IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING CARPETS AND OTHER ORNAMENTAL PILE FABRICS."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lawson, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, and James Reid Lawson, of Newgate Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Carpet Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEAVING CARPETS AND OTHER ORNAMENTAL PILE FABRICS."
Otahan 1070
A 1970
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lawson and James
Reid Lawson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th April
1879.
JOHN LAWSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, and JAMES
REID LAWSON, of Newgate Street, in the County of Middlesex, Carpet Manufac-
turers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING CARPETS AND OTHER ORNAMENTAL PILE
FABRICS."
This Invention relates to the weaving of carpets and other ornamental pile
fabrics in a novel and improved manner.
In carrying out the Invention, which has to do more particularly with the mode
of applying, fixing, and cutting the worsted or other material forming the pile, the
body or backing may consist of any suitable combination of warps or wefts.
Longitudinal wires, which are fixed at their back ends, are employed for forming
the pile loops, and the front ends of these wires are made to project a short distance
more forward than the fell of the cloth, and are made with sharpened upper edges
to cut the pile loops as these pass gradually forwards with the weaving action.
The pile material is carried upon a number of small bobbins or pirns or in shuttles,
and is introduced by hand into partial sheds formed by the action of jacquard
apparatus or other suitable pattern mechanism in raising warps at those parts of
each transverse line of the fabric at which each color of pile in succession has to
appear to form the pattern. Two or more bobbins or pirns or shuttles of one color
may have to be introduced into the set of partial sheds formed by each jacquard
action. The pile material, when introduced into the partial sheds, lies above the

page_text: wires and some of the warps, and is left loose; and when the raised warps redescend
they are made to do so, not all simultaneously but successively, so that the quantity
of material to form the pile loops may be gradually drawn in. Between each wire
there are, by preference, three or more warp threads with which the portions of
pile material become interwoven, as well as the wefts of the body or backing, or
wefts specially added for binding in the pile material, and in this way the pile
material becomes very securely fixed.
The improved fabrics may be woven of any reasonable width, and when the
width is great several workers can be employed together in putting in the pile
material.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Lawson and James Reid Lawson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th October 1879.
JOHN LAWSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, and JAMES
REID LAWSON, of Newgate Street, in the County of Middlesex, Carpet Manufac-
turers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING CARPETS AND OTHER ORNAMENTAL PILE
FABRICS."
Our said Invention relates to the weaving of carpets and other ornamental pile
fabrics in a novel and improved manner.
In carrying out our Invention, which has to do more particularly with the mode
of applying, fixing, and cutting the worsted or other material forming the pile, the
body or backing may consist of any suitable combination of warps and wefts.
Longitudinal wires are employed for forming the pile loops, and the front ends of
these wires are made to project a short distance more forward than the fell of the
cloth, and are, according to one modification, made with sharpened upper edges to
cut the pile loops as these pass gradually forwards with the weaving action. The
cutting of the pile may also be effected in various other ways. The pile material is.
introduced by hand into partial sheds formed by the action of jacquard apparatus
or other suitable pattern mechanism in raising warp threads between the wires at
those parts of each transverse line of the fabric at which each color of pile in
succession has to appear to form the pattern. The pile material may be carried
upon a number of small bobbins or pirns or in shuttles, and two or more bobbins
or pirns or shuttles of one color may have to be introduced into the set of partial
sheds formed by each jacquard action. Or the pile material may be drawn off
bobbins and be inserted in the partial sheds by hand without the bobbins being
passed through the sheds. In some cases jacquard or other pattern mechanism for
forming partial sheds may be dispensed with, and the warps for acting on the pile
material may be raised all together, the different colors of pile material being
inserted by hand in their proper places to form the intended pattern.
The pile material by preference consists in each case of two or more threads or
yarns of worsted or other suitable material, so as to form tufts of pile, and when it
is introduced into the sheds it lies above the wires and some of the warps, and is
left loose; and when the raised warps redescend they are made to do so not all
simultaneously but successively, so that the quantity of material to form the pile
loops may be gradually drawn in. The warps take down the pile material between
the wires and as far below the wires as is necessary to give the desired length of
pile; and between each wire there are, by preference, three or more warp threads
with which the portions of pile material become interwoven, as well as with the
wefts of the body or backing, or with wefts specially added for binding in the pile
material; and in this way the pile material becomes very securely fixed. In each
general shed into which the pile material is introduced we prefer to put first a
strong weft, next the pile material, and lastly another strong weft, all into the same
shed; and when these wefts are beat up by the lathe and the following shed made
the pile material becomes very closely and securely gripped between the two strong
wefts. The result is the fixing of the pile in a manner almost equal to the old
knotting process, but with much less expenditure of time and labor.
The apparatus to be employed in practically carrying out our said Invention is
for the most part such as is to be found in existing looms. In order however that
our Invention may be properly understood, we hereunto append a Sheet of ex-
planatory Drawings to be hereinafter referred to, and representing certain parts
which we use.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a front view of a portion of the reed which we use,
this reed being constructed with ratchet-like catches 7 upon the upper parts of its
dents for holding up the warps used for depressing the pile material down between
the wires. Each thread of these warps is separately weighted like the warps of a

page_text: jacquard loom, and is held or strained so that it bears against the dent at the side
having the catch 7, so that when the warps are raised, either all simultaneously, or
such as are selected by jacquard or other pattern mechanism, they rest on the
catches 7. After the pile material has been inserted the weaver, commencing at one
side of the loom, proceeds to push the warp threads off the catches 7 in succession,
either by hand alone, or by means of a metallic finger fitted to slide on a rod or
other guide along close to the reed, and as each warp thread is thus pushed off its
separate weight causes it to draw down its portion of pile material before the
succeeding warp thread acts on that material, and in this way sufficient pile material
is drawn in to form the loops over the wires.
Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3 is a sectional side view, showing one form of
wire. Each wire 8 has its back end hooked to be held in a notch in a cross
bar 9 fixed behind the heddles or healds, and harness when there is any, and each
wire passes through a split of the reed, and has its front end supported in a cross
bar 10. At and near their front ends the wires 8 are flattened vertically, and their
upper edges are sharpened, so that the loops of the pile material become cut in
passing over them as the cloth is taken up.
Figure 4 is a plan, and Figure 5 is a sectional side view, showing a modification
of wire which we prefer to use in some cases. This wire 11 has a part 12 at and
near its front end formed with a nick, or as having two thin sides joined along their
bottom. A series of knives 13 fixed in a transverse horizontal bar 14, and shown
in front view in Figure 6, project down into the nicked parts of the several wires 11.
The knife bar 14 is mounted on end centres or journals, and is fitted with one or more
handles, as indicated by dotted lines at 15, by means of which handle or handles the
weaver makes the bar 14 rock as often as he finds it necessary. With this arrange-
ment the weaver can make certain of cutting the loops, and thereby freeing the cloth
from the wires, and the arrangement is specially advantageous when the pile
material is in thick tufts, or when each portion of it consists of several yarns or
threads.
Our improved fabrics may be woven of any reasonable width, and when the
width is great several workers can be employed together in putting in the pile
material.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but that what we believe to be novel and
original and claim as the Invention secured to us by and in terms of the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
The system or mode of weaving carpets and other ornamental pile fabrics, wherein
the pile material is inserted like weft across longitudinal wires, and is looped over
the wires by means of warp threads acting successively, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lawson, on behalf of myself and the
said James Reid Lawson, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Four-
teenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy nine
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN LAWSON. (L.S.)