IMPROVE- XENTS IN CIRCULAR LOOMS FOR WEAVING HATS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
XENTS IN CIRCULAR LOOMS FOR WEAVING HATS AND OTHER ARTICLES."-A
communication from abroad by Mr. Louis Bonard, of New York,
United States of America.
Sealed the 22nd March 1861, and dated the 23rd January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
January 1861.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer & Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR LOOMS FOR WEAVING HATS AND OTHER ARTICLES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, 1st, in certain devices for carrying, operating, and
guiding the warp holders, and in a peculiar manner of attaching the warp to
the warp holders.
2ndly, in certain devices for laying the woof in circular form.
Srdly, in certain devices for forming the crown of the hat.
A vertical shaft or axis is firmly secured in a stationary bed or platform.
Upon said axis rotates a frame composed of two principal parts, being two

page_text: rings placed one above the other, and a third and lower part having radial
armis connecting it with a boss on the main axis; it is supported at its
periphery on wheels running in bearings upon the bed of the machine; a pair
of rings are connected at a short distance apart by links or yokes, and formed
with corresponding vertical slots to carry and guide the warp holders or keys,
as herein-after explained. One such key is placed in each of the slots in the
ring, the said key being provided at its outer end with a projecting lug, to
elevate it, as herein-after explained, and at a cross-bar in its centre a hook is
arranged, upon which an india-rubber ring is placed to form an elastic attach-
ment for the warp. Sliding pins are placed between the keys or warp holders
to elevate the latter at the proper time, as herein-after explained; a circular
bevilled rack is attached to the under side of the ring, and gearing with a
bevil cog wheel which runs upon a horizontal journal secured to the stationary
bed of the machine; a smaller wheel is also mounted upon the horizontal
journal, and caused to turn in unison with the bevil wheel by means of a bolt
passing through both. The smaller wheel constitutes a frame for the attach-
ment of a rim, the periphery of which is formed with alternate cavities, and
projections, the latter of which act to elevate such of the sliding pins as come
in contact with them. The number and size of the cavities in the rim
determines the pattern of the work, and for the purpose of changing the
"pattern different rims are provided, each of which can be attached to a smaller
wheel above mentioned. To facilitate the putting in of a new rim, the horizontal
journal is hinged to the bed, so that it can be turned down in a vertical plane,
and the different rims can be attached without coming in contact with the
sliding pins. A frame or waggon is placed concentrically on the exterior of
the lower ring before mentioned, supported upon wheels or rollers by a flange
projecting horizontally from the said ring, so as to permit it to revolve
independently of the waggon, the latter being held stationary by means of
spring catches and latches. The one catch is pivotted to the waggon, and it
engages with a spring latch pivotted to a projection on the stationary bed of
the machine, and held in its elevated position by means of a spring. Two of
these catches being provided on opposite sides of the machine permit the
passage of the yokes or angular brackets before mentioned, and close auto-
matically when said yokes have passed, but never being open at one time,
effectually prevent the rotation of the waggon. Inclined slideways are secured
to the inside of the waggon, adapted to receive the lugs of such of the keys as
are elevated by the action of the rim and sliding pins. before mentioned, and as
the two rings continue to rotate to carry them up into the slots of the upper
ring, and entirely above the space between the two rings. The woof carriers

page_text: are secured to the waggon; they project horizontally inward through the centre.
and through the space between the rings. In the present illustration three of
the said woof carriers are supposed to be employed. Their construction is as
follows: A flanged bar is secured to the waggon, and having on its inner end
a sleeve-piece, to which is pivotted a head, consisting of a crescent piece with
projecting arm; a link is formed by a right and left screw and nut, and
attached at its respective ends to the projecting arm and stationary point. To
set the crescent-piece and projecting head at any angle desired, a screw bolt is
secured by collars from endwise movement within the fixed bracket bar, and
threaded in the sleeve-piece, so as to regulate the position and angle of the
crescent head either automatically, through the agency of a toothed wheel and
tappets, or by the agency of the operator; bobbins are arranged carrying the
woof, which passes through eyes to the laying mechanism.
The hat is formed by means of the following mechanism, on a form upon
which the crown of the hat is woren, as herein-after explained. The said
form is supported and elevated conveniently in the revolving warp frame by
means of the following mechanism:-A cog wheel is firmly keyed to the
stationary shaft, and gearing with an intermediate cog wheel journaled on a
stud on the lower part of the rotary frame before mentioned; a second cog
wheel is journaled upon a shaft which is clainped in a segmental slot, so as to
be set in or out of gear with the intermediate cog wheel. The third cog
wheel carries a pulley, which, through the medium of an endless chain imparts
motion to a pulley running loosely on the stationary shaft, and carrying a
sheath fitted on it. The rotation of the sheath elevates the form or shape
through the medium of a nut fitting the sheath; a hand wheel and nut is used,
by means of which the form or shape is elevated independently of the sheath,
which it embraces. When it is desired to elevate the form automatically, the
motion of the hand wheel is arrested by a catch. A cylindrical bell is placed
concentrically over the frame or shape to form the vertical sides of the crown
or body, as herein-after explained. This bell is held down in any desired
position by means of a hand screw.
The operation of weaving a bat is performed as follows:-The warp cut in
suitable lengtbs is stretched diametrically across the machine, and secured to
india-rubber rings upon the keys or warp holders, an odd number of said keys,
and about one-eighth part of the whole being thus supplied. The inner ends
of each length of the warp are secured to a hook on the top of the central shaft.
The woof is then taken from the bobbins and conducted through the eyes and
through apertures in the woof carriers or crescents before mentioned to the centre.
of the machine, where it is secured to the top of the shaft. The heads of the

page_text: woof carriers are now adjusted with their points near the centre, and the warp
frame set in motion, & motion thereby imparted to the bevil and rim wheels
first mentioned, which have previously been supplied with a rim of any desired
pattern. In passing over this rim such of the sliding pins as are received by
the cavities in the same impart no rising motion to their keys, but suffer the
latter to remain within the slots of the lower ring, & thus pass beneath the
slideways and the bracket bar of the woof carrier. Such of the sliding pins,
on the other hand, as come in contact with the projections of the rim are
thereby elevated, and raise their keys sufficiently to deposit their projecting
Jugs upon the lower end of the slideway, so that the continued motion of the
warp frame carries the said keys up the slideway, by means of which they
are elevated completely within the slots of the upper ring, and thus enabled to
pass above the woof carriers, after which they descend again into the slots of
the lower ring. By these means a strand of woof is laid by each woof carrier
at every revolution of the machine, the point of the crescent serving to
compact it between the threads of the warp; tappets impart an intermediate
motion to toothed wheels, which act upon the screw operating the sleeve-piece,
and gradually retract the point of the crescent to suit the increasing diameter
of the web. As the diameter of the web increases, new threads of warp aro
inserted by securing their respective ends to the unoccupied india-rubber rings
and the edge of the web, and the work progresses until the diameter of the
web slightly exceeds that desired for the horizontal top of the crown (the tip).
The form or block is now run up by means of the hand wheel operating it,
until it raises the web slightly in the centre. The bell before mentioned is
now placed upon the web concentrically above the form or block, and secured
by the hand screw for that purpose, the web projecting slightly beyond the
sides of the bell, and the catch is turned down, and the second stud cog wheel
set in motion with the intermediate cog wheel before mentioned, causing the
rotation of the warp frame to gradually elevate the form or block through the
medium of toothed gearing, pullies, and endless chain-threaded sheath and nut
for that purpose, which forces the web up into the bell, compressing it tightly
around the form or block as fast as laid, sufficient of the web remaining
outside the bell for the laying mechanism to act on. When the body is
completed, the second stud wheel is again thrown out of gear, so as to stop
the further elevation of the form or block, and the brim of the hat is formed
in the manner previously explained in reference to the tip. Some descriptions
of common work may be more expeditiously performed by weaving the top in
an ordinary loom, and then setting the work in the machine to complete it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rds
July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM:
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Clark, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CIRCULAR LOOMS FOR WEAVING HATS AND OTHER ARTICLES," a communication
from abroad by Mr. Louis Bonard, of New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, 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 William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists, first, in certain devices for carrying, operating,
and guiding the warp holders, and in a peculiar manner of attaching the
warp to the
holders.
warp
Secondly, in certain devices for laying the woof in circular form.
Thirdly, in certain devices for forming the crown of the hat.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 represents a vertical central section of this Invention ;
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section
the same, taken in the plane indicated by the

page_text: line X, X, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detached side elevation of the carriage to
which the woof carriers are attached, and of the device for holding the
same stationary on a larger scale than the previous Figures; Fig. 4 is a
detached side elevation of the warp holders on an enlarged scale. Similar
letters of reference in all the Figures indicate corresponding parts.
A represents a vertical shaft or axis which is firmly secured in the stationary
bed or platform A'. Upon said axis rotates a frame H, P, T,[supported at
its periphery on wheels G running in bearings upon the bed A' of the machine;
P and T, are a pair of rings connected at a short distance apart by links
or yokes M, N, and formed with corresponding vertical slots to carry and
guide the warp holders or keys Q, as herein-after explained. One such key
is placed in each of the slots in the ring P, the said key being provided at
its outer end with a projecting lug a' to elevate it as herein-after explained,
and at a cross bar in its centre a hook is arranged upon which an india-
rubber ring c placed as clearly shown in Fig. 4, to form an elastic attachment
for the warp. R, R, are sliding-pins. placed between the keys or warp
holders Q, to elevate the latter at the proper time as herein-after explained;
S represents a circular bevilled rack attached to the under side of the ring
P and gearing with a bevil cog wheel C which runs upon a horizontal
journal B, secured to the stationary bed. of the machine; D is a smaller
wheel also mounted upon the journal B and caused to turn in unison with
the wheel C by means of a bolt E passing through both. The wheel D
constitutes a frame for the attachment of a rim F the periphery of which is
formed with alternate cavities and projections, the latter of which act to
elevate such of the pins R as come in contact with them. The number and
size of the cavities in the rim F determines the pattern of the work and
for the purpose of changing the pattern, different rims are provided, each of
which can be attached to the wheel D. To facilitate the putting in of a
new rim F, the journal B is hinged to the bed A', so that it can be turned
down in a vertical plane, and the different rims can be attached without
coming in contact with the pins R; U is a frame or waggon placed
concentrically on the exterior of the ring P, and supported upon wheels or
rollers W upon a flange projecting horizontally from the said ring P so as
to permit said ring to revolve independently of the waggon, the latter being
held stationary by means of spring catches and latches, one of which is
particularly shown in Fig. 3. The one catch Z is pivotted to the waggon as
shown, and it engages with a spring latch Z' pivotted to a projection D¹ from
the stationary bed of the machine, and held in its elevated position by means
of a spring. Two of these catches being provided on opposite sides of

page_text: the machine permit the passage of the yokes or angular brackets M and
close automatically, when said yokes have passed, but never being open at
one time effectually prevent the rotation of the waggon. Secured to the
inside of the waggon U are the inclined sideways U₁ adapted to receive
the lugs a' of such of the keys as are elevated by the action of the rim F
and pins R, and as the rings P, T, continue to rotate to carry them up
into the slots of the upper ring and entirely above the space between the
rings P and T. The woof carriers A* are secured to the waggon U as
clearly shown in Fig. 2 and, they project horizontally inward, through the
centre, and through the space between the rings P and T. In the present
illustration three of said woof carriers are employed, their construction is as
follows: A is a flanged bar secured to the waggon and having on its inner
end a sleeve B*.to which is pivotted a head, consisting of a crescent C* and
projecting arm D*; E*, is a link formed by a right and left screw and
nut, and attached at its respective ends to the arm. D* and stationary bar
A*, to set the head C*, D*, at any angle desired; F is a screw bolt
secured by collars from endwise movement within the bar A* and threaded
in the sleeve B, so as to regulate the position and angle of the head C*, D*,
either automatically through the agency of a toothed wheel H* and tappets
m, or by the agency of the operator; V are bobbins carrying the woof, which
passes through eyes X to the laying mechanism. The hat is formed by means
of the following mechanism; K is a form upon which the crown of the hat
is woven as herein-after explained. The said form is supported and elevated
conveniently in the revolving warp frame by means of the following
mechanism. A cog wheel i is firmly keyed to the stationary shaft A and
an intermediate cog wheel i is journaled to the rotary frame H, and it is in
gear with the wheel i, the cog wheel is journaled upon, a shaft which is
clamped in a segmental slot so as to be set in or out of gear with the wheel
The wheel carries a pulley which through the medium of an endless
chain imparts motion to the pulley J running loosely on the shaft A, and
carrying a sleeve J' threaded, on its exterior. The rotation of the sleeve
Js elevates the form K through the medium of a nut J'; J₁ is a hand wheel,
and J a nut, by means of which the form is elevated independently of the
sleeve J. When it is desired to elevate the form automatically, the motion
of the band wheel J' is arrested by a catch K' shown in Figure 1; K* is a
cylindrical bell placed concentrically over the form K, to form the vertical
sides of the crown as herein-after explained. This bell is held down in any
desired position by means of a hand screw.*.
The operation of weaving a hat is performed as follows:-The warp cut
:

page_text: in suitable lengths is stretched diametrically across the machine and secured
to the india-rubber rings upon the keys or warp holders Q, an odd number
of said keys and about one-eighth part of the whole being thus supplied.
The inner ends of each length of the warp is secured to hook on the top
of the central shaft A. The woof is then taken from the bobbins V through
the eyes X, and through appertures in the woof carriers or crescents C* to
the centre of the machine, where it is secured to the top of the shaft A.
The heads C, D*, of the woof carriers are now adjusted with their points
near the centre, and the warp frame H, P, T, set in motion in the direction
of the arrow marked upon it in Fig. 2, and motion thereby imparted to the
wheels C, D, which have previously been supplied with a rim F of any
desired pattern. In passing over this rim such of the pins R as are received
by the cavities in the same impart no rising motion to their keys Q,
but suffer the latter to remain within the slots of the lower ring P, and
thus pass between the slideways U' and the bar A¹* of the woof carrier.
Such of the pins R on the other hand as come in contact with the projections
of the rim F are thereby elevated and raise their keys sufficiently to deposit
their projecting lugs a¹ upon the lower end of the slideway, so that the
continued motion of the warp frame carries the said keys up the slideway
U by means of which they are elevated completely within the slots of the
upper ring T, and thus enabled to pass above the woof carriers, after which,
they descend again into the slots of the ring P. By these means the strand of
woof is laid by each woof carrier at overy revolution of the machine, the point
of the crescent C* serving to compact it between the threads of the warp.
The tappets m impart an intermittent motion to the toothed wheels H*,
which acting upon the screw F* and sleeve G* gradually retract the point
of the crescent C* to suit the increasing diameter of the web. As the
diameter of the web increases, new threads of warp are inserted by securing
their respective ends to the unoccupied india-rubber rings and the edge of
the web, and the work thus progresses until the diameter of the web slightly
exceeds that desired for the horizontal top of the crown. The form K is
now run up by means of the hand wheel J¹ until it raises the web slightly
in the centre. The bell K* is then placed upon the web concentrically
above the form K and secured by the hand screw *, the web projecting
slightly beyond the sides of the bell, and the catch K'is turned down to
the position shown in Figure 1, and the wheel " set in gear with the inter-
mediate wheel, causing the rotation of the warp frame to gradually elevate
the form K through the medium of gearing i, , ", pullies J, j, endless
chain, threaded sleeve J' and nut J' which forces the web up into the

page_text: on.
bell K compressing it tightly around the form K. as fast as laid. Sufficient
of the web remaining outside the bell for the laying mechanism C to act
When the body or vertical part of the crown is completed, the wheel
is again thrown out of gear so as to stop the further elevation of the
form K and the brim of the hat is formed in the manner previously explained
in reference to the horizontal top of the crown. Some descriptions of
common work may be more expeditiously performed by weaving the horizontal
top of the crown in an ordinary loom and then setting the work in the machine
to complete it.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the rings T and P, constructed with the corresponding slots to guide
the keys or warp carriers as set forth.
Secondly, the use of an india-rubber ring C', or its equivalent, in combination
with each of the keys or warp carriers Q as and for the purpose specified.
Thirdly, the twine wheels C and D, and notched ring F, or their equivalents,
for the purpose of elevating the keys as described.
Fourthly, connecting the journals B to the bed A' of the machine by means
of a hinge as and for the purpose set forth.
Fifthly, the stationary waggon U for supporting and retaining the woof as
set forth.
the
Sixthly, the slideways U¹ attached to the waggon U, substantially as and for
purpose specified.
Seventhly, the laying mechanism A*, B*, C*, D*, E*, F*, G*, H*,
constructed & operating substantially as and for the purposes described.
Eighthly, the form K and bell K, combined and operating substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred & sixty-one.
Witness,
W. G. E. SWINNOCK,
53, Chancery Lane.
W. CLARK. (LS.)