IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WARP FABRICS IN WARP MACHINES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Ball, William Ball, and John Wilkins, all
of the Broadway, Nottingham, Manufacturers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WARP FABRICS IN WARP
MACHINES."
Sealed the 5th September 1862, and dated the 7th March 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Ball, William
Ball, and John Wilkins at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
with their Petition, on the 7th March 1862.
We, THOMAS BALL, WILLIAM BALL, and JOHN WILKINS, all of the Broad-
way, Nottingham, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WARP FABRICS IN WARP
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of warp
fabrics in warp machines, and consists in a peculiar mode of arranging and
lapping the warp threads of warp machinery, whereby very novel warp fabrics
are produced, one surface consisting of raised pyramids, and the reverse side
of corresponding cavities. For this purpose the warp threads are caused to
lap in such manner that the fabric is divided longitudinally and transversely,
so that the fabric may be said to consist of a series of square sections, which
by reason of the fabric being elastic will, when the fabric is free, shrink, and
the several sections form themselves into pyramids. The manner in which
the

page_text: warp threads are lapped on the needles to produce these effects may be varied,
the number of threads employed, the size and distances apart of the pyramids
may also be varied. The effects produced may also be heightened by
employing different colored warp threads, and by using extra or ornamenting
threads particularly at the apex of each or some of the pyramids. It is,
however, preferred to employ two warp bars for making the ground of the
work, the threads being spaced on the guido bars in such manner that tho
spaces or lengths of one guide bar where threads are entered come opposite
spaces or lengths of the other guide bar, where there are gaps without any
tbreads, and the width of the spaces thus occupied by the threads depends on
the distanco apart of the points or apices of the pyramids, and where a row of
points of pyramids come longitudinally of the fabric there are one or more
warp threads on each bar opposite the needles, where the portions of the
fabric which form the points are produced, and in the working or lapping of
the warp threads by the two bars they are caused to incline or move in
opposite directions, and the points of the pyramids of one row longitudinally of
the fabric come intermediate of the points of the pyramids in the next row.
But it should be understood that although these means of lapping and of
employing threads are preferred, they may be varied, so long as a warp fabric
is in its production divided into sections, cach of which sections by the
elasticity of the fabric is caused to form itself into a pyramid, as herein
explained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Ball, William Ball, and John Wilkins in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 6th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wе, THOMAS
BALL, WILLIAM BALL, and JOHN WILKINS, all of the Broadway, Nottingham,
Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Thomas Ball, William Ball, and John Wilkins, Her special licence
that we, the said Thomas Ball, William Ball, and John Wilkins, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Ball,
William Ball, and John Wilkins, our executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during tho 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF WARP FABRICS IN WARP
MACHINES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas
Ball, William Ball, and John Wilkins, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Ball, on behalf of myself
and the said Thomas Ball and John Wilkins, 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 the manufacture of warp
fabrics in warp machines, and consists in a peculiar mode of arranging and
lapping the warp threads of warp machinery, whereby very novel warp fabrics
are produced, one surface consisting of raised pyramids, and the reverse side
of corresponding cavities. For this purpose the warp threads are caused to
lap in such manner that the fabric is divided longitudinally and transversely,
so that the fabric may be said to consist of a series of square sections, which.
by reason of the fabric being elastic, will when the fabric is free, shrink, and
the several sections form themselves into pyramids. The manner in which the
warp threads are lapped on the needles to produce these effects may be varied,
the number of threads employed, the size and distances apart of the pyramids
may also be varied. The effects produced may also be heightened by employing
different colored warp threads, and by using extra or ornamenting threads,
particularly at the apex of each or some of the pyramids. It is, however,
preferred to employ two warp bars for making the ground of the work, the
threads being spaced on the guide bars in such manner that the spaces or
lengths of one guide bar where threads are entered come opposite spaces or
lengths of the other guide bar where there are gaps without any threads, and
the width of the spaces thus occupied by the threads depends on the distance
apart of the points or apices of the pyramids, and where a row of points of
pyramids come longitudinally of the fabric, there are one or more warp threads.

page_text: on each bar opposite the needles where the portions of the fabric which form
the points are produced, and in the working or lapping of the warp threads by
the two bars they are caused to incline or move in opposite directions, and the
points of the pyramids of one row longitudinally of the fabric come intermediate
of the points of the pyramids in the next row. But it should be understood
that although these means of lapping and employing threads are preferred,
they may be varied so long as a warp fabric is in its production divided into
sections, each of which sections by the elasticity of the fabric is caused to form
itself into a pyramid, as herein explained.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same; and in doing so we will in the
first place suppose that two warp guide bars are to be used, each having its
cut of wheel to actuate and govern its motion; and we will also suppose that
each of the guide bars is divided into sections, with six guides to a section.
The sections may, however, consist of a larger or less number of guides
depending on the size of the pyramids desired to be made.
Figure 1 in the Drawing annexed shews the plan of parts of the guides of
the two guide bars, in which it will be seen that the spaces or gaps where
there are no warp threads are not so wide as the spaces where there are
guides carrying warp threads. On the contrary, the outermost warp threads
of each section in each of the two guide bars come opposite each other, and
in working these guide bars two similar lace wheels are used, such as is shewn
at Figure 2 in tho Drawing annexed, but such wheels are to cause the two
warp bars to move in opposite directions. The above is the cheapest and most
simple form in which our Invention can be carried out. When, however, it
is desired that the machinery used in carrying out our Invention shall be
capable of the greatest power of variation in respect to the fabrics from time
to time produced therein, then it is desirable to use machines working with
independent guides, actuated by jacquard or other readily changed pattern
surfaces, as by such machines the patterns of fabrics produced according to
our Invention may be more readily changed, and by using independent guides,
parts of a fabric when desired may be produced in the form of pyramids
according to our Invention, whilst other parts of the same fabric may be
composed of ordinary plain loopwork, or of lace, or openwork, or of open and
close work of an ornamental character. When thus using independent guides
it will readily be understood that in place of the outermost guides of a section.
coming one under the other when the independent guides are divided into two
rows (an upper and lower row) the outermost guides work alternately in the
upper and lower row, as shewn in Diagram Figure 3, the guide bar being

page_text: shogged by the cut of wheel Figure 4. When using extra ornamenting warp
threads of different color or material to the ground of the fabric to ornament
the apices of the pyramids, it is preferred to employ two extra bars with guides
to carry such threads opposite the needles, where the apex of each or some of
the pyramids is produced so that two additional threads will be used at the
apex of each of the ornamented pyramids, but this may be varied, and only
one extra thread used.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we make no claim to
any of the mechanism above mentioned as being used by us when carrying out
our Invention, the peculiarity of which consists in the production of fabrics in
warp machines consisting of pyramids, as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ball, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
WILLIAM BALL. (L.S.)