IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Shirley. Harris, of Leicester, Gentleman, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS."
Sealed the 22nd May 1855, and dated the 12th February 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Shirley Harris at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th February 1855.
I, RICHARD SHIRLEY HARRIS, of Leicester, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
LOOPED FABRICS "to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in making looped fabrics by means of the guides
without the use of needles, hooks, or pressers. Two guide bars are placed
opposite to each other in an inclined position; the eyes of the guides are the
highest parts, and the guides are threaded as usual. The loops are formed by
lapping the threads over the opposite guides alternately, instead of lapping on
to needles.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Shirley Harris in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th August 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
SHIRLEY HARRIS, of Leicester, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Shirley Harris, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Shirley Harris, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Richard Shirley Harris, 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
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Richard Shirley Harris, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Richard Shirley Harris, 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 Invention consists in making looped fabrics by means of the guides
without the use of needles, hooks, or pressers. Two guide bars are placed
opposite to each other in an inclined position; the eyes of the guides are the
highest parts, and the guides are threaded as usual. The loops are formed by
lapping the threads over the opposite guides alternately, instead of lapping on
to needles.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describ
the manner of performing the same.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a transverse section, Figures 2 and 3 are end views,
Figure 4 shows part of a front view, and Figure 5 a section, of some of the
parts, full size, of a machine suitably arranged for the manufacture of looped
fabrics according to my Invention. A, B, are two guide bars, placed in an
inclined position opposite each other. The guide bars A, B, carry guides
A, B, the highest parts of which have eyes, through which warp threads
are passed, such warp threads in their passage to the eyes of the guides being
conducted through intermediate and shorter guides, as shown. Loops are
formed by causing the warp threads carried by the guides to lap alternately
over the opposite guides, in place of lapping on to needles or other similar
instruments. The guide bars A, B, receive motion in the following manner :—
A2, B2, are lever arms, which are fixed to the guide bars, but are capable of
adjustment, so as to vary the inclination of the guide bars A, B. The arms
A, B, are connected by pin joints to the levers A³, B³, which are supported at
one end on studs fixed to the framing of the machine. The levers A³, B³, carry
trucks or rollers, which are acted upon by the cams A, B, fixed on each end
of the cam shaft or axis C, so as to raise and lower the guide bars A, B.
A to and fro movement is given to the guide bars A, B, in the following
manner-A, B, are arms fixed on each end of the guide bars A, B; the arms
A, B, carry friction rollers, which are embraced by the straps or guides A°, Bº,
fixed on the sides A, B, supported on the end framing of the machine; the
slides A, B', are connected by links A, B, to the levers A, B, which are
supported and move on studs fixed to the framing of the machine; the levers
A, B, carry trucks or rollers, which are acted upon by the cams A10, B10, fixed
on each end of the cam shaft or axis C. The guides A³, B', are fixed on the
guide bars A*, B*, which are capable of moving endways on the guide bars
A, B, there being studs on the guide bars A, B, which pass through slots in
the guide bars A*, B*, by which they are guided endways. The guide bars
A*, B*, are constantly borne towards the left-hand end of the machine by
springs attached to the bars A, B, and to studs on the guide bars A*, B*.
The guide bars A*, B*, and guides A', B', are shogged endways from time to
time as many spaces of the guides as the character of the work may require
by the rack wheels E, F, fixed on the vertical axis G, supported in bearings at
the left-hand end of the machine. This axis G receives motion by means of
a worm H, fixed on the cam shaft or axis, which takes into and drives the
worm wheel I, fixed on the lower end of the axis G; the rack wheels E, F,
act on the nebs of the levers E, F, which are at all times kept in contact

page_text: with the sliding bars E, F, by the springs which bear the guide bars A*, B*,
towards the left-hand end of the machine. A", B", are the warp beams, which
are supported in bearings, fixed on the end framings of the machine; the
warp threads are conducted over the rods A, B, and through the eyes of the
short intermediate guides to the eyes of the guides A¹, B', the ends of which are
bent or cramped, as shewn separately at Figure 5*, and by this arrangement
of the guides and of the warp threads great facility is offered for the passage
of one set of guides between the other set of guides and the warp threads
carried by them. The loops, as they are alternately formed over the opposite
guides, are moved off or knocked over the heads of the guides in the following
manner :—J, J, are bars between which the work passes in passing to the work
roller K. The bars J, J, are supported on arms J', J', which move to and fro
on studs fixed on the end framings. The arms J', J', are connected by links
J*, J³, to the levers J³, J³, which are supported and move on studs fixed to the
end framings of the machine. The levers J³, J³, are acted upon by the cams
J*, J', fixed on the cam shaft or axis C, by which arrangement the work is
moved from side to side, and the loops are alternately knocked over the heads
of the guides.
The work as it descends from the guides is kept in a distended state by
inclined wheels or discs, carried by the bars J, J, which discs are furnished
with points on their peripheries, which enter the selvages of the fabric and
keep it in a distended state; the wheels or discs are supported and turn
on studs fixed on the under side of the bars J, J. Motion is communicated
to the work roller K, in order to take up the work, in the following manner :-
M is a link which connects the lever at the left-hand end of the machine to
the lever N, which is carried by and moves on a stud N'; the lever N is
connected by the link O to the lever P, supported and moving freely on the
axis of the work roller. The lever P carries a driver P2, which takes into
the teeth of the ratchet wheel K', fixed on the axis of the work roller K.
Motion is communicated to the cam shaft or axis C in the following manner :-
(1) is a toothed pinion fixed on the right-hand end of the crank axis (2); the
toothed pinion (1) takes into and drives the intermediate tooth wheel (3),.
turning freely on a stud fixed to the end framing of the machine; the
toothed wheel (3) takes into and drives the toothed wheel (4), fixed on the
end of the cam shaft or axis C, and gives motion thereto. R, R, are rollers
or bobbins upon which the selvage threads are wound. The bobbins R, R.,.
are weighted, in order to take up the selvage loops when knocked off the
guides, and the number of independent threads employed to each selvage
will depend on the number of spaces that the guides are shogged.

page_text: Figure 6 shows a transverse section, Figure 7 an end view, and Figure 8 a
front view, of another arrangement of machinery suitable for the manufacture
of looped fabrics according to my Invention, in which the guide bars are formed
circular, and the two sets of guides, which are placed in an inclined position
opposite to each other, alternately loop their warp threads over the opposite
guides, so as to make tubular looped fabrics. The circular guide bar A in this
machine is arranged to rotate step by step in one direction only, but this is not
essential, as the circular, guide bars may be arranged to rotate in opposite
directions, or to make partial revolutions and back again, any number or spaces
of the guides that may be desired. A, B, are the two circular or endless
guide bars, carrying the two sets of guides A', B', placed opposite to each
other in an inclined position, as shown. The guides A' are fixed to the guide
bar A, but the guides B' are made capable of moving to and from the guides
A' by sliding in spaces or combs formed in the guide bar P. The ends of the
guides B' are connected by pin joints to the lever arms B*, connected by pin
joints to the lower part of the guide bar B. The lever arms B* are acted
upon by a circular incline on the inner circumference of the ring C when it is
raised or lowered, so as to move the guides B¹ towards or from the guides A¹.
The circular guide bar A is fixed upon the hollow axis A*, which is capable
of sliding up and down on the central axis D, and is caused to rotate there-
with by means of a feather or projection on the axis D, passing through a slot
cut in the hollow axis. The axis D is caused to rotate in the following
manner-D' is a lever, moving on a stud D*, fixed to the framing of the
machine; one end of the lever D' is acted upon by a cam D, fixed on the
cam shaft or axis E; the other end of the lever D' is connected by a pin
joint to the bar D³, which by means of a driver D' gives motion to the ratchet
wheel D, fixed on the axis D, so as to give motion thereto, each time the lever
D' is acted upon by the cam D2, the lever D¹ being constantly pressed up to
the surface of the cam Ds by a spring D. D* is a stop wheel fixed on the
axis D, there being a spring catch to retain it in position. An up and down
movement is given to the circular guide bar A in the following manner :-F
is a cam fixed on the cam shaft or axis E, which acts on a truck or roller
carried by the lever F¹, which moves on a stud Fs fixed to the framing. The
lever F' is connected by a link F* to the lever F, which is forked, and is
connected by links F to the ring F, which is capable of turning freely on
the boss F, fixed to the hollow axis. The circular guide bar B is fixed to
and supported by the framing of the machine; and the ring C, which gives a
to and fro motion to the guides B', is raised and lowered in the following
manner C' is a cam fixed on the cam shaft E, which acts on a truck or.
'

page_text: roller, carried by the lever C³, moving on a stud C³, fixed to the framing of the
machine. The lever C is connected by a pin joint to arms C, which support
the ring C, the ring C being guided up and down between guides C³, fixed to
the framing of the machine. A, B³, are the warp beams from which the warp
threads are conducted to the eyes of the guides A¹, B', as shown; or in place
of being wound on beams, the warp threads may be on bobbins. The warp
beams or bobbins A² are supported by arms or brackets, fixed to the hollow
axis A*, and rotate therewith. The work, as it is knocked over the heads of
the guides A², B³, is conducted down between the circular plates or rings A³, B³,
which also aid in knocking the work over the heads of the guides. The ring
A³ is fixed to the lower end of the axis D, and moves therewith; and the
ring B³ is fixed to the guide bar B, which is stationary. The work is conducted
through an opening formed in the warp threads B³, and under the weighted
roller H, and between the work rollers I, I. The roller H is supported on
arms H³, which move on axes H2, formed on the brackets H³, and motion is
communicated to the lower roller I by means of a driver J, carried by the lever
arm J', which is moved by an excentric fixed on the cam shaft. The lever
driver J takes into the teeth of the ratchet wheel I', fixed on the axis of the
lower roller I, so as to drive it and take up the work between the rollers I,
there being a catch 12 to hold the ratchet wheel 1', and prevent it moving
back; and in order to regulate the quantity of the work taken up, and prevent
the roller H being raised too high, there is an arm H* on one of the
arms H', which acts on the driver J to throw it out of action, until the
roller H descends, and allows the driver J to take into the teeth of the ratchet
wheel I¹.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the precise
details herein described; and I would remark, that I do not claim generally
the right of making fabrics by the use of two sets of guide threads looped into
each other by two sets of guides arranged opposite to each other, as I find that
since the taking of my Patent a Specification has been filed to another Patent
granted a short time previous to mine, wherein are described means of
arranging machinery to work with two sets of guides opposite to each other.
But what I claim is, the arranging the guide bars inclined to each other, so as
to render the use of bent guides unnecessary, there being other guides inter-
mediate of the looping guides; also the arranging of the guides on sliding
bars separate from the guide bars, so that the guide bars may simply require
to be moved to and from each other; and the combined apparatus for giving

page_text: motion to such guide bars as described. I also claim the applying two sets of
guides opposite to each other on inclined circular or endless guide bars, so as
to produce tubular looped fabrics, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Shirley Harris, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE.
RICHARD SHIRLEY HARRIS. (L.S.)