IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING NETTED FABRICS
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ORAM, of Chard, in the County of Somerset, Mechanist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirty-first day of March, in the fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Oram, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Oram, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said John Oram, my executors, administrators, .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 mentioned, should and .lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING NETTED FABRICS;" in. which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Oram, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of iny said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, and to cause the same 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 part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear..

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Oram, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, áre particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists of novel or improved constructions and arrange-
ments of machinery whereby a netted fabric is produced, with a fast tie or
knot connecting one thread or strand to the next or neighbouring thread
or strand.
This improved machinery is particularly designed to produce
a fabric of the same kind as ordinary fishing nets, which have been
usually made by hand. It is also applicable to the making of ornamental
network for ladies' dresses, and for various other purposes. This netted
fabric is formed at the interventions of the meshes by fast knots, which
connect its threads or yarns by a tic of the same kind as that called "the
fishing-net knot," the character of which will be more particularly described
in the Drawings hereto annexed. Before entering into a particular description
of the machinery and its details, I would observe that looped and twisted
fabrics have heretofore been made by machinery, but that the interventions of
the threads of such fabrics have not been rendered fast by a tie or knot such
as I produce, viz.; by binding two threads together after the ordinary manner
of making fishing nets by hand, which it is the purpose of my improved
machine to effect..
This particular kind of knot or tie will be better understood by reference
to the Diagrams, Figs. A and B of the accompanying Drawings, which are
eillarge views of the knot in two positions; as made by my improved
imachinery. Diagram C represents a portion of the network or fabric, the distinct
'threads or yarns being shewn, by different colors. These Diagrams aro all
drawn on an enlarged scale, the better to illustrate the character of the fabric
or form of the knot.
Before going into the particulars or details of the movements or manipu-
lations of the machine, it is necessary to stato that its general construction
very inuch resembles some of those machines employed för making bobbin
net lace. The machine consists of several well. known mechanical agents';
(viz.;) there are a series of bobbins and carriages which contain the threads
ör yarns to make the fabric, and these are conducted to. and. fro: between and
found the neighbouring threads to produce the interventions and knots.
The bobbins and carriages slide in combs or on bolts, and aré. moved to and
fro by pushers and fetchers or catch bars. There are also series of points

page_text: upon which the work is made, and other extra points and hooks for taking
hold of the threads and drawing them tight, to form loops and aside to
produce openings for the carriages to pass through, and these are shogged or
shifted laterally by rotary cam wheels placed at the end of the machine,
acting against the ends of sliding bars. Many of the parts of this machine
are old and well-known to lace makers, and are therefore not claimed by me,
except in connection with other suitable mechanism for producing the move-
ments of the bobbins so as to pass the threads through the loops, and effect
the peculiar knot or tie exhibited in the Diagrams A, B, and C, which are the
particular features of invention claimed by me..
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents an elevation of one side
of the machine. Fig. 2 is an elevation taken at the left-hand end of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken transversely. through the middle of the
machine at right angles to Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a similar sectional elevation,
the working parts being in different positions in the two last-mentioned
Figures. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken a little above the level of the
tops of the bobbin carriages. Fig. 6 is also a horizontal section taken below,
nearly on a level with the main driving shaft; and Fig. 7 is a partial hori-
zontal view, as seen looking down upon the top; similar letters of reference
indicating the same parts in all the Figures. The machinery is mounted
upon a rectangular wooden frame, having four uprights connected by longi-
tudinal and transverse rails. A series of bobbins and carriages a, a, a, slide
upon two series of bolts b, b, the one series of bolts being fixed to the front
part of the machine, the other series to the back part. There are also two
serics of pushers c, c, lying above the bolts, the one series of pushers being
in front, the other in the back part; and there is likewise an extra
series of pushers d, lying above the former in the front part of the
machine. Two catch bars 1, 1, are employed, the one in front, the other
behind, for the purpose of acting under the bolts for drawing out the
carriages when the pushers have ceased to work. A series of points f are
adapted to the front of the machine for the purpose of taking up the work,
and there are two other series of extra points g and h in the back part of the
machine, which take up the slack threads. There are also four series of
hooks, i, k, l, and m, standing vertically along the middle of the machine,
which take hold of the threads and draw them down severally in the forms of
loops, and then distend the sides of the loops in order. to allow the bobbins
to pass between them. The series of hooks act in pairs, i, k, and 1, m,
each series being fixed upon a distinct bar, as shewn detached at Figs. 8
and 9. These pairs of bars i, k, and l, m, are respectively attached to

page_text: .
longitudinal shafts ; and o, and are by means of those shafts raised and
depressed in pairs, and' the respective series are capable of being severally
shogged or slidden laterally to and fro' by the agency of springs and cam
wheels, which movements are for the purpose of enabling the pairs of
hooks to take hold of the threads at the proper times to open the loops, and
to release the threads when their parts of their operation are done. The
bobbins being all charged with threads or yarns, these threads are severally
extended upwards from the bobbins, and are made fast to the work beam n
mounted in a frame p, p, p, p, which is to be moved up and down by
mechanism hereafter described. The driving power by band or otherwise
from any first mover being applied to the main shaft g, the evolutions of the
machine will proceed in the following order :-Suppose the parts of the
mechanism to be situate in the positions shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5, the
hooks i, k, l, and m will be standing, as respects the bobbins, in the situations
represented in the detached view or Diagram D, which is drawn at the full
size, suitable for making fishing nets. The first movement of the machine,
caused by the rotation of the main shaft 7, passes all the bobbin carriages
a, a, a, from the front bolts 6 toward the back bolts * (sec Figs. 3 and 5),
between their respective pairs of hooks i, k, and m, which movements of the
bobbin carriages are effected by the advance of the front pushers c, c, c, and
d, d, d, actuated by a rotary cam marked No. 1 in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6.
When these front pushers c and d have thus far performed their duty, and
have been returned to their former positions by the cam No. 1*, the back
catch bar e takes hold of the toes or projections at the under parts of the
carriages a, and draws the carriages completely through the hooks, bringing
all the carriages on to the back bolts *. The catch bar e is worked by
cams Nos. 2 and 3, on the main shaft q, acting against levers, as shewn in
Figs. 1 and 6. Whilst the bobbin carriages are thus moving backward,
the frame p, p, which carries the work roller n, and the point bars f, g, and h,
descends into the situation shown in the section Fig. 4. This descent of
the frame p, p, is effected by the rotation of a cam No. 4 on the main shaft,
seen in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 6, which cam causes the horizontal lever r and the
vertical links, connected to the frame p, to vibrate, and thereby
bring down
the frame p, which is guided in its descent by a curved arm affixed to the top
part of the frame sliding between gage screws, as shewn in Fig. 2. Simul
taneously with the descent of this frame, the four bars of the hooks i, k, l, and
m, come down also, but only half the distance, taking hold of the threads and
thereby drawing them into loops pendant between the work on the roller
and the respective bobbins a, a, a, a*. The shafts j and o of the hook bars

page_text: are attached to levers t, t, shewn in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5, which are acted upon:
by rotary cams Nos. 5 and 6, on the main shaft (see Figs. 1. and 6)..
During this descent of the hook bars, the hooks are severally shogged, or,
moved laterally by means of springs and levers (seen in Fig. 5.) worked by
the rotary cams Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10, on the vertical shaft u,, at the end of the
machine. By these means the looped threads are brought into the situation
represented in the Diagram E. The back pushers c* now act upon half the
bobbin carriages, that is, upon every alternate carriage, as a, a, and project:
them forward into the middle of the machine, leaving the intermediate bobbin
carriages a behind, the bevelled edges of the carriages allowing them to slip
between the threads. This last-mentioned projecting movement of the back
pushers is effected by the cam No. 11 on the main shaft acting against a
lever v (see Figs. 1 and 2), immediately after which the back pushers are
returned to their former place by another cam, No. 12, acting upon the lever.
The front point bar, which is affixed by swinging arms to the frame p,
has been kept back by a horizontal lever w acted upon by the rotary cam:
No. 13 at the top of the vertical shaft u (as seen in Figs. 1 and 5), but now:
the position of that cam allows the bar to be projected forward by a spring,
and the points to be introduced between the bobbins amongst the threads,.
one of which is shewn at f in section, in the Diagram E, as at this precise
period about to take up, the thread. The points have now to be raised,
which is done by the agency of an arm æ (see Fig. 7) at the end of the point
bar, being lifted by a crutch piece y (see Fig. 2).. This crutch picce is fixed.
at the top of a perpendicular rod which is raised by a rotary cam No. 13 on
the main shaft, represented by dots in Fig. 2. By these means the threads
are placed in the position shown in the Diagram F. The alternate bobbin
carriages a*, a*, still remain stationary in the middle of the machine, but at
this period of the operation the carriages a, a, on the back bolts are all projected.
forward by the pushers and lockers on to the front bolts, having passed the
sides of the loops as situate in the Diagram F. It will now be perceived.
that the former back carriages a, a, being thus advanced, will stand in front of
the pendant loops of thread which the pairs of hooks i, k, and l, m, are holding.
The next operation is to shog or 'shift laterally the hook bars, for the purpose,
of enabling the hooks i, k, to bring the loop of the bobbins a* into the por-
pendicular position shewn in the Diagram G, and at the same time to cause
the hooks l, m, to pass each other and to extend the loop of the bobbin a
sufficiently to allow of the carriage of the said bobbin a to pass through its
own loop as it goes on to the back bolts, and, by so doing, to twist its thread
once round the thread of the other bobbin a*. The hooks l, m, are now to be

page_text: shifted back again laterally, so as to pass each other, when they will let go the
loops, at the same time the front points are withdrawn and the back points h
come into operation to take up the loose threads or released loops. A cam
No. 14; on the main shafts, now actuates a bent lever (see Figs. 1 and 2),
which is thereby made to press against a plate a affixed to the end of the bar
of the points h, as shewn by dots in Fig.2.. The ends of the points h are by
these means "depressed nearly down to the bolts ... The points are then
shogged or moved laterally by means of a spring regulated by a rotary cam
No. 15, on the vertical shaft u, which acts against a lever b. By these means
the bent extremities of the points h are brought under the loose threads, and
the points are immediately raised by a spring. The loops or loose threads are
thus carried up. into the position shewn in the Diagram H, when the hooks
ik, are shogged for the purpose of opening the loop of thread pendant from
the bobbin a situate in the middle of the machine. The front points fare
now again projected in as 'before between the bobbins, through the loop last
mentioned, as secu in section in the Diagram H, and these points immediately
rising take up the loose threads of the bobbins a above the carriages, whero
the points fremain in the work; in order that the knots may be drawn tight
upon them. Immediately after this the bobbins a are passed by means of the
back pushers through the loops of the thread pendant from the bobbins a,
which forms the tie. ready to be drawn into a knot. The further progress of
the machine causes the hooks i and k to be shogged and to repass each
other, in order to release the loop of thread pendant from the bobbin a*.
The back, catch bar e then draws the carriages which stood in the middle of
the machine on to the back bolts. The crooked ends of the back points g,
which have been depressed through the agency of the cam No. 16 and lever c
in the way as before described, acting upon a plate d at the end of the point
bar, immediately on being shogged rise and take up the slack thread or loop
last released, as shewn in the Diagram I, the front point fbeing in the midst
of the contorted threads. The carriages are now all sent on to the front bolts,
and the frame p, p, with the work roll n and point bars f, g, and h, is raised by
means of the rotary cani No. 4.on the main shaft, the points g and as they
rise being made to release the threads by the plates aand d striking against
the upper curved parts of the levers and c. The going up of the frame
draws all the threads tight upon the points f, and thus completes the knot.
It will now be understood, that by a repetition of the movements of the
machine as described, a succession of half meshes of the net are produced,
the completion of which is the tyeing of the knots fast. The network as it forms
is gradually wound upon the bearin, the beam being driven by a tooth of its
P thus

page_text: ratchet striking against a stationary click e at top of the machine every time
that the frame rises. The shogging of the pushers is effected by the rotary
cams Nos. 17 and 18 on the vertical shaft u, and of the front points by
the cam No. 19 on the same shaft. The front catch bar is worked by
cams Nos. 3 and 21 on the main shaft. But as the constructions and opera-
tions of these and many other parts of the machine are so like the mechanism
of ordinary lace-making machinery, I have not considered it necessary to
explain all their minutiæ, as they must be well understood by workmen in that
department of manufacture, I have therefore merely to observe, that having
shown the manner in which I move a series of bobbins to effect the interven-
tions of the threads, and to produce fast tics or knots like those of ordinary
fishing nets made by hand, I do not intend to confine myself to the precise
forms, constructions, or arrangements of the several parts of the machinery,
knowing that they may be considerably varied and yet made to effect the
same object. But that which I do claim as new, and the subject of the
Invention secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent, is,.
such an arrangement of mechanism as shall be capable of moving a series of
bobbins so as to pass any two threads or yarns round or between one another,
and through loops formed by such threads, to effect a fast tie or knot of the
kind described above.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Oram, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
CHAM. (L.B.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Thirtieth day of Septem-
ber, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Oram came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.