IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EM- PLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED OR KNITTED FABRICS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Comery, of Sneinton, in the County of
Nottingham, Framesmith and Setter-up, and Henry Webster, also of
Sneinton, in the said County of Nottingham, Brazier and Ironmonger,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EM-
PLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED OR KNITTED FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Comery and
Henry Webster at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 13th January 1866.
We, WILLIAM COMERY, of Sneinton, in the County of Nottingham, Frame-
smith and Setter-up, and HENRY WEBSTER, also of Sneinton, in the said
County of Nottingham, Brazier, and Ironmonger, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOFED OR KNITTED FABRICS," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements consist in part of a fixed needle bar, to which are
secured the requisite number of needles for each breadth of work to be made;
or such needles may be cast in leads in the usual way and the leads secured
to the fixed needle bar. Above the needle bar is another bar, to which are
secured leads or combs, through which is passed a wire or wires which form
axles upon which are placed plates or pieces of metal which have a swinging
to-and-fro movement communicated to them by an incline or inclines. These

page_text: plates or pieces of metal lie between the needles, and above the needles slides
a thread guide or guides, which are formed of spring plates in such manner
that they will give way slightly at each selvage of the breadth of work as they
are pressed against a stud, bar, or stop, which may be made adjustable. This
method of stopping the thread guides allows a lead to be obtained by the
incline or inclines. Below the needles is a plate which rocks upon an axle
in such wise that it will take back the work previously to the passage of the
thread guide or guides, the plates or pieces of metal above named being
brought forward by the incline or inclines to form the loops. The thread
guides have a sliding motion given them by the bar which moves the incline
or inclines. The above movements are effected by cams and levers, or
equivalent contrivance. The needles herein mentioned may be those known
as latchet needles, but common bearded needles may also be employed, in
which latter case we use a presser bar or bars, which slide and are capable of
adjustment and of having any required lead given them. The rocking plate
lying under the needles for putting back the work may also have points
inserted in it passing between the needles to take back the work. The
machine may be worked by hand, steam, or other power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Comery and Henry Webster in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 13th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we WILLIAM
COMERY, of Sneinton, in the County of Nottingham, Framesmith and Setter-
up, and HENRY WEBSTER, also of Sneinton, in the said County of Nottingham,
Brazier and Ironmonger, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Comery and Henry Webster, Her special licence that we,
the said William Comery and Henry Webster, our executors, adminis
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Comery and
Henry Webster, 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

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED
OR KNITTED FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
William Comery and Henry Webster, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said William Comery and Henry
Webster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
Our improvements consist in part of a fixed needle bar, to which are
secured the requisite number of needles for each breadth of work to be made,
or such needles may be cast in leads in the usual way, and the leads secured
to the fixed needle bar. Above the needle bar is another bar, to which are
secured leads or combs, through which is passed a wire or wires which form
axles, upon which are placed plates or pieces of metal, hereafter called sinkers
only, which have a swinging to-and-fro movement communicated to them by
an incline or inclines. The sinkers lie between the needles, and above the
needles a thread guide or guides slide; such guides are formed of spring
plates in such manner that they will give way slightly at each selvage of the
breadth of work as they are pressed against a stud bar or stop, which may be
made adjustable. This method of stopping the thread guides allows a lead to
be obtained by the incline or inclines. Below the needles is a plate which
rocks upon an axle in such wise that the plate will take back the work
previously to the passage of the thread guide or guides, the sinkers above
named being brought forward by the incline or inclines before mentioned to
form the loops. The thread guides have a sliding motion given them by the
bar which moves the incline or inclines. The above movements are effected
by cams and levers or equivalent contrivances.
The needles herein mentioned may be those known as latchet needles, but
common bearded needles may also be employed, in which latter case we use
a presser bar or bars, which slide and are capable of adjustment and of having
any required lead given them. The rocking plate lying under the needles for
putting back the work may also bave points inserted in it, such points passing

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a front view of a machine for making shirts, hose, or
other looped fabrics constructed according to our improvements; in this
Figure, and also in Figure 2, the standards are shewn broken off at the lower
part; Figure 2 is a sectional end view of the same machine with one of the
standards broken away; Figure 3 shews the driving cam; Figure 4, the cam
which operates upon the point bar for taking back the work. The: remaining
Figures are views of parts herein-after referred to, on a like scale to Figures 3
and 4.
: -
A are standards which support a fixed needle bar B and other parts of the
machine. To the needle bar are secured the requisite number of needles for
each breadth of work to be made, or such needles may be cast in the usual
way in leads C, secured to the fixed needle bar by plates D. Above the
needle bar is another bar E, to which are secured leads or combs F, through
which is passed a wire forming the axle upon which are placed sinkers G; to
which a swinging to-and-fro movement is communicated by inclines K; these
sinkers lie between the needles, and above the needles a thread guide H
slides; such guides are formed of spring plates in such manner that they will
give slightly at each selvage of the breadth of work as they are pressed against
a stud bar or stop I, which may be made adjustable. This method of stopping
the thread guides allows a lead to be obtained by the incline or inclines.
Below the needles and standing slightly. in front of them is a plate or bar M
secured to cranked levers which rock upon axles, and at the opposite ends to
the bar M; the levers are provided with trucks operated upon by cams M¹ in
such manner that the plate or bar M will take back the work previously to
the passage of the thread guide or guides, and at every passage of the guide-
or guides the sinkers G and G' are brought forward by the incline or inclines
to form the loops. At each selvage of each breadth of work there is a
sinker G¹, shewn at Figure 6, the hooked portion of which holds the thread
at each edge of the breadth towards the front of the needles (two of which
are shewn in side view at Figure 9.) until such time as the latchet of the first
needle has risen up and secured the thread in the hook of the first needle;
thereby effectually preventing the work from being pressed off. The sinkers G,

page_text: shewn at Figure 5, and also the sinkers G', instead of being of the length and
shapes shewn at Figures 5 and 6 by the full black lines, may be of the shapes
shewn at the said Figures by the dotted lines. The sinker bar E is capable
of adjustment vertically. The thread guides have a sliding motion given them
by a clip or saddle L provided with trucks to enable it to slide easily upon the
bar L', the guides being supported by a bracket H¹ secured to the saddle L,
to the back of which are also secured rods or bearings H for the thread cops
from which each guide is supplied. To the saddle L is also secured the
incline K, shewn at Figures 7 and 8. The requisite movements of the saddle
and the parts attached to it are effected by means of a vibrating lever L³
which is forked at the upper end to embrace a projection at the back of the
saddle L, and turns upon an axle at the lower end; this lever is connected
with a second but shorter lever L³ by a link L, which carries two trucks
operated upon alternately by the driving cam L³, secured on one end of a cross
shaft P, furnished with a wheel P¹, driven by a smaller wheel P on a main
driving shaft M, upon which are also secured the cams M'. The rocking
plate M lying under the needles for putting back the work may have points N
inserted in it, as seen at Figure 2, and a wire O placed slightly in front of
such points for the purpose of preventing the latchets of the needles from flying
up at an improper time, or this plate M may have other plates N inserted in
it, each such plate having a hole through.it through which is passed the wire O,
as seen at Figure 10.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, we declare that we claim, the general
arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improved machinery or
apparatus, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Webster, for myself, and on behalf
of the said William Comery, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-six.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
HENRY WEBSTER. (L.S.)