IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING KNITTED FABRICS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harby Barber, of Leicester, Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING KNITTED FABRICS."
Sealed the 21st January 1859, and dated the 23rd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harby Barber at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd July 1858.
I, HARBY BARBER, of Leicester, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING KNITTED
FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improved machinery for producing knitted fabrics,
relates, in the first place, to an improved mode of selecting the moveable
presser bits, which are to press down the beards of the needles used in the
ordinary stocking frame or loom, so as to retain them in their quiescent
position, and prevent the pressers from pressing down the beards until the
pressers are required to be changed in position in order to make them press
or close the beards. These operations are effected without the aid of a
jacquard apparatus, and the object is accomplished by the employment of a
series of levers, the number depending upon the size of the pattern. These
levers extend the whole width of the machine, and are capable of selecting any
of the pressers, those that are required for producing the pattern being caused

page_text: not to press the beards of certain of the needles, while the others are made to
press or close the beards of the other needles. By the employment of levers
in this manner, the application of motive power to the machine is much
facilitated.
The next improvement which is employed in connection with the first,
consists in the use of a moveable bar for the purpose of retaining or holding
back in their proper position the presser bits after they have been selected.
The pressers and presser bits work on shafts which extend the whole width of
the frame, and the presser bits are provided with strings, cords, or other
analogous contrivances, which are connected at their opposite ends with the
levers before mentioned. By means of these strings the levers will pull away
or draw back the presser bits, and prevent them from acting on the beards of
the needles. When the pressers and presser bits have been brought into their
proper position, they are held there during some of the other operations of the
machine by means of the moveable bar, which forms the second improvement,
and which is brought down against the presser bits, and locks them until it is
lifted again.
The next improvement consists in the employment of a peg cylinder for the
purpose of acting on the levers and changing the position of the presser bits
so as to produce the pattern.
In carrying out the foregoing improvements, the ordinary needles may be
employed, but for some descriptions of fabrics I find it advisable to use an
improved construction of needle, which forms the last part of the present
Invention. My improved needle is made with a sliding or moveable presser
for closing the beard when required. A slot is made vertically in the needle
to receive the presser, which is also slotted horizontally, and is held in the
needle by a pin or stud that passes freely through the slot of the presser, and
allows it to be moved to and fro under the beard of the needle. Needles of
this construction need not occupy more room than those of the ordinary kind,
and they will be found exceedingly convenient for producing many kinds of
fabric, and also for figuring.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Harby Barber, Her special license that I, the said Harby
Barber, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Harby Barber, 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 "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING KNITTED FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Harby Barber, by an instrument in writing under
my band and seal, 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 I, the said Harby Barber, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of the first part of my Invention of "Improved Machinery for
Producing Knitted Fabrics" is to simplify the mode of selecting moveable
presser bits, which are used to press down the beards of the needles employed
in the ordinary stocking frame or loom. In order to produce patterns on
knitted fabrics by means of a jacquard apparatus a complicated arrangement
of parts is required, and my first improvement consists in dispensing with the
use of the jacquard apparatus for such purpose, and in place thereof a pattern
or tappet wheel or such like apparatus is employed for selecting certain levers,.
each of which are made to operate upon a number or series of pressers. The
intended object is effected by the employment of a series of levers, the number
depending upon the size of the pattern. The row or series of these levers
extends the whole width of the machine, and they are so arranged that each.
lever is made to act upon two or more of the pressers, so as to select those
that are required to be kept back in order to produce the pattern; by thus
keeping or holding back certain of the pressers and preventing them from
pressing the beards of certain of the needles, while the others are made to

page_text: press or close the beards, the pattern is produced on the knitted fabric, as is
well known.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional view of one mode of
carrying out this part of my Invention. The needles are seen at a, the
sinkers at 6, and the moveable pressers at c; these pressers are mounted in
combs d in such a manner as to admit of them sliding or moving vertically
therein, and they are connected at their upper ends by cords e to lever rods f,
which are connected in any convenient manner to one of the levers g, which is
worked or selected by a tappet wheel, or by a peg cylinder, as shewn at k in
the Figure.
It will now be seen that by causing the tappet or pattern wheel or the peg
cylinder to rotate, the tappets or pegs thereon will act upon one end of one
of the levers g, and cause it to act upon the corresponding arm of the lever
rod f, and by that means select or draw up such of the pressers as are con-
nected by the cords e with such lever rod f. The presser bar i may be made
moveable by itself in a suitable direction by any convenient mechanical
contrivance connected with the main driving shaft, or it may be attached to
the hanging cheeks of the frame and be made to move with it, or it may be
worked by a treadle in the ordinary way. The particular mode of actuating
this bar i must depend upon the description of frame to which it is applied.
Fig. 2 is a sectional representation, and Fig. 3 a front view of a modification
of the contrivance shewn in Fig. 1. a represents the needles; the sinkers are
not shewn in this Figure; c are the moveable pressers, which in this instance
are mounted on a centre pin c*, which passes through the comb d, and extends
from end to end of the comb. The pressers are connected by cords e, e, to a
lever arm, shaft, or rod, as in the former instance, but instead of being lifted
or made to slide up and down in the combs, they are made to vibrate or move
on their centre pins c, and when any of the pressers are intended to be
selected, the locking bar j which slides up and down in a groove k,-is raised
and the pressers c are then free to move on their centre pin c*, and may there-
fore be selected and drawn back out of the way of the needles, as shewn in
Fig. 2. The locking barj is then lowered so as to hold the pressers secure,
and then the presser bar may be depressed so as to bring the pressers down
on the beards of the needles and close them. It will be evident that, if
desired, the selected pressers (instead of those left stationary) may, with very
little alteration in the arrangement, be made to act upon and close the beards
of the needles. In order to ensure the pressers acting properly on the beards,
I make their lower ends broader than the other parts, as shewn at 2, 2, in

page_text: Figures 2 and 3. A rod s is suspended above the pressers in such a manner as
by its weight to bear down the pressers to their original position when the
locking bark is raised.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of another arrangement and mode of working
the pressers. a, a, are the needles; b, the sinkers; c, c, the moveable pressers
which are mounted on studs or pins c, and work in combs d, d. These pressers
are actuated by cords e, e, connected with levers that are selected by means of
a pattern wheel or peg cylinder, as in the former instances. The combs are
fixed in a comb bar d, which is moved backwards and forwards by means of
a cam or treadle in slots made in a bar attached to the needle bar a*. The
outer ends of the pressers pass through a comb m, which keeps them in
position, and in front of this comb m is a round rod or bar n against which
the front ends of the pressers are brought, when the comb bar d* is moved
forward. It will now be understood that those pressers which are selected will
be lifted up by the cords e, and when the comb bar dis brought forward
with all the pressers, the selected or raised ones will pass over the round rod or
bar n, while those that have not been selected or raised will pass under the rod
or bar n, and will consequently be caused to dip down, and their breasts made
to press on and close the beards of the needles, as indicated by dots in the
Figure. In the Drawing the bar n is shewn as being stationary, but it will
be evident that, if desired, the bar n may be moveable and made to press down
the pressers on to the beards of the needles for the purpose of closing them,
instead of this object being effected by causing the inclined edge of the head
of the presser to come against a fixed bar, and be depressed thereby.
The next improvement consists in the use or application of a bar or bars for
the purpose of locking, retaining, or holding in their proper position the
presser bits after they have been selected. This bar or bars I call a locking
bar or bars, and by a locking bar I mean any bar which locks or assists in
locking the pressers, so as to prevent them from moving when they are called
upon to act or press on the needles. It has been already said in reference to
Fig. 2 that the pressers or presser bits c work on pins or shafts c*, which
extend the whole width of the frame, and the presser bits are provided with
strings or cords e or other analogous contrivances, which are connected at the
opposite ends with levers that are worked by a tappet or pattern wheel or peg
cylinder. By means of these strings e, the levers or other instrument employed
will pull away or draw back certain of the presser bits, and will prevent them
from acting on the beards of the needles.
When the pressers or presser bits have been brought into their proper

page_text: position, as shewn in Fig. 2, the front edges of those that are intended to press
or act on the beards of the needles are forced against the edge of a bar l
(Fig. 2), and they are held there during some of the other operations of the
machine by means of a triangular shaped bar j, which upon being brought
down against the presser bits locks them during the operation of pressing, after
which they are again set at liberty by raising or removing the bar j into the
position shewn by dots in Fig. 2. The ends of the locking bar work in vertical
guides in the end framing, so as to ensure their proper action, and if the
frame is intended to make more than one piece of work at a time, I arrange
a separate locking bar for each division or piece of work, so that the pieces
may be independent of each other.
In Fig. 1, I have shewn another form of locking bar which is mounted on
a centre piu, and is made to vibrate thereon when it is intended to lock or
unlock the pressers. These latter are provided on their front edges with
angular projections 3, against which the under side of the locking bar bears, as
shewn in Fig. 1, when it is intended to lock the pressers previous to bringing
them into action on the beards of the needles. By this means they are held
securely and firmly while they are pressing. It will be obvious that if more
than one piece is being made in the machine at the same time, this vibrating
locking bar must be divided into sections as in the former instance. The
advantages resulting from this arrangement of dividing the locking bar into
sections will be obvious. Supposing, for instance, that four figured shirt
bodies are being made in one machine, it often occurs that one of the pieces
may by accident be pressed off, or the pattern might get spoiled by some
thick yarn getting over the needles, or something might occur that would
render it necessary to run the shirt on to the needles again. As the shirt
would have lost a part of its pattern, all the other three pieces would have to
be run on to the needles again to bring them back to the same place in the
pattern, thereby causing much trouble and waste of time and material, but by
having a separate locking bar to each division or piece of work, all that is
required to be done will be to lock up all the pressers from acting on those
shirts or pieces of work which are right or in order, and then to go on working
that which is wrong or out of order until the pattern is filled up to its proper
place, when-the-other-working parts may be set at liberty to go on as before.
The next improvement relates to the employment of a peg cylinder for the
purpose of acting on the levers, whereby the position of the presser bits may
be changed so as to produce the pattern on knitted fabrics. Fig. 1 shews one
way of applying a peg cylinder for the purpose, and Figs. 5 and 5* represent a

page_text: section and front view of another arrangement of parts. o is a cylinder into
the periphery of which are screwed a number of pegs p, p, which, as the
cylinder is made to rotate by means of gearing communicating with the
driving shaft, will act on and raise one end of such of the levers as may be
opposite to the pegs, and by means of the cords 9 will pull over the levers f,
at the opposite ends of which are the cords e, e, whereby the pressers or
presser bits are selected.
In carrying out. the foregoing improvements the ordinary bearded needles
may be employed, but for some descriptions of fabrics I find it advisable to
use an improved construction of needle, which forms the last part of the
present Invention.
My improved needle is made with a sliding or moveable presser for closing
the beard when required. Fig. 6 is a side view, and Fig. 7 a longitudinal
section of one of my improved needles, in which it will be seen that a slot or
groove is made vertically therein to receive the presser ", which is also slotted
horizontally, and is held in the needle by means of a pin or stud that is fixed
in the needle across the slot, but passes freely through the slot of the presser,
and allows the latter to be moved to and fro under the hook or beard of the
needle. It will be seen that there is no band passing round the needle, as is
the case with other needles provided with moveable pressers, and there is
nothing projecting laterally beyond the body of the needle, consequently
needles of this construction need not occupy more room than those of the
ordinary kind, and they will be found exceedingly convenient for producing
many kinds of fabrics.
I would remark that this improvement may be
applied as well to single-headed as to double-headed needles, the use of which
is well known to manufacturers of knitted fabrics.
Having now described my Invention of improved machinery for producing
knitted fabrics, and having explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid,
First, the mode or modes herein shewn and described of selecting and
working the pressers for closing the beards of the needles. I claim particularly
the use and application of sets of levers for the purpose of selecting the
pressers, whereby two or more pressers can be selected by one lever, and also
the use of pressers mounted in a comb groove or slay in which they are
allowed to slide.
Second, I claim the use and application of a locking bar or bars to
detached moveable pressers or presser bits for the purpose of firmly holding

page_text: such pressers or presser bits during the operation of pressing down the beards
of the needles.
Third, I claim the use of a peg cylinder for selecting the pressers or presser
bits.
Fourth, I claim the use of and application to knitting machinery of
needles constructed in the manner shewn in Figures 6 and 7.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harby Barber, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
HARBY BARBER. (L.S.)