IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOSIERY GOODS OR ARTICLES COMPOSED OF KNITTED FABRICS
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WEBSTER HANCOCK, of Melbourne, in the County of Derby, Manufacturer,
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 Seventeenth day of November, in the thirteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Webster Hancock, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said John Webster Hancock, my exors,
adiñors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said John Webster Hancock,
my exors, admors, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOSIERY GOODS OR ARTICLES COMPOSED OF KNITTED
FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me,
the said John Webster Hancock, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inven-
tion, 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, 1, the said
John Webster Hancock, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is 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) :-
My Invention of Improvements in the Manufacture of Hosiery Goods or
Articles composed of Knitted Fabrics consists:-First, in making gloves,
mitts, cuffs, and other coverings for the hand or wrist, of a velvet fabric;
that is, of a knitted fabric with a cut pile on the surface which forms the
outside of the glove or other such like article, or with a cut pile on both
sides within and without. It is well known to glove makers, that velvet
made in the ordinary manner in a loom is (owing to its want of sufficient
elasticity) not applicable to the manufacture of gloves or such like articles
where a considerable amount of elasticity is required. I therefore propose
to make a fabric with a cut pile on one or both surfaces, and having the
foundation of the fabric made by the operation of knitting. This fabric I
intend to make in the warp machine; and. I employ the fabric so produced
(whether it be made by single lap, or by the improved double lap herein-after
described) for the manufacture of gloves, mitts, cuffs, and other coverings
for the hand or wrist, this being a purpose to which such a fabric has not
hitherto been applied...
The Invention relates, secondly, to certain improved modes of manufac-
turing the velvet fabric, and cutting the pile thereof so as to form a fabric with
a cut pile, and while pile may, if required, be made on both surfaces of the
fabric, so that a glove or other article made of this fabric will not only have
a rich velvet appearance on the outside, but will also have a cut pile inside,
and thereby. much increase the warmth and comfort of the glove in cold
weather. I would here observe, that I am aware that velvet fabrics, or fabrics
in which a portion of the surface has, been made with a cut pile, have hereto-
fore been produced on warp machines, but such cut pile surfaces have hitherto
generally been made in strips or narrow widths, and have been. employed for
ornamenting other work. I would also remark that the velvet pile has
hitherto been made with what is termed a single lap, and the fabric, thereby
produced has been of so flimsy a nature, and the cut pile made with so
unfinished and defective a surface, that the fabric thereby produced has never
been found to be of any public utility...
My improvements in the manufacture of velvets for the above purposes
consist, therefore, in the first place, in making the fabric with what is techni-

page_text: cally termed a double lap, whereby the fabric is made more perfectly, and the
cut pile-surface has a much richer appearance than when a single lap only
is used, as has heretofore been the case in the manufacture of. velvets..on
warp machinery. And, in addition to this improvement in making a double
lap velvet with a cut pile on one surface on the warp machine, I also propose
to produce a .cut pile on both surfaces when required. This object is effected
by means of a peculiar system of double lapping hereafter described, so that
when the fabric is made, one part of the pile previously cut in "the machine
may be drawn through to the other surface by. a subsequent operation on the
piece itself.
In the accompanying Drawings I have. shewn, various views of my
improved arrangement of mechanism for producing the double láp. Fig. 1.
is an end elevation of the machine; and Fig. 2.is a partial front view of the
same. The same Figures also shew the mechanical arrangements for cutting
the pile, as the loops of the fabric are formed by the operation of the other
parts. The operative parts whereby the work or fabric is produced are
shewn detached and in various positions in the sectional Figures 3, 4, and 5.
The needles a, a, upon which the fabric is made are fixed horizontally in the
machine, and are secured in leads as usual. In the Figures I have. shewn
only two rows of guides 1 and 2, through which two sets of threads.to:form"
the fabric are passed; but three or even more sets of guides may be used if
thought desirable. In the Figures one set of guides is placed immediately
above the other; the guides of the bottom row.'1. carry the threads..that form:
the loops, which, when cut, produce the cut pile surface of the fabric.; and
the upper row of guides 2 carry the threads of which the foundation.or ground
of the fabric is made. These guides are secured in leads in the ordinary
manner, and are screwed or otherwise attached to the bars b and c, which
are actuated by mechanism hereafter described. As the fabric to ibe produced.
is intended to have a cut pile or velvet surface,, a wire over which loops are.
formed, is passed between the upper and lower, threads (as seen best at 3
in the sectional view Fig. 3): At the commencement. of the formation of the
loop, the guides 1 and 2. are nearly upon a level with the needles a, a; "the
first operation, therefore, of the two sets of guides is to rise up together; the
guide bars are then shogged simultaneously one needle to 'the right,' then they
fall, again and the upper set of guides is shogged two needles to the right, and 1
the lower one three needles' in. the same direction. Both guide bars then
rise together, and are shogged one needle to the left; they then again fall, and
are shogged back to their original position. These motions whereby the
double lap is produced will perhaps be better understood by referring to.the

page_text: Diagram, Fig. 6, in which the points a, a, represent the needles; 1 and 2
the guides, and 3 the wire, over which the loop to be cut is formed. In
order to avoid confusion the guides are represented as raised above the needles;
it will also be seen that the loop for the cut pile is produced by carrying the
thread of the lower set of guides round the wire 3, and the pile is firmly held
in, even when cut by being intertwined with the foundation threads. To
render this operation still more clear, I have shewn these parts in perspective
in Fig. 7. To produce the second course the two guide bars rise together;
they are then both shogged one needle to the right and fall, and thereby lap
the thread over the needle. The top bar is then shogged one needle to the
right and the bottom bar three needles to the right; both bars again rise, and
are shogged one needle to the left and fall, thereby making a second or the
double lap in the second course, after which they are shogged to their place,
and at the same time are drawn back from the needles while the other opera-
tions of the machine are taking place.
Fig. 8 is a Diagram of this second course, and after this is completed the
first course, or that shewn in the Diagram, Figures 6 and 7, is repeated. The
method of cutting the pile will be hereafter explained; but in order to produce
a cut pile on both sides of the fabric it will only be necessary, after the pile has
been cut on the right side in the manner hereafter described, to a take a hard
brush and brush the fabric on the back until a portion of the pile has been
drawn through. The peculiar mode of tying in the pile by means of the
traverse shewn in Figures 6, 7, and 8, admits of a certain portion of the pile
being thus drawn through after it has been cut.
Figures 9 and 10 are two Diagrams representing a somewhat different mode
of producing the double lap. Fig. 9 is a Diagram of the first course, and
Fig. 10 a Diagram of the second course. In this instance the two guide bars
are traversed in opposite directions, as will be seen by inspecting the
Diagrams, with this exception, the motions in both cases are precisely the same.
The object of making the guide bars traverse in opposite directions is to
more firmly hold the whole of the cut pile on one surface; this mode, there-
fore, of producing the double lap is not so applicable as the plan shewn in
Figures 6 and 8 for fabrics in which a cut pile is required on both sides.
The guide bars 1 and 2 are mounted in the machine in the ordinary manner at
the end of arms which are secured to a vibrating or moveable frame d. This
frame has a vibrating motion communicated to it by means of the cam e being
made to act against the end of the lever f, and this vibrating motion is for the
purpose of bringing forward or drawing back the guides 1 and 2. The rising
and falling motion of the guide bars is effected by means of the cam g in the

page_text: Diagram, Fig. 11. This cam acts against a lever that is connected to the
frame d by means of the pendant arm h. The shogging motions of the guide
bars are effected by rack wheels or cams of suitable form placed at the end
of the machine, as is well known to all persons practically acquainted with
this description of machinery. The sinkers are shewn at 4, and the presser
for closing the beards of the needles at 5. There is nothing new, however,
either in the construction or operation of these parts, and consequently no
detailed description thereof will be required.
I will now proceed to explain the manner in which the pile is cut by the
mechanism shewn in the Figures. The wire 3, over which the loops to form
the cut pile surface are made, is connected at one end to an upright standard i
on the horizontal travelling bar I. The opposite end of the wire 3 is furnished
with an eye, and also.a cutting edge, as seen at 6, in Fig. 2, and also in
detached plan view. (Fig. 12) of this part of the apparatus. In order to carry
the wire back and lay it a second time between the threads after it has cut one
series of loops, there is a carrier 7 also connected at one end to the upright
standard i of the travelling bar I, and at the opposite end to a cord or chain 8,
which, after passing over and under a series of pullies, is attached to the
travelling bar I, as seen in Fig. 2. Now, supposing the wire 3 to have been
laid between the threads, as will be hereafter more particularly explained, the
sinker bar will be brought down to complete one of the operations connected
with the production of the fabric, and will bring down with it a pointed
instrument j, which. I call the stretcher; the point of this stretcher, which is
mounted on a pivet attached to the sinker bar, will be guided into the eye 6 of
the wire by the projecting part 10 of the arm 11, as seen in Fig. 3 and the
detached plan view, Fig. 13. The stretcher will draw back the wire 3 to its
proper place between the threads, as seen at Fig. 4, where it is securely held
and tightly stretched by the action of the spring 12, which, by pulling the
stretcher jround on its centre, will draw the wire tight. The operations of the
machine for the production of the fabric will then take place, and the wire will
be woven into the fabric and a series of loops formed over it. The course having
been completed, the pile must be cut and the wire removed for the next course.
Previous, however, to removing the wire, it will be necessary to release the eye
from the stretcher j, which is done by the simultaneous descent of the presser
bar and ascent of the sinker bar, which motions bring the upper part of the
stretcher against a projection on the bar 14, which will force back the point of
the stretcher and allow it to be withdrawn from the eye with ease. The
operations of removing the wire from the fabric and cutting the pile are
simultaneously effected by communicating motion to the travelling bar I, to

page_text: which the wire is connected, and the wire will then be drawn out of the piece
and in its passage, cut the loops, the point of the stretcher ; having been
previously withdrawn from the eye of the wire by the rising of the sinker bar;
as above mentioned, and as seen best in Fig. 2. The bar, I is actuated in the
following manner:-It is connected by means of a strap, cord, or chain q to the
pulley or drum J, which is mounted on the lower end of an oblique shaft K;
this shaft also carries a bevel pinion B, see Fig. 1, which gears into the large
bevel wheel C. On the same shaft as this large bevel wheel C, or fastened to it,
if preferred, is a drum D, and round this drum a cord or chain k is passed, and is
connected at one end to a vibrating arm or lever L, and at the opposite end to a
similar lever M. Each of these levers is provided with a bowl or antifriction roller
7 and m, against which the cams or wipers N and Q work.) These cams are
mounted on one end of the shaft P, which extends, from side to side of the
machine,, and is actuated by any suitable gearing in connection with the main
or driving shaft T. The operation of these parts is as follows:-Motion is
communicated from the prime mover to the shaft P, on which the cams
N and O are mounted; and these latter are therefore caused to rotate in the
direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. Supposing the several parts to be in the
positions shewn in: the Drawings, the cam N is about to act against the bowl
or antifriction roller m of the vibrating lever M, and will force the latter back
into the position represented by the red lines. By this operation the drum D
will be pulled round in the same direction by means of the cord or chain k
the other vibrating lever L being also drawn forward into the position shewn
by the red lines in Fig. 1. By the rotation of the drum D the bevel wheel. C
will also be carried round, and by that means drive the bevel pinion B, and
consequently the drum or pulley J in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2.
The travelling bar I being connected to the drum J by the cord or chain q,
will therefore be drawn back, and, by means, of the upright standard i, will
pull out the wire 3 and the carrier 7, and thereby cut the loops open by
means of the knife at the end 6 of the wire, and thus produce the pile.
Immediately that the end of the cam N passes the roller m of the vibrating
lever M, the other cam O comes into contact with the roller of the other
vibrating lever L, which is then in the position shewn by the red lines in
Fig. 1; and; by continuing its rotation, the cam O will force the lever L back
into its original, position, and thereby drive the drum D, the bevel wheels
C and B, the drum, or wheel J, the travelling, bar I, and its appendages, in
the opposite direction to that indicated by the, arrows. The wire 3, when
being drawn out of the fabric, passes over the forked end of a spring o, and
also over a series of rests t, t, attached to the bar U. These rests,. which are
I

page_text: shewn detached in side clevation at Fig. 15, are furnished with a latch u,
which is hinged to the rest in such a manner that when the curved piece 15
of the vertical arms i comes against the under side of the end of the latch u,
it lifts it up, as, shewn by dots in Fig. 15, and allows the wire to be laid on
the rest; after which the latch descends, and holds the wire steady in the
notch. On the return motion, the curved piece 15 of the arm i again opens
the latch, and allows the wire to be withdrawn from the rest. The forked
spring o is, by means of a wire.p, connected with one end of a lever Q; and
this lever is furnished with a bowl or antifriction roller q, against which a
cam E bears. This cam is mounted on the shaft P, and is made of such a
form as to admit of, the spring o being released from tension at the moment
the wire 3 leaves the fabric. The effect of this will be that the spring fork o,
which is in the position shewn by dots in the detached plan view, Fig. 14, will
jump back with the wire into the position shewn by.color, and by that means
will deliver the end of the wire 3 to the carrier 7, which will immediately
retrace its steps, and carry the wire along a sheath or narrow tin. case ŕ to the
opposite end of the machine; and having arrived there, the sinker bar, with
the stretcher, will come down, and the latter will again take hold. of the wire,
and the whole of the motion be repeated for a second course. In order, how-
ever; to bring the eye of the wire under the stretcher, so that the point of the
latter may enter the eye, the carrier 7 with the wire 3 are brought forward by
an arm s, which is worked by a lever or arm R,. acted upon the cam S, as
seen in Fig. 4.
.
In the several Figures in Sheet II. I have shewn another mode of cutting
the pile. Instead of cutting the pile by what is technically termed a "draw
cut," as in the former instance, I employ a series of knives or cutting instru-
ments, which are secured in leads, and are made to cut the loops as they are
formed. I would observe that I am aware that attempts have been made to
cut velvet pile in warp machines by means of a series of knives arranged in
leads in a somewhat similar manner; but it has hitherto been found impossible
to produce a marketable article by these means, owing to the defective mode
of cutting. The principal. objection to cutting, with a series of knives or
cutting instruments secured in leads has been that any single defective knife
would, by repeating a defect at every course of the machine, produce a very
palpable and evident blemish throughout the. piece. By means of my peculiar
arrangement of parts, hereafter: described, I am, enabled (although I employ a
series of knives secured in leads), to obviate this difficulty to a very consider-
able extent, by causing the knives after every cut to shog on one side, so as
to prevent any knife from cutting continuously in the same line. By this

page_text: means, if any of the knives should be a little defective, the blemish that they
would cause would be so far distributed as not to be very evident, unless upon
close examination.
In Sheet II., Fig. 16 is a front elevation of a warp machine, with the
improved mode of cutting. adapted thereto; Fig. 17 is an elevation of the
right-hand end of the machine; Fig. 18 is a plan or bird's-eye view of the
machine as seen from above; Fig. 19 is a transverse vertical section of
the machine taken in the line A, B, of Fig. 16; and Fig. 20 is a similar
view taken in the line C, D, of Fig. 16. The form of the knives or cutting
instruments will be best seen by inspecting the detached views, Figures 21, 22,
23, and 24, which are drawn upon an enlarged scale, and are hereafter more
particularly referred to. The knives e are secured in leads in the manner
well known to manufacturers acquainted with this description of machinery;
and these leads are bolted to a horizontal bar I, which is connected to a
moveable frame V, V, V, V, which is mounted, and turns upon pivots below
at 16, 16, and is further supported near the middle by a bearing 17. The
bar I is connected to the moveable frame V, V, by means of upright arms
18, 18, 18, which work in guides 19, 19, 19, attached to the uprights of the
moveable frame V. In order to preserve an uniformity of action the upright
arms are bolted to a horizontal bar 20. It will be understood that the knife
bar must have various compound motions communicated to it for the purpose
of effecting the desired object. These motions are principally an up and down
motion, or motion in a vertical direction, which is effected by means of the
levers 21, 21, and the cam 22. A vibrating or backward and forward motion
is communicated to the knife bar I by means of the frame V, which is
actuated by the lever 23, the link 24, the bell-crank lever 25, and cam 26.
Besides these two motions, the knife bar has a third motion, viz, a shogging
or lateral motion, that is, a motion from left to right and vice versa. This
motion is effected by means of the rack wheel or cam 27, and the lever 28,
which is connected to one of the uprights of the knife bar by a screwed rod or
shackle 29. The rack wheel or cam 27 carries a ratchet wheel 30, which is
driven by a pall 31, as seen best in Figures 17 and 18; and this pall is
jointed at one end to a lever 32, which is (by means of a spring) always kept
in contact with a cam 33 on the main shaft T.
Having briefly described the principal working parts of the machine, I will
now proceed to explain their operation. A course of work having been formed,
and previous to the commencement of a new course the lower set of guides,
with the knives e, e, and the needles a, a, will be in the position represented in
the Diagram, Fig. 25, while the upper set of guides, with the knives and

page_text: needles, will be in the position shewn in Fig. 26. The first motion of the
machine will be to shog the bottom set of guides (or that which forms the
pile) one needle to the left, or to the position shewn in Fig. 26, that is, coin-
cident with the top set. This motion is effected by means of the rack wheel
or cam 34, shewn detached at Fig. 27, which is actuated by a depression 35
on the cam g on the main shaft acting against the bowl of a lever v, which,
by means of a link h, carries down the spindle or axle 36 of the rack
wheel 34. On this same spindle 36 is a ratchet wheel 37, shewn detached,
and drawn upon an enlarged scale at Fig. 28; and when the axle 36 is
depressed, one of the short teeth of the ratchet wheel, Fig. 28, is brought
against a stationary pall or click 39 which is affixed to the main framing, as
seen in Figures 16 and 17. By this means, as the guide bars approach the
needles, the rack wheels 34 and 38 are driven round a short distance, and the
rack wheel 34, Fig. 27, having a step or rise at 1, the lower guide bar will be
shogged one needle to the right, while the other rack wheel 38 (shewn also
detached at Fig. 29), not having any step at this part, the upper guide bar
will remain stationary. Previous to the shogging of the lower guide bar the
knife bar I is made to rise and carry the knives up between the threads into
the position shewn in the detached view, Fig. 21, and the shogging of the lower
guide bar having taken place, the lower set of threads will be carried under
the hooked ends of the knives, as shewn in the Diagram, Fig. 30. The knife
bar then, by means of a compound motion, is made to sink and go back with
the frame, the guides being also brought forward at the same time, and made
to enter between or a little below the needles, as shewn in Diagram, Fig. 32.
The lapping operation, which is precisely similar to that described in the other
machine, then commences; and while the lap is being formed the hooked ends
of the knives will hold the loops which are intended to be cut. When the lap is
made the parts will be in the position shewn in the detached Fig. 22. The
guide bars and knife bar then recede, and carry the new lap just made under
the beard of the needle, at the same time the presser bar comes down (as
seen in Fig. 23) and closes the beard of the needle, and the old work is
thrown over the head of the needle in the usual way. It only now remains to
cut the loop just formed, and this is effected by the indentation * in the
cam 22, allowing the spring to draw back the upper end of the bell crank.
lever 21, and thereby raise the knife bar, and force the cutting breast of the.
knives through the loops, as shewn at Fig. 24. It will of course be evident,
from the shape of the indentation in the cam, that the knife bar will be carried
down again immediately, and in so doing it will, by a compound action, be
brought a little forward so as to be ready for the next course. In order to

page_text: regulate or adjust the knives for the purpose of making and cutting loops of
different lengths the indentation * of the cam 22 must be made adjustable so
as to regulate the vertical motion of the knife bar. The mode of making the
cam 22 adjustable will be best understood by the detached view, Fig. 31.
Having now described my Invention of Improvements in the Manufacture
of Hosiery Goods, or Articles composed of Knitted Fabrics, and the best means
with which I am at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I
would observe, in conclusion, that I have not thought it necessary to enter into
a detailed explanation of the various parts whereby all the traverses are made,
as these parts are well known to all practical men, and possess no peculiar
novelty. I would further observe, in conclusion, that in order that my im-
provements may be more clearly understood, I have thought it desirable to
show and describe various mechanical parts which have been long known and
in use for similar purposes. I do not, however, intend to claim any of such
well known parts as of my Invention;, and I further wish it to be understood
that although in the accompanying Drawings I have shewn such arrangements
and constructions of parts as have been found practically to answer the
purpose in a satisfactory manner, yet I do not mean or intend to confine
myself rigidly to the precise arrangement of mechanical parts herein set forth,
as they may doubtless be varied without departing from the nature and object
of my Invention, but that which I consider to be new in the above-described
inprovements, and therefore wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, manufacturing gloves, mitts, or other coverings for the hand, wrist,
or arm, of a knitted fabric, having the outside made with a cut pile or velvet
surface.
Second, I claim manufacturing 'velvets in a warp machine in such a manner
that the threads are lapped twice or more times over the needles in each
course. And whereas it may sometimes be found. convenient not to apply the
double lap to all the threads of which the fabric is composed, but only to one
or more of them when more than two are used, I claim the exclusive right
to double lap any of the threads used for making velvet on a warp machine.
Third, in reference to cutting the pile of velvets made in a warp machine, I.
claim the arrangement of parts shewn in Sheet I., and above described, for.
cutting wide pieces by means of a draw cut. ..I claim particularly the use of
a stretcher or apparatus for holding the wire tightly during the formation of
the loops. And I also claim the exclusive right to the stretcher or other
analogous means, whether employed in conjunction with. the above-described
arrangement or adapted to any other arrangement, for effecting a similar