IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
Year: 1857

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Holt at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th October
1857.
I, THOMAS HOLT, of Little Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Manager,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to various improvements in fancy looms, and consists
firstly, in employing an improved arrangement for the formation of fancy
patterns, by means of lifting the healds by hooks, which are pressed upon
knife or lifter continually moving up and down when the loom is in motion.
The hooks are acted upon by beads placed upon rods which are connected to
links, the ends of the rods resting upon indentations in drums or pulleys
having a positive motion obtained by gearing, or a worm and wheel driven
from any of the shafts of the loom. The heads are of the same length, but
some are of different diameters, so as to act or not on the hooks as they pass
onwards. The said beads may be easily removed and replaced, thereby
affording the means of weaving endless variety of- patterns:—
Secondly, for an improved shuttle-box motion.
Where two or more shuttles are used, I make the desired change by acting
on a spring rod by a line of beads on the chain, the spring rod giving motion
by means of levers to a frame within, which is a pin on a lever continually

page_text: moving up and down. When the frame is in a certain position the pin raises
the frame and a lever to which it is connected, giving motion to a lever to
which the rod is attached giving motion to the shuttle box.
Thirdly, an improved taking-up motion.
I place either upon the crank or tappet shaft a bevil wheel turning another
bevil wheel, on the shaft of which is a worm giving motion to a toothed
wheel supplying the place of the ordinary ratchet wheel, between which and
the sand roller or cloth beam change wheels are employed in the usual
manner.
Upon the worm wheel is a catch driving a ratchet wheel connected to the
shaft upon which the worm wheel is placed, which catch can be raised by
hand, in order to turn the cloth beam when required.
The aforesaid arrangements form a positive taking-up motion; the cloth
beam can be revolved back when the operative wishes to find the right pick,
so as to commence again without spoiling the pattern. These improvements
will be better understood by reference to the accompanying outline Drawing.
In
Fig. 1 is a front view; Fig. 2, a section, and Figure 3, a transverse view
of the first part of my improvements; Fig. 4, represents the arrangement for
changing the shuttle box, and Fig. 5, the improved taking-up motion.
the Figures a represents the hooks; b, the knife or lifter; c, the beads; d, the
drums or pulleys; f, the toothed wheels giving the drums, and beads a positive
motion; g, the lever for giving motion to the knife, and also to the seat and
guide h, the hooks when not required to act are kept back by the springs i.
k, Fig. 1, is the spring rod which is acted upon by beads for the purpose of
changing the shuttle box, the said rod moving the lever 1, and rod m, which
rod is attached to the frame n (Fig. 4), moving it to-and-fro as required.
The said frame is raised by the pin o, on the lever p, which has a constant
The frame n, moves the
up-and-down motion by means of the tappet q.
levers r and s, and also the shuttle box by means of the rod t.
In Fig. 5, shewing the positive taking-up motion u, are the bevil wheels
placed either upon the crank or tappet shaft; v, the worm; w, the worm
wheel; x, the ratchet wheel; y, the catch, and z, the sand roller or cloth
beam.