IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Edward Hodges, of Leicester, in the County
of Leicester, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS."
Sealed the 19th December 1856, and dated the 21st July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Edward Hodges
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st July 1856.
I, JOHN EDWARD HODGES, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN, MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
.My Invention consists in the employment of double needles, or of needles
with two barbs, placed back to back, or pointing, in opposite directions; and
in certain arrangements of circular knitting machinery in connection with such
needles, whereby the work, after being formed on one set of barbs, is trans-
ferred to the other or opposite set.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Edward Hodges in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st January 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
EDWARD HODGES, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of July, 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
John Edward Hodges, Her special licence that I, the said John Edward
Hodges, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Edward Hodges, 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-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR. THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Edward Hodges, 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 per-
formed, 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 John Edward Hodges, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the employment of double needles, or of needles
with two barbs, placed back to back, or pointing in opposite directions; and in
certain arrangements of circular knitting machinery in connection with such
needles, whereby the work, after being formed on one set of barbs, is transferred
to the other or opposite set; or instead of placing the needles back to back,
I adopt an equivalent arrangement, that is to say, I fix them side by side with
their beards standing in opposite directions. In this case I bend the heads of

page_text: 6
the needles until the upper part of the beards are brought opposite each other
in a radial line. The loops are formed first on one side of the needles, the
work is then turned over the heads of the needles, when the next or succeeding
set of loops are formed on the other side; that is, one set of loops are formed
in the inside of the circle of needles and the other set formed on the outside.
By these arrangements I am enabled to make tubular "ribbed fabrics," and
'pearl," or, as it is more commonly called in the trade, "turned work," which
is made with both sides alike, or I introduce one or more plain courses between
the pearl feeding apparatus (to be hereafter described). The plain course or
courses may be introduced either on the inside or outside of the needles, or on
both, as may be desired. These needles are cast in suitable leads, which are
of such a form as to be easily fixed round a needle cylinder, which is turned
true internally and externally, as well as on the upper and lower edges, and
fits over a fixed cylinder, with a flange at bottom, which supports it, and upon
which it is free to revolve. The flange is sufficiently large to admit of being
bolted or otherwise fixed to a suitable framework or stand. A ring with teeth
cast on it is firmly secured to the needle cylinder; a pinion or wheel gears into
the teeth, whereby motion from hand or other prime mover is communicated
to the needles.
Suitable feeders or loop wheels are provided for laying threads or yarns into
the needles, and presser bars or wheels and knocking-over wheels are employed
to assist in knocking the work over the heads of the needles after the loops or
stitches are formed.
I cause threads or yarn to be fed into those needle beards, turning inwards,
by means of a feeder or loop wheel, the beards having been relieved of the
stitches previously formed on them by means of a curved guide or presser
pressing the work down and inwards, so far as to relieve the beards of the
loops or stitches, and at the same time to make sufficient room for the feeder
or loop wheel between the inside of the needles and outside of the work.
After the yarn has been fed into the needles, the work is allowed to rise by
passing upwards along and under the curved guide, when it is knocked over
the heads of the needles by a knocking-off wheel placed inside of the work
and needles. After passing this point, another curved guide or guides (secured
to the inside of the fixed cylinder) presses or press the work outwards and
5 down, so far as to relieve the outer beards of their stitches and to make
sufficient space or room for a feeder or loop wheel being introduced between
the inside of the work and outside of the needles; threads or yarns are then
laid on by means of a feeder or loop wheel, and after passing the curved

page_text: guides the work is allowed to rise to the top ends or beards of the needles;
when it is again knocked over the heads of the needles by a knocking-off
wheel placed outside the needles. The finished work is then passed upwards
over a ring or hoop (which is free to revolve on a stud or pin fixed in a stay,
which is secured on the inside of the stationary cylinder, and from that to any
convenient taking-up machine.
1
I do not confine myself to two threads or yarns being fed in at one time, as
any number of feeders may be used in making "ribbed" or "pearl" work;
and by a different arrangement of loop wheels or feeders, I cause any desired
number of plain courses to be worked between the pearls, which may be of
various colors or otherwise.
:
The nature of my said Invention, and in what manner I carry the same into
effect, may be more clearly and fully understood by reference to the Drawings
annexed..
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a circular knitting machine with my improve,
ments applied thereto, and Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same. A is
the main framework of the machine to which the internal and stationary
cylinder B is secured, the outer surface of which is turned perfectly true and
recessed a little at a, so as to allow of oil or other lubricating material to flow
and be-kept in between the outside of the cylinder B and inside of the move-
able or revolving needle cylinder C, which is turned or bored out accurately to
fit the stationary or fixed cylinder B, and is supported by the flange b, on
which it revolves. To the cylinder C the needles c are fixed by means of their
leads d being partly let into a groove e, turned out, in, or otherwise formed
near the upper edge of the cylinder. Clamps or glands D embrace the leads,
and are firmly secured to the cylinder by means of the screws f. As before
explained, the needles are placed in the machine leads so that their barbs or
beards shall point in opposite directions, thus one pointing outward and the
other inward, as at 9. A flange E is cast, formed, or fixed on the cylinder C,
projecting over and protecting the yarn or thread from getting into the spur 3
teeth h, which are cast on a ring or segments, and secured to the cylinder C
by screws ; or these teeth may be cast on the cylinder, into which a
pinion,
shewn in dotted lines at F, gears; the pinion F is keyed or otherwise fixed on.
the upright shaft G, which revolves in bearings j, secured to the main
framing A. On the lower end of the shaft G a bevil or mitre wheel H is 3
fixed, which gears into and receives motion from a corresponding bevil or
mitre wheel I, fitted to and mounted on the main driving shaft J, and is
capable of being slid along it for the purpose of throwing it in and out of gear

page_text: with the wheel H by means of a forked lever H' taking into a groove k
formed in the long boss of the wheel I. A feather is sunk in the shaft J; over
which the wheel is mounted, having a groove or slot in its boss to embrace
the feather, to prevent the shaft turning without the wheel, but so as to allow
of its motion along the shaft J. A winch K may be fixed on the shaft J, if
preferred, for the purpose of turning the machine by hand; or a pulley K¹
may be used, on which a strap or belt may be placed to transmit the power
from any prime mover. A', A', are standards, supported by and fixed to the
main frame A; to these the semicircular brackets L, L, are secured by means
of screws . To the bracket L the curved guide L" is fixed by screws 1, 1;
this guide serves to press down the work, and sufficiently inward, so as to form
a cavity in the work within the circle of needles, and at the same time to place
the work below their beards. In this cavity, between the inside of the needles
and outside of the work, a loop wheel m is held by a suitable adjusting appa-
ratus n, fixed on or forming part of a bracket or standard M, secured to the
semicircular bracket L' by a screw o; a thread or yarn guide p is fixed to the
adjusting apparatus by screws q. q. Through suitable holes in the guide p
the thread or yarn r passes from the cop N to beneath the loop wheel m
which by its rotation forms the loops, by laying in the yarn between the needles
and beneath their beards by means of its leaves or teeth; this takes place as
the needles pass the lower portion of the curved guide L". After passing this
point, the web and previously formed stitches rise on the needles and over the
beards, which have been pressed into the needle eyes by a presser wheel, after
passing which, the stitches or work is knocked over the last formed loops (which
have been held beneath the beards, and which are now the stiches,) by means
of a knocking-off wheel, with leaves .placed inside of both work and needles,
and free to revolve on a stud or pin fixed in a bracket secured to the inside of
the fixed cylinder. The knocking-off wheel is somewhat similar to the loop
wheel m, which is formed with leaves inserted and fixed in a boss, but without
loop notches in the leaves, and is not seen in the Drawings. After the needles
and work leave or pass the loop-making and knocking-off apparatus they
advance towards a second curved guide 0 (seen in section in Figure 2), which
is fixed by screws s to the semicircular or curved bracket P, attached at one
end by the screws t, t, to the standard Q, firmly secured to the inside of the
internal or stationary cylinder B by the screwed bolts u, u; the other end is
attached to a similar standard, or may be bent down and fixed direct to the
cylinder B. The guide () is formed similar to the curved guide L", and is.
used for a similar purpose; but instead of pressing or forcing the work inwards

page_text: to the centre, it is so placed as to turn the work to the outside of the needles
and down on their stems, só as to form a sufficient cavity or space between the
inside of the work and the outer beards of the needles to allow a loop wheel R
and yarn feeder to be introduced between them. These are similar to those
already described, and have likewise suitable adjusting apparatus w, w; the
whole is held securely in position by the standard S, which is attached to the
inside of the fixed cylinder B by means of screws T, T. In this case the yarn
passes from the cop U, up through the interior of the cylinder B, and through
holes in the guide v, and from thence into the notches in the leaves of the loop
wheel R, where it is formed into loops, and laid by it between the stems and
beards of the needles, which are turned outward. After the needles and work
pass the lowest point of the curved guide, the work then rises over the barbs
of the needles, which have been pressed in the needle eyes by a presser wheel
or a spring bit for the purpose, and over the last-formed loops, which are in the
beards of the needles; the work is then knocked over by a knocking-off wheel,
placed and secured in a suitable position, so as to act on the outside of the
needles, and work after they have fairly passed the curved guide O. The
finished work is conveyed upward over a hoop or ring V, having arms V¹ with
a boss in the centre, and is mounted on a stud or pin V2, which is fixed in the
end of the part Q¹ of the standard Q, bent inward at right angles so far that
the stud or pin V will coincide with the centre of the cylinder, or nearly so.
The hoop or ring, with its arms and boss, revolve on the stud at a corresponding
rate with the needles and needle cylinder. After passing over the hoop, the
work or web is wound on a roller by a suitable taking-up apparatus, not
shewn in the Drawing, but which is driven at the requisite speed by a pinion
on the upper end of the upright shaft G. For making "pearl" or "ribbed "
work, I do not confine myself to two sets of guides, loop wheels, and knocking-
off wheels, as any number may be applied, provided they are placed alternately
on the outside and inside of the needles, and turned over to each set, as before
described. When using needles placed side by side (with their beards
standing in opposite directions, and the heads of the needles bent until the
upper part of the beards are brought on the same radial line with each other,
as before described,) I am enabled to produce "ribbed" or "pearl" work at
pleasure by the use of ordinary tuck or indented and plain presser wheels.
When employing these needles, it is not necessary to press the work so far
outward, on account of the loop wheel working in the inside of the needles,
and feeding the inside beards which point in towards the centre, instead of on
the outside, as was formerly described, and referred to in the Drawings at

page_text: "
Figure 2, where the loop wheel R is represented as working between the
outside of the needles and inside of the work. In this case the loop wheel
is inside of both work and needles, and revolves on a stud, and fixed with
its feeding apparatus, similar to those already described. The next, or fol-
lowing feeder or loop wheel, instead of feeding the beards on the inside of
the needles, which are standing inward, as formerly described and shewn at m,
Figure 2, feeds the outside beards, which are pointing or standing outward, the
work having been previously turned over the heads of the needles to the inner
side of the circular row of needles by the curved guide L". In this case,
likewise, it is not necessary to press the work so far inward as when working
with needles placed back to back, on account of the feeding apparatus being
in the latter case placed outside.
In an arrangement such as I have shewn at W, in Figure 1, I have intro-
duced a set of feeding apparatus, with its curved guide W¹, and loop and
presser wheels, for the purpose of laying in a plain course between the
pearls." One or more of these sets may be introduced between the outside
and inside pearl apparatus, as may be desired, for the purpose of laying in plain
courses, and which courses may be of different colors, as desired.
Figure 3 shews two of the needles I prefer to use, placed back to back,
with their beards standing in opposite directions, and cast in the same lead.
Figure 4 is a front view, and Figure 5 a back view of the same.
In Figures 6, 7, and 8 I have shewn an equivalent to Figures 3, 4, and 5,
by placing the needles side by side in the same lead, with their beards standing
in opposite directions, and having their heads bent toward each other, so that
they may stand in the same radial line.
I do not confine myself to the exact shape or position of the needles so long
as the peculiar nature of my Invention is retained.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-.
First, the arrangement of circular knitting machinery in such manner as to
turn or roll the work over the tops or heads of the needles, so as to allow the
loops to be formed between the inside of the work and outside of the needles
and between the outside of the work and inside of the needles, and also so
that one set of loops may be formed on the inside of both work and needles
while part of the work is on the outside of the needles, and at the same time
(by another set of feeding apparatus) form another set of loops on the outside
of the work and needles while part of the work is on the inside.

page_text: Second, the arrangement of circular knitting machinery, whereby the loops
are formed simultaneously on both the inside and outside of the needles and
work.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jolin Edward Hodges, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JOHN EDWARD HODGES.. (L.B.)