IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED BAD MARINANITTING
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Eli Higham, Waste Dealer, and Robert Kirk,
Heald, Knitter both of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED
BAD MARINA
Sealed the 7th March 1865, and dated the 13th September. 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Eli Higham and Robert
Kirk at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 18th September 1864.
We, ELI HIGHAM, Waste Dealer, and ROBERT KIRK, Heald Knitter, both
5 of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of
our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED
FOR MAKING OR KNITTING HEALDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the making or knitting healds or
heddles by machinery of a much less complicated nature than that heretofore
employed for such purpose, with consequent reduction in first cost, reduced
wear and tear, and economy of power required for propelling such mechanism.
And in order that we may be distinctly understood we have placed under
separate beadings a description of the various parts of such machinery to
which this Invention relates.
Firstly, the "pushing off" motion heretofore effected by a complicated
arrangement of levers and cranks. We employ in lieu thereof a cam or
tappet fixed to the rim of a gear wheel working on a disc attached to the

page_text: inside of the frame end of the machine and carrying the finger and knitting
bobbin. On each revolution of the rim above described the cam or
tappet acts on the end of the knitting tube, pushing the same the required
distance.
Secondly, the means or method of obtaining a traverse and retraverso of
the frame carrying the needles, which we effect as follows:-On the rail or
frame side of the machine and opposite the needle frame is cast or fixed a
bracket, on which is a stud placed vertically, the upper end of this stud
receiving a lever, one end of which lover forms the segment of a gear wheel,
the teeth of which are received by and work in a rack attached to the needle
frame, the other end of the said lever being provided with an antifriction
pulley, which pulley is received by and works in the oblique groove of a wheel
placed on a short shaft having its bearings on the bracket above mentioned
and on the frame end of the machine. On each revolution of the said shaft
the segment wheel will impart the necessary to-and-fro motion to the needle
frame.
Thirdly, the means or method of obtaining the necessary motion for
"taking up" the work as completed, heretofore effected by an expensivo
arrangement of worm shafts and screws, as described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to David Bowlas, No. 1469, A.D. 1854, or by the
complication of gearing described as the "sun and planet" motion in the
Specification of Patent granted to George Ward, No. 1031, dated A.D. 1859.
We effect the taking up as follows:-At the opposite end of the machine to
the knitting end is a bracket or fixing attached to the frame side, to which
bracket is fixed a vertical stud, on which stud works a toothed or catch wheel;
the bosses of this wheel are elongated for the purpose of receiving the
braiding cords. This wheel is worked by means of a rod, one end of which
is attached to the arm of the segment wheel for working the needle frame;
the other end of the rod forms a catch or pawl for working the catch wheel.
The last-mentioned end of this rod is supported by a bracket; a spring acting
near the end of the rod for the purpose of keeping the catch in gear or
contact with the teeth of the catch wheel. Motion being imparted to the
-segment wheel as above described, will by means of tho herein-before men-
tioned rod and cateli be communicated to the catch wheel, thus taking up the
work as completed, and the catch wheel may be changed as desirable, in
order to construct healds or heddles of any required "count" or number to
the inch.
Lastly, the machinery or apparatus above described may be propelled either
by the attendant working a trendle, tho crank of which communicates motion

page_text: to a fly wheel, on the boss of which is a pinion wheel in connection with
suitable gearing, or instead of the treadle fast and loose pulleys may be used
in connection with steam or other motive power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Eli Higham and Robert Kirk in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th March 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ELI
HIGHAM, Waste Dealer, and ROBERT KIRK, Heald Knitter, both of Accrington,
in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Eli Higham and Robert Kirk, Her special licence that we,
the said Eli Higham and Robert Kirk, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Eli Higham and Robert Kirk, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during tho
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
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR MAKING OR KNITTING HEALDS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Eli Higham and Robert
Kirk, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, 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 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 Eli Higham and Robert Kirk,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the making or knitting healds or heddles
by machinery of a much less complicated nature than that heretofore employed
for such purpose, with consequent reduction in first cost, reduced wear and
tear, and economy of power required for propelling such mechanism.

page_text: And in order that we may be distinctly understood we have placed under
separate headings a description of the various parts of such machinery to
which the Invention relates.
Firstly, tho "pushing off" motion heretoforo effected by a complicated
arrangement of levers and cranks. We employ in licu thereof a cam or
tappet fixed to the rim of a gear wheel working on a disc attached to the
inside of the frame end of the machine and carrying the finger and knitting
bobbin. On each revolution of the rim above described the can or tappet
acts on the end of a tubo for pushing off the work as knit, and pushing the
same the required distance.
Secondly, the means or method of obtaining a traverse and retraverso of
the frame carrying the needles, which we effect as follows:-On the rail or
frame side of the machine and opposite the needle frame is cast or fixed a
bracket, on which is a stud placed vertically, the upper end of this stud
receiving a lever, one end of which lever forms the segment of a gear wheel,
the teeth of which are received by and work in a rack attached to the needlo
frame, the other end of the said lever being provided with an antifriction
pully, which pully is received by and works in the oblique groove of a wheel
placed on a short shaft, having its bearing on the bracket above mentioned
and on the frame end of the machine. On each revolution of the said sbaft
the segment wheel will impart the necessary to-and-fro motion to the needlo
frame.
Thirdly, the means or method of obtaining the necessary motion for "taking
пр "the work as completed, heretofore effected by an expensive arrangement
of worm shafts and screws, as described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to David Bowlas, No. 1469, A.D. 1854, or by the complication of
gearing described as the "sun and planet" motion in the Specification of Patent
granted to George Ward, No. 1031, dated A.D. 1859. We effect the taking
up as follows:-At the opposite end of the machine to the knitting end is n
bracket or fixing attached to the frame side, to which bracket is fixed a
vertical stud, on which stud works a toothed or catch wheel; the bosses of
this wheel are clongated for the purpose of receiving the braiding cords. This
wheel is worked by means of a rod, one end of which is attached to the arm
of the segment wheel for working the needle frame; the other end of the rod
forms a catch or paul for working the catch wheel. The last-mentioned end
of this rod is supported by a bracket, a spring acting near the end of the rod
for the purpose of keeping the catch in gear or contact with the teeth of the
catch wheel. Motion being imparted to the segment wheel as above described
will by means of the herein-before mentioned rod and catch bo communicated

page_text: to the catch wheel, thus taking up the work as completed, and the catch
wheel may be changed as desirable, in order to construct healds or heddles of
any required "count" or number to the inch.
Lastly, the machinery or apparatus above described may be propelled either
by the attendant working a treadle, the crank of which communicates motion
to a fly wheel, on the boss of which is a pinion wheel in connection with
suitable gearing, or instead of the treadle fast and loose pullies may be used
in connection with steam or other motive power.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention, we will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order that the
same may be distinctly understood, we have attached to these Presents two
Sheets of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with.
letters of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation.
thereof, similar letters of reference being placed upon corresponding parts in
the various Figures.
In Sheet 1 of the Drawings, Fig. 1 is an end elevation of our improved
heald-making machinery; Fig. 2 is a front view of the same; Figure 3, a
plan or top view.
At Sheet 2 of the Drawings is shewn enlarged views of our improvements,
in which Fig. 4 is a side view of the disc carrying the tube for pushing off the
work as knit, and the rim carrying the cam or tappet for working the said
tube; Fig. 5 is a front view of the same; Fig. 6 is an elevation of the toothed,
segment for actuating the needle frame and the oblique grooved whoel for
working the said toothed segment, also shewing part of the rod for actuating
the catch wheel for "taking up" the braiding cords; Fig. 7 is a plan of the
same; and Fig. 8 is an elevation of the elongated bosses on which the.
braiding cords are wound and the catch wheel thereon; Fig. 9 is a plan of
the same.
A is the ordinary driving pully, the pinion a on the shaft of which imparts
motion to the gear wheel B, gearing with the wheel B', fixed on the shaft B³,
on which shaft is the wheel B³, gearing with the wheel C, on which wheel is a
rim C', the wheel and rim C' working on the disc C³, as in ordinary heald-.
knitting machinery; to the rim C' is fixed the cam or tappet D, which cam
or tappet at each revolution of the wheel C and rim C¹ acts on the anti-
friction pully E, fixed to the end of the tube F, pushing or sliding the said.
tube on the stud the required distance, and forwarding the heald as knitted;
the said tube is returned by pressure of the spring F¹ ready to repeat the

page_text: operation. G shews the segment of gear wheel (see Fig. 6, Sheet 2), the
teeth of which are received by and work in the rack attached to the needle
framo E, which frame works in a V-shaped groovo at the top and bottom of
the fixing h; H' shews the wheel with oblique groove fixed on the shaft B³;
at J is shewn a bracket or fixing carrying a vertical stood, on which works the
catch wheel K (which wheel may be changed when desirable to knit healds
or heddles of another count or number to the inch), to the elongated bossos of
which the braiding cords L, L, are attached. Motion is imparted to this
wheel by means of tho rod M, one end of which acts upon the teeth thereof,
the other and being secured to the arm of the segment wheel G. On each
revolution of the shaft B, the oblique grooved wheel H' being connected
with the segment G by a stud and antifriction pully G', will cause the segment
of gear wheel G (working on the stud g) to oscillate, thus imparting the
necessary "to-and-fro" motion to the needle frame H, the rod M being also
attached to the arm of the segment of gear wheel G (by the stud m) will,
on each oscillation of the said arm, impart motion to the catch wheel K
(working on the vertical stud fixed to the bracket J, as above described), to
the elongated bosses of which are attached the braiding cords L, L, thus
taking up or drawing forward the heald or heddles as knit.
At Figs. 10 and 11 (Sheet 1) we have shewn as a modification of our
Invention another incans or method of imparting motion to the elongated
bosses or hollow shaft (for "taking up" the work) by means of the shaft N
and bovel gearing P.
for
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of this our Invention
*Improvements in Machinery for Making or Knitting Healds or
Heddles, together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be
performed or carried into practical effect, wo would remark in conclusion
that we claim as our Invention, and which we believo to be new within this
realm,-
Firstly, the means of and mechanism for pushing off the work as knit, as
herein described.
Secondly, the use and employment of the toothed segment and the
rack on the needle frame for imparting the necessary to-and-fro motion to the
said needle frame.
Thirdly, the use of the elongated bosses or hollow shaft working on the s
vertical stud for taking up the healds, and actuated as above described.
Lastly, the general arrangements of the parts of our improved beald-
making machinery as such_are herein described and illustrated, or any mere

page_text: modification of the same acting in substantially the same or in a similar
manner.
In witness whereof, we, the said Eli Higham and Robert Kirk,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Tenth day of March,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Signed and sealed by the within-
named Eli Higham and Robert
Kirk, in the presence of
JOSEPII BRIERLEY,
ELI HIGHAM.
(L.B.)
ROBERT KIRK. (L.S.)
Engineer to the Corporation, &c., &c.,
Blackburn