IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING LACE OR NET
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michel Dognin, of Lyons, in the Empire of France,
Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
MAKING LACE OR NET."
Sealed the 31st March 1857, and dated the 27th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michel Dognin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th October 1856.
I, MICHEL DOGNIN, of Lyons, in the Empire of France, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MAKING LACE OR NET," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of warp machinery, whereby
the warp threads may be crossed to form any desired pattern by the aid of
jacquard apparatus, and when so crossed secured by means of tie threads
worked into chain stitches. In carrying out this object double flexible guides
are provided for leading down the warps, and they are connected to the
jacquard somewhat after the manner practised in warp lace machinery.
Situated below these warp thread guides is a series of thin blades, which,
by reason of their functions, may be called conductors. They are severally
pierced with a small hole to receive a wire which passes through them, and
extends the whole length of the conductor bar. These conductors are bent
or curved at their ends in such manner that when two are brought together

page_text: their extremities shall form a sharp point capable of entering easily between
the crossings of the warp threads. The object of the wire is to prevent the
warp threads from being drawn back by the backward movement of the
needle. The jacquard apparatus having caused the guides to cross the warp
threads, the conductors penetrate the crossings as far as the point of support
formed by the wire above-mentioned, and they then descend perpendicularly
upon the bearded needles of the warp frame, and conduct the crossed threads
below the horizontal line of needles. The needle bar, which has a horizontal
motion imparted to it, now advances the needles, which enter between the
twisted threads. The conductor bar now rises to its former position to enable
the conductors to scize a fresh twist produced by the jacquard during its
absence, and during this upward movement a lateral shogging motion is, if
necessary, imparted to it by the ordinary means, according to the kind of
fabric desired to be produced. A rapid up and down and lateral shogging
motion is imparted to the tie thread carrier bar, as in ordinary warp
machinery, for the purpose of wrapping. the tie threads round the needles.
This being done, the needles recede, and coming under the presser bar the
row of formed loops on the needles is passed over the needle beard, the fabric
forced to fall over its point and forced off the needles, thus completing one
line of ties or stitches.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michel Doguin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHEL
DOGNIN, of Lyons, in the Empire of France, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Michel Dognin, Her special license that I, the said Michel Dognin, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, tho said Michel
Dognin, 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 MACHINERY FOR

page_text: MAKING LACE OR NET," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Michel Dognin, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should.
particularly 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 Michel Dognin, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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, referenco being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of warp machinery, whereby
the warp threads may be crossed to form any desired pattern by the aid of
jacquard apparatus, and when so crossed secured by means of tic threads
worked into chain stitches.
As the operation of the machinery is such that the various crossings of the
threads to produce different patterns is effected by one complete set of
apparatus, whilst another set of apparatus is used to secure them by a knot or.
tie as quickly as they are produced, I shall, for convenience, divide the fol-
lowing description into two principal heads, treating, first, of the apparatus for
the production of the crossing of the threads; and, secondly, of the apparatus
for the production of the ties or stitches.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shown a diagram of the kind of
fabric intended to be produced by my improved arrangement of machinery, an
inspection of which will explain the manner in which the warp threads are
interlaced and bound together by rows of chain stitches.
APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING THE CROSSING OF THE THREADS.
A fixed bar O (Fig. 1) supports double flexible guides M, M, arranged.
in such manner as to communicate with the jacquard apparatus by means of
cords S, in the manner practised in warp lace machinery. These guides are
bent, so as to give them a strong tendency to retain their normal position, but
they are caused to cross each other by means of the cords S. These cords
from the jacquard apparatus, thence under a rod T, carried by the combs
in the guide bar O, and under and over the several pairs of guides, their ends
being finally secured to the guides, as shewn in the Drawing. Thus, when
the jacquard is operated, the pairs of guides intended to be affected thereby,
are pressed towards the comb which lies between them, and when the action
of the jacquard ceases the elasticity of the guides will cause them to return
pass

page_text: to their former position. Through each guide M is passed a warp thread, and
below the flexible guide bar is another bar I, carrying points P of a novel
form, which, by reason of their functions, may be called conductors. These
conductors (see Fig. 5) are composed of small thin. metal blades A', B, cast
in pairs in a lead A', C, and perforated at D₁ for the reception of a
wire D', D', which passes through them, and extends the whole length of
the conductor bar. These conductors are bent or curved at their ends in
such manner that when two are brought together their extremities shall form
a sharp point capable of entering easily between the crossings of the warp
threads. The object of the wire D¹, D', is to prevent the warp threads from
being drawn back by the backward movement of the needle.
As regards the gauge of these conductors, it will necessarily vary according
to the nature of the fabric to be produced. Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 represent (at
their real size) the form of conductors which I have hitherto employed, and
in this instance the number of blades is equal to the number of needles (say
seventy-two for every four inches). In order to render the description more
intelligible the conductors are represented at Fig. 5 in front and side views,
at twice the real size.
I will now proceed to explain the operation of the conductors. Placed
immediately below the flexible guides M, M, (see Fig. 3), these conductors
penetrate the crossings produced by the lateral movements of the guides as
far as the point of support D', Fig. 4, formed by the wire above mentioned,
and they then descend perpendicularly upon the bearded needles of the warp
frame, and conduct the crossings of the threads which they have seized below
the horizontal line of needles. The crossings of the threads having arrived
below the needle A, where they have been placed by the conductors, that
needle advances and enters the opening between them, and they are imme-
diately enveloped by the loop carried by the needles. This having been done,
the conductor bar now rises to its former position, (Fig. 3,) ready to seize
a fresh twist or crossing produced the jacquard during its absence, and
during this upward movement a lateral shogging motion is, if necessary,
imparted to it by the ordinary means, according to the kind of fabric desired
to be produced.
APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING THE STITCH OR TIE.
D, Fig. 1, is a needle bar, which carries a set of needles precisely similar

page_text: presser bar V, V, and thread carrier E, F, with this essential difference,
however, that the needle bar D in the present machinery is moveable horizon-
tally backwards and forwards to the extent of about an inch. The nature
and object of this movement, which forms a very important feature in my
machinery, is as follows:-The needle, instead of waiting for the thread
carriers F (Fig. 1) to carry forward the silk to it, as in ordinary warp
machinery, advances itself through the stitch (which is held steady by the
rod R and bar H) to the carrier F (see Fig. 3). The thread carrier F has
a rapid up and down and lateral or shogging motion imparted to it, as in
ordinary warp machinery, for the purpose of lapping the tie threads round the.
needles. This being done, the needles recede about half way (see Fig. 4),
and coming under the presser bar V, the row of formed loops on the needles
is passed over the needle beard. The needles then recede the whole distance
to the position of Fig. 2, and thereby push the fabric over the points of the
needles, and thus complete one line of ties or stitches.
These movements, which I have designated as three, in order the better to
describe them, form in fact but two very rapid movements, one forward and
one backward the whole length of the needle. The movement of the needle
in my plan has also another important object, viz, that of entering the twist
or crossing of the threads as the crossing is brought down to it by the
conductor, and of holding it steady while the conductor leaves it to fetch
another.
The above description will suffice as regards the apparatus for forming the
stitch or tie, as all these parts, viz, the needle, presser bar, and thread carrier
are well known and in common use, forming as they do essential elements of
warp machinery, nothing being changed, either in their form or operation,
except rendering the needle bar moveable, and consequently the thread carrier
stationary, as above described.
The distribution and the position of the threads or cords which constitute
the fabric result naturally from the distinction between the two elements of
my manufacture, viz, the warp and the tie thread. The warp is placed at
the upper part of the machine (Fig. 1), close to the flexible guides M, and the
tic thread is situate at the lower part, corresponding to the carriers F. These
threads may severally, according to the quality of fabric desired to be pro-
duced, be either wound upon a common roller or singly upon separate
bobbins.
For working the apparatus above described, I employ the driving power
usual applied to bobbin net machinery, (i. e.), a transverse shaft mounted at
the back and extending the whole width of the machine, and provided with

page_text: the cams or excentrics necessary for producing the required movements. Any
driving power might, however, be employed for this purpose, and I have not,
therefore, thought it necessary to describe either any particular arrangement
for that purpose, or the arrangemement of jacquard apparatus which I employ,
as that is of the ordinary construction.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Machinery for Making Lace or Net," and explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that, under the above in part
recited Letters Patent, I claim the combined use of guides operated by
jacquard apparatus for crossing the warp threads of conductors for bringing
down the crossings so made, and of knitting needles for working loops around
the warp threads, and tying adjacent warp threads together, whereby I am
enabled to produce plain or ornamental fabrics having the character of lace
or net.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michel Dognin, havo hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixteeth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
A. PERPIGNA,
42, Rue N St Augustin,
Paris.
ML DOGNIN. (L.S.).