IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1841

page_text: MEE, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Frame Smith, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain; bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of June, in the fourth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Mee,
Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority that I, the said
John Mee, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Mee, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Mee, shall cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said.
John Mee, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same. is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained in

page_text: and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say :-
My Invention relates, first, to a mode of combing parts of warp machinery,
whereby two or more sets of threads may be used in succession so as to produce
ornamental fabrics, and in such manner that one set of threads is caused to be
worked opposite certain parts of the machine for a time; they are then for a
time put out of action in respect to the needles, and other threads are brought
into action to fill up the spaces of those which for a time are put out of work,
and thus a complete row of warp threads is constantly maintained for work;
by which novel mode of combining and working warp machinery, having such
capability of changing the threads from time to time opposite certain determined
spaces of the machine, a great variety of ornamented looped fabrics may
advantageously be made; and, secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of
employing warp machinery in combination with a stocking frame, in order to
produce ornamental fabrics and plated work on the face of the stocking fabric,
as well also as in the fabrics produced produced by the machinery.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood, I will
proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS MARKED A.
Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a stocking frame, with improved
warp machinery according to the Invention applied thereto. By this arrange-
ment or combination, the machine is capable of producing articles composed of
stocking fabric and warp fabric, made according to the improvements intended
to be secured by the present Letters Patent. Figure 2 is a front view of the
machinery; and Figure 3 shews part of a transverse section of the machinery,
full size, by which the nature of the parts will more readily be traced. The
construction of stocking frames being well understood, and forming no part
of my Invention, no description thereof will be necessary. The various parts
which are shewn thereof are in outline in the Drawings, and the names of
the principal parts are written on them; and it only need be stated that when
the improved warp machinery is being worked, the stocking fabric is not being
made by the stocking frame, hence, neither of the thread carriers will be in
action, and consequently the jacks will not require to be drawn, but the jack
sinkers and the lead sinkers will all be worked together, as if they were on one
bar, and will all work as if they were simply lead sinkers, for the guides of the
warp machinery are only arranged to lap over two needles each time of lapping,
and the sinkers respectively produce the loops on two needles. And when the

page_text: warp machinery is out of use, and it is, desired to make stocking fabric, then
one of the thread carriers is brought into action, and the jacks are drawn, and
the, stocking frame, worked in the ordinary way, of working as if no warp
machinery were applied; and the workman will find that the parts applied to
work according to my improvements are coloured, the ordinary parts of the
stocking frame, as above stated, being left in outline. a, a, are, two uprights,
affixed one at each end of the machine, and they are turned or cranked down
at right angles, and come towards the front of the machine; and the one at the
left-hand end of the machine is again cranked out towards the left, in order to
receive the axis of the lace wheel; b, b, is a quadrangular framing, which moves
on points or axes c, c, which are screwed through the uprights a, a, as is shown.
At the back of the frame 6 there is an arm d, having a connecting. rod e to
connect it with the treadle f; and there is also a counter balancing spring.g
affixed to the arm d, the other end of the spring g being affixed to the back
framing of the machine. h, k, are two stops, having set screws h', by. means of
which the frame b, b, is prevented being raised too high or falling too low.
One of these stops his affixed to the left-hand end of the frame b, and the
screws h¹ come against the cranked portion of the upright a; and the other
stop h is affixed to the cranked part of the upright a,at the right-hand end of
the machine, and the set screws act against the right hand end of the frame b
when that frame is raised or lowered, so as to come against the end of either of
the screws h. The frame b carries another quadrangular frame i; this frame i
is composed of the two end bars i, i, and the bar. i', which connects them to-
gether at their lower ends, and the bar 2, which connects them together at the
upper ends, the bar also acting as the main guide bar.. The frame i moves
on axes or necks ; which pass through the end bars of the frame b; hence,
when the frame b is raised or lowered, the frame i will be raised or lowered,
and the guides on the upper bar. i will pass between the heads of the needles,
and such will be the case with the other guides, as hereafter described; and in
order to govern the movements of the bar 2 in its upward and downward
movements there are two guide plates j, j, affixed to the needle bar, against
which the cranked parts of upper ends of the end bars i of the frame i come,
and thus is the frame i controlled to move correctly. is a spring, which is
attached at one end to the frame b, and at the other end to the frame ï; by
this means the frame i will.constantly be borne towards the left-hand end of the
machine, and consequently against the lace wheel 7, which moves on an axis
carried by the standard a, as is shown, the wheel being cut to work four
courses of loops; being a handle affixed on the face of the lace wheel, by
which the workman froni time to time may set the wheel according to the

page_text: work he desires to make; and it may be stated that, although the lace
wheel is shewn cut for a particular pattern of work, the same may be varied.
To the back of the lace wheel is fixed a ratchet wheel, and also a plain wheel;
the object of the plain wheel is to prevent the lace wheel being turned by the
movement up and down of the frame i, and this is accomplished by means of
a friction spring m, which presses on the periphery of the plain wheel. n is a
clawker, which is suspended from the projecting frame 2, which is affixed to
the left-hand end bar i of the frame i, as is shown; it will therefore be seen
that the lace wheel will be moved one-fourth round each time the frame i is
caused to rise, and the frame i, with the guide bars carried thereby, will be
shogged when the guides are below the needles, and also when the guides are
above the needles. o is a plate, which is suspended at its upper end by a
screw o¹, screwed into the projecting frame it, and is kept down by a weighted
cord o; the use of this plate o is to vary the position of the guide bars in
respect to the needles; thus, supposing the machine to have been at work with
a plate o between the end surface and the lace wheel, if the plate o were
then removed out of the way and the machine again worked, the guides would
work with other needles towards the left-hand end of the machine, one or
two needles to the left of those with which they were previously working,
according as the plate o is equal to one or two spaces between the needles; and
the workman may have one, two, or more such plates o, and thus vary his
work by simply moving a plate or plates out of the way of the lace wheel, and
by again bringing them between the lace wheel and the end of the frame i,
and he will introduce or remove the plates o when the guides are at their
lowest position, all which will readily be understood by persons acquainted with
the working of warp lace machinery, and consequently acquainted with the
effects which may be produced by varying the positions in which the guides
work, from time to time, with respect to the needles. p, p, are the main
guides, which are affixed to the upper bar 22 of the frame i; and it will be seen
that there are spaces left in the leads of main guides wherever there is to
be ornamental work produced in the fabric, one or two guides being left
out at each space, though this number may be varied, and there are to be
one or two guides with various colored threads to work to fill up such spaces
as is shown at g and r; the guide bar q. being shown to carry guides with
similar threads to those which are carried by the main guides p, so that
when the threads from the guides carried by the bar are at work, and
equally spaced with the main guides p, the fabric produced will be all
of similar thread or yarn and of the same texture; but when the guides q
with their threads are thrown back out of action, as is shown by the

page_text: Drawing, and the guides on the bar rare in action with their threads of a
different color or character, there will be ornamental work produced in the
fabric; and supposing that the threads from the guides r were pink, and those
from the main guides p and the guides q brown, and the guides r were brought
into action and worked two courses, after every ten courses worked by the
guides p and q, the fabric produced by the combined working would be brown
with pink spots; and if the guides r with their threads be kept in work for
many courses of loops, then there would be pink stripes for a greater or less
length opposite where the guides r work; and in the meanwhile the threads of
the guides q will be out of work, and it will be evident that there may be a
series of guides to work opposite the spaces in the main guides. And it will be
seen that the plates at either end of the frame i have holes for receiving more*
guide bars; in such cases, all but one set of the extra threads opposite spaces
left in the main guides would be out of work, and such one set for the time
being would be equally spaced with the main guides, and thus will a complete
row of guides be at work, one thread to each pair of needles. In order that
the guides on the bar q may be capable of going out of the way of the guides
on the bar r, the guide bar q is capable of movement lengthwise from left to'
right, there being a spring g', which at all times bears against its right-hand end
with a tendency to move it towards the left-hand end, hence, when the work-
man wishes to put the threads of the guide bar 9 out of action he will press
the bar towards the right-hand end of the machine, when he will, by the
handle q, be able to move the guide bar q on its axis, and turn the guides
thereof with the threads out of action, and by the handle r¹ of the guide bar
he will turn the guides of the guide bar r into action. And it is important to
remark, that if the threads of either of the guide bars q or r had been out of
action some time, and the bar were then moved to bring the threads thereof
into work, the threads being connected to the fabric at some distance from the
needles, the consequence would be that they might not lap on to the needles, as
the guides only enter between the needles for a very short length; it therefore
becomes necessary to press the threads of the guides which have just been:
brought into action back towards the under side of the stems of the needles;
and for this object I have applied a bar s, which slides in guides t affixed to the
frame i; and s¹ are handles by which the workman presses the bars towards the
back of the machine, which will press back the threads which have been out of
work to a distance from the heads of the needles, and thus, when the guides
lap, the threads will be safely over the needles, and be laid thereon, and then
the bar s may be slid back till other of the threads are brought into action,
and the others put out of work. It will be evident that the spaces left in the

page_text: máin row of guides will depend on the nature of the fabric to be made, and
the workman will use leads of main guides accordingly. is the warp beam
on which is wound the threads for the main guide. bar;' and w, w, áre bobbins
for the extra threads, worked by the guide bars q.and ; these bobbins are
respectively put on the bars a, y, and these bars and y turn' at their ends in
bearings carried by the bars z affixed at each end of the frame i, 'as is shown,
and cach bár has a weighted friction band. The warp beam is carried by bars
affixed to the main framing of the stocking frame, as is shown. It will be
seen that there is a projecting arm
this arm is attached a spring
affixed at one end of the frame i, and to
which is attached at its other end to the
hand bar of the stocking frame; by this means, when the hand "bar is used by
the workman, in order to move the sinkers forward, the guides and other
apparatus will move 'away from the sinkers, and thus allow of the sinkers
performing their part of the work.
Having thus described the nature and mode of working of the 'different
parts, I will suppose that it is desired to make a fabric partly of stocking
fabric and partly of warp fabric. The workman would "conimence and 'work
the stocking frame in the ordinary manner, to any desired number of courses,
either of one or more colors. The thread carriers would then be put out of
action, and the workman would cause the warp apparatus to lap threads on to
the needles, the threads being placed under the small-front nebs of the sinkers,
which,' descending a short distance, sink- the lappings between the needles;
then the sinkers come forward and pass the fresh loops under the beards of the
needles; 'the sinkers are then put back out of the way, and allow the workman
to bring down the presser bar to close the beards of the needles; then the sinkers
are caused to knock over the work, and then to bring the new work on to the
stems of the needles, as is well understood. The workman will then again
lap the threads on to. the needles, and so on, so long as it it is desired to make
warp fabric, bringing the various different colored threads into action and
putting out the others' according to taste, and also using or not using the
plates o, as he may see desirable, to vary the fabric; he may then again bring
the stocking frame into action by causing a thread carrier to lay thread on to
the needles, and in this manner he may vary the fabric produced in the way
he' may think fit. I would, however, remark that I do not make any claim to
the combining warp fabrics (or fabric of many threads looped on needles) with
stocking fabrics (or fabrics of one thread looped on needles), that not being
new; this part of the Invention relating to the mode of introducing ornament-
ing threads, which come into action and produce portions of the fabric as
ornamental portions, such ornamenting threads giving place to other orna-

page_text: menting threads, or to other 'threads, to produce the ground of the pattern, as
the case may be; all which will readily be understood by the workman 'on a
careful examination of the accompanying 'Drawings, aided by the description
herein given. And although I believe the means above given to be the best
for the purpose of carrying out this part of the Invention; yet variations may
be made in the details, so long as the peculiar mode of producing ornamental
patterns of work in warp machinery be retained."
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which is shown
by the Drawings marked B'; and I would first remark, that as many parts of the
machinery are similar to those above described, I have marked those parts
with the same letters of reference; and the description above given will equally
apply to the present Drawings, and need not be repeated.
The object of the machinery about to be" described being for the purpose of
ornamenting the stocking fabric produced by stocking machinery, by causing
the warp-threads first to be lapped on the needles close to the nebs of the
sinkers, and then the thread carrier to be moved across the machine to place
thread on the needles, by which the warp threads will be on the face of the
fabric produced, and will be produced to ornament the fabric, and not all over
the fabric.
The machine is arranged for making the backs of gloves, there being two
single and one pair of guides used, which produce the three rows of loop*or
ornamental work at the back of the glove, and, as the rows are not required 'to
be parallel, two of the guide bars are made capable of movement, so as to
move their guides away from "the centre guides; and, by like means,' various
different effects may be produced, the ornamental work thus made being of a
similar character to what is called "plating," when the face of the fabric has
been 'wholly covered by means heretofore practised; and this part of "the
Invention is simply for the mode by which such work may be done in pattern,
as the ornaments produced in different parts of stocking,fabrics.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS MARKED B.
Figure I' represents a transverse section, and Figure 2 a front view, of 'a
machine; and Figure 3 shows part of a transverse section of a machine,
showing the parts full size. The variations of this machine consists of the
guide bars, which are three in number, and are marked A, B, C, there being a
pair of guides on the bar A; and a single guide on each of the bars B, C,
opposite, each width of fabric the machine is capable of making when the
fabrics are for backs of gloves, but this will be varied' for other fabrics
according to the taste of the workman, and depending on the extent of pattern

page_text: or ornament it is desired to produce on the stocking fabric; the stocking
frame, it will be seen, is spaced for producing four widths of fabrics. The
guide bar A carries the guides which work the middle row of loop work on
the face of a portion of fabric for the back of a glove, and the guides on the
bars B and C produce the two outside rows of looped work; but such rows
being required to be at an angle to the middle row, the guides on the bars
B, C, are progressively moved by a lengthway movement of those bars from
the guides on the bar A, as the work is produced; the guide bar A is carried
by the frame i, and is made fast thereto, as in the former machine. The
guide bars B, C, being carried by separate frames B', C', such frames moving
on a common bar D as an axis, such bar D being affixed to the two end bars
of the frame i, there being adjusting screws E, E, to regulate the positions of
the frames i, B', C'; the frame C' being constantly borne towards the right-
hand end of the frame i by the spring F, and the frame B' is constantly borne
towards the left-hand end of the frame i by the spring G, as will be readily
understood on examining the Drawings; hence, the one lace wheel acting on
the frame i will govern all the guides as to their order of lapping, all the
guides, when lapping, acting similarly to each other in respect to the needles:
His a roller, over which the warp threads pass before coming to their guides,
and as all the threads will be equally worked up, one bar of bobbins or one
beam will be sufficient to receive the warp threads used. On the right-hand
end bar of the frame i is affixed a bent plate I, which embraces the ends of
the frames B', C', and retains them from falling in or out from their proper
place through the two ends of this plate I there is an axis passed, on which
is affixed the arms or levers J, and if the levers or arms J be moved with their
axis of motion, they will act against the adjusting screws E', and force the
frames B', C', in opposite directions; and in order to accomplish this movement
of the levers or arms J, there is a lever K affixed on the axis of the arms J,
and the lever K, being moved a short distance, is held by a ratchet bar whilst
one or more courses of work are being performed by the machinery, and then
will be moved again, and again held by the ratchet bar L, which is attached
by an axis to a plate L' affixed to the frame i, as is shewn; and there is a
spring at the back of the ratchet bar L to press it constantly forwards, and L²
is a stop to prevent the ratchet bar coming too forward; it will therefore be
seen that the ratchet bar L can be pressed back when it is desired to release
the lever handle K, in order that the lower end of the handle K may be
passed back towards the right-hand end of the machine. Through the lever
handle K is passed a spring tooth K', which takes successively into the ratchet
teeth of the bar L; by this arrangement it will be understood that the guides

page_text: on the frames B', C', are as near together as they can come, and, consequently,
any movement of the lower end of the lever handle K towards the left-hand
end of the machine will cause the guides on the frames B', C', to separate,
and the workman will progressively move the handle K, and it will be
successively held by the ratchets teeth for a space of time equal to the making
of one or more courses of work, and by this means can the outer rows of
ornamental work be produced at an angle to the middle row of ornamental
work. On a careful examination of the Drawing marked B, aided by the
description here given, a workman will understand that he will first cause the
warp threads to be lapped on to the needles, and afterwards a thread carrier
will lay its threads on the needles; and it will be understood that the frame
will be worked in the ordinary way.
In respect to this part of my Invention, I would also remark that, when
desired, there may be additional guides with threads which may be turned out
of action and brought into action in a similar manner to what has been above
described in respect to the first part of my Invention; but in this case the
extra guides and threads would not work in intervals of a row of main guides,
as before described, a row of main guides not being required in this case, as
the general body of the fabric in this machine is produced by the stocking
frame, the warp threads producing additional fabric as ornamenting means.
In this part of my Invention I do not confine myself to the precise details
shewn, provided the peculiar mode of working be retained; and I make no
claim to any of the separate parts of the machinery herein described.
:
I will now describe another means of working the apparatus and machinery
shewn in Drawings B, whereby, in place of producing loops of stocking fabric
on those needles where the guide threads are lapped, the thread laid on by
the thread carrier of the stocking machinery or frame is removed before the
guide threads are lapped on to those needles, by which arrangement and mode
of action, there will not be two threads on those needles where the guide
threads are lapped, that is to say, a portion of thread from the thread carrier,
and a portion of thread laid on by a guide; on the contrary, the loop produced
on each needle will only be of a single thread from a guide. Figure 4 shews
so much of the machinery and apparatus in section as will enable me, together
with the part of the front view, Figure 5, to explain this mode of working. To
the apparatus previously described are applied three presser bars, each presser
being of a width equal to press on two needles, and the presser bars are
respectively carried by the three guide bars; and there is a presser to each
guide, and as two of the guide bars are capable of movement in opposite
directions, which will progressively move the guides thereon, and cause them

page_text: to work with different needles, it is necessary that the pressers should follow
their guides so as to press on the needles on which the guide threads are next
to be lapped; the centre guides being stationary, the presser bar is also
stationary; A2 is the presser bar which works with the guide bar, A, by pressing.
on the needles at certain times over which the guides on the bar A lap their
threads; B is the presser bar which works with the guide bar. B; and C² is
the presser bar which works with the guide bar. C. These presser bars are
respectively carried by bearings affixed to their respective guide bars, in which
bearings they are capable of turning in order to put the pressers, on to and take
them off the needles, on which they respectively work. The presser bars, being
all required to work at the same time, are connected together by the link A³
hinged to the presser bar A²; and on the presser bars B, C, and affixed two
short rods A', which pass through the link A3; by this means the pressing on
the handle A³ will cause all the presser bars to be lifted, and their needles, to be
pressed on by the pressers. M is a spring, which, when the parts are in the
position of the Drawing, Figure 4, will tend to keep the pressers down on the
needles;
but when the sinkers come forward to pass the thread, which has
been laid on to the needles by the thread carrier, under the beards of the
needles where there are no pressers, and to knock off the thread from
those needles which are pressed on by pressers affixed to their respective bars,
the sinkers in coming forward will come against the pressers and force them
outwards; and when the presser bar on which the spring M presses has been
moved a short distance by the sinkers, the spring M will act to force the
presser bars out of action, as is indicated by dotted lines.
In working the apparatus the workman places his foot on the treadle to
raise the guide bars, so that the pressers may be placed on to the needles
in the position shewn in the Drawing, Figure 4; he will then move the
thread carrier across the machine and draw the jacks, and as those needles
which are acted on by the pressers will be pressed down, as is shewn, in
sinking the thread by the jack sinkers, so much thread will not be taken
by the needles pressed on as those not pressed on; and this will prevent the
work produced from being slack at those places. The lead sinkers having
descended the workman draws forward the sinkers, which causes pressers to
be forced away, and the thread to pass under the beards of the needles which
are not pressed on by pressers, and the thread on the needles which have
pressers thereon will be forced over the beards of the needles, and no loops
will be produced thereby; the sinkers are then put back and the guides are
caused to lap, as before described; then loops being forced under the beards of
the needles by the sinkers the presser bar of the stocking frame will be brought

page_text: into action in the ordinary way and close the beards of all the needles, and
the work on the stems of the needles will be forced or knocked off the heads
of the needles; the new row of loops will now be carried on to the stems of
the needles, the pressers A², B², C2, will be again brought into action, then the
thread carrier will lay on a fresh quantity of threads, and the course will be
again worked, as just explained; and these courses will be worked so long as the
class of work thus produced is required, and then stocking fabric will be again
made, and again the extra or guide thread work may be introduced, according
to the taste of the workman.
But what I claim is, First, the mode of producing ornamental portions of
warp fabric by having two or more sets of threads, which are capable of being
brought into action at separate times, as above described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of applying warp machinery to stocking frames
for ornamenting stocking fabrics, as described in respect to Drawings B.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode of applying extra or guide threads by the
aid of extra presses, and causing such guide or extra threads to work as orna-
menting threads to the stocking fabric produced by the stocking frame, as
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Mee, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord One