IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Gamble and Edwin Ellis, both of Nottingham,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING LOOPED
FABRICS."
Sealed the 12th February 1861, and dated the 23rd November 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Gamble and Edwin
Ellis, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd November 1860.
We, THOMAS GAMBLE and EDWIN ELLIS, both of Nottingham, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PRODUCING LOOPED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for producing
looped fabrics. For these purposes two sets of needles or instruments having
eyes near their ends are used, and each needle may carry a thread. These
needles or instruments may each be made with a bend near its end in order
that its thread may at that part stand across the bend and admit of the point
of one of the opposite set of needles or instruments passing between the first-
mentioned needle or instrument and its threads, or the needles or instruments
may be otherwise formed or worked so as to facilitate the points of one set

page_text: of needles or instruments passing between the other set of instruments or
needles and their threads, or the needles or instruinents of the two sets may
be straight and have points or other instruments to separate the respective
threads from their needles or instruments so as to facilitate the passage of the
points of one set of needles or instruments between the threads and the needles,
or instruments of the other set. The object of this arrangement is that the two
sets of needles or instruments may be constantly alternately looped into each
other and in such manner that so long as the same needles or instruments of
one set work with the same needles, or instruments of the other set they will
produce a series of unconnected looped pillars, each composed of the threads
of two needles or instruments linked or looped together, and further that when
the sets of needles or instruments are shogged or moved so as to change the
relative positions of the needles or instruments of one set, in respect to the
other set of needles or instruments then the pillars will be connected together
into a fabric, the nature of which will depend on the order and extent of such
shogging motions. In addition to the use of two sets of needles or instru-
ments and 'their threads, other threads are employed which are carried by
suitable guides which it is preferred should be independent and capable of
being selected or governed in their working by jacquard or other pattern sur-
faces in such manner that their threads may be shogged transversely across
one or more pillars produced as above described, and according to the varied
order and extent to which such threads are shogged, varied patterns of fabrics
may be produced, and it should be stated that such threads may be used at
the back as well as at the front of the fabrics, whereby the two surfaces of a
fabric may greatly vary in texture and character, and there may be as many
or more or less of such guide threads than there are of the needles or threads
first mentioned. By these means these last-mentioned or guide threads may
be made not only to connect the looped pillars produced by the needle threads,
but they may be made to float over or cover such pillars according to design.
In some cases all the needles or instruments first mentioned are not threaded,
and in others they are all threaded, depending on the class of fabric it is desired
to make. Other threads, for gymping, for ornamental, and for other purposes,
may, when desired, be used, as have been heretofore employed in the manu-
facture of other loop-made fabrics.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Gamble and Edwin Ellis in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd May 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
GAMBLE and EDWIN ELLIS, both of Nottingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our
Lord, One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Thomas Gamble and Edwin Ellis, Her special licence that we, the
said Thomas Gamble and Edwin Ellis, our executors, administrators, and
assigns; or such others as we, the said Thomas Gamble and Edwin Ellis, 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 MACHINERY
FOR PRODUCING LOOPED FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Thomas Gamble and Edwin Ellis, our executors, or administrators, by an
instrumient 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 per-
formed 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 Thomas Gamble and Edwin Ellis,
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:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for producing
looped fabrics. For these purposes two sets of needles or instruments having
eyes near their ends are used, and each needle may carry a thread. These
needles or instruments may each be made with a bend near its end in order
that its thread may at that part stand across the bend and admit of the point
of one of the opposite set of needles or instruments passing between the first-
mentioned needle or instrument and its thread. Or the needles or instruments
may be otherwise formed or worked so as to facilitate the points of one set of
needles or instruments passing between the other set of instruments or needles

page_text: and their threads. Or the needles or instruments of the two sets may be
straight, and have points or other instruments to separate the respective threads
from their needles or instruments, so as to facilitate the passage of the points
of one set of needles or instruments between the threads and the needles or
instruments of the other set. The object of this arrangement is that the two
sets of needles or instruments may be alternately looped into each other, and
in such manner that so long as the same needles or instruments of one set
work with the same needles or instruments of the other set, they will
produce a series of unconnected looped pillars each composed of the
threads of two needles or instruments linked or looped together, and
further that when the sets of needles or instruments are shogged or moved so
as to change the relative positions of the needles or instruments of one set in
respect to the other set of needles or instruments then the pillars will be con-
nected together into a fabric the nature of which will depend on the order and
extent of such shogging motions. In addition to the use of two sets of needles
or instruments and their threads, other threads are employed which are carried
by suitable guides, which it is preferred should be independent and capable of
being selected or governed in their working by jacquard or other pattern surfaces
in such manner that their threads may be shogged transversely across one or
more pillars produced as above described, and according to the varied order
and extent to which such threads are shogged, varied patterns of fabrics may
be produced, and it should be stated that such threads may be used at the
back as well as at the front of the fabrics, whereby the two surfaces of a
fabric may greatly vary in texture and character, and there may be as many
or more or less of such guide threads than there are of the needle threads
first mentioned. By these means these last-mentioned or guide threads may
be made not only to connect the looped pillars, produced by the needle threads,
but they may be made to float over or cover such pillars according to design.
In some cases all the needles or instruments first mentioned are not threaded
and in other they are all threaded depending on the class of fabric it is desired
to make. Other threads, for gymping, for ornamental, and for other purposes,
may, when desired, be used as have been heretofore employed in the manu-
facture of other loop made fabrics.
Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention we will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section of so much of a machine combined
ALL
1... ho

page_text: description thereof and by the other Figures shewn in the Drawings readily to
carry out our Invention. The nature of the various Figures of the Drawings
being written thereon, it will not be necessary to repeat the same here.
The same letters of reference are used to indicate the same parts in all the
Figures of the Drawings. The several cams shown at Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
and 7, and the respective trucks or rollers actuated thereby are shewn in the
same positions they assume when the looping and other instruments are.in the
positions shewn in Figure 1, and in Diagram No. 1, and the arrows on each
of the cams shew the direction in which the cams are moved. The forms of
the instruments may be varied, but those shewn in the Drawings are believed
by us to be the most convenient for carrying out our Invention. In the
arrangement shewn by the Drawings there is a front and a back needle
bar which are moved up and down in planes inclined to each other, and
they are arranged in a suitable manner to admit of each having an end-
way motion by suitable cams or pattern surfaces in like manner to the guide
bars of warp and other lace machines. The up-and-down motions of the two
needle bars may be obtained in any convenient manner.
In the Drawing,
Figure 1, the front and back needle bars a, b, are each shewn to be mounted
on connecting rods a¹ b, which are connected to arms of two spindle bars
a, b, which by their trucks a³, ³, receive motion from their cams a, b.
These cams are of a similar form or cut one to the other, and they act on their
respective needle bars in a similar manner, but at different times, in order that
when the needles of the front needle bar have looped their threads on the threads
of the needles of the back needle bar, that then the needles of the back needle
bar may loop their threads on the threads of the front needles, by which a
constant interlooping of the threads carried respectively by the front and back
needles will be taking place when the machine is at work; and so long as the
needles of the front needle bar work with the needles of the back needle bar, and
neither of the needle bars are shogged or have endway motion communicated
to them (and supposing that their. threads are not. otherwise moved laterally),
they will produce parallel cords, which will be unconnected one with the other,
provided there be no other threads than those supplied by the two sets of
needles, but by shogging the needle bars it will be evident that the front and
back needles after working for a time together may be respectively brought
opposite to, and be caused to work with other needles for a time by which the
pillars or cords will be connected, and by such means the work may be formed
into meshes connected together by the crossings of the needle threads.
The Drawings shew the use of a third set of threads, which are carried by a
guide bar c, which may be caused to work with the front and back needle bars,

page_text: so as to connect the pillars produced by such needle threads when desired, and
they may be also used to produce weavings and ornamental effects by working
in conjunction with the needle threads, depending on the order in which the
several threads are caused to work. The guide bar c is actuated by a lace
.wheel or other suitable surface, so as to cause such bar to be shogged from
time to time, and such guide bar is mounted on and carried by a spindle
bar c, which is carried by arms c² on a spindle bar c, by which the spindle
bar c is moved towards, and from the front of the machine, together with the
guide bar c, by a cam c', and the guide bar c receives an up-and-down motion
by connecting rods c, from a lever c, which receives motion from a
cam c'; and in order to vary the action of the threads carried by the guides of
the guide bar c, intercepting instruments are used, which are selected by
jacquard or other suitable pattern surfaces, according to the effects desired to
be produced by the several guide threads carried by the guide bar c. The
guide bar in the arrangement shewn carries as many threads by separate
guides as there are needles in one of the needle bars, but when desired, two or
more guide bars may be employed, each carrying as many threads as there are
needles on one of the needle bars, and by placing one such guide bar in front
and the other at the back, and by giving to them different motions, different
effects may be thereby produced on the two sides of the fabric, and separate
guide bars may be used, each carrying such a number of guides as to admit of
guide threads being worked thereby into the fabric, according to any desired
effect which it may be desired to produce at certain parts of the fabric, by
which very varied and ornamental effects may be produced. When making
fabrics by working two sets of needles or other instruments, arranged in such
manner as to loop their threads together in the manner above described, and
in order that all the guide threads carried by the same guide bar may not con-
tinually each produce the same effect as the others, intercepting instruments
may be used, such as are shewn in the Drawings, or others similarly capable
of acting on the guide threads of a guide bar. d, d, are intercepting instru-
ments of the form we prefer to employ, they are of steel and are cast in leads,
and they have a tendency by their elasticity to be constantly in one line, and if
they be not selected and acted on by jacquard or other pattern surfaces, when
one is in between the guide threads, all will be between the guide threads,
but any or all of the instruments d, d, may by the action of jacquard or other
pattern surfaces be kept from acting between the guide threads, so that on
any shogging or endway movement of the guide bar any of the guide threads
carried thereby may be prevented partaking of the shogging movement of the
guide bar. Each of the interceptors has, in the arrangement shewn, a cord

page_text: attached at the bend d¹, and the cords being acted on or selected, moves them
out of the line or position they assume when not interfered with by a pattern
surface. In the arrangement shewn by the Drawings the guide bar is capable
of being shogged three gates or spaces of the needle bars, consequently if
the intercepting instruments & be not selected, then the guide threads enter
longitudinally into the several parallel pillars, but where any of the intercep-
tors are selected, so as to allow of the guide threads moving with their guide
bar, a distance equal to three gates or spaces of the needles, then those guide
threads will be caused to work with and connect three pillars produced by three
pairs of front and back needles, as is indicated in the diagram A of the Draw-
ings. It will consequently be understood, that crossings or connections of the
parallel pillars of looped work produced by the needles may be produced
by the shogging of the needle bars when desired, and crossings or connections
of the parallel pillars of looped work may be effected by the use of the guide
threads. In order to insure the points of the front needles entering between
the needles and the threads carried by the back needle bar, there are points
or instruments 65, which work with the needles 6 in order to separate the
threads from the needles, and in order that the points of the needles b of the
back needle bar may be insured entering between the needles a and the
threads carried thereby, a point or instrument a' is used with each needle a.
The points a and 65 are fixed on two bars a, 66, which are carried by
arms a, b, on spindle bars as, 63, carried by the arms to which the needle
bars a and b are affixed, they conseqently partake of, the up-and-down motions
of the needle bars, but they have independent motions communicated to them,
in order that they may move the threads away from their needles, in order that
the points of the other set of needles may, as above mentioned, enter between the
threads, and the needles of that other set, and such movement of the points a³.
and 65 is effected in the arrangement shewn in the Drawings by links a, b;
levers a¹0, 610, on the spindle bars of the needle bars, and cams a", 6". The
needle threads are supplied from two beams and the guide threads are supplied
The work is wound on to the
from spools or independent warps from-below.
work beam. The working of a course will be readily understood by reference
to the diagrams No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4. Supposing the instruments
be in the positions shewn in Figure 1, and also in Diagram No. 1, the fol-
lowing will be the manner in which a course will be worked by the machine.
The front needles a, together with their points a³, will be withdrawn to the
fullest extent of their action; the points a,.which had been separated from
their needles in order to move the threads from the needles, will by their cams
come to and the ends of the points will be caused. to enter and lie in the

page_text: grooves in the needles, and the front needles with their points will assume the
position shewn in Diagram No. 2. The back needle bar will by its cam be
moved a short distance back with its points 66 and then the points 65 will by
their cam rise, and by their wheel shog so as to move the threads of the back
needles away from those needles, and thus facilitate the entry of the points of
the front needles between the threads of the back needles and those needles,
when by its cam the front needle bar will be moved so as to cause the points
of those needles to enter in the spaces between the threads, and the back
needles which carry them, as is indicated in Diagram No. 3. The back
needle bar is then caused by its cam to move back to the extent of its motion;
when the points which were previously moved away a distance from such
needles will by their cam and wheel be caused to move towards their needles,
and the ends of these points will enter and lie within the grooves in the back
needles, the front needle bar will be caused by its cam to retire a short dis-
tance, when the points thereof are by their cam and cut of wheel separated
and moved away as before-mentioned in respect to the back needles, and their
points, in order that spaces may be opened between the front needles and their
threads for the passage of the points of the back needles, as indicated by
Diagram No. 4, when the back needles will be actuated by their cam and be
caused again to assume the position indicated by Diagram No. 1. The inter-
cepting instruments and guide bar when working a course, as above explained,
in respect to the front and back needles, and their points are actuated in the
following manner :-The guides in Diagram No. 1 are below the needles, and
they are one space of the needles to the left hand, they being arranged to
move three spaces to the left hand. The guides are caused by their cams to
rise quickly, and the intercepting instruments by their cams are caused to fall
and go back at the same time as the guides are rising, and these parts are
thus by their cams caused to assume the positions indicated by Diagram No. 2.
The guides sink and shog one space to the right hand; the guides then move
towards the front of the machine; the intercepting instruments are raised by
their cams and are moved forward to the positions shewn by Diagram No. 3.
The guides are then by their cut of wheel, moved three spaces to the left
hand; the guides sink; the intercepting instruments come forward, and enter
between the threads, as shewn by Diagram No. 4; the guides then move to
the right hand two spaces, the intercepting instruments move towards the front
of the machine and again assume the positions indicated in Diagram No. 1;
and supposing none of the intercepting instruments are acted on or selected
by the pattern surface, all the guide threads will be similarly acted on, but
where any of the intercepting instruments are selected, and are thereby kept

page_text: for a time from passing between the guide threads, those threads will partake
of the movement of the guide bar, and will connect the pillars of the needle
threads.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we do not claim the
'mechanical parts separately, but what we claim is the combination of the
mechanical parts as herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Gamble and Edwin Ellice have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twentieth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
HENRY CONWAY BARNETT.
HUMAS
EDWIN ELLIS.
AMI
(L.S.)
(L.S.)