AN IMPROVED MANU- FACTURE OF VELVET, REP AND SUCH LIKE FABRICS, AND APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray of No: 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane in the county of Middlesex for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED MANU-
FACTURE OF VELVET, REP AND SUCH LIKE FABRICS, AND APPARATUS FOR
THAT PURPOSE." Communicated to him from abroad by Adrien Duquesne of
Paris, France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th March 1883.
JOHN IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF VELVET, REP AND SUCH LIKE
FABRICS, AND APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE [Communicated to him from
abroad by Adrien Duquesne of Paris, France]
33
This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for manufacturing fabrics of
the kinds of velvets, reps and the like, which, according to the character of the
materials employed, may be adapted for carpets or other uses, and may have their
upper and under surfaces varied by varying the setting and operation of the loom.
In order to simplify explanation I will describe one arrangement of loom and mode
of operating it according to this invention, it being understood that by varying
the number, position and quality of the warps and the order of working them, the
product of the loom can be varied whilst the relative actions of its parts remain
the same.
There are three sets of warp threads, those of the first set pass through
the interstices of a stationary reed, those of the second set pass through eyes of a
set of needles projecting upwards from a frame in front of the reed, and those of
the third set pass through eyes of needles projecting from a frame behind the reed.
Both the needle frames are fitted to slide up and down when moved by treadles,
and in their up and down movements they are caused by means of cam apparatus
at their ends to move to and fro transversely. Thus according as the treadles are
worked, the threads of the second and third warps are raised and lowered and
moved laterally over or under each other and the threads of the first warp, so that
Dzi

page_text: all the warps are intertwined in various. ways dependant on the order of the
movements given to the treadles. When they are so intertwined, the weft thread
is passed through the shed and struck up by the batten. When a velvet pile is
required a looped warp is employed and wires being introduced, the loops are cut
in the usual way. As the intertwined parts are firmly held, loops on both sides of
the fabric can be cut, so as to present a velvet pile on both surfaces. The warps
may be of material such that the fabric on either or both sides may have the
character of a rep, and it may have a rep surface on the one side and velvet pile
on the other. The cam apparatus which causes the needle frames to move
transversely while they ascend and descend consists in each case of a slotted lever
which is moved up and down by a stud on the needle frame, and which by means
of a pawl acting on a ratchet wheel turns a polygonal cam that bears against the
end of the needle frame. The needle frame being pressed against this cam by a
spring, is caused to move in the 'one direction as an angle of the polygonal cam
bears against its end, and is caused by the spring to return when the cam turns so
as to present its flat side to the frame.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Imray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th September
1883.
-
JOHN IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF VELVET, REP AND SUCH LIKE
FABRICS, AND APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE A communication to me from
abroad by Adrien Duquesne of Paris, France
"
This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for manufacturing fabrics of
the kinds of velvets, reps and the like, which, according to the character of the
materials employed, may be adapted for carpets or other uses, and may have their
upper and under surfaces varied by varying the setting and operation of the
loom. In order to simplify explanation, I will describe one arrangement of loom
and mode of operating it according to this invention, it being understood that by
varying the number, position and quality of the warps and the order of working
them, the product of the loom can be varied whilst the relative actions of its parts
remain the same. There are three sets of warp threads, those of the first set pass..
through the interstices of a stationary reed, those of the second set pass through
eyes of a set of needles projecting upwards from a frame in front of the reed, and
those of the third set pass through eyes of needles projecting from a frame behind
the reed. Both the needle frames are fitted to slide up and down when moved by
treadles, and in their up and down movements, they are caused, by means of cam
apparatus at their ends, to move to and fro transversely. Thus, according as the
treadles are worked, the threads of the second and third warps are raised and
lowered and moved laterally over or under each other and the threads of the first
warp, so that all the warps are intertwined in various ways dependent on the order
of the movements given to the treadles. When they are so intertwined, the weft
thread is passed through the shed and struck up by the batten.
pile is required, a looped warp is employed and wires being introduced, the loops
are cut in the usual way. As the intertwined parts are firmly held, loops on both
sides of the fabric can be cut, so as to present a velvet pile on both surfaces. The
warps may be of material such that the fabric on either or both sides may have
the character of a rep, and it may have a rep surface on the one side and velvet.
pile on the other. The cam apparatus, which causes the needle frames to move
transversely while they ascend and descend, consists in each case of a slotted lever
which is moved up and down by a stud on the needle frame, and which, by means
of a pawl acting on a ratchet wheel, turns a polygonal cam that bears against the
end of the needle frame. The needle frame being pressed against this cam by a
spring, is caused to move in the one direction as an angle of the polygonal cam bears
against its end, and is caused by the spring to return when the cam turns so as to
present its flat side to the frame.
When a velvet
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view of a loom arranged to
operate as above described, Fig. 2 is a part transverse section on the line X Y of
Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a part elevation and plan to an enlarged scale of the cam
mechanism for shifting the needles. Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are diagrams of various
fabrics that can be woven by different combined movements of the treadles, as will
be hereafter described: A indicates a straight warp, B a tie warp and C a warp
which may be looped, and D indicates the weft. a a are the two sets of needles
through the eyes of which pass respectively the two warps B and C.
needles are fixed on bars bb' the ends of which are fitted to slide up and down in
guide grooves d formed in the frame of the loom, either bar being raised by
These

page_text: a
depressing one of two treadles e e¹, to which the needle bars are connected at
by cords kk passing over pullies and rocking shafts ff and g gl, the depression
of the one treadle or the other, thus causing one or the other of the warps B C to
be raised above A, which remains stationary passing through the spaces of a reed c
fixed between the two sets of needles. The needle bar b has an arm t carrying
roller & engaged in a slot y of a pawl lever q, the pawl of which takes into the
teeth of a ratchet wheel p mounted on the axis m of the lever. To the ratchet
wheel is attached an octagonal cam o against which bears a flexible bar x which is
jointed to the frame of the loom and is interposed between the cam and the arm t
of the needle bar. By means of a spring and wire u the needle bar is always
pressed towards the right, but when, by depressing the treadle.e, the bar bis
raised, its roller 8, moving the pawl lever, causes the ratchet wheel p to turn one
tooth and the cam o to turn so that one of its angles acting against pushes the
.barb and its set of needles to the left, consequently giving the warp which is
engaged with the needles a a movement at the saine time upwards and towards the
left. A similar cam arrangement is applied to the needle bar b' as shewn in the
plan Fig. 3. In either case, when the treadle is allowed to rise in obedience to a
counterweight or spring, the needle bar, descends, but it does not return to the
right till the cam o is farther turned so that the bar x bears against a flat side of
the cam.
For producing a fabric such as is indicated in Fig. 4, the two treadles
are first depressed, thus causing both the warps B and C to rise above A crossing
it from right to left. The weft thread is then passed through the shed and struck
up by the batten, and the treadles are released. Secondly, one treadle is depressed
causing the warp C to rise while it crosses from left to right under A and B, and
the rod.E being introduced and the warp C allowed to descend on the right, the
batten is struck up. Thirdly, the two treadles are again depressed raising B and C
and-causing B to cross from left to right and C from right to left, a weft is shot
and struck up, and the loops on E can then be cut to produce velvet pile.
Dispensing with one treadle and with the warp B, a fabric can be produced such as
is indicated in Fig 5. First, by depressing the treadle, C is raised above A having
crossed to the left, and a weft being shot, C. descends on the left and the batten is
struck up.
Then by again depressing the treadle, C is raised on the right of A,
and a weft is shot, after which C is allowed to descend to the position on the
right which it first occupied. For a fabric such as-is indicated in Fig. 6, the
following is the succession of movements: 1. Both treadles are depressed crossing
B and C to the left of A and raising them, a weft is shot, B and C are allowed to
descend on the left, and the batten is struck up: 2. One treadle is depressed
raising Cand crossing it under A and B to the right, and the rod E being
introduced above, C is allowed to descend on the right: 3. Both treadles are
depressed raising B and C and causing first B to cross to the right and secondly C to
the left, a rod E is introduced below, and the warps B and C after descending are
again raised by depressing both treadles, B crossing A. to the left and C crossing A
and B to the right; a weft D is then shot and struck up and both B and C being
allowed to descend, B on the left and C on the right, both treadles are again
depressed raising B and C and crossing B to the right, and C to the left crossing
both A and B, a second weft D is shot and the warps descend, B on the right and
C on the left: 4. One treadle is now depressed raising C and crossing it to the
right under A and B, and a rod E is introduced, C descending on the right:
5. Both treadles are depressed raising B and C and crossing both to the left, a
weft D is shot and while B and C remain on the left, a rod E is introduced below;
both treadles being again depressed, B and C are raised crossing to the right, a
weft is shot, and B and C descend on the right. For producing fabric such as is
indicated in Fig. 7, the movements are as follow: 1. B is raised straight and C is
raised crossing to the left, and a weft being shot, B descends on the right and C on
the left: 2. C is raised crossing to the right, and a rod E being introduced,
C descends on the right: 3. B is raised straight and O is raised crossing to the
left, a weft is shot and C descends on the left': 4. C is raised crossing to the

page_text: right, a rod E is introduced and C descends on the right. This fabric is less firm
as a velvet than those previously described but it is preferable for carpet manu-
facture. Before weaving, the operator should take care that there is no
entanglement among the threads of the several warps which he can ascertain by
passing a blade between them.
Having thus described the nature of the said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim
First. The manufacture of woven fabrics wherein a warp passed through a reed
and held stationary in the loom is intertwined with one or with two other
warps passed through eyes of needles having combined vertical and lateral
movements, substantially as herein described.
Second. In a loom for weaving fabrics of the kind referred to in the preceding
claim, the combination of a fixed reed for, the stationary warp with one set
or with two sets of moveable needle frames for the intertwining warp or
warps, substantially as herein described.
Third. In combination with a moveable needle frame, such as is referred to in the
preceding claim, a pawl lever, ratchet wheel and polygonal cam, so arranged
that the ascent of the needle frame causes a lateral movement to be
imparted to it by the partial rotation of the cam, substantially as herein
described.
In Witness whereof I the said John Imray have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Sixth day of September in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.