IMPROVEMENTS IN MARKING SKEINS OF SILK
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPHI
Foor, of Spital Square, in the County of Middlesex, Silk Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighth day of June,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the eleventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Foot, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Joseph Foot, my exors, admors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Foot, my exors, admors, 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, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARKING SKEINS
OF SILK," communicated to me from abroad; in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Foot, should cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, to be inrolled in Her 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
Joseph Foot, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, as com-
municated to me, and the manner in which the same is to be carried

page_text: into effect, are fully described in and by the following statement thercof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
It is well known that when skeins of silk yarn are sent out to be dressed
and dyed persons engaged in these processes often take quantities, and as the
process of dyeing changes the weight of the silk, the correct weight cannot be
well known by the person sending silk to be dyed, and thus is the owner
deprived of part of his silk. In order therefore to avoid fraud some manu-
facturers have adopted the plan of passing a piece of cord through each skein,
and havo fastened the two ends thereof together by a knot, but notwith-
standing such cord the workpeople have unfastened the cords, and have
taken parts of the silk. Now the object of the Invention communicated to
me consists of means of fastening the ends of the cords used to prevent the
removal of any part of the silk without detection, and consists of applying a
process of weaving. And in order that the Invention may be fully understood
I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 show a portion of a skein, through which is passed a cord a, the
ends of which are made fast in a piece of woven fabric b, which is woven in the
ordinary way of producing ribbon and such like narrow fabrics, the only
difference in the loom used being in the mode of holding the ends of ribbon,
and this is rendered necessary by the cutting away from time to time of portions
of the fabric produced on the pieces of cord a. In Figure 1 it will be seen
that knots having been formed near each end of the cord a, and the cord a
passed through the skein, one end of the cord a is placed between the parts
of the warp so that the knot may lie as near the centre as may be of the width
of ribbon a, into which a few shoots had been previously thrown. A fresh
shoot is now thrown in and then the other end of the cord a is placed between
the parts of the warp with the knot in a similar position to that on the other end
of the cord, and a few shoots more being thrown in, the piece of ribbon formed
on the ends of the cord a, and securing those ends together, may be cut off.
Figure shows a front view, Figure 3 a plan, Figure 4 a longitudinal
section, and Figure 5 a side view of a ribbon loom, such as I prefer to use.
c, c, are the reels containing the warp. is the batten carrying the shuttles
which have teeth on their under side. These teeth are taken into by the small
pinions e under the shuttles, and which are driven by a rack f, connected
to the straps g, which are set in motion by the Jacquard apparatus, which
I have only shewn in the Plan, as such is well understood and forms no
part of the Invention, and is not necessary to the carrying out of the Inven-

page_text: tion, as ordinary harness would produce weaving suitable to secure the two
ends of the cords. I however prefer to use the Jacquard apparatus, as thereby
facility is obtained of producing any desired pattern or design or initials on
the fabric 6, by which any number of skeins belonging to one manufacturer
may be more readily recognised from those belonging to another using a
different mark, and at the same time the owner will be better protected from
loss. The Jacquard apparatus is worked by the treadle ¹. j, j, are a series of
pincers for holding the ends of the ribbons, one to each. The two jaws of each
of these nippers j, j, are held together by the pressure of springs k, whilst they
are capable of being opened by means of the handles ¹, or they may be opened
by pressure on the treadles j³, each of which is connected by means of a cord
to one of the handles j'. 1, 1, are bars for supporting the skeins, whilst the
two ends of the cords a are having the fabric b woven thereon. These bars
are sustained in the projections l', as shewn.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the details berein shewn and described, so long as the
peculiar character of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is, the con-
necting the ends of the cords used in fastening or binding up skeins of silk, and
of forming woven fabrics on such ends.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Foot, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord