CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR " WEAVING
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Glover, of Prestwich, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
"
WEAVING."
Sealed the 10th February 1874, and dated the 15th December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Glover at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th December 1873.
I, WILLIAM GLOVER, of Prestwich, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “ CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:--
My Invention consists in the arrangement and construction of the
various parts forming a fixed vertical beam loom, to be worked by hand
or power, and to be used for weaving horsehair, silk, wire, and other
materials.
.
My improved loom consists of an endless chain of links containing
the shuttles, the chain passing above and below around polygonal drums,
and the warp passing between the ascending and descending parts of the

page_text: chain. In weaving horsehair or other material in short lengths forming
the weft the weft is fed by hand into a jaw forming the end of the
shuttle, and as the endless chain turns over the upper drum the shuttle
with the weft drops through the open shed, and when down the weft is
released by a lever pressing against the jaw of the shuttle which passes
through the lower drum and through a slot in the lowermost link of the
chain. The weft is supported above by a pair of soft nippers made of
india-rubber or other suitable material. When the horsehair or other
single weft is fed by power the shuttle has a spiked nipper to select a
single weft from a bunch, and in order to keep the hair straight I hold
the bunch in a case lined with ordinary card fillet. Single wefts are
presented to several shuttles at the same time, and when once a weft has
been taken hold of by the spiked nipper the further supply is prevented
by a weft fork.
My improved instrument for selecting a single hair or other weft
consists of a blunt knife blade with a small nick in it, or a compound
weft hook consisting of a pair of jaws, one having a small nick with an
adjustable guide and spring, which jaws are pushed into the bunch of
single wefts, and on being withdrawn carry forward a weft in the said
nick.
My improved instrument for making selvages consists of a rod, which
is moved up and down in the shed by means of a tappet or other equiva-
lent, and a lever to which the rod is jointed. The weft is carried across
the shed by an eye in the point of the rod, and the loop below is caught
by the yarn from a small shuttle, which is traversed to and fro by a
lever, picker, and spring.
In weaving very wide fabrics the weft may be introduced by a series
of shuttles with a hook at each end, which shuttles catch the weft in
succession, and are raised by the endless chain of links before referred
to. The weft is released from the shuttle by means of an arm attached
to the lever for actuating the small shuttle above described. In vertical
looms where a single shuttle is used the shuttle falls through the shed
by its own gravity, and it is raised by friction rollers.
In order to prevent injury to the warp when the shuttle is caught in
the shed, and to dispense with a loose reed, I employ a cross rail which
depresses the warp into a trough, and is held down by springs, so that
if the shuttle is caught in the shed the springs yield and displace the

page_text: cross rail. Should there be no obstruction an arm is pressed against the
cross rail by a rod connected to the reed frame, and holds it rigid.
cross rail. Should there be no obstruction an arm is pressed against the
cross rail by a rod connected to the reed frame, and holds it rigid.
When looms are worked by human labour I use a double crank shaft,
which is worked by the feet or hands of the operator in the same manner
as the ordinary bicycle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Glover in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GLOVER, of Prestwich, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Glover, Her special
licence that I, the said William Glover, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Glover, my 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 " CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, .
the said William Glover, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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, the said William Glover, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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) :-
My Invention consists principally in various improvements in vertical
beam looms, particularly applicable for weaving horsehair or other fabrics.

page_text: having the weft in short lengths, but partly also to looms for weaving
other fabrics; and in order that my Invention may be fully understood
I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved fixed vertical beam loom, which
may be worked by hand or power, for weaving horsehair, silk, wire,
and other materials; Fig. 2 is a front view; and Fig. 3, a plan of the
same.
a is the crank shaft; b, the tappet shaft; c, the lay swords carrying
the lay and reed; d, the warp beam; e, the healds; and f, the taking-
up roller. All these parts may be constructed in the ordinary manner,
but the axles are placed vertically, instead of horizontally, as usual.
My improvements consist of the endless chain of links g, each link
being provided with a socket for the shuttles h, one of which is shewn
detached on an enlarged scale in Figs. 4 and 5. The shuttles are made
with a spring jaw at each end to hold the weft.
The chain g passes
over the polygonal drum i, and below under the drum j. Both these
drums are intersected by cross passages, as shewn by the dotted lines, to
allow for the passage of the shuttles, which fall by their own gravity
through the drum i, then through the shed formed by the warp passing
between the ascending and descending parts of the chain, and then
through the drum j. The descent of the shuttle is finally arrested by
the curved plate j. As the links of the endless chain g ascend with the
shuttles the attendant supplies each shuttle with a horse hair or other
material in short lengths forming the weft, and as the endless chain
turns over the upper drum i the shuttle, which then assumes a vertical
position, is arrested in the said drum by the spring tongue k, which is
connected to the lever k¹, hinged to the loom framing. The lever k¹ is
pulled back to liberate the shuttle when the shed is open by the cord k³
connected to the upper lay sword c. As soon as the shuttle is liberated
it drops through the upper shuttle box 7, then through the open shed,
and falls into the lower shuttle box, where it is arrested by the swivel
piece 2. The weft which has been carried through the open shed, and
which is held above by the springs attached to the upper box / is now
liberated by means of the spring catch m hinged to the lower lay sword.
The short arm of this spring catch is connected by a cord to the
spring m¹, and when the reed is beating up the weft the cord is tightened
and presses the spring catch against the loose jaw of the shuttle, thereby

page_text: releasing the weft and leaving it in the shed. The swivel piece 7* is
now moved from under the shuttle by the cam n¹ on the driving shaft n.
This cam acts on the bar n³, which is connected to the swivel piece /² by
a cord. The shuttle thus liberated falls through the drum j into the
lowest link of the chain 9, and rests against the curved plate j', by which
it is guided as the drum performs the next quarter revolution. The
drums i and j are turned one-fourth round at every revolution of the
crank shaft a by the cam a¹, lever a², and catch bar a³, which acts on
the ratchet wheel ¹ fixed to the axle of the drum i, and the drum is
held rigid when turned by the weighted lever. The crank shaft a may
be driven by power or by the feet of the operator working the double.
crank on the driving shaft n, which is connected to the crank shaft a by
mitre wheels, as shewn in Fig. 1.
When the loom is driven by the feet of the attendant acting on the
double crank shaft n, in the same manner as in working an ordinary
bicycle, both the hands of the attendant are at liberty for supplying
horsehair or other weft to the shuttles as as they are carried upwards by
the endless chain of links.
When the horsehair or other single weft is fed by power the shuttle
shewn in Fig. 6 is used; this shuttle has a nipper at each end, with a
spike in the loose jaw to select a single weft from the bunch, and in
order to keep the hair or other weft straight I hold the bunch in a case
lined with ordinary card fillet. The double case lined with card fillet
may be employed, and the single weft selected between the two parts of
the case, as shewn in Fig. 6*. When single wefts are presented to
several shuttles at the same time, and when once a weft has been taken
hold of by the spiked nipper, the further supply is prevented by a weft
fork.
My improved instrument for selecting a single hair or other weft
consists of a blunt knife blade with a small nick in it, as shewn in Fig. 7,
or a compound weft hook, as shewn in Fig. 8, consisting of a pair of
jaws, one having a small nick with an adjustable guide and spring,
which jaws are pushed into the bunch of single wefts, and on being
withdrawn carry forward a weft in the said nick.
My improved instrument for making selvages is shewn in Fig. 9; it
consists of a rod o, which is moved up and down in the shed by means
of the tappet n³ or other equivalent on the shaft n, and the lever o¹

page_text: actuated by the tappet and connected to the lever o³, to which the rod o
is jointed. The weft is carried across the shed by an eye or hook in the
point of the rod o, and the loop below is caught by the yarn from the
small shuttle or bobbin p, which is traversed to and fro by the levers o*
and pickers o, actuated by the lay or from the crank shaft, or one of the
levers o can be moved by the lever q jointed to the rod q¹, the upper
end of which is acted upon by the lever o², and the other by a projection
from the tappet n³ or other equivalent. The shuttle or bobbin p is
acted upon by the lever break p', which is jointed to the link q'. When
the link is depressed by the lever o² it removes the break from the
shuttle or bobbin. The weft conductor p³ is jointed to the lever p¹, and
serves to guide the weft near to the selvage.
In weaving very wide fabrics the weft may be introduced by a series
of shuttles, with a hook at each end, as shewn in Fig. 10, which shuttles
catch the weft in succession, and are raised by the endless chain of
links 9 before referred to. As the shuttle drops through the shuttle
box the weft is guided by an eye or a slide or lever, so that the upper
hook catches hold of the weft and carries it through the shed. The weft
is released from the shuttle by means of an arm or collar attached to
either of the pickers o³, as shewn in dots in Fig. 9, above described.
In vertical looms where a single shuttle is used the shuttle falls
through the shed by its own gravity, and it is raised by friction rollers,
as shewn in Fig. 11. The friction rollers are connected to the carriage r,
which is moved up and down by the lever 21 and grooved tappet n³ on
the driving shaft n, or in any other convenient manner.
In order to prevent injury to the warp when the shuttle is caught in
the shed, and to dispense with a loose reed, I employ the apparatus
shewn in Figs. 12 and 13, which consists of a cross rail s hinged to the
back rail t, and which depresses the warp into a trough: The cross rail s
is held down by springs s² fixed to the rail s¹. By this arrangement, if
the shuttle is caught in the shed, the springs &² yield, and allow the cross
rail s to be raised by the extra tension on the warp. Should there be no
obstruction in the shed the arm t¹ is pressed against the cross rail by a
rod connected to the reed frame, and holds its rigid.
Having thus stated the nature and particulars of my Invention I a
declare that I claim,-
First. The general combination and arrangement of the parts of the

page_text: vertical beam loom for weaving horsehair or other material, the weft of
which is in short lengths, as shewn and described.
Secondly. The use of an endless chain of links for raising the shuttles
vertically, as shewn and described.
Thirdly. Driving looms by means of a double crank actuated by the
hands or feet of the operator, as shewn and described.
Fourthly. The improved modes of constructing shuttles used in
weaving fabrics, in which the weft is in short lengths, as shewn and
described.
Fifthly. The improved instruments for selecting single weft threads
out of a bunch, as shewn and described.
Sixthly. Lining the case containing horsehair with card fillet, as
described.
Seventhly. The improved combination of machinery for carrying the
weft through the vertical shed, and for making the selvage, ashewn
and described in reference to Fig. 9.
Eighthly. The improved shuttle, with a hook at each end for ca ting
the weft through a vertical shed, as shewn and described in referen
Fig. 10.
Ninthly. The application of a carriage with friction rollers for tra
versing the shuttle through a vertical shed, as shewn and described in
reference to Fig. 11.
And, tenthly. The improved arrangement of parts for releasing the
warp in case of the shuttle being caught in the shed, as shewn and
described in reference to Figs. 12 and 13.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Glover, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of June One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-four.
WILLIAM GLOVER.. (TS)
WILLIAM GLOVER (LS)