CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR-WEAVING
Year: 1841

page_text: OGDEN AND WOOLLAM'S SPECIFICATION..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
OGDEN, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, and
JOSEPH GRUNDY WOOLLAM, of Manchester, aforesaid, Commission Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent 'under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Third day of April, One thousand eight hundred and forty-
one, in the fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said James Ogden and Joseph Grundy
Woollain, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
we, the said James Ogden and Joseph Grundy. Woollam, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, and such others as we, the said James Ogden
and Joseph Grundy Woollam, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the terin of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR-WEAVING;" in which said Letters Patent. is contained a proviso that we,
the said James Ogden and Joseph Grundy Woollam, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery. within six calendar, months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
James Ogden and Joseph Grundy.. Woollam; do hereby declare that the
nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, is particularly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings
hereto annexed, and the following explanation thereof (that is to say):-
Our Improvements in Looms for Weaving apply,
$
Firstly, to the lathe, or slay, and the several parts connected therewith, and
consist in dispensing with all the woodwork of which the slay is usually made,
and substituting a slay entirely of metal, which will be found much more
economical and durable than those in present use. The main rail or shuttle
race of the slay is to be made of plain-rolled angle iron, and to have attached
at each end, by screws or otherwise, a metallic shuttle and picker box so formed
that the picker shall be enabled to work to and fro in a box or chamber, and
be capable of receiving a direct or straight motion from the impelling power,
thus striking the shuttle fairly across the lathe without its being liable to
fly,off the slay against; the reed. In connection with the above; we use or
employ a metallic, picker.. This improved. picker is made of wrought.iron
case-hardened, or other metal, and of a peculiar form, thus entirely dispensing
with the old picker, which is both expensive in form and material, and
constantly liable to wear.. By using a picker entirely of metal, and in combi-
nation with our improvement in the slay or Jathe, we are enabled to impel the
shuttle, across the loom, with much less. friction, and consequently.expenditure
of, power, than by employing the ordinary expensive. picker and its necessary
appendages.
. Secondly, our improvements apply to the reed, which is made to swing
loosely, being supported by the bottom rail or frame with its upper side loose,
instead of being fixed firm or stationary in its mounting as heretofore. The
reed is thus caused to swing or fall back as it strikes or beats up the cloth at
every stroke of the lathe, and by so falling back to disengage certain stop or
catch pieces which would otherwise come into contact at every vibration of the
slay ;.
and on, the contrary, should the cloth not be made by the weft thread
breaking or not being put in, the reed is not pushed back when the slay beats
up, and consequently the catch pieces come into contact, and by a simple con-
nection throw the strap from off the driving pulley.
Thirdly, our improvements apply to delivering or taking up the cloth as the
weaving proceeds. In this part of the loom the operation or process is usually
performed by what is termed the catch or taking-up motion in connection with
the cloth beam upon which the cloth is wound as it is made, being stretched
and connected thereto by means of the "temples," and the breast beam.

page_text: Our present improvement consists in applying three or more rollers; (either
plain or covered with flannel to increase their tenacity) immediately in front of
the slay, which rollers are to hold or distend the cloth as it is made, and
being driven with a regular continuous motion, will deliver the fabric into à
trough or box below in folds or plaits instead of winding it upon a beam or
roller, as hitherto done. By this application of holding and delivering rollers
to a power loom, the temples, breast beam, and cloth or work roller may
be dispensed. with, the loom rendered so much narrower and simplified, and
the time saved usually employed by the weaver in cutting off and unwinding
the cloth in pieces or lengths, in order to prepare or unlap the beam for the
next weaving, the loom being also out of work, whereas, by our improvement;
the loom and weaver are kept constantly employed, as the length of the cloth
may.be cut off as it is delivered..
!
I'
Fourthly, our improvements apply to the yarn beam and warp threads, and
are designed to facilitate the equal delivery or giving out of the warps by
employing a gradually diminishing weight or resistance for letting off 'the
yarn as the yarn beam decreases in diameter during the weaving process.
A further improvement is also applied, whereby the shed is tightened or the
slack taken up by a roller caused to rise under the warps at every ŕévolution
of the loom instead of the yarn beam "backing," as heretofore. But in order
that these improvements may be more perfectly explained, we have attached 'tö
these Presents a Sheet of Drawings representing in several views an ordinary.
power loom, with our several improvements; and for their more perfect illus
tration, the improved parts and their several arrangements are represented>>
as.shaded with colour, the ordinary parts of the loom being left in outline,
only similar letters of reference are placed upon corresponding parts of the
mechanism in all the Figures."
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.,
.Figure;.1 represents, an elevation of the back of the loom, and Figure 2 a.
plan or..horizontal view of the same, as seen from above: Figure 3 is an
end or side elevation, and Figure 4'a transverse section, taken vertically.
through the loom..
. The first part of our improvements is shewn at a, a, which is the metallic
slar made from angle iron. supporting at each end a box or chamber b, b,

page_text: picker and its box is better seen in Figs. 5 and 6, being side and end sections of
the box, and the picker alone is shewn detached and about half size at Fig. 7.
It is formed with an opening through it for the passage of the picking
levers d, d. These levers work upon their fulcra at e, e, and receive motion
from the driving apparatus by being connected to the levers f. f, or in any
other simple and convenient manner. Thus it will be seen that the levers d, d,
will impel the pickers c, c, in a direct line across the slay. We have shewn
in Fig. 1 two modes of connecting the levers d and f, either of which, or any
other simple contrivance, may be applied.
Our second improvement will be seen in connection with the reed g, and best
in Fig. 4. The reed swings or vibrates loosely upon its bottom rail h, and
thus at every stroke or beat of the slay the cloth pushes the top rail i of the
reed back against elbow catches k, 1 (one at each end), and this lifts the
end up, and prevents it coming into contact with the notched stop piece m;
but if the weft thread breaks, or the cloth is not made, the reed will not be
pushed back by it; and consequently the catch 7 being left down, will strike the
stop m, and by any simple connection will throw the strap, lever, and loom
out of gear.
Our third improvement will also be best seen in this Figure. n, n, n, are
three wooden rollers, placed immediately in front of the reed, which hold and
deliver the cloth as it is made. They receive a regular and continuous motion
by means of gearing suitably connected with the driving power, and will
thus hold, distend, and deliver the cloth o, o, in plaits or folds below, instead
of being wound upon a beam or roller; as heretofore.
Our fourth improvement will also be seen best in this Figure, and in Fig. 11
p; p, are two small rollers, always kopt tightly pressed' against the yarn beam
by means of a strong helical spring q. Thus, it will be observed, a regular
diminishing weight or pressure against it is produced by the relaxation of the
spring q, the yarn is kept distended, or the slack taken up, by means of the
hollow roller r, r, which is caused to ascend by the revolution of the
eccentrics s, s, and thus the shed is tightened without the necessary" backing"
of the yarn beam at every beat of the slay..
In witness whereof, we, the said James Ogden and Joseph Grundy'
Woollam, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this First day of
October, in the year of our Lord One, thousand eight hundred and
forty-one.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same First day of October,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid James Ogden and Joseph Grundy
Woollam, came before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Second day of October, in the year above.