IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING MACHINERY
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harby Barber, of Belgrave, in the County of
Leicester, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNITTING
MACHINERY."
Sealed the 14th August 1857, and dated the 17th February 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harby Barber at tlie
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th February 1857.
I, HARBY BARBER, of Belgrave, in the County of Leicester, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
KNITTING MACHINERY," to be as follows:
My Invention of improvements in knitting machinery relates; first, to an
improved construction of needle, whereby I am. enabled to make various
descriptions of figured work. The improvement consists in using a double-
headed needle, in which the head is formed of two hooks or beards placed back
to back; one or both of these beards or hooks may be closed by suitable move-
able or stationary pressors, so so as to admit of the work being passed over the
head of the needle, or the beard or hook may be left open, when required, to
produce the pattern or figure. When using this double-headed needle, I

page_text: employ either the sliding pressers, such as; those described in the Specification
of Jeacock's Patent, or the beards or hooks may be closed by pressers of the
ordinary kinds, or by the means hereafter described in reference to another
head of my Invention.
It will be evident to all persons conversant with knitting machinery, that
the thread to form the fabric may be laid on either side of the needle, so that
the loop being formed on either side, as may be previously arranged, would
produce figures or devices on the surface by simply reversing - the position of
the loops. Various other appearances may be produced according to the
particular kind of machine to which the improved needle may be applied.
The next head of the Invention, and which may also be used in conjunction
with the preceding, relates to the use of the jacquard apparatus for working
the pressers which close the beards or hooks of the needles. The pressers,
whether made to slide on the shafts of the needles as described under Jeacock's
Patent, or to act separate from and independent of them, are connected to the
jacquard apparatus by cords or strings, which, according to the pattern intended
to be produced, will hold certain of the pressers back and prevent them from
closing the hooks or beards of the needles when required...
The next improvement relates to a means of adapting and working pressers
to close the hooks or beards of the needles. In place of adapting the pressers
to and causing them to slide on the shafts of the needles, as described in
Jeacock's Patent, I propose to fix them in leads above the needle leads, the
pressers being placed immediately above and parallel to the needles, the points
of the pressers being made to take. into the grooves formed in the top of the
needle, as is well known. The presser bar may be either stationary or moveable,
the needle bars being made to act in the reverse manner, that is, the presser
bar being-stationary the needle bar must be worked up to it, or the needle bar
may be stationary and the presser bar inade moveable.
"
If the pressers are required to act separate and independent of each other,
they are simply mounted in a guide bar, in which they are capable of moving
parallel with the needle, each presser being worked separately by the loop
that is thrown'or passed over it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Harby Barber in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th August, 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARBY
BARBER, of Belgrave, in the County of Leicester, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Harby Barber, Her special license that I, the said Harby Barber, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Harby
Barber, 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
KNITTING MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Harby Barber, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 Harby Barber, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "Improvements in Knitting Machinery" relates, first, to
an improved construction of needle, whereby I am enabled to make various
descriptions of figured work.
The first improvement consists in using a double-headed needle, in which
the head is formed of two hooks or beards placed back to back; one or both
of these hooks or beards may be closed by suitable moveable or stationary
pressers, so as to admit of the work being pässed over the bead of the needle,
or the beard or hook may be left open when required to produce the pattern
or figure. When using this double-headed needle, I employ either the sliding
pressers, such as those described in the Specification of Jeacock's Patent, or

page_text: the beards or hooks may be closed by the means hereafter described in
reference to another head of my Invention.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawing is a front view of one of my improved
double-headed needles, having two sliding pressers a and b (similar to those
described in the Specification of Jeacock's Patent), mounted on the shaft of
the needle by the strap c, and capable of sliding up to the hooks or beards' d
and e to perform the pressing operation for closing the hooks, as shewn at
Fig. 2.
In the Drawing these pressers are represented as being connected together
by the strap c, so that they will both necessarily move backwards or forwards
at the same time; but for some kinds of work it may be advisable that the
pressers should be independent of each other, for which purpose each presser
must be connected to the needle by a separate band or strap c; so that one of
the hooks of the needle may be left open while the other is closed.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the double-headed needle, placed vertically, but
with my improved slides or pressers, hereafter more particularly described,
adapted thereto and mounted in or attached to bars c; instead of being
attached to the shaft of the needle by a strap, as in Figures 1 and 2. These
bars c, c, are placed on either side of the needle, and are capable of receiving
a backward and forward motion, either separately or together, as may be
required by the nature of the work to be performed, as will be well under-
stood:
It will be evident to all persons conversant with knitting machinery, that
the thread to form the fabric may be laid on either side of this double-headed
needle, so that the loop being formed on either side, as may be previously
arranged, would produce figures or devices on the surface by simply reversing
the position of the loops. Various other appearances may be produced, accord-
ing to 'the particular kind of machine to which the improved needle may be
applied.
:
*The next head of the Invention, and which may also be used in conjunction
with the preceding, relates to the use of the jacquard apparatus for working
the pressers which close the beards or hooks of the needles. The pressers,
whether made to slide on the shafts of the needles as described and shewn in
Figures 1 and 2, or to act separately from and independent of. them, are con-
nected to the jacquard apparatus by cords or strings, which, according to the
pattern intended to be produced, will hold certain of the pressers back and
prevent them' from closing the hooks or beards of the needles when required.
Fig. 4 represents a single-headed needle. with. a similar construction of
presser to close the beards or hooks to that shewn with the double-headed.needle

page_text: above described, but with my improvements of working the presser, with the
jacquard apparatus applied thereto. a is the body of the needle; the
presser to close the hook; c the straps or. slides; and d the cords leading
from the jacquard apparatus, and are attached to the straps or.slides c of the
pressers.
In making figured fabrics by this arrangement, the jacquard apparatus,:
which may be of the ordinary and well-known construction, is made to select
the pressers of those needles which are to be: "tucked," and by acting by
means of the cords d upon the straps c of the pressers b, will retain them in
their backward position; while the work in coming forward on the shank of
the needle will bring with it the pressers of the remaining needles by means
of the projection upon the head of the pressers b, and upon their arriving up
to the hook or beard the loop will be forcibly drawn over the projecting head
of the sliding presser, and the operation will be completed.
I would observe, that although I have shewn this part of my improvements
as applied to a particular form of presser, I do not mean to confine myself.
thereto, as the jacquard or other similar machine may be, applied: to..any.
pressers that are made to slide parallel with the needle, and on which
the work passes during the formation of the loop..
presser
The next improvement relates to a novel means of adapting and working
pressers to close the hooks or beards of the needles:
In place of adapting the pressers. to and causing them to. slide on the shafts
of the needles, as described in Jeacock's. Patent, I propose to fix them in.leads
above the needle leads, the pressers being placed immediately above and
parallel to the needles, and made to take into or lie in grooves formed in the
top of the needles, and enter under the hook. The presser bar may be either
stationary or moveable, and the needle bars made to act in the reverso
manner, that is, the presser bar being stationary the needle bar must be
worked up to it, or the needle bar: may be stationary and the presser bar made
moveable.
If the pressers are required to act. separately and independently of, cach
other, they are simply mounted in a guide bar, in which they are capable of
moving parallel with the needle, each presser being. worked separately by the
loop that is thrown or passed over it; or: the improved pressers may be
attached to straps or slides, as in Figures 1, 2, and 4, so that they may be
selected by a jacquard apparatus if required.
Fig. 5 is a side view, and Fig. 6 a sectional view, of my improved sliding
presser; and in these Figures it. will be seen that the presser is: attached to a
bar c, and passes; through a reed or guide bar, but. lies entirely in the groove

page_text: groove
of the needle at one end; and immediately under the head of the needle this
is inclined upwards at the part marked e, in order to raise the beard of
the presser b (in its advance towards the hook or beard of the needle) out of
the groove and up to the hook or beard of the needle, as shewn in the sec-
tional view, Fig. 6. The pressers b are attached to the bar c immediately
above the needle bar (either by being cast in leads and screwed to the bar c,
or otherwise). This bar c may be actuated by means of a cam or other suit-
able means, or the bar c carrying the pressers may remain stationary, and the
needle bar receive a traversing motion, as in machines in common use.
It will be understood that in working these needles the work will take the
pressers back into their proper position for the next course to be made; or,
if thought desirable, they may be brought back in other ways, as, for instance,
the pusher or presser bar which takes the pressers forward may be so con-
structed as to bring them back again.
Figures 7 and 8 represent plan and side views and longitudinal sections of
à modification of the above, in which the improved presser is attached to a
the
strap or slide c, as in Figures 1, 2, and 4. As the form of
presser is
precisely the same in both instances, no further description will be required.
Fig. 9 shews the arrangement I propose to use when applying the jacquard
to work my improved sliding presser. ff. are a series of "pushers," which
are cast in leads and secured to the horizontal bar g, mounted on suitable
bearings in the machine immediately above the needle bar, and capable of
receiving a backward and forward motion. The pushers f,f, are made of thin
pieces of steel, of sufficient length to enable them to be lifted above the strap c
of the pressers b the cords d, d, of the jacquard apparatus. On the advance
of the bar g, the end of the pushers f,f, will strike against the straps or slides
c of those sliding pressers which are intended to be carried forward and used
in the pressing of the loops over the heads of the needles; while certain of the
pushers, being those selected by the jacquard apparatus, will be lifted out of
their original position, as shewn in Fig. 9, and will therefore pass over the
pressers without touching them when the bar g is brought forward.
Having now described my Invention of " Improvements in Knitting
Machinery," and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the
several improvements secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
First, the application and mode of using the double-headed needle, above
shewn and described, for the purposes above set forth.
Second, I claim the use and application of the jacquard apparatus, peg
cylinder, or other analogous apparatus for selecting and working the pressers,
on which the work while being made is allowed to pass over; I also claim the

page_text: application of the jacquard or other equivalent apparatus to pushers, whereby
the pressers are operated.
Third, I claim the use and application, to the purposes above set forth, of
either single or double-headed needles, provided with grooves in which the
pressers are made to slide and close the hooks or beards of the needles by
passing up an inclined plane under the hooks, as above shewn and described;
I also claim mounting the pressers in leads attached to a bar, whereby they
may be worked parallel to but independent of the needles, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harby Barber, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
HARBY BARBER. (L.S.)