IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED WHEN WEAVING PILED FABRICS BY THE AID OF WIRES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Christopher Nickels, of the Albany Road, in the
County of Surrey, and James Hobson, of Leicester, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED WHEN WEAVING PILED FABRICS BY THE
AID OF WIRES."
Sealed the 12th December 1854, and dated the 3rd October 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Christopher Nickels and
James Hobson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 3rd October 1854.
We, CHRISTOPHER NICKELS, of the Albany Road, in the County of Surrey,
and JAMES HOBSON, of Leicester, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED WHEN WEAVING PILED FABRICS
BY THE AID OF WIRES," to be as follows:
This Invention consists, first, of apparatus for introducing flat wires into
fabrics when made with warp and weft, and also when made by looping warps;
and, secondly,. the Invention consists of apparatus for drawing out the wire
from the fabrics.
The apparatus for introducing flat wires is applicable in those looms and
warp machines where the wires are introduced and dropped across the warp
from a suitable trough or holder without moving the wire across from selvage

page_text: to selvage of the warp, as has usually been the case, except in the machinery
described by us in the Specification of a former Patent; and the present
improvements consist of employing two arms with grooves in them correspond-
ing with the flat wires, and such arms are caused to move under the hopper
or holder of the wires and to receive one wire in the grooves; the arms are
then caused to move back, carrying the wire between the warps, and they
hold the wire till it is fixed in the fabric; the arms then descend from the wire,
and they are again moved to the hopper or holder to receive another wire.
The second part of the Invention consists of the application of a sliding
nipping apparatus (peculiarly formed and combined) to one side of a loom or
warp machine, which nipping apparatus is caused to be constantly moved to
and from the selvage of the fabric, the nipping parts being open when they
come up to the selvage, and closed as they depart therefrom. The nipping
apparatus consists of a fixed-part,-which-in--going up to the selvage of the
fabric passes under the last wire, and there is a guage on such fixed part of
the nipper, against which the last wire comes. The moveable, nipping surface
is a lever, and moves on an axis-near one end, and it has a tendency to remain
open, but when about to move back, a cam or inclined surface is caused to
press on an incline at the back, so as to press it down, and tightly hold a wire
or wires between the nipping surfaces till the apparatus arrives at the end of
its course, when the cam or inclined surface is again moved, so as to release thé
moveable part of the nipping apparatus, which causes the nipping apparatus to
let go of the wire.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Christopher Nickels and James Hobson in the Great 2
Seal Patent Office on the 3rd April 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHRISTOPHER
NICKELS, of the Albany Road, in the County of Surrey, and JAMES HOBSON, of
Leicester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the Third day of October, in the year. of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Christopher Nickels and James Hobson, Her special licence that we,
the said Christopher Nickels and James Hobson, our executors, administra- 3

page_text: tors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Christopher Nickels and
James Hobson, our 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 APPARATUS
USED WHEN WEAVING PILED FABRICS BY THE AID OF WIRES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Christopher Nickels and James Hobson,
by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us, 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 we, the said Christopher Nickels and Jaines
Hobson, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention consists, first, of apparatus for introducing flat wires into
fabrics when made with warp and weft, and also when made by looping warps;
and, secondly, the Invention consists of apparatus for drawing out the wire from
the fabrics.
warp
The apparatus for introducing flat wires is applicable. in those looms and
machines where the wires are introduced and dropped across the warp,
from a suitable trough or holder without moving the wire across from selvage
to selvage of the warp, as has usually been the case, except in the machinery
described by us in the Specification of a former Patent; and the present
improvements consist of employing two arms with grooves in them corre-
sponding with the flat wires, and such arms are caused to move under the
hopper or holder of the wires, and to receive one wire in the grooves; the arms
are then caused to move back, carrying the wire between the warps, and they
hold the wire till it is fixed in the fabric; the arms then descend from the wire,
and they are again moved to the hopper or holder to receive another wire.
The second part of the Invention consists of the application of a sliding
nipping apparatus (peculiarly formed and combined) to one side of a loom or
warp machine, which nipping apparatus is caused to be constantly moved to
and from the selvage of the fabric, the nipping parts being open when they.
come up to the selvage, and closed as they depart therefrom. The nipping
apparatus consists of a fixed part, which in going up to the selvage of the.
fabric passes under the last wire, and there is a guage on such fixed part of

page_text: the nipper, against which the last wire comes. The moveable nipping surface
is a lever, and moves on an axis near one end, and it has a tendency to
remain open, but when about to move back, a cam or inclined surface is
caused to press on an incline at the back, so as to press it down and tightly
hold a wire or wires between the nipping surfaces till the apparatus arrives
at the end of its course, when the cam-or inclined surface is again moved, so
as to release the moveable part of the nipping apparatus, which causes the
nipping apparatus to let go of the wire.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a section of part of a loom for weaving piled fabrics,
having apparatus applied thereto, suitably arranged for introducing flat wires
into the fabric as it is woven. The wires are taken from a suitable trough or
holder and dropped across the warp. This part of the present Invention is
applicable to looms where the shed between the pile warp and the other warp
is opened by means of guides, as described in a former Patent, granted to us
on the Sixth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three; and as
the arrangement and manner of working of looms used when carrying out this
Invention are as the same as are described in the Specification to the said
former Patent (except so far as regards the apparatus for introducing flat wires
about to be described), we have only thought it necessary to show so much of a
loom as will enable us to describe, and a workman to understand, our present
improvements. The flat wires, shown separately at Figure 2, are formed with
a cutter at one end and a projecting surface at the other, which corresponds
in height with the edge of the cutter, so that the wires are piled in the
trough or bolder one on the other, a space is left between the wires for the
arms or fingers 1, 2, to enter between two wires, and support the wires
which are above the fingers in the trough or holder. The wires are dropped
in succession from the holder b in the following manner :-The arms or
fingers 1, 1, 2, 2, are carried by axes 3 & 4, supported in bearings at
each end of the holder, there being two fingers to each axis, placed so that
each axis by its fingers may alternately support the pile of wires. Motion is
communicated to the axes 3 and 4 by cams (fixed on the cam shaft or
axis) acting on levers, which give motion to the lever arms 5, 6, fixed on
the axes 3 and 4. When a wire is to be introduced into the shed, the
fingers 2, 2, are caused to enter, the space above the bottom wire in the
holder (and to support the pile of wires), just before, and to remain during,

page_text: the time the fingers 1, 1, are moved from below the bottom wire to allow
it to drop from the holder; after which the fingers 1, 1, are moved under
the holder to support the wires, and the fingers 2, 2, are moved away to allow
the wires to descend in the holder, again to be supported by the fingers 1, 1,
until another wire is required.
The wires as they fall from the holder bare received in grooves or notches
formed in the ends of the arms 7, 7, which are moved to receive a wire
from the holder and to carry it into the shed under the pile warp, where
they hold it correctly whilst weft is thrown across into another shed in the
warp and the beat up takes place, after which the arms 7, 7, are caused to
descend a little to get away from the wires, and the arms 7, 7, are again
moved up into position to receive another wire from the holder. The arms
7, 7, are connected by pin joints to levers, which are acted upon by cam
surfaces fixed on the cam shaft or axis to move them to and fro, and the
arms 7, 7, are supported on guides, which are raised and lowered by a suit-
able cam surface fixed on the cam shaft or axis. We have not thought it
necessary to show the cams, as they will readily be formed by a workman.
Figure 3 shows a section of some of the parts of a warp machine, full size,
suitably arranged for having flat wires introduced when making piled fabrics
in this class of machinery; and as the mode of introducing other wires was
fully described in a former Patent, granted to us on the Eleventh day of June,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, it will only be necessary to point
out the inodifications of the apparatus which are required for introducing flat
wires according to our present improvements. The wire holder is arranged
to deliver the wires in succession (as above described in respect to the loom)
to grooved instruments, carried by the arms c', c', carried by the bar c, which
conduct it into a position to be delivered by the points f¹ on to the pile warp
threads, in like manner to that described in the Specification of the Patent
before referred to. The grooved instruments which receive the wire from the
wire holder are short levers, which move on studs or axes carried by the
arms c; and as they are moved underneath the wire holder, the inclined ends
(1), (1), come in contact with fixed projections (2*), (2×), at each end of the
machine, which cause them to assume a vertical position, as shown, below the
holder; and as they move away with the wire, they fall over by their own
gravity into a horizontal position (as shown by dotted lines), ready for the wire
to be taken by the points f' on to the pile warp to have the pile threads lapped
over the needles, so as to produce a piled fabric with flat wires, which cut the
loops formed over them when drawn 'out of the fabric.
We will now describe the second part of our Invention, which relates to

page_text: apparatus for drawing out the wires from piled fabrics. Figure 4 shows a
plan, and Figure 5 a front view, of so much of a loom for having wires
introduced under the pile warp as will enable us to describe this part of our
Invention. a is a grooved bar, fixed to the framing of the loom, and passing
under the fabric; is the nipping apparatus, carried by a bar b¹, which is
caused to slide to and from the selvage of the fabric in the groove of the bar a
in the following manner-c is a lever, connected by a strap or band c¹ to the
end of the sliding bar b', which carries the nipping apparatus; and d is another
lever, connected to the other end of the sliding bar b¹ by a band or strap d',
which passes round a pulley at the opposite side of the loom. The levers c
and d are connected by links to the crank axis e, as shown, by which a to and
fro movement is communicated to the sliding bar b' and nipping apparatus b.
² is the fixed jaw of the nipping apparatus, which in going up to the selvage of
the fabric, passes under the wire which is next to be withdrawn. The wire is
prevented entering too far between the nippers by coming in contact with a
plate or guage on the end of the fixed jaw b², as shewn. ³ is the moveable
nipping lever jaw, which moves on an axis &, carried by the slide b'. The
lever jaw is caused to close upon, to hold, and to draw out a wire in the
following manner:-" is an axis, carried by the slide b', upon which are fixed.
the short lever arms 66, 67, and as the nipping surfaces approach the selvage
of the fabric, the lever arm 6 comes in contact with the fixed stop 6s, and causes
the lever arm 7 to act on an incline on the moveable nipping lever jaw b³,
which closes that jaw on the end at the wire, where it is retained whilst the
wire is drawn out from the fabric, and until the lever comes against the
fixed stop ", which causes the nippers to open and release the wire.
Figure 6 shows a section, and Figure 7 part of a front view, of apparatus
suitable for drawing out wires from piled fabrics made in warp machinery, as
described in the Specification of the Patent before referred to; and as the
apparatus for drawing out the wires from warp fabrics is similar to that just
described for drawing out the wires from fabrics woven in shuttle looms, it
will only be necessary to state that the corresponding parts of the two arrange-
ments are marked with the same. letters of reference. It should, however,
be stated that the levers c, d, (not shown in these Figures,) which move the
slide b¹ to and and fro, work above in place of below the slide.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we do not claim any
of the mechanical parts separately; neither do we confine ourselves to the
precise details, so long as the peculiar character of either part of our Inven-
tion be retained. But what we claim is, the combined apparatus herein

page_text: described for introducing wires into fabrics, as described in respect to Figures
1 and 3.
And, secondly, we claim the peculiar combination of nipper apparatus for
drawing wires out from piled fabrics, as described in respect to Figures 4, 5, 6,
and 7.
In witness whereof, we, the said Christopher Nickels and James Hobson,
have herennto set our hands and seals, this Third day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
CHRISTOPHER NICKELS. (L.S.)
JAMES HOBSON.
(L.S.)