Ix- PROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OP LOOPED OR KNITTED FABRICS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Attenborough, of the Town and County
of the Town of Nottingham, Mechanic, for, the Invention of "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE
OP LOOPED OR KNITTED FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Attenborough
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 26th July 1869.
I, EDWARD ATTENBOROUGH, of the Town and County of the Town
of Nottingham, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED OR KNITTED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
These improvements consist in the employment of means and
apparatus for readily transferring a looped or knitted fabric from one
machine to another machine, or in transferring a looped or knitted fabrio
from a set of points to a machine. I employ one or more bars. Each
bar is somewhat longer than the width of the fabric to be transferred.
The bars have grooves cut in them to correspond with the gauge of the

page_text: machine in which they are to be employed. In each groove is placed a
steel point held firmly therein by the inner end of each point being
turned at right angles, and taking into a hole in the grooved plate; the
points are held fast by one long plate or a series of short plates pressing
upon the stems of the points and secured to the grooved plate. The
steel points instead of being parallel to the grooved plate the whole of
their length from the point to the bent end which passes through the
grooved plate may by preference be bent at a right angle to the plate
where the stems clear the edge of such plate. Each point has a groove
on one side for the greater part of its length, the groove commencing a
short distance from the point; or the groove may extend to the point.
Each point receives a loop of the fabric which is placed upon it, the
fabric being then cleared, that is to say, the superfluous threads being
drawn away; or the fabric may be transferred to the points from the
needles in a machine. Instead of the points being placed in the grooves
of a bar they may be cast in a lead or a series of leads, and such may be
secured to a bar, or they may be soldered in or upon a bar; the row of
points is then placed upon the row of needles in the frame to which the
transfer is to be made, the head of each needle lying in the groove of a
point; the fabric can then be slidden on to the needles from the points
in less time than the fabric can be run on the needles by the method
heretofore employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Attenborough in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th January 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
ATTENBOROUGH, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Attenborough, Her special licence
that I, the said Edward Attenborough, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Attenborough, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agrec 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 AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED OR KNITTED
FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward
Attenborough, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Edward Attenborough, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
These improvements consist in the employment of means and apparatus
for readily transferring a looped or knitted fabric from one machine to
another machine, or in transferring a looped or knitted fabric from a
set of points to a machine, and for this purpose I employ one or more
bars. Each of these bars is somewhat longer than the width of the
fabric intended to be transferred. The bars have grooves cut in them to
correspond with the gauge of the machine in which they are to be
employed. In each groove is placed a steel point, and these points
are held firmly in the grooves by the inner end of each point being
turned at right angles, and taking into a hole drilled through the
grooved bar or plate; the points are held fast by one long plate or a
series of short plates pressing upon the stems of the points, and secured
to the grooved bar or plate by screws or their equivalents. The
steel points instead of being parallel to the grooved bar or plate the
whole of their length from the point to the bent end which passes
through the grooved bar or plate may by preference be bent at a right
angle to the bar or plate where the stems clear the edge of such bar
or plate. Each point has a groove on one side for the greater part of

page_text: groove commencing a short distance from the point, or the groove may
extend to the point. The points shown at Figure 4 are for the purpose
of receiving a fabric at right angles to its length, i.e., across the wales.
Each point will enter one loop of the fabric, but in my second modifi-
cation shewn at Figure 5 the points are more sharp set in order that
they may more readily pierce the fabric in the direction of the wales,
i.e., at right angles to the rows of loops. A third modification is
shown in an end view at Figure 8, in which plates similar to those
employed in my first and second modifications are used. Between these
plates are secured points C', which are bent at a right angle to the plate
F, and have blunt points similar to those shown at Figure 4, or sharp
set points like those seen at Figure 5, according to the purpose for which
they are intended to be employed.
The way of employing the apparatus is as follows:-Suppose half
hose are being made on the frame, a number of ribbed tops are taken
by a girl or other person, and each top is run on the points of the bar
shown at Figure 4, each point entering a separate loop. The bar is then
placed with the grooves of the points resting on the heads of the needles
in the half hose frame, the fabric is slidden on to the needles and the bar
is carried to the immediately next row of needles successively, until the
whole of the rows of needles have a ribbed top upon them. The re-
quired lengths of fabric are then made to form the half hose as far as
the instep. The work is then pressed off, when it is necessary to form
the heel on another frame, or the required lengths of fabric may be made
to form the half hose as far as the instep, and also the two pieces of work
which form the heel, and may be made on one machine, they may then be
pressed off, the heel being turned off in the usual way, (i.e., the
parts which form the heel being joined together, the parts which form
C held by the bar (Figure 5)
the instep are then run on the points
when the whole are run on the points. The bar is then taken to the
footing frame and the fabric is slidden on to the needles in the said frame.
The upper part of the foot is formed with the requisite narrowings to
form the toe and is pressed off. The inner part of the heel is then
placed on the points of the bar shown at Figure 5, and is then taken
again to the footing frame. The fabric is then placed on the needles
and the sole or lower part of the foot is then made and pressed off. The
half hose is then ready to be seamed. It is evident that the bar shown
at Figure 5 is equally applicable for transferring the fabric when full
length hose require footing.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First. The employment of bars for running on ribbed tops and trans-
ferring such tops to a series of needles of the same gauge as the said
bar or bars, substantially as herein-before described.
Secondly. The employment of such bar or bars for transferring the
portions of fabric which form the heel and instep to the footing frame,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Attenborough, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of
January, in the year of our Lord, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
EDWARD ATTENBOROUGH. (L.S.)