IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF LACE OR NET FABRIC
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles James Keenan and John Alexander Keenan,
residing in Puteaux, Dép. de la Seine, Empire of France, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF LACE
OR NET FABRIC."
Sealed the 13th October 1865, and dated the 22nd April 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Churles James Keenan
and John Alexander Keenan at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd April 1865.
We, CHARLES JAMES KEENAN and JOHN ALEXANDER KEENAN, residing in
Puteaux, Dép. de la Seine, Empire of France, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF
LACE OR NET FABRIC," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
articles of lace or net fabric. In order to produce mittens, gloves, and similar
articles in the laco machine we so work the machine as to produce simul-
taneously a front and back fabric, one half of the bobbin or carriage threads
and one half of the warps working in each fabric; thus if the machine works
with a single tier of bobbins, every alternate bobbin, say the even numbers,
will work to produce the front fabric, and the odd numbers the back fabric.

page_text: These two fabrics are united together at intervals to form tubes by warp
threads working into both the fabrics. In this way a series of tubes are
formed, each, say, of a diameter suitable for the upper part of a mitten or
glove, and these tubes are connected together into a sheet from side to side of
the machine. If a mitten or glove is to be produced it is necessary after
working for a sufficient time at the upper part to divide up this tube into
smaller tubes to receive the thumb and fingers, and this is readily done by
means of warp threads made for the time to work with both fabrics. If it be
desired to contract the mitten, glove, or other article at any point it may be
done by increasing temporarily the tension of the warps, or by diminishing or
increasing the number of the meshes. In order to finish off the articlo at the
top and bottom the pillars are worked so as to form separate cords, and when
the articles are cut off the pillars these are knotted and then worked in by
hand to form an ornament on the edge of the fabric; this method of finishing
the top and bottom is also applicable to articles of lace and net produced in
working in the ordinary manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by tho said Charles James Keenan and John Alexander Keenan in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
JAMES KEENAN and JOHN ALEXANDER KEENAN, residing in Puteaux, Dept. de
la Seine, Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Charles James Keenan and John Alexander Keenan, Her special
licence that we, the said Charles James Keenan and John Alexander Keenan,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles
James Keenan and John Alexander Keenan, our exccutors, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF LACE OR
NET FABRIC," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Charles

page_text: James Keenan and John Alexander Keenan, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Charles James Keenan and John
Alexander Keenan, do hereby declare the nature of the 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, that
is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
articles of lace or net fabric. In order to produce mittens, gloves, and
similar articles in the lace machine we so work the machine as to produce
simultaneously a front and back fabric, one half of the bobbin or carriage
threads and one half of the warps working in each fabric; thus if the
machine works with a single tier of bobbins, every alternate bobbin, say the
even numbers, will work to produce the front fabric, and the odd numbers
the back fabric. These two fabrics aro united together at intervals to form
tubes by warp threads working into both the fabrics. In this way a series of
tubes are formed, each, say, of a diamoter suitable for the upper part of a
mitten or glove, and these tubes are connected together into a sheet from
side to side of the machine. If a mitten or glove is to be produced it is
necessary after working for a sufficient time at the upper part to divide up
this tube into smaller tubes to receive the thumb and fingers, and this is
readily done by means of warp threads made for the time to work with both
fabrics. If it be desired to contract the mitten, glove, or other article at any
point it may be done by increasing temporarily the tension of the warps, or
by diminishing or increasing the number of the meshes. In order to finish
off the article at the top and bottom the pillars are worked so as to form
separate cords, and when the articles are cut off the pillars these are knotted
and then worked in by hand to form an ornament on the edge of the fabric;
this method of finishing the top and bottom is also applicable to articles of lace
and net produced in working in the ordinary manner.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention, we will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same. In working to produce
twist lace fabrics for the making of gloves, mittens, or other articles of a
hollow or tubular character the twist lace machine is arranged with the

page_text: .ordinary complement of bobbin or carriage threads and warp threads according
to the nature of the groundwork or pillars which it is intended to produce,
that is, whether the pillars are to be composed simply by twisting a warp thread
and a carriage thread or by plaiting three or more of these threads together
in making each pillar, using other threads for ornamenting or otherwiso such
grounds as when making ordinary breadths of lace, all which is well under-
stood by twist lace makers, and which form separately no part of our
Invention; but our Invention consists in forming tubular fabrics of a width
or breadth desired. The several widths or breadths of these double or tubular
fabrics we lace together by lacing threads, as when lacing breadths of single
fabrics together in twist lace machines, and also when causing certain of the
warp threads, as above mentioned, to work with the bobbin or carriage threads
of both fabrics. The ordinary warp threads may be used, or additional warp
threads may be employed, to aid the ordinary warp threads, and give additional
strength to the seams or selvages where the two fabrics are joined together.
According to our Invention we also finish, when desired, these and other
articles of twist lace by knotting the pillars, as above explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles James Keenan and John
Alexander Keenan, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Nineteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-five.
CHARLES JAMES KEENAN.
(L.S.)
JOHN ALEXANDER KEENAN. (L.S.)