IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING ELASTIC FABRICS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
Bown, of Leicester, Glove and Mitt Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourteenth day of March, in the Seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Bown, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Bown, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Bown, my exors, adiñors, 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, excrcise, and vend, within England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING ELASTIC FABRICS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William
Bown, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
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
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appcar.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Bown, 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 ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-

page_text: In the manufacture of woven elastic fabrics it has for the most part been
usual to employ plain looms. Now the object of my Invention is so to apply
india-rubber strands or threads, covered or uncovered, when weaving silk and
other fabrics in Jacquard looms, that the figured parts of the fabrics, when
produced by the interweaving of the warp and weft in such manner that they
will not be raised into loops above the surface of the fabric by the contraction
of the india-rubber strands or threads, or other parts of the fabrics. Or fabrics
of various characters of weaving, in stripes or otherwise, may be rendered
elastic by the use of india-rubber threads introduced in the warp, and by
which means various elastic fabrics may be produced applicable to a great
variety of useful purposes. The construction of looms working with Jacquard
machinery being well understood, it will not be necessary to enter into a
description thereof in this my Specification; more particularly, as I make no
alteration in the construction of such looms or in the Jacquard machinery.
In carrying out my Invention I place the strands or yarns of india rubber
(covered or uncovered) on a separate roller or bobbins, and cause the india-
rubber warp threads to be more or less close together according to the strength
of elasticity desired to be obtained to the fabrics; putting them more close as
niore strength of elasticity is required; and where an uniformly elastic fabric is
desired, then the india-rubber threads should be introduced at regular intervals
across the whole width of the fabric; but in other cases where it is only neces-
sary to have the fabric elastic at intervals or parts of the fabric, then the india-
rubber threads should only be introduced at those parts; and the portions of
the fabric between the parts where india-rubber threads are introduced may
be of any of the various characters of weaving capable of being produced by
Jacquard looms, and may be either plain or ornamented according to taste, or
And the india-rubber
the purpose for which the fabric may be required.
threads or yarns I prefer to be applied as an extra warp in making fabrics,
which may be worked into the fabric as the weaving proceeds, without being
brought to the surface of the fabric; and it is desirable in weaving the various
descriptions of ornamented and figured fabrics, or various characters of plain
weavings which Jacquard machinery is capable of producing, and particularly
when the india-rubber threads introduced are uncovered, that the usual com-
plement of warp of silk or of other materials should be employed so as to
produce satins, twills, and other characters of weaving, both in the ground as
well as in the figure or pattern on the front surface of the fabric, the india-
rubber warp threads being introduced and woven into the fabric by the
crossing of the weft in the same manner as other warp threads are introduced,
and as is well understood in weaving various fabrics, and such warp tlireads

page_text: of india rubber may wholly lie at the back of such Jacquard fabrics, or lie
incorporated more or less in the body of the fabric; but it is desirable that
they should not be brought on to the face of the fabric, as they would interfere
with the beauty of the fabrics produced by Jacquard weaving; but when
covered india-rubber threads are introduced they may be employed and worked
in as ordinary warp threads, particularly where it is desired to produce elastic
stripes or bands in the fabrics, combined with figured or ornamented portions
not having india-rubber threads introduced therein. The weaver will
introduce his silk or other warp (when the india-rubber threads are applied
as an extra warp.) into the loom in the ordinary manner for producing the
particular description of ground and figure or pattern desired, and he will
arrange his pattern or perforated cards accordingly, applying the extra warp of
india rubber in such manner that it may be raised and lowered in a proper
manner, as when using other extra warps, so that the same may be worked
into or on to the backs of the fabric. The back india-rubber warp being by
preference regularly worked in and not tied in by the weft in pattern, as when
using an extra warp in making what are called quiltings, where the extra
warp is more tight and delivered more slowly than the front warp, as is well
understood, by which, and by being tied into the front fabric in pattern, a
pattern on the front fabric is produced which would otherwise be smooth and
even, as is well understood. But in using india rubber in Jacquard fabrics
according to my Invention, I prefer that the india-rubber warp should be
regularly introduced so as to be tied into the fabric equally at all parts, and
the india-rubber warp should be worked up as fast as the warp of which the
ground of the fabric is made; as my object is not to gain any pattern by the
india-rubber warp, but simply to obtain elasticity to the ornamental and
ornamented Jacquard weavings of silk and other yarn, both in respect to the
woven figure produced by warp and weft of silk or other yarn, as also to other
parts of the fabric in or on which such pattern or figure is woven, or to the
various characters of weaving which Jacquard machinery is capable of
producing in shuttle looms. In some cases, in place of putting india-rubber
warp threads or strands into Jacquard fabrics, I sometimes at intervals
introduce india rubber as weft either covered or uncovered, the fabrics being
woven by the aid of Jacquard machinery as herein described, and although
such india-rubber strands may be introduced in place of the ordinary weft; but
I prefer to use it as an extra weft, and that it should be thrown in and tied at
the back of the fabric, as is well understood when using extra weft threads;
and such wefts of india rubber may be thrown in at such intervals apart as the
weaver may prefer. It should be stated that the fabrics thus woven are to be

page_text: elasticated by heat, as is well understood and commonly practised when making
other fabrics containing india rubber in a non-elastic state.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would wish it to be understood that I do
not confine myself to any particular description of Jacquard machinery used in
weaving where warp and shuttle are employed. And I would further wish it
to be understood that I am aware that india-rubber strands or threads have
before been proposed to be introduced into woven fabrics to be made by the
aid of Jacquard machinery, and in such manner that the pattern produced was
to be obtained from the warp threads only, and whereby the pattern was to bo
raised (by elasticating the fabrics) on the face or ground of the fabric of a
similar character with what is called terry weaving in pattern, and which has
usually been performed by draw wires; such mode of using india rubber as
warps in fabrics of the description above mentioned being with a view to
dispense with the use of such draw wires, and for such mode of weaving with
india rubber, a Patent was obtained; and I mention this circumstance in order
to state that I do not claim the same. And I would wish it to be understood
that what I claim is the mode herein described of weaving elastic fabrics, by
applying india-rubber strands or threads in the warps when weaving by the aid
of Jacquard machinery, and where the pattern or figure is not raised by the
construction of the india-rubber strands or threads above the surface or ground
of the fabrics as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.