IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Fletcher, of Kilburn, in the County of
Derby, Framework Knitter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MAKING LOOPED FABRICS."
Sealed the 27th April 1860, and dated the 10th November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William. Fletcher at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th November 1859.
I, WILLIAM FLETCHER, of Kilburn, in the County of Derby, Framework
Knitter, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING LOOPED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in an improved arrangement of machinery whereby
the loops in a stocking frame, as well as the pressing down of the needle beards
and knocking over of the work, are completed with less complicated and
cheaper machinery than is now ordinarily used, while at the same time a
greater speed is obtained. The thread carrier is also arranged to stop at the
exact point required.
The improvement in apparatus for forming the loops consists in making a
cylinder with an arrangement having a double row of projections fixed spirally
upon it, which projections are brought into action by one half of the revolution

page_text: of the cylinder. One row of these double rows of projections forms the loops
sinking them between the needles; the other row acts to divide and knock
the work over; a bar for pressing the beard of the needles down is also fixed
spirally on the cylinder immediately in front of the projections used for
knocking over the work. To enable the cylinder whilst revolving only one
way to carry this work from one end of the needle bar to the other and back
again, it is necessary to have two complete arrangements of the double rows
of the projections, so that on one half of the revolution of the cylinder one
complete course of the double arrangement of the projections is brought into
action carrying the work from right to left, and then a repetition of similar
projections are brought into action during the remaining half of the revolution
of the cylinder, completing the work from left to right.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Fletcher in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FLETCHER, of Kilburn, in the County of Derby, Framework Knitter, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Fletcher, Her special licence that I, the said William Fletcher,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Fletcher, my 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 MACHI-
NERY FOR MAKING LOOPED FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Fletcher, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 I, the said William Fletcher, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say: - .
My Invention consists in an improved arrangement of machinery whereby
the loops in a stocking frame, as well as the pressing down of the needle beards
and knocking over of the work, are completed with less complicated and
cheaper machinery than is now ordinarily used, while at the same time a
greater speed is obtained. The thread carrier is also arranged to stop at the
exact point required.
The improvement in apparatus for forming the loops consists in making a
cylinder with an arrangement having a double row of projections fixed spirally
upon it, which projections are brought into action by one half of the revolu
tion of the cylinder, one row of these double rows of projections forms the
loops, sinking them between the needles, the other row acts to divide and
knock the work over. A bar for pressing the beard of the needles down is
also fixed spirally on the cylinder immediately in front of the projections used
for knocking over the work. To enable the cylinder whilst revolving only one
way to carry this work from one end of the needle bar to the other and back
again, it is necessary to have two complete arrangements of the double rows
of the projections, so that on one half of the revolution of the cylinder one
complete course of the double arrangement of the projections is brought into
action carrying the work from right to left, and then a repetition of similar
projections are brought into action during the remaining half of the revolution
of the cylinder completing the work from left to right.
'
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section of parts of the apparatus, arranged
according to my Invention; Figure 2 shews a front view of the cylinder and
other parts arranged according to my Invention; and Figure 3 shews detached
parts, by means of which Figures, aided by the following description, a work-
man will be enabled to carry out my Invention. I have not thought it neces-
sary to show the framing. of the machine or means of giving motion to the
moving parts, as the same would prevent the other parts of the mechanism
being seen clearly; a is the needle bar, which is carried by the end framings b;
one of which is shewn in the Drawing, and the needle bar is arranged so as to
be slided from the back or working position to the front of the machine, when
'

page_text: It is desired to examine the needles; c. is a cylinder, having on its periphery
two sets of apparatus applied spirally thereon for sinking the thread between
the needles, for moving the new loops under the beards of the needles, for
pressing on and closing the beards, and for knocking over the work. The
two sets of instruments are so arranged as that one set having completed a
course of work the next set comes into action at that end of the needle bar at
which the previous set has finished in making its course; d, d, are blades or
instruments which are fixed on the surface of the cylinder in such manner
that in the rotation of the cylinder these blades enter in succession into the
spaces between the needles, and by reason of their curved form they act on
the thread and press it into loops between the needles, and before each of such
blades passes out of contact with the thread it lands the loop which it has
made under the beard of the needle, and then the presser e, which is also fixed
in a spiral direction on the cylinder, acts in succession to close the beards of
the needles, and part of the work being moved forward, as hereafter described,
the blades f, which are also arranged in a spiral direction on the cylinder,
come in succession to act on the back of the work, and to knock the same
over, loop by loop, from the needles. The blades for sinking the threads, and
the blades for knocking over the work, are fixed in such manner as to pass
between the needles and parallel to them; each of the sets of instruments, viz.,
the sinker blades, the pressers, and the knocking over blades, act in the
manner above described, but one set is arranged to act with the needle bar in
direction from right to left, whilst the other set is arranged to act in a direc-
tion from left to right, and the one set is arranged to come into action imme-
diately after the other set has completed its course. The work is brought
back on to the stems of the needles each time after the completion of a course,
by means of the blade g, which is caused to move by means of cams h, on the
shaft or axis i, which at the end of a course is caused partially to rotate in its
bearings by means of a finger or projection j, on the cylinder coming in contact
with a projection i, on the shaft or axis i, and the blade g is then brought
back by means of springs. The parts of the work are brought forward in
succession, so as to bring the same within the range of action of the knocking
over blades in the following manner :-k, l, are a series of blades which are
acted on in succession by means of the studs or projections 1, 2, on the cylinder
which act on the sliding bar m, which has a cranked or bent end m³, on which
is formed inclines against which the projections act and press the bar
towards the right hand or left hand according to the direction in which the
work is being produced on the needles of the needle bar. On the bar m, are
inclines m², which in succession act on the fingers ¹, of the blades k, the

page_text: blades being pressed constantly away by the springs . The thread carrier n
&
is carried by and slides on the fixed bar o, and the distance the thread carrier
shall travel is regulated as heretofore, and as is well understood; p is the cord
by which the thread carrier is actuated. The ends of the cords p are attached
to the ends of the levers q, r, which are respectively acted on by the cams s
and t, on the axis of the cylinder, against which cams the trucks q', r, of the
levers q, r, act.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details
herein described, but what I claim is the combined arrangements herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fletcher, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
W. FLETCHER. (L.S.)