IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cotton, of Loughborough, in the County
of Leicester, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 9th June 1865, and dated the 16th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cotton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th December 1864.
I, WILLIAM COTTON, of Loughborough, in the County of Leicester, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS,"
to be as follows:-
The Invention has reference to that character of working parts employed in
the manufacture of looped fabrics shown and described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me, and bearing date the 11th January 1860,
No. 70.
And the improvements relate to peculiar arrangements or adaptations by
which simplicity and freedom of working with greatly improved quality of the

page_text: production are obtained. The needles in place of being held as heretofore in
a horizontal direction are supported so as to point in a vertical direction, and
the work produced passes from thence in a horizontal direction. The needle
bir is actuated by suitable cams or tappets, to give the needles a movement to
and fro in the direction of their length, and also somewhat at right angles
thereto.
The sinkers lie horizontally, and simply move to and fro on their bearings
to the extent desired, the movement to them for the sinking or drawing of the
loops is obtained by the action of the slur cock on their jacks whilst they are
drawn back by a catch bar. The jacks are not affixed by hinge or other
joints to the sinkers, but simply rest on or against them, and these jacks are
formed to turn on a stationary bar. The knocking over bits or stumps are
stationary and lie horizontally. The surface of each of the thread carriers next
the needles is formed flat in order that when in fashioning it stops opposite a
needle or needles it may act thereon to close the beards and prevent the thread
passing under the beards of more of the needles thau is for the time desired.
The thread carrier bar is supported on the slur box so as to move with that
box by elastic friction pressure, and yet so that it may be capable of rest when
that friction is overcome by the action of stops in order that the slur cock may
continue its motion at either end after the thread carrier has completed its
traverse. These stops to the motion of the thread carrier are capable of being
set as desired, and they are also arranged to move to varying distances by worm
or other self-adjusting motions during the working when fashioning is desired.
There are shifting points which are set in leads and carried by arms from an
axis of motion so as to be brought into action and used for shifting the loops
when fashioning is desired. These leads of shifting points turn on centres in
their arms, and they are acted on by spring pressure for adjustment of their
position. These shifting points are also operated upon by the stop motions to
act at varying distances. Instead of the parts being placed strictly horizon-
tally and vertically as stated they may be inclined to those directions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Cotton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
COTTON, of Loughborough, in the County of Leicester, Manufacturer, send 3
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Cotton, Her special licence that I, the said William
Cotton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Cotton, 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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED
FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Cotton,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their bands 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 William Cotton, 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:-
The Invention has reference to that character of working parts employed in
the manufacture of looped fabrics shown and described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me, and bearing date the 11th of January 1860,
No. 70, and the improvements relate to peculiar arrangements or adaptations
by which simplicity and freedom of working with greatly improved quality of
the production are obtained.
The needles, in place of being held as heretofore in a horizontal direction,
are supported so as to point in a vertical direction, and the work produced
passes from thence in a horizontal direction. The needle bar is actuated by
suitable cams or tappets to give the needles a movement to and fro in the
direction of their length, and also somewhat at right angles thereto.
The sinkers lie horizontally, and simply move to and fro on their bearings
to the extent desired; the movement to them for the sinking or drawing of
the loops is obtained by the action of the slur cock on their jacks whilst they
are drawn back by a catch bar. The jacks are not affixed by hinge or other
joints to the sinkers, but simply rest on or against them, and these jacks are

page_text: formed to turn on a stationary bar. The knocking-over bits or stumps are
stationary and lie horizontally. The surface of each of the thread carriers
next the needles is formed flat, in order that when, in fashioning, it stops
opposite a needle or needles it may act thereon to close the beards, and prevent
the thread passing under the beards of more of the needles than is for the
time desired.
The thread carrier bar is supported on the slur box so as to move with that
box by elastic friction pressure, and yet so that it may be capable of rest
when that friction is overcome by the action of stops in order that the slur
cock may continue its motion at either end after the thread carrier has com-
pleted its traverse; these stops to the motion of the thread carrier are capable
of being set as desired, and they are also arranged to move to varying dis-
tances by worm or other self-adjusting motions during the working when
fashioning is desired. There are shifting points which are set in leads and carried
by arms from an axis of motion so as to be brought into action and used for
shifting the loops when fashioning is desired. These leads of shifting points
turn on centres in their arms, and they are acted on by spring pressure for
adjustment of their position; these shifting points are also operated upon by
the stop motions to act at varying distances. Instead of the parts being
placed strictly horizontally and vertically, as stated, they may be inclined to
those directions.
But that the improvements may be better understood, I will, by the aid of
the accompanying Drawings, proceed more fully to describe means pursued
by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 show two vertical sections; Figure 3, an end view;
Figures 4 and 5 are front views taken one towards the left and the other the
right-hand end of apparatus arranged according to my improvements, in which
the needles point upwards, and the looped fabric produced is conducted from
plan
them in a direction about at right angles to these needles; Figure 6 is a
of one end thereof; Figure 7 shows a section of some of the parts full size;
other of the views show some of the parts separately. In each of these views
the same letters indicate corresponding parts of them wherever they occur.
a, a, is the main framing; b is the driving axis which receives motion from
a steam engine or other suitable power acting by a band or strap on the drum
or pulley baffixed on that shaft or axis b, and this shaft or axis b by means of
the toothed wheel 62 affixed thereon, the teeth of which take into the teeth of
the wheel c¹ affixed on the shaft or axis c, gives motion to that shaft or ax's c,

page_text: upon which are affixed most of the cams or tappets for effecting the various
movements. d are the needles, the leads d' of which are affixed to the needle
bar d, which has a compound motion given to it; for this purpose this bar d'
is by pin joints d' connected to the ends of arms d'affixed to and projecting
from the shaft d, which is capable of turning in suitable bearings a carried
by the main framing, and this shaft d' has affixed to it another arm d
carrying a truck or bowl d' which is borne against the periphery of a cam or
tappet ds, by which the up-and-down motion or the motion. in. the direction
of the length of the needles is obtained. The needle bar d is also formed
with arms d', the lower ends of which are by pin joints d¹º connected each to.
one end of an adjustable link d", the other end of each of which is by pin
joint d 18 connected to the ends of an arm d¹3 affixed to and projecting from
the shaft d, which is capable of rocking freely in the bearings a', and this
shaft d has also affixed to it another arm d1, the truck d¹ of which is borne
towards its cam or tappet d17 (as are other of the trucks or bowls to their
cams or tappets) by spring pressure.
The sinking and the knocking-over motions are performed by separate
instruments, the instruments e being those which act as sinkers to effect the
sinking or "drawing" of the thread to the extent desired for the loops of the
particular fabric being produced. These instruments e are divided into two
sets, one of which is commonly called the "jack" and the other the "dividing"
sinkers. The "jack" sinkers, according to my arrangements, in place of
being connected by pin or other joints to the "jacks," and supported by them
simply slide in their guides, and are supported in their bearings e*, and the
motion is given to them for the drawing of the threads by the pressure
thereon of the "jacks" f, which are of a peculiar forin, as is clearly indicated
by separate views of one of them at Figures 8 and 9, and they are such that
they may at the inner part of their arch f¹ turn upon an axis upon the
stationary bar f, to which they are held by the stationary bar f³, and at their
upper ends they simply bear against the ends of their sinkers e. These
"jacks" fare acted upon by the slur cock g carried by a slur box in the usual.
manner. The back motion to the "jack" sinkers and the backward and for-
ward motions to the intermediate or "dividing" sinkers is obtained by means.
of the catch bar h, which for this purpose is formed with projections h¹, h², to
embrace the projections e¹ on the sinkers e. When the slur cocks are acting,
these projections h² are acted upon by the projection g² of the slur box g¹ to
raise the catch bar out of the way of the projections e¹ of the sinkers, but
when the slur cock has finished its traverse, the projection 92 of the box g¹
passes from under a projection h³, and thereby ceases to support the bar h,

page_text: and the catch bar then falls on to the sinkers e so as to embrace the parts e¹
thereof between the parts h², h², and when actuated for the purpose this bar h
then moves the sinkers back; and this movement to the catch bar h is
obtained by that bar having arms h*, which by pin joints h³ are connected to
the upper ends of arms h from the rocking shaft h, which is capable of
turning in suitable bearings a² carried by the brackets a from the main
framing, and this shaft he has affixed to it the arm ho, carrying the truck or
bowl h', which is borne by spring pressure against the surface of the cam or
tappet affixed on the shaft or axis c.
The "knocking-over" motion is effected by what I have called the knocking-
over bits i. These bits i are set in leads ¹ affixed to the top main cross
bar a, and they are stationary; j and k are thread carriers, affixed respec-
tively to rods and k¹, and each of these rods is supported on projections or
horns j, k, standing up from the slur boxes, and they are acted upon by
springs j, by the frictional elastic pressure of which the thread carriers j and k
would, unless otherwise prevented, move with the series of slur boxes, but as
the two bars of thread carriers j and k are only required to act at the same
time when producing simultaneously two separate portions of the fabric, as
for the heels of stockings, one of them may be held stationary by means of a
pin or other holder (shewn in Figure 6) passed through it to keep it for
the time stationary. As the thread carriers come first to the end of their
traverse they are stopped at the proper time, and are caused to rest at either
end by coming against adjustable screw stops j, k, and in order that when
"fashioning" is to be produced, this stopping of the thread carriers may be
variable to the desired variations in the width of fabric being produced. I
apply the stops j, k, to sliding pieces l, which are capable of sliding in the fixed
portions as, as, of the main framing, as shown; and these sliding pieces I have
teeth or projections 7, which are acted upon by spirals or scrolls 12 formed on or
affixed each to a shaft 13, which is capable of turning in the fixed bearing *, and
has affixed upon it the pinion 1', the teeth of which are taken into by the teeth
of the wheel 1, which is capable of revolving freely on the fixed stud 17, and
bas affixed upon it the ratchet wheel 18, the teeth of which are taken into at the
times desired for a progressive narrowing or widening by means of the clawkers
or drivers carried by the levers 710 which turn one at each end of the appa-
ratus upon the fixed studs 7", and carry each a truck or bowl, which
by spring pressure is borne up, so as to bear when desired against the surface
of a cam or tappet 113; 114, 114, are adjustable stops to the levers 710. Supposing
several breadths of fabric to be capable of being produced at the same time
in the machine, as is indicated by the red lines and tint on the Drawings,

page_text: then several slur boxes 91 (one for each breadth of fabric) are connected
together by means of a bar g³, in order that they may have simultaneous
movement given to them by means of the connecting rod g', one end of which,
as is more clearly indicated by a separate back view of some of the parts at
Figure 14, together with Figure 1, is by pin joint g³ connected to a projection
from the bar g, and the other end is by pin joint 9 connected to the upper
end of the lever 97, the lower end of which turns upon a fixed stud g³, whilst
it carries a pin 9° to receive one end of the link g₁, the other end of which is
by pin joint g connected to the sliding bar 91, which is supported so as to be
capable of sliding in the fixed guides g, and it carries the studs g¹, upon
each of which are applied trucks or bowls 91, 91, to embrace the opposite
sides or surfaces of the cam or tappet 917, affixed upon the cross shaft or
axis g, which is supported in bearings carried by the main framing, and has
affixed on it the bevilled pinion g, the teeth of which are taken into by the
teeth of the bevilled pinion 920 affixed on the shaft or axis c. When
"fashioning" is desired to be produced, the instruments mare brought into
position over the needles d, as shown by a separate view of parts at Figure 10;
at other times these instruments are turned back, as shown by Figure 7, and
several other of the views. These instruments m are formed hollow on their
under side to cover and enclose the beards of the needles, whilst the points of
them turn under, so that they may the more readily enter the recesses in the
needles under the points of the beards. These instruments m, m, are set in
leads m², each of which is supported so as to turn on a centre of motion m³
carried by a carriage m³, and they are acted upon in their carriages by
springs m*, with a tendency to press their points inwards, whilst at their upper
ends they are checked by the stops m³. The leads of points m for acting on
one edge of each breadth of fabric are affixed to one bar me, and the leads of
instruments m for acting on the opposite edge of each breadth of fabric are
carried by the bar m', and these bars m, m2, are supported so as to be capable
of sliding in arms m³, m³, affixed to the shaft me; and these bars me, m², are
constantly borne in opposite directions by springs no, the object of which is
that when the instruments m are in use the bar me may be borne against the
stop m carried by the sliding plate at the left-hand end of the machine,
and that the other bar m' may be borne against the stop m¹ in the sliding
plate at the right-hand end of the machine, and that these bars m³, m', may
thereby be simultaneously acted upon to move them by step-by-step motions
in opposite directions for the "fashioning" desired. The shaft me is supported
so as to admit of its turning in the upper ends of arms m¹s affixed to the
rocking shaft m, which is supported so as to be capable of turning in

page_text: bearings carried by the main framing, and it has affixed to it the arm m¹³, which
carries a truck or bowl m, which rests on the surface of the wheel m", and
(as is the case with other of the trucks or bowls), it is borne to its cam, or
tappet, or wheel by spring pressure. By these means a slight to-and-fro
notion is obtained to the instruments m when they are acting with the
needles for "fashioning." The shaft m³ is embraced by the socket m¹ formed
on the lever arm mo, which by its truck m20 bears on the cam or wheel m²,
and this socket m¹³ carries a screw stop m², which passes into a slot formed
for it in the shaft m to act as a stop for that shaft when the instruments m
are brought into use, and this screw stop m also serves as a means of setting
the shaft m firmly to the arm m¹º.
Figures 11, 12, and 13, show the instruments m in other of the positions
they assume in operating for the change of the loops when "fashioning."
In Figure 10 the instruments m are shown resting over and so as to receive
within their hollow surfaces the beards of those needles, the loops of which
they are to receive, and they are in the act of taking those loops. In
Figure 11 the instruments m are shown shifting to over the needles to which
the loops they hold are to be changed. In Figure 12 the instruments m are
shown holding the loops they have taken in position to deliver them on to the
needles to which they are to be shifted, and Figure 13 shows the parts in
position when the shifting has taken place. When for "fashioning," the
instruments m have been turned over on to the needles, I, according to the
arrangement shown, bring other canis or tappets or wheels into operation to
effect the various movements, and I find it convenient at such times to arrange
the cams or tappets to operate for each course of the fashioning during two
rotations of the main shaft c. For this purpose the various trucks or bowls
d", d, h, m, and m20 are shifted first on to the respective cains or tappets
or wheels d*, 17, 18× 217×, max, and the trucks or bowls 12 are also shifted
to come under the cams or tappets 113, and then when those cams have made
one revolution those trucks or bowls are again shifted on to the respective cams
or tappets d**, d17**, hs**, m17**, and ma**, until they have made another
revolution, when those bowls or trucks d7, d16, 17, m¹, and m20, are shifted
back to their cams ds, d, hs, m, and m2, and the trucks or bowls 12 are
shifted from under the cams or tappets 113, and so on.
'
This shifting is effected in the following manner :-Upon the shaft or axis c is
applied the cam or tappet n, which in its rotation acts on the truck or bowl of
the lever n, which is supported to turn on the fixed stud n³, and supports the
drivers n, n, either of which may be brought over to act on one of the
ratchet wheels n, n, according to the number of courses it may be desired to

page_text: employ between each time of "narrowing." When the driver n is brought
into action upon the ratchet wheel nº there will be eight courses between cach
narrowing," but if the driver n be brought on to the ratchet wheel 7, there
will be only four courses between each "narrowing." This may, however, be
varied by substituting other ratchet wheels with other numbers of teeth for
the ratchet wheels ne, n. The ratchet wheels nº, n', are affixed to the
boss ns, to which is also affixed the cam or tappet o, and together they are
capable of turning on the fixed stud nº. The action on one of the ratchet
wheels n, n, will first bring the part o' of the tappet o to act on the nose or
projection p¹, formed on the end of the arm p, which is affixed to the shaft p³,
when another arm p³, also affixed to that shaft på, will be shifted, so that its
truck or bowl ps will be in position to be acted upon by the projection q³,
standing out from the plate q, which is affixed to and revolves with the main
shaft or axis c, by which the shaft på will be moved endwise in its bearings,
and in so doing the respective forked arms p, p, p, p, p, p, p, and p¹³,
carried by this shaft p², and embracing parts of the respective trucks or
bowls 1, 3, 7, d10, d7, m18, m20, will act upon those trucks to shift them
respectively to the surfaces of the cams or tappets or wheels 113, 8, h³×, d*,
d8x, m17x, and mix, and then in another rotation of the main shaft c the cam
or tappet o will make another partial rotation, by which the part o² thereof
will be brought to act on the nose p¹ of the arm p, when the truck or bowl p³
will be in position to be acted upon by the projection q², standing out from the
plate q, and the shaft p2 will then be shifted a further distance, so that its
forks p, p, p, p, p, p, p, will act on their respective trucks or bowls
8, h, de, d', m, m2, to bring those trucks on to the cams or tappets or
wheels 8**, d**, d8xx, m17**, and maxx, and the trucks or bowls ¹, and s
will be moved a little further but still on their cams or tappets 13. and s³, and
then in the next revolution of the main shaft or axis c the cam or tappet o
will be moved round a further distance, by.which the nose or projection p¹ to
the arm p will be allowed to fall again on to the plain part o³ of that cam or
tappet o, and the bowl p" of the lever arm p³ will now be in a position to be
acted upon by the projection of the plate r, by which the shaft p will be
drawn back with its forks p, p, p, p, p¹, p", p¹, p¹³, to draw the trucks or
bowls back into the positions first referred to. Each of the forks p³, p², p³,
p, p, p, p, p, is held so as to be capable of turning on the shaft p³
between the collars p¹, affixed by set screws on that shaft på and the forks
p, p, p, p, and pt, have each an arm p, acted upon by a spring p. The
truck or bowl s rests ordinarily against the surface s', and it turns on a pin s³,
carried by the lower end of the lever s¹, which at its other end turns on a fixed

page_text: stud s, and it is by pin joint s connected to one end of the rod s', the other
end of which is by pin joint s connected to one end of the lever so, which
turns upon the fixed stud 810, and at its other end 8" rests in a neck formed in
the pulley 91, by which means that pulley ge may be slided on its stud g¹, to
take it out of position or to bring it into position for being acted upon by the
cam or tappet g¹7.
It will be observed that the surface of each of the thread carriers next the
needles is formed flat or nearly so, as is more clearly indicated by the separate
views of one of them at Figures 15, 16, 17, and 18, where k* represents this
flat part, and the object of thus forming this part &* flat, or nearly so, is, that
when in fashioning a thread carrier stops opposite a needle or needles it may
act thereon to close the beards thereof (as shown by Figure 19), and prevent
the thread passing under the beards of more of the needles than is for the
time desired. t indicates a board over which the work passes, and which also
serves to protect the operator from the machinery.
Having thus described the nature of my improvements, and the means by
which the same are effected, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details shown and described, as such may be varied
without departing from the peculiar character of the Invention; but what I
claim is,―
First, the adaptation or combination of parts described in respect of
machinery of the character of that shown and described, whereby the needles
in place of their being held to point in a horizontal direction, or nearly so, are
supported so as to point in a vertical direction, and the work produced passes
away from them in a horizontal direction, and is actuated as explained.
Also I claim the method of arranging the sinkers to move in a horizontal
direction, or nearly so, and operating them by means of the catch bar h and
jacks f, substantially as described.
Also I claim for giving motion to the thread carriers j, k, in the motion of
the slur boxes by elastic frictional pressure, which admits of the motion of the
thread carriers being stopped while the motion of the slur boxes proceeds,
substantantially as described..
Also I claim the method of operating the thread carriers and the instru-
ments m so as to stop their motion and cause them to be at rest at distances
varying with variations in the width of work for the time being produced
by the apparatus 7 and parts carried thereby when fashioning is desired, as
described.
Also I claim for forming the surface of the thread carrier next the needle
flat, or nearly so, as and for the purpose described in respect of Figure 19.

page_text: Also I claim the method of forming, applying, and operating the shifting
points m, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cotton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
WILLIAM COTTON. (L.s.)