A NEW APPARATUS FOR TYING KNOTS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lloyd Wisc, of Chandos Chambers,
Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "A
NEW APPARATUS FOR TYING KNOTS."-A communication from abroad
by Joshua Alexander Kay, of 91, Lonsdale Street East, Melbourne,
in the Colony of Victoria, Machinist.
Sealed the 8th June 1875, and dated the 21st April 1875.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Lloyd Wise
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 21st April 1875, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LLOYD WISE, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the County of Middle-
sex, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "A NEW APPARATUS
FOR TYING KNOTS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it has been com-

page_text: municated to me from abroad by Joshua Alexander Kay, of 91, Lonsdale
Street East, Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Machinist.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Lloyd Wise, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and 5
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :—
This Invention has for its object "A New Apparatus for Tying Knots,"
of which the following is the description communicated to me from
abroad as aforesaid :--
This Invention consists, first and chicfly, of certain tools, implements,
or devices for tying knots; and secondly, of certain contrivances for
imparting the necessary motion to such tools.
1
My tools, implements, or devices for tying knots consist, primarily, of
a looper, a horizontally sliding hook, a rotating hook, and a hooked finger ]
and thumb; secondarily, they consist of a needle, a knot slipper, a fixed
hook, a top, bottom, and middle cord catcher or holder, and a knife.
The knot is tied inside an oblong casing, which I call the knotting
box.
My looper consists of an oblong slab having three prongs at one end 2
and some rack teeth on its face. The upper prong is grooved lengthwise
on its upper side and the middle ono on its lower side. A slot is made
in the back to receive a pin or stud for working the horizontally sliding
hook.
The horizontally sliding hook is the hooked end of a metal rod, which a
is connected to a lever working vertically on a central stud or pivot in
the knotting box. At the lower end of this lever is the pin or stud
which works in the slot at the back of the looper.
The rotating hook is a piece of cranked or bent steel, one end of which
fits into a socket in the end of a horizontal shaft running through the a
centre of one end of the knotting box, and the other end of which is
hooked.
The hooked finger and thumb consist of two metal rods connected
together so that they will move simultaneously until they reach a given
point, when the hooked finger will proceed alone and the thumb wait a

page_text: diately retires, carrying the double string or cord through the circle
formed by the rotating hook, and being held firmly by the thumb as it
returns to its position deliberately tightens the knot, the knot slipper
meantime rising up underneath and compelling the knot to slip in the
required direction whilst it is being tightened. The needle is needful to
carry down the string or cord from time to time to the bottom holder or
gripper, which takes it from the eye of the needle whilst the knife cuts
it off. The lower holder or gripper then releases it, and the middle one
takes it, acting as a tension during most of its time, whilst the top
gripper or catch is placed close to the position where the knot is required 1
to be tightened, and holds the string until the process is completed. The
loop of cord or string having its ends tied into a knot and containing
anything or nothing then falls from the apparatus.
In order however that my Invention may be distinctly understood I
will now proceed to describe the Drawings hercto annexed, which clearly 1
illustrate the several parts of my apparatus and the mode of working
them.
Figure 1 is a front view; Figure 1ª, a back view; Fig. 1b, front end
view; and Figure 1°, top view of my looper A.
Figure 2 is a front view, and Figure 2" is top view of my oblong casing
with the top plate and looper removed so as to exhibit the horizontally
sliding hook B, rotating hook C, and the fixed hook D, the latter Figure
shewing the finger and thumb F and F' as they appear when at the
extremity of their stroke.
Figure 3 is front view; Figure 3ª, top view; and Figure 3b is cross 2
section on line a, a, in Figure 3 of my oblong casing complete.
Figure 4 is top view, and Figure 4 is side view of my hooked
finger F and thumb F', whilst Figures 4 and 4 are views of the under
and front sides respectively of the case in which they work, and
Figure 4 is front end view thereof.
Figures 5, 5, and 5b show respectively back, side, and top view of my
necdle G.
Figures 6 and 6 show respectively front and side view of my knot
slipper II in position.
3
Figures 7 and 7ª show respectively top and side views of my top cord 3
catcher or holder I.

page_text: Figures 8 and 8ª shew respectively top and end view of my bottom
cord catcher J.
Figures 9, 9ª, and 9', shew respectively top, end, and side view, of my
middle cord catcher K.
Figures 10 and 10° shew respectively top and ond view of the
knife L.
In working my apparatus I first thread the needle with the string or
cord to be used and pull it through the oye sufficiently far to admit of
its being passed down in front of the knotting box and turned round the
lower holder J, as shown in Figure 11. The material around which tho
string is to pass is then placed in the position shewn in Figure 11", and
the needle commences its motion. Descending in front of the knotting
box it passes between two guides just above the middle holder, which
then presses forward and keeps it in position, but does not hold it. Still
descending it reaches the lower holder J, which relcases its grip of the
first cord at the same time that the middle holder presses fully forward
and grips both it and the cord last supplied (see Figure 11º), whilst
immediately afterwards the knife L cuts the string just above the lower
holder in front of the needle. The motion of the knife follows that of
the lower holder so quickly as to be almost simultaneous. The top
holder I also presses itself dead up at the same time as the lower one.
The needle then commences to retrace its motion, simultaneously with
which the looper commences to move forward in the knotting box and
the hook B (which passes immediately over the top of the upper prong)
to move backward, the two hooks B and D preserving the top and
bottom portion of the loop in the required positions. When the looper
has reached the extremity of its stroke (see Figure 3) the rotating hook C
catches the lower end of the loop and winds it round the two upper
prongs of the looper until it has made very nearly three-fourths of a
rotation, when the hooked finger F and thumb F' pass between the
prongs of the looper, the thumb waiting just inside whilst the hooked
finger presses onward to the back of the casing, when the rotating hook C
continuing its rotation carries the string in front of the hooked finger F,
which immediately retires with it to the thumb. This then closes upon
it and holds it fast, both together, retiring backwards into their case Fª
simultaneously with the backward movement of the looper A and the
forward movement of the sliding hook B. Prior to these backward.
movements being completed, and immediately after the finger and

page_text: thumb are outside the casing E, the knot slipper H rises and catches the
string between its forks just in front of the knot; then as the thumb and
finger retire the slipper slips along the string the knot which has been
previously formed quite close to the top catch I, which then releases its
hold, and the weight of the material contained in the band draws the
string from the finger and thumb, so as to allow it to fall clear of the
machine.
It will be noticed that each time the needle descends it carries two
lengths of cord or string with it, one on each side of its cye, and
each having a slight tension on it. In the one case this tension is
produced by the weight of the material being bound, and in the other
by the resistance of the reel on which the cord is wound. It will also
be noticed that in starting the machine the cord or string is first passed
down to and held by the lower holder, then passes around the bundle to
be tied, and then through the cyc of the needle, so that when it descends
it takes two lengths of cord or string, making altogether three lengths
in the machine at one time. Two of these are released as cach knot is
tied, leaving a third one with which to commence forming the next
band. This third string is by the upward motion of the needle kept
quite clear of the other two until they have been knotted and released
from the machine.
The second part of my Invention consists of certain contrivances for
imparting the necessary motion to the tools, implements, or devices just
described. These contrivances need but little further description beyond
what is given by the Drawings of them, to which I am now about to
refer, except to state that they are all to be driven from one main shaft,
which in every case has a dotted line drawn across its centrc.
Figure 13 then is the contrivance for imparting motion to the
segmental rack A' which works the looper. This segmental rack is
made elbow shaped (see Figure 22). The motion is imparted by the
eccentricity of the groove A² on disc A', in which the stud or roller A³
travels, thus operating the lever A³, at the end of which is a vertical
stud Aº to which the segmental rack is attached.
Figure 14 is the contrivance for rotating hook C. Here again the
motion is imparted by the eccentricity of a groove 0¹ on disc Cº, in
which a stud or roller Cº travels, thereby revolving circular ratchet C*
and spur wheel C³ through the intervention of jointed crank lever O³,

page_text: Os being a spring pawl, C and O' being small toothed wheels, the latter
being on the end of a horizontal spindle, in the opposite end of which the
rotating hook C is received and fastened.
Figures 14 and 14' are respectively front and side sectional views of
that part of the machine which is under the knotting box, and shown at
the end of Figure 14.
Figure 15 is the contrivance for operating the hooked finger and
thumb F and F through the intervention of the segmental rack F³,
pinion F³, and spur wheel F', gearing into the rack F on the tool
itself. In this case also the motion is imparted to the elbow shaped
segmental rack by the eccentricity of a groove F on disc F³, in which a
stud or roller F' travels, thus operating the lover F³, at the end of which
is a vertical stud F, to which the segmental rack F³ is attached.
Figure 16 is the contrivance for operating the needle. At the end of
the driving shaft is a disc G¹ having an eccentric pin G² projecting from
its face, which is connected by the rod G³ to the crank G at the end of
the shaft G5, which carries the needle.
Figure 17 is the contrivance for working the knot slipper, the motion
being imparted by means of the lug or projection H' on disc H³ pushing
a lever H³, and so operating the tool through the medium of the forked
lever H*, H' being a spring to keep the lever H³ in position between the
motions of the tool.
Figure 18 is the contrivance for working the top catch, which is bent
downward at its extremity. This bent part I is clasped by a fork I at
the end of a lever I', which is operated by a stud or roller I travelling
over the projections I on disc I°.
Figure 19 is the contrivance for working the bottom catch, which is
worked by a triangular stud or pin J' travelling over a projection J* on
the disc Js, thus operating a lever J*, at the end of which is the catch.
J' (see Figure 23) is a flat metal spring for keeping this catch in its
normal position.
Figure 20 is the contrivance for working the middle catch or holder,
which is worked by a stud or roller K' travelling over the projection K³
on the other side of the disc J³, thus operating the lever K³, at the
end of which is the catch, K' being a spiral spring for withdrawing

page_text: the catch from the string immediately the stud or roller K' falls off the
projection K³.
Figure 21 is the contrivance for operating the knife, which is kept in
its normal position by a flat spring L' (see Figure 23). Motion is
imparted to it by the travel of the stud or roller I over the projection L³
on the opposite side of the disc I°, thereby moving the lever I', at the
end of which is the knife. M is the driving shaft, upon which all the
discs arc fastened, and from which the whole machine is operated.
Referring now to the machine as a whole Figure 22 is a top view;
Figure 23, a top view with the top plate removed; Figure 24, a front
end elevation; and Figure 25, a plan of the machine when turned upside
down.
The order in which the several motions take place is as follows:-The
needle first descends, and when its point is level with the knife the
roller K of the middle holder comes in contact with the eccentric cam ]
or projection on the disc J³. The bottom catch J commences to move
just as the point of the needle is on a level with the bottom of it. The
knife L moving almost simultaneously then enters between the cord
and the needle. Just before the completion of the downward stroke of
the needle the top catch I commences to press in, and is dead up immc-
diately before the knife cuts. The bottom catch J presses up at the
same time as the top one, and passes between the cord and the needle
just above the needle's eyc. The segmental rack A' commences to movo
almost immediately after the top catch is dead up. At half stroke of
this rack, and when the point of the needle has risen about three-eighths 2
of an inch above the knife, the other segmental rack F² commences to
move, and the finger is just at the mouth of its own casc when the
lower catch and knife act. The rotating hook then commences to rise
and rotate. The roller K¹ now falls off the projection K³, acting as a
tension during the latter part of its stroke. Immediately the rotating a
hook has risen sufficiently high the finger and thumb F and F pass
underneath, and enter the front of the knotting box, the speed of the
finger increasing as it enters. The thumb stops just inside, and the
finger proceeds onward to the back of the box, waiting until the rotating
liook passes inside it, when it immediately withdraws to and joins the 3
thumb, which together retire outside the front of the box. The knot
slipper H now rises, catching the string in its fork just between the

page_text: knot and the finger and thumb. The looper now retires, and the finger
and thumb recede into their case, thus tightening the knot whilst the
slipper slips it along close to the material being bound; the top catch I
then withdraws, and the operation is completed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I attach far
greater importance to the tools, implements, or devices, and the motions
imparted to them, which constitute the first part of my Invention, than
to the contrivances for imparting such motions, inasmuch as the latter
may be altered or varied without departing from the nature or essence of
my Invention.
I would also have it understood that I believe the principal use of my
Invention will be in tying knots in string around sheaves of grain, but
inasmuch as my apparatus will tic knots in single or double string, and
for any purpose whatever, I do not confine myself to any particular
purpose to which my apparatus may be applied.
Such being the description of the said Invention communicated to
me, as aforesaid, I would havo it understood that I claim,―
First. The peculiar construction of each of the tools, implements, or
devices for tying knots marked respectively A, B, C, D, E, F, F¹, G, H, I, K,
and L.
Secondly. The peculiar motions imparted to each of these tools, implc-
ments, or devices herein described.
Thirdly. The several contrivances, herein described, for imparting the
required motion to each such tool, implement, or device.
Fourthly. The combination of parts forming the complete apparatus
for tving knots substantially as herein described and explained