Improvements in the Manufacture of Knitted Vests, Pants, Drawers, and similar articles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 17th June, 1892-Accepted, 27th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Knitted Vests, Pants, Drawers,
and similar articles.
I, JOHN HANCOCK, of Holmdale, Station Road, Ilkeston, in the County of
Derby, Hosiery Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of my invention is the manufacture or production of knitted articles
of wearing apparel in both plain and rib work, such as jackets, vests, undershirts,
pants, drawers, combinations, and similar garments, in a more simple manner than
has hitherto been effected, and which can be produced at a less cost, the requisite
shape or form of the article being produced with a greater number of parts in the
piece than heretofore, and without the use of attached gussets or inserted gusset-
pieces, and capable of being made and fashioned by machinery. such as circular
stocking knitters and other knitting machines.
According to my invention the arms of an undershirt, or of a jacket or vest,
are formed in such a manner that the insertion of gussets under the arms of the
vest or shirt at their point of attachment to the body of the garment is not
necessary, the same result being obtained by the means and in the manner herein-
after described.
In order to carry out my invention for the manufacture of vests, undershirts, or
sleeved garments, I form the arms upon a circular knitting machine, or stocking
knitter, operating the machine in exactly the same manner as if making the tubular
work of hose or half hose, until I come to the portion which is fashioned to make
the heel. At this point I proceed to fashion the gusset portion by a reciprocating
motion similar to that used when manipulating or knitting, by machinery, the heels
of stockings, and I then work about half an inch for the convenience of stitching
or working on. I attach the arm thus formed by turning off, stitching, or other-
wise, to the body of the vest, or undershirt, (which may be manufactured in any
suitable or well known manner) in such position that the fashioned gusset portion
is substituted and takes the place of the usual inserted gusset, ordinary fashioned
sleeve, or gussetted sleeve manufactured on the rotary or Cotton's patent machine.
In the manufacture of pants, drawers or legged garments, I proceed in the same
manner, as in the manufacture of hosiery, and form a length of tubular work of the
required dimensions, the tubular work being of proper circumference and narrowed
and widened at the proper places so that it may fit or be worn upon the body.
The seat portion is formed or fashioned near the middle of the length of tubular
work, the legs being formed by dividing one portion of the tube as far, or nearly
as far, as the fashioned seat, and joining the divided portions so as to form two
tubular leg portions by turning off, stitching, or otherwise. In the case of pants
or drawers, the whole article is made in one piece and, with the exception of the
joining seams in the legs, is seamless. Should arms be required upon the garment
they may be made and attached as above described with reference to vests and
andershirts, or in any other suitable manner. Legged garments thus made can be
manufactured upon knitting machines and circular knitters.
In this manufacture of knitted articles the ribbed portions may be joined in the
Isual manner.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Knitted Vests, Pants, Drawers,
and similar articles.
I, JOHN HANCOCK, of Holmdale, Station Road, Ilkeston, in the County of
Derby, Hosiery Manufacturer, 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, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
Bay-
The object of my invention is the manufacture or production of knitted articles
of wearing apparel in both plain and rib work, such as jackets, vests, undershirts,
pants; drawers, combinations, and similar garments, in a more simple manner than
has hitherto been effected, and which can be produced at a less cost, the requisite
shape or form of the article being produced with a greater number of parts in
one piece, than heretofore, and without the use of attached gussets or inserted
gusset pieces, and capable of being made and fashioned by machinery such as
circular stocking knitters, and other knitting machines.
According to my invention, the arms of an undershirt, or of a jacket or vest,
and the seats of pants, etc., are formed in such a manner that the insertion of
gussets under the arms of the shirt or vest at their point of attachment to the body
of the garment, or at the fork or seat of pants, drawers, etc., is not necessary,
the same result being obtained by the means and in the manner hereinafter
described.
The invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the annexed
drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 represents an arm and portion of the body of a vest or undershirt.
Fig. 2 shows a pair of combinations showing the fulling and fashioning of
the seat.
Fig 3 is a side view of pants or drawers, and
Fig. 4 is a front view of the same.
The thick lines a, a, represent seams, the dotted lines b, b, fashionings, and the
sectioning c, c, indicates parts which may be spliced or thickened.
In order to carry out my invention for the manufacture of vests, undershirts, or
sleeved garments, I form the arms upon a circular knitting. machine or stocking
knitter, operating the machine in exactly the same manner as if making the tubular
work of hose, or half bose, until I come to the portion which is fashioned to make
the heel. At this point I proceed to fashion the gusset portion by a reciprocating
motion similar to that used when knitting by machinery the heels of stockings, but
I preferably put in only half the fashioning, working the narrowing only one way.
I then work about half an inch for the convenience of stitching or running on.
attach the arms thus formed by turning off, stitching, or otherwise, to the body of
the vest or undershirt (which may be manufactured in any suitable or well known
manner) in such position that the fashioned gusset-portion is substituted for, and
takes the place of, the usual inserted gusset, ordinary fashioned sleeve or gussetted
sleeve made on the rotary or Cotton's patent machine.
I
In the manufacture of pants, drawers, or legged garments, I proceed in the same
manner as in the manufacture of hosiery, and form a length of tubular work of the
required dimensions, operating the circular knitting machine in the same manner as
such machines are usually operated for the production of the tubular work of hose
or half hose, the tubular work being of proper circumference and narrowed and
widened at the proper places (by lifting a number of needles out of action by
sliding cam rings, or in any other customary well known manner) so that it may be
worn upon the body. The seat portion is formed or fashioned near the middle of
the length of tubular work. For fashioning the seat portion I manipulate the
knitter in the manner customary in the manufacture of the heels of hose and half

page_text: hose, operating the machine in opposite directions alternately. Having thus
fashioned the work with an enlarged portion similar to the heel of a stocking I
proceed to produce tubular work of suitable circumference and length to be capable
of conversion into the legs of the garment. The legs are formed by dividing this
portion of the tube as far, or nearly as far, as the fashioned seat and joining the
portions so as to form two tubular legs by turning off, stitching or otherwise. The
divided portion, when stitched, forms two tubes or legs of such shape and so con-
nected with the heel-like portion of the work, which now constitutes the seat, that
the insertion of gussets is dispensed with, their object being attained by the
fashioning of the garment as herein before described.
In the case of pants or drawers, the whole article can be made in one piece, and,
with the exception of the joining seams in the legs, seamless.
If a machine of half, or about half the circumference of the body portion
of pants or legged garments is used for their manufacture, the garment is made
in two parts, and afterwards cut in such a manner that, when the parts are joined
together by a seam up the back, a perfect fitting garment is formed. In this
case a piece consisting of one leg and half the body of the garment is made at a
time upon the machine, the seat portions being fashioned rights and lefts, so that
when joined together, drawers, pants, or similar garments, may be produced. The
fashioning on the right leg is made at one time and that on the left leg at another.
The right or left fashioning is done on the machine in a similar manner to the
fashioning of the seat for pants or similar articles made in one piece on a large
cylinder, and the seat may be conveniently spliced or thickened if desired.
Combinations made on a large machine are cut to shape and seamed at the sides,
as indicated by the lines a, a, in Fig. 2, or they may be shaped in front. If made
in two pieces, the pieces would be rights and lefts and shaped front and back.
Arms are made and attached to combinations as above described with reference to
vests and undershirts, or in any other suitable manner.
The seats and armpits of garments manufactured according to this invention can
be readily spliced, or made of any desired strength or thickness. The articles
can be made in ribwork. The ribbed portions may be joined in any well known
manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :
1. The manufacture or production of knitted articles of wearing apparel in
which attached or inserted gussets or gusset portions are dispensed with and the
article is widened and shaped to take the place of gussets by suitable fashioning of
the parts usually gussetted, substantially as herein described.
2. In knitted articles, manufactured as hereinbefore described, the application of
spliced or thickening threads, at the required part or parts, during the fashioning
of such articles.
3. The manufacture of pants, combinations, and like knitted garments in two
parts upon suitable knitting machines, the parts being fashioned rights and lefts at
the seat portion, or where necessary, in order to dispense with the usual inserted
gussets or gusset pieces substantially as herein described.
4. The knitted articles of wearing apparel manufactured as herein before
described, and substantially as shown by the annexed drawings, whereby such
articles can be produced at less cost and without attached gussets or inserted gusset
pieces.
Dated this 17th dow of Tune 1902
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.