AN, IMPROVED ORNAMENTAL FABRIC AND IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING AND IN JACQUARD APPARATUS
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Cunningham and Robert
Cunningham at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 24th February 1862.
We, JOHN CUNNINGHAM and ROBERT CUNNINGHAM, both of Paisley, in the
County of Renfrew, North Britain, Card Perforators, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention of "AN, IMPROVED ORNAMENTAL FABRIC AND
IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING AND IN JACQUARD APPARATUS," to be as follows;
that is to say
This Invention relates to an improved ornamental fabric of or similar to
the "Paisley shawl" class, and to improvements in weaving, and in jacquard
apparatus for weaving such and similar ornamental fabrics.
The improved fabric is of the kind having two or more running covers of
differently colored wefts, there being by this Invention a set of what may
be termed "back" warps introduced, which "back" warps the weaving action
is made to interweave with the portions of the colored weft ordinarily forming
"floats" on the back of the fabric. In some cases, however, some of the
wefts may be allowed to form "floats," to be afterwards clipped or cropped off
for the purpose of lightening the fabric. The new fabric is of uniform
thickness, and its strength and appearance are much superior to those of
similar fabrics as previously woven, whilst a considerable saving is effected
in the labour and in the material employed, the "ground" weft shot or the
"dumb flower" weft shot sometimes used being dispensed with.
The precise nature of the improved fabric will, however, be better under-

page_text: stood from the following description of some of the various modes of weaving
it, such modes of weaving forming a portion of the present Invention.
"In weaving the improved fabric according to one modification, the ordinary
warps or what will herein-after be termed the "face" warps are actuated
by what may be termed the "face" harness, arranged and tied in the usual way,
whether it be actuated by jacquard apparatus, by the "draw-boy" loom, or
by other apparatus. The "back" warps may
in number bear any convenient
proportion to the"face" warps, say, for example, one "back" thread to every
eight "face" threads. The "back" warps are actuated by a "back" harness,
which in this and the subsequent modifications in which it is introduced may
also be actuated by jacquard or other apparatus used for actuating the
"face" harness. Each thread of the "back" warps is entered through one
of the eyes or mails of the "back" harness, and also through those two
"casters or upper loops of the "face" harness the eyes or mails of which
contain the immediately adjacent threads of the "face" warp. The "back"
harness may be placed either in front of or behind or partly before and partly
behind the "face" harness. With this arrangement it is obvious that in
no case can the "back "warps appear upon the face of the cloth (which is
woven with the face downwards as usual), as the "back" threads will be
invariably lifted along with those face" threads through the "casters" of
which the "back" threads have been entered. At the same time the "back"
warps may be acted upon by the "back "harness for the purpose of weaving
up the floats" without their action in so doing at all interfering with the
free and independent action of the "face" warps and "face" harness, as the
back "warps are always at liberty to rise from their being entered through
the "casters "and not through the eyes or mails of the "face" harness. In this
first modification the "face" warps are worked by what is known as a' full or
thread "harness.
66
*In weaving the improved fabric according to a second modification à
figured "plain" cloth is obtained, being also. wrought by a full or "thread."
barness, and all the "floats" being woven up with. the "back" warps. In
this case the "back" harness. is actuated so as constantly to raise a plain
Shed, that is, every alternate thread of the back "warps across the whole
web raising the same shed for all the weft shots composing one line of the
"face" pattern, and alternating the shed for every successive line or run of
shots. Each thread of the "back." warps, besides being entered through
the "back" harness, is entered through one "caster "only of the "face"
harness, care being taken that an even number of "face" harness "
intervenes between every' one containing a thread of the "back
casters
"
warps.

page_text: It will follow from this that upon whatever portion of the face." warps a
plain draught is raised for the purpose of producing figure only, every alter-
nate thread of the "back" warps will be raised along with it by the:""caster"
action, but it must be carefully.observed that the draught of the "back"
harness, which is raised at the same time to work in the "floats," is the one
"that will take up the remainder. of the "back" warps upon the: figured
portion or plain shed of the "face". warps, so that the "back." warps may
not interfere with the face of the cloth. The same result is also obtained
by entering. thè. "back" warps through the eyes. or mails of the: "face."
harness through the "casters;": and. 'then through a back" harness, or
through: a set of heddles placed; between the "face". harness and the reed.
The heddles thus employed may be termed the "back." heddles, and in
this and subsequent modifications they supply the place of the "back."
·liarness.
:
"
In weaving the improved, fabric according to a third modification, " face."
warps are employed having more than one thread through each *mail or
eye of the harness, and, each thread of the." back warps is entered through
the "back" harness, as. herein-before .described, and through one "caster
only of the face "barness. Or again, under this same modification, each
thread of the "back" warps is entered through one of the eyes or mails of the
"face." barness, and also through a set of back" heddles or a "back" harness.
placed between the "face" harness and. the reed. The action exercised under
the foregoing modifications upon the "back" warps, by their being. entered
through certain of, the mails, eyes, or casters of the "face" harness, may be
otherwise produced, by. "legging" or attaching each thread of the "back.""
harness to the thread or threads of the "face" harness, through the eyes,,mails,.
or casters of which the "back" warps were described as being entered under
the foregoing modifications. The points of attachment of the connecting legs
or bridles; are considerably higher upon the "face" harness than upon the
"back", barness, so that the raising of the "face" harness will lift all the
connected threads of the "back" harness, while the back harness may
be raised as under, the former modifications without, in any way affecting
the "face" harness. Instead of these legs or. bridles. between the "face."
harness and "back" harness,. additional harness. threads may be attached
to the "back" harness, and be carried directly to the cords or mechanism
actuating the "face "tharness, so that the "back" warps may be acted upon
ás herein-before described.
..
::
In another modification, instead of the "back" harness being legged or
attached to the "face." harness or the actuating cords of the same, or the

page_text: "back
warps being entered through the eyes, mails, or casters of the
"face" harness, all as herein-before described, the same result is obtained
by causing the "back" harness of itself to exercise all the action that is
required. Suppose, for example, that jacquard apparatus is employed in
figuring the fabric, the "back" harness is tied to a portion or section of the
cords or tails in a manner' and order corresponding to the tie of the "face"
harness. Besides perforating the pattern in the usual way on that part of
the card which corresponds to the "face" harness, there are repeated on
the portion or section of the card corresponding to the "back" harness". those
aportions of the pattern with which the "back" warps are required to rise,
.so as to keep them clear of the face of the cloth, and there is cut in addition
whatever is required for weaving up the unemployed wefts into the "back"
warps. When any of the unemployed wefts are required to float upon the
back of the cloth for the purpose of being cut or clipped, there are only
repeated upon the "back" harness section of the card those portions of the
patterns above mentioned which are requisite to keep the "back" warps
clear of the face of the cloth. If the draw-boy loom or other mechanism is
employed, an arrangement and repetition equivalent to the above is made
for the purpose of actuating the "back" harness or its equivalent.
In effecting the foregoing improvememts it is not necessary that the
."face" warps and "back" warps be put upon separate beams, as they
may be warped and beamed together in the order in which they are to be
entered.
Another portion of the present improvements in weaving the class of
'fabrics herein-before described or indicated relates to the production of
what are known as "comparted middles," of, for example, two differently
colored grounds in the width of the shawl or plaid piece. The sheds for
.both middles are necessarily raised simultaneously, but ordinarily the wefts
for the two middles. are woven in one after the other, and in weaving each
the shuttle is thrown. completely.across the piece, but the shed of that part
with which it is not to weave is neutralised by a set of "pressing wires" or
acut mounting" arranged to hold it down between the harness and tho
reed. The respective parts of the sheds are held down alternately accord-
ingly as one or other weft is being woven. In this method considerable
.extra labour is expended in producing the effect, but by the present Invention
that is almost entirely saved by dispensing with the "pressing wires" or
"cut mounting," and by weaving in the two differently colored wefts simul-
taneously by means of what.is known as a "sewing frame." This sewing frame
is arranged to work two shuttles simultaneously, each operating over only so

page_text: much of the width of the fabric as is necessary to supply weft to the respec-
tive "comparted middle." The sewing frame is placed in working position
and removed therefrom at the proper periods according to the requirements
of the pattern.
made in
The improvements in jaquard apparatus bave for object by a simple move-
ment to enable the weaver with only one set of cards to produce the pattern
or certain portions of it on either side of the cloth, as may be required.
In jacquard apparatus having knotted tails or cards and draught boards,
the draught board is formed with two saw cuts in each hole, one
the usual way, and the other on the opposite side of the hole.
normal positions of the needles, or when ready to be acted upon by the
perforated card, the card is in the saw cut nearest to the card, having the
knot of the cord on the upper side of the saw cut. If there is a perforation
In the
in the card the needle remains stationary, and the draught board on rising
lifts the knotted cord along with it, while in the case of the card not being
perforated, the needle is driven backward, carrying the cord along with it, until
the knot is over the hole in the draught board, and consequently, the cord
is not raised or operated upon by the rise of the draught board. This or
its equivalent is the ordinary action of the jacquard. When the pattern
is wanted upon the reverse side of the cloth the draught board receives a
shift or change of position, whereby the centre of the hole is made to coin-
-cide with the normal position of the cord, and when the draught board is
in this second position, if there is a perforation in the card, the needle remains
stationary as before, but the draught board on rising does not lift the cord,
as the knot upon the latter passes through the hole and remains unacted
upon. When the card is not perforated the needle is driven backwards,
carrying the cord. along with it and bringing the knot over the second or
opposite saw cut, which is on the farthest side of the hole from the card;
and consequently the cord while in this position will be raised by the rising
of the draught board. By this means a set of cards cut in the usual way
can be made to produce the pattern upon either side of the cloth at pleasure.
A further modification of these improvements is applicable in the case of
fabrics in which the pattern is produced partly upon the one side and partly
upon the other side, as, for example, in shawls which have one corner, fourth
part, or other portion of the pattern on the reverse side from the rest, so as
when this corner or part may be folded over to be worn or shown along
with the rest of the shawl. To effect this object a jacquard is used having
more than one draught board embodying the foregoing improvements; say,
for example, that there are two draught boards, one or both of these have

page_text: double saw cuts as already described. Those parts of the harness which
are required to work at pleasure in reverse are tied to the cords of the
board having double saw cuts, or to either of the boards if they are both
thus arranged, and the other parts of the harness are tied to the other board.
When the weaver commences the shawl or piece, suppose both boards are
working in unison or figuring on the same side of the cloth, he works forward
to that part of the shawl where part is required to be reversed, which he
effects by giving the draught board containing the parts to be reversed the change
of position herein-before described, thereby causing the portion so. affected
to figure upon the other side of the cloth, while the remaining portions work
as formerly, or if both boards are reversed the pattern will be thrown to, the
other side completely across the piece. Or the weaver may work in reverse
order already described, or in any other order. that the fabric to be pro-
duced may require. The draught board may be formed in various ways to
obtain the same: effect, namely, so that, what may be distinguished as the
positive or the negative actions will be determined by the position given to
the board. Thus, there may be two holes connected by a saw cut, to each
cord or tail, or all the holes in a row across the board. may be connected by
saw cuts, in which case, the shift of the board will cause the several cords
or tails to be acted upon by different saw cuts, and not more. than one extra
hole or saw cut will be required in each connected row.
If the description, of jacquard used is that in which the harness threads.
are attached to, hooked wires acted upon or lifted by a grater, the wires
are formed with a second hook standing reversely from the ordinary one.;
the grater, is formed so that by receiving a shift or adjustment equivalent
to the shift, of the draught board herein-before described, the gråter, may
be made to gear with either of the hooks, the figuring, being produced on either
side of the cloth, accordingly.