IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OB APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Hall Foster and Thomas Bunney, both of
Leicester, Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
OB APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS."
Sealed the 1st November 1867, and dated the 21st May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Hall Foster and
Thomas Bunney at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 21st May 1867.
We, SAMUEL HALL FOSTER and THOMAS BUNNEY, both of Leicester, Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," to be
as follows:
The object of the improvements is to facilitate narrowing or widening of
parts of looped fabrics during manufacture. For this purpose the hooks or
needles employed are held together by screw or other pressure, and are
capable of being independently removed or introduced at the parts desired, so
that where narrowing is required the loops last formed on the needles or
hooks to be removed may be lifted on to the adjoining hooks or needles, and
when the holding pressure is relieved from the hooks or needles, those hooks
or needles from which the loop or loops have been removed are withdrawn.
The needles or hooks for the time withdrawn are placed at the end of the
series of them, and then by screw or other pressure the whole are forced close
together.

page_text: To effect widening, the needles in use are at the part where the widening
is to be effected separated to the extent desired, and a hook or needle or hooks
or needles are introduced, and so on until the desired widening is effected.
To facilitate the removal or replacement of the needles or hooks used the
bar holding the tails of the needles is moveable on the needle bar.
We prefer that the needles or hooks be supported in separate carriages,
and that these carriages be made in one solid piece when the holding
pressure will be applied to the carriages, and on removal of the books or
needles selected for removal the carriages are removed with them. By these
means great facility in working is obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Hall Foster and Thomas Bunney in the Great Seal:
Patent Office on the 21st November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL.
HALL FOSTER and THOMAS BUNNEY, both of Leicester, Manufacturers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Samuel Hall Foster and Thomas Bunney, Her special license that we, the
said Samuel Hall Foster and Thomas Bunney, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Samuel Hall Foster and
Thomas Bunney, 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 and Thomas
Bunney, 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 perforined, 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 we, the said Samuel Hall Forster and Thomas
Bunney, 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, that is to say:
The object of the improvements is to facilitate narrowing or widening of
parts of looped fabrics during manufacture. For this purpose the hooks or
needles employed are held together by screw or other pressure, and are capable
of being independently removed or introduced at the parts desired, so that
where narrowing is required the loops last formed on the needles or hooks
to be removed may be lifted on to the adjoining hooks or needles, and when
the holding pressure is relieved from the hooks or needles, those hooks or needles
from which the loop or loops have been removed are withdrawn. The needles
or hooks for the time withdrawn are placed at the end of the series of them,
and then by screw or other pressure the whole are forced close together.
To effect widening, the needles in use are at the part where the widening
is to be effected separated to the extent desired, and a hook or needle or hooks
or needles are introduced, and so on until the desired widening is effected.
We prefer that the needles or books be supported in separate carriages,
and that these carriages be made in one solid piece when the holding
pressure will be applied to the carriages, and on removal of the hook or needle
or hooks or needles selected for removal the carriage or carriages are removed
with them. By these means great facility in working is obtained.
But that the Invention may be fully understood, we will by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings proceed to describe means pursued by us in carrying.
the same into effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows parts of a longitudinal side view, Figure 2 a transverse
section, Figure 3 an end view, and Figure 4 a longitudinal section of a
portion of a frame or loom for the manufacture of looned fabrics with

page_text: b
independent needles or hooks c, c. The upper portions of the leads or
carriages 6 are held in position on the bars a, a, by means of the bars d, d, whilst
the lower portion of each of the leads or carriages b, b, is formed with a
projection b¹ with dovetail ends (2) and (3) to be received into grooves a¹ of a
corresponding form in the bars a, "a. By the dovetail end (3) resting on the
correspondingly formed projection a to the bars a the leads or carriages b
are held from slipping out of position, and yet they are free to be removed
(when not otherwise held) when slightly raised on the bars a, a, or in place
of this arrangement facility may be obtained for the removal or replacement
of needles or hooks by a bar acting on the upper surface of the tails of the
needle leads being moveable on binges or otherwise. Each end of a row of
leads or carriages b for needles or hooks is acted upon when they are placed
in position by means of a clamp e, and these clamps are affixed to sliding
plates e, capable of sliding in the dovetail recesses a¹, and when pressure is
applied to them of holding the leads or carriages 6 correctly in position; each
plate e, according to the arrangement shown, has applied to it a screw stem e²,
which passes through a cross bar f, and is there held in position with capability'
When there are two sets of needles or hooks in
of adjustment by nuts e³, es.
use, the two sliding plates e¹ at each end of the loom may be connected to the
same barf, to be simultaneously moved by the action thereon of a screw 9,
the thread of which is capable of moving in a corresponding thread in a bar f.
The screw g is supported so as to be capable of turning freely in bearings h, h,
and the threads g¹ thereof at the opposite ends of it are one right and the
other left handed, so that when that screw is turned the sliding plates ¹at
the opposite ends of a bar a are either drawn towards or expanded further
from each other, according to the direction of motion given to the screw g;
this motion may be effected by a handle g as shown, or otherwise. By
turning the screw g in one direction the sliding plates e¹ will be separated so
as to relieve the leads or carriages 6 of the pressure of the clamps e, when
any of the leads or carriages with their needles may be removed or others
introduced, as may be desired, and then when the desired change has been
effected by turning the screw 9 in the opposite direction, so as to cause the
clamps e, e, to press on the leads or carriages b, those leads or carriages will be
again held firmly in position. The needle or hook shown in some of the leads
or carriages is such as is now commonly in use, but the form of it may be
varied, as is well understood.
. But according to another part of the improvements each needle or hook is
capable of sliding freely in a separate lead or carriage; separate views of one
of these leads or carriages are given at Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8. The carriage

page_text: so shown is formed of lead or a composition thereof, or it may be of other
metal, by casting in a mould, but the same may be made up of several separate
pieces. Each needle or book c (a separate view of one of which is shown at
Figure 9) is applied to a plate c', which is formed with a projection or fin c², by
which it may be slided in a carriage, as is well understood. Figure 10 shows
a side and two opposite edge views of one of the clamps e and its sliding plate e¹.
In place of screw pressure wedges or other means capable of being applied or
removed at pleasure may be employed to act on the clamps e or the sliding
plates e, e', to retain the leads or carriages 6 correctly in position.
b
Having thus described the 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 without departing from the peculiar character of the Invention.
But what we do claim in the manufacture of looped fabrics is the
application of screw or other pressure to act upon the leads or carriages of
the needles or hooks, with capability of removal or adjustment to admit of the
needles or books and their leads or carriages being independently removed or
replaced in effecting the operations of "narrowing" or "widening" in manner
substantially as explained.
And also we claim the construction and application of leads or carriages b
formed separate for the needles or hooks to slide in, so that any one or more
of the leads or carriages and their needles or hooks may be readily removed
together from any part of the bar on which they rest, and be replaced on the
same or other part of the same bar, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel Hall Foster and Thomas
Bunney, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day
of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-seven.
SAMUEL HALL FOSTER. (L.S.)
THOMAS BUNNEY.
(L.S.)
SAMUEL HALL FOSTER. (L.S.)
THOMAS BUNNEY.
(L.S.)