IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wilkins, of Leicester, in the County of
Leicester, Overlooker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS."
Sealed the 14th August 1857, and dated the 11th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wilkins at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th June 1857.
I, WILLIAM WILKINS, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Over-
looker, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," to be as follows:--
My improvements consist in adapting certain mechanical arrangements to
that class of machines known as knitting machines for producing looped
fabrics. The needles used may be those known as double-ended needles or
single-ended needles. The peculiarity of my improvements consists in using
an independent jack lever or hook to act upon the hook or beard or other
part of the needle, whereby the needle can be drawn either backward or
forward at pleasure. If double-ended needles are used an independant jack
lever or hook is arranged to act at each end upon the hook, beard, or other
part of a needle, the lever being acted upon by jacquard or pattern surfaces,
as herein-after stated. Two needle bars are used, and the needles work in

page_text: grooves or combs. The independent jack levers or hooks on each side the
machine are with their comb bar made to move backwards and forwards.
The independant jack levers or hooks acted upon by the jacquard or other
pattern surface cause the levers or hooks to act upon the hooks, or beards, or
other parts of the needles, whereby they can be drawn either backward or
forward at pleasure. If single-ended needles be used, the independent jack
levers or hooks are so arranged as to act at one end only upon the needles.
The independent jack levers or hooks are placed at the back of the machine,
and are with their comb bar made to move backwards and forwards. The
jacquard or other pattern surface is made to fall and rise by means of levers
and cams upon a shaft of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Wilkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WILKINS, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Overlooker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Wilkins, Her special licence that I, the said William Wilkins,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Wilkins, 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 MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst, others) that I, the said. William Wilkins, my executors' or admi-
nistraters, 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 Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent. !
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Wilkins, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
My improvements consist in adapting certain mechanical arrangements to
that class of machines known as knitting machines for producing looped
fabrics. The needles used may be those known as double-ended needles or
single-ended needles. The peculiarity of my improvements consist in using
án independent jack lever or hook to act upon the hook, or beard, or other
part of a needle, whereby the needle can be'drawn either backward or forward
at pleasure. If double-ended needles are used, an independent jack lever or
hook is arranged to act at each end upon the book, beard, or other part of a
needle, the lever being acted upon by jacquard or pattern surfaces, as herein-
after stated. Two needle bars are used, and the needles work in grooves or
combs. The independent jack levers or hooks on each side the machine are with
their comb bar made to move backwards and forwards. The independent jack
levers or hooks acted upon by the jacquard or other pattern surface cause the
levers or hooks to act upon the hooks, or beards, or other parts of the'needles,
whereby they can be drawn either backward or forward at pleasure. If
single-ended needles be used, the independent jack levers or hooks are so
arranged as to act at one end only upon the needles'; the independent jack
levers or hooks are placed at the back of the machine, and are with their.
comb bar made to move backwards and forwards. The jacquard or other
pattern surface is made to fall and rise by means of levers and cams upon a
shaft of the machine.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed more fully to describe the manner of
performing the same:...
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a transverse section, Figure 2 an end view, and Figure 3
part of a front view, of a machine constructed according to my Invention;
Figure 4 shows a transverse section of some of the principal parts full size;
Figures 5 and 6 show some of the parts in other positions, and the other
Drawings show.different views of some of the parts separately full size, and
also of the cams for giving motion to the needle bars and jacquard cylinders
which actuate the independent jack levers.
a, a', are two needle bars, on which the grooved combs b, b', are mounted,
in which the double-ended needles c, c, are capable of sliding to and fro when
required. The needles care formed with hooks at each end, with which
tongues or coverers work in place of the ordinary beards, by which the

page_text: pressing of the beards of the needles is dispensed with, as is now well
understood. At the same time I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to this particular kind of needle, as the ordinary bearded
needles and pressers may be employed in combination with my improvements.
Each needle bar carries a series of jack levers or hooks d', d', (one to each
needle) which are mounted on axes at d*, d*. One end of each jack lever
is formed with a hook, which is capable of entering under the hook formed
on the end of each needle to hold and retain. it when desired. The other
end of cach jack lever or hook has a projection formed thereon, suitable for
being acted upon by the jacquard cylinders or other pattern surfaces e, e'.
The needle bars a, a', with the needles, are capable of moving to and from
the centre of the machine, as hereafter described, and the jacquard cylinders
e, e¹, are so connected with the needle bars as to partake of the same to-and-fro
motion, and also to rise and fall and revolve on their axes, so as to bring up
fresh pattern cards or surfaces to act on the series of jack levers or hooks
d, d'. The double-ended needles c are supported by and slide to and fro in
the stationary combs f, f, carried by the.comb bars f*, f*, fixed to the end
framings of the machine, and the work is knocked over the heads of the
needles by the combs f, f, when the needles are moved outwards, and their
ends are drawn partly through the combs. f, f', the work descending between
the fixed or stationary comb bars f*, f*, to the work roller, as clearly shown
in the Drawings. 9, 9, are the jack sinkers, which sink the thread (laid on
the needles between the hooks and coverers by the thread carriers h) between.
each needle in succession in the ordinary manner; and g¹ is the locker bar
for raising the jacks g*, in which position. they are retained by the springs g³
until again acted upon by the slur cock to sink a fresh set of loops between
the needles.
I will now describe the mode of giving motion to the needle bars and to
the jacquard cylinders e, e¹. a³, a³, are spindle bars, mounted on axes on the
end framings of the machine. On the spindle bars a, a, the lever arms a³, a³,
are fixed, which are connected by links a, a, one to the needle bar a, and
the other to the needle bar a¹. On the under side of the spindle bars a², a²,
are fixed the lever arms a, a, which carry trucks or rollers, acted upon by
the cams a, a, fixed on the cam shaft or axis i, by which a to-and-fro motion
will be communicated to the needle bars a, a'. The axes of the jacquard
cylinders e, e¹, are supported by and revolve in bearings formed in the upper
ends of the links e, e², connected by pin joints to the levers e, e³, which are
carried by and move on studs e, e, fixed to the end framing of the machine.
The levers e, e³, carry trucks or rollers es, es, which are acted upon by cams

page_text: , e, fixed on the cam shaft i to raise and lower the jacquard cylinders e, e¹.
The axes of the jacquard cylinders e, e, pass through slots formed in the cranked
arms es, es, one of which is fixed on each end of the needle bars. The slotted
arms act on the jacquard cylinders to move them to and fro with the needle
bars, and also to guide them in their up-and-down movement when revolving
to change the cards or pattern surfaces. The jacquard cylinders e, e¹, are
caused to make a partial revolution to bring up a fresh card or pattern surface
in the following manner :-e, e, are clicks or drivers, carried by pins fixed on
the slotted arms e; the drivers are retained in a position to act on the
surface of the toothed ratchets elo, elo, fixed on the axes of the jacquard
cylinders, so that in the downward movement of the jacquard cylinders the
drivers act against one of four teeth on the ratchets, which cause the cylinders
to make a fourth of a revolution each time they descend. e¹¹ are hammers or
instruments moving up and down in guides on the arms es, and they are pressed
up by the springs against the under sides of the jacquard cylinders to retain
them in a correct position. Motion is communicated to the cam shaft or axis
i by a toothed pinion j fixed on the crank axis j.which takes into and drives
the intermediate toothed wheel k³ carried by a stud k fixed on the end framing;
the toothed wheel k takes into and drives the toothed wheel 2 fixed on the
cam shaft or axis i, and gives motion thereto. It will be seen that by this
arrangement of machinery for the manufacture of looped fabrics, that alternate
courses may be worked on full sets and at opposite ends of the needles, or that
any selection of the needles may take place by the pattern surfaces and jack
levers when the needles are working, either with the front or back needle bars,
by which arrangement of parts a great variety of plain or ornamental looped
fabrics may be produced.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 show an arrangement of the principal parts of a machine
in different positions where single-ended needles are employed, that is, where
the work is made at one end of the needle only; and as most of the parts
correspond with those previously described, it will only be necessary to state that
they are marked with similar letters of reference, and a workman acquainted
with this class of machinery will readily understand the nature of this arrange-
ment, and the mode of giving motion to the needle bar and parts connected
therewith.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the exact details described; but what I claim is, the arranging knitting
machinery working with needles which are not attached to a needle bar, but
are capable of moving to and fro independently, in such manner that each

page_text: needle, as herein described, may be acted upon by a suitable independent
instrument, in any desired order in respect to its neighbours, according as the
same may be selected, by pattern surfaces in place of such needles being
actuated in regular succession, as has been usual heretofore in knitting
machines of this description.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Wilkins, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE.
WILLIAM WILKINS. (L.S.)