IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STAYS, BOOTS, AND SHOES; ALSO IN FASTENING OR CONNECTING FABRICS AND GARMENTS
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS, of Cheapside, in the City of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day
of July, One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the twelfth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Thomas,, my exors, admiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William
Thomas, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said William
Thomas, my exors, adiñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise; and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the Islands of
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man; and also in all Her said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF STAYS, BOOTS, AND SHOES; ALSO IN FASTENING OR CONNECTING
FABRICS AND GARMENTS;" communicated to me from abroad, in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William Thomas,
should cause a particular description of the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
.

page_text: part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Thomas, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
The Invention consists, first, of improvements in weaving ornamental figures
in stay fabrics.
.
Secondly, the Invention consists of a mode of taking up the work when
weaving gores in stay fabrics.
Thirdly, the Invention consists of improvements in the means of weaving
gores and plain parts of stay fabrics.
Fourthly, the Invention consists of an arrangement of apparatus for sewing
and connecting fabrics and parts of garments, whereby the needles used are
simply caused to pass through the fabric, as hereafter explained, the ends of the
threads being drawn through the fabrics or parts of garments by means of
hooks or suitable instruments for that purpose.
Fifthly, the Invention consists of improvements in combining apparatus for
producing tambour work.
Sixthly, the Invention consists of improvements in apparatus for sewing
where a shuttle is employed to introduce one of the two threads used.
Seventhly, the Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of
boots; and
_:
Eighthly, the Invention consists of a mode of connecting trousers and
gaiters to boots and shoes. And in order that the Invention may be most
fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the
means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING A.
Figure 1 shews so much of an end view, and Figure 2 so much of a plan, of
a loom as will enable me to describe the nature of this part of the Invention;
the object of this improvement being to introduce ornamenting threads in
a is the reed in its frame, which
pattern on the stay fabric, as it is woven.
frame is strengthened at the upper part at a', as shewn; the red lines shew
the open shed of the ordinary warp; b, b, are thread carriers on bars c, c,
which bars are constantly borne towards the left-hand end of the machine by
the have are controlled in their movements hv

page_text: lace wheels d, d, or other pattern surfaces, in like manner to what similar bars
are worked in lace machines. The lace wheels have on their axis a ratchet
wheel, which is to be put in motion just before the guides b' of the thread
carriers are caused to enter the shed of the warp in order that they may enter
the proper place to produce the desired pattern. The ornamenting threads
are carried on bobbins similar to those used in lace machines, the carriages of
such bobbins being made suitable for their being carried by the projections c¹
of the bars c, as shewn. The Drawing shews two bars c, but this may be
varied; there may be any desired number of thread carriers on each bar c.
The bars c, c, are carried by the bar c, which is carried by the levers or
arms e', e, one at each side of the loom. These levers or arms are affixed to
the shaft, which receives motion from a treadle or cam by means of the con-
necting rod f acting on the arm e³, and the arrangement of apparatus is such
that just previous to throwing across the shuttle the thread carriers are to be
lowered into the shed of the warp, by which the ornamenting threads or extra
threads carried by the guides of the thread carriers will place their threads so
as to range just above the lower part of the shed, and when the weft has been
thrown across, and the thread carriers have been raised, and the beating up by
the reed have taken place, the extra threads will be tied into the fabric, and
will be so as often as they are introduced, the positions in which they aro
introduced depending on the pattern surface employed.
I will now describe the second part of the Invention. It is well known to
persons engaged in weaving stay fabrics wherein gores are woven, that there
is considerable difficulty in taking up the work with such regularity and
convenience as is desirable. For this purpose an apparatus is applied to
a loom used in weaving stay fabrics with gores, which apparatus I will now
describe.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS B.

page_text: loom be worked by power, then the axis of the cylinder a will be worked by
suitable apparatus put in motion by the power. The bar d is an arched bar,
so that its ends may be depressed without pressing on the whole width of the
fabric; by this arrangement when a gore is being woven the bar d will be
depressed, and take up a quantity of fabric, equal to that which is being woven
at the selvages, whilst the central portion of the fabric is left untouched, the
take up in respect thereto not going on. The bar d is pressed into the
recesses by the hand levers j, j, as the gores are woven. By these means
the line of weaving across the loom will be at all times true for the reed
to beet up to.
I will now describe the third part of the Invention, which is also shewn by
the Drawings now under description. In place of using the ordinary means of
introducing the weft at parts where gores are to be made, I employ weft
carriers A, which are similar to the bobbins and carriages of lace machines,
and which are carried by the bars B, B, which are affixed to the sliding
bars C, C, which slide in grooves formed in plates D, affixed to the framing of
the loom. These thread carriers act as shuttles to take the weft thread into
the shed, and in forming the gores they are controlled so as in commencing to
form the gore to go only a short distance into the fabric, and then to go
in farther and farther till the desired depth of gore is produced; the thread
carriers then go in a progressively shorter distance till the desired
gore is
produced. The distance which the thread carriers go in is controlled by lace
wheels E, or other suitable pattern surfaces which act upon nebs on the
levers F, which, by means of springs, are constantly borne towards the centre
of the loom, but they have an outward movement given to them just before
each beat up by means of the cams G. The levers F at one end turn upon
axes F, and at the other they pass between the rollers C', C', on the bars C, in
order to their giving motion to the bars C and to the thread carriers. It will be
seen that by this arrangement the thread carriers are moved into and drawn
out from the same opening of the shed. In order, therefore, to prevent the weft
being drawn out with the carriers, there are a series of pins H at distances
apart suitable to the varying distances at which the weft is to be thrown in to
form a gore. These pins H are capable of being pressed into the shed in
order to retain the weft as the thread carrier goes out from the shed, and then
by the shifting of the harness the weft is held between the parts of the warp.
The pins H are carried by the bar I, which has a series of small holes through
it for that purpose, and in order that the pins may have friction upon the
surface; in order to their being retained at any elevation to which they for the
time are raised, they are passed through a strip of india-rubber, which I

page_text: prefer to be vulcanized, or otherwise suitably prepared. This is secured to the
bar I by the plate I. J is a bar carried at one end by a projection from the
sliding bar C, and guided towards its other end by the guides. J', with a move-
ment, corresponding to that of the thread carrier, but a little in the rear of it;
and it will be seen that these bars are each turned up at their ends, so that as
they are moved across the loom, they may acte upon to depress the pins H;
when the, thread has been carried, in, the thread carrier withdrawn, and the
warp acted upon to hold the weft,' the pins H will have to be withdrawn
in order to the "beat up" taking place. This is accomplished by means of
bar K, which is capable of up and down movement over the bar I, the
bar K having ears: K', K', which embrace the sides, of the bar I. L, L, are
inclined bars affixed one to each side of the batten, and are so formed that as
the batten comes forward, the bars L raise the bar K together with those of
the pins H, which have been depressed, as indicated by the dotted lines in
Figure 3. The bar I and with it the bar K is capable of movement on the
bars M, M, in order to these bars being out of the way for the beat up. This
movement is obtained by means of the studs N, N, acting on the bar I, whilst
the bar I has a tendency to be retained. back against the stops O, O, by reason
of the springs P, P... The thread carrier A, at the right-hand side of the loom,
is arranged to carry its thread across the width of the fabric when required to
make the plain part.. At such times its bar J will act upon the pins at the left-
hand side of the loom to retain the thread whilst the carrier is withdrawn, and
the change of harness takes place. The cams G and the lace wheels may
be, acted upon by movements from the treaddles in hand looms, or from the
main shaft in power looms, with a capability of being put into motion, or
thrown out of movement for a time at pleasure. The cams G when in action
should make one revolution between each beat up. The movement of the lace
wheels will depend upon the variation required to be produced in the throwing
in of the weft. In place of causing the thread carrier to enter between the
warp, as above described, an apparatus may be used, such as is shown
at Figures 4 and 5, in which a bobbin carrying the weft is mounted on the
bent stem, which has an eye ata, through which the weft is conducted and
made fast to the fabric. The stem a is capable of sliding by its carriage y,
which moves freely between guides, so that the apparatus may come close to
the selvage. When the weft is to be drawn in to any distance of the shed, an
instrument is introduced by the workman, so that the pin z¹ will come
and take the weft, and draw off a quantity into the shed, when the shed closing
will shut the same in; the workman will then draw in further quantities and
so on. The eye in the stem.conducting, the, weft to a position opposite the shed

page_text: facilitates the operation, as the workman has only to introduce the instrument
through the warp and pass it to the weft.
I will now describe the fourth part of the Invention shown by Drawings
C. Figure 1 shows a front view; Figure 2, an end view; and Figure 3,
a sectional plan. The fabric to be sewn is supported (as indicated by the
green line) on the table a. The needle is taken hold of and moved alter-
nately by the nippers b, b, each of which consists of a fixed jaw secured to the
plate (1) and a moveable jaw (2), which is capable of turning on the
axis (3), carried by the parts (1), which are guided in their movement by
the guides (4, 4); c, c, are levers turning upon axes c', c', and controlled
in their movement at one of the ends by their trucks entering grooves or
courses in the sides of the cam d; the other end of each of the levers c is
forked to embrace the projections in the parts (1) of the instrument b. The
jaws (2) are pressed in continually with a tendency to open them by springs 5,
and are kept closed by means of the screw stops 6 sliding on the plate 7,
which have recesses formed in them at those parts where it is required
that the jaws should be opened. The eye is in the centre of the length of
the needle, and the needle having been put through from the upper to the
under side, the fabric would be shifted a distance corresponding to the length
of stitch required, previous to the needle being pushed through again to the
upper side. The needle having been taken by its jaws through to the upper
side, and moved to its greatest extent in that direction, it is is arranged by its
cam course to make a slight movement back, by which the thread will be
caused to stand out a little from the needle, by which the hook e may readily
come against and carry the thread outwards. This hook c is formed on an
arm affixed to the axis e', supported on the end of the lever f.
is also affixed the arm e, which, by means of the connecting
nected to one end of the L lever et, which turns upon an axis
the lever f, and at the other end carries the roller, which is actuated by a
projection from the cam g, in which is formed a course to receive the
truck projecting from the lever f; in order to control the movement of
that lever, as indicated by red lines, and so that the one end of the thread
carried by a needle may be drawn out from the work; as indicated by the
yellow lines.
To the axis e¹
rod e³ is con-
carried by
I will now describe the fifth part of the Invention shown by Drawings D,
and which consists of a mode of producing a tambour stitch. Figure 1 shows
a front view; Figure 2, a plan of the under side view; Figure 3, a'longitudinal
section; and Figure 4, a cross section, of apparatus according to this part
of the Invention. a is the needle, which is carried by the bent bar b affixed

page_text: to the plate 6', which carries a stud 62; this stud projects into the cam course
formed on the cylinder c, affixed to the axis c'. The thread to the needle
is supplied from the bobbin d, as shewn. The fabric to have the tambour
stitch applied to it is held between the clamps e and the plate e, which has a
step-by-step movement given to it in the following manner:-f is a tappet
on the axis c', which in its revolution comes against the lever g, which at one
end turns upon the axis g', and at the other carries a driver g, which takes into
the rack on the bar e. The distance which the bar e shall move each turn,
and consequently the length of the stitch, is regulated by the adjustable screw
stoph coming against the lever g; i is a hooked instrument which has a
horizontal movement given to it, so that when the needle a has carried the
thread through the fabric, the hook i may take hold of the upper part of
the thread which lies across the bend of the needle, which it then holds in the
form of a loop whilst the needle goes back again; and then, on the needle
again entering, the point passes through the loop held by the instrument i,
the hook of which then passes to the right of the needle a, and in passing
back to the left, again takes another quantity of thread to form a new loop.
The instrument i is carried by the sliding plate i', which, by means of the
lever, has motion given to it from the tappet f; j, j, are fast and loose
pulleys on the axis c', by which the apparatus is set in motion.
I will now describe the sixth part of the Invention, which is shewn by
Drawing E, and consists of a mode of using a shuttle in connection with a
hooked instrument, in order to produce stitching. Figure 1 shews a side
view in section; and Figure 2, a plan of parts sufficient to explain this part
of the Invention. a is the main shaft which carries the cams, by which the
principal movements are effected; b is the shuttle which moves in the
course c, and is acted upon to move it to and fro by the pieces d, d, to
which motion is given by means of the levers e, e, which are actuated by
the cams f, f; g is the hooked instrument which passes through the fabric
to be sewn to receive the thread lapped on to it by the instrument i, as shown
by the Diagram No. 1. This thread is then taken back to the position
indicated by dotted lines, and by the Diagram No. 2; when the shuttle is
thrown across, the point of the shuttle opens the loop, and the shuttle passes
through it, leaving its thread in the loop. The shuttle is grooved on one
side to admit of the hook g remaining therein, and as the shuttle passes
through the loop, the loop is removed from the hook g, and when the shuttle
has passed the loop closes, and the thread carried by the instrument i is
drawn tight by the spring j. The hook g is affixed to the sliding bar g', which
is guided by the bearings 9, 9, and has a projection g³ carrying a truck g',

page_text: which, by moving in the course formed on the plate k, controls the movement
of the instrument g. The instrument i is formed with an eye at 2 to guide
the thread from the bobbin l, and it is attached to the boss 2, turning upon
the pin ; to this boss is attached the arm . which is controlled in its
movement by the cam course . The object of this movement of the
instrument i, is, that when the hooked instrument g has been passed through
the fabric, the thread may be looped thereon, so as to be taken hold of readily
by the hook g. The spring ; keeps the thread tight, except when the hook
is taking the thread through for the shuttle to act upon it, and at this time
the spring is drawn back (as shewn) by the rod m, attached to one end
of the lever n, which turns upon the axis n¹, and at its other end is formed
into a nib, which is acted upon by the plate n². The bobbin is retained
from turning by the catch o taking into the ratchet teeth p, except when the
upper part of the instrument i is pressed forward; then the catch o is thrown
out of connection with the wheel p by coming against the stop 7. This sowing
apparatus will be found pecularly applicable to sewing leather as well as
fabrics in making boots and shoes, though it is also applicable for stitching
fabrics, and for sewing and connecting fabrics and parts of garments otherwise
than for boots and shoes.
I will now describe the seventh part of the Invention by reference to
Drawing F. Figure 1 shows a boot made according to this part of the
Invention, which consists of making the upper part a by sewing the selvages
or edges of narrow elastic fabrics spirally together, by which the elasticity
will be more favorably exerted, and the direction of the elasticity more pro-
perly applied by reason of its angular direction around the lower part of the
leg of the wearer, and the vertical seams heretofore used are dispensed with.
I will now describe the eighth part of the Invention, which is shown in
Figures 2 & 3, Drawing F, and consists of the introduction of a spring a,
the two ends of which press against the sides of the soles of boots and shoes,
the bow part of the spring not coming against the back of the boot or shoe;
the ends of the spring simply hold by pressing at the sides of the waist of the
boot or shoe, as shewn, but, if desired, there may be projecting edges to pass
under the foot, as indicated by dotted lines. The bow springs are introduced
into the lower part of the trousers or gaiters through the hemmed parts
thereof.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, I would state that
I do not confine myself to the details as herein described in respect to the
various parts of the Invention, so long as the peculiar character of any part
But what I claim is,-
thereof be retained.

page_text: Firstly, the mode of introducing extra or ornamental threads into stay
fabrics as they are woven.
Secondly, I claim the mode of taking up stay fabrics when weaving gores
therein.
Thirdly, I claim the modes of arranging apparatus for carrying in weft to
form the gores, and also the plain parts of the weaving of stay fabrics; and I
also claim the use of pattern surfaces as a means with suitable apparatus
for regulating the forms of the gores of stay fabrics.
Fourthly, I claim the so arranging apparatus for sewing, that the needles
employed shall be only required to pass through and through the fabrics or
parts of garments, whilst the threads shall be drawn through (after the return
motion of the needles, by secondary instruments.
Fifthly, I claim the mode of combining a needle a and hooked instrument,
and giving to them the movements herein described, for producing tambour
stitches or work.
Sixthly, I claim the causing a shuttle to carry a second thread in sewing
through the loop produced by another thread, brought through and through
the fabric or fabrics by means of instruments i and g.
Seventhly, I claim the making the upper parts a of boots by spiral bands
of elastic fabric sewed or connected at their edges.
And, eighthly, I claim the mode of connecting trousers and gaiters with
boots or shoes by bow springs pressing and holding by their ends, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.