IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR WG PAD SLT MALE AD NADDA MANDING OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF NARROW FABRICS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Gadd, of 122, Portland Road, Nottingham,
Consulting Engineer, and Benjamin Walker, of Lenton, near Nottingham,
Lace Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
WG PAD SLT MALE AD NADDA MANDING"
ADDAD
Sealed the 9th April 1868, and dated the 14th October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Gadd and Benjamin
Walker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 14th October 1867.
We, WILLIAM GADD, of 122, Portland Road, Nottingham, Consulting
Engineer, and BENJAMIN WALKER, of Lenton, near Nottingham, Lace Manu->
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF NARROW FABRICS," to be as
follows:-
The Invention relates to means of producing upon the lace machine, or
a modification thereof, narrow fabrics such as are usually produced in the
loom, thereby obtaining much greater speed and an increased quantity of
breadths at the same time.
In carrying out the Invention the warp of the fabric is supported in the
lower part of the machine, but instead of all the threads being upon one beam

page_text: they are divided into sets, each set being wound upon a separate reel or spool;
a number of these reels or spools are placed either in a continuous line upon
a shaft running lengthways in the machine or upon separate spindles placed
at right angles or thereabouts to the length of the machine or otherwise.
Upon each spool or reel may be wound the threads of warp sufficient for one
breadth of fabric, which threads for each fabric are carried upwards through
asley in a line stretching from back to front of the machine, from thence
these threads pass through bars which may be of the ordinary kind. If
they are put in what are termed "top bars," such bars may be divided to
their proper distances by means of points of the character of ordinary leads of
points or by sleys or other suitable means. If bottom bars are used the
threads may be drawn through (in addition) a stationary reed or a many
wired stump bar placed close underneath the carriage bottoms. By means of
such bars a shed is opened in all the breadth through being actuated by
jacquard, cam, or any suitable means for the passage of the bobbin and carriage
which acts as the shuttle, and thus forms the fabric with the edge towards the
operator.
The passage of a bobbin and carriage through a number of threads placed
in a line is not new, and separately considered forms no part of the present
Invention.
The fabric thus woven is taken up as follows:-Instead of by the reed, as
in the loom, the weft is beaten up by points similar to lace points, only they
are placed at right angles or thereabouts to the position of points as they are
generally used in making lace. The "knocking out" motion of the point
bars is consequently lengthwise of the machine instead of crosswise as in
making lace. This may be accomplished either by letting the bars slide
backwards and forwards upon the arms from which they are suspended or
by their swinging upon joints on the same or by other suitable means, the
up and down motions not being altered. The fabrics thus produced pass
over small temple rollers or between guides projecting outward from a longi-
tudinal bar; from thence, each taking a half turn, they pass over a longitudinal
roller or face bar and are wound on to reels or spools similar to those from
which the warp proceeds. The object of each breadth of fabric winding off
and on to separate reels is to enable the operator to turn back when weft
fails or breaks or to enable him to unweave. To allow of this being done,
and yet to give motion to these reels uniformly, they are capable of turning
freely upon their shaft, whilst each is separately connected to move with the
shaft by catch and ratchet wheels, so that if a catch is lifted out of the teeth
of a wheel that particular reel may be let back and the corresponding one:

page_text: containing the warp may be wound back. The shaft carrying the warp reels
may be weighted at the ends in the usual way, or each reel may be separately
weighted, or letting-off motions may be applied to them also; the shaft carrying
the fabric reels may be wound up at the end by the ordinary worm and wheel
or otherwise. The different wefts are inserted by the jacquard apparatus
shifting the shed to the desired carriage, as many carriages being used as
varieties of wefts required. By this means, if desired, more than one carriage
may pass through the same shed at the same time by simply opening the shed
wide enough.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Gadd and Benjamin Walker in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 14th April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WLLLIAM
GADD, of 122, Portland Road, Nottingham, Consulting Engineer, and BEN-
JAMIN WALKER, of Lenton, near Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, send
greeting.
'
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said William Gadd and Benjamin Walker, Her special license. that
we, the said William Gadd and Benjamin Walker, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Gadd and Benjamin
Walker, 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 NARROW FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said William Gadd and Benjamin Walker,
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 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 we, the said William Gadd and Benjamin Walker,
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, that is to say: ÷
The Invention relates to means of producing upon the lace machine or a
modification thereof narrow fabrics such as are usually produced in the loom,
thereby obtaining much greater speed and an increased quantity of breadths at
the same time.
In carrying out the Invention the warp of the fabric is supported in the
lower part of the machine, but instead of all the threads being upon one beam
they are divided into sets, each set being wound upon a separate reel or spool.
A number of these reels or spools are placed either in a continuous line upon a
shaft running lengthways in the machine, or upon separate spindles placed at
right angles or thereabouts to the length of the machine or otherwise. Upon
each spool or reel may be wound threads of warp sufficient for one breadth of
fabric, which threads for each fabric are cand upwards through a sley in a
line stretching from back to front of the machine; from thence these threads
pass through bars, which may be of the ordinary kind. If they are put in
what are termed "top bars" such bars may be divided to their proper distances
by means of points of the character of ordinary leads of points, or by sleys or
other suitable means. If bottom bars are used the threads may be drawn
through (in addition) a stationary reed or a many-wired stump bar placed
close underneath the carriage bottoms. By means of such bars a shed is
opened in all the breadths through being actuated by jacquard, cam, or any
suitable means for the passage of the bobbins and carriages, which act as the
shuttles, and thus form the fabrics with their edges towards the operator.
The passage of a bobbin and carriage through a number of threads placed in
a line is not new, and separately considered forms no part of the present
Invention. The fabric thus woven is taken up as follows:-Instead of by the
reed, as in the loom, the weft is beaten up by points similar to lace points,
only they are placed at right angles or thereabouts to the position of points as
they are generally used in making lace. The "knocking out" motion of the
point bars is consequently lengthwise of the machine instead of crosswise, as
in making lace. This may be accomplished either by letting the bars slide
backwards and forwards upon the arms from which they are suspended, or by
their swinging upon joints on the same, or by other suitable means, the up-
and-down motions not being altered. The fabrics thus produced pass over
small temple rollers or between guides projecting outward from a longitudinal
bar; from thence, each taking a half-turn, they pass over a longitudinal roller

page_text: or face bar, and are wound on to reels or spools similar to those from which
the warp proceeds. The object of each breadth of fabric winding off and on
to separate reels is to enable the operator to turn back when weft fails or
breaks, or to enable him to unweave. To allow of this being done, and yet to
give motion to these reels uniformly, they are capable of turning freely upon
their shaft whilst each is separately connected to move with the shaft by catch
and ratchet wheels, so that if a catch is lifted out of the teeth of a wheel that
particular reel may be let back and the corresponding one containing the warp
may be wound back. The shaft carrying the warp reels may be weighted at
the ends in the usual way, or each reel may be separately weighted, or letting-
off motions may be applied to them; also the shaft carrying the fabric reels
may be wound up at the end by the ordinary worm and wheel or otherwise. The
different wefts are inserted by the jacquard apparatus shifting the shed to the
desired carriage, as many carriages being used as varieties of wefts required.
By these means, if desired, more than one carriage may pass through the same
shed at the same time by simply opening the shed wide enough.
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 a front view and Figure 2 a sectional view of parts arranged
to carry out our improvements.
The yarn to form the warp of the separate fabrics is placed on rollers or
reels B, each of which is capable of turning freely on the shaft A to which is
affixed the catch or ratchet wheel A', when a catch B³ turning on a stud B¹
fixed in a reel B is in gear with the catch or ratchet wheel A¹ the shaft will
turn with that reel, but when that catch is out of gear with such reel the reel
will turn on its axis independently. The object of this arrangement is that
as there are a number of these reels upon the shaft A, one for each breadth of
fabric, in case of failure of weft, accident, or the necessity to unweave, the yarn
of any breadth may be separately and independently wound back upon its own
reel. The yarn on each of the reels proceeds upwards (the shaft A being
placed where the warp of the lace machine is ordinarily placed) to the sley or
other suitable guide B³ which extends the length of the machine, and from
thence through steel or other bars D which are kept in position by means of
a reed Cs, or points, or by other suitable means. The reeds C are affixed to
brackets C carried by a bar C; the bars D in this case answer the purpose
of healds, which might if desired be used in each set of warp threads. Sheds

page_text: are formed for the passage of a bobbin and carriage E by the movement of
the bars D; the carriages E taking the place of the shuttles of ordinary weaving.
The bobbin may be made large to carry a considerable quantity of weft which
when laid in is "taken up" or beaten up by points G cast in leads G¹ and
screwed to point bars H; we would here remark that whilst the points of the
ordinary lace machine stand out at right angles to the point bar these stand
parallel thereto. The fabric thus woven by the take up of weft and traverse
of the bars D is passed over the temple rollers K which are roughened so as
to keep the fabric distended and steady in its place. Thence the fabric passes
under the projection K¹ so as to prevent the fabric from slipping or shrinking
during the half twist it next makes before passing over the longitudinal bar or
roller P when it is wound on the reel or roller N which like the reel B is
capable of turning loosely on its shaft O, but is kept in its position by the catch
M³ turning on a stud M² gearing with the ratchet wheel O¹. The arms M³
connected to the circle M, of which the catch M³ is also a part, are for the
purpose of enabling the operator to push the catch out of gear and thus set a
reel at liberty when desired. Each of the catches M³ and B2 has a small steel
spring over it to press it into gear again after it has been taken out of gear
with its wheel. Figure 3 represents a plan view of a lead of points G;
the temple rollers K turn on studs affixed to a bar L as are also all the studs
or projections K¹.
Having thus described our Invention 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 herein referred to, as variations may be made
therein without departing from the peculiar character of the improvements,
but what we do claim is the adaptation or combination of means or apparatus
for the manufacture of narrow fabrics substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Gadd and Benjamin Walker,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eleventh day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM GADD.
(L.S.)
BENJAMIN WALKER. (L.s.)