IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES, GENERALLY CALLED RIB FRAME OR RIB MACHINE, FOR PRODUCING FANCY HOSIERY
Year: 1856

page_text: County of Leicester, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES, GENERALLY CALLED RIB FRAME OR RIB MACHINE, FOR
PRODUCING FANCY HOSIERY."
Sealed the 26th August 1856, and dated the 22nd May 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Dewick, Sen', at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
May 1856.
I, CHARLES DEWICK, Sen", of Stanley Street, Leicester, County of Leicester,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINES, GENERALLY CALLED RIB FRAME OR RIB MACHINE,' FOR
PRODUCING FANCY HOSIERY," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to that portion of the rib machines technically called
the machine, needle bar, and consists in the application of a second or auxiliary
bar,, likewise fitted with needles, resting upon and connected with the machine
needle bar by means of hinges. The needles of the upper bar reach down to,
the needles of the lower bar, so as to form a uniform line or row of lower bar.
and upper bar needles, placed alternately and at equal distances from each.
other; the upper bar is held in this position by a spring or weight. Tho
hinges by which the two bars are connected allow of the upper bar needles
being raised from between the lower bar needles, and when so raised, and when

page_text: so raised, of being moved laterally to the right or to the left, and again lowered
into a line with the lower bar needles, that is to say, the needles of the upper
bar first resting on the right hand side of the lower bar needles can be raised
and then lowered on the left-hand side of the same, and vice versa. By the
combination of this second or auxiliary needle bar, and its movements with the
machine needle bar, a great variety of changes in the patterns of the various
fabrics can be produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Dewick, Sen', in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st November 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DEWICK, Sen', of Stanley Street, Leicester, County of Leicester, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her, most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Dewick, Sen', Her special licence that I, the said Charles Dewick, Sen',
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Dewick, Sen', 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
MACHINES, GENERALLY CALLED RIB FRAME OR RIB MACHINE,' FOR PRODUCING FANCY
HOSIERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles
Dewick, Sen', my executors or administrators, 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 Charles Dewick, Sen', do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 (that is to say) :-

page_text: My said Invention relates to that portion of the rib machine or rib frame
commonly known as the "machine" needle bar, and consists in the application
of a second or auxiliary bar, likewise fitted with needles, resting upon and
connected with the machine needle bar by means of suitable hinges. The
needles of the auxiliary or upper needle bar reach down to the needles of the
under or "machine" bar, so as to form a uniform line or row of under bar
and upper bar needles, placed alternately and at equal distances from each
other. The upper or auxiliary bar, with its needles, may be held in this
position by means of a spring or weight. The hinges by which the two
needle bars are connected allow of the upper bar needles being raised or
turned back slightly from between the under bar needles, so as to form a
separate row or range of needles, which may be moved or "racked" laterally
to the right or to the left, and again lowered into a line with the range of the
under bar needles, that is to say, the needles of the upper bar first resting on
the right hand of the under bar needles can be raised or turned back slightly,
and then after being "racked" to the left, may be lowered again to the left-
hand side of the needles in the under bar, and "vice versa." By the com-
bination of this second or auxiliary needle bar, and its movements with the
"machine" needle bar, a new combination of loops, which I call "double
cross loops" is effected, and a great variety of changes in the patterns of the
various fabrics can be produced. And in order that my said Invention may
be fully understood, I shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same,
for which purpose I shall refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
throughout all the Figures.
Fig. 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of that portion of a rib
machine commonly known as the "machine" with my improvements attached;
Fig. 2 is a corresponding front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a full sized
sectional detail of the machine needle bar with the auxiliary bar attached, but
closed, that is, with the auxiliary needles (colored red throughout the figures)
in a line with the "machine" needles, which are colored blue in the Drawings;
and Fig. 4 is a similar view, shewing the auxiliary needles turned back, or
raised slightly from the range of the machine needles in readiness for "racking."
A is the machine, and B, the machine needle bar, both of which are arranged
in the ordinary manner; C is the second or auxiliary needle bar, which
extends along the top of the machine bar, and is hinged thereto at D, the
hinges being formed so as to admit of the bar C being moved or "racked "
laterally either to the right or to the left along the bar B, the amount of such
lateral movement being equal to the guage of the needles; E; E, are the

page_text: :
ordinary thumb plates on the machine needle bar for turning the same partially
on its centres in the machine; and F; F; are the two "machine lockers," arranged
in the ordinary and well-known manner; G, G, are two thumb plates connected
with the auxiliary bar, and serving to facilitate the raising of the needles of
such bar, and for "racking" the same when requisite; H (see Fig. 2) is a
small bracket screwed on to the:" leads" of the bar C, and formed near its
lower extremity with a Vor-knife.edge, which fits into either one or the other
of two "racking" notches at Iin the end of the spring K screwed at one
extremity to the under side of the machine bar B. The distance between these
two notches should of courset be, equal to the amount of "racking"" to be
imparted to the bar, namely, the guage of the needles contained therein. Lis
a second bracket, screwed to the machine itself; and formed into a V or knife
edge at its extremity, which takes into. either one or the other of the two
racking notches at M in the end of the spring N. This spring is screwéd át O
to one of the arms or brackets P, P, upon which the machine is supported,
and by which it is connected with the standards of the frame. The distance
between these two latter "racking" notches is half that of the first mentioned
notches. In the enlarged detail, Fig. 3, I have represented the position of the
"frame needles" Q with regard to the needles in the machine, from which
it will be obvious to the practical man that the ordinary general. arrangement
of the various parts of the rib frame is preserved. In weaving a ribbed fabric
by the aid of my auxiliary bar, the weaving is carried on in the ordinary and
well-known manner, until the "frame" course and "machine" course has been
pressed, after which. the loops on the needles of the machine are crossed over
each other by transposing or reversing the positions of the needles thereof.
This is effected by racking the entire machine with both its needle bars,
say to the right, to an extent equal to the guage of the needles in the frame,
and then "racking" the auxiliary bar C to the left, so as to bring its (red)
needles on the left-hand side of the (blue) needles of the machine bar; the
needles of the auxiliary bar being of course previously turned back or raised
out of the range of the needles in the machine bar, as shewn clearly in Fig. 4.
A second course is now commenced; and the operation proceeds in the ordinary
manner, with this exception, that at the termination of each course, the loops
remaining on the machine needles are crossed over each other, by "racking"
the two needle bars B & C in contrary directions, as herein-before described,
preparatory to the next succeeding course being commenced; or, if required,
the operation of "racking" or crossing the auxiliary needles with the machine
bar needles may be suspended during the weaving of one or more ordinary
courses, and then again continued in any desirable succession with the latter.

page_text: It will thus be obvious that the patterns may be varied to any extent, according
to the will of the operator.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine or restrict myself to
the precise details which I have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many
variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the principles or
main features of my said Invention; but what I consider to be novel, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, is,-
The application and use of a second or auxiliary needle bar to be used in
combination with the machine needle bar, and arranged in such a manner as to
enable the loops on the needles in the machine to be crossed over one another.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Dewick, Sen', have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
CHARLES DEWICK, SEN". (L.S.)