Improvements in the Manufacture and Production of Cross-bordered and like Woven Fabrics and Plain Fabrics of Greater Bulk or Thickness at some parts than at others.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 27th July, 1899- Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
Improvements in the Manufacture and Production of Cross-bordered
and like Woven Fabrics and Plain Fabrics of Greater Bulk or
Thickness at some parts than at others.
I, HARRY HARDWICK, of 3152, North Broad Street, in the City of Philadelphia,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Carpet Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of a fabric woven in one piece, and having, throughout
some part, or parts, of its length, a less number of warp threads than in another
part, or other parts, of its length, the invention also comprising a method of
dropping out and re-introducing, the warp threads, without materially complicat-
ing, or delaying, the weaving operation.
In fabrics such as rugs, where the pattern, or pile, is formed by the warp
threads, it is frequently desirable to employ in the borders, patterns of a much
more elaborate character and requiring a greater number of colours than the
pattern of the centre, or body portion, of the rug, for instance there may be as
many as eight different threads in each set of warps required for the borders,
while one, two, or three, warps may be sufficient for the body portion.
Hitherto, in weaving this class of fabrics, it has been considered necessary to
employ full sets of warp threads throughout the entire length of the fabric, the
warp threads which were not employed in forming the pattern in the body of the
fabric being buried at the back thereof.
It is this waste of expensive warp threads which it is the object of my invention
to prevent and I accomplish this by discontinuing the pattern warp threads
throughout that portion of the fabric in which they are not required in the for-
mation of the pattern. Thus, supposing a fabric to be divided transversely into
successive sections, some of these sections will have a greater number of pattern
warp threads than others, for instance, the border sections may each contain
pattern warp threads in sets of five, six eight, or even more, while. in the body
section of the fabric, a number of the warp threads may be dropped from each set,
the remaining threads being all that are necessary for the production of the
desired body pattern.
The fabric should also have binding warp threads in pairs, alternating with
the sets of pattern warp threads. and should be provided with binding weft
threads, the latter being preferably disposed in sets of three each, forming the
well known three-shot binder used in weaving pile fabrics.
In dropping a warp thread from the fabric it is preferably carried up into
the pile, or, if it be a cut pile, into one of the tufts, so that it will be in position
above the fabric, where it is accessible, for being cut off, although, if the fabric
be woven upside down, that is to say, with the pile wires on the underside of
the warp threads. instead of above the same, the dropped warp threads may be
cut off on the back of the fabric and not carried into the pile, the back of the
fabric in this case being the part which is uppermost in weaving and consequently

page_text: the part which is accessible for the purpose of cutting out the warp threads desired
to be dropped.
Any desired backing warp may be used in the fabric as in an ordinary pile
fabric.
I prefer to use a heavy jute warp thread in the body portion of the fabric to take
the place of the pattern warp threads which have been dropped, so that the fabric
will have substantially uniform thickness throughout, and such thread may be
used in place of, or in addition to, ordinary backing warp threads.
My invention can also be applied to what is commonly termed a " damask"
carpet fabric in which the pattern is formed by warp threads enclosing stuffer
wefts, the warps being tied down between these stuffer wefts by means of finer
wefts. In this case the superfluous warp threads may be cut off abruptly at
the line of junction of the body and border on the back of the fabric.
In weaving the fabric I may use a lever having the ordinary swinging lay, a
spiked take-up roll occupying the position of the usual breast beam, and the pattern
warp yarns being drawn from suitable yarn spools, and passing over a guide-wire
in advance of the same. A weight should be hung in a bight of each pattern
warp thread between the spool and guide wire. The pattern warp threads may
be controlled by the usual jacquard harness and the binding warp threads by
harness or heddles.
The fabric is woven as usual until a border is completed whereupon the har-
ness, controlling the pattern warp threads which are to be removed from the
fabric, is raised, so that the said threads are out of action, and they are held in
this position during the weaving of the body portion of the fabric which con-
tinues with the remaining pattern warp threads.
After the weaving of the body of the fabric with a limited number of pattern
warp threads has continued for a number of picks a bar having V-shaped notches
in its edge is inserted horizontally beneath the raised warps, and then raised to a
vertical position & thus retained, by suitable supports, so as to collect the warp
threads in bunches at the bases of the V-shaped notches of the bar this operation
at the same time separating the bunches of threads so that the weaver can observe
the operation of weaving which is being carried on below them.
During the time that the border of the fabric is under control of the spiked
take-up roll the raised and inoperative pattern warp threads will be drawn for-
ward with the fabric, the weights. being lifted as the slack of the threads between
the spools and guide wires, is taken up, but, after the border portion of the fabric
has passed beyond, the control of the spiked take-up roll, the strain. upon. the
raised, or inactive, warp threads tends to pull the free portion of the fabric back
over the portion which is being woven and carried forward by the take-up roll,
and this operation will be continued until the folding. back of the woven fabric
is arrested by contact of the same with the notched bar, or until the strain upon
the raised warp threads is relieved by the weights reaching, in their descent, a
suitable support.
As the weaving of the body portion of the fabric proceeds, a.loop of such fabric
is formed, depending from the take up roller and this, loop. of fabric may be held
under any desired degree of tension by the insertion of a rod or bar, for instance.
When the desired length of body fabric has been woven, the, notched bar is
removed so that the border portion of the fabric can be drawn forward, to the
beating-up point, and the inactive harness, is then, thrown into, action again, so
as to proceed with the weaving of another border portion of the fabric, until
the entire number of pattern warp, threads, which were held out of action during
the weaving of the body portion of the fabric, have been woven. into the fabric
again, whereupon, the connection between those portions of the warp threads con-
tained in the newly woven border and the portions, contained in the previously
woven border inay be cut and the folded portion of the, web thus. released, or the
entire piece may be woven before cutting the connections between the pattern warp
threads in successive border portions of the fabric.

page_text: One of the main advantages of my invention is that it provides for the dropping
out and reintroduction of pattern warp threads without any material change in,
or addition to, the ordinary loom, and without requiring any special skill on the
part of the weaver, or material lessening of the production of the loom, while the
saving of the expensive pattern warp threads, throughout all that portion of the
fabric in which their presence is not required, very materially cheapens the pro-
ducts without any corresponding lessening of its markeable value, since the
durability of the fabric is not dependent upon the number of threads which lie
buried in the backing, but more upon the durability of the pile fabric, which is
not materially affected by my improved method of weaving the fabric.
In applying my invention to the weaving of a cut-pile fabric, the pile wires
may be so formed as to cut the loops formed over them as they are withdrawn
from the fabric, the notched bar being inserted at the point where the pile wires
are withdrawn, serving the additional function of raising the inactive pattern warp
threads above the pile wires so that said threads will not be cut by the pile wire
as it is withdrawn.
Wherever a pattern warp thread is dropped from the cut-pile fabric it. is
preferably carried to the face where it appears in a pile tuft, and if desired, the
single strand of yarn, formed by thus raising the pattern warp, may constitute
the pile tuft at that point instead of a double strand formed by looping the pile
warp around the pile wire, or the pile thread which is to be put out of operation
may be raised with the thread which is to form the pile loop at that point, in which
case the thread which is to be put out of action will add to the bulk of pile tuft
at the point where it is raised.
In an uncut pile fabric, or even in a cut pile fabric the upstanding ends of the
cut warp threads which have been dropped from the fabric may, if desired, be cut
out of the fabric after the completion thereof and, instead of raising the pile threads
individually to put them out of action, at different points in the fabric, the whole
body of warp threads which is to be dropped may be lifted simultaneously at the
line of junction of the border and body of the pattern and may be introduced
bodily in the same way.
In producing the fabric with the stuffer warp thread in the body portion, the
said stuffer warp thread may be controlled by a special heddle and introduced
continuously during the weaving of the fabric, being allowed to remain down
continuously during the weaving of the border portions of the fabric so as to float
on the back of the fabric throughout these border portions, whereby it can after-
wards be conveniently cut off, or it may be woven into the border portion of the
fabric if so desired.
In producing the damask fabric the upside-down method of weaving, before
referred to, is preferably adopted, so that the pattern warp threads not used in
the body of the fabric will extend from one border portion to the other folded-
back portion on the back of the fabric, which, in this case, is uppermost in the
loom and can be severed without being carried to the face, or underside, of the
fabric, where, in a fabric of this character, their presence might be objectionable.
In cases where the discarded warp threads are wound on beams instead of spools,
the fabric may be drawn forward by the take-up mechanism until the length of
fabric with the lesser number of warp threads has been woven, whereupon the
folding back of the fabric may be effected by a backward turning of said warp
beams, until the previously woven portion of the fabric containing all of the
warp threads has been drawn back to the beating-up point, to permit the dis-
carded warp threads to be again introduced into the fabric.
While it will doubtless be preferable in most, if not in all, cases to drop out
of action certain warp threads of each set, complete sets of warp threads may,
without departing from the nature of my invention, be dropped out of action
in order to obtain the desired result, thus alternate sets of the warp threads, or
one set in three, may be thus dropped out.
My invention is not limited to patterned fabrics in which the warp threads

page_text: form the pattern, as it can be employed in weaving plain fabrics, in which a
greater bulk, or thickness, is needed in some parts than in others.
Dated this 10th day of March 1899.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in the Manufacture and Production of Cross-bordered
and like Woven Fabrics and Plain Fabrics of Greater Bulk or
Thickness at some parts than at others.
I, HARRY HARDWICK, of 3152, North Broad Street, in the City of Philadelphia,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Carpet Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention consists of a fabric woven in one piece and having, throughout
some part or parts of its length, a less number of warp threads than in another
part, or other parts, of its length, the invention also comprising a method of
dropping out and re-introducing the warp-threads, without materially complicat-
ing or delaying the weaving operation.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is an exaggerated longitudinal section, on the line of the warp, of a cut
pile fabric, made in accordance with my invention;
Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line - Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line ww Fig. 1;
Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating a special form of fabric
made in accordance with my invention;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of another form of fabric embodying the invention;
Figs. 6 to 10 are diagrams illustrating the mode of weaving the fabric; and
Fig. 11 is a side view of part of a separator bar which prefer to employ in
carrying out my invention.
In Fig. 1 the portion of the fabric marked 1 may represent the centre or body
portion of a woven rug, and the portions marked
may represent the end or border
portions of said rug.
In a fabric of the character shewn, the pattern or pile is formed by the warp
threads and it is frequently desirable to employ in the borders, patterns of a
much more elaborate character and requiring a greater number of colours than
the pattern of the centre or body portion of the rug, for instance there may be
as many as eight different threads in each set of warps required for the borders,
while, one, two, or three warps may be sufficient for the body portion.
Hitherto, in weaving this class of fabrics, it has been customary to employ full
sets of warp threads throughout the entire length of the fabric, the warp threads
which were not employed in forming the pattern in the body of the fabric, being
buried at the back thereof.
It is this waste of expensive warp threads which it is the object of my invention
to prevent, and I accomplish this by discontinuing the pattern warp threads
throughout that portion of the fabric in which they are not required in the for-
mation of the pattern. Thus, supposing a fabric to be divided transversely into
successive sections, some of these sections will have a greater number of pattern
warp threads than others, for instance, the sections 2 of the fabric shewn in

page_text: Fig. 1, each contain pattern warp threads 3 in sets of eight, while in the section 1
of the fabric, five of the warp threads 3 have been dropped from each set, the
remaining three threads being all that are necessary for the production of the
desired body pattern.
There are also binding warp threads 4, in pairs, alternating with the sets of
pattern warp threads, and binding weft threads 5, the latter being disposed in sets
of three each, forming the well-known three-shot binder used in weaving pile
fabrics.
In dropping a warp thread from the fabric it is preferably carried up into
the pile, or, if it be a cut pile, into one of the tufts, so that it will be in position
above the fabric, where it is accessible, for being cut off, although, if the fabric
be woven upside down, that is to say, with the pile wires on the underside of
the warp threads, instead of above the same, the dropped warp threads may be
cut off on the back of the fabric and not carried into the pile, the back of the
fabric in this case being the part which is uppermost in weaving and consequently
the part which is accessible for the purpose of cutting out the warp threads desired
to be dropped.
Any desired backing warp may be used in the fabric as in an ordinary pile
fabric.
In the fabric shewn in Fig. 4 a heavy jute warp thread G is used in the body
portion of the fabric to take the place of the pattern warp threads which have
been dropped, so that the fabric will have substantially uniform thickness through-
out, and such thread may be used in place of, or in addition to, ordinary backing
warp threads.
"
In Fig. 5 I have shewn my invention as applied to what is commonly termed
a damask"
carpet fabric in which the pattern is formed by warp threads 3"
enclosing stuffer wefts 7 the warps being tied down between these stuffer wefts by
means of wefts S. In this case the superfluous warp threads are cut off abruptly
at the line of junction of the body and border on the back of the fabric. The
method of weaving the fabric shewn in Figs 1, 2 and 3 is illustrated in Figs. 6
to 10 of the drawings, and is as follows:-
In these figures, 10 represents the lay of the loom, 11 a spiked take-up roll occupy-
ing the position of the usual breast beam, 12 a yarn spool, 13 a guide wire over
which the pattern warp threads pass, and 14 a weight hung in a bight of each
pattern warp thread between the spool 12 and guide wire 13. The pattern warp
threads are controlled by harness 15 and the binding warp threads by harness or
heddles 16.
The fabric is woven as usual until a border is completed, whereupon the har-
ness, controlling the pattern warp threads which are to be dropped, is raised, as
shewn in Fig. 6, so that the said threads are out of action, and they are held in
this position during the weaving of the body portion of the fabric which continues
with the remaining pattern warp threads.
After the weaving of the body of the fabric, with a limited number of pattern
warp threads, has continued for a number of picks, a notched bar 17, such as
shewn in Fig. 11, is inserted horizontally beneath the raised warps as shewn
by dotted lines in Fig. 7 and then raised up to a vertical position and thus retained
by suitable supports, as shewn by full lines in said Fig. 7, so as to collect the warp
threads in bunches at the base of the V-shaped notches of the bar, this operation
at the same time separating the bunches of threads so that the weaver can observe
the operation of weaving which is being carried on below them.
During the time that the border of the fabric is under control of the spiked
take-up roll 11, the raised and inoperative pattern warp threads will be drawn
forward with the fabric, the weights 14 being lifted as the slack of the threads
between the spools 12 and guide wires 13, is taken up, but after the border portion
of the fabric has passed beyond the control of the spiked take-up roll 11, as shewn
in Fig. 8, the strain upon the raised or inactive warp threads tends to pull the free
portion of the fabric back over the portion which is being woven and carried

page_text: forward by the take-up roll, and this operation will be continued until the folding
back of the woven fabric is arrested by contact of the same with the notched
bar 17, as shewn in Fig. 9, or until the strain upon the raised warp threads is
relieved by the weights 14 reaching, in their descent, a suitable support.
As the weaving of the body-portion of the fabric proceeds, a loop of such fabric
is formed, depending from the take-up roller 11, and this loop of fabric may be held
under any desired degree of tension by the insertion of a rod or bar 18, as shewn in
Fig. 9, for instance. When the desired length of body-fabric has been woven,
the bar 17 is removed so that the border portion of the fabric can be drawn
forward to the beating up point, as shewn in Fig. 10, and the inactive harness 15
is then thrown into action again, so as to proceed with the weaving of another
border portion of the fabric, until the entire number of pattern warp threads, which
were held out, of action during the weaving of the body-portion of the fabric,
have been woven into the fabric again, whereupon, the connection between those
portions of the warp threads, contained in the newly woven border and the
portions contained in the previously woven border, may be cut, and the folded
portion of the web thus released, or the entire piece may be woven before cutting
the connections between the pattern warp threads in successive border portions of
the fabric.
One of the main advantages of my invention is that it provides for the dropping
out and reintroduction of pattern warp threads without any material change in,
or addition to, the ordinary loom, and without requiring any special skill on the
part of the weaver, or material lessening of the production of the loom, while the
saving of the expensive pattern warp threads, throughout all that portion of the
fabric in which their presence is not required, very materially cheapens the pro-
duct without any corresponding lessening of its marketable value, since the
durability of the fabric is not dependent upon the number of threads which lie
buried in the backing, but more upon the durability of the pile surface, which
is not materially affected by my improved method of weaving the fabric.
I have shewn my invention as applied to the weaving of a cut pile fabric, the
pile wires 20 being so formed as to cut the loops formed over them, as they are
withdrawn from the fabric, and the notched bar 17, being inserted at the point
where the pile wires are withdrawn, serves the additional function of raising the
inactive pattern warp threads above the pile wires so that said threads will not
be cut by the pile wire as it is withdrawn.
It will be observed on reference to Fig. 1 that wherever a pattern warp thread
is dropped from the fabric, it is carried to the face and appears in a pile tuft, and
if desired, the single strand of yarn, formed by thus raising the pattern warp.
may constitute the pile tuft at that point instead of a double strand formed by
looping the pile warp around the pile wire, or the pile thread which is to be
put out of operation, may be raised with the thread which is to form the pile loop
at that point, in which case the thread which is to be put out of action will add
to the bulk of pile tuft at the point where it is raised.
In an uncut pile fabric, or even in a cut pile fabric, the upstanding ends of the
cut-warp threads which have been dropped from the fabric may, if desired, be cut
out of the fabric after the completion thereof, and, instead of raising the pile threads
individually to put them out of action at different points in the fabric, the whole
body of the warp threads which is to be dropped, may be lifted simultaneously at
the line of junction of the border and body of the pattern, and may be introduced
bodily in the same way.
In producing the fabric with the stuffer warp thread 6 in the body portion, as
shown in Fig. 4, the said stuffer warp thread may be controlled by a special
heddle and introduced continuously during the weaving of the fabric, being
allowed to remain-down continuously during the weaving of the border portions
of the fabric so as to float on the back of the fabric throughout these border por-
tions, whereby it can afterwards be conveniently cut off, or it may be woven into
the border portion of the fabric if so desired.

page_text: In producing the damask fabric shewn in Fig. 5, the upside down method of
weaving, before referred to, is preferably adopted, so that the pattern warp
threads, not used in the body of the fabric, will extend from one border portion to
the other folded-back portion on the back of the fabric, and can be severed without
being carried to the face of the fabric, where, in a fabric of this character, their
presence might be objectionable.
In cases where the discarded warp threads are wound on beams instead of spools,
the fabric may be drawn forward by the take-up mechanism until the entire length
of fabric with the lesser number of warp threads has been woven, whereupon the
folding back of the fabric may be effected by a backward turning of said warp
beams, until the previously woven portion of the fabric containing all of the
warp threads has been drawn back to the beating-up point, to permit the dis-
carded warp threads to be again introduced into the fabric.
While it will doubtless be preferable in most, if not in all, cases to drop out
of action certain warp threads of each set, complete sets of warp threads may,
without departing from the nature of my invention, be dropped out of action
in order to obtain the desired result, thus alternate sets of the warp threads, or
one set in three, may be dropped out.
My improved method of weaving is not limited to patterned fabrics in which
the warp threads form the pattern, as it can be adopted in weaving plain fabrics,
in which a greater bulk or thickness is needed in some parts than in others.
I am aware that it has been proposed to weave fabrics with several sets of warps,
one set being used in weaving one portion of the fabric, while another set is held
up out of action, the relations of the warps being afterwards reversed, so that the
formerly active set is held up out of action and the inactive set brought into
action, but in my case some of the warps are always in action and extend through-
out the fabric, only those warps which are unnecessary to the pattern being held
out of action.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is—
1. A fabric woven in one piece, with a pattern formed by the warp threads, and
having some of the said pattern warp threads extending throughout the entire
length of the fabric, and others discontinued through part of the length of the
fabric.
2. A fabric woven in one piece with warp threads in sets and having some of
the threads of the sets extending throughout the entire length of the fabric, and
others discontinued through part of the length of the fabric.
3. A fabric woven in one piece, with a pattern formed by the warp threads,
and having some of the said pattern warp threads discontinued through part of
the length of the fabric, and replaced by an independent thread or independent
threads which is or are discontinued throughout those portions of the fabric
where the full number of pattern warp threads is employed.
4. A pile fabric woven in one piece with a pattern formed by the pile threads,
and having some of the said pile threads discontinued through part of the length
of the fabric, each pile thread, before being discontinued, passing to the face of
the fabric.
5. A cut pile fabric woven in one piece, with a pattern formed by the pile
threads, and having some of the pile threads discontinued through part of the
length of the fabric, each pile thread before being discontinued, passing to the
face of the fabric and uniting with other pile threads to form pile tufts, sub-
stantially as herein before described.
6. The herein before described method of weaving a fabric having a greater
number of warp threads in one portion of its length than in another, consisting
in moving and maintaining out of action the surplus warp threads during the
weaving of that portion of the fabric having the lesser number of warp threads,

page_text: folding the fabric upon itself so as to bring that portion of the fabric form which
the threads were removed up to the last woven portion of the fabric containing
the lesser number of warp threads, re-introducing the inoperative warp threads
into the fabric, and severing said threads where they pass from one portion of the
fabric to the other, substantially as hereinbefore described.
7. The hereinbefore described method of weaving a fabric having a greater
number of warp threads in one portion of its length than in another, consisting
in moving and maintaining out of action the surplus warp threads, laterally
separating into groups the said inoperative warp threads, and holding them
thus separated during the weaving of that portion of the fabric having the lesser
number of warp threads, folding the fabric upon itself so as to bring that portion
of the fabric from which the threads were removed up to the last woven portion
of the fabric containing the lesser number of warp threads, re-introducing the
inoperative warp threads into the fabric, and severing said threads where they
pass from one portion of the fabric to the other, substantially as herein before
described.
Total 1974
£ 1000
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.