Year: 1886

page_text: We ALBERT CHARLES OAKES (trading under the firm of A. C. Oakes & Co)
of 52 Aldermanbury in the City of London Warehouseman and CHARLES COGGAN
(trading as C. Coggan & Co) of Castlegate Nottingham in the County of Nottingham
Hosiery Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to an improved formation of hose half hose and socks
whereby they are made to fit the wearer more closely than those hitherto in use
and their durability and comfort are materially increased.
Hitherto hose half. hose and socks when made by frames worked by hand and
by frames worked by steam or other power have only had their heels fashioned
partially in the course of manufacture to the contour or shape of the heel of the
human foot although such hose half hose and socks have frequently after leaving
the frame had their heels fashioned more completely to the contour or shape of the
heel of the human foot by being blocked out while damp or subjected to some
other process having for its object to stretch the back parts of the heels (the effect
of which blocking or other process passes away or is lost as soon as the article is
in actual wear) According to these improvements we propose to fashion the heels
of such hose half hose and socks completely during the actual process of manufac-
ture to the contour or shape of the heel of the human foot by widening a portion
of the backs of the said heels.
In order that this invention may be better understood we have hereunto annexed
the accompanying drawing.
Hitherto the heels of such hose half hose and socks as aforesaid have been
fashioned by narrowings from the point marked Y upon the said drawing or some
point below Y to the point marked Z in addition to narrowings from the point
marked Y to the point marked Z according to these improvements the heels of
such hose half hose and socks will be fashioned in the course of manufacture
between the point marked X and the point marked Y on the said drawing by
the addition of one or more widenings so as to provide a bend or curve similar
to that which appears on the said drawing between X and Y the number of such
widenings so to be added will be proportioned to the bend or curve which it is
desired to produce.

page_text: -
In carrying out these said improvements although we do not confine ourselves
to any precise method, yet in the case of hand power frames we use an ordinary
working needle having a curved or hooked end by means of which the operator is
enabled to take the loop off the frame needle and transfer it latterally to another
needle and so as to widen the fabric In the case of a steam frame it would be
necessary to fix a bar across the face of the machine and upon this bar at regular
intervals arrange a number of these widening needles motion being imparted to this
bar by means of a rod or lever under control of the operator.
One of the advantages of this invention is that hose, half hose and socks if
manufactured with heels in accordance with this invention can have much narrower
and therefore better fitting ankles than those which are not so manufactured
Hence in manufacturing hose half hose and socks to which this said invention is
applied we narrow, (although we do not seek to claim this as part of this inven-
tion) the ankles from a suitable point at the top of the ankles down to a suitable
point above the commencement of the heel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
In the manufacture of hose half hose and socks the addition during the process
of manufacture of one or more widenings to the upper portion of the backs of the
heels thereof so as to make the said heels conform more closely to the shape or
contour of the heel of the human foot.