IMPROVE- MENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING ROTARY SHUTTLE BOXES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Wright Barker, of Anderlecht, near Brussels,
in Belgium, Manufacturer of Stuff Goods, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING ROTARY SHUTTLE BOXES."
Sealed the 26th January 1864, and dated the 11th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Wright Barker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th August 1863.
I, DAVID WRIGHT BARKER, of Anderlecht, near Brussels, in Belgium,
Manufacturer of Stuff Goods, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING ROTARY
SHUTTLE BOXES," to be as follows :—
The object of the improvements is economy and simplicity in working.
For this purpose upon the tappet lever I apply a projection with a nib or
bowl in position to act at times upon either of two surfaces of different eleva-
tions formed on one arm of an inverted L lever, which is also formed to act
on the catch, which by pin joint is connected to the lever for driving the
series of boxes, whilst the other end of this catch is capable of taking on to
the tappet lever. The other end of the inverted L lever carries a stud, by
which the selection is made by the pattern surface employed, and it also
carries the click or driver by which the barrel of the pattern surface is caused
to revolve.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Wright Barker in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. I, DAVID
WRIGHT BARKER, of Anderlecht, near Brussels, in Belgium, Manufacturer of
Stuff Goods, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for erself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said David Wright Barker, Her special license that I, the said
David Wright Barker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said David Wright Barker, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING ROTARY
SHUTTLE BOXES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said David
Wright Barker, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David Wright Barker, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and the letters and figures marked thercon (that is to say) :-
The object of these improvements in the means or apparatus for actuating
rotary shuttle boxes is economy and simplicity in working. For this purpose
upon the tappet lever I apply a projection with a nib or bowl in position to
act at times upon either of two surfaces of different elevations formed on one
arm of an inverted L lever, which is also formed to act on the catch, which
by a pin joint is connected to the lever for driving the series of boxes, whilst
the other end of this catch is capable of taking on to the tappet lever. The
other end of the inverted L lever carries a stud, by which the selection is

page_text: made by the pattern surface employed, and it also carries the click or driver
by which the barrel of the pattern surface is caused to revolve.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. I. is a front view of the mechanisni,
Fig. II. is a plan view of the same, and Figures III., IV., and V. are detached
views of some of the parts.
In Hodgson's and other similar looms the mechanism which serves to form
the line of different colors or shades in the fabrics is composed of a box or
cylinder having compartments, each of which carries a shuttle provided with a
thread of the required color. These shuttles follow each other in the order
required in the fabric to be given to the thread which they carry. This box
is mounted at its centre upon two pivots, and remains stationary as long as it
is required to present the same shuttle to the action of the picker or shuttle
driver which works it, but as soon as a thread of a different color is required the
box will rotate on its axis, and present another shuttle to the action of the
picker. The mechanism which gives axial motion to the shuttle box at
the required time is composed of an octagonal barrel or cylinder A, in each
of the faces of which are two perforations a, a, (Fig. V.). This barrel or
cylinder alternately rises and falls at each motion of the loom, receiving at the
same time an intermittent axial motion, which causes it cach time to present
a different face. In rising it comes in contact with two pins B, B', mounted
upon an arrangement of levers, but as these pins are exactly opposite the per-
forations a they will enter them, and consequently their contact with the
cylinder A would not produce any effect if the chain of cards C which
passes over the cylinder A did not at certain times intercept the passage of
one of the pins into the cylinder. In fact this chain, which is composed as is
well known of a certain number of rectangular cards of the same size as the
face of the cylinder, is carried forward by projections a' set on this latter cor-
responding with perforations in the cards. A portion of these cards C is
provided with a perforation corresponding exactly with the left-hand perfora-
tion of the cylinder A, another part with the right-hand perforation, and
another part with both perforations at once. The result will be that each
time one of the two pins B comes in contact with the plain part of the card
it will follow the upward motion of the cylinder, and will communicate that
motion to the mechanism which serves to actuate a ratchet wheel by which
the shuttle box is actuated. As long as the same shuttle is at work the cards
which are presented will have two perforations, and consequently the pins will
not move. If the left-hand shuttle is to come into operation in place of the
one actually at work, one of the pins B will be actuated by means of a card;

page_text: if the right-hand shuttle is to be presented, the other pin will come into
operation; it will therefore be seen that one of these pins serves to turn the
shuttle box from right to left, and the other from left to right. It will be
understood that heretofore, in order to obtain the different results above
described, movements of a somewhat complicated character have been required,
the object of the present improvements is, therefore, to simplify these move-
Iments to a considerable extent.
According to these improvements the card cylinder A, Figures I. and II.,
is mounted upon a shaft, and has only an intermittent axial motion imparted
to it in order to present the cards to the action of the levers. A cam D,
acting upon the bowl of a lever E, causes "such lever to rise and fall alter-
nately. This lever carries an arm F provided with two bowls f, f. On the
lever E rising, these bowls come in contact with a curved projection on the
vertical levers G, G', which being moved to the left will raise tho two
levers H, H, attached thereto above. The lever H carries a pawlo h, which
in rising will carry round to the extent of one tooth the ratchet wheel I
attached to the card cylinder A, and thereby impart axial motion to this
latter, so as to present a fresh card to the pins B. A catch i (Fig. III.)
acted upon by a coiled spring keeps the cylinder A in its place by taking into
the teeth of a wheel I' mounted upon the cylinder shaft. As soon as the
cylinder A has assumed another position, the two levers H, H', again fall by
their own weight, and the pins B come down upon the card. If this latter bo
perforated on one side or the other, one of the pins B or B' will be allowed to
pass into the cylinder A, and the lover G or G' jointed at h¹ will advance
from left to right, and will act upon the catch K or K' at the moment that
the lever E again rises under the action of the cam D. In rising it carries
with it the hook K or K', which acts in its turn upon one of the levers L or
L' which actuate the mechanism whose office it is to give motion to the
rotating shuttle box. One of the pins, as has been above remarked, serves to
move it to the right, and the other to the left. As there is nothing new or
peculiar in the construction of the rotatory shuttle box or its appendages these
parts are not shewn in the Drawings, which are simply intended to shew the
new parts of the mechanism.
I would here remark, that in Hodgson's loom it is the perforations in the
cards which prevent the action of the pins B, whilst in my arrangement it is
the plain portions of the cards which produce that effect.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Means
or Apparatus for Actuating Rotary Shuttle Boxes," and having explained

page_text: the manner of carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood that,
under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim the arrangement of
mechanism above shewn and described, or any mere modification thereof, and
which has for its object to do away with the intermittent rectilinear motion of
the card cylinder in Hodgson's and other looms acting in a similar manner,
and by that means to simplify the transmission of motion to the mechanism
for working the shuttle box.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Wright Barker, bave hereunto
set my hand and seal, the First day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
DAVID WRIGHT BARKER. (LS.)