IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN DOVE
HARRIS, of the Borough of Leicester, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighteenth day of April last past, in the thirteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Dove Harris, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Dove Harris, my exors, adiñors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Dove Harris, 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. expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF LOOPED FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that
I, the said John Dove Harris, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled in Her said 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Dove Harris, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-

page_text: My Invention consists of improvements in those descriptions of looped
fabrics which are employed in the manufacture of braces and other articles
where the ends require to be contracted in width so as to form narrow straps.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me; and in
so doing I will first state, that heretofore in manufacturing looped fabrics,
suitable for the making of braces and other articles requiring like fabrics, by
looping a series of warp threads together on needles, it has been usual to
produce each fabric of the greater width required, and when making the same
up into braces and other articles requiring like fabrics, it has been usual to
contract the ends by hand, and such narrowing has been performed by running
in thread with a needle transversely of the fabrics.
Now, the object of my Invention is so to loop warp threads into fabrics
that the wider parts and narrow parts shall be made in succession, using
in each case the same number of. needles and the same number of warp
threads by which means the wider parts of the fabrics will consist of
comparatively open looping, whilst the narrower parts or straps will, as
compared with such wider parts, consist of close compact looped fabric, more
suitable for receiving buckles than those heretofore produced by contracting
them, by running in thread transversely, as before mentioned.
The Drawings show as much of an ordinary warp frame as will enable me
to describe the means pursued by me in carrying out my Invention. The
machinery shewn is one of those kinds which are called "grinders," but other
arrangements of warp machinery may be employed; and I wish it to be
understood that I make no claim to such descriptions of machinery, my Inven-
tion consisting in the production of improved fabrics in such machines more
suitable for the manufacture of braces and other articles requiring to have
the ends of a narrower width tham the other parts. The Drawings show
part of a transverse section, also part of a plan of a "grinder machine," and
the other views show cuts of wheels employed, and some of the details
separately; and as the names of the principal parts are written thereon, and as
their use and manner of action are well understood, it will not be necessary to
describe the same here further than is necessary to explain the working of the
parts, so as alternately for a time to produce the necessary wide fabric, and
then for a time to produce the narrow width of fabric, and this I do by means
of different cuts of wheels alternately called into action, but like effects may be
produced by employing other pattern surfaces or apparatus.
The Drawing
shows parts of the machinery in a position for changing from one class of pro-
duction to the other, and this is done by shifting the wheels. The wheels A

page_text: and B are now shown to be in position for working, and also the knock-off
wheel E, and so long as these wheels are kept in position and the machine
worked, the wider fabric will be produced, and which, as arranged, will consist
of two laps to one press, the knock-off wheel preventing every other press
taking place, and when the wheels C, D, are slided into the position of those
shewn by A, B, and the knock-off wheel is thereby put out of action, the
fabric will be narrower, and comparitively of a closer texture, the same.
number of warp threads being used therein as in the wider parts. In this
arrangement of machinery the needle bar moves to and fro, and the needle
bar is prevented going so far back when no .pressing is to take place as when
pressing is to take place, all which is well understood in working this class of
warp machinery. The machinery is worked with two full bars, that is, a guide
in each bar to each needle. In working to produce the wider fabric, the top
guide bar is caused to move two spaces to the left hand; the bottom guide bar
standing still, the needle bar recedes and secures the lap so laid on by placing
it behind the divider bar, which is used principally for this purpose, and to
keep back the work on the needles, so as to form good divisions for pressing;
no pressing takes place after the lapping of the threads on to the needles by.
the top guide bar; whilst the needle bar is in its back position the wheels
rack, which causes the top bar to move back to its former position towards
the right hand, the bottom bar not moving, and this will bring the parts into
the positions shown by the Drawings. The needle bar comes forward, the
wheels are again racked, and the bottom guide bar is moved one space to the
right hand and laps the threads over the needles; the top guide bar remains,
the needle bar recedes, and the presser acts; after this lapping of the threads.
the wheels are racked, and the bottom guide bar is moved back one space to
the left hand, the top guide bar remains, the needle bar comes forward. These
motions are to be continually repeated so long as the wider fabric is to be
produced, and when the narrower fabric is to be made, then the wheels C, D,
are to be brought into action, and those marked A, B, E, put out of action, as
above explained, and the desired length of narrow fabric is to be produced
by working with the wheels C, D, as follows:-The top guide bar will by
its wheel be caused to move one space to the left hand and lap the threads
over the needles, the needle bar will recede and the presser will act, and when
the needle bar is in its back position the wheels will rack the top guide bar,
will go back four spaces to the right hand, the needle bar will come forward,
the wheels will rack, the bottom guide bar will move one space to the right
hand and lap the threads on the needles; the needle bar will go back and the
presser will act, the wheels will rack and the top guide bar will move three

page_text: spaces to the left hand, the bottom guide bar will move one space to the left
hand; the needle bar will come forward and the wheels will rack, the top
guide bar will move one space to the left hand; and these motions are to be
gone through again and again, as indicated by the cuts of wheels, till the
length of strap or narrow fabric is produced, such work being what is called
"lap and press." I would remark, that although I prefer the two descriptions
of work to be used in forming the respective parts of the fabric, I do not
confine myself, as the rackings of the guide bars may be varied and yet pro-
duce wide and narrow fabrics suitable for making braces and other articles
where similar fabrics are required.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is performed, I would have it understood that what I claim
is, the manufacture of looped fabrics in warp machinery in such manner that
wide and narrow parts are made in succession from the same warp threads, and
suitable for the manufacture of braces and other articles where similar wide
and narrow fabrics are required.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Dove Harris, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid John Dove Harris came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped accoding to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty.