IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Williamson and Francis Williamson, both of
Griffe Mill, near Keighley, in the County of York, Manufacturers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIF
Francis Williamson, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 20th March 1860.
We, JOHN WILLIAMSON and FRANCIS WILLIAMSON, both of Griffe Mill, near
Keighley, in the County of York, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as
follows:-
The improvements relate to means for applying certain loose rods used to
connect the treadles (which are worked upon regularly by the tappets of the
tappet shaft) with the top levers which work the healds in regular succession,
which loose rods being alternatly connected and disconnected with afore-
mentioned treadles cause the loom to weave any kind of twill and plain
respectively or combinedly. The connection is effected in the instance of a
plain loom for one shuttle only by the hand of the weaver without encreasing
the number or altering the position of the tappets on the tappet shaft; when
used in connection with the revolving or sliding shuttle box the rods are joined
and disconnected by means of a cylinder fastened to the side frame of the loom

page_text: with a surface appearing like a coarse toothed wheel, which has inserted at
certain intervals between its teeth certain pieces protruding above the circum-
ference of the teeth, which pieces coming opposite the loose rods, as the
cylinder revolves, force them into connection with the treadles, and so change
the motion of the healds.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Williamson and Francis Williamson, in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th September 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
WILLIAMSON and FRANCIS WILLIAMSON, both of Griffe Mill, near Keighley, in
the County of York, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said John Williamson and Francis Williamson, Her special licence that
we, the said John Williamson and Francis Williamson, our executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Williamson
and Francis Williamson, 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 John Williamson and Francis Williamson, our executors or adminis-
trators by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly 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 we, the said John Williamson and Francis
Williamson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The improvements relate to means for applying certain loose rods to connect
the treadles (which are worked upon regularly by the tappets of the tappet

page_text: shaft) with the top levers, which work the healds in regular succession; which
loose rods being alternately connected and disconnected with the afore-
mentioned treadles will cause the loom to weave any kind and combination of
twill and plain, respectively or combinedly. The connection is effected in the
instance, of a plain loom for one shuttle only by the hand of the weaver without
encreasing or altering the number or position of the treadles or of the tappets
on the tappet shaft of the loom. When used in connection with the revolving
or sliding shuttle box, with four, six, or more shuttle chambers, the rods having
hooks at their bottom ends are joined and disconnected to the treadles, baving
corresponding pins by means of a small jacquard cylinder or apparatus, which
is now generally used in such looms, to regulate the motion of the shuttle box.
This jacquard cylinder or apparatus, acting upon two additional levers in the
usual way, which are fixed similar to those which are used for the motion of
the shuttle box, causes some weights at the bottom of the frame to be either
suspended or to push against and press forward some corresponding rods with
hooks at their top ends, which rods, by means of the hooks aforesaid are then
taken up by a lever moved from an excentric fixed on the bottom or tappet
shaft. The rods aforesaid being connected by a lever to a shaft passing across
the back of the loom, having at its other end a lever affixed, which lever is
connected to the loose rods above mentioned, connecting them by means of
springs, with the pins in the treadles, or disconnecting them if required, and
thus change the motion of the healds.
But that the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner we carry the
same into effect may be fully understood, we will now proceed to describe the

page_text: tappets had to be fixed with a corresponding number of treadles, but we effect
this purpose by a number of loose rods i, i, which at any time, regulated either
by the hand of the weaver, or a mechanical contrivance, may be connected with
the treadles h₂, which then move a corresponding number of healds 91,9₁, to which
the above-mentioned loose rods are in the usual way connected. To effect
the connection of the loose rods i, i, and treadles h, we apply to the small
jacquard cylinder k two additional levers k₁, k₁, connected by the wires k₁ to the
weights k, which weights are kept in the position 1 until the pattern cards allow
one of the levers k₁ to attain the position 2, whereupon one of the weights k₁,
taking the position 2, will push against one of the two upright levers 7, which
will then be taken up by a horizontal lever m₂, lifted regularly by the tappet mi,
on the tappet shaft h of the loom, this lever having at its end a flat projection,
takes up one of the levers 7, which being connected by the lever 4, turning
round, the connecting rods l, ls, and the plate n₁ to the shaft n, causes this
shaft to turn a part of its circumference. The shaft n passes across the back
of the loom, as shown, and has at its other end affixed a lever n,, which, when
the shaft turns, a part of its circunference changes its position from 1 to 2.
The lever na is by means of a wire n,, connected with another lever o₁, turning
round the stud o, which, when it consequently attains the position 2, allows the
loose rods i to which it is connected, to be acted upon by the springs o₂, fastened
on a protruding pin 04, which springs cause the loose rods i to take the posi-
tion 2, in which they are brought under the pins h, fixed in the treadles h₁, so
that when the treadles in their turns are depressed by the tappets h, they will
act upon the rods i, and through these on the additional healds g, g, connected
to the rods i in the ordinary way. To disconnect the rods i again, the operation
is quite similar, only it is done by the second lever k₁, lowering and allowing
the second weight k, to push against the second upright lever 1, which will
then be taken up by the horizontal lever m, in quite a similar way as the first,
and have consequently a similar effect on the shaft n, only in the opposite
direction, which causes the levers n, and o, to go back into the positions 1,
thereby pulling back the rods i into the position 1, and so disconnecting them
from the treadles h. It is therefore easily understood, that in this way an
instantaneous and certain change will be effected, thus enabling the weaver to
weave any combination of twill and plain. If the loose rods i have to be
worked by the hand of the weaver, they are connected with springs o, to the
pin o, as before, but instead to the lever o₁, they are by means of bands or
stripes of leather joined to a rod which passes right in front of the loom, and
can be reached by the weaver conveniently at any time he may want to effect
a change. It is also easy understood, that in the same way any number of

page_text: loose rods i may be worked conveniently by the same mechanical contrivances,
only adding for each additional loose rod i, an additional spring o₂.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner we carry the same into effect, we would have it understood that we do
not confine ourselves to the precise details for working the loose rods, as shown
and described, as these may be varied without departing from the peculiar
character of our improvement; but what we do claim is,-a system of loose
rods, using them for weaving any combination of twill and plain respectively
or combinedly, and the arranging and combining of the same for any kind of
loom, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Williamson and Francis William-
son, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty.
Witness,
ADOLPH PFEILSCHMIDT.
JOHN WILLIAMSON.
(L.S.)
FRANCIS WILLIAMSON. (L.S.)