IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Hall Foster and Thomas Bunney, of
Leicester, Manufacturers, and James Anderson, of the same Place,
Overlooker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS."
Sealed the 29th August 1863, and dated the 5th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Hall Foster,
Thomas Bunney, and James Anderson at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 5th March 1863.
We, SAMUEL HALL FOSTER and THOMAS BUNNEY, of Leicester, Manu-
facturers, and JAMES ANDERSON, of the same Place, Overlooker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The improvements have for their object to obtain increased facility in the
manufacture of what is commonly called turned work or purl work, and rib
and plain work, when required. For this purpose according to one adaptation
the needles are arranged in two sets or series in concentric rings. The needles
of each series are alike, and those of one ring point in a direction towards
those in the other ring, and they are what are called single ended, with loose
tumblers of the character of those known as Townsend and Moulden's needles,
and for which Letters Patent were granted to Matthew Townsend and David
Moulden, bearing date the 13th day of February 1849, No. 12,474. Each
of these needles is also formed with a recess on its under side, and is capable
of independent endway movement in its ring, as also of depression, so that the

page_text: bearded end of one needle may be brought under and rest in the recess of the
opposite needle to facilitate the change of the loops from one set or series of
needles to the other. The barbs or beards of these needles are carried back
beyond the recesses on their under sides above referred to.
By another adaptation whilst the needles are also applied so as to be
separately acted upon in concentric rings, the needles of one ring are arranged
radially, and the needles of the other ring will be at right angles or inclined
thereto. These needles also have loose tumblers, but with short or hook barbs,
and attached to or moving with each of them there is also a spring or
pointed instrument, the point of which is curved to enter a recess in the side
of its needle, and at a short distance behind the point of this additional instru-
ment there is also a projection or stop. By these means the loops formed on
one set of needles may rest on the needles and pointed instruments referred to,
and be held there whilst the needles of the other set enter between such
pointed instruments and their needles for change of loop.
In each of the above adaptations, when it is intended to change from ribbed
work to purl work or purl to ribbed work, the tip of the incline or cam which
gives motion to the needles will be raised or depressed at pleasure by means
of a jacquard or other suitable selecting means.
According to another adaptation the needles are arranged in two cylinders
one over the other, and parallel to the axis of such cylinder with the needles
of one cylinder pointing in a direction towards those of the other. These
needles also have loose tumblers, and those in the lower cylinder have the
upper surfaces of their beards or barbs formed with recesses to receive the
ends of the upper needles, whilst in the under side of each of the upper
needles there is a recess to receive the point of a lower needle. Threads for
loops may be laid on either set of needles as required, and the work is
changed from one to the other set of needles by suitable guides. For
producing rib work the tumblers of adjoining needles will in each series be
alternately of different lengths.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Hall Foster, Thomas Bunney, and James Anderson
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
HALL FOSTER and THOMAS BUNNEY, of Leicester, Manufacturers, and JAMES
ANDERSON, of the same Place, Overlooker, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Samuel Hall Foster, Thomas Bunney, and James Anderson, Her special
licence that we, the said Samuel Hall Foster, Thomas Bunney, and James
Anderson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Samuel Hall Foster, Thomas Bunney, and James Anderson,
our 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 MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Samuel Hall Foster, Thomas Bunney, and
James Anderson, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us
or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, aud
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 Samuel Hall Foster, on behalf of
myself and the said Thomas Bunney and James Anderson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:—
The improvements have for their object to obtain increased facility in the
manufacture of what is commonly called "turned work" or "purl work," and
"rib work," when required. For this purpose, according to the first part of
the improvements, the needles are arranged in two sets, and capable of being
separately acted upon in concentric rings. The needles of one ring aro
arranged radially, and the needles of the other ring are at right angles to
them, or they may be inclined thereto. These needles have loose tumblers of
the character of those known as Townsend and Moulden's needles, and for
which Letters Patent were granted to Matthew Townsend and David
Moulden, bearing date the 13th day of February 1849, No. 12,474, and they
have short or hook barbs, and attached to or moving with each of them thero
is also a spring or pointed instrument, the point of which is curved to enter a

page_text: recess in the side of its needle, and at a short distance behind the point of this
additional instrument there is also a projection or stop. By these means the
loops formed on one set of needles may rest on the needles and pointed instru-
ments referred to, and be held there whilst the needles of the other set enter
between such pointed instruments and their needles for change of loop. In
this adaptation, when it is intended to change from ribbed work to purl work,
or purl to ribbed work, the tip of the incline or cam which gives motion to the
needles will be raised or depressed at pleasure by means of a jacquard or
other suitable selecting means.
According to another adaptation (constituting the second part of our
improvements) the needles are arranged in two cylinders one over the other,
and parallel to the axis of such cylinder, with the needles of one cylinder
pointing in a direction towards those of the other. These needles also have
loose tumblers, and those in the lower cylinder have the upper surfaces of
their beards or barbs formed with recesses to receive the ends of the upper
needles, whilst in the under side of each of the upper needles there is a recess
to receive the point of a lower needle. Threads for loops may be laid on
either set of needles as required, and the work is changed from one to the
other set of needles by suitable guides.
But that the Invention may be better understood I will, by the aid of
the accompanying Drawings, proceed more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS A.
Figure 1 shows a side view, Figure 2 a plan, Figure 3 a vertical section
of apparatus arranged according to the first part of our improvements;
Figure 4 shows a horizontal view with some of the upper parts removed in
order that the interior parts may be the better seen. In each of these views
the same letters are used to indicate corresponding parts wherever they
occur.
a, a, is the main framing; 6 is the crank handle by which motion is
imparted to the moving parts, but in place of a crank to be worked by hand
a drum or pulley may be applied in order that the motion may be given by a
steam engine or other suitable power. This crank handle turns upon the
fixed pin a', and has affixed to it the toothed wheel b, the teeth of which
take into and give motion to the toothed wheel c, affixed upon the shaft or
axis c', which is supported so as to turn in the bearings a², a², carried by the
framing a, and it has affixed to it the bevelled pinion & for driving the plate d,
and thence the other moving parts, as will presently more clearly appear;
e and are the needles (only a few of which are shown in their places).

page_text: And it will be seen that the needles e are arranged to slide vertically in grooves
formed in the inside of a stationary cylinder g, whilst the needles f are
capable of sliding at right angles to the needles e, and radially in grooves h¹,
formed for them in the stationary plate h. The cylinder 9 is affixed to the
shaft or axis g', which extends upwards and is affixed at its upper end to the
cross bar a³, which is supported upon the pillars a, a, from the main frame a.
The needles e and f are formed alike, so that a description of one of them will
serve for that of either; separate views of one of them are shown full size at
Figures 5, 6, and 7, by which it will be seen that each is formed with a loose
tumbler (1), capable of turning on a centre (2), that it has a short hooked
barb (3), and that attached to each there is a spring instrument (4), which is
formed with a pointed end, and this spring instrument is bent so that a space
may be left between it and the needle except at its point, which enters a
recess (5) formed for it in the side of the needle. This spring instrument (4)
is also formed at (6) to act as a stop, as will be hereafter explained. Each
needle and its spring instrument (4) is set in a plate or jack (7), which is
formed with a projection (8). Each of the needles e slides in a separate
groove g in the cylinder g, and the projections (8) project inwards and are
supported on the cam surface formed by the upper edge of the cylinder i,
whilst they are kept down to that cam surface by the corresponding under
edge of the cylinder j, so that the projections (8) of the needles e are embraced
between the upper edge of the cylinder i and the under edge of the cylinder j.
The cylinders i and j are affixed as shewn to the hollow axis k, which embraces
the axis g' so as to be capable of turning on that axis in order that rotary
motion may be given to these cylinders i and j, when the surfaces thereof
referred to as embracing the projections (8) of the needles e will cause those
needles to move up and down in the grooves g of the cylinder g. This rotary
motion is obtained in the following manner :-The hollow axis k has connected
to it the arm k', which is also connected to the plate d, which at its under
edge is formed into teeth at d', and these teeth are taken into by the
teeth of the pinion c, by which in the rotation of the pinion c rotary
motion will be simultaneously given to the plate d and to the cylinders i
and j. The plate d is the means of giving simultaneous endway motion to
the needles in the grooves h¹, formed for them in the plate h by the
under surface of the plate d, having a groove de formed in it to receive
the projections (8) of those needles f. (The direction of this groove or
cam course d is indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2.) m and n are
bobbins standing on pins d³ carried by the plate d. The bobbin m supplies
thread through the guide m' and thread carrier m³, to the needles e.
The

page_text: bobbin supplies thread through the guide n¹ and thread carrier n³ to
the needles f. The work as it is produced descends outside of the cylinder g,
as indicated by the red dotted lines z, and may be wound up by any suitable
means, such as is commonly employed when operating with other machinery
to produce looped fabric of a cylindrical character.
In order to describe the operations of this machine, I will suppose that work
has been produced, and that that work is hanging outside of the cylinder g, by
its last formed loops being at that part upon the needles e, and that the thread
is being supplied to those needles e by the thread carrier m², which will lay its
thread under the short barbs of the needles e, and these needles will then, in
the rotation of the parts i and j, be caused to descend, so that their barbs will
bo below the upper edge of the cylinder g, by which means the work is pressed
and knocked over them. In the further rotation of these parts i, j, the needles e
will again be caused to rise above the edge of the cylinder g, when the last
formed loops will rest on the projections (6) of the spring instruments (4), and
each of those last loops will be opened by its needle e, and spring instrument (4),
in order that the points of the needles f may now pass through those loops by
passing between the stems of the needles e, and their spring instruments (4),
when the needles e will again descend, the spring instruments (4) opening as
they descend, leaving these loops and the work at that part suspended from
the stems of the needles ƒ beyond their loose tumblers (1). A thread will now
be laid by the thread carrier n' under the short hooked ends of the needles f.
Those needles will recede within the edges of the plate h, by which means
the work will be knocked over the ends of the needles, and the thread just laid
thereon will be formed into loops. These needles f will now in the further
rotation of the parts be moved outwards of their grooves or towards the centre
of the machine by the groove d' acting on the projections (8) of the needles f
and the loops last formed at that part will be pushed forward by the stops (6),
and opened out in order that needles e may rise through them, when the
operations will proceed as before. And in this manner will turned or purl
work of a tubular character be produced. o is an instrument supported by
and revolving with the plate d, the point of which passes under the loose
tumblers (1) of the needles f, to throw them back after the work has changed
on to the needles e, so as to leave the hooked ends of those needles ready for
the laying in of thread for the formation of a fresh row of loops thereon.
Supposing the work to be produced is required to be simply plain turned or
purl work of the character described, then the loose tumblers of each set of
needles may be all of the same length.
In order to give facility for the production of ribbed work, wo prefer to

page_text: arrange the needles of each set alternately with a short tumbler (1), as shown
at Figure 8, and a long tumbler (1), as shown by Figures 5, 6, and 7. And in
this case a needle e, with a short tumbler (1), will work with a needle f, having
a long tumbler (1), and vice versa. And the variation will be produced by
causing the needles at such times only to pass so far out of their respective
grooves as that the loops of the work hanging thereon may only pass along
their stems just beyond the ends of the short tumblers without passing off the
longer tumblers, when only those loops which were formed on the needles with
short tumblers will be pressed and knocked over, and the loops will be retained
in the hooks of the intermediate needles having long tumblers. This description
equally applies to the needles of each set.
2¹
In order that this variation may be obtained, we form one part of the cam
course for operating on the projections (8) of each set of needles moveable.
This moveable piece for operating on the needles e is indicated at 1, and it is
capable of sliding in the grooves formed for it in the cylinder i. This sliding
of the piece may be effected by jacquard or other pattern surface acting upon
the outer end p¹ of the lever p, which moves upon an axis of motion p³ carried
by a bearing from the bar a³, and at p³ it is by pin joint connected to the
links.p, p, which at their lower ends are by pin joints p, p, connected to the
ring p', which embraces a neck formed for it in the collar p', which is capable
of sliding on the hollow axis k, which is grooved on one side to receive the
stem pe, the lower end of which is turned outwards at p° to pass into the sliding
piece , whilst its upper end is by pin p connected to the collar p". The
collar p' is also formed with a projection p", which is embraced by the forked
end q of the lever q, which is capable of turning upon a centre of motion g³,
carried by the standard from the plate d, whilst the lower end q' of the
lever q passes into a recess formed for it in the sliding piece &³, forming part
of the cam course or groove d³ formed in the under side of the plate d, for
operating the needles f by their projections (8). In order to vary the length
of the loops formed by the needles f, we apply a sliding piece to the groove
or cam course d, and this piece d' is operated by the stem d affixed thereto,
being formed at its end into a screw do, which passes through the stationary
stem d, and is acted upon for adjustment by the nut d®.
a
I will now proceed to describe the second part of the improvements.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS B.
Figure 9 is a vertical section, Figure 10 a plan, and Figure 11 a horizontal
section of parts of apparatus arranged according to the second part of the
improvements. Other views of these Drawings B show some of the parts

page_text: separately. In each of these views the same letters are employed to indicate
corresponding parts wherever they occur.
a, a, is the main framing, b and c are the two sets of needles, one of each of
which is shown separately and full size at Figures 12 and 13. The needles b,
forming the lower set of needles, are set in leads b' carried by the cylinder 62,
whilst the needles c, forming the upper set of needles, are set in leads c¹ carried by
the cylinder c. The cylinder 6' is affixed to the hollow stem 63, which is supported
so as to be capable of turning freely on the fixed stem a', carried by the main
framing, and it has formed on it the ring of teeth 6, by which rotatory motion
is imparted to it in the following manner :-d is the main or driving axis,
which is supported in bearings a³, carried by the main framing, and upon which
is affixed the crank handle d', by which the axis d may be worked by hand.
But if desired, this axis d may have affixed to it a drum or pulley, by which it
may receive motion from a steam engine or other suitable power. Upon this
axis d is also affixed the bevilled pinion d³, the teeth of which take into and
drive the teeth of the bevilled pinion affixed on the axis or shaft d', upon
which is affixed the toothed wheel d³, the teeth of which take into the teeth of
the rim 6. The cylinder c³ is supported by and so as to be capable of
revolving on the projections a³ from the stationary ring at, forming part of the
main framing a. And in order that this cylinder c³ may revolve so as to carry
its needles round simultaneously with those carried by the cylinder 6, the
cylinder has also a similar ring or rim of teeth c', which are taken into by the
teeth of a pinion e on the axis e¹, upon which is also affixed another corre-
sponding pinion, the teeth of which take into the teeth of the ring or rim b',
and cause those rims to revolve together.
.
.
Figure 14 is a diagram of the faces of these cylinders opened out into a plane
surface, indicating the various instruments acting therewith in their relative
positions. As shewn, the apparatus is adapted to the laying-in of two threads by
the two thread guides f and g, one on to the lower and the other on to the upper
set of needles, but this may be varied. The work as produced is carried inwards
and upwards through the ring h to suitably weighted winding-on apparatus,
such as is well understood in connection with other machinery for making
looped fabrics of a tubular form. In Figure 14 work is supposed to have
been produced, and the line of such work as it rests on the needles is indicated
by the colored lines. That portion of the formed work near the guide f is
being held by the curved guide i near the bottom of the stems of the needles 6,
and the thread as fed in by the thread guide f is taken by the loop wheel j,
and by it laid under the beards of the needles b, and so as to form loops on
those needles. The work by the form of the guide i is then permitted to rise

page_text: The
up the needles b; the presser wheel k, by pressing against the needles b, will
cause them to be bent inwards, so that the work may be pressed and knocked
over the needles 6 by the knocking-over wheel k². The guides ³, k³, serve to
take the work clear of the wheel k, and up the stems of the needles c.
work is carried down the stems of the needles 6 below the ends of the
tumblers 6 thereof by the work guide I, when the presser wheel m, by pressing
on the stems of the needles c, will cause the ends of them so acted upon to be
pressed into the recesses formed for them in the upper parts of the beards of
the needles b, by which the work may be raised on to the needles c by the
knocking-over wheel m², and progressively carried up the stems of the
needles c, past the levers or tumblers c of those needles by the guide m'.
The thread is then conducted by means of the thread guide g, and laid under
the beards of the needles c by the teeth of the loop wheel n, and then in the
progressive motion of the machine the work at this part will be brought by
the pressure of the guide n' on the work down the stems of the needles c,
causing the tumblers to fall over the points of the barbs of the needles c,
when the teeth of the knocking-over wheel o will knock such work over the
ends of the needles c on to the loops just formed by the thread from the
thread guide g, and which loops are now at that part held by the beards of
the needles c. In the progress of the cylinders 62 and c³ the work is now
raised by means of the teeth of the lifting wheel p, and at the same time the
stems of the needles c are acted on by the presser wheel q, to force the
needles c at that part outwards, and admit of the previous row of loops passing
up between the two needles, off the lower ones, and the last loops rise from
under the beards of the needles c, when the guide q¹ lifts the last formed loops
fully up the stems of the needles c, past their tumblers c³, when the guide r,
pressing on the upper side of the work, causes it to be drawn downwards, and
the presser wheel s¹, by pressing on the stems of the needles b, will cause the
ends of them so acted upon to be pressed into the recesses formed for them in
the back of the needles c, when the work will be carried down on to the
needles 6 by the teeth of the knocking-over wheel s, and is then carried down
those needles by the guide i, already referred to; t is an instrument carried by
the framing a, with the point in position to pass under the tumblers c" as they
come round to lift them, and u is an instrument for acting on the tumblers 66
as they come round to prevent them from rebounding.
Having thus described our improvements and means which we adopt in
carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the precise details shown and described, as these may be
varied; but what we do claim is,—

page_text: First, the adaptations or combinations of means and methods of operating
to produce looped fabrics of a tubular character by changing the loop from
one set of single-ended needles to another set of single-ended needles for the
purpose of producing turned work or purl work, as well as ribbed work when
required, substantially as explained.
Secondly, we claim the forming parts of cam courses for operating the
needles in machinery for the manufacture of looped fabrics of a cylindrical
form, capable of being varied in the working in relation to other parts of such
cam courses, whereby we are enabled to vary the action of the needles when
required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Hall Foster, have hereunto set my.
hand and seal, this Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
SAM. H. FOSTER.. (LS.)