IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTAL WEAVING
Year: 1854

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Hood at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th October 1854.
I, JOSEPH HOOD, of Newmilns, in the County of Ayr, North Britain,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ORNAMENTAL WEAVING" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of applying the ordinary jacquard machine
or a modification thereof to the "lappet" class of loom, for the purpose of
producing the pattern formed by the whip threads. In carrying out this
Invention according to one modification, which is applicable to hand looms, the
jacquard machine is fitted up on the framing of the loom in such a position that
the threads which correspond to the harness threads of an ordinary jacquard
loom shall hang down from a point immediately or nearly over the axis of
vibration of the loom lathe; the threads may either hang down directly from
the jacquard machine, or they may be guided by a roller or otherwise, to bring
them into a suitable position. The frames which carry the needles for guiding
the whip threads may be constructed and arranged in the ordinary manner, and
are provided with the usual "pikes" or fingers at the side, by means of which
pikes the lateral movements of the frames are regulated. Immediately behind
these pikes is fitted up a small frame, containing two or more horizontal boards.
perforated with holes. Wires are suspended to the harness threads of the.

page_text: jacquard machine, and are hung in the holes referred to, these wires serving
to regulate the action of the needle frame pikes. The pikes project inside the
rows or sets of wires, and their lateral movement is limited by the wires, more
or fewer of which are lifted up out of the way of the pikes by the jacquard
action, according to the pattern. The lateral traverse of the pikes measures
the actual space on the fabric over which the whip thread is thrown. The
wires, however, cannot be placed close enough together. in a single row to mark
sufficiently minute differences for the lengths of traverse of the frames, and
they are therefore arranged in short rows, lying at an angle to the front edge of
the frame. These several rows may each consist of any convenient number
of wires; if the number selected be 6, for example, the front wires of each two
adjacent rows must measure between them the exact distance comprised
between 6 splits of the reed, and the wires behind must be set at such an
angle and at such distances apart that each wire will be exactly the width of
a split to the right or left of the adjacent wire. The pikes are made to project
as far back as there are wires, and being set square in the frame, their
movements are regulated by the wires in the same manner as if these were
all in a straight line, each wire corresponding to a split on the fabric; or,
instead of the wires being passed through perforated boards, they may be hung
between the teeth of combs, set one behind the other, and with each comb set
so as to have its teeth a little out of line with the front & back combs; or
the wires may be passed through very coarse wire gauze, the transverse wires
of which are set at an angle so as to serve the same purpose as the inclined
sets of perforations in the boards, as herein-before described. The wires need
not in all cases correspond in number to the splits of the reed; thus, each
wire may be made to correspond to two or more splits; or there may be no
correspondence between the numbers of wires and splits; but in all cases the
angular arrangement of the wires will facilitate the obtainment of minuter
differences of traverse of the needle frames. The breadth of figure may be
increased by connecting two or more adjacent wires to a single thread from the
jacquard machine. If the wires are suspended to inelastic cords, a change of
the jacquard apparatus will have to take place at each shot, as some of the
wires would otherwise be held down by the pikes; but if elastic cords are used,
each change of the jacquard machine may be made to serve for two single shots,
as those wires which are held down by the pikes will rise, if necessary, when
the pike begins to shift to the other side. The pikes must also be bevilled in
one direction on their top sides, so that, if when the jacquard change takes place
some of the wires fall on the top of the wire, in consequence of the return of
the pike requiring to be to a less distance than its previous shift in the same

page_text: direction, the pike may easily move away from under them, and allow the
needles to fall into their proper positions for the return shift of the pike. In
some cases the return shift of the pike will require to be less than the previous
shift in the same direction by a difference greater than the width of the pike;"
and to accomplish this, an intermediate change of the jacquard machine must
take place, and an intermediate pattern card will be required. To effect this
intermediate change when required, the loom movement which works the
jacquard machine is made to operate at each shot; but the jacquard mechanisın
itself is arranged so as to act only at each alternate shot, except when an inter-
mediate change is to take place, in which case the card immediately preceding
is so cut as to act on a needle set apart to regulate the action of the jacquard
mechanism. This arrangement of mechanism very much extends the capa-
bilities of the lappet loom, and amongst other advantages possesses the power
of working an increased number of needle frames. In order that this increased
number of needle frames may not take up an excessive width of space in
front of the reed, the bars carrying the needles are arranged in two tiers, the
needles from the lower tier passing up between the bars of. the upper tier, and,
at the same time to some extent serving as guides for them. Instead of fixing
the pikes to the top bars of the needle frames, they may be fixed to the bottom
bars, the frame of wires being set at a corresponding level; and when these bars
are in separate tiers, the pikes of the lower tier may be attached to pieces fixed
in the lower tier, so as to bring them to a level with the pikes of the upper
tier. As there may be more frictional resistance to the working of the needle
bars when these are arranged in two tiers, their re-descent after being lifted may
be assisted by applying clastic cords or springs to them in any suitable manner.
The frames may be lifted in the ordinary way, their movements being regulated
by the action of the jacquard machine, a portion of the needles and cards of
which may be suitably arranged for this purpose. As the distance the wires
which act upon the pikes have to be lifted is very small, the mode of lifting the
harness threads of jacquard machines as ordinarily used may be dispensed
with, and a simpler movement substituted. This movement may consist of an
inclined cam lever fixed upon the lathe, and arranged to act upon the frame
which moves the jacquard uprights, wires, or cords attached to the harness
threads as the loom lathe moves back and forward; or the same effect may be
produced by means of a lever, carried by a stationary centre pin, and acted
upon by the loom lathe as it vibrates, or by means of any suitable connection
with the moving parts of the loom. The jacquard barrel may also be worked
by a cam or other lever upon the loom lathe, or connected to any moving
detail of the loom, this movement for working the barrel being separate from

page_text: that for moving the uprights or wires to which the harness threads are attached;
or the harness threads may be directly attached to the needles acted upon by
the jacquard barrel, the movement of the threads being required to be so little
that it may be effected directly by the barrel. In applying this Invention to
power looms, one or more of the jacquard needles may be so arranged in
connection with the movement for stopping the loom, that when the card should
accidentlly miss being properly placed on the barrel, the loom may be at
once stopped.
The frame of wires, as herein-before described, is fixed to the loom lathe,
but it may also be fixed on the stationary framing of the loom, the pikes being
made to work in grooves in the needle frames, so as not to be affected by the
motion of the lathe. It will be obvious to the practical lappet weaver that
the several details of this Invention may be variously modified; the essential
feature of the Invention in all cases, however, being the causing of the pikes
of the needle frames to work amongst a series of wires, and in spaces formed
by the action of a jacquard machine in lifting or shifting certain of the wires.