IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE OR OTHER FABRICS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Bates, of New Radford, in the County of
Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE OR OTHER FABRICS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OF
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 17th March 1865, and dated the 20th September 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Bates at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th September 1864.
I, STEPHEN BATES, of New Radford, in the County of Nottingham, Lace
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE OR OTHER FABRICS, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in employing one warp thread and two bobbin
threads, which are to act as weft threads, in conjunction with any required
number of warp threads to produce tabby weaving, or weavings which are
suitable for the edges of what is commonly called and known as Valenciennes
lace. The warp weft threads I propose to work transversely of the machine, or
to work them in the same direction as the carriage threads, as well as working
them in the ordinary direction of the usual guide bars when so required, or to
give the same weft threads to a guide bar or hook bar; such said guide bar or
hook bar may, each or either of them, be situated on each side of the warp
threads that comprise the band of tabby weaving or weavings.

page_text: The machinery or apparatus which I employ consists of a guide constructed
in such wise that it shall carry or pass warp threads in a transverse direction,
or in the same direction as the carriage threads, when these warp threads will
bo received by a hook bar or bars; the hook bars act as common guide bars,
and work the threads longitudinally of the machine. I purpose to employ
these hook bars on each side of the warp threads in the machine. By this
my arrangement I am enabled to twist the warp weft threads with one or
both weft bobbin threads, and thereby obtain considerable advantages.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Stephen Bates in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th March 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
BATES, of New Radford, in the County of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by ler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth 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, Ller heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Stephen Bates, Her special licence that I, the said Stephen Bates,
my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Stephen Bates, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE OR OTHER FABRICS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Stephen Bates, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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, tho said Stephen Bates, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.

page_text: the shaft, upon which aro secured the cams which communicato motion to the
several parts of the machine; C is the spindle bar to the front point bar,
and C', the spindle bar to the back point bar; D, D', are two levers or arms,
which are secured to the spindle bars C and C'; into each of these lovers or
arms is secured a pin or axle, on which the levers E and E' are free to swing;
the lower ends of these levers are free to slide in slots in a plate F, screwed
to the back tie bar B. The levers E and E' are provided on one side thereof
with pieces E and E, which alternately hold down a lover G in the position
in which it is shewn at Figures 1 and 8, except when both the levers E and E'
are pulled clear of the lever G by the springs G' attached to them and by the
wires moved by the jacquard. The springs Gare so attached that the jacquard
may act upon them until such time as the levers are raised up by the arms D
and D' sufficiently high to enable the pieces E and E to pass to the right of
the lever G. The height to which the lever G rises is adjusted by a set screw
and nut, held by a bracket G', secured to the back tie bar B or other portion
of the machine. When tho pull of the jacquard is taken off the springs G*
the springs G³ will ensure the return of the levers E and E' to the side of tho
lever G, so that as they are again depressed by the arms D and D¹, the
pieces E and E will hold down the lever G, as shewn in Figures 1 and 3,
where such lever G is shown attached to a picker bar II, which has a number
of guides 'secured therein; these guides pass from the back of the centre of
the frame to the front of the centre of the frame, and as the bar I rises such
bar rocks upon axles H, supported by brackets HI, attached to a longitudinal
bar of the machine; the bar H may also havo horizontal motion com-
municated to it, if required, by means of the jacquard or other equivalent
contrivance. The guides H' are supplied with threads from a beam H*,
carried by arms II, secured to the picker bar H, and rocking with it, tho
required tension being put upon the threads by means of a cord or strap passed
round a collar at one or both ends of the beam; such cords or straps aro
attached to a spring H in the usual way; I, I, are two book bars, which
1 employ one at the back of the centre of the machine, and one at the front
of the centre of the machine. The threads from the beam H are placed in
the back hook bar I by the picker guides II' when at the back and the bar,
and consequently the threads are shogged to the right or left, as required, by
the jacquard, the front hook bar I shogging the same threads as required by
the jacquard when the threads have been passed from the back of the machine
to the front of the centre of the machine by the picker guides II' when brought
forward by the rising of the picker bar H. The hook bars I, I, are shown
more fully at Figures 7 and 8, which reprosent portions of such bars in side

page_text: view and in plan; Figure 7 shews one stud of a number of such studs upon
which the bars slide, and are supported by brackets attached to a longitudina
bar of the machine. At the back and front of the centre of the machine, in
the space between the two hook bars I, I, I place any required number of
guide bars K, K', K³, shown of full size at Figures 4, 5, and 6; the spaces
in these bars will allow of the passage of the picker guides H' through them
thereby enabling such guides to place their threads in either of the hook
bars I, I. These guide bars K, K', K³, slide in brackets K³, and are also
supported by pins K*; the brackets K³ and pins K' are held by other brackets
Ks attached to a longitudinal bar of the machine; these brackets K' also
support a main warp thread sley K, through which are passed the threads
supplied to the guide bars K, K', K³, and the usual guide bars L. M, M,
represent the comb bars; N, N, the catch bars; O, a bobbin in its carriage;
P, the work bar; and P¹, the work beam.
I now proceed to describe the arrangement of the several bars, and the way
in which the threads are combined to produce, say, a ten-hole breadth of lace,
commencing from the back of the centre of the machine. The bars which
carry the threads stand in the following order :-
4 common guide bars L;
1 hook bar I, supplied with threads by the picker bar guides;
3 pairs of bars like K and K';
3 bars like K¹;
2 bars like K³, or ordinary guide bars may be used if preferred;
3 bars like K;
2 bars like K³, or ordinary guide bars may be used if preferred;
3 pairs of bars like K and K';
1 hook bar I, supplied with threads by the picker bar guides; and
6 common guide bars L.
All these bars supply threads to be combined in the following manner :-
The threads from the four common bars form two draw threads or lacing
threads and two net or ground threads. The threads which are placed in the
back hook bar by the picker guides are twisted round two or more bobbin
hreads, thereby forming the woven portion of the front of the breadth next
the small band, the threads of the three pairs of bars K and K', both at the
back and front of the machine, being woven together by the two or more
above-named bobbin threads, and the thread moved by the hook bars making
he woven band next to the small band above mamed, which small band and
the purl are made by the threads of the three bars K, and a portion of the
ground or net of the breadth is made by the threads of the three bars K', the

page_text: threads of the two bars K, and the other three bars K' of the threads of the
six common bars L. Two threads make net or ground, while three bars
make a tape and zig-zag, the sixth bar making the selvage, round which
selvage the lacing or draw thread or threads is or are passed to connect one
breadth to the next breadth.
I do not confine myself to the exact shape or size of the bars K and K', as
I may employ bars similar to those bars except in having their stems protected
by stretching pieces K³, as shown at Figure 5, which stretching pieces K³
may be stationary, or they may move with the bars; in either case the threads
from the picker beam I would be passed through both holes in tho picker
guiles.
Any person ordinarily skilled in the art will readily understand from the
foregoing description how to arrange the bars for a greater or less width of
breadth.
It is thus apparent that in weaving edges for Valenciennes laces I am
enabled to weft with a warp and two bobbin or carriage threads (or more
than two bobbin or carriage threads if required) a quantity of warp threads
sufficient to form the edge of the lace, and to twist the warp threads with the
bobbin or carriago threads to form what are called "ticks," and to twist tho
purls if required.
I do not claim under this Patent the Invention of working warp threads
transversely or in the same direction as bobbin or carriage threads, as that is
a separate Invention, for which a Patent was granted unto myself and John
Dearman Dunnicliffe, on the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, and numbered 707; but that
which I do seek to claim in respect of machinery or apparatus is the intro-
duction of the hook or guide bars which receive the threads from the picker
or shuttle bar, and then shog such bars with the threads to the right or left
as a common guide bar, as above described. It may be observed that in this
arrangement thero aro 6 bars for band or edge threads inside or next the verge
of each hook bar, with their nobs or projecting parts in opposite directions
alternately, for the purpose of opening shoots for the bobbin threads and
giving room for the picker or shuttle to remain inserted in the centre or inside
the band bars, some having projecting nebs and others being without pro-
jecting nebs, as may be required in making that part of the breadth of lace
join to the woven edge; the guide bars outside each book bar are employed in
making a continuation of the breadth of lace, and for similar purposes.
A portion of tabby weaving, comprising twelve warp threads (or other
number of warp threads), with two bobbin threads and one other warp thread

page_text: is represented at Figure 9, where A, A, represent the bobbin threads; B, the
thread supplied by the picker guides; C, one or more bobbin threads; and D,
the purl threads supplied from the middle bar K₁; and E, the warp threads
supplied from beams by the six back and six front bars K and K¹, which
combined as shewn, and repeated as required, will produce the Valenciennes
edge above referred to, either as a straight edge or a scolloped or otherwise
shaped edge.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim the method as
shown and described for passing a warp thread or threads from the back of
the machine to the front of the centre of the machine, and vice versa, in tho
same manner as the ordinary bobbin thread or threads, such thread or
threads being operated upon by the hook bar or bars when the thread or
threads are placed in such bars by the pickers or shuttles which lie under-
neath the ordinary guide bars.
Also I would have it distinctly understood that I claim in this my Invention
the method of moving certain threads from the back of the machine to the
front of the machine, or vice versâ, by the arrangement of parts of machinery
or apparatus, as herein shewn and described for effecting that purpose.
And I also more particularly claim the wefting of a number of warp threads
with two or more bobbin or carriage threads in conjunction with a warp thread,
substantially as described.
Also I claim the introduction of the hook or guide bars which receive the
threads from the picker or shuttle bar, and then shog such bar with the threads
to the right or left as a common guide bar, as described.
In witness whereof, I, tho said Stephen Bates, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
STEPHEN BATES. (L.S.)"