IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANISM OR APPARATUS OF LOOMS FOR PRODUCING A CERTAIN CLASS OF FANCY FABRICS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Carter Ramsden, of Bradford, in the
County of York, Reed Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MECHANISM OR APPARATUS OF LOOMS FOR PRODUCING A CERTAIN
CLASS OF FANCY FABRICS."
Sealed the 10th July 1868, and dated the 14th January 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carter Ramsden
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th January 1868.
I, JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bradford, in the County of York,
Reed Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANISM OR APPARATUS OF LOOMS FOR PRODUCING A
CERTAIN CLASS OF FANCY FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to the production of that class of goods in which
various colours or materials are used for the weft," and by means of which
ornamental patterns of different colours or materials can be produced
upon the cloth while in the process of weaving. In the production
of this class of goods the patterns or ornamental parts usually consist
of spots, sprigs of flowers, or running patterns, composed of various
colours and generally of silk, or somic different material or color to
the ground weft.

page_text: This I purpose to accomplish somewhat as follows:-Across the
loom in front of the lathe I place a bar, into which at suitable intervals
or where an ornamental spot or figure is required I fix a stud; upon
these studs I place arms which project downwards towards the cloth;
upon each stud there are as many arms as colors required; to the
lower end of the arms needles are attached, one needle to each arm;
pins are fixed into the bar, upon which are placed the different colors
required; a thread from each color is conveyed to its appropriate arm,
and from thence to an eye in the end of the needle through which it
passes. On the top of the bar fixed in bearings in which they freely
slide are placed small rods, the front rod will actuate all the front
arms placed upon the studs by means of pins fixed therein, the next
rod will actuate the next arms and so on according to the number
The common jacquard apparatus or some similar equivalent
which forms the shed for the pattern required will likewise select
which arm and color shall come into operation, and this it accomplishes
by either drawing that particular rod required, or by causing it to be
drawn by means of tappets or wipers or some mechanical equivalent,
it follows that when the front rod is drawn all the front arms are
moved sideways, and by that means the needles attached to those
arms are inserted into the warp which is then open, the needles
which have passed into the warp have carried with them the respective
color attached to each, such threads or colors are prevented returning
when the needles pass out of the warp by other needles or pins, which
pass inwards at a different angle and so hold the threads until the
first needles have passed out, and moved out of the way to allow tho
slay or reed to beat up the yarn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patents,
filed by the said John Carter Ramsden in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bradford, in the County of York, Reed Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her

page_text: Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Carter Ramsden, Her special licence
that I, the said John Carter Ramsden, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Carter Ramsden, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with
and no others, from time to tinic 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 THE MECHANISM OR APPARATUS OF LOOMS FOR PRODUCING A CERTAIN CLASS
OF FANCY FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Carter Ramsden, my executors, or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 John Carter Ramsden, 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 relates to the production of that class of goods in
which various colours or materials are used for the weft, and by means
of which ornamental patterns of different colours or materials can be
produced upon the cloth while in the process of weaving. In the
production of this class of goods the patterns or ornamental parts
usually consist of spots, sprigs of flowers, or running patterns composed
of various colours and generally of silk or some different material or
colour to the ground weft.
This I purpose to accomplish somewhat as follows:-Across the loom
in front of the lathe I place a bar, into which at suitable intervals or
where an ornamental spot or figure is required I fix a stud; upon these
studs I place arms which project towards the open shed; upon each stud
there are as many arms as colours required, to the outer ends of the arms
needles are attached, one needle to each arm; pins are fixed to the bar
upon which are placed bobbins of the different colours required, a thread

page_text: bar a, are caused to pass into the warp at a different angle as shown in
order that when required they may hold the yarn or thread in the work
until the needles c¹ have passed out thereof and moved out of the way to
allow the slay or reed to beat up. I give motion to the needles c¹ in the
following manner :-On the stud or axis ' carried by a suitable bracket
as shewn, I mount a lever h the front end of which is passed through a
slot formed in the lower end of the link or connecting rod i, the upper
end of which is pin jointed to one end of a bell crank lever mounted
on a suitable stud or axis carried by the bar a. The other end of the
bell crank lever is forked, and embraces a pin or stud f' formed on or
fixed to the rod or bar f. On the stud or axis is also mounted a
lever *, the end of which is provided with a truck or roller working in
the groove of the cam j. The levers h and h*, are when desired capable
of being locked together in the following manner so that the cam j by
acting on the truck or roller carried by the lever h* will give motion to
the needles c' to cause them to pass into a suitable shed formed for them
in the warp, a rod k mounted in suitable bearings is provided with a
fork k', and at its upper end it has formed thereon a T piece, k³ ³; 1, 1,
are levers which are mounted on a stud or axis A, and are operated by
means of wires or cords P, ', from the ordinary jacquard apparatus in
such manner that when the cord or wire is pulled the lever is caused
to act on the part of the rod k, thereby turning such rod in its
bearings so as to cause the fork ¹ to embrace both the levers h and h*,
and thereby cause them to move in unison, the rod k being capable of
rising and falling in its bearings to the required extent, and when the
wire or cord is pulled the lever is caused to act on the part k³
thereby turning such rod so as to cause the fork ¹ to be released from
the levers and *, and thereby stop the motion of the needles c¹.
Motion is given to the instruments or pins g in the following manner :-
On the bar or rod g¹ are formed or affixed teeth which take into and
receive motion from a toothed segment m mounted on a stud or axis m
carried by the bar a. The tail end m³ of the toothed segment. m is
passed into a slot n' formed in the upper end of a bar or rod n which at
its lower end is pin jointed to one end of a lever n³, the other end of
which carries a truck or roller n³ which is acted upon by a cam o as
shewn.
And in order to enable the needles to traverse partially cross the
loom so as to facilitate the production of a figure or ornament at any
desired spot, I find it convenient to employ. the following arrange-

page_text: ment I fix to or form on the bar a a toothed rack a*, which is taken
into by and receives motion from a worm or thread formed on or fixed
to the back of the wheel p, as will be well understood. To the front of
the wheel p are fixed pins or teeth p', which are acted upon when
required by hooks or clawkers p², p³, formed on or fixed to the upper ends
of rods p, p, the lower ends of which are pin-jointed to the front ends
of levers q, q*, to which at their other ends are connected cords or
wires q', q, operated by the ordinary jacquard apparatus; thus when
the cord or wire q' is pulled motion is given to the parts, so as to cause
the bar a and the parts connected thereto to move from right to left
across the loom, and when the cord or wire q² is pulled motion is given
to the parts so as to cause the bar a to move from left to right across
the loom; this arrangement in addition to causing the bar a to traverso
across the loom to produce ornaments or figures at the required parts;
enables the instruments to follow closely or nearly so around the figure
or ornament being produced, and thereby improve the work and
prevent the waste of the silk or other thread employed to produce the
ornament or figure. If desired, instead of traversing the instruments
across the loom to produce ornaments or figures, a double set of
instruments may be employed, one set being fixed intermediate of the
other set, and operated as desired by jacquard or other suitable means.
In the Drawings above referred to I have only shewn one set of
needles c¹ and parts acting therewith, but in Figures 5 and 6 I have
shewn to a larger scale a section and plan view of parts constructed
according to my Invention, in which three sets of needles are employed,
either of which sets is capable of being brought into action when
desired; similar parts are marked with similar letters of reference to
those employed in the previous Figures. In this arrangement each of
the bars or rods f is capable of being moved endwise independently of
the others by means of bell-crank levers acting upon studs or pins f
carried by the rods or bars f, and each of such bell-crank levers is
actuated in a similar manner to that before described in relation to
Figures 1, 2, and 3, or in other suitable manner. Each set of needles c¹
will operate a different colored thread, so that ornaments or figures of
either of three colors may be produced as desired, or the three colors
or any of them may be employed to produce an ornament or figure if
required. It will be readily understood that a suitable shed is formed
for the needles c¹ by jacquard or other suitable means.
I have not thought it necessary to enter into a description of the

page_text: ordinary parts of a loom as such are well understood, and form no part
of my Invention.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the best
means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I would
have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
herein shewn and described; but what I do claim is the novel com-
binations and arrangements of parts whereby ornaments or figures of
different colors or materials are produced on the cloth (during the
process of weaving) by means of needles c¹ and instruments or pins g,
and parts acting in connection therewith, substantially as herein shewn
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carter Ramsden, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN. (L.S.)