IMPROVEMENTS IN NET MACHINES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN NET MACHINES."-A com-
munication from abroad by George Bonham Lowis and William
Monder Ward, of East Boston; State of Massachusetts, United
States of America.
Sealed the 5th April 1870, and dated the 13th December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 13th December 1869.
I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN NET MACHINES," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in machines for weaving nets,
and consists,―
Firstly. In the application of self-acting mechanism to the rocking
levers which carry the hook bar, whereby an in-and-out movement is

page_text: given thereto and to the vibrating arm by which the hook bar receives
its vertical oscillations, and also in the substitution of cam and lever
mechanism for the treadle in operating the "chopper."
Secondly. The Invention consists in providing curved shuttle or needle
races for the purpose of economizing space. The hook bar carried by
lever arms is pivotted to vertical rocking levers, which are carried by
stud axles from brackets on the frame, and self-acting vertical and
horizontal movements are communicated thereto by means of levers
pivotted to the frame and operated by cams (suitably shaped on their
peripheries) upon the cam shaft. These levers are connected respectively
to the rocking levers and the supporting arms of the hook bar and
motion is transmitted by connecting rods or links. The "chopper" bar
is pivotted to the frame, and is constructed and operated in the usual
way in connection with the hooks. The motions are controlled by a
heart-shaped cam on a subsidiary cam shaft driven by spur gear from
the main shaft. The shuttle or needle races are curved downward and
under the loom frame. Spring steel needles work in these curved
races, and are operated by cords attached to drums, the cords being
arranged within the arc described by the curved races, onc to wind off
and the other to wind on. The cords pass over guide pulleys and are
connected to the ends of the needles. The drums may be operated
from the driving shaft in any ordinary manner for giving back and forth
motions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Henry Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN NET MACHINES," being a commucation to mo
from abroad by George Bonham Lewis and William Monder Ward, of
East Boston, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Edward Newton,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Henry Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of tho said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in an
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
This Invention relates to improvements in machines for weaving nets,
and consists,
Firstly. In the application of self-acting mechanism to the rocker
which gives the in-and-out movement to the hook bar and to the
vibrating arm by which the hook bar is oscillated for imparting the up-
and-down movement to the hooks. The mechanism for imparting
these movements by power consists of cams and levers which are used
in substitution of the hand mechanism now used for the purpose.
Secondly. The Invention consists in an application of cam and lever
mechanism for operating the "chopper" by the power from the driving
shaft in substitution of the treadle mechanism.
And, thirdly. The Invention consists in providing curved shuttle or
needle races for the shuttles or needles which carry the cord through
the loops. These shuttle races extend downward and backward under
the loom frame for the purpose of economizing the space now occupied

page_text: at each side of the loom frames for these shuttles or needles, and which
raees extend in right lines from tho sidos.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a net
loom shewing the improved application of power for working the hook
and "chopper" bars, and Fig. 2 is a front view shewing the arrange-
ment of the shuttle races.
A is the hook bar, which is supported on arms D pivotted to the
rockers C at B. These rockers are pivotted at E to brackets on the
frame, and in the operation of the hooks to weave the nets (which is the
same in this as in the machines now commonly used) the hooks are
required to have a vibratory movement to carry the hook bar A to and
from the hooks F, while the hook bar A is required to have an up-and-
down vibratory movement. These movements have been heretofore
imparted by sliding the levers D in and out by hand so as to oscillate
the rocker C. The same movement imparts the up-and-down-movement
to the hook bar by means of a connection of the levers by a pin or other-
wise with cam grooves in fixed supports rising up in front of the
rockers C. These supports and cam grooves are dispensed with, and the
levers G and cams H are employed for imparting the vibratory move-
ment to the rocker. For vibrating the arms D and the hook bars A the
levers I and cams K are used. The cams are both on the driving shaft L,
and the levers provided with friction bowles S, S, are suitably pivotted
to the frame at N, O, and connected respectively to the rockers C and
arms D by connecting rods or links P and Q. The rear ends of these
arms are held down upon their respective cams by springs or weights
R, R, and the cams are adjusted on the shaft relatively to each other as
is required to time the movements of cach to the other. They are also
shaped on their peripherics in the peculiar form represented in the
Drawings so as to impart the necessary movements. Cam grooves in
the sides of the discs may be used instead of these cam faces, pins or
studs being attached to the levers and taking into the grooves. In this
example friction bowles S, S, are shewn applied to studs on the sides of
the levers and working on the faces of the cams. The "chopper" bar T
is pivotted to the frame at U, and is constructed and operated in the
usual way in connection with the hooks. This bar is usually operated
by a foot treadle for which the heart-shaped cam V on the shaft W is
substituted, and the lever X pivotted to the frame at Y and connected

page_text: to the chopper arm T by the link Y and bearing on the face of the
cam V. The shaft W is connected by gear wheels with the shaft L to
be driven by it, and to have the motion of the cam V timed with the
cams H and K.
In Fig. 2 is represented an arrangement of the shuttle or needle races A'
which are curved downward and under the loom frame so as to economise
the space now occupied by them on each side of the frame, extending as
they do in right lines on each side from the points B'. The needles, C¹
are made of spring steel or other suitable substance so as to be suffi-
ciently elastic to work in these curved races; the needles are operated by
the cords D, E, and drums F¹. The cords are so arranged on the
drums that one winds off when the other winds on, and they pass over
guide pulleys G' at the entrances to the races, and are connected to the
ends H' of the needles so as to draw them out through the loops when
the drums move in one direction, and back again when moving in the
other. The drums may be operated by any suitable means in connection
with the driving shaft, and are arranged to impart the alternate back
and forth motions required and to be properly timed in their movements
relatively to the other parts.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, 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 combination with the rocker C of the lever G and cam H,
as herein set forth.
Second. The combination with the oscillating arm supports D of the
hook bar A of the lever I and cam K, as described.
Third. The combination with the hook bar A and vibrator C of levers
G, I, and cams H, K, on the driving shaft L, all arranged to operate as
described.
Fourth. The cams H, K, constructed and arranged relatively to each
other on the shaft L, as represented in the Drawings, so as to act on the
levers G, I, to produce the required movements of the hook bar A, as
described.
Fifth. The combination with the chopper bar and levers T" thereof of
the lever X, connecting rod Y, and cam V arranged for operating in
unison with the cams H, K, as herein set forth.

page_text: Sixth. The arrangement of the shuttle or needle races, as described
and represented in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.