IM- PROVEMENTS IN WEAVING
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Boyd, of Paisley, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Merchant, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN WEAVING."
Sealed the 14th November 1853, and dated the 16th May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Boyd at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th May 1853.
I, ROBERT BOYD, of Paisley, in the County Renfrew, North Britain,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the driving of shuttles in looms of various
kinds by means of compressed air, steam, water, or gases, instead of
by the ordinary picking mechanism at present in use. In applying this
principle of working to large manufactories a receiver is kept constantly
charged with compressed air (when air is used), is conveniently placed
near the looms, and pipes are led from this receiver to each side of each
individual loom. On each side of the loom is fitted an air cylinder with
a piston therein, such piston having a rod projecting from the cylinder

page_text: at one end, and carrying a picker or driver adjusted to the line of
traverse of the shuttle. In this way, by furnishing suitable valve
apparatus and catches, the compressed air is admitted to each cylinder
at the required times, and the piston action thus drives the shuttle
across its race. When the shuttle arrives at the end of its run its
action pushes in the piston of the cylinder on that side, and prepares it
for the return stroke; various modified arrangements may be employed
for carrying out this plan, the essential feature of which consists in the
employment of aeriform bodies or fluids for actuating the shuttles. The
used air may be employed to heat or ventilate the weaving shop.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Boyd in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 16th November 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ROBERT BOYD, of Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Robert Boyd, Her special licence that I,
the said Robert Boyd, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Robert Boyd, my executors, administra-
tors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, 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
WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert
Boyd, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the

page_text: 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 1, the said Robert. Boyd, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
My said Invention relates to the so arranging looms of various kinds
that the shuttles may be actuated by means of compressed air, steam,
water, or gases, or by the reverse operation of atmospheric pressure
derived from exhaustion, instead of by the ordinary picking mechanism
at present in use for such purpose. In applying this system of working
to large manufactories, if compressed air is used, an arrangement of
pumps or other compressing apparatus is fitted up, to keep an air
reservoir constantly charged to the required working pressure.
Such
reservoir is conveniently placed near the looms, and conducting pipes
are led from the receiver, and made to branch off to cach side of each
individual loom. At each end of the loom, lathe, or slay is attached
an air cylinder, fitted up with an air-tight piston, the rod from which
projects from the inner end of the cylinder, and carries a suitable picker
or driver adjusted to the line of traverse of the shuttle.
In this way,
by adding suitable valve apparatus and actuating cams or catches, the
loom and slay motions are made to admit the compressed air to the
cylinders at the required times, and the piston actions thus drive the
shuttle across its race. When the shuttle arrives at the end of its run
its traverse action drives in the piston on that end of the lathe or slay.
and thus prepares the piston for the return stroke. Or, instead of this,
a separate spring may be employed for retaining the piston at the
commencement of its working stroke when unacted upon by the air
pressure, or waiting to be put into operation. The air thus used for
actuating the shuttle may be afterwards made to heat or ventilate the
weaving shop.
And in order that my Invention may be properly understood I
shall now proceed to describe the several figures on the Sheet of Draw-

page_text: ings hereunto attached. Figure 1, on my Sheet of Drawings is a
front elevation of a power loom fitted up to work in this way, and
showing the lathe, or slay, and reed, and the lathe swords, or vibrating
carriers, the end framing standards, and the air cylinders and col-
lateral details, as in action. Figure 2, is an enlarged front view de-
tailed of the air motive apparatus, showing the air cylinder as fitted up
on the lathe end, with the shuttle in its box or at the commencement
of a "pick," and a portion of the reed and shuttle race. Figure 3, is an
external end elevation corresponding to Figure 2, and drawn at right
angles thereto, showing the rotatory cam movement for regulating the
air cylinder's action. Figure 4, is a full sized longitudinal section of
the air cylinder and valve detached. A, A, are the end standards of
the framing, carrying the vibrating frame or lathe swords B, B, in the
usual way, for causing the vibration of the lathe C. At each extreme
end of the lathe is an air cylinder D, E, of considerable length, but
small diameter, and accurately bored out. This cylinder in each case is
held horizontally in the end piece F, of the lathe between the fixed
collar G, and the end valve box H, which is screwed on from the
ontside. The cylinder is thus held steady at its outer closed end, and
it is retained at its opposite end by a collar piece or cap I, screwed on
outside the cylinder, and carrying a lug or eye for attachment to a
steadying guide rod J, secured at its opposite end to the lathe at K.
The cylinder is fitted with an accurately working solid piston L, the
rod M, from which works out through the cap I, as a guide, and this
projecting end has upon it adjusting nuts for securing it to the cross
angular end N, of an external carrier picce O. This piece extends
back along the outside of the cylinder, and has an angle piece P, at
its opposite end, carrying an elastic driver or "picker" Q, for driving the
shuttle R, along its race S. This carrier piece N, O, P, has an eye T,
on its front end N, entered upon the guide spindle J, to secure a parallel
picking action, and above this eye is a small flange for holding
the end of an clastic band U, the opposite end of which is screwed
at V, to the lathe end, as a retaining spring for the piston. The
valve case H, which is screwed on at right angles to the cylinder's
axis, has a bored collar guide W, at its lower end, for the passage

page_text: through of the actuating valve spindle X, and its upper open end
is closed by a screwed cap Y, formed to act also as a guide for the
upper end of the valve spindle, which is encircled by a spring Z, to
keep the valve down. The valve a, is a lifting disc, fast on the
spindle, and faced on its working surface with an elastic ring. It thus
governs the communication between the upper part H, of the valve
casing and the lower cell b, the fixed working face being between these
two sections. The lower projecting end of the spindle X, rests upon
the upper arm c, of a curved lever working loose upon a stud centre d,
screwed into the end piece of the lathe. This curved lever has a lower
arm e, hanging downwards, so as to be within the sphere of action of
a traversing stud f. This stud f, is secured into a carrying bracket g,
fast on one end of a long horizontal traversing bar h, fitted to work
in bracket guides i, on the main bracket arms j, bolted to the outside of
the end standards of the framing. This bar has a constant tendency
to be drawn towards the left side of the loom by the action of the
helix, connecting the bar to the end standards on that side. At
the right-hand end this bar h, has also bolted to it the broad flat end
of an arm 7, extending back at right angles to the bar, and fitted into a
horizontal guide slot M, in the upper end of a separate bracket n, bolted
to the loom standard behind. This free end of the arm 7, carries a
loosely revolving pulley o, arranged to bear against the face of the cam
ring of the combined wheel and cam p, employed to work the picking
movement. The crank shaft y, which works the lathe C, in the usual
way by means of connecting rods, has upon one end a small spur
wheel 2, in gear with the cam spur wheel p, running loose upon a
stud s, carried on a bracket on the stationary frame. The cam face
of this wheel consists of a differentially curved ring t, u, standing
out at right angles to the wheel's face; a recess or curved hollow t,
being formed on one side, and a corresponding projection u, diametri-
cally opposite. The compressed air is brought to the loom through a
line of pipes, which communicate with the flexible junction piece v, at
the centre of the loom, opening into the lower end of an inflexible
pipe w, sustained on a bar at the centre of the vibrating lathe frame.
From the upper end of this pipe branches a, pass right and left along

page_text: the inner face of the lathe, bending upwards above the shuttle box, as
at y, and finally entering the back of the upper chamber H, of the
cylinder by the branch z. The front view of the loom, Figure 1,
represents it with its shuttle as just thrown across the piece from left
to right, the shuttle R, being about to enter its box on the right side.
The actual operation is as follows:-The air-conducting pipes being
kept charged with compressed air at the proper working pressure, and
the sliding bar h, having a constant tendency to traverse to the left
side of the loom, it occurs that as the hollow t, of the rotatory cam
comes round until it is opposite to the pulley o, as represented in
Figures 1, 3, and 4, the spring k, can draw its bar h, to the full
extent of its traverse to the left, that is, until the pulley o, sinks into
the bottom of its cam recess. This movement then brings the stud f
which is carried by the stationary framing, into the line of reciprocating
traverse of the lower curved arm c, of the lever c, c, carried by the
vibrating lathe. Hence, the moment the lathe reaches its furthest
back position, and when the "shed" of the warp is at its fullest extent,
the lathe vibration strikes the lever arm e, against the stud f, as a stop.
This action then causes the upper lever arm c, to strike up the valve
spindle X, and thus admit a jet of compressed air through the valve a,
from the upper side of the valve casing into the space b, between the
closed cylinder end and the piston. The piston is thus rapidly carried
to the other end of the cylinder, and by means of its picker Q, it throws
the shuttle R, to the other side of the loom, the air in front of the
piston escaping from the cylinder by the small aperture I. The back
action of the lathe then releases the valve a, which closes, and the
re-action of the spring U, then takes back the piston to its starting
point, as shewn in Figure 4, for a succeeding throw. Then, as the
camp, revolves in the onward action of the loom, the pulley o, is lifted
out of the recess t, and simply bears against the plain zero portion of
the cam ring, so that the stud f, on both sides is kept clear of its
corresponding vibrating valve lever. But as the cam revolves the
opposite projection u, comes into play, and acting on the pulley o
draws the bar h, as much beyond the zero line of the cam to the right
as it formerly passed to the left. This then brings the stud f, on the

page_text: left of the loom, within the vibrating scope of the valve lever, so that
the air valve on that side is opened, and the piston at once throws
back the shuttle. It will be obvious to the practical man that the
mechanical arrangements which I have herein-before described as
applicable for carrying out iny Invention may be variously modified.
As, for example, several other mechanical means may be adopted for
taking advantage of aeriform pressure in driving the shuttle, and,
instead of causing the piston to drive, the piston may be fixed, with the
cylinder acting as the dry
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not
confine or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which
I have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be
made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features
of my Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery, appa-
ratus, or means for weaving, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of weaving wherein the shuttle is
actuated by means of compressed air, or other aeriform body, or by
exhaustion, or by hydrostatic pressure.
Third, the application and use in looms of a cylinder and piston
for communicating aeriform or hydrostatic pressure to the shuttle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Boyd, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.