IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS BY BOBBIN NET OR TWIST LACE MACHINERY
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cope, of Nottingham, Manufacturer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS BY
BOBBIN NET OR TWIST LACE MACHINERY:
Sealed the 13th April 1858, and dated the 15th February 1858..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cope at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th February 1858.
I, WILLIAM COPE, of Nottingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
FABRICS BY BOBBIN NET OR TWIST LACE MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
;
The improvements relate to the production of a novel description of fabrics,
adapted especially for antimacassars, window curtains and blinds, table covers,
shawls, bed curtains, and such like fabrics, such fabrics being composed of
plated or twisted pillars formed by the working together of bobbin and warp
threads, and which pillars are connected together to form fabric of the
description usually called net by the laying in at intervals, and from selvage to
selvage of such fabrics, of horizontal or transverse threads, in place of such
pillars being connected together into a fabric by traverses given to the bobbin-
or warp threads."

page_text: In the making of such fabrics I use a guide or thread carrier, adapted to
carry thread horizontally or transversely across the machine, in a direction
from selvage to selvage of the fabric being produced, such guide or thread
carrier being caused to conduct its thread in position to be taken by the
ordinary points without the intervention of other instruments for that purpose,
and to hold it in position till tied into the longitudinal pillars formed by the
combined operation of the bobbin and warp threads. The guide or thread
carrier is supported by a traversing bar, which has the requisite to-and-fro
motion given to it by a gut or band passing over a pulley or wheel to which
alternate rotary motion is given, or by levers or otherwise.
These transverse or horizontal threads I prefer to be compound, that is,
formed by the plating together of several distinct threads, or of one thread
twisted or wrapped round another thread, in the peculiar manner forming
what is called a cork-screw thread, or of one thread chained into itself, but
ordinary twisted or thick or other threads may be employed. There may be
more than one of such transverse threads acting together or in succession, as
may be required, and they may be composed of either cotton, wool, silk, or
other material, and may be of various distinct colors or of mixed colors,,-
Ornamental effects may be produced upon such fabrics by the use of
intercepters, or otherwise, when desired, as in the manufacture of ordinary lace
fabrics.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Cope in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th August 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
COPE, of Nottingham; Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her. Letters
Patent bearing date the Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year.
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Cope, Her special licence that I, the said
William Cope, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Cope, 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

page_text: might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invențion
for "IMPROVEMENTS. IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS BY BOBBIN NET OR TWIST
LACE MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Cope, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 William Cope, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
The improvements relate to the production of a novel description of fabrics
adapted especially for antimacassars, window curtains and blinds, table covers;
shawls, bed curtains, and such like fabrics, such fabrics being composed of
plaited or twisted pillars formed by the working together of bobbin and warp
threads, and which pillars are connected together to form fabric of the
description usually called net, by the laying in at intervals, and from selvage to
selvage of such fabrics, of horizontal or transverse threads, in place of such
pillars being connected together into a fabric by traverses given to the bobbin
or warp threads.
In the making of such fabrics I use a guide or thread carrier adapted to
carry thread horizontally or transversely across the machine, in a direction
from selvage to selvage of the fabric being produced, such guide or thread
carrier being caused to conduct its thread in position to be taken by the
ordinary points without the intervention of other instruments for that purpose,
and to hold it in position till tied into the longitudinal pillars formed by the
combined operation of the bobbin and warp threads. The guide .or. thread
carrier is supported by a traversing bar, which has the requisite to-and-fro
motion given to it by a gut or band passing over a pulley or wheel to which
alternate rotary motion is given; or by levers or otherwise.
These transverse or horizontal threads I prefer to be compound, that is,
formed by the plaiting together of several distinct threads, or of one thread
twisted or wrapped round another thread in the peculiar manner forming
what is called a corkscrew thread, or of one thread chained into itself, but
ordinary twisted, or thick, or other threads may be employed. There may be

page_text: Figure 1 shows a front view of parts towards the right-hand end of a lace
machine, of that character called single-tier roller locker, with my. improve-
ments applied thereto; Figure 2 shows a front view of parts of the same
towards the left-hand end; Figure 3 is a section, and Figures 4 and 5, two
end views of the same; other views show some of the parts in detail, the
nature of which is written thereon.
I would here state that I have not thought it necessary to shew entirely
the ordinary parts of a lace machine, except so far as they may be necessary
in order to render the means which I have shown for carrying out the
Invention more.clearly understood.
a, a, is the main framing; b is the driving axis, by which motion is com-
municated to the various parts, there being affixed upon that axis fast and
loose pulleys b¹, 2, capable of being acted upon by a strap. or band c from a
steam engine or other suitable power; d and e, are the main axes, from which
motions are communicated to the ordinary parts of the machine; f and g, are
other shafts or axes, by which, according to the arrangements shown, motions
are communicated more especially for the laying in at the times desired of
transverse threads for the production of fabrics according to my improvements;
h, h, are the points; and h¹, h', the point bars; i, the carriages; and , the
combs, in which they traverse; k, guides for operating the warp threads; z
are intercepters, operated by jacquard or pattern surface, to aid in producing
figuring effects; and 1,., are guides or thread carriers, one for each breadth of
fabric, and adapted to carry thread according to my improvements, horizontally
or. transversely across the machine, in a direction from selvage to selvage of
cach breadth of fabric. These guides or thread carriers l. are affixed to a bar
, which by means of arms l', is supported with a capability of sliding on the
stationary. guiding bars 1, 3, the sliding of the bar , being effected simply in

page_text: a direction from end to end of the machine, and which motions I will here-
after more fully describe.
The fabric produced according to my Invention being composed of plaited
or twisted pillars, united together at intervals by the passage between the
threads composing such pillars of transverse or horizontal threads, such as
referred to, it is necessary that sufficient time be allowed between the laying
in of the succeeding transverse threads, for the formation of the required length
of pillars, and an arrangement of parts for this purpose which I find to answer
I will now proceed to explain. The axis b is formed hollow, and receives
within it the axis 6*; upon the axis b*.is applied the toothed wheel m, which
thereby has a capability of turning independently of the shaft b; and upon
the hollow shaft bis affixed the toothed wheel n to turn with that shaft. The
tooth wheel m is for giving motion, by means of the intermediate wheel m', to
the tooth wheel m² affixed upon the shaft or axis d. The tooth wheel n is for
giving motion, by means of the intermediate wheel n', to the tooth wheel n³;
affixed upon the front shaft f, upon which is affixed the snail wheel f¹, the
tooth of which takes into the teeth of the wheel f, upon the cross shaft or
axis f³, which is supported so as freely to rotate in bearings carried by the
main framing, and has affixed upon it the bevilled pinion f*, which takes into
and drives the bevilled pinion f³, affixed upon the axis g, by which that shaft
9. will (with 18 teeth, as shown in the wheel.f) make but one revolution for
18 of the shaft or axis f. The wheel m is caused to move with the axis b in
the following manner-Upon the wheel m is affixed the bar b³, carrying the
axes of the driver 64 and stopper 65, which are capable of acting respectively
against the ends of the segmental piece be, affixed to the side of the wheel m,
and when the driver b* is so acting the wheel.m will be caused to rotate with
the axis b, and at such times by the arrangement shown the ordinary parts of
the lace machine will be in operation, and will be producing pillars only
(except when by the aid of jacquard or other pattern surface, certain of the
threads are caused to make traverses for the purposes of ornamentation), and
when it is. required to carry transverse threads across the machine these.
ordinary motions of the machine are suspended. For this purpose the click
or driver b* is lifted from the end of the segmental piece 66 of the wheel m, by
which the wheel m will remain at rest, and this lifting of the click or driver
bis effected in the following manner:-Upon the axis g is affixed the cam
or tappet o, which operates upon the truck or bowl o³, carried by one end
of the lever o, which turns upon an axis of motion o³, and at its other end
is by a link o connected to one end of the lever 0%, which turns upon a fixed

page_text: b
centre of motion 0%. When in the revolution of the cam or tappet o the
truck or bowl o' falls into a recess in that cam, the front and curved part of
the lever o will be permitted to rest upon the periphery of the wheel m, and
the inclined projection of from that lever o³ will come into position to act upon
the pin 6 projecting from the driver b, so as to lift that driver from acting
against the end of the segmental piece 6 by which the wheel m will cease
for a time to have motion given to it, and at the same time the spring stops
0, 0%, will.come into position to be capable of acting against the stud o²º
affixed to the wheel m to retain it in position. 0¹ is a stop, acting against the
teeth of the wheel m to prevent back motion to it. As the cam or tappet
wheel o continues its motion, the truck or bowl o' on the lever o will be lifted,
by which the lever o³ and parts carried thereby will be lifted from the wheel m,
and the driver 6' will again be permitted to act upon the end of the segmental
piece be affixed to that wheel m, by which the ordinary motions of the machine
will again proceed, and so on with each motion imparted to the levers o² and
o by the cam o. The traverse motion of the guides at the. times desired is
effected by the guts or bands which pass partly around the pulley or wheel
7 affixed upon the axis l, and these ends of the guts or bands are affixed to
projections from the wheel 1, whilst the other ends of the guts or bands
are connected to the projection of the bar l, to which the guts or bands 1³
are guided by pullies 1. The axis turns in stationary bearings carried by
the framing, and has affixed upon it the pulley or wheel 0, to which, as also to
the pulley or wheel is affixed the band or strap 2. From the side of the
pulley project studs ¹³, which are alternately operated upon by one and
then the other end p¹ of the combined arms p, which turn upon a centre of
motion p carried by the lever p³, which turns upon the fixed centre of motion
p and carries a truck or bowl p³, by which it is operated so as to communicate
a rising and falling motion to the arms p by the cam p° affixed upon the axis
or shaft f. The arms pare at their lower ends connected into one, so that any
motion given to one is communicated to the other, and there is a pin p' pro-
jecting from one of them to which one end of the link ps is connected, whilst
the other end thereof is connected to the upper end of the lever -p which
turns upon a centre of motion po and carries a truck or bowl p", which is
operated by the cam or "tappet p12 upon the axis g, and these parts are so
regulated that the ends p' may in their lifting motion alternately come under
one and then the other of the studs 73, so that the wheels 0, 1, may have
partial rotary motion given to them to move the guts or bands, and
the thread carriers to be moved to the right and then to the left, and

page_text: back again. Each guide or thread carrier after.making its traverse across
the breadth of fabric to the right or to the left, remains at the selvage holding
the thread just taken by it across the fabric in position correctly to be taken
by the points, and to be held by them till fully tied in by the vertical pillars
formed by the lacing together of the bobbin and warp threads.
And in order to retain the bar l' steadily after each motion to the right or
left, and thereby prevent the guides or carriers 1 springing into the way of the
bobbin carriages in their movements from one set of combs to the other;
there is applied to the bar projections or studs q, q, one or the other of
which during the ordinary motions of the machine in the formation of the
pillars of the fabric is embraced by the fingers q', q', which at such times act
as stops-to-prevent any vibratory or springing motion to the bar l', and then
when the bar is about to be moved endwise for the carriers to lay in trans-
verse thread these stops are moved out of the way. For this purpose the
stops q' are formed by the ends of L levers q³, which turn upon an axis q³, and
at their other ends are by links & connected to the cross-piece 2, which is
guided by the guide q, and at its lower end is connected one end of the lever
9', which turns upon a centre of motion q³, and carries a pulley or bowl qº,
which is acted upon by the cam or tappet q affixed upon the shaft or axis f.
The threads to the guides or carriers 7 are supplied from bobbins or spools »,
and tension is put on them by their passing through eyes ¹. The parts as
shewn are adapted to produce three breadths of fabric across the machine,
with one carrier to each breadth, and these breadths are held together during
production by lacing threads, as is well understood. And the pillars of the
fabric are produced by the working together of two bobbin threads, with two
warp threads, and between each pair of bobbin threads thus working and the
next there is a space or empty comb, that is to say, there are two bobbin
carriages working side by side, and then a space, then two carriages, and then
a space, and so on across the breadth. And the thread carriers are arranged
to take thread across, whilst the carriages are in the front combs, and each
succeeding transverse thread is laid in after the carriages have moved eight
times from the front to the back combs, and then into the front again.
all these details may be varied. And when desired to produce pattern or
figure on the fabric by the traverse of some of the threads, such threads will
be operated upon for that purpose by means of jacquard or other suitable
pattern surface acting upon intercepters or otherwise, as is well understood, to
effect a traverse of the required warp threads from one to the next or other
of the pillars of the fabric; but except where such ornamentation is obtained,
But

page_text: the pillars of the fabric will be simply held together by the transverse threads
laid in by the instruments l.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and means which
I adopt in-carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details shewn or the mode of working
described, as these may be varied; but what I do claim is, the adaptation and
combination of means whereby fabric may be produced of the character and
for the purposes substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cope, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
THOMAS ROBINSON,
New Basford.
WILLIAM COPE. (L.S.)