IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WOVEN FABRICS, AND IN GIVING ELASTICITY TO CERTAIN ARTICLES OR FABRICS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
NICKELS, of York Road, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of June,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the tenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Christopher Nickels, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Christopher Nickels, my
exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Christopher Nickels,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WOVEN FABRICS, AND IN GIVING ELASTICITY TO CERTAIN
ARTICLES OR FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso,
that I, the said, Christopher Nickels, should cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention; and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in
Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in

page_text: and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance. with the said proviso, I, the said
Christopher Nickels, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:
My Invention relates to duplicated weavings; and the same consists of
weaving three or more fabrics at the same time in a loom in such manner that
they shall all in the act of weaving be joined into one solid fabric when using
the same or separate weft for the several fabrics; and my Invention also con-
sists in so arranging the warps for conducting the process of duplicate weaving
that tubular fabrics may be made of two or more thicknesses of fabric woven
together, in place of being single, and they may or may not be bound together
by a binder warp in the act of weaving; and the Invention also consists of so
arranging the warps for weaving that two, three, or more fabrics may be woven
at the same time and conjoined only in part or parts of their width. Each
fabric having its own selvage separate and uncombined. And in order that
my Invention may be most fully understood. and readily carried into effect
I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me. In making duplicate
fabrics of three or more warps in such manner that they may be combined into
one solid fabric I proceed as follows:-Supposing a narrow fabric suitable for
a strong band or filleting for cards is to be produced, or a wide fabric suitable
for being cut up into parts for sheet cards, or of being otherwise used in cases
where such strong fabrics may be found advantageous, in weaving a duplicate
fabric consisting when split of three fabrics, combined in the act of weaving,
I arrange three warps in the same loom in such manner that a shed may be
opened for forming each into a single fabric, in like manner to what has been
heretofore practised in duplicate weaving where only two fabrics have been
produced together; and in order that in working the whole of the three fabrics
may be combined I employ an additional or binder warp, in which, however,
I have usually only employed half the yarns or threads which there is in either
of the other warps, but this may be varied; and I cause sheds to be opened
in each of the three warps, so that they may each warp be woven into a fabric,
as is well understood, the weaving being either plain or twill, or terry. weaving,
according to the effect desired to be produced, and as is well understood when
weaving single fabrics, and also when weaving duplicate fabrics consisting of
two thicknesses; and I cause the binder warp to form part of each shed, which

page_text: may be opened in each of the three warps, so that each time a shuttle is
thrown to produce a fabric with either of the three warps that portion of the
fabric which is woven in making a separate fabric will be tied by the binder
threads to the portions previously woven by the other two warps, so on each
shoot that is made, owing to the binder warp forming part of each shed made
with each of the three warps. In weaving, each fabric or separate warp may
have its own weft, or the same weft may be thrown in each time a shed is
open, but I prefer to use a separate weft for each of the three warps, as a
better selvage or series of selvages to the compound fabric may thus be made.
It is not necessary that all the three fabrics should be of the same width, in
some cases it will be desirable to weave them of different widths. The above
descriptions of fabrics may be very advantageously coated or impregnated with
a solution of india-rubber (caoutchouc) or a solution of gutta percha, or both
combined, in the same manner as other fabrics have before been 'coated or
impregnated with such matters, and as is well understood; and although such
coating or impregnation forms no part of my Invention yet owing to the
peculiarity of the fabrics they will be made more useful than other woven
fabrics have been heretofore when coated or saturated with such like matters.
I have in the above description confined my explanation to three thicknesses
of cloth, but it is equally applicable when four or more thicknesses are to be
produced, and I generally employ four or more thicknesses for such solid
fabrics. .
In each case there is to be an additional or binder warp used over the
number of warps used for making the separate fabrics; and such binder
warp is by preference to be so worked as to form part of each shed opened, so
that not only may the separate warps each produce its own fabric, but they
may progressively be bound together by the binder warp; and when elasticity
is required, such binder warps may be of india rubber, all which will readily
be understood and carried out by a weaver; for he will arrange each of the
separate warps in his loom to be worked to produce the class of fabric he
desires; and then the binder warp is to be brought to form a part of each
shed produced in succession by the different warps. By which means such
binder warp will by the wefts thrown across form part of each fabric, and thus
fasten all the fabrics together into one solid plain duplicated fabric.
Figure 1 shows a tie suitable for making a solid fabric, consisting of four
fabrics, and in like manner may three or more be woven together, and the tie
will be varied according to the nature of the fabrics as heretofore. In making
tubular weavings according to my Invention, they may be produced by circular
or tubular weaving, consisting of two, three, or more thicknesses, and thus may

page_text: tubes and sacks, or such like articles, be manufactured of greater substance than
when weaving them of single fabrics. Thus two warps, each suitably arranged
if worked alone for making a tube, as shewn by tie, Figure 2, may be so
arranged with a binder warp, as shewn by tie, Figure 2*, (as above explained,
and worked to enter into the shed formed by each of the warps), as to produce
a tube consisting of two fabrics, but bound into one by the binder warp work-
ing with them. And I would remark, in respect to this part of my Invention,
that two, three, or more thicknesses of tubular fabrics may be made, and
may or may not be bound by a binder warp into a tube, offering the appear-
ance of one solid fabric. And I would state, that double fabrics have before
been made and tied together in the act of weaving by binder warps, and there-
fore this part of my Invention is new, so far as combining two fabrics together,
woven as tubes, one within the other, in the act of making them; and it is
also new in respect to this part of the Invention to weave two, three, or more
fabrics tubularly, and combine them into a solid fabric of a tubular form by a
binder warp.
In carrying out another part of my Invention, Figure 3 shews a tie for
producing a fabric.consisting of two fabrics of tabby weaving, (but this may
be varied,) which may or may not have a binder warp, and the tie is so
arranged that by shooting with one weft two fabrics with separate selvages
are combined into one intermediate of the width; and Figure 4 shows a like
fabric, where the one selvage only of the two fabrics are combined; and the
fabric produced in each case is similar in appearance as if several ribbons
or other narrow fabrics made separately were laid over each other and sewed
together closely for a part of their width, which mode of weaving duplicate
fabrics will be found valuable for making frills and a variety of other articles
where like double fabrics, having the various selvages separate, may be found
useful; and such several fabrics may be all made of the same width, or of
different widths; and when .desired, india rubber threads or strands may be
introduced in any or all of such fabrics, in like manner to what has heretofore
been done in single fabrics; and when desired, one fabric of the duplicate may
be made of one material, and the other or others may be made of other
material, according to the purpose to which the particular fabric may be
desired to be applied. In making these descriptions of duplicate fabrics, each
fabric is shot with one weft; though if desired more might be used. The tie
shown at Figure 3, is for making two plain fabrics, bound or combined
together only at a portion of the centre, leaving the selvages all separate, one
from the other, the binder threads being only employed in the centre, and
throughout the length thereof, but are only employed for producing tubular

page_text: openings for the introduction of cotton or other filling, as is well understood.
Wherever a binder warp is applied, the binder warp should be brought into
every shed, so that the fabrics may be bound as intimately as possible together,
and in this manner may two, three, or more fabrics, with separated selvages
Joined together in the act of weaving be produced. The various Figures, 1, 2,
3, and 4, I have given as examples of ties such as I have used in carrying
out the different parts of my Invention; but the weaver will vary the tie in
such manner as he may think best for carrying out the different parts of the
Invention, and according to the nature of the single fabrics of which the
duplicated fabric may be made, all which a weaver well understands in gaiting
his loom.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark that the details may be
varied. I do not therefore confine-myself thereto; but what I claim is,
First, the weaving of duplicated fabrics, 'consisting of three or more single
fabrics, combined or bound together in the act of weaving, shooting the various
fabrics with the same or separate weft.
Secondly, I claim the weaving tubular or circular fabrics, by making them
duplicate, in place of single, as heretofore.
And, thirdly, I claim the manufacture of duplicate fabrics, with separated
selvages, the two, three, or more fabrics being combined longitudinally in the
act of weaving.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Nickels, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven