IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STOCKINGS AND Socks
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of Paris, in the Empire
of France, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF STOCKINGS AND Socks."-A communication from Pierre François Jean
Baptiste Bezard, Manufacturer, residing at Vranvilliers, in the Empire
of France.
Sealed the 19th May 1863, and dated the 6th December 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th December 1862.
I, HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of Paris, in the Empire of France, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF STOCKINGS AND Socks," (a communication, to be as follows: -
This Invention consists in shrinking or cutting stockings or socks in the
necessary places without being obliged to make seams, by employing and
combining the different frames actually in use. The end of the foot is made
on the ordinary frame by the employment of Delarothière's machine, the
stitches of the two selvages being made a little looser than the others are
united by a line of stitches, which therefore replace the seam. The body of
the foot is next formed on a circular frame; the contraction is made by means
of a bodkin in taking back a certain number of stitches of one side, and
reforming them on the other side. This foot is next placed on another
circular frame larger at one end to form the leg. The stitches of the part of
the foot corresponding to the heel are enlarged at the end to obtain the size
necessary for the leg. The heel is made by dividing the needles into three
parts, two for the sides, and the third for the middle, where the contraction is

page_text: made by taking away one needle as each range of stitches is formed, until
the reunion of the two sides, which is made, as indicated above, for the
extremity of the foot. The contraction of the leg is made as for the heel with
Delarothiere's machine, which gives a texture to the two selvages, which are
joined as above for the end of the foot. The straight part is now restitched
with the lower extremity of the stocking or sock, and the large part placed on
a circular frame of a convenient size to make the upper part of the leg. For
those stockings and socks which are cut, the method is to proceed in weaving
a leg on the circular frame, to which the heel is joined, having been made on
a larger frame, then the foot is woven, and the end, which requires shrinking,
is cut at angles, and the stitches are taken up one by one and remounted on
the ordinary frame, where they, are reunited by proceeding as above, viz., by
making two ranges of stitches a little looser than the others. The top of the
leg is terminated by a hem made from the fabric of the leg, or by a ribbed
border made on a frame constructed for the purpose: The selvages of
stockings and socks made in the ordinary manner can, by the means described
above for the extremity of the foot, be joined as well, as those made by the
above-described process.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,, filed
by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville in the Great Seal Patent. Office on
the 25th May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of Paris, in the Empire of France,-send-greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth-year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, Her special licence that I, the said Henri
Adrien Bonneville; my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF STOCKINGS AND SOCкs,"
a communication from Pierre François Jean Baptiste Bezard, Manufacturer,

page_text: a person residing at Vranvilliers, in the Empire of France, upon the condi-
tion (amongst others) that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:-
This Invention consists in making stockings and socks tapered and pro-
portioned without seams, and stockings and socks cut to the necessary shape
and joined equally without seams, by means, firstly, of a new method of applying
the rectilinear stocking frame, the ordinary circular frames, and Delarothière's
tapering machine; secondly, of some newly invented stitching processes,
named "Bezard's stitching processes," which are substituted for the seams
in uniting any kinds of meshed fabrics, woven or otherwise, either with or
without selvages; thirdly, of a foot which, although made on a circular frame,
is narrower than the leg, with diminutions at the instep, or with a pattern having
that appearance; fourthly, of a tapered and selvaged heel without seams;
fifthly, of a new application of hand stitching for finishing the extremities of
the toes and heels; sixthly, and of a sort of pattern imitating contractions,
which may be changed at will, and which are made with the selvages at the
toes, the calf, and the instep, as well as the imitation of the instep, on the
circular frame.
Stockings and socks tapered and proportioned without seams.-The
extremity or toe end of a foot is; in the first place, made on a rectilinear
frame, that is to say, two tapered ribbons are made with the bodkin, or with
Delarothière's machine; the selvages are as ordinarily made, or with contractions
or patterns imitating the same, which may be varied at will, thus one pattern
may be made by taking up with the bodkin, after a certain number of ranges
have been formed, a number of stitches, which are carried to the right or to
the left, according to the selvage which is operated upon, so as to place the
last stitch but one over the last, the needle which is thus left empty is
threaded, when the following stitch is made with the loops of the one next it.
This pattern may be varied by leaving a larger or smaller number of rows
between each diminution, by taking up a larger or smaller number of stitches
with the bodkin, or by carrying the first of the displaced stitches over any

page_text: other than the last. It may also be varied by changing the form of the
ribbon which is thus formed, that is to say, by widening or narrowing it. For
this purpose a larger or smaller number of stitches is taken up at each
contraction, and a larger or smaller number of rows is left between each con-
traction. This end piece finished, it is taken off the frame, and its two
extremities are united by hand, and its two selvages by one of the stitching
processes hereafter described. It is next placed on a circular frame, on which
the weaving is continued as far as the narrow part of the instep; if this
contraction is to be real it is made as will be hereafter explained, if only
apparent, it is made by means of the bodkin, so as to form a ribbon or pattern
like those of the selvages at the extremity of the foot, and which may,
like them, be varied at will. This result is obtained by carrying to the
centre, on one or more needles, some stitches which are taken up right
and left, and by reforming stitches with the loops of those at the sides of
the empty needles. This foot being finished is taken off the frame, and
placed on another and larger circular frame intended for making the leg.
In changing the foot from one circular frame to another, the stitches of
its upper edge are taken up one by one, and others are formed in the part where
the heel is intended to be placed, and the foot being mounted the heel
is grafted to the part thus prepared. In cases where the foot is not required
narrower than the lower part of the leg, it is on the first circular frame that
the heel is grafted and the leg made. The heel is made on the rectilinear
frame in the following manner:-Arrived at the part to be contracted the
needles are divided thus, the first range forms one side of the beel; the second
range forms the middle or shrinking part; the third range forms the other side
of the heel; next by means of one of the needle bearers of Delarothière's
machine the number of needles is reduced by one at a time at each range of
stitches at both sides of the heel until they meet, when the heel is taken off
the frame and its two extremities restitched by hand. The leg of the
stocking or sock is next finished, if no tapering is to be made at the calf of
the leg. If, on the contrary, it is wished to taper the stocking at the calf,
the part in which the tapering is to be made is formed on the rectilinear
frame, and its selvages may be made, if wished, with an ornamental pattern,
like the one at the extremity of the foot; then, after uniting the selvages by
one of the stitching processes hereafter described, the narrowest side is
restitched to a sock having neither hem or ribbed border; and if it is for
a stocking the larger end of this part is placed on a frame of the necessary
size, and the leg finished. The stitches of that part of the foot which should
be mounted on the heel, are taken up by hand. If these stockings and socks,

page_text: the legs of which are contracted or otherwise, are intended to be finished by
a hem, this hem is formed from the tissue of the leg; if, on the contrary, they
are intended to be finished by a ribbed border, such border is made on another
circular frame and stitched to the leg by hand. A contracted and curved foot
may be obtained by making the part to be contracted on the rectilinear
frame, and the calf and toe-pieces, already described, may be made with
either plain selvages or contracted with patterns; after which the selvages
may be joined by one of the hereafter-described stitching processes. Stockings
and socks, contracted and without seams, may be made by applying to those
made entirely on the rectilinear frame, the stitching processes hereafter
described, which unite their selvages without sewing.
Stockings and socks shaped by cutting, and joined without seams.-The
length of tissue necessary for forming the foot of the stocking or sock is made
on the circular frame, on which the heel is grafted, either contracted or not;
made in either case as will be hereafter explained. The leg is next woven,
and the tissue taken off the frame. To finish the foot the angles of its
extremity are cut, and joined by one of the hereafter-described stitching pro-
cesses, and the end of the foot or toe-piece, is restitched by hand. The
contracted heels, as well as those not contracted, are cut from a piece of
tissue, which may be made either on a circular or ordinary frame; in either
case they are restitched at their extremities; and for those which are
contracted, the diminutions are made as previously explained for the other
parts. The part of the foot to which the heel is to be joined is detacted, and
the stitches are mounted by hand on to the sides of the heel. If the
stocking or sock is intended to be surmounted by a hem or by a ribbed
border, they are made as previously described. If it is wished to make the
foot of a stocking narrower than the leg, the foot when made is mounted on a
larger circular frame, and the leg is then finished.
The stitching processes.-First, for the purpose of uniting the two selvages
of any kind of woven or knitted tissue, made either in the loom or by hand,
the loops of each stitch forming one of the selvages which are to be joined;
or those of the edges of any kind of woven fabric, are placed on a rectilinear
frame at the right side of the stuff, and a loose range of stitches is then made
on these loops, and the piece taken off the frame. The same operation is
repeated for the other seam. The two loose ranges are then placed on the
same needles, and mesh-hooked together. By this first combination a range of
stitches is obtained which confounds itself with the others, and replaces the seam.
Second, the two selvages of a woven or knitted fabric may also be joined
without seam as follows, by mounting the loops of the two selvages or other

page_text: edges on the needles of a rectilinear frame, and by making one single range
of loose stitches on these two rows of loops, and then mesh hooking; and by
this second combination a stitch a little in relief on the fabric is obtained,
which replaces the seam.
Third, for the purpose of uniting two cut edges of a woven or knitted
fabric, either of the two processes above described may be employed, according
to the
way
in which the fabric is cut, whether straight, vertical, or horizontal.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which it is to be carried into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details above given; but what I claim is,-
First, the results obtained by the new application of the means above
described, which results consist in stockings and socks really contracted and
proportioned without any seams, and in stockings and socks shaped by cutting,
and equally without seams.
Second, the stitching processes to which I give the name of "Bezard's
Stitching Processes," which I intend to apply to the purpose of joining all kinds
of knitted or woven fabrics made either by hand or loom, whether with or
without selvages, or cut in straight, vertical, or horizontal directions.
Third, the heel as above described, shaped and made with selvages.
Fourth, the foot made narrower than the leg, with curved diminution, or a
pattern imitating the same, which foot has not as yet been made on the
circular frame.
Fifth, a new application of re-stitching by hand at the extremity or toe part
of the foot, and at the heels. This system of hand stitching I intend to
use for the joining of all kinds of knitted or other meshed fabrics of the
same kind.
Sixth and lastly, the sort of pattern which accompanies the contractions,
as described in paragraph 6 of the detailed title; I claim the use of this
work, producing patterns variable at will, to accompany the selvages of all
kinds of knitted or other meshed fabrics, and all kinds of imitated contrac-
tions, made either on circular or rectilinear frames.
In witness whereof I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three..
H. BONNEVILLE. (L.S.)