (L.B.)