IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES KNOWN AS 'SCOTCH BONNETS AND OTHER PLAIN AND FANCY HOSIERY, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE.”
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Tilley, of Leicester, Framework Knitter,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES
KNOWN AS 'SCOTCH BONNETS AND OTHER PLAIN AND FANCY HOSIERY, AND
IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Tilley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th November 1874.
I, JOSEPH TILLEY, of Leicester, Framework Knitter, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF ARTICLES KNOWN AS 'SCOTCH BONNETS' AND OTHER Plain and Fancy Hosiery,
AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE," to be as follows :—
In describing my Invention I will first proceed to describe its appli-
cation to the manufacture of Scotch bonnets.
It has before been proposed in the Specification of Letters Patent

page_text: Scotch bonnets on hosiery frames.
Now according to my Invention
I am enabled to manufacture such articles on hosiery frames at a greater
speed and with a greater variety of design than heretofore, whilst I also
produce a better article.
In the manufacture of Scotch bonnets according to my Invention I
employ the common hosiery frame, having the needles each in a separate
lead mounted upon a rod or wire, so that any of such needles can be
thrown out of action as required, and I adapt means, as herein-after
described, for acting upon the "falling bar" and "slur bar" so as to
provide a ready means for adjusting the length of loop to any desired
degree.
66
"
"to
In commencing to make a Scotch bonnet, instead of “ casting on
every needle, as has heretofore been done, I first run a tape on to the
needles; I then run a draw thread thereon so as to form one course,
such draw thread being afterwards removed to separate the bonnet when
finished from the tape. On to this draw thread I run the first course of
the "band," and by means of a jack machine I then take every
alternate loop off its needle and shift it over two needles, when such
loops are by the coming forward and going back of the "frame" taken
off the points of the "jack machine" and cast on to the needles, whereby
a secure casting on is made. I then proceed by the aid of the "jack
machine" to form the edge of the "band" by shifting every alternate
loop of each course over two needles, as before described, first to the
right and then to the left, until the desired width of edging is produced.
This mode of working produces a novel description of edging, which is
an elastic braided edge, and forms one peculiar feature of my Invention
as applied to Scotch bonnets. I then proceed to form the band, which
I produce of any desired dice, check, or fancy design, by means of
66 carriers,"
""tuck pressers,"
"bluff presser," and "jack machine," and
this part of my Invention consists in the employment of two "tuck
pressers" and a
"bluff presser," each of which may be used separately,
or any two or all of them may be used in combination, as may be
required, for the design to be produced. These "tuck pressers" and
the "bluff presser ·
are provided with handles and cranked slots, and
are acted upon by springs so as to enable them to be readily thrown into
and out of action as required by sliding them on studs.
"
After finishing the "band" the crown of the bonnett is formed, and
in commencing to do so I first form a number of slack courses by the

page_text: aid of the "top carrier" when a plain or figured crown is required, but
when it is desired to form the crown in sections, each of a different colour
to the next, I employ the hand carrier, which according to my Inven-
tion, as herein-after described, is provided with means to regulate the
extent of motion of the carrier needles from their greatest amount down
to that of a single needle.
Having formed the crown to the point where it is required to be
narrowed I next proceed to form the sections by means of the double-
acting narrowing apparatus and "driving bar," herein-after described,
and the "hand carrier," and I proceed to narrow each section of the
crown until they are narrowed to a single needle each if required.
If desired, instead of forming the crown in a number of narrowed
divided sections requiring to be afterwards seamed up by hand, I by the
aid of my Invention am enabled to produce it of one piece narrowed
from each selvage thereof, thereby requiring only one seam to be after-
wards made by hand.
The "falling bar," before referred to, rests upon two studs, which in
their turn rest upon two levers fixed to a shaft or axis of motion
extending across the frame, and the "slur bar" has fixed thereto two
feet, which rest upon rollers carried by levers mounted upon another
shaft or axis, also extending across the frame. These two shafts or axes
are connected together by means of other levers and a connecting rod,
and one of such levers has a piece connected thereto which extends to
the front of the frame, and is formed with notches to act in connection
with a stop piece, and is provided with a number of screws, which are
screwed through to different degrees and act against the front of the
stop piece or frame. By these means any required stiffness or slackness
of the work can readily be obtained without interfering with the
stars.
The "hand carrier" is provided with any desired number of carrier
needles fixed to a bar sliding upon a rod carried by the "hand carrier,"
and it is also furnished with stops provided with slots, and capable of
sliding upon the hand carrier so as to regulate the amount of motion of
the carrier needles. These stops are connected together by means of
links pin-jointed thereto and to a lever working on an axis of motion,
such lever having fixed thereto a segmental rack, which acts in combi-

page_text: nation with a spring catch, by which means the stops can be adjusted as
desired.
The narrowing apparatus, which may also be used to widen, is formed
of a number of "points," half of which are fixed to one bar and the
other half to another bar. These bars are provided with racks acting in &
combination with spring stops, and are capable of sliding upon a bar
and of being moved simultaneously towards the centre of the frame or
away therefrom by means of a lever provided with slots, in which work
This lever has a handle or
pins or projections from such sliding bars.
projection formed thereon, by which means I am enabled readily to shift 1
the bars of points for narrowing or widening as desired.
The bar carrying the narrowing apparatus also carries the "driving
bar," which consists of a plain bar provided with projections passing
through guides or holes formed in or fixed to the main or carrying bar,
and the two outer projections are connected together by means of levers 1
mounted upon axes of motion carried by the main bar, and at their
inner ends are provided the one with a slot and the other with a pin or
stud passing therethrough, by which means on acting upon a projection
or handle fixed to one of such levers they are both simultaneously
operated and the "driving bar" pushed forward. Thus when shifting
loops from one set of needles to another in narrowing or widening, and
when the loops are on the points ready to be shifted on to the needles,
the "driving bar is moved forward, and thereby drives all the loops
simultaneously off the points on to the needles.
"
The improved mode herein described of forming the edging and of
producing dice, check, or other fancy patterns in Scotch bonnets, and of
narrowing or widening the same, may also be applied in the manufacture
of various articles of hosiery, such as underclothing, whilst bonnets or
hats of various shapes and designs can also be readily produced by the
aid of my Invention.
The mode above described of forming an elastic braided edge may
also be employed in the manufacture of other parts of hosiery, and by
the aid of my Invention various articles of hosiery, such as under shirts
and drawers, can be made with only one seam in the body thereof.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Tilley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
TILLEY, of Leicester, Framework Knitter, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Tilley, Her special
license that I, the said Joseph Tilley, my executors, administrators, and.
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Tilley, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 KNOWN AS 'SCOTCH BONNETS' AND OTHER PLAIN AND
FANCY HOSIERY, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Tilley, 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 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 Joseph Tilley, 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, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:-
In describing my Invention I will first proceed to describe its appli-

page_text: enable them to be readily thrown into and out of action as required by
sliding them on studs.
Figure 1 represents a face view of a tuck presser a arranged to act
on every alternate needle.
•
Figure 2 represents a face view of a tuck presser 6 arranged to act
on every alternate pair of needles.
Figure 3 represents a face view of a bluff presser c.
Figure 4 represents a face view of a bar or common presser d arranged
to carry the above, and Figure 5 is a cross section showing the four
parts above mentioned arranged in their proper relative position.
The pressers a, b, c, are provided with slots a', b', c', and with handles
a³, b³, c³, and they are held in position on the bar or common presser d
by means of plates e, shown by dotted lines in Figure 4, acting in con-
nection with grooves formed in the sides of the guide studs d. The
handle a² acts in connection with a spring stop a³ carried by the bar d
and the handle 6 in connection with a spring stop d³.
By means of the handles a³, b³, c³, the pressers a, b, c, may be readily
slidden endwise to bring them into and out of position, and by means
of the spring stops d³, d³, the pressers a, b, may be securely held in or
out of position for work.
When in position for work projections from the handles a³, 6³, rest
in the recesses formed in the spring stops d³, d³, and when out of work
such projections are placed on the top of the curved portion of such
spring stops. The tuck pressers a, b, may' be caused to act on different
sets of needles by placing the projections from the handles a³, b³, at
either end of the recesses in the spring stops &³, &. The pressers a, b, c,
are cut away at the parts a³, 6³, c³, to prevent their motion being
interfered with by the handles a³, b³, c².
After finishing the "band" the crown of the bonnet is formed, and in
commencing to do so I first form a number of slack courses by the aid
of the "top carriers," when a plain or figured crown is required, but when
it is desired to form the crown in sections, each of a different color to
the next, I employ the hand carrier, which according to my Invention;
as herein-after described, is provided with means to regulate the extent
of motion of the carrier needles from their greatest amount down to that
of a simple needle.

page_text: Having formed the crown to the point where it is required to be
narrowed I next proceed to form the sections by means of the double-
acting narrowing apparatus and "driving bar," herein-after described,
and the "hand carrier," and I proceed to narrow each section of the
crown until they are narrowed to a single needle each if required.
If desired instead of forming the crown in a number of narrowed
divided sections requiring to be afterwards seamed up by hand I by the
aid of my Invention am enabled to produce it of one piece, narrowed
from each selvage thereof, thereby requiring only one seam to be
afterwards made by hand.
At Figure 6 I have shown so much of a hand knitting frame as will
enable me to describe my improved mode of operating the "falling
bar " and "slur bar" to facilitate the production of slack and stiff
courses within a considerable range.
]
The "falling bar "f before referred to, which is carried by the "star 1
box"
g as heretofore rests upon two studs f¹, which in their turn
rest upon two levers h¹ fixed to a shaft or axis of motion h extending
across the frame, and the "slur bar" i has fixed thereto two feet 2¹
which rest upon rollers j³ carried by levers j¹ mounted upon another
shaft or axis j also extending across the frame. These two shafts or 2
axes h, j, are connected together by means of other levers h³, j³, and a
connecting rod %, and one of such levers (the lever h²) has a piece
connected thereto by pin joint, which extends to the front of the frame
and is formed with notches to act in connection with a stop piece m, and
is provided with a number of screws which are screwed through to 2
different degrees and act against the front of the stop piece m or frame.
By these means any required stiffness or slackness of the work can
readily be obtained without interfering with the "stars" n, and without
the necessity for any stoppage of the machine.
Figure 7 represents a plan, Figure 8 an end view, and Figure 9 a back 8
view of a hand carrier having my improvements applied thereto. The
hand carrier is provided with any desired number of carrier needles o¹
fixed to a bar o sliding upon a rod p carried by the "hand carrier," and
it is also furnished with stops p' provided with slots p', and capable of
sliding upon the hand carrier so as to regulate the amount of motion 3
of the carrier needles; these stops are connected together by means
of links q pin-jointed thereto, and to a lever q³ working on an axis of

page_text: motion q³, such lever having fixed thereto a segmental rack q³, which
acts in combination with a spring catch q', by which means the stops
can be adjusted as desired, and the motion of the carrier needles o¹ may
be adjusted as desired.
Figure 10 represents a plan, Figure 11 an end view, Figure 12 an
under side view, and Figure 13 a cross section of a narrowing and
widening apparatus having my improvements applied thereto.
The narrowing apparatus, which may also be used to widen, is formed
of a number of points r, shown in Figures 10 to 13, as fixed in leads 7º¹,
but which I prefer to be "turn over" points, as shown at Figures 14,
half of which are fixed to one bars and the other half to another bar t;
these bars 8, t, are provided with racks s¹, t¹, acting in combination with
spring stops &³, t, and are capable of sliding upon a bar u and of being
moved simultaneously towards the centre of the frame or away there-
from by means of a lever provided with slots v¹, in which work pins or
projections, ³, from such sliding bars 8, t; this lever v has a handle
or projection ³ formed thereon, by which means I am enabled readily
to shift the bars of points for narrowing or widening as desired.
The bar carrying the narrowing apparatus also carries the "driving
bar" w, which consists of a plain bar provided with projections w²
passing through guides or holes formed in or fixed to the main or
carrying bar u, and the two outer projections w¹ are connected together
by means of levers a mounted upon axes of motion a' carried by the
main bar u, and at their inner ends are provided the one with a slot x³,
and the other with a pin or stud passing therethrough, by which
means on acting upon a projection or handle a' fixed to one of such
levers they are both simultaneously operated, and the driving bar
pushed forward, whilst they are pulled back by springs y. Thus when
shifting loops from one set of needles to another in narrowing or
widening, and when the loops are on the points ready to be shifted on to
the needles, the "driving bar" w is moved forward, and thereby drives all
the loops simultaneously off the points r on to the needles.
The improved mode herein described of forming the edging, and the
improved means for producing dice, check, or other fancy patterns in
Scotch bonnets, and for narrowing and widening the same, may also be
applied in the manufacture of various articles of hosiery, such as under-

page_text: 5
facilitated and improved in manner, substantially as herein shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Tilley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
JOSEPH TILLEY. (L.S.)