IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS USED IN WEAVING HEADINGS FOR FRINGES, OR FOR HAIR CURLS, BRAIDS, AND OTHER PORTIONS OF HEAD DRESSES AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Turner O'Brien and Charles Carroll Contrell,
both of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of
America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS USED IN
WEAVING HEADINGS FOR FRINGES, OR FOR HAIR CURLS, BRAIDS, AND OTHER
PORTIONS OF HEAD DRESSES AND OTHER ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Turner O'Brien
and Charles Carroll Contrell at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents with their Petition, on the 22nd September 1874.
We, JOHN TURNER O'BRIEN and CHARLES CARROLL CONTRELL, both
of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENT IN
APPARATUS USED IN WEAVING HEADINGS FOR FRINGES, OR FOR HAIR CURLS, BRAIDS,
AND OTHER PORTIONS OF HEAD DRESSES
AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as
follows:-
T
0
P

page_text: similar articles by hand, but it is made especially to facilitate the weaving
of hairs at one end into a heading to form braids, curls, and other
portions of head dresses, but the mechanism employed may be used in
weaving other articles.
pass
We make use of clamps to secure the threads or cords that from
spools and converge to the point of weaving. The spools containing the
threads or cords are upon a stand, and separated by preference by spring
loops that catch into the stand, so that one spool may be turned without
moving the others. The cords or threads pass through guide eyes upon
a standard and between clamping plates and the standard, each clamping
plate being provided with a thumbscrew. The cords or threads converge
and pass to a vertical rod of wood or other material to which they are
attached. The ends of the hairs in small bunches are interwoven into
these threads and pushed up to those before woven so as to form a heading
from which the hairs hang, and this is wound upon the vertical rod as it
is made. The clamps are released and the threads are drawn off the
spools from time to time as required, and the threads are again clamped
after they have been drawn to the proper tension.
By this apparatus the risk existing in the ordinary way of weaving
artificial hair arising from some cords becoming loose and others breaking
from undue strain is prevented. This means for holding the spools and
clamping the threads may be used in other kinds of weaving. The hair
hangs from the heading woven as aforesaid, and is made up in the usual
way into head dresses.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said John Turner O'Brien and Charles Carroll Contrell
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
TURNER O'BRIEN and CHARLES CARROLL CONTRELL, both of Brooklyn,
in the State of New York, United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of September, in the year
3

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Turner O'Brien and Charles Carroll
Contrell, Her special licence that we, the said John Turner O'Brien
and Charles Carroll Contrell, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Turner O'Brien and Charles Carroll
Contrell, our exccutors, 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 APPARATUS USED IN WEAVING HEADINGS FOR FRINGES, OR FOR
HAIR CURLS, BRAIDS, AND OTHER PORTIONS OF HEAD DRESSES, AND OTHER ARTICLES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Turner
O'Brien and Charles Carroll Contrell, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain 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 we, the said John Turner O'Brien and Charles
Carroll Contrell, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being made to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
In the manufacture of braids and switches of artificial hair it is usual
to employ three threads that are stretched between two vertical pins, and
said threads diverge from one of the pins to the other pin, at which
point the threads are wound upon the pin in three places. The hair is
inserted between these threads and interlaced at one end until there are
sufficient convolutions to hold the hair, and it is then slipped along upon
the threads to the previously interwoven hair, thus forming a heading
that holds the ends of the hairs, and said hair and heading are afterwards
made up into the desired bunch of hair for ornamenting the head as a
braid or otherwise.

page_text: CHIC
VIII CalS
strained and break, and unless the tension is uniform the weaving will
not be perfect.
Our Invention may be used for weaving headings for fringes and
similar articles by hand, but it is made especially to facilitate the weaving
of hairs at one end into a heading to form braids, curls, and other portions
of head dresses, but the mechanism employed may be used in weaving
other articles.
We make use of clamps to secure the threads or cords that pass from
the spools and converge to the point of weaving. The spools containing
the threads are upon a stand, and separated by preference by spring
loops that catch into the stand so that one spool may be turned without
turning the others. The cords or threads pass through guide eyes upon
a standard, and between clamping plates and the vertical standard, each
clamping plate being provided with a thumbscrew. The cords or threads
converge and pass to a vertical rod of wood or other material, to which
they are attached. The ends of the hairs in small bunches are inter-
woven into these threads and pushed up to those before woven so as to
form a heading from which the hairs hang, and this is wound upon the
vertical rod as it is made. The clamps are released and the threads
drawn off the spools from time to time as required, and the threads are
again clamped after they have been drawn to the proper tension.
By this apparatus the risk existing in the ordinary way of weaving
artificial hair, arising from some cords becoming loose and others breaking
from undue strain is prevented. This means for holding the spools and
clamping the threads may be used in other kinds of weaving. The hair
woven as aforesaid hangs from the heading, and is made up in the usual
way into head dresses.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of our improved apparatus,
and 2 is an edge view of the same.
"
The vertical pin a is set into a socket b, and can be turned around
from time to time to wind upon it the cords of the heading and allow the
hair c to hang down as usual. The cords i are led from the spools k
through the clamps on the vertical bar to the pin a, and attached, and

page_text: the hairs c in small bunches are connected by weaving them at one end
into the cords of the heading, such hairs being put through between the
outside and middle threads and around the outside threads until they are
sufficiently concatenated to hold the hairs firmly, and then the bunch is
pushed along the threads to the previously woven hairs, and then another
bunch is introduced, and so on, as now usual.
The wire loops h at the edges of the bar serve as guides to keep the
respective threads in position, and a clamping plate o acted upon by a
thumbscrew r is employed at each place where the thread crosses the bar
to clamp the same firmly and hold the thread when the same has been
drawn to the proper tension. By slackening the screw clamps the threads
are free, and they can be drawn along cither way through the guides h.
The spools are received upon the vertical wire s, and in order to
separate them and allow either one to be turned without turning the others
we make use of the hinged contractile separating loops u, v, one end of each
being held by a loop hinge, and at the other end there is a loop forming
a handle, and the end of the wire snaps into a hole in the vertical rod 8
after the spring 4 has been distended, so as to hold cach separating loop
in place but allow for easy removal of either of the spools. The lower
end of the vertical bar is by preference received in a socket t upon tho
screw clamp w so as to be attached to the edge of a table, but we do
not limit ourselves in this particular, and although our apparatus is
especially adapted to holding the threads forming the warps in weaving
artificial hair, we do not limit ourselves in this particular, but intend to
use the said means for any purpose to which they may be available.
If desired separate spool rods may be used, each one being horizontal,
or nearly so, and the thread drawing off at right angles to the spools and
passing through the guide eyes and clamps.
We claim as our Invention,-
First. In an apparatus for weaving hair the guide loops h at the edges

page_text: the clamps o for the thread upon the vertical bar 7, substantially as set
forth.
In witness whereof the said John Turner O'Brien and Charles
Carroll Contrell have hereunto set their hands and seals, this
Seventh day of January, A.D. 1875.
Witnesses,
JOHN TURNER O'BRIEN. (L.S.)
CHAS. C. CONTRELL.
(L.S.)
CHA. H. SMITH, 121, Nassau St., New York.
GEO. T. PINCKNEY,
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