IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF COUNTERPANES, SHEETS, TOILET-COVERS, TOWELS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hodgkinson and James Bradshaigh Hodgkinson,
both of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF COUNTERPANES,
SHEETS, TOILET-COVERS, TOWELS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hodgkinson and
James Bradshaigh Hodgkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 20th January 1879.
GEORGE HODGKINSON and JAMES BRADSHAIGH HODGKINSON, both of Bolton le
Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN
THE PRODUCTION OF COUNTERPANES, SHEETS, TOILET COVERS, TOWELS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Our Invention relates to counterpanes or quilts, sheets, toilet covers, table cloths,
towels, and similar articles, and has for its object to produce distinctive designs in
colour or in a different shade or colour from the ground, and is particularly
applicable in cases wherein monograms, names, initials, or distinctive marks indi-
cating proprietorship are required. When weaving white goods, say, for example,
counterpanes with a design in colour, we arrange for the said design to be in the centre
between the two selvedges. We arrange the warp ends which are to be woven into the
Baid design in a set, and we provide a pattern to govern the raising of the ends of this
set when the said design is to be produced. The weaving of the first portion from
one end of the counterpane proceeds as is usual. When the said design is to
commence the raising of the ends on each side of the design ceases and a shuttle
carrying coloured weft is brought into operation. The said shuttle floats over all
the ends which are not woven into the design at every pick. The said shuttle
works alternately with the ordinary shuttle carrying white weft, each shuttle
making a single pick or two or more picks in succession. When the shuttle carrying
the coloured weft makes a pick a considerable length of yarn extends from the
shuttle in the box to the figure; but when making the next pick this slack is
[Posice Bdı
.

page_text: drawn in up to the figure, and the slack yarn is then on the other side of the
figure.
Sufficient yarn to form the figure is alone required, there being no floating ends
to cut away from each side of the figure, as in the ordinary method of forming
coloured centres. An ordinary drop-box loom having a drop-box at one end only
or at both ends, as preferred, may be employed with advantage, but swivel looms
or other forms of looms may also be used. When using a drop-box loom we employ
an ordinary or suitable drop-box motion which can be put into gear when the
central design is to be woven, and to be put out of gear when the said design is
completed. When parts of the design are very narrow we use a shuttle having the
eye from which the weft issues nearer the centre of the shuttlo than is usual.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Hodgkinson and James Bradshaigh Hodgkinson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 19th July 1879.
"
GEORGE HODGKINSON and JAMES BRADSHIAGH HODGKINSON, both of Bolton le
Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturers. IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN
THE PRODUCTION OF COUNTERPANES, SHEETS, TOILET COVERS, TOWELS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Our Invention relates to counterpanes or quilts, sheets, toilet covers, table cloths,
towels, and similar articles, and has for its object to produce distinctive designs in
colour or in a different shade of colour from the ground, and is particularly
applicable in cases wherein monograms, names, initials, or distinctive marks indi-
cating proprietorship are required. When weaving white goods, say, for example,
counterpanes with a design in colour, we arrange for the said design to be in tho
centre between the two selvedges, and we arrange the warp ends which are to be.
woven into the said design in a set, a pattern being provided to govern this set
when the said design is to be produced. A shuttle carrying coloured weft is also
brought into operation, the said shuttle working alternately with the ordinary
shuttle carrying white weft, each shuttle making a singlo pick or two or more picks
in succession while the design is being produced, and weaving only at the part
wherein the central design is to appear.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood we will now
proceed more particularly to describe the mode of carrying the same into practical
effect, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing, which is a diagramatic
sketch of a partially woven counterpane or other article having a distinctive central
mark or device worked into it according to the method of weaving comprising our
improvements. The counterpane or other article A is intended to be represented as
woven so far down as the dotted line A¹. The vertical lines a extending above
and below the dotted line A' and drawn in full shew the warp ends or threads of
the counterpane proper, and the partly dotted lines a¹ at the centre of the piece
shew the set of warp threads which at the proper time become woven into the
distinctive mark or device B to be produced on the counterpane. The ordinary or
white weft is represented by the cross lines b, whilst the colored or shaded weft,
which at the desired time becomes incorporated with the warp threads a', is repre-
sented by the lines b' crossing the figure B. According to our mode of operation
the piece of counterpane A is woven in the ordinary manner with the shuttle C
containing the white weft, the ends a¹ being lifted in the same order as the ends a
until that portion of the piece is reached at which the distinctive mark or device B
is intended to begin. At this point and during the weaving of the said device the
shuttle I carrying coloured weft comes into operation. In practice we make two
picks with the white weft alternately with two picks of the coloured weft. For
each two picks of the white weft the ends a' are raised in the same order as the
ends a; but for each two picks of the colored weft the ends in the set ' are alone
lifted, the end a remaining down so that the coloured weft floats over the whole of
them. The two shuttles C and D are thus picked across the web alternately, and
by means of this successive and alternate weaving of the plain and coloured wefts.
into the warp the coloured device B is obtained. It will be readily understood
that the partially dotted set of warp ends a' forming as it were at each pick of the
coloured weft b' a distinct and separate portion of the web allows the formation of
a selvedge which corresponds exactly to the outline of the mark or device which it
is desired to weave into the counterpane or other article, and thus the wasteful but
hitherto necessary operation of cutting away from the finished piece all the coloured
floating weft threads or ends extending from the device to the selvedges of the
piece is avoided, only so much of the weft being drawn from the shuttle at each

page_text: pick as is necessary to form the woof of the device. As shewn on the Drawing, the
device B has not yet been completed, and the coloured weft shuttlo D is finishing a
pick in the direction of the arrow. The slack of the weft yarn has been nearly
drawn up by the shuttle in its return stroke, as shown by the dotted loop, which
represents what remains to be so drawn up. The plain weft shuttle C is at present
supposed to be at rest, but on the completion of the pick now being executed by
the shuttle D it will in its turn traverse the warp. When the device has been
completely worked in, the coloured weft shuttle D ceases to act, the remainder of
the pieco being woven by means of the plain weft shuttle C in the ordinary manner.
An ordinary drop box loom having a drop box at one end only or at both ends, as
preferred, may be employed with advantage, but swivel looms or other forms of
looms may also be used. When using a drop box loom we employ an ordinary or
suitable drop box motion, which can be put into gear when the central design is to
be woven, and be put out of gear when the said design is completed. When parts
of the design are very narrow we use a shuttle having the eye from which the weft
issues nearer the centre of the shuttle than is usual.
Having now described and fully ascertained and illustrated our said Invention,
and the mode of carrying the same into practical effect, we would finally observe
that what we consider as novel and original, and therefore claim as our Invention
is, producing distinctive marks, devices, or designs upon counterpanes, sheets, toilet
covers, towels, or other similar articles or pieces of cloth in a colour or shade
different from the colour or shade of the main body or ground of such articles,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described, and shewn
ou the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bradshaigh Hodgkinson, for myself and
on behalf of the said George Hodgkinson, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine
JAMES BRADSHAIGH HODGKINSON. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the
said James Bradshaigh
Hodgkinson in the pre-
sence of
HUGH GRANT,
Clerk to Edward K. Dutton,
Agent to the Patentees,
St. Ann's Churchyard,
Manchester.