IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOSIERY, AND IN MACHINERY USED THEREIN
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Moses Mellor and Luke Woodward, of the Firm of
Moses Mellor & Sons, Lee Works, in the Town and County of Nottingham,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOSIERY, AND
IN MACHINERY USED THEREIN."
Sealed the 27th October 1877, and dated the 20th August 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Moses Mellor and
Luke Woodward at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th
August 1877.
HENRY MOSES MELLOR and LUKE WOODWARD, of the Firm of Moses Mellor &.
Sons, Lee Works, in the Town and County of Nottingham. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF HOSIERY, AND IN MACHINERY USED THEREIN."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of hosiery,
and in machinery used therein.
For this purpose we employ in barb needle circular hosiery machines two or
more presser wheels of the same diameter. They work upon the same axle, on
which they can revolve independently, and being provided with a different number
of notches they rotate at different speeds. By means of such instruments we pro-
duce imitation seams and other designs in circular looped fabrics.
For the production of an imitation seam we form the upper presser wheel with
shallow notches at the periphery for the needles to enter and to press down the
barbs, and with a deeper opening at one point of its periphery, including two of
these notches, so as to admit two needles at the point where the seam is to be
produced, and to leave these two needles (so far as the action of this wheel is
concerned) unpressed. The lower presser wheel we form with a number of deep
and shallow notches around its outer edge, and there are two less (or two more)
cuts or notches in it than there are in the upper presser. The deep and shallow
notches are arranged alternately in pairs, and when the opening in the upper
Price 6d21

page_text: presser comes round to the needles there will always be one shallow and one deep
notch of the lower presser filling this opening, and so the work will be pressed off
upon one needle but not upon the other. The pressing off of the work on the two
needles also alternates in successive rows of work, the work being knocked over on
one of the seaming needles in one row, and on the other needle in the next row,
and so on.
The alternately pressing and miss-pressing two adjacent needles to form an
imitation seam can be effected by other mechanism.
In a similar manner lace stitches and other designs can be produced in circular
looped fabrics by the employment of two or more presser wheels acting together, in
the manner above described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Moses Mellor and Luke Woodward in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th February 1878.
HENRY MOSES MELLOR and LUKE WOODWARD, of the Firm of Moses Mellor &
Sons, Lee Works, in the Town and County of Nottingham. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF HOSIERY, AND IN MACHINERY USED THEREIN.'
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of hosiery, and
in machinery used therein.
For this purpose we employ in barb needle circular hosiery machines two or
more presser wheels of the same diameter. They work upon the same axle, on
which they can revolve independently, and being provided with a different number
of notches they rotate at different speeds. By means of such instruments we pro-
duce imitation, seams and other designs in circular looped fabrics.
For the production of an imitation seam we form the upper presser wheel, with
shallow notches at the periphery for the needles to enter, and to press, down the
barbs, and with a deeper opening at one point of its periphery, including two of
these notches, so as to admit two needles at the point where the seam is, to be
produced, and to leave these two needles (so far as the action of this wheel is
concerned) unpressed. The lower presser wheel we form. with a number: of deep
and shallow notches around its outer edge, and there are two, less (or two. more);
cuts or notches in it than there are in the upper presser. The deep and shallow
notches are arranged alternately in pairs, and when the opening in the upper
presser comes round to the needles there will always be one shallow and one deep notch
of the lower presser filling this opening, and so the work will be pressed off upon
one needle but not upon the other. The pressing off of the work on the two needles
also alternates in successive rows of work, the work being knocked over on one of
the seaming needles in one row, and. on the other needle in the next row, and
so on.
The alternately pressing and miss-pressing two adjacent. needles, to form an.
imitation seam can be effected by other mechanism.
1
In a similar manner lace stitches and other designs can be produced in circular
looped fabrics by the employment of two or more presser weeels acting together, in
the manner above described.

page_text: Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shew a pair of pressers,
arranged to act and to produce an imitation seam in the manner above described.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the pair of pressers; Figure 2 is a plan view of the
bottom presser; and Figure 3, a plan view of the top presser.
As will be seen the top presser has shallow notches around its edge, there being
as many notches as there are needles in the circular head. At one point of the
circumference of this presser two adjacent notches are made deeper than the others,
so that the beards of the needles which enter these notches are not closed by the
action of this presser.
The botton press has around its edge a series of pairs of
notches, alternately deep and shallow, and there are two less or two more notches
in this presser than there are in the top presser.
The two pressers act upon the exterior of the circle of needles, and are both
mounted upon a stud so that they can revolve, and also so that one can turn inde-
pendently of the other. When the two deep notches in the top presser come round
to and gear with two of the needles these same needles at the same time gear one
into a deep notch the other into a shallow notch of the bottom presser, and the
work will be pressed off from the needle which entered the shallow notch. At the
next course this same needle will enter a deep notch in the bottom presser, and the
work will not be pressed off from it, but it will be pressed off from the needle next
to it, as this needle which in the previous course had entered a deep, notch will now
enter a shallow notch in the bottom presser; thus an imitation seam will be formed
in the work.
Whenever it is desired that the presser may at times be used as an ordinary plain
presser to produce plain work, the two deep notches in the top presser can be
brought to the same depth as the other notches by turning a small spring blade a
into the position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 3. The spring blade at its
inner end turns on a small pin, and at its outer edge bears sufficiently upon the
top of the presser to cause it to remain in any position into which it may be
turned.
If it is desired that more than one imitation seam should be formed in the work,
then we form more than one pair of deep notches in the top presser. At Figure 4
is shewn a plan view of a top presser, in which four pairs of deep notches are
formed, and the pairs of deep notches are at equal distances apart from one another.
This presser has also mounted upon it spring blades a, by which any of the pairs of
deep notches can be changed into shallow notches, and cause the presser at that
part of its circumference to act as a plain presser.
As before stated various other designs can in a similar manner be produced in
circular knitted fabrics, all that is necessary being to vary the cutting of the presser
wheels. For some patterns it would be requisite to employ more than two wheels
to act together in the manner described. We would also state that it is not essential
that the presser wheels should all be of the same diameter and turn upon the same
centre. For some patterns they might be of different diameters and turn upon
different centres.
Also it is not necessary that the travelling notched surfaces should be in the
form of wheels, they might be in the form of endless bands led over a wheel in
proximity to the circle of needles. An equivalent way of obtaining the same result,
viz., of having in effect a presser wheel of comparatively small diameter and yet
having the acting surface of this wheel continuously varying, is to use a single
endless band, notched on its edge, and led over a wheel in proximity to the circle
of needles, in such a manner that the notches shall gear with the needles. Such a
presser is shewn at Figures 5 and 6. a is a circle of needles; b, the endless band,
carried over wheels c, and set at an angle so that the notches in its edge b' may
gear with the needles. Most of the notches would be shallow, so that the work on
the needles that entered these notches would be pressed off, whilst the remainder
of the notches would be sufficiently deep not to close the beards of the needles
that entered them, so that the work on these needles would not be pressed off. The

page_text: length of the band and the position of the deep notches would vary with the nature
of the pattern or design to be produced..
7
The manner herein-before described of forming an imitation seam, that is to say,
forming an imitation seam by alternately pressing and miss-pressing two adjacent
needles, is also in itself new, and forms part of our Invention. Such a seam can, as
before stated, be produced in other ways than by a pair of pressers travelling
differentially, that is, making an unequal number of revolutions. For example,
such a seam might be produced by employing as a presser a single endless band,
mounted as above described. The band in this case would be of such a length as
to have in it twice as many notches as there are needles. Most of the notches
would be shallow, and the needles that geared with them would have the work
pressed off, but one of each pair of notches, into which the two needles upon which
is to be formed the imitation seam enter, at each revolution of the circle of needles
would be made deeper, so as not to press off the work. By this means the work
can be pressed off alternately upon the two needles in successive courses of work.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we would have it understood that we claim,―
First. The employment of two or more notched presser wheels or surfaces, acting
together in the manner herein-before described as one presser, or a single notched
endless band, to produce imitation seams and other designs in circular knitted
fabrics.
Second. Applying moveable plates a to the presser wheels to allow of varying
their action, substantially as described.
Third. The production of imitation seams in circular knitted fabrics, as described"
that is, by alternately pressing and miss-pressing two adjacent needles.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Moses Mellor and Luke Woodward,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
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