In- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED AND KNITTED FABRICS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wilkins, of the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "In-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED AND KNITTED FABRICS."
Scaled the 1st April 1869, and dated the 22nd January 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wilkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tho
22nd January 1809.
I, JOHN. WILKINS, of the Town and County of the Town of Not-
tingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED AND KNITTED
FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of looped
fabrics, such as are generally known as "warp looped fabrics," made by
means of ordinary "warp machinery," and also to the manufacture of
knitted fabrics made by means of ordinary knitting frames or machines,
the particular class of warp looped and knitted fabrics to which my
Invention is applicable being made with a fleeced or pile surface at the

page_text: back or one side thereof, suitable for being made up into gloves, hosiery,
or for other purposes.
The nature of warp and knitting machinery being well understood
it will not be necessary for me to describe the same, as my Invention
simply relates to the use of particular descriptions of yarns or threads &
and combinations thereof in the production of fleeced warp or knitted
fabrics. Looped fabrics having a flocced surface on one side or at the
back thereof have been previously mado with yarns or threads of various
descriptions, but the yarns or threads employed were either plain or
of one color throughout, or of threads of different colors throughout; 1
and my present improvements consist in the employment of printed
or party-colored cotton yarns or threads in the production of the face
or one side or surface of such flecced looped or knitted fabrics,
whereby novel and improved fabrics of the above description are pro-
duced of superior quality and at less cost than heretofore. The printed 1
or party-colored cotton and other threads employed for producing the
looped face of fleeced looped or knitted fabrics made according to my
Invention may be considerably varied according to the character of the
fabric or purpose for which it is required.
For some purposes the face of the looped or knitted fabric made a
according to my Invention may consist entirely of printed or party-
colored cotton threads or partly of such threads and partly of plain or
unprinted threads of one color throughout, the back or fleeced surface
being produced either from woollen or from silk yarns or threads
arranged to work in combination with the printed cotton or other 2
threads constituting the face of the fabric as previously described, such
Heese or pile threads being introduced in the making of the fabric, as
is well understood in the manufacture of other descriptions of fleeced
warp or knitted fabrics.
Or the face of looped or knitted fabrics
made according to my Invention with a fleeced surface on one side may a
be composed partly of printed or party-colored cotton threads and partly
of silk threads, the fleeced side or surface being produced either from
woollen or silk threads introduced into such fabrics for the purpose of
forming such fleeced surface at the back or on one side thereof.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Wilkins in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WILKINS, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Manu-
facturer, sond greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the
Fear of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
givo and grant unto me, the said John Wilkins, Her special licence
that I, the said John Wilkins, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, tho said John Wilkins, 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 AND KNITTED FABRICS," upon the condition.
(amongst others) that I, the said John Wilkins, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said John Wilkins, 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 :-
My Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of looped
fabrics, such as are generally known as "warp looped fabrics," by
means of ordinary " warp machinery," and also to the manufacture of
knitted fabrics made by means of ordinary knitting frames or machines,
the particular class of warp looped and knitted fabrics to which my
Invention is applicable being made with a fleeced or pile surface at the
back or one side thereof, suitable for being made up into gloves, hosiery,
or for other purposes.

page_text: The nature of warp and knitting machinery being well understood it
will not be necessary for me to describe the same, as my Invention
simply relates to the use of particular descriptions of yarns or threads
and combinations thereof in the production of fleeced warp or knitted
fabrics. Looped fabrics having a fleeced surface on one side or at the
back thereof have been previously made with yarns or threads of various
descriptions, but the yarns or threads employed were either plain or of
one color, or of threads of different colors; and my present improve-
ments consist in the employment of printed or party-colored yarns or
threads in the production of the face or one side or surface of such
fleeced looped or knitted fabrics, whereby novel and improved fabrics of
the above description are produced of superior appearance and at less
cost than heretofore in order to produce an equal appearance. The
printed or party-colored cotton and other threads employed for producing
the looped face of fleeced looped or knitted fabrics made according to my
Invention may be considerably varied according to the character of the
fabric or purpose for which it is required.
For some purposes the face of the looped or knitted fabric made
according to my Invention may consist entirely of printed or party-
colored cotton threads or partly of such threads and partly of plain, or
dyed, or imprinted threads of one color throughout, the back or fleeced
surface being produced either from woollen or from silk yarns or threads
arranged to work in combination with the printed cotton and other
threads constituting the face of the fabric, as previously described, such
fleece or pile threads being introduced in the making of the fabric, as is
well understood in the manufacture of other descriptions of fleeced
warp looped or knitted fabrics. Or the face of looped or knitted fabrics
made according to my Invention with a fleeced surface on one side may
be composed partly of printed or party-colored cotton threads and partly
of silk threads, the fleeced side or surface being produced either
from woollen or silk threads introduced into such fabric for the
purpose of forming such fleeced surface at the back or on
one sido
thereof.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which I carry the same into practice, I would have it understood
that I make no claim to the manufacture of a looped or knitted fabric
Having a hosiery looped or knitted face side, and a fleeced or pile
surface on the other side; but what I claim is, forming the face side of

page_text: such fabrics either wholly or partly from yarns printed in sections with
one or more colors, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wilkins, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nino.
TAM
JOHN WILKINS. (1.8.)
i