CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Lord, of Todmorden, in the County of York,
Machine Maker, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 15th March 1854, and dated the 18th January 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Lord at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th January
1854.
I, EDWARD LORD, of Todmorden, in the County of York, Machine Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING" to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in improved machinery for letting the yarn off the
warp beam, this machinery being actuated by a rocking frame or other
mechanical equivalent, put in motion by the shedding of the warp or by the
force of the reed in driving up the weft. The varying length of the yarn
between the cloth and yarn beams causes a variation in the quantity of yarn
let off.
The mode of application is as follows:-The yarn is wound as usual upon a
beam, and goes over a bar which is fixed at each end into one end of a bent
lever, mounted on a centre at each side of the loom, the other end of the bent
levers having weights or springs attached to them, so as to keep the warp of a
proper tension. When the loom is working the warp gives motion to this

page_text: rocking frame, which carries a catch or click that takes into the teeth of a
ratchet wheel mounted upon the end of a shaft, upon which is a worm taking
into a wheel fixed upon the yarn beam. Now, if more yarn is let off than the
loom requires for the time being, the rocking frame assumes a different posi-
tion, and by that means draws the catch out of the wheel on to a fixed stud in
the frame side, or on to a shield fixed over the teeth of the wheel, and ceases
letting off, until the yarn, by being woven up, brings the rocking shaft into its
original position, and allows the catch again to take into the catch wheel and
let off more yarn. The same thing may be accomplished by putting the worm
shaft into an horizontal position with a catch wheel upon it, worked by catches
upon a radial arm which works upon the same centre as the catch wheel, and
attached to this radial arm is a rod with an adjustable stop upon it; this rod
is connected to the rocking frame, and receives motion from it when the loom
beats up, but rests upon the stop at other times.
The next way of effecting the same object is by a break, which is made to
embrace the periphery of a pulley fixed upon the yarn beam, and by a lever
carrying a weight or spring. When the loom requires yarn, the rocking frame
releases the break by lifting the lever, and thus lets off yarn:
The before-mentioned combinations of machinery are for letting off the warp
when the warp itself is the acting medium, both for letting off and governing
the supply.
The following arrangement is for letting off the warp, when the yarn is only
the governing and not the letting-off medium. It consists of a catch or click
hung at one end to the lay sword, or working upon an excentric upon the
tappet shaft or other working part of the loom; the other end works into a
catch wheel which gives motion to the yarn beam in any convenient way.
The catch wheel has upon it a shield governed by the rocking frame, and thus
regulates the quantity of yarn the catch shall let off'; or the end of the catch
may be hung by a rod, and lifted directly in or out of the catch wheel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by 30
the said Edward Lord in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th July
1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,, I, EDWARD.
LORD, of Todmorden, in the County of York, Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS, Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight. hundred. and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did,, for Herself,. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edward Lord, Her. special license that I, the said Edward Lord, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Lord, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR. WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward
Lord, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 Edward Lord, do hereby declare 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, that is to say.:--
The nature of my. Invention consists in certain improved combinations of
parts for letting the warp off the warp beam, which parts are actuated or
governed by the. rocking frame or vibrator, over which the warp passes in
going from the warp beam to the heddles. And in order that my Invention
may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to
describe. the annexed two Sheets of Drawings, reference being had to the
figures and letters marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a loom to which one of my improved letting-off
motions is applied; Figure 2 is a plan of part of the same. a, is the loom
side; b, the crank shaft; c, the tappet shaft; d, the warp beam; e, the cross
rail of the rocking frame or vibrator; and f, the weighted levers, to which the
said cross rail is attached; all the above pieces and the other parts of the loom
that are not shewn in the Drawings are made in the usual manner.
To one
end of the cross rail e is jointed the click g, which takes into the teeth of the
ratchet wheel h, fixed on an upright shaft h; upon which is also fixed the
worm-i, taking into the worm wheel &, fixed to the warp beam d. Above the
ratchet wheel h, is a shield, which is fixed to the loom side, and is capable of
being moved so as to cover more or less of the teeth of the ratchet wheel; the

page_text: object of this shield will be explained hereafter. The action of this arrange-
.ment of parts is as follows:-The rocking frame is shewn in the position it
assumes when the shed is open, and when the warp in, opening has raised the
weights fixed to the levers f; the click g has then passed over the shield j, and
by taking into the teeth of the ratchet wheel h, has given motion to the worm i
and worm wheel ', thereby letting off a portion of the warp from the warp
beam. When the shed is closed, the long arms of the weighted levers f drop,
and the cross rail e recedes; the end of the click y then rises on to the shield j.
At the succeeding opening of the shed, the warp again brings the cross rail e
forwards, and the point of the click g on to the ratchet wheel h; if the length
-of warp between the warp and cloth beams is not sufficiently reduced to move
the click as much beyond the point of the shield ; as is required for moving the
ratchet wheel the distance of one tooth, the click returns at the next closing of
the shed, without imparting motion to the warp beam; but as soon as the
length of warp between the warp and cloth beams is reduced, owing to the
cloth being taken up in the usual, manner, the shortening of the warp acting
on the cross rail e, gives the requisite motion to the click g, for moving the
ratchet wheel h one or more teeth, thereby letting off as much yarn as is
required for the succeeding one or more picks. The pitch of the teeth in the
ratchet wheel must be less than the quantity of motion in the cross rail e, so as
to ensure a positive letting off. The quantity of warp let off can be regulated
or varied by increasing or diminishing the distance between the centre of
motion of the rocking frame and the fulcrum of the click g, or by altering the
position of the shield j, so that it covers more or less of the ratchet wheel h;
but it is evident that whether the warp beam be full or nearly empty, the
amount of warp let off is self-regulating, as the letting off is at all times
governed by the length of the warp between the warp and cloth beams.
Figure 3 represents an elevation of a loom, to which another of my improved
Jetting-off motions is applied; Figure 4, is a plan; and Figure 5, an elevation,
taken from the back of part of the same. The parts marked a, b, c, d, d, e, f,
and i, are the same as in the foregoing Figures. In these views, & is an
upright rod, supported above in a bracket a fixed to the loom side and jointed
below to a lever l, which vibrates on the end of the horizontal shaft ; on this
shaft is fixed a ratchet wheel 1, and the worm i, and to the lever l is jointed
the click . The mode of operation is as follows:-When the shed is closed,
as shewn in Figure 3, the rod is held by the set hoop k', bearing on the
bracket a', but when the shed is open, the warp draws the cross rail e forwards,
and raises the levers f, one of which then comes in contact with the stud
fixed by a set screw to the rod k, and raises the said rod.. If more warp is

page_text: required to be let off, the rod k is raised sufficiently by the lever f: to move the
click., one tooth or more of the ratchet wheel, thereby giving motion to
the shaft, worm i, and warp beam d. When the action of the warp on the
cross rail c is not sufficient to bring the lever f in contact with the stud
k2, and raise the rod k, no, motion is imparted to the warp beam, and the
loom continues its work until a fresh supply, of warp is required to be let off.
The foregoing combinations of machinery are for letting off the warp when the
warp itself is the acting medium both for letting off-and for governing the
quantity let off..
.
::
Figure 6 represents an elevation of a loom,, to which is applied another of my
improved letting-off motions.. In this instance the warp is only the governing,
and not the letting-off medium; m is a ratchet wheel fixed on a shaft m', to
which is also fixed a bevel pinion m²; this pinion gears into a pinion n, fixed
no the same shaft as the worm i, gearing into the worm wheel d' on the warp
beam d. On the shaft m' is hinged the shield, n, the lever n', and counter-
weight n; to the lever n' is jointed the lower end of the rod o, the upper end
of which passes through the bracket a², fixed to the loom side; this bracket is
furnished with a spring, for the purpose of holding the rod o in its proper
position after it has been elevated or depressed by the lever facting on either
of the studs o' or o³, which are attached to the rod o by set screws; p is the lay
sword, to which is jointed the click q, which gives motion to the ratchet wheel
m, when required. The mode of operation is as follows:-The shed is now
supposed to be open, and the lever fup; when the shed closes, the lever f
descends, and if no warp is required to be let off at the succeeding stroke of
the lay, the lower side of the lever f in descending comes against the stud o²,
and by pushing down the rod o, moves the shield n towards the lay sword;
consequently, when the lay is near the cloth, the click q is not drawn sufficiently
beyond the shield to impart motion to the ratchet wheel m; but if it should
be requisite to let off yarn, the lever f in rising comes against the stud o', and
raises the rod o; by this means the shield n is moved from the lay sword,
and the click g, instead of sliding on the shield, drops into gear with the teeth
of the ratchet wheel m, and when the lay swords. advance till the reed is near
the cloth, the click q gives motion to the ratchet wheel, and from it to the
warp beam, thereby letting off a portion of the yarn. I wish to observe that
the rod o may be attached to the click q, and the lever n', shield n, and counter-
weight n², dispensed with; the click q may also be driven from the crank
shaft or other convenient part of the loom..
On Sheet 2, Figure 7 is a side elevation of a loom, to which another of my
improved letting-off motions is applied; Figure 8 is a back clevation; and

page_text: Figure 9, a plan of part of the same. In this arrangement the short arm of
one of the elbow levers f is.furnished with a stud taking into a slot lever r;
this lever is loose on an upright shaft r'; to which is fixed a crown ratchet
wheel, the teeth of which are so shaped that the two clicks and r',
jointed to the lever r, can impart motion to. it in either direction; t is a
stationary shield, covering a part of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 2. The
lower end of the shaft has a right-handed thread cut in it, which is screwed
into a nut swivelling in the lever s; this lever works on a fulcrum stud s', and
to it is attached one end of a chain or cords, the other end of which, after
passing once or more times round the friction pulley d², is made fast to the
bottom traverse or binder a³, as seen best in Figure 8. The mode of opera-
tion is as follows:-When the warp is required to be let off the warp beam,
the lever s is raised, thereby slackening the chain or cord s², and allowing the
warp more easily to be drawn off the beam by the taking up of the cloth; this
is accomplished by the slot lever ", and catch 7, to which motion is given by
the elbow lever f; but if the chain or cord should become too slack and let off
the warp too easily; the chain or cord s is again tightened by the slot lever
and click, which impart motion to the upright shaft in the contrary direc-
tion, and depress the end of the lever s. The shield t.is of sufficient length to
allow both the catches 3 and 4 to work upon it at the same time, when the
beam d has a proper amount of friction upon it..
Another modification of the foregoing arrangement is shewn in Figures 10
and 11. In these views a stud from the cross rail e is made to impart motion
to a lever u fixed on a shaft u', to which is also fixed a lever a furnished below
with two clicks ³ and ', which take alternately into the ratchet wheel v; this
wheel is on a screw v', which is screwed into a nut v², forming the head of a
pin, on which revolves the bowl v³; this bowl bears on the lever w, which is
weighted by the weight v', suspended to the pin of the bowl. is a chain
or cord, similar to that described above, passing over the friction pulley d
and x is a shield partly covering the teeth of the ratchet wheel v. When
the friction on the warp beam d is too great to allow the warp to come
off, the weight is moved towards the fulcrum w₁ of the lever w, so as
to reduce the friction of the chain or cord s on the pulley ; this is
accomplished in the following manner :-The upper end of the lever u, being
moved forwards by the cross rail e, causes the click u³ to slide off the shield
a into gear-with the ratchet wheel v, to which it gives motion in the direc
tion of the arrow in Figure 10, and as the screw has a right-handed
thread, this motion of the ratchet wheel draws the weight towards the
fulcrum w. The contrary motion is given to the screw ¹ by the click u*, when

page_text: the weight has to be moved from the fulcrum in order to tighten the chain
or cord s². I also propose to give the requisite friction to the warp beam
by means of a clip surrounding the friction pulley d, which clip is tightened
or slackened by means of a screw acted upon from the rocking frame or
vibrator.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the details hercin given. But what I do claim is,―
First, unwinding the yarn from the warp beam by means of the rocking
frame or vibrator.
Secondly, the application of a shield to a ratchet wheel, as shewn and
described.
Thirdly, the improved combination of parts for unwinding the yarn from the
warp beam, as shewn and described in reference to the pieces marked g, h,
and j, in Figures 1 and 2.
Fourthly, the improved combination of parts for unwinding the yarn from
the warp beam, as shewn and described in reference to the pieces marked
k, k, l, 1, 2, and 3, in Figures 3, 4, and 5.
Fifthly, the improved combination of parts, as shewn and described in
reference to Figure 6, for regulating the quantity of yarn to be let off by the
rocking frame.
And lastly, regulating the amount of friction upon the warp beam, according
to the varying lengths of yarn between the warp and cloth beams.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Lord, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named Edward Lord, in the presence of
H. B. BARLOW,
Patent Agent,
EDWARD LORD. (L.S.)
Manchester.