IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FRINGES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sophia Sands, of the Town of Nottingham, Widow,
Administratrix to the Effects of the late Robert Sands, of Nottingham,
her Son, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
FRINGES." A communication from the said Robert Sands.
Sealed the 27th October 1857, and dated the 15th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sophia Sands at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with her Petition, on the
15th May 1857.
I, SOPHIA SANDS, of the Town of Nottingham, Widow, Administratrix to
the Effects of the late Robert Sands, of Nottingham, my Son, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF FRINGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
fringes. For these purposes it is preferred to employ a vertical warp for the
making of each fringe, and to open and close the sheds of such warp by using
guide or warp bars, such as are employed in lace machines, such guide or warp
bars being actuated by jacquard cuts of wheels or other pattern surfaces. The
weft is introduced by a guide or thread carrier, which each time the shed is
open is caused to pass through and return, the weft being held from coming
back with the guide or thread carrier or other suitable instrument.
The weft is wound on a suitable bobbin; and passes through an eye at the
end of the guide or carrier, which is mounted on one end of a lever, and is
moved a distance depending on the width of the fringe which for the time

page_text: is being made in the machine, and this may be varied by giving to the lever a
greater or less extent of motion by varying the position of its axis, the other
end of the lever receiving motion by a crank, excentric, or cam. The weft
when brought through the shed is passed round an instrument which retains
the weft from going back, and such instrument at its upper part forms a fixed
cutter of a pair of shears, the other limb of which is at intervals put in motion
by means of a cam, to cut the weft into a cut fringe. The weft is beaten up
by a suitable reed, moved by a motion derived from a cam, when the guide
or thread carrier goes back out of the shed, and such beating up causes the
weft around the retaining instrument to be moved up thereon till it comes in
position to be cut by the moveable limb of the cutter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Sophia Sands in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SOPHIA
SANDS, of the Town of Nottingham, Widow, Administratrix to the Effects of
the late Robert Sands, of Nottingham, her Son, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, 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
Sophia Sands, Her special licence that I, the said Sophia Sands, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Sophia
Sands, 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 THE MANU-
PACTURE OF FRINGES," (a' communication from the said Robert. Sands,) upon
the condition (amongst others) that he, the said Sophia Sands, 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..

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Sophia Sands, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
fringes. For these purposes it is preferred to employ a vertical warp for the
making of each fringe, and to open and close the sheds of such warp by using
guide or warp bars, such as are employed in lace machines, such guide or warp
bars being actuated by jacquard cuts of wheels or other pattern surfaces. The
weft is introduced by a guide or thread carrier, which, each time the shed is
open, is caused to pass through and return, the weft being held from coming
back with the guide or thread carrier or other suitable instrument.
The weft is wound on a suitable bobbin, and passes through an eye at the
end of the guide or carrier, which is mounted on one end of a lever, and is
moved a distance depending on the width of the fringe which for the time
being is being made in the machine, and this may be varied by giving to the
lever a greater or less extent of motion by varying the position of its axis, the
other end of the lever receiving motion by a crank, eccentric, or cam. The weft
when brought through the shed is passed round an instrument which retains
the weft from going back, and such instrument at its upper part forms a fixed
cutter of a pair of shears, the other limb of which is at intervals put in motion
by means of a cam to cut the weft into a cut fringe. The weft is beaten up by
a suitable reed, moved by a motion derived from a cam, when the guide or
thread carrier goes back out of the shed, and such beating up causes the weft
around the retaining instrument to be moved up thereon till it comes in
position to be cut by the moveable limb of the cutter.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

page_text: of fringe are so arranged, that the opening in the shed is from front to back of
the machine, to admit of the series of guides or thread carriers c being moved
simultaneously through the sheds formed in the warps of the whole series of
breadths of fringe arranged side by side in the machine. Each guide or thread
carrier c is formed with an eye at one end, through which the weft thread
from one of the bobbins c is conducted; the other end of each guide or
thread carrier c is fixed to the bar c², which at each end is connected to sliding
bars c³, moving to and fro on friction rollers c', supported in bearings c, c, at
each end of the machine. The sliding bars 3 are connected by jointed links
c to levers c, carried by the shaft or axis c³, to which motion is communicated
in the following manner:-d is a crank axis, to which motion may be commu-
nicated by hand or other motive power. On the axis d is fixed the toothed
wheel d', which takes into and drives the intermediate toothed wheel e¹, carried
by the axis e; the wheel e¹ takes into and drives the toothed wheel f¹ fixed on
the axis f, on which is fixed the crank f², which is connected by the link f³ to
the lever arm co, fixed on the axis c, by which a to-and-fro motion will be coni-
municated to the series of guides or thread carriers c, to cause them to pass
and return through the sheds formed. in the warps of the series of breadths.
The extent of movement of the guides or thread carriers c may be varied by
adjusting the position of the crank pin f2 and of the joint which connects the
link f³ to the lever c, or by the connections of the guides c to the bar c². . The
weft, after being passed through the shed, is held from returning or going back
with the guide c by the endway movement of the bar g, to which the blades or
instruments g¹ are affixed, the upper part of each of such blades forming the
fixed cutter of a pair of shears. The lower ends of the blades or instruments
g' are slightly curved, to cause them when moved by the bar g to take and.
retain each weft thread when passed through the sheds of the series of breadths
by the guides or thread carriers c. The bar g is supported by and moves to
and fro in bearings carried by the bar h, which is supported and moves in
bearings carried by brackets h¹ on the end framings of the machine, and the
bar g and parts connected therewith are caused to move towards the right-
hand end of the machine in the following manner:-g² is a spring, connected
to the bar g, which constantly draws it towards the left-hand end of the
machine; and g³ is a cranked lever, moving on a pin joint at g', the upper.
arm of which bears against a set screw, carried by the projection g', fixed
to the right-hand end of the bar g; the other arm of the cranked lever g³ is.
connected by the link to the lever g, moving on a pin joint on the end
framing; the lever g' carries a truck or roller g³, which is acted upon by a
cam 9°, fixed on the cam shaft or axis i, to which motion is communicated by.

page_text: the intermediate toothed wheel e¹ taking into the teeth of the wheel i", fixed on
the cam shaft or axis i.
I will now describe the mode of giving motion to the shears or cutters for
cutting the loops formed by the weft threads on the blades or instruments g
after being woven into the fabrics. h² is a rod, carried by the lever arms h³,
fixed on the bar h. The rod h² is connected by links h' to the crank levers
g*, which form the other limbs of the several pairs of shears employed for
cutting the loops of the weft to form the fringe, the cranked ends of the levers g*
being connected by pin joints to the blades or instruments g¹. The lever arms h³
at each end of the machine carry links h³, at the lower ends of which are fixed
projections ho, which are acted upon to give motion to the shears or cutters
at each revolution of the cam shaft by levers h', which receive motion from
cams 8, fixed on the cam shaft or axis i; the amount of motion given to the
cutters g* being regulated so as only to cut or divide part of the loops of fringe
held on the blades or instruments 9' as they are beaten up by the action of the
beaters j, to which motion is communicated in the following manner :-The
beater is supported at each end by rods, which are guided up and down in
brackets, fixed to the end framings of the machine. The rods are con-
nected by pin joints to their arms j³, fixed on the axis j; and are lever
arms fixed on the axis j', which receive motion by means of connecting links
j, actuated by cams 7,1%, fixed on the cam shaft or axis.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sophia Sands, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
ROBERT JAMES,
Nottingham.
SOPHIA SANDS.. (L.S.).