IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING DRIVING BELTS AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN SHUTTLES FOR THE SAME AND FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hilton Smith, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING DRIVING BELTS AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN SHUTTLES FOR
THE SAME AND FOR SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 21st August 1877, and dated the 9th March 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hilton Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th March 1877.
GEORGE HILTON SMITH, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING DRIVING BELTS AND OTHER
FABRICS, AND IN SHUTTLES FOR THE SAME AND FOR SEWING MACHINES."
My Invention is particularly applicable for weaving driving belts, in which two
or more thicknesses or plies aro woven simultaneously; but it may be used for
weaving cords and other fabrics in which two wefts are employed, that is to say,
one weft for the back and the other for the face of the fabric. The lay is moved to
and fro to beat up the wefts by cranks, as usual; but the crank arms are provided
with slots, in which the cranks work; these slots cause the lay to dwell when it is
back, to allow the wefts to be carried to and fro across the sheds. The wefts are
threaded through the eyes of needles which are fixed to a slide moved to and fro by
a tappet plate acting on a lever or other equivalents, and the selvage at one side is
formed by a shuttle, which is moved in the arc of a circle, or to and fro through the
loops of the wefts by a tappet, levers, and links, or other equivalents; the other
selvage is made by the return of the wefts around the end warp.
The number of healds must be in proportion to the number of plies in the fabric,
and in order to reduce the number when there are several plics, I make each heald
with two eyelet holes for the warp threads.
Another part of my Invention is applicable to the looms, for which former
Letters Patent were granted to me in conjunction with Matthew Smith, on the 2nd
day of June 1875, No. 2035, and it consists in an improved arrangement of parts
for communicating the requisite to-and-fro motion to the shuttle; this is effected by
a rocking shaft supported in bearings fixed to the lay swords; on this shaft is fixed
a lever jointed to a link hinged to the loom side; at each end of the shaft is a bevel
D27

page_text: wheel gearing into other wheels to which cranks are connected; these cranks work
in slotted levers, the upper ends of which are connected to the slides that act on the
shuttle; also, in connecting the slide to the shuttle by means of a stud projecting
from a lever which is acted upon by a spring; to this lever is fixed a stud for a
bowl which runs up a spring incline fixed to the sliding bar or frame. When the
shuttle has been pushed into the shed, the lever is released by the bowl passing
beyond the end of the spring, and the stud then drops into a hole in the back plate
of the shuttle.
Also, in applying a bowl to the end of the spring lever in the shuttle, which bowl
presses on the flange of the bobbin.
Also, in giving motion to the beam or reel on which the hose is wound by an
elbow lever actuated by the warp-slackening lever; this elbow lever moves the
catch lever which actuates a ratchet wheel, on the boss of which is a worm taking
into a wheel fixed on the centre of the beam or reel.
My improvements in shuttles for looms, in which the weft is carried through the
shed by needles, and for sewing machines consist in making them with a nose or
point at both ends, instead of making them with a point at one end only, as now
customary.
When these improved shuttles are employed for making the selvage of fabrics
with two or more plies, after passing through the loops of weft, they can remain
stationary until the wefts have been drawn across the shed, and again carried
through the shed. In like manner, when applied to sewing machines, the speed can
be reduced to one-half, as each to-and-fro motion of the shuttle produces two
loops.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Hilton Smith in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 8th
September 1877.
$5
GEORGE HILTON SMITH, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker. IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING DRIVING BELTS AND OTHER
FABRICS, AND IN SHUTTLES FOR THE SAME AND FOR SEWING MACHINES."
My Invention is particularly applicable for weaving driving belts, in which two
or more thicknesses or plies are woven simultaneously; but it may be used for
weaving cords and other fabrics in which two or more wefts are employed, that is
to say, one weft for the back, and the other or others for the face of the fabric.
The lay is caused to dwell when it is back, to allow the wefts to be carried to and
fro across the sheds. The wefts are threaded through the eyes of needles, which are
moved to and fro by a tappet plate acting on a lever or other equivalents, and the
selvage at one side is formed by a shuttle, which is moved to and fro through the
loops of the weft by a tappet, levers, and links, or other equivalents; the other
selvage is made by the return of the wefts around the end warps.
The number of healds must be in proportion to the number of plics in the fabric,
and in order to reduce the number, when there are several plies, 1 make cach heald
with two or more cyclet holes for the warp threads.
Another part of my. Invention is applicable to the looms, for which former
Letters Patent were granted to me in conjunction with Matthew Smith, on the 2nd
day of June 1875, Number 2035, and it consists in an improved arrangement of parts
for communicating the requisite positive to-and-fro motion to the shuttle.
Also, in an improved mode of giving motion to the beam or reel on which the hose
is wound.
My improvements in shuttles for looms, in which the weft is carried through
the shed by needles, and for sewing machines, consist in making them with a nose
or point at both ends, instead of making them with a point at one end only,
whereby each up-or-down or to-or-fro motion produces one loop or stitch.

page_text: And in order that my invention may be fully understood I will proceed to
describe the accompanying two Shects of Drawings.
On Sheet 1 Fig. 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 a front elevation of my improved
loom suitable for weaving driving belts with four plies or thicknesses of fabric; the
5 number of plies can, however, be increased or reduced. a is the crank shaft which
is driven by gearing, as shown in Fig. 1, or otherwise; b is the tappet shaft; c, the
lay swords; and d, , and d, the warp beams. At one end of the tappet shaft is
fixed a bevel wheel 61, gearing into a pinion e¹ on the side shaft e. The lay swords c
and the lay are cast together, and support the reed c³, as usual. To the lay swords
are cast projections, in which are studs for anti-friction bowls, which fit in grooves
in the tappets a²; these tappets are made with dwells to hold the reed back while
the sheds are open to allow the wefts to be carried to and fro. Instead of the
tappets a cranks and crank arms may be used; but in that case the crank arms
must be provided with slots to produce the required dwell.
In weaving a four-fly belt it is necessary to form four complete sheds simul-
taneously, as shewn in Fig. 1, and for this purpose I use three warp beams; the
beam & contains two warps for the upper sheds, and the beam d' also contains two
warps for the two lower sheds, while the beam & contains the binding warp which
is kept at the proper tension by a swing frame.
The shedding motion is of the ordinary description, but in order to reduce the
number of healds I make each heald with two eyelet holes, as shewn detached in
Fig. 3, or when the number of plies is increased the number of eyelet holes may also
be increased. The wefts are carried to and fro across the sheds by means of
needles f, shewn detached in Figs. 4 and 5, these needles are fixed together with
their eyes converging towards the fell of the cloth, as shewn in Fig. 1, and they are
all fixed to the slide g which is traversed to and fro in the guide rail g' fixed to one
of the loom sides, as shewn best in Fig. 2. The slide g is connected by the link gå
to the longer arm of the elbow lover, the shorter arm of which is connected by the
link to the lever ², which is moved up and down by the tappet a³ on the crank
shaft a. By this means every revolution of the crank shaft causes the needles f to
move to and fro, and the tappet a³ is made to dwell at each end of the traverse of
the needles. At the opposite side of the loom to the slide is the small shuttle i,
shewn detached in Figs. 6 and 7, and this shuttle is made with a nose at each end,
and the weft is taken from the centre to enable the shuttle to pass through the
loops of weft at each up-and-down motion.
The shuttle is moved up and down in the guide j to form one selvage of the belt
in the following manner-To the side shaft e is fixed the spur pinion e which
gears into the wheel & cast with or fixed to the tappet k¹ which imparts a vibrating
motion to the lever 2, the longer arm of which is connected to the shuttle carrier z¹
by the link, the shuttle carrier i also slides up and down in the guide j, and to it
is hinged the lever 2, in the ends of which are slots fitting on pins projecting from
the shot bolts, which slide to and fro in the shuttle carrier ; these shot bolts fit
in holes in the small shuttle ȧ. In the lever 12 is a stud which takes into the
groove in the guide j. When the shuttle i is up, as shewn in the Drawing, the
upper shot bolt fits in the upper hole in the shuttle, and when down the stud is
guided by the groovej to withdraw the upper shot bolt from the upper hole in the
shuttle and to push the lower shot bolt into the lower hole.
The bobbins containing the weft are supported on a stand fixed to the floor or
to the frame side or other convenient position; each bobbin fits on a hollow spindle
in which is a weighted flyer which revolves as the weft is unwound; the shank of
the flyer is rather bent to cause friction in the hollow spindle to prevent the yarn
being unwound too fast. Each weft thread passes through an eye in the guide
bar, see Fig. 8, and from thence the wefts pass between the upright rollers /³,
which are pressed together by springs, the position of the rollers being adjustable
so as to make the tension equal on both selvages. Each weft is then passed through
the small hole f¹ in the shank of each needle f, see Figs. 4 and 5, then along a
groove at the back of the needle and then through the eye of the needle. By this

page_text: arrangement each weft thread is kept at its proper tension by the friction of the
rollers, they being placed in such position that equal tension is brought to bear
upon the wefts in their passage to and fro in the sheds, whereby a good selvage is
made on both edges of the fabric.
The Drawing shews the parts in the positions they occupy when the sheds are
open and when the wefts have been passed into the sheds by the needles f; the
small shuttle i is now at the top of its traverse, and in descending the shuttle passes
through the loops of weft carried through the sheds by needles f, as shown in Fig. 5.
The needles fare now drawn out of the shed, as shewn in Fig. 8, and the sheds are
all changed and the weft beaten up by the reed in the usual manner.
The lay is
then moved back and the sheds again opened, the weft is again carried through the
sheds by the needles f, and the shuttle i is then raised through the loops of weft to
form the selvage as before, thus bringing the parts back to their original positions,
and these operations are repeated as before described. The fabric is taken up by
the roller and deposited by the rollers in a box, or it is otherwise disposed of.
The loom above described is also applicable for weaving cords and other fabrics.
On Sheet 2 Fig. 9 is a side view; Fig. 10, a front view; and Fig. 11, a plan of
my improved loom for weaving hose pipe, my present Invention being an improve-
ment upon the loom for which former Letters Patent were granted to me in con-
junction with Matthew Smith, on the 2nd day of June 1875, Number 2035. The
crank shaft j, the tappet shaft k, the lay l, the flat bars fixed to the lay, the warp
beam m, the rocking shaft n, the side shaft o, the scroll cam o5, the frame u, the
bar u, and the lever u hinged to the lay l, are similar to those described in
the Patent above referred to. The shuttle boxes t, t, are fixed to the lower flat
bars .
The requisite positive to-and-fro motion is imparted to the shuttle by the rocking
shaft supported in bearings fixed to the lay swords l. On this shaft is fixed the
lever jointed to the link hinged to a fixed stud in the loom side; at each end
of the shaft is a bevel wheel gearing into other wheels, to which the cranks l'
are connected; and these cranks work in the slotted levers p, the upper ends of
which are connected by links to the slides x, x, that act on the shuttle. By this
arrangement every vibration of the lay moves the slides x, x¹, to and fro, and as the
shuttle is at all times connected to one or other of the slides, as will be described
hereafter, it is evident that it is carried to and fro across the shed at every vibration
of the lay.
The frame u is shewn detached in Figs. 12, 13, and 14, and it is moved to and
fro at the back of the reed by the lever u², the upper end of which fits on a pin
projecting from one of the horizontal rods u³, which rods are fixed at each end of
the frame u, and pass through holes in the lay. At each end of the frame u is a
hole for the axle y', at the bottom of which is a plate, to which the guide y is
rivelted. To the frame u are also attached the springs z, which act on pins pro-
jecting from the plates at the lower end of the axles y
The slides x, x¹³, shewn detached in Figs. 15 and 16, move to and fro between the
flat bars fixed to the lay, and to each slide is hinged a lever x acted upon by a
spring. At the end of the lever is a vertical pin for the antifriction bowl ³,
which acts against the guide y and the stud ³, which enters into a hole in the back
of the shuttle v, shewn detached in Figs. 17 and 18. This shuttle is very similar
to that described in the Patent above referred to, but in this shuttle I place a bowl
at the end of the spring lever, which is acted upon by the spring v³ to reduce the
friction. In applying pressure to the flange of the bobbin v, the slides x, ¹,
approach and recede from each other simultaneously, and the bowl of the slide x,
that is pushing the shuttle into the shed, passes on the outside of the guide y
until the shuttle arrives at the end of its traverse. The stud x³ is now withdrawn
from the hole in the shuttle v, and the bowl of the other slide ¹ then passes
over the end of the guide plate y, and takes into the other hole of the shuttle. As
soon as the shuttle has been caught hold of by the stud 3 of the slide ¹ the
levers begin to expand to draw the shuttle across the shed, and the bowl a² of

page_text: the slide ¹ returns in front of the guide plate y, but the bowl of the slide æ
returns at the back of the plate y. When the shuttle is out of the shed the weft
is beaten up, and at the same time the double cam o³, acting on the lever u², moves
the frame u in the proper direction for allowing the bowl to pass around the
ends of one of the plates y. By this means the studs are brought into and
released alternately from the holes in the shuttle v.
The hose when woven is taken up by the roller 1, and after passing around
suitable guide rollers it is wound on the beam or reels, to which motion is com-
municated by the ordinary warp slackening lever n' acting on the horizontal arm
of the elbow lever n², the vertical arm of which passes through a slot in the catch
lever n³, which drives the ratchet wheel non the axle of the worm n³ gearing into
the wheels on the axle of the reel s.
My improvements in shuttles for sewing machines consist in making them with
a nose or point at both ends, so that after the shuttle has passed through the loop
of the thread, carried through the fabric by the needle, it can remain stationary
until the needle has been withdrawn and again passed through to form a loop. By
this means the speed can be reduced to one-half, as each to-and-fro motion of the
shuttle produces two loops.
Having now stated the nature of my Invention and described the mannor of per-
forming the same, I declare that I claim,-
First. Forming two or other convenient number of sheds simultaneously in
looms for weaving fabrics in which the wefts are inserted by means of needles.
Secondly. Making two or more eyelet holes in each heald to reduce the number
of healds in weaving fabrics, where two or more sheds are formed simultaneously, as
shewn and described in reference to Fig. 3.
Thirdly. The improved form of needles, as shewn and described in reference to
Figs. 4 and 5.
Fourthly. The improved mode of working the small shuttle i for forming one
selvage of cloth, as shewn and described in reference to Figs. 6 and 7.
Fifthly. The application of the small rollers 3, or any equivalent agent placed in
the position described and shewn in Fig. 8, for regulating the tension of the weft
as it is drawn from the bobbins in making the selvages or edges of the fabric.
Sixthly. The flyer shewn and described in reference to Fig. 2, and the mode of
preventing the weft being unwound too fast.
Seventhly. The improved machinery shewn and described in reference to Figs. 9
to 16 inclusive, for giving a positive to-and-fro motion to the shuttle of looms for
weaving hose pipes and chenille.
Eighthly. Imparting the requisite motion to the mechanism for working the
shuttle by means of a rocking shaft, which is actuated by the lay, as shewn and
described.
Ninthly. The improved machinery shewn and described for taking up the hose
pipe as it is woven.
Tenthly. Applying a bowl to the end of the spring lever, as shewn and described
in reference to Figs. 17 and 18.
And, lastly. Making the shuttles of looms in which the weft is carried through
the shed by needles, and the shuttles of sewing machines, with a nose or point at
both ends, as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, T, 'the said George Hilton Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-seven.
G. H. SMITH. (L.S.)