Improvements in Stockings, Half-hose, and similar Articles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 7th July, 1891-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by DORÉ & Co., 9, Rue de Florence, Paris, in the
French Republic, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Stockings, Half-hose, and similar Articles.
I, WILLIAM EDWIN HEYS of 70 Market Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to stockings, half-hose, and similar articles in which the
foot part is made with a single seam as is customary in France. This seam being
at present made below the foot, is to many persons a source of inconvenience and
it is the object of these improvements to avoid this source of inconvenience without
involving the cost of making two side seams, that is to say, one upon cach side of
the foot, as is customary in England.
These improvements consist in knitting the foot of the stocking or half-hose in
one piece, forming a false seam in a position corresponding to one of the side seams
in English stockings during the process of knitting, and subsequently joining the
selvedges in a seaming or other suitable machine so as to form a side seam corre-
sponding to the other side seam of an English stocking. The stocking or half-hose
so produced will be in imitation of the English side seamed articles, but with one
false seam and one sewn seam, on opposite sides of the foot.
Dated this 6th day of October A.D. 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Stockings, Half-hose, and similar Articles.
I, WILLIAM EDWIN HEYS of 70 Market Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to stockings half hose and similar articles in which the
foot part is made with a single seam as is customary in France. This seam being
at present made below the sole of the foot, is to many persons a source of incon-
venience, and it is the object of these improvements to avoid this source of incon-
venience without involving the cost of making two side seams, that is to say one
seam upon each side of the foot as is the practice in England.
These improvements consist in knitting the foot of the stocking half hose or
similar article in one piece, and forming a false seam in a position corresponding to
one of the side seams in English stockings. The stocking or half hose so produced
will be in imitation of the side seamed English articles but with one false seam and
one sewn scam on opposite sides of the foot respectively.
In the accompanying diagrams which illustrate in what manner this invention is
carried into effect, and to which reference is hereinafter made, the upper figure
represents a half hose complete to the point where the foot commences;
indicating the row of needles in the machine A B the commencement of the
upper part of the foot; and A D and B C the two separate parts of the heel, the
lower parts of which (as represented in the diagram) will be subsequently seamed
together. At this point an addition is made to the width of the under part of the
D

page_text: foot by including the needles between C and E, this width being equal to the width
of the lower part of the foot minus the width of the part B C. When this additional
width has been formed, the weight is suspended thereto by the catch G to keep
the work tight in the usual manner and similarly to the leg part which is weighted
by the weight P.
P
The foot part of the half hose is represented by the middle figure of the drawings,
where A B C E represents the commencement of the foot and corresponds with and
forms a continuation of the upper figure, similar letters of reference indicating
similar parts in each of the figures. A. KS B is the upper part of the completed
foot; BS LE, the lower part of the completed foot; KI HS the point of the
upper part of the foot; and S HJ L the point of the lower part of the foot.
In the lower figure T is a self acting needle; V the needle hook; y the self
acting needle pallet; mm meshes formed on the side of the fabric; m' mesh
formed by the needle T; and ff¹ thread of which the loop is caught by the
needle T.
When the knitting has proceeded so far that the time for forming the foot has
arrived, the bottom of the foot of the sock is turned back next the heel B C, the
part of the heel A D being turned aside. Upon the needles comprised between C
and E there is placed a thread which surrounds each needle so as to hold the meshes.
On the first row made upon these needles the catch G is suspended upon its
weight p. The machine is now put into operation and the foot is produced in the
same manner and with the same materials as the ordinary French foot.
At the commencement of the narrowing, the side A of the working machine is
stopped, and the narrowing is effected by the narrowing machine to the right and in
front of the point C. The narrowing may be made with one or with two branches
and may if desired be extended from C to E.
At the commencement of the pointing, the foot presents the form A KLE, of
which A KSB forms the upper and BSL E the lower part. The narrowing
machine is centred in K S and S L respectively, and as many narrowings are made
as there are pairs of needles in SL more than in K S. It will be understood that
the little point in K S is put out of action and it follows that there will be as many
meshes in the foot part above as below.
I
Various means may be employed to imitate the seam B S H. For example the
point of one of the needles may be crushed at B so as to produce the running
mesh B SH forming the false seam. To obtain a more perfect imitation of the
seam, a self acting needle T (as shewn in the lower figure) may be employed. This
needle has a to and fro motion about in the direction of its length, and is arranged
opposite to the point B where one or two of the needles ca are suppressed, and it
engages by its hook the loop formed by the raised needle at the same time that the
preceding loop is reversed by the pallet T and brings down its mesh upon the
opposite face of the fabric. This gives a mesh to the reverse side of the fabric
and produces an imitation of the hand sewing without the inconvenience which
would arise from the thickness of the selvedges.
The part CE is then seamed or spliced with the part A D and the selvedges A 1
and EJ are joined in the customary manner, the end of the foot 1 H being also
sewn or joined with H J. The parts of the heel also are spliced or seamed together
as is well understood.
The foot may be made in two shades of colour, the colours being carried upon the
needle which makes the seam, and the upper part of the foot may be striped if
desired whilst the lower part may be plain.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,―
1. As a new article of manufacture, stockings half hose and similar articles having
a false seam on one side of the foot and a scam on the other side constructed sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.

page_text: 2. The herein before described method of producing stockings half hose and
similar articles with one seam only along the side of the foot, substantially as
described.
WILLIAM E. HEYS.