IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO KNIT STOCKINGS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson, Fel Inst 'P.A, of the
Liverpool and London Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street
Liverpool in the county of Lancaster Civil Engineer for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO KNIT STOCKINGS a communication
from Frank Lasher and William Henry Bradford persons resident at
Bennington in the county of Bennington and state of Vermont in the United
States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th January 1883.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel Inst PA of the Liverpool and London
Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the county
of Lancaster Civil Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO KNIT
STOCKINGS"-a communication from Frank Lasher and William Henry Bradford
persons resident at Bennington in the county of Bennington and state of Vermont
in the United States of America
This invention relates to the formation of the heels of stockings produced by
continuous tubular knitting
The nature of the invention is apparent from the accompanying drawing which
illustrates a detached section of a stocking including the heel with a small portion
of the leg and foot
As a description of the process of making this stocking will facilitate a clear
understanding of its structure we will premise by assuming that the leg is knit in
tubular form on a cylinder machine; such knitting progressing down to the
line c. a. b, of the drawing. At this stage the knitting on the needles on the front
half of the leg over the upper instep on the line a,b, to a point on the other side
opposite a, is suspended while knitting on the rear half continues.-From the
line a,c, to a point opposite a., the formation of the back of the heel commences
and proceeds by narrowing, leaving one (or two, if necessary) needles out of action
at the end of each course, on each side of the foot until a limited number of courses,
Price Cd1

page_text: say three or four, as the case may require have been run in, as between c,-Ɑ,
and d. r., Then a shorter supplemental course of stitches d.-r., which does not
traverse the whole breadth of the rear heel part from the diagonal seam line a,-o,
to its companion line on the opposite side of the heel, but falls short two or three
stitches more or less of meeting such seam lines, is run in.-The next subsequent
range of stitches is knit clear across the heel, or from seam line to seam line, and
at each end of the course picks up and unites with the terminal stitches of the
range last preceding, the supplemental course.-Then the regular complement of
narrowing courses is run in and at e-s, another supplemental course is introduced,
shorter of course than the last preceding supplemental course, in precisely the same
way. Thus these supplemental courses d.-r, c.-8. ft, g-u, and h.-v. are run
in at re-current intervals until the apex of the rear part of the heel at o,―, is
reached. This so termed "apex" has a limited breadth of but a few stitches. From
this point by the converse process of widening and introducing in the way herein-
before described, the supplemental course of stitches i-v', ju', k-t', s' and
m. i., the sole portion a,-x-n, of the heel is produced, after which knitting on
all the needles is resumed and the foot of the stocking is completed in any of the
well known ways.
The number and length of the supplemental courses and the extent of the interval
between them may be regulated by the operator to suit the character of yarn used,
and the shape of the heel desired.
Stockings have heretofore been knit having a gore or wedge-shaped piece knit
in between the terminus of the leg proper and the top of the heel proper in order
to obtain greater fullness and more room at the heel as well as to secure a more
natural and symmetrical shape to the heel, but objections lie against this mode of
construction as all the surplus cloth knit in for purposes of enlargement is inserted
in one place above the top of the heel, thereby as it were crowding the heel down
and having the desired fullness up around the ankle where it is not needed and
leaving the heel itself to be drawn into shape as best it may be by the wearer.--By
this improved method this extra material is inserted and distributed throughout
the heel on both sides of the diagonal seam line equally, thus leaving the apex of
the heel in its true natural position and of correct shape as it should be and avoiding
all unsymmetrical pouches or swells in the fabric resulting from fulling all the
supplemental yarn or cloth in at one place

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th July 1883.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A., of the Liverpool and London
Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the County
of Lancaster, Civil Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO KNIT
STOCKINGS," A communication to me from Frank Lasher and William Henry
Bradford, persons resident at Bennington, in the county of Bennington and State of
Vermont, in the United States of America.
This invention relates to the formation of the heels of stockings produced by
continuous tubular knitting.
The nature of the invention is apparent from the accompanying drawing which
illustrates a detached section of a stocking including the heel with a small portion
of the leg and foot.
As a description of the process of making this stocking will facilitate a clear
understanding of its structure, we will premise by saying that the leg is knit in
tubular form on a cylinder machine; such knitting progressing down to the
line c, a, b, of the drawing. At this stage the knitting on the needles on the front
half of the leg over the upper instep on the line a,b, to a point on the other sido
opposite a, is suspended, while knitting on the rear half continues. From tho
line a,c, to a point opposite a, the formation of the back of the heel commences
and proceeds by narrowing, leaving one (or two, if necessary) needles out of action
at the end of each course, on each side of the foot until a limited number of courses,
say three or four, as the case may require, have been run in, as between c,-a,
and dr. Then a shorter supplemental course of stitches d,-,, which does not
traverse the whole breadth of the rear heel part from the diagonal scam line a,―o,
to its companion line on the opposite side of the heel, but falls short two or three
stitches more or less of meeting such seam-lines, is run in. The next subsequent
range of stitches is knit clear across the heel, or from seam line to seam line, and
at each end of the course picks up and unites with the terminal stitches of the
range last preceding the supplemental course. Then the regular complement of
narrowing courses is run in, and at e.-8. another supplemental course is introduced,
shorter of course than the last preceding supplemental course, in precisely the same
way. Thus these supplemental courses d, r, 6, 8, f, t, g, u, and h,v, are run
in at recurrent intervals until the apex of the rear part of the heel at o,-x,
is reached.
Then one or more courses of stitches as may be necessary or desirable is run in
on the diagonal line a-x extending from a, to its opposite point in the other side of
the heel and back again. By knitting in this course of stitches in this way the
terminal stitches of each precedent course are picked up and a firmer and less
perforate web or texture is produced.
This so termed "apex" has a limited breadth of but a few stitches. From this
point by the converse process of widening and introducing in the way herein before
described, the supplemental courses of stitches i-v', ju', k―t', s' and m—r',
the sole portion a,x,-n, of the heel is produced, after which knitting on all the
ncedles is resumed and the foot of the stocking is completed in any of the well
known ways.
The number and length of the supplemental courses and the extent of the interval
between them may be regulated by the operator to suit the character of yarn used,
and the shape of the heel desired.

page_text: Stockings have heretofore been knit having a gore or wedge shaped pioce knit
in between the terminus of the leg proper and the top of the heel proper in order
to obtain greater fulness and more room at the heel as well as to secure a moro
natural and symmetrical shape to the heel, but objections lie against this mode of
construction as all the surplus cloth knit in for purposes of enlargement is inserted
in one place above the top of the heel, thereby as it were crowding the heel down
and having the desired fulness up around the ankle where it is not needed and
leaving the heel itself to be drawn into shapo as best it may be by the wearer. By
this improved method this extra material is inserted and distributed throughout the
heel on both sides of the diagonal seam line equally, thus leaving the apex of the.
heel in its true natural position and of correct shape as it should be and avoiding
all unsymmetrical pouches or swells in the fabric resulting from fulling all tho
supplemental yarn or cloth in at one place.
Having now described the invention as communicated to me I wish it to bo
understood that what I desire to protect under the Letters Patent is:
As a new article of manufacture a tubular knit stocking having the leg and foot
portions of ordinary form and the back and solo parts of the heel of narrowed and
widened triangularly shaped sections respectively, and united on a diagonal
line on each side of the heel as shown, said back and sole portions of the heel
having knit in at recurrent intervals throughout their longitudinal extent supple-
inental courses of stitches each of which is shorter by a definite number of stitches
than the last course immediately preceding and following it, substantially as shown
and described and for the purposes set forth..
In witness whereof I the said William Phillips Thompson havo hereunto sot
my hand and seal this tenth day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty thre
MD THOMPSON Gol