IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WARP FABRICS." IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WARP FABRICS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jonathan Bircumshaw, of New Lenton, in the County
of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WARP FABRICS."
IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WARP FABRICS."
Sealed the 18th December 1860, and dated the 7th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jonathan Bircumshaw at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
July 1860.
I, JONATHAN BIRCUMSHAW, of New Lenton, in the County of Nottingham,
Lace Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WARP FABRICS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for the manu-
facture of warp lace or other warp fabrics, by which such fabrics may be
produced of a very varied and ornamental character by more simple means
than have hitherto been employed for this purpose. And my Invention
consists in employing a series of independant points or instruments supported
above or in front of the needles or instruments of warp machines, on which

page_text: the loops are formed by the lapping of the warp threads thereon, such inde-
pendant points or instruments being actuated by jacquard or other pattern
surface. The warp threads are carried by guides in the usual manner, and
previous to the lapping of the warp threads over the needles a selection of the
independant points or instruments takes place by the action of the jacquard
or other pattern surface, and those points which remain above or in front of
the needles will have the warp threads lapped over them in place of over the
needles, and such threads will be retained by the points or instruments until
the loops of those warp threads which have lapped on to the stems of the
uncovered needles have passed under the beards, hooks, tongues, or other
similar instruments which retain the new loops whilst the work is knocked
over the heads of the needles. After the working of a course a fresh selection
of the independant points or instruments takes place, so as to vary the lapping
of the warp threads on the needles after each course, according to the pattern
it is desired to produce; or, if desired, any number of plain courses may
ho worked in succession by selecting or withdrawing the whole of the inde-
pendant points or instruments just before the lapping of the warp threads on
the needles takes place.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jonathan Bircumshaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JONATHAN
BIRCUMSHAW, of New Lenton, in the County of Nottingham, Lace Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Jonathan Bircumshaw, Her special licence that I, the said Jonathan Bir-
cumshaw, my executors, administrators, and assigns or such others as I, the
said Jonathan Bircumshaw, 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 "IMPROVE-

page_text: upon the
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OP WARP FABRICS,"
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jonathan Bircumshaw, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe 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 Jonathan Bircumshaw, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for the manu-
facture of warp lace or other warp fabrics by which such fabrics may be
produced of a very varied and ornamental character, by more simple means
than have hitherto been employed for this purpose. And my Invention
consists in employing a series of independant points or instruments supported
above or in front of the needles or instruments of warp machines, on which
the loops are formed by the lapping of the warp threads thereon, such inde-
pendant points or instruments being actuated by jacquard or other pattern
surface. The warp threads are carried by guides in the usual manner, and
previous to the lapping of the warp threads over the needles a selection of the
independant points or instruments takes place by the action of the jacquard or
other pattern surface, and those points which remain above or in front of the
needles will have the warp threads lapped over them in place of over the
needles, and such threads will be retained by the points or instruments until
the loops of those warp threads which have lapped on to the stems of the
uncovered needles have passed under the beards, hooks, tongues, or other
similar instruments which retain the new loops whilst the work is knocked
over the heads of the needles. After the working of a course a fresh selection
of the independant points or instruments takes place, so as to vary the lapping
of the warp threads on the needles after each course, according to the pattern
or fabric it is desired to produce; or, if desired, any number of plain courses
may be worked in succession by selecting or withdrawing the whole of the
independant points or instruments just before the lapping of the threads
on the needles takes place.
warp
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily.
practised I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.

page_text: Figure 1 shews a section of so much of the main working parts, together
with the loop-making instruments of a warp machine as will enable me to
described my present improvements; Figure 2 shows the parts in another
position; and Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, shew separate views of a lead of the
needles and other instruments.
The nature of warp machines being now well understood, it will not be
necessary particularly to describe the working of the parts which are well
known and common to this class of machinery, and a workman acquainted with
the same will readily apply my improvements to such machines, aided by the
Drawing and the following description thereof :-a, b, c, and d are the ordinary
needle guide, sinker, and presser bars of an ordinary warp machine; e is a
spindle bar moving on axes e carried by arms e² fixed on the needle bar a.
Motion is communicated to the spindle bar e by the arm ³ fixed on the cam
shaft or axis e acting on the truck or roller carried by the lever arm 6, which
is connected to the spindle bar e by the connecting link e, as shewn in the
Drawing; fare points or instruments carried by leads screwed to the front of
the spindle.bar e. The lower ends of each of the points or instruments f have
cranked points, which are supported by the spindle bar e just over each of the
needles carried by the needle bar a, and the instruments f are connected by
cords f, or by other suitable means to a jacquard apparatus or other pattern
surface.
Previous to the lapping of the warp threads over the needles a selection of
the independant points or instruments f takes place by being acted upon by
the jacquard apparatus or other pattern surface, and those points or instru-
ments which are unselected will have the warp threads lapped over them by
the guides opposite to them in place of over the needles, and such warp threads
will be retained by the points or instruments f until the loops of those warp
tbreads which have been lapped on the stems of the uncovered needles have
passed under the beards, hooks, or tongues of the needles, where they are
retained whilst the work is knocked over the warp threads over the unselected
points or instruments f, being thrown off when knocking over the work.
Before a fresh course is commenced the previously selected points or instru-
ments are caused to assume their former position over the needles; a fresh
selection of the points or instruments then takes place, and the warp threads
are lapped over the needles and over the unselected instruments as before.
The arrangement and working of warp machinery being of a very varied

page_text: character, it will not be necessary for me to describe the application of my
Invention thereto, as a competent workman acquainted with this class of
machinery will readily apply my improvements aided by the foregoing de-
scription to other arrangements of warp machines than that shewn in the
Drawing, my Invention being equally applicable to warp machinery differing
in arrangement to that shewn in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jonathan Bircumshaw, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JONATHAN BIRCUMSHAW. (L.B.)