IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Sowden and Reuben Calvert Stephenson, of
Bradford, in the County of York, Machine Makers and Iron Founders,
"
Sealed the 13th December 1867, and dated the 17th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIONileft by the said David Sowden and Reuben
Calvert Stephenson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 17th June 1867.
We, DAVID SOWDEN and REUBEN CALVERT STEPHENSON, of Bradford, in the
County of York, Machine Makers and Iron Founders, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to means of governing the order of picking and
to operating the picking apparatus in looms, wherewith change shuttle boxes
are employed at both ends of the lay or batten, and when two or more shuttles
are required to be picked from either end in succession. And the improve-
ments consist in baving the picking shafts supported at their upper ends iu
swivel brackets, and their lower ends on oscillatory footstep pedestals; these
pedestals are connected by a rod, which is moveable endwise in either direc-
tion by the action of a cam'operated by the ordinary jacquard or other indi-
cating apparatus employed for working the change shuttle boxes by which
the bottom ends of the picking shafts can be moved laterally, whereby one
picking cone is placed in position to be acted upon by one of the picking
tappets, whilst the other cone is placed out of position, or so as not to be acted

page_text: upon by the other tappet. By this means one number of picks (according to
arrangement of the jacquard apparatus, and to the number of boxes employed)
may be made from one end of the loom in succession, and by a reverse move-
ment of this rod the picking may be changed to the other end of the loom,
and another series of picks in succession may be made therefrom in like
manner, and so on according to arrangement of the indicating apparatus
provided for that purpose.
The second part of this Invention relates to the weft motion, or apparatus
for detecting when the weft breaks or becomes used up, and consists in dis-
pensing with the ordinary weft fork attached to the knocking-off lever, and
instead of which in applying a weft grate at each end of the loom, which is
hinged to the front of the batten, and embedded in the shuttle race thereof,
each having an arm projecting towards the breast beam, which takes into the
notch of the weft hammer or the lever which acts on the knocking-off appa-
ratus when in position for that purpose. Also, in applying a weft fork hinged
to the back of the batten, and projecting across the shuttle race, capable of
passing through the said weft grate, and embedding itself in the batten, and of
being raised sufficiently above the shuttle race to allow the shuttle to pass
under it. Motion is given to this fork by an incline suitably formed on a
slidable bar or cam plate capable of sliding in bearings fixed to the loom end,
which cam plate (as the lay or batten oscillates) acts upon a lever which is
attached to the fork, and thereby raising and lowering it in manner and at the
times required. This cam plate is caused to slide forward at the proper time by
the action of another cam suitably formed and fixed on the crank shaft, and a
spring is applied to produce reaction thereof. The forks are raised at the time
the pick is made, and partly lowered during the transit of the shuttle, and after
the shuttle has got home or is lodged in the opposite box they are lowered to
the grates, and lift the other end or arm out of contact with the weft hammer,
and thereby prevent the loom being stopped, but if there be no weft present
over the grate then the loom will be supported by the arm of the grate taking
into the notch of the hammer, which acts on the knocking-off apparatus in the
usual manner; these forks are so formed and actuated as to exclude or allow
every shoot of weft to be excluded from the action of the fork at that end
from which the shuttle is picked, and to include the last shoot only at that end
to which the shuttle is sent. In order to prevent the loom being stopped by
the grate at the end where the shuttle is sent from by reason of no weft being
present, the weft hammers are fixed upon a slidable shaft operated so that
whilst one hammer is in position to be acted upon by the arm of one grate,
the other is out of position for the arm of the other grate to come into contact

page_text: with it. This shaft is moved by the action of the lever fixed on the axis of one
of the oscillating pedestals which support the picking shafts, so that at each
change of the pick from one end of the loom to the other the weft hammers
are also changed in accordance therewith.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Sowden and Reuben Calvert Stephenson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 17th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
SOWDEN and REUBEN CALVERT STEPHENSON, of Bradford, in the County of
York, Machine Makers and Iron Founders, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said David Sowden and Reuben Calvert Stephenson, Her special licence that
we, the said David Sowden and Reuben Calvert Stephenson, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said David Sowden and
Reuben Calvert Stephenson, 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 " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said David Sowden and Reuben Calvert Stephenson, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of
our or their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 we, the said David Sowden and Reuben Calvert
Stephenson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, and accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, that is to say:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to means of governing the order of picking

page_text: and to operating the picking apparatus in looms wherewith change shuttle
boxes are employed at both ends of the lay or batten, and when two or more
shuttles are required to be picked from either end in succession; and the
improvements consist in having the picking shafts supported at their upper
ends in swivel brackets, and their lower ends on oscillatory footstep pedestals.
These pedestals are connected by a rod, which is moveable end wise in either
direction by the action of a cam operated by the ordinary jacquard or other
indicating apparatus employed for working the change shuttle boxes by which
the bottom ends of the picking shafts can be moved laterally, whereby one
picking cone is placed in position to be acted upon by one of the picking
tappets, whilst the other cone is placed out of position, or so as not to be acted
upon by the other tappet. By this means any number of picks (according to
arrangement of the jacquard apparatus, and to the number of boxes employed)
may be made from one end of the loom in succession, and by a reverse move-
ment of this rod the picking may be changed to the other end of the loom,
and another series of picks in succession may be made therefrom in like
manner, and so on according to arrangement of the indicating apparatus
provided for that purpose.
The second part of this Invention relates to the weft motion or apparatus
for detecting when the weft breaks or becomes used up; and consists by one
arrangement in dispensing with the ordinary weft fork attached to the
knocking-off lever, and instead of which in applying a weft grate at each end
of the loom, which is hinged to the front of the batten, and embedded in the
shuttle race thereof, each having an arm projecting towards the breast beam,
which takes into the notch of the weft hammer or the lever which acts on the
knocking-off apparatus when in position for that purpose. Also, in applying
a weft fork hinged to the back of the batten, and projecting across the shuttle
race, capable of passing through the said weft grate, and embedding itself in
the batten, and of being raised sufficiently above the shuttle race to allow the
shuttle to pass under it. Motion is given to this fork by a cam suitably formed
and fixed on the crank shaft, and a spring is applied to produce reaction
thereof. The forks are raised at the time the pick is made, and partly lowered
during the transit of the shuttle, and after the shuttle has got home or is
lodged in the opposite box they are lowered to the grates, when if weft be
present they press on the grates and lift the other end or arm out of contact
with the weft hammer or catch lever attached to the strap guide, and thereby
prevent the loom being stopped, but if there be no weft present over the grate
then the loom will be stopped by the arm of the grate taking into the notch
of the hammer or catch lever, and acting on the knocking-off apparatus in the

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In order that our said Invention may be clearly understood we herewith
give reference to an accompanying Sheet of Drawings of such parts of an
ordinary loom as will enable us to shew the application of our improvements
thereto.
Fig. 1 is a cross section, and Fig. 2 is part of the back elevation of the
same.
The following letters refer to the first part of this Invention. A is one of
the ordinary picking shafts, having its top end supported in a swivel bracket B
fixed to the loom end frame, and the bottom end supported on an oscillatory foot-
step pedestal C; these pedestals are hinged on a shaft D, carried in brackets E
fixed to the loom ends, and to the top part of each is hinged å rod G, which
thereby connects the two pedestals; H is a shaft supported on brackets I,
and on the one end of which shaft is fixed a pin wheel J, and on the
other a cam wheel K. On the rod G is fixed a stud earrying a friction roller L,
which enters the groove of the cam wheel by which the picking cones A¹ are
moved into and out of position to be acted upon by the picking tappets M.
Motion is given to the cam shaft by means of a hook N attached to the ordi-
nary turning lever O; this hook is acted upon to bring it into position for
contact with one of the pins in the wheel J by a bell-crank lever P, hinged
at Q to the loom end, such lever being operated by ordinary jacquard appa-
ratus or peg lags R according to arrangement of the cards or lags employed.
It will be observed that there are six pins in this wheel J, and that the cam
groove forms a zig-zag or undulatory line of six undulations corresponding to
the number of pins in the wheel (three in each direction) so that when the
hook is placed in position to catch and hold on one of the pins the turning
lever will lift it, the shaft II will be turned one-sixth of a revolution, and the
cam groove will be thereby changed in relative position, which cam groove
acting on the rod G moves the picking shafts into the opposite positions, thus
while one picking shaft is placed in position to be operated by its picking
tappet the other is placed out of position alternately, or as and when required
according to arrangement.
The following letters refer to the second part of the said Invention. S is the
weft grate, which is binged to the front of the batten T, having a projecting

page_text: arm S', which will on the beat up of the batten or lay enter a notch or frog U
attached to the lever, which acts on the strap guide if there be no weft present,
and will consequently stop the loom, but if weft be present across the grate a
fork V hinged to a bracket X fixed to the back part of the lay will press upon
it, and thereby depress the grate, lifting the arm of the said grate above the
notch, and consequently prevent the loom being stopped; this fork is lifted by
a cam Y fixed on the crank shaft, and depressed by a spring Z, and these
parts are arranged to act at the proper time or times, or so that the fork will
be lifted sufficiently high to allow the shuttle to pass under it when picked,
and immediately on the shuttle entering the other box will be lowered, so
that the prong V¹ will enter a recess V* formed in the batten, and thereby
exclude all shoots of weft but the last one, and will then press upon the grate
if weft be present, or pass through if weft be not present. And immediately
after the beat up the fork will be again lifted to allow the last shoot of weft
to pass out under the prong of the fork ready for the next shoot, and so on.
Fig. 3 shews a modification of the application of this kind of weft fork to
act in conjunction with an ordinary weft fork and grate in which an extension
of the prong V³ is made to press all shoots of weft into the recess of the batten
for the ordinary fork to pass over them, and thus allow it to act or feel for
the last shoot of weft in the usual way.
In witness whereof, I, the said Reuben Calvert Stephenson, for and on
behalf of myself and the said David Sowden, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
REUBEN CALVERT STEPHENSON. (L.s.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by
the within-named Reuben
Calvert Stephenson, in the
presence of
W* TASKER,
Patent Agent,
Halifax & Bradford.