IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRIOS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Gadd, the younger, of the Town and County
of the Town of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRIOS."
Sealed the 7th October 1864, and dated the 12th April 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Gadd at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th April 1864.
I, WILLIAM GADD, the younger, of the Town and County of the Town of
Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," to be
as follows:-
The improvements relate to the manufacture of looped fabrics by round or
circular machinery, in which the fabric is produced in a cylindrical or
tubular form, and the improvements consist in arranging the needles in two
concentric rings, with the stems of the needles parallel or inclined to the axis.
of the rings, and the barbs or hooks of the needles of one ring being in the
opposite direction to those of the other, combined with the use of thread
carriers which have motion given to them so that at one time they may be

page_text: laying thread to form loops with needles of one ring, and then with needles
of the other ring, and back again alternately, by which longitudinal ribs
will be produced with the loops of adjoining ribs turned in opposite
directions. Or by causing the thread carriers to follow in pairs, and each of
a pair alternately acting with needles of the inner and then of the outer
circle double fabric, each ribbed or plain, may be produced. The movements
of the thread carriers from acting with one to acting with the other set of
needles, and back again, I effect at the times and in the order desired, by
lace wheels or by other suitable means. By allowing one thread carrier to
lay thread continuously on and form loops with the needles of one ring,
and the other thread carrier to lay thread on so as to form loops with
needles of the other ring, two fabrics will be simultaneously produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Gadd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GADD, the younger, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
Lace Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Gadd, Her special licence that I, the said
William Gadd, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Gadd, my 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Gadd, 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the: said William Gadd, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say :-
The improvements relate to the manufacture of looped fabrics by round or
circular machinery, in which the fabric is produced in a cylindrical or tubular
form, and the improvements consist in arranging the needles in two concentric
rings with the stems of the needles parallel or inclined to the axis of the rings,
and the barbs or hooks of the needles of one ring being in the opposite
direction to those of the other, combined with the use of thread carriers which
have motion given to them so that at one time they may be laying thread to
form loops with needles of one ring, and then with needles of the other ring,
and back again alternately, by which longitudinal ribs will be produced with
the loops of adjoining ribs turned in opposite directions. Or by causing the
thread carriers to follow in pairs, and each of a pair alternately acting with
needles of the inner and then of the outer circle double fabric, each ribbed
or plain, may be produced. The movements of the thread carriers from
acting with one to acting with the other set of needles, and back again, I
effect at the times and in the order desired, by lace wheels or by other suitable
means. By allowing one thread carrier to lay thread continuously on and
form loops with the needles of one ring, and the other thread carrier to lay
thread on so as to form loops with needles of the other ring, two fabrics will
be simultaneously produced.
In order that the Invention may be better understood I will by the aid
of the accompanying Drawings proceed more fully to describe means pursued
by me.

page_text: smaller circle or ring of needles, arranged concentrically with the circle or
ring of needles b. The needles shewn are of that class commonly called
tumbler needles; other form of needles may however be employed. Each of
the needles b, when in use, is capable of movement in a radial slit or opening
formed for it in the ring d, whilst the stems or plates 6' of the needles b are
guided by each of them passing into a separate groove cut in the surface of
the cylinder d', or in place of a separate groove being formed for each stem or
plate 6¹ to slide in, each of the grooves in the cylinder d¹ may be formed to
receive and guide several of such stems or plates. The ring d is connected to
that cylinder d¹ by plates d², which also form the divisions to the slits or
openings in the ring d; the cylinder d¹ is supported so as to be capable of
revolving on the stationary bearing a', a', and it is formed at its lower part
into a neck d³, passing through and fitting closely to the inner surface of the
bearing a¹. Upon this neck d³ is affixed the bevilled pinion d4, the teeth öf
which are taken into by the teeth of the pinion e affixed on the axis e¹, which
is supported so as to be capable of revolving freely in the fixed bearing a², and
which has affixed to it the crank handle e², by which the apparatus may be set
in motion; or, if desired, power may be applied to set in motion a series of them
by bevilled pinions, the teeth of which may take into the teeth f formed on
the wheel d, or otherwise applied to the cylinder d³; or the necessary motion
to series of such apparatus may be otherwise obtained, as is well understood
by persons in the habit of using apparatus for the manufacture of looped fabrics
of a cylindrical or tubular form. When driving by means of series of pinions
upon a separate shaft acting in the teeth of a series of bevilled wheels f, I
prefer that the teeth of the pinions driving the wheels f, and also the teeth of
those wheels f be inclined so as to avoid the necessity of placing such driving
shaft under the centre of each apparatus, where it would interfere with the
passage of the formed work. Such method of giving motion to a series of
machines for producing looped fabric of a cylindrical or tubular form is not
new, , and forms no part of my improvements. Each of the plates 6', to which
the needles 6 are applied, is formed, as is more clearly indicated by a full size
view of one of them at Figure 19 with a projection 62, and these projections 62
are received into a groove g formed between the two cylindrical plates g², g²,
The plate g' is affixed to the bearing a', and the cylindrical plate g² is connected
to the plate g¹ by means of the connecting pieces g³, and the
obtained
groove g
between these two cylindrical plates g', g, is of form adapted to give the
desired succession of rises and falls to the needlesb; in order that those needles
may receive thread to form loops thereon take that thread down, and have

page_text: loops formed thereon knocked over their hooked ends by their descent
between the plates d and the inner ring thereof d³, as is well understood.
The needles c, one of which is shown separately full size by a side view of
one of them at Figure 20, are set in plates c¹, which are placed in grooves h¹
cut in the surface of the cylinder h, whilst the needles c slide in radial slits or
openings formed for them within the ring ³. The cylinder h and ring /³ are
formed on or applied to the tube ht, which is supported, with capability of
revolving in the bracket a³, affixed to the cross bar a', which is supported from
standards a affixed to the main framing a. Upon the upper end of this
tube his affixed a toothed wheel ho, the teeth of which are taken into by the
teeth of the wheel he affixed on the shaft or axis h', which is supported so as
to be capable of revolving freely in the fixed bearings a, as, and has affixed
to it at its lower end the toothed wheel h8, the teeth of which taken into the
teeth of the wheel affixed to the tube d³, by which simultaneous and uniform
rotary movement will be obtained to the two tubes d¹ and h, and to the two
sets of needles b, c, carried by those tubes. The plate c', like the plates b¹,
are formed with projections c³, which are received into the groove i formed
between the two cylinders ¹, ².
The cylinder is formed somewhat cup-shaped, and it is connected to and
supported by the stationary rod 23. The cylinder 2 is connected to the
cylinder by means of the plates it. The form of the grooves i and g will be
varied with any desired variation in the times of rising and falling of the
needles, and the number or order of working of the thread carriers. The
stem ³ is supported from the fixed bearing a', and it is capable of being raised
or lowered in that bearing a' so as to raise or lower the cylinders i¹, ³, by
means of the wheel, the boss of which passes into the bearing a', and is
formed with a female screw to receive the male screw cut in the upper end of
this rod 3, and this rod 23 is capable of being held firmly in the desired
position in the bearing a' by means of the set screws 1. The height of the
ring h³ is also capable of adjustment.by raising or lowering the ringj, which
is tapped to receive several'screws with conical heads to
pass into cor-
responding conical recesses formed for them in the stationary bearing a³, by
which the height of the wheel h³ and parts supported thereby may be varied,
and a correct adjustment of the parts may be obtained. k and I are thread
carriers arranged in pairs for conducting the threads to the respective needles.
A separate view of one of each pair of them is shown full size at Figures 21
and 22. These thread carriers may each, of a pair of them, supply either
row of needles alternately, or in such order as may be desired, or one of each

page_text: pair of them may operate to lay thread continuously on to one circle of
needles and the other on to the other circle of needles, and the number of
either of the thread carriers employed may be varied. And in some cases, in
place of the thread carriers working in pairs, they may work singly to lay
thread on to and produce work by both sets of needles, according to the
description of work desired to be produced. The thread carriers & and Zare
supported in grooves m cut in the ring m', with capability of moving therein
to and from the axis 23. The thread carriers k and also slide in other
grooves m² formed in the plate m³ carried by the ring m³, by which those
thread carriers are guided in their to-and-fro motion, and according to the
arrangement shown the thread carriers k and I are each drawn inwards by
slight springs r applied to them, and they are forced outwards by the respective
lace wheels n and o affixed to the plate o¹, and by that plate o' to the ring d,
by which rotary motion will be given to the wheels n and o with the rotation
of the rings d, d, and h, but the means of giving the required to-and-fro
.motion to the thread carriers may be varied. The wheels n and o are shown
.cut for producing tubular double fabric;. the cutting of them will, however,
be varied to the work to be produced. p, p, are plates affixed to the
'bearings p¹ in positions to facilitate the correct laying in of the thread under
the hooks of the needles, and the falling back of the tumblers, as is well
'understood.
The work as produced passes down between the concentric rings or circles
of needles, as indicated by the dotted red lines, and is thence progressively
wound on to a bobbin s or other suitable winding apparatus, as is the practice
with other apparatus for the manufacture of looped fabrics of a tubular form.
In place of the needles being parallel to the axis of rotation, they may be
slightly inclined thereto in the same direction, or with the hooked or barbed
ends of the needles of one circle inclining towards the hooked or barbed
ends of the needles of the other circle.
Having thus described my improvements, and means by which I carry the
same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the precise details shown and described, as these may be varied without
.departing from the peculiar character of the Invention, nor do I claim the
various mechanical parts separately considered; but what I do claim is,-
First, the adaptation or combination of machinery for the manufacture of
looped fabrics of a cylindrical or tubular form by means of two concentric
circles or series of needles applied parallel or somewhat inclined to the axis
of rotation, substantially as explained.

page_text: Secondly, I claim the application in the manufacture of looped fabrics of a
cylindrical or tubular form, of thread carriers capable of being actuated to
traverse the needles by suitable pattern surface, substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Gadd, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
WILLIAM GADD, JNR. (L.B.)