IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elijah Dixon, of Preston, in the County of Lan-
caster, Mechanic, and Henry Whittaker, of the same Place, Mechanic,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN WEAVING
TEXTILE FABRICS."
Sealed the 26th July 1859, and dated the 27th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elijah Dixon and Henry
Whittaker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 27th January 1859.
We, ELIJAH DIXON, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic,
and HENRY WHITTAKER, of the same Place, Mechanic, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN
WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of self-
acting mechanism or apparatus to be applied to the ordinary shuttles employed
in weaving textile fabrics, whereby the stoppage of the loom will be ac-
complished by the breaking of the weft thread whenever a float or imperfect
shed occurs. The apparatus which we propose to use consists of two small
levers working on pivots fixed into the 'opposite sides of the shuttle near the
hole through which the weft passes from the cop. One of these levers has a
broad head formed upon it, over which head the thread passes on its way from

page_text: the cop to the hole, and the other lever is fitted with two vertical fingers or
pins, the one projecting upwards and the other downwards; these pins are
operated upon by the warp when a float or imperfect shed is formed, and by
being pushed or turned to one side impart motion to the first-mentioned lever,
which clevates the weft thread above the tongue of the shuttle, and by thus
increasing the resistance or drag causes it to break, whereupon the loom will
be stopped by the intervention of the ordinary weft fork, or other suitable
contrivance for stopping a loom by the breakage of the weft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Elijah Dixon and Henry Whittaker in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ELIJAH
DIXON, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic, and HENRY
WHITTAKER, of the same Place, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us;
the said Elijah Dixon and Henry Whittaker, Her special license that we, the
said Elijah Dixon and Henry Whittaker, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Elijah Dixon and Henry Whittaker,
our executors, administrators, or 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 APPARATUS
USED IN WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Elijah Dixon and Henry Whittaker, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Elijah Dixon and Henry Whittaker,
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

page_text: by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
Our said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
self-acting mechanism or apparatus to be applied to the ordinary shuttles
employed in weaving textile fabrics, whereby the stoppage of the loom will be
accomplished by the breaking of the weft thread whenever a float or imperfect
shed occurs. One arrangement of apparatus which we propose to use consists
of two small levers working on pivots fixed into the. opposite sides of the
shuttle, near the hole through which the weft passes from the cop. One of
these levers has a broad head formed upon it, over which head the thread
passes on its way from the cop to the hole, and the other lever is fitted with
two vertical fingers or pins, the one projecting upwards and the other down-
.wards. These pins are operated upon by the warp when a float or imperfect
shed is formed, and by being pushed or turned to one side impart motion to
the first-mentioned lever, which 'elevates the .weft thread above the tongue of
the shuttle, and by thus increasing the resistance or drag causes it to break,
whereupon the loom will be stopped by the intervention of the ordinary weft
fork or other suitable contrivance. for stopping a loom by the breakage of
the weft.
According to a second modification, the broad head of the lever above
referred to is fitted loosely thereto, and rises in a vertical guide groove formed
on one of the inner sides of the shuttle when its lever is elevated, which is
effected by the depression of a second lever actuated by an arm, which is
operated upon when a float occurs.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood, we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose we shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents a shuttle, partly in
section, with one arrangement of our self-acting weft breaking mechanism
attached thereto; and Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the same.
A, B, are two studs or pivots fitted transversely across the shuttle near to one
end of the opening therein, which studs carry respectively the levers C and D,
which work freely thereon. The lever C is formed with a broad-head.c, at
right angles to its shank, over which head the weft thread from the cop-E
passes on its way from the shuttle. The lever D is extended in the form of
two fingers and feelers d, d, slightly above and below the upper and under
edge of the shuttle, which is slightly recessed or cut away, as shewn, to admit

page_text: of the fingers projecting without offering any obstruction to the warp threads,
so long as the shed is properly formed. The boss of the lever is made
sufficiently wide to support the shank of the lever C, the part upon which the
lever rests being cut down to form a flat surface, so that in the event of the
lever D being turned slightly in either direction, the corresponding motion of
the flattened portion of its boss will elevate the lever C, so as to bring its broad
head c above the level of the end of the shuttle tongue F, as shewn in dotted
lines in Figure 1, thereby offering a certain amount of drag or resistance to
the weft, which will instantly cause it to break, and bring the ordinary fork or
weft protector into action, thereby stopping the loom. This result is obtained
whenever a float in the warp occurs, as such float by coming in contact with
either of the fingers or feelers d, d, will push or turn them slightly in one
direction or the other, and so bring into play the weft-breaking mechanism,
when the stoppage of the loom will be effected.
Figure 3 represents a sectional elevation of a modified form of weft-breaking
mechanism, and Figure 4 is a corresponding plan of the same. In this
modification the studs or pivots A, B, are still retained, as well as the levers
C and D, but in a slightly modified form. The lever C works freely on the
stud A, and is connected to the broad head or slide c by a pin, as shewn in
dotted lines in the plan, Figure 4, on which pin the slide is free to play loosely,
but is guided and maintained in its proper position by the guide e fitted into
one side of the shuttle, as shewn in Figure 3.. The lever D works freely on
the second stud B, and one end bears upon the under side of the lever C,
whilst the other is acted upon by the free end of the curved feeler d. This
feeler works loosely upon the stud A, and is curved upwards, so as to protrude
slightly above the notched portion of the shuttle, as shewn at f. g is a hooked
catch jointed to the lever C, and hooking on, to the stud B, so long as the
mechanism is not brought into action, the object of this catch being to prevent
the lever C and head c from being accidentally elevated by the motions of the
shuttle, and causing thereby an unnecessary breakage of the weft.
When a
float occurs in the warp, the thread or threads of such float will come in
contact with the part of the feeler d, and will depress the free end of the
same. This depression of the feeler elevates the tail of the lever D, which
bears upon the under side of the. lever C and catch g, and elevates both
simultaneously, thereby lifting the slide or head c above the end of the shuttle
tongue F, which produces sufficient drag or resistance to break the weft
thread, when the loom will stop, as herein-before described..
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the samne is or may be used or carried

page_text: into effect, we would observe, in conclusion, that what we consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,
First, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of apparatus
used in weaving, as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use to and in shuttles used in weaving of self-
acting apparatus or mechanism, whereby on the occurrence of a float in the
warp, or imperfect shedding, such mechanism will cause the breakage of the
weft, and indirectly effect the stoppage of the loom.
Third, the causing of the weft thread before leaving the shuttle to pass
against or over a moveable lever head or slide, the displacement of which on
the occurrence of a float in the warp, will impart such a drag or tension to
the weft as will cause its instant breakage, and thereby stop the loom.
Fourth, the peculiar constructions, arrangements, and combinations of self-
acting mechanism applied to shuttles, in the manner and for the purpose
herein-before described and illustrated by our Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Elijah Dixon and Henry Whittaker,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-sixth day of
July, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
ELIJAH DIXON.
(L.S.)
HENRY WHITTAKER. (L.S.)