IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cotton, of Loughborough, in the County of
Leicester, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS."
Sealed the 14th March 1856, and dated the 16th October 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cotton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
October 1855.
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 THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS" to be as follows:-
The Invention relates, first, to means for effecting the narrowing or
widening for "fashioning" of fabric whilst it is being produced. And the
improvement consists in supporting one or more of the needles at each
selvage, so as to be capable of traversing with the edges or selvages of the
work to narrow or widen such work as desired; certain of the needles next
these selvage needles being capable of being withdrawn from continuing to
receive loops when the width of the fabric is desired to be diminished, whilst
other supplemental needles are capable of coming in to act with the others
next the traversing needles, so as to increase the number of needles for the
time to operate when a widening is desired to be obtained..
Secondly, the Invention relates to forming on the cut edges of looped fabrics
selvages of looped work, for the purpose of lacing or retaining the otherwise
loose threads produced by the cutting. I employ. for this purpose two, three,
or more needles (according to the width of selvage desired to be produced on

page_text: the edge of the fabric), with other parts to act therewith by mechanical means
to complete the looping, for the purpose of producing a selvage on the fabric
in any direction desired by the form of cut made. Such application of selvages
will be found especially useful for the fashioned parts of the feet & legs of hose,
the sleeves of under shirts, and other articles of looped fabric, which may then
be seamed together in place of being stitched.
Thirdly, the improvements relate to forming the thickening to the heels of
hose, whilst producing such hose in knitting frames, by means of extra threads
introduced by guides operated as in warp machines, & to forming, by the use
of such guide threads, selvages to the parts to be cut up for the heel, which
improvements are also applicable when other like thickening & tieing-in for
selvages is desired to be obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Cotton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
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 Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in 'the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Cotton; Her special licence that I, the said' William Cotton,
'my executors, administrators; and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Cotton; my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any timė
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 Willam Cotton, my executors or administrators, by 'an instru-
ment 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.

page_text: 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 be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
The Invention relates, first, to means for effecting the, narrowing or
widening for fashioning" of fabric whilst it is being produced in the
machinery employed in the manufacture of knitted or looped. fabric... And
the improvement consists in supporting one or more of the needles at each
selvage, so as to be capable of traversing with the edges or selvages of the
work, to narrow or widen such work as desired; certain of the needles next
these selvage needles are capable of being withdrawn from continuing to
receive loops when the width of the fabric is desired to be diminished, or are
capable of coming in to act with the others next the traversing needles, so' as
to increase the number of needles for the time to operate when a widening is.
desired to be obtained.
Secondly, the Invention relates to forming on the cut edges of looped fabrics
selvages of looped work, for the purpose of lacing or retaining the otherwise
loose threads produced by the cutting. I employ for this purpose two, three,
or more needles (according to the;width of selvage desired to be produced on
the edge of the fabric), with other parts to act therewith by mechanical means
to complete the looping, for the purpose of producing a selvage on the fabric in
any direction desired by the form of cut made. Such application of selvages
will be found especially useful for the fashioned parts of the feet and legs of
hose, the sleeves of under shirts, and other articles of looped fabric, which
may then be seamed together in place of being stitched.
Thirdly, the improvements relate to forming the thickening to the heels of
hose, whilst producing such hose in knitting frames by means of extra threads
introduced by guides operated as in warp machines, and to forming, by the use
of such guide threads, selvages to the parts to be cut up for the heel, which
improvements are also applicable when other like thickening and tieing-in for
selvages is desired to be obtained.
But that the nature of my said Invention and the manner in which I carry
the same into effect may, be fully understood, I will proceed to describe the
Drawings annexed.
And I would here state, that the nature of knitting machinery for the manu-
facture of looped fabric being well-understood, I have not thought it necessary
to show by the Drawings other than the parts to which my improvements

page_text: especially apply; and that these parts may be the better understood, I have
shown them full size, and in some of the different positions which in the
working of the machinery they will assume.
In carrying out my improvements, I employ sinkers formed in two parts, an
upper and a lower part; the upper of which serves to draw the new loops and
to take the work back from under the beards of the needles, whilst the lower
part serves to bring the work forward towards the beards and to knock it over.
These latter parts are stationary, and are caused to act upon the work by a
backward and forward movement given to the needles by the use of a moveable
needle bar. But these parts and their mode of working are not new, and,
separately, form no part of my Invention.
upper
The nature of the various views of Drawing A is written thereon, and in
each of the views the same letters indicate similar parts wherever they occur.
a is part of the main framing; the dotted lines b show the position of the
portion of the sinker, and c the lower portion; d is the needle bar, to which a
backward and forward motion is given, as is well understood, to cause the
instruments to bring the work forward on the needles, and then to bring
the needles into position to receive threads for the formation of fresh loops.
And there are three kinds of needles used; the needles e, which are of the
ordinary character, set in leads fixed to and simply moving to and fro with
the bar d, the selvage needles f, and the supplemental needles j. The needles e
are arranged upon the bar d so as to occupy only that space which will effect
looping together of the threads laid thereon by the thread carrier to the extent
of the narrowest portion of the work to be produced, or to that extent, excepting
a few needles f at each selvage. These selvage needles f, of which I have
shown three at each selvage, but this number may be varied, are affixed into
the bent ends of arms f', which are carried by bars g and h; the arm f
at the right-hand selvage being affixed to one of those bars (the bar g), whilst
the arm at the left-hand selvage is affixed to the other bar (the bar h), so
that the arms f¹ with their needles f may be capable, when desired, of a
simultaneous movement in opposite directions, either for effecting widening
or narrowing to the fabric being produced. The bars g, h, are supported in a
groove formed in the axis or shaft i, and this axis or shaft i is supported at
intervals in bearings 2, carried by the needle bar d, and with a capability of
turning partly round in those bearings, so as to elevate and depress the
needles f, as well as to act upon the plates or carriers ¹ of the supplemental
needles j, as will be hereafter explained.
And I would here state, that the peculiarity of this part of my improvements.
consists in so arranging needles at the selvages of the fabric that they may be

page_text: capable of traversing with the edges or selvages of the work, to admit, when for
widening, of other needles coming in between such selvage needles and the
main body of needles used, in order to their having loops formed on them, as on
the other needles, thereby to produce fabric of a wider character; or when a
narrowing is desired, to admit of such intermediate and supplemental needles
being withdrawn, to lessen the number of loops across the width of the fabric,
or to narrow it. The intermediate needles ; are each affixed to a plate ", which
is formed with a recess j on its under side, to rest upon a bar or rib ³, affixed
to the needle bar d, by which arrangement, whilst the bar j³ serves as an axis
of motion for those needles j, it affords a ready means for removal and replace-
ment of them.
'
'It will be seen more clearly, by reference to the separate plan view of the
bars 9 and h, that the bars g and h are cut away at parts g', h', to that extent
which they would otherwise project from the axis i, and this is in order that
they may not at such part in any way interfere with the inner ends of the
plates j', whose needles are for the time required to be out of operation, and
also that the edges g² or h² may be capable of successively coming into
operation to act upon the inner ends of those plates ¹ to hold their needles
in position for work, or of receding therefrom to release them, as the case
may be. But that the operation of these parts may be fully understood, I
will suppose that the selvage needles f, f, are lying in position for work at
the two ends of a row of ordinary needles e, e, and that for the time they formi
with them a complete set of needles to produce work of an uniform breadth.
At such time the inner ends of the plates j¹ will be elevated in parts g¹ and
h', cut away in the bars 9 and h, and the outer ends of those plates carrying
the needles will be depressed to a line below those which are in operation.
And I will further suppose that it is now desired to produce work of a
progressively increasing width. In order to this, before the laying of the
thread for another row of loops, the shaft or axis i (and with it the bars ġ
and h) will have a partial rotary motion given to it in a direction to lift the
needles f slightly above the tops of the instruments c, when a slight endway
movement will be given to the bars g and h in opposite directions, so that the
needles may pass over, and in descending again pass down between the next
adjoining instruments c to admit of one of the needles ; at each selvage of the
5 fabric rising between the selvage needles f and the ordinary needles e, thereby
adding two needles to the width of the fabric, or one needle towards each
selvage thereof. The needles jare, according to the arrangement shown,
successively caused to rise into a position for work by a projection f² on each
arm coming on the top of the plates j', somewhat behind their centre of

page_text: motion, when those arms f¹ descend, again to place their needles f in a line
with the needles e. The projection will at such time depress those ends of
the plates and elevate their needles; and the edges g and h² of the blades
or bars g and h will then in their next movement rest upon the end of the
plate of the needles j last brought into operative position to hold them
firmly in such position, and a like operation takes place in respect of each
succeeding needle j, added to the breadth of the fabric towards each selvage
till the full breadth of fabric as desired is obtained. But if in place of, a
widening a narrowing to the fabric is desired to be produced, I will suppose
that a number of supplemental needles j equal to the extent of narrowing
required to the fabric have been used, and that such supplemental needles
are in operation, or any quantity of them. Then in order to narrow the
fabric, the arms will rise as before above the instruments c, but the bars g
and will now have a simultaneous movement towards each other, so as to
bring the end of each arm finto a position over a needle j, when in their
descent they will depress such needles out of the way, and a needle f of each
of such arms f¹ will take the position and work in place of the needles just
removed, and so on, till the desired extent of narrowing is obtained.
And here I would state that I do not confine myself to this means of
arranging and operating needles j in order to their coming into position
between the selvage needles and others, to increase the number for the time
to receive thread and have loops formed on them for widening, or in order
that such supplemental needles may be withdrawn for narrowing, as such
may be varied.
The partial rotary motion of the rod i is obtained by an arm affixed to that
axis acted upon at the times desired by a lace or other wheel, and the
endway movements to the bars or rods g and h is also obtained by lace or
other wheels, acting thereon, but as such wheels are well understood by
persons acquainted with this class of machinery, and will vary with every
variation of form.desired to be obtained, I have not thought it necessary to.
show them.
In carrying out these improvements, it will be desirable that stops be
applied to stop the progress of the thread carrier at each selvage, according to
the variation in the number of needles for the time in operation; or when
the thread carrier moves always an uniform distance, that a ring or other 3
weight be applied to take up the slack of the thread.
I will now describe the second part of
my improvements.

page_text: b
Drawing B shows two views of apparatus which I employ for this part of
he Invention. And I would here state, that for the most part this apparátus is
similar to what has heretofore been employed when sewing two thicknesses of
ooped fabric together; and in carrying out this part of my improvements, by
forming selvages of looped work for the purpose of lacing or retaining the
otherwise loose edge left in the cutting to form of such fabric, I place the edge
upon which selvage is to be produced upon the projecting pins a, carried
by the ring a', upon the edge of which are formed teeth; which' are taken
into by the teeth of a pinion 6 upon one end of the shaft ; upon the other
end of which is affixed the wheel 62, with teeth 63 projecting from its surface
to embrace the periphery of the wheel c, by which it is held but the wheel' ć
is so formed at c', that when in its revolution that part passes the teeth of the
wheel b, it causes that wheel to move a distance equal to one' tooth, by which
a step by step movement will be given to the ring a', and the fabric carried
thereby. Upon this axis e is affixed the handle e, by which the operator
gives motion to the parts. The shaft or axis e also carries the crank ffor
giving motion to the needle bar f¹, in the end of which are affixed the needles
f for taking the threads from suitable bobbins through the edge of the work!
h, h, are other hooked instruments, which, when' the needles have passed'
through the fabric, rise with their hooked ends in the recesses of the needles,
by which they are enabled to take hold' of one side of the loops of their
threads to hold such loops whilst the needles recede for a fresh stitch, and
after the work has moved a short distance the needles re-enter, when the
loops previously taken these hooked instruments will be in position to 'be
passed through by the needles in re-entering. The hooks will then leave the
loops last taken by them, and take that part of the thread just brought in by
the needles to form fresh loops, which are held by those hooked instruments
during the withdrawal of the needles, as before, and so on, in succession,
whereby a lacing will be obtained to the edge of the fabric by a series of loops
passed one through the preceding, and by the use of several needles acting
together the lacing will be of a stronger character, and two edges of cut
fabric, with the loose ends thus kept from becoming loose, may be readily and
securely seamed together in place of being stitched, by which a thinner and
neater joining of such fabric will be obtained. The hooked instruments are
supported in the end of the lever h', which is capable of turning-upon an
axis h² from the arm h³, which turns upon an axis h', so as to give a free
motion to the lever h¹ in two directions; and-this lever in its other end has

page_text: two set pins, ho, which rest the one against the edge, and the other the
side surface of the wheel h; and those surfaces of the wheel h are formed as
desired to give the requisite motion to the instruments h; and that the
lever may follow the course of the cam h', there are springs h³, ho.
In carrying out the third part of the Invention, I employ a bar of warp
guides in front of the machine, operated to lay in threads upon the needles,
but only as in-lay threads, without their forming loops therewith, they being
simply tied in by the loops formed in the knitting; and I give to such guides
a transverse motion, first in one direction and then in the other, each guide
traversing over two or more needles, and by these threads returning at each
edge of the fabric; or that portion of it which, when the fabric is cut, will be
the edge, serves to tie in and bind those parts forming selvages.. Parts thus
thickened and selvaged may be the heels of stockings, or other looped fabrics
requiring such thickening or selvaging.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shown
and described, as variations may be made therein without departing from the
peculiar character of the improvements; but what I do claim is, the obtaining
a narrowing or widening to the fabric whilst being produced by the use of
needles at each selvage of the fabric, capable of a traversing motion with such
selvages, instead of the selvage loops being moved on to other needles, in the
ordinary way of fashioning, and to admit of other intermediate needles being
withdrawn from or introduced between such selvage needles and the main
body of needles employed, thereby to diminish or increase the number of
needles in work, substantially as explained.
Secondly, I claim the forming upon the cut edges of looped fabrics selvages
of looped work, for the purpose of lacing or retaining the otherwise loose
threads produced by the cutting of such fabric to form, as explained.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of thickening, and at the same time producing
selvages or tieing-in to looped fabrics, as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cotton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
WILLIAM COTTON. (L.S.)
Witness,.
HENRY ALFRED SMYTH.