IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING LOOPED FABRICS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thornton and William Thornton, of Pease Hill
Rise, Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PRODUCING LOOPED FABRICS."
Sealed the 19th April 1865, and dated the 28th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thornton and William
Thornton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 28th December 1864.
We, JOHN THORNTON and WILLIAM THORNTON, of Pease Hill Rise, Not-
tingham, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING LOOPED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for producing
looped fabrics. For these purposes needles or hooks with hinged bits or
beards are preferred to be used. Each needle is arranged to be capable of
making a rotation or partial rotation so as to cause it to work and produce
loops in different positions, that is, in two positions opposite to each other.
These needles or hooks are preferred to be set round a circle and to slide in
grooves so as to knock over the work. A thread carrier is used to supply
thread in each of the positions assumed by the needles or hooks in working.
The needles or hooks as they receive a thread from one of the thread carriers
when in one position work the course in a similar manner to that in which
like needles work a course in machines where no rotation is given to the

page_text: needles or hooks. Then the needles or hooks make a half rotation on their
axes and present their beards in the opposite direction and receive thread from
another thread carrier and work another course, and so on, making a half
rotation for cach course. It is preferred that each needle or hook should
have a screw thread on its stem as the means of obtaining the turning action,
but other arrangements may be made for turning the needles. If desired,
the machinery may be arranged to admit of the rotation of the needles being
suspended for any desired number of courses by putting out of gear tho
rotating apparatus and the fabric made on the needles or hooks by thread
supplied to only one side of the needles or hooks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Thornton and William Thornton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
THORNTON and WILLIAM THORNTON, of Pease Hill Rise, Nottingham, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth 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
us, the said John Thornton and William Thornton, Her special licence that
we, the said John Thornton and William Thornton, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Thornton and William
Thornton, our 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 FOR
PRODUCING LOOPED FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said John Thornton and William Thornton, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Thornton and William Thornton,
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:―
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for producing
looped fabrics. For these purposes needles or hooks with hinged bits or
beards are preferred to be used. Each needle is arranged to be capable of
making a rotation or partial rotation so as to cause it to work and produce
loops in different positions, that is, in two positions opposite to each other.
Theso needles or hooks are preferred to be set round a circle and to slide in
grooves so as to knock over the work. A thread carrier is used to supply
thread in each of the positions assumed by the needles or hooks in working.
The needles or hooks as they receive a thread from one of the thread carriers
when in one position work the course in a similar manner to that in which
like needles work a course in machines where no rotation is given to the
needles or hooks. Then the needles or hooks make a half rotation on their
axes and present their beards in the opposite direction and receive thread from
another thread carrier and work another course, and so on, making a half
rotation for each course. It is preferred that each needle or hook should
have a scrow thread on its steni as the means of obtaining the turning action,
but other arrangements may be made for turning the needles. If desired,
the machinery may be arranged to admit of the rotation of the needles being
suspended for any desired number of courses by putting out of gear the
rotating apparatus and the fabric made on the needles or hooks by thread
supplied to only one side of the needles or books.
And in order that our Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
Figure 1 is a front view, and Figure 2 a sectional plan of machinery
arranged according to our Invention'; Figure 3 represents some of the parts
separately.
a, a, are the hooks or needles we prefer to employ, such hooks or needles
being those commonly known as Townsend's self-acting needles.
In carrying out our Invention each needle or hook is arranged to be
capable of making a rotation or partial rotation so as to cause the needles or
hooks to face in either direction to receive thread for the formation of loops,
thereby producing purl. Motion is also given to these hooks or needlos to

page_text: cause them to advance towards the centre of the cylinder to receive thread
for the formation of new loops, and then to recede and knock over the work
previously formed. The to-and-fro movement to the needles or.hooks a is
obtained in the following manner:-On the stem of each needle or hook
is formed a knob or head a' and a neck or groove a³, which necks or
grooves a² rest in forks or sockets b¹ formed on or affixed to the bolts or
instruments 6. On each of the bolts or instruments 6 two projections b³
are formed, which projections embrace the cam c. The bolts or instru-
ments are capable of sliding in grooves d¹, d, formed in the cylinder d,
and in the revolution of the cylinder & by means of the cam c these bolts or
instruments are caused to move the hooks or needles a inwards towards the
centre of the cylinder to receive thread for the formation of new loops, and
then to move the hooks or needles a outwards to knock over the loops pre-
viously formed. The partial rotary motion given to the hooks or needles a is
by preference obtained in the following manner :-On the stem of each of the
hooks or needles a is formed a screw thread a³, which is clipped or embraced
by a fork e formed on or affixed to each of the bolts or instruments e, which
are capable of sliding in the grooves d of the cylinder d. These bolts or
instruments e impart a partial rotary motion to the hooks or needles a at the
times desired by means of the cam 2 acting to move the forks e¹ carried by
the bolts or instruments e along the screws a³ of the hooks or needles a.
Inclines act to guide and hold the work against the sinker bits i; k, are
the thread guides and carriers. The work is conveyed away through the
tube to a work roller or otherwise. Rotary motion is given to the cylinder d
from the shaft or axis m, upon which is a toothed pinion taking into teeth
formed on the periphery of the cylinder d. The shaft or axis m may have
fixed thereon a crank handle to be driven by hand, or it may have fixed
thereon a pulley and receive motion by a strap or band from a steam, engine
or other suitable power.
Having described the movements of the various parts of the apparatus, we
will now describe the mode in which work is produced. As the cylinder
revolves the can causes the bolts or instruments 6 to advance towards the
centre of the cylinder d, carrying the hooks or needles a through the loops
last formed, the work being guided and. held to the sinker bits i by the
inclines h. The bolts e which clasp the screw threads a³ by forks are then
forced by the cam g along the needles, the forks of the bolts e sliding along
the screw threads a³ of the needles, causing them to turn a half rotation on
their own axes; they are then slid outwards from the centre of the cylinder,
seizing the thread from the thread guide on that side of the cylinder towards

page_text: which they front, taking it between the sinker bits to form new loops and to
knock over the loops previously formed. The needles are then again slid
inwards towards the centre, but on the side of the fabric opposite to that on
which they worked the last course, the work being guided and held by the
inclines h in the position required, another course is then worked as before,
but on the opposite side of the fabric, and with the needles turned half round
on their own axes facing in a direction opposite to that of the last course.
Thus each course by itself is worked in the ordinary manner, as is well
understood.
We would here remark, that although we have referred only to employing
that description of needle known as Townsend's self-acting needle, other
descriptions of needles may be employed, and a competent workman will,
from the foregoing description, readily understand how to make the necessary
modifications consequent upon the employment of other descriptions of needles
or looping instruments.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner we
prefer to carry the same into effect, we would have it understood that we do
not confine ourselves to the precise details herein shown and described, but
what we do claim is the combined arrangement of machinery for producing
looped fabrics in which the looping instruments are caused to make a partial
rotation on their own axes, whereby threads are laid and loops formed on
opposite sides of such instruments and of the fabric, substantially as shown
and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Thornton and William Thornton,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-fourth day of
June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty Sue
JOHN THORNTON.
(LS.)
WILLIAM THORNTON. (L.S.)