IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS CALLED DOBBY Looms
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Hart, junior, of Blackburn, in the County
of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, and Abel Jones, of the same Place, Over-
looker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS CALLED DOBBY
Looms."
Sealed the 15th June 1858, and dated the 19th December 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Hart and Abel
Jones at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 19th December 1857.
We, THOMAS HART, junior, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Cotton Spinner, and ABEL JONES, of the same Place, Overlooker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS CALLED
DOBBY LOOMS," to be as follows:-
The said improvements relate to the "dobby loom," and consist in the
mode of giving motion to the hooks which operate upon the jacks and healds.
Instead of giving the knives or lifters a parallel sliding motion, working on
rods or slides, we give them a vibrating motion, by being attached to or
forming part of levers working on fulcrums supported by the framing, thereby
accommodating the depth of lift to the distance of the healds from the traverse
of the shuttle, the said levers and lifters being worked by other beams or levers
connected by rods to the ordinary treddles. In order to bring the knives or

page_text: lifters completely down so as to clear the hooks, we connect the two vibrating
lifters together by means of a band and springs, the band passing over a pulley
on a stud connected to the framing.
Each pattern cylinder is made to revolve, to make the necessary changes,
by causing the ratchet wheel on the cylinder shaft to come directly in contact
with a catch placed on a stud fixed to the framing, so that as the cylinder
slides to and fro, part revolutions are made. It is evident that the foregoing
arrangements can be applied to a single cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
the said Thomas Hart and Abel Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th June 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, THOMAS
HART, junior, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, and
ADEL JONES, of the same Place, Overlooker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Thomas Hart, junior, and Abel Jones, Her special licence that
wo, the said Thomas Hart, junior, and Abel Jones, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Hart, junior,
and Abel Jones, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS CALLED DOBBY Looms,"" upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Thomas Hart, junior, and Abel Jones, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 I, tho said Thomas Hart, junior, for and on
behalf of myself and the said Abel Jones, do hereby declare the nature of

page_text: 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
(that is to say):
Our Invention consists in the mode of giving motion to the hooks which
operate upon the jacks and healds. Instead of giving the knives or lifters a
parallel sliding motion, working on rods or slides, we give them a vibrating
motion, by being attached to or forming part of levers working on fulcrums,
supported by the framing, thereby accommodating the depth of lift to the dis-
tance of the healds from the traverse of the shuttle, the said levers and lifters
being worked by other beams or levers connected by rods to the ordinary
treddles. In order to bring the knives or lifters completely down so as to
clear the hooks, we connect the two vibrating levers together by means of a
band and springs, the band passing over a pulley working on a stud connected
to the framing.
The two pattern cylinders are connected by gearing, so that when a re-
volving motion is given to one of them, a corresponding motion at the same
time is given with certainty to the other. Each pattern cylinder is furnished
with a ratchet wheel, one being employed for giving motion to the cylinders and
lattices in one direction, and the other ratchet wheel for giving motion to
them in an opposite direction. The aforesaid revolving motion being produced
by causing the required ratchet wheel to come directly in contact with a two-
ended catch placed on a stud fixed to the framing, so that when the cylinders
slide to and fro, part of a revolution is made; one end of a catch is employed
for advancing, and the other for reversing the pattern.
These improvements will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, with the figures and letters of reference thereon.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the framing and other parts of a loom, shewing
our improvements; Fig. 2 is a right-hand end view of the same; and Figs. 3,
4, 5, and 6 are detached views of separate parts. In Figs. 1 and 2, a repre-
o sents the framing of a loom; b, the cranked shaft; c, the tappet shaft; d, the
slay or lathe; and e, the treddles, the latter giving motion by means of the rods
to the beams or levers g, connected by the rods h to our improved vibrating
levers i working on the pin or fulcrum in the support ; attached to the
framing; the said levers forming the knives or lifters, which have thereby an
5 inclined action, instead of parallel, as at present. The hooks are pushed off
the knives or lifters, according to the pattern, by the projections on the
pattern chains or lattices 7, and are kept on the knives by their spring-shaped
form. The healds m are moved to positions less in depth at the front and

page_text: deeper at the back, corresponding to the inclined motion of the vibrating
levers, thereby avoiding the inconvenience of the great depth of lift hitherto
found necessary to allow the shuttle to pass freely, thereby producing a moro
mechanical and efficient arrangement.
We connect the vibrating levers, knives, or lifters together by the springs n
and the belt o, which passes over the pulley p, working on the stud 9. which
arrangement enables the knives or lifters to be brought completely down, so as
to clear the hooks and prevent inaccuracy of work.
In order to give a revolving motion either way to the pattern cylinders and
chains or lattices, we place a ratchet wheel r on the cylinder shaft ?, and
another ratchet wheels on the other cylinder shaft, having their teeth in con-
trary directions, and we give the cylinders a horizontal to-and-fro moveinent
by means of the bent lever t, connected by the rod u to a crank pin v on tho
tappet wheel wv. When two cylinders are used they move simultaneously in
a sliding direction in consequence of their being connected together by the rod
a, and thoy revolve together by means of the gearing y. The ratchet wheels
are acted upon by a double or two-sided catch, one side being in action when
the continual advance of the pattern chain is required, and the other side
when the reversing of the pattern is necessary. The position of the catch is
governed by the slotted rod a', which presses one of the sides of the catch into
gear, as shewn by the full lines, and when the rod is raised up, the other sido
of the catch falls into gear, as shown by the dotted lines, either by its own
weight, or by the action of the rod, which is moved as required by its
connection with the eccentric b', which presses at the upper extremity of its
position against the spring c', and at the lower on the stud q. The eccentric
is fixed on the shaft d', and is operated upon by the handle c', thereby keeping
the parts stendy in both positions.
It will be perceived that these arrangements are exceedingly simple and
efficient, and afford great facilities for producing good work.
Having thus fully described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed and carried into practical effect, we desire
it to bo distinctly understood that we do not claim any of the old and well-
known instruments of which the separate parts of our Invention is composed,
nor do we confine ourselves to tho preciso details herein set forth, as such may
be varied or modified without departing from the principle thereof; but we
claim as our Invention, and which to the best of our knowledge and belief has
not been hitherto used within the realm, the arrangement and combination of
vibrating levers, knives, and lifters for giving motion to the hooks connected

page_text: to the jacks and healds of looms, and also the detailed and general improve-
ments, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Hart, junior, for and on
behalf of myself and the said Abel Jones, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Thomas Hart, junior,-
in the presence of
THOMAS HART, JUNIOR. (L.S.)
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.