Improvements in the Manufacture of Wire Fabric or Netting.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1889-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wire Fabric or Netting.
We, WILLIAM WATERHOUSE and THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN Wire Workers
& Manufacturers, Pioneer Works, Acocksgreen, Birmingham do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our Invention has for its object a simple and inexpensive form of manufacture
of wire fabric or netting which is applicable to the formation of wire fencing,
wire mattresses, or other wire articles which are made partly or wholly of the said
netting.
In carrying out our invention we form in the first place two independent lengths
of wire formed in a zigzac shape so that when placed together side by side they
will meet at intervals and form a series of diamonds or triangles or other figures."
These wires are connected together at their meeting points by solid, endless or
split metal rings or links through which the wires are threaded. Another zig-zag
wire is now threaded on to the last by rings or links as above described and so
on until the required length of netting has been made. When applied to a mattress,
coil springs may run continuously the full length or full width or they may be in
short lengths in the mattress or netting and these springs may be twisted or
interlaced into two sections of the said shaped wires. These coiled springs may
have an eye or loop at each end and in connection with these coiled spring eyes we
fix hooks or links of a shape to suit our requirements to fix or fasten the wire netting
or fabric to any frame work necessary whether for fencing or mattresses. By the
term split ring we mean such rings as are usually used for bunches of keys or
fastening chain together.
Dated this 20th day of December 1888
WILLIAM WATERHOUSE.
THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wire Fabric or Netting.
We, WILLIAM WATERHOUSE, and THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN, of the Pioneer
Works, Acocks Green, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Wire Workers and Manufacturers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
Our invention has for its object a simple and inexpensive form of manufacture
of wire fabric or netting which is applicable to the formation of wire fencing,
wire mattresses, or other wire articles which are made partly or wholly of the said
netting.
In carrying out our invention we form in the first place two independent lengths
of wire each bent into a zig-zag shape so that when placed together side by side
they will meet at intervals and form a series of diamonds or triangles or other
figures between them. These wires are connected together at their meeting points by
solid, endless, or split metal rings or links through which the wires are threaded.
Another zig-zag wire is now threaded on to the last by rings or links as above
described and so on until the required length of netting has been made.
When applied to a mattress, coiled springs may be run continuously the full
length or full width or they may be in short lengths in the mattress or netting,
and these springs may be twisted or interlaced into two sections of the said shape.l

page_text: wires. These coiled springs may have an eve or loop at each end and in connection
with these coiled spring eyes we fix hooks or links of a shape to suit our
requirements to fix or fasten the wire netting or fabric to any frame work necessary
whether for fencing or mattresses. By the term "split ring we mean such rings as
are usually used for bunches of keys or fastening chain.
وو
On the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents a part of one of the zig-zag
lengths of wire for forming the wire fabric or netting, and Figs. 2, 3 and 4
illustrate how the said zig-zag lengths of wire are connected together by solid links or
rings ;-Figs. 5, 6 and 7 represent respectively a solid ring or link, a split ring or
link, and an endless ring or link, for securing the zig-zag wires together; Fig. 8 is
a side elevation and Fig. 9 a plan of a wire mattress with our improved wire fabric
or netting applied (a part only of the wire fabric being shown in Fig. 9) and
Figs. 10 and 11 are views of part of the same on an enlarged scale; Fig. 12
illustrates an example of our invention in which the zig-zag lengths of wire are
connected by coiled springs; Figs. 13 and 14 illustrate two different methods of
finishing off the ends of the said springs so as to connect the fabric to a mattress
frame or other support; Fig. 15 shews the fabric or netting illustrated by Figs. 12,
13 and 14 applied to a mattress; Fig. 16 illustrates a modified form of the wire
fabric or netting illustrated by Figs. 12, 13 and 14; and Figs. 17 and 18 illustrato a
further modification.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
Referring firstly more particularly to Figs. 1 to 11 both inclusive, two of the
independent lengths of zig-zag wire are marked respectively a¹ a². These wires a¹ a²
are onnected together at their meeting points by solid, endless or split metal
rings o links through which the wires are threaded. This is accomplished by
first threading on to one of the wires a¹ the springs or links (when links or
springs are required for securing the fabric to a mattress frame or other support)
and the links or rings c for connecting to the next length of zig-zag wire as
shewn in Fig. 2, a spring band a link c being threaded on to the wire alternately.
This length of zig-zag wire a¹ with its links is then suspended as shewn in Fig. 2 and
the end of the length of zig-zag wire a is threaded through the first of the links c.
The length of wire a is now turned half round and then drawn downwardly so that
the angle will now be engaging with the first of the links c; a separate link c¹ is
now threaded on to the end of the zig-zag wire a² and the wire is again turned half
round and its end threaded through the next of the links c, so that the wires will now
have somewhat the appearance represented by Fig. 3; the wire a³ is then drawn
downwardly, another link c¹ threaded on to it, and its end is then threaded through
the next of the links c, and so on, this method being repeated until the wire a² has
been threaded through the whole of the links c on the wire a¹, one of the links c¹ to
connect on to the next section of zig-zag wire being threaded on to the end of the
wire a each time before it is threaded through the links c, so that they will fall down
into the lower angles of the zig-zag section a². Another zig-zag wire is now threaded
on to the last by links or rings c¹ as above described and so on until the required
length of netting has been made. The ends of the lengths of wire a¹ a² may be
finished off by being bent into an eye and both connected to one of the links c' as
shewn in Fig. 11. When extra strength is required two or more rings or links may
be used together. It will be evident that instead of employing the solid links c and c¹
for connecting the lengths of zig-zag wire together, as illustrated by Figs. 2, 3 and 4,
(one of these links being shewn on an enlarged scale by Fig. 5) split rings or links
as shewn by Fig. 6, or so called "endless" rings or links as shewn by Fig. 7, might
be used in the same way.
In applying this example of our invention to a mattress we prefer for the lengths
of zig-zag wire to run across the mattress from side to side as illustrated by Figs. 8,
9, 10 and 11 the ends of the fabric being preferably connected to the ends of the
mattress frame by the coiled springs beach of which has an eye or loop at one end
through which the zig-zag wire a¹ is threaded and an eye or loop at the other end for

page_text: connecting to the mattress frame by a wire staple, hook or other means. The sides
of the wire fabric can be connected with the sides of the mattress frame by staples,
links, or other convenient means, as used with other wire fabrics.
In the example illustrated by Figs. 12, 13 and 14, the lengths or sections of
zig-zag wire are connected together by coiled springs d which are twisted or turned
axially so as to be interlaced into two sections of the zig-zag wires, and thus connect
the two sections together; the lower coil in Fig. 12 is shewn partly in position,
by turning it round it will be gradually wormed along and connect the two sections
of zig-zag wire together. The eyes or loops at the ends of the springs for fixing
or fastenting the wire netting or fabric to any framework necessary whether for
fencing mattresses or for other purposes may be of different forms, those illustrated
being merely intended as examples. For instance, as shown by Fig. 12, the eyes
may be made of a piece of wire bent into a loop and its ends inserted at the
end of the spring and turned up so as to engage with the coils; or as shewn by
Fig. 13, the coils at the end of the spring may be gradually diminished in diameter
as is usual in other springs and a wire f inserted and bent into a loop at each
end; or, as shewn by Fig. 14, three separate hooks or links g₁ g 9³ connected to a
ring h may be used, two of the links engaging with two sections of the zig-zag wire,
and the other link or hook serving for the purpose of attaching the fabric to a fixed
support us may be required.
When the zig-zag sections of wire are connected together by coiled springs as
above described and the wire fabric is required to be used for a spring mattress,
we prefer for the coiled and zig-zag wires to run along the mattress from top to
bottom as shewn by Fig. 15.
In the example illustrated by Fig. 16, the zig-zag sections of wire are connected
together alternately by springs d and solid, "endless," or split rings or links c, and
the ends of those two zig-zag wires which are connected together by the springs are
twisted together and formed into a hook for the securing of the fabric to the
mattress frame or other support, or the ends of the springs and zig-zag wires may be
finished off in any other convenient manner.
I
Instead of making the bends of the zig-zag wires to lie in the same plane as in the
examples illustrated by the preceeding figures, this may be modified by making the
zig-zag wires in the form of very flat coils as illustrated by Figs. 17 and 18, which,
when the sections are connected together by rings or links, will enable the said rings
or links to lie flat instead of standing up on edge.
We wish it to be understood that we make no broad claim to wire fabric or netting
consisting of zig-zag lengths of wire connected together by links or rings, as we are
aware that prior to our invention wire fabric or netting has been made of zig-zag
wires connected together by open or divided links or rings which had to be closed one
at a time round the two meeting angles of the zig-zag wires when they were laid
together, but such links or rings being open or divided were liable to stretch farther
open when the wire fabric or netting was in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
:-
1. Making wire fabric or netting of lengths of zig-zag wires connected together
by being threaded through solid endless or so called "split" rings or links in
the manner substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
2. Making wire fabric or netting of lengths of zig-zag wires connected together
by coiled springs each spring being twisted or wormed axially to embrace two of the
lengths of zig-zag wires for the purpose and substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
3. Wire fabric or netting consisting of lengths of zig-zag wires connected together
by being threaded through solid endless or so called "split" rings or links, and
through spiral springs b at one or both ends of the wire fabric or netting, in the

page_text: manner substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings.
4. Wire fabric or netting consisting of lengths of zig-zag wires connected together
by coiled springs each spring being twisted or wormed axially to embrace two of the
lengths of zig-zag wires in the manner substantially as described, and, if required,
provided at its ends with eyes links or hooks, substantially as hereinbefore described,
for fixing the wire fabric or netting.
5. Making wire fabric or netting of lengths of zig-zag wires connected together
by being threaded through solid endless or so called "split" rings or links in
combination with coiled springs each spring being twisted or wormed axially to
embrace two of the lengths of zig-zag wires substantially as herein before described
and illustrated more particularly by Fig. 16 of the accompanying drawings.
6. Wire fabric or netting consisting of lengths of zig-zag wires connected together
alternately by being threaded through solid endless or so called "split" rings or
links and by coiled springs d, the ends of the zig-zag wires being formed into hooks i
to which the ends of the springs d are connected substantially as herein before-
described and illustrated by Fig. 16 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of September 1889.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.