IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Wrigley at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th April
1870.
I, THOMAS WRIGLEY, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to that portion of the loom known as the
"swell," which is a tongue of wood or metal that is caused through the
medium of a spring to exert a pressure upon the shuttle when entering
and being expelled from the shuttle box.
"
The object of the present Invention is for the purpose of relieving
the shuttle from the pressure of the "swell" at the instant of "picking,'
causing thereby the loom not only to work with greater ease and freedom
than when the shuttle is expelled with the pressure of the swell upon
it, but it also effects considerable economy in the use of "pickers,"
"picking straps," and other wearing detail parts in connection with the
loom.

page_text: The improvements consist in connecting the "swell" or the finger of
the "
stop rod" exerting a pressure upon the "swell" with the crank
arm by means of a cord, chain or wire, or the connection with the swell
may be made from any other equivalent moving part or portion of the
loom, the arrangement I have found the best adapted for carrying out
my improvements consists in connecting the swell or finger of the stop
rod by means of a cord or chain with crank arm at a point between its
connections with the crank and "slay sword." When the connection
between the crank arm and swell has been thus made the action
communicated to the swell, and its effect upon the shuttle when the
loom is at work, may be thus described :-The action of the crank arm.
being governed in its motion by its connection with the crank at one
end and the vibratory radial throw of the "slay sword" at the other
end, naturally causes it to describe at any one point between its two
connections an eliptical motion, the effect of which upon the cord or
other equivalent connecting the crank arm to the swell is to tighten
and slacken the same with each revolution of the crank. Therefore
when preparing and adjusting the connecting medium between the two
the connection is tightened up so that it will thoroughly relieve the
shuttle from pressure at the instant of "picking," in which state the
connecting medium is permanently secured, the points of contact
between the crank arm and swell at this time being at their greatest
distance, which as the shuttle is expelled becomes reduced, which
allows the connection to slacken, and the swell to be in position to
resist or check the force with which the shuttle enters the box, thus
by the position and continuous connection of the erank arm, at a point
between the extremities with the "swell" as described which constitutes
the peculiarity of the present Invention, the shuttle when entering the
box is effectually checked in its course and retained in the box until
again expelled, at which time it is relieved from the pressure of the
"swell" and freely expelled by the picker through the shed into the
opposite box, where it again becomes acted upon in a manner similar to
the box it has just left.