CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William and Jacob Todd, of Heywood, in the
County of Lancaster, Spinners and Manufacturers, for the Invention
of" CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 23rd November 1861, and dated the 17th June 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Todd and Jacob
Todd at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 17th June 1861.
We, WILLIAM and JACOB TODD, of Heywood, in the County of Lan-
caster, Spinners and Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates moro particularly to the picking motion of looms, and
is so arranged that a direct action shall be given to the picking apparatus;
and, secondly, that the picking stick or rod shall be supported at its basc or
fulcrum without any connection with the slay to which heretofore it has been
attached.
Firstly, our improved apparatus for picking consists in the peculiar arrange-
ment of two studs, plates, or fingers, flattened, curved, or otherwise so adjusted
and arranged in their respective levers that by the arrangement of such levers
and studs, berein-after explained, a direct action is obtained upon such studs
or fingers, thereby transmitting a sharp, clear, or slightly yielding motion to
the picking rod without any deterioratory wear to the picking apparatus
employed. This direct action is obtained by means of a lever arranged and
secured upon any convenient shaft, to which a revolving or vibratory motion is

page_text: given, the said lever being supplied with one of the afore-mentioned studs or
fingers, which shall as the said lever is caused to revolve or rotate, be brought
into direct contact with a similar stud or finger, adjusted in like manner to
a bell-crank lever, such lever at its opposite end being connected with the
picking stick, so causing the revolving or rotatory stud in its action to give a
direct blow to the second adjustable stud in the afore-mentioned bell-crank
lever, thereby transmitting motion to the picking apparatus, the studs, plates,
or fingers at their point of contact being flattened, bevelled, or otherwise, such
an arrangement of flattened or bevelled form in their action giving a sharp,
clear, or slightly yielding motion to the picking rod, as desired.
The novel peculiarity in our improved picker rod is, that in place of con-
necting such rod at its base, we employ the use of a universal joint attached to
the framing for forming the support of such picker rod, thereby dispensing
with the rocking motion inevitable when connected with the slay, the universal
joint giving greater freedom and independence to the action of such picking
stick.
Upon reference to the accompanying Drawing, our Invention will more
readily be understood.
a is the revolving or vibratory shaft, upon which is secured the lever b,
supplied with the adjustable finger plate or stud c, such stud in its revolution
being brought into direct contact with the stud c', giving motion to the lever d,
having its fulcrum at c in the framing, the action of such studs and levers
transmitting a clear motion to the picker stick f through any ordinary con-
necting medium; g is a universal joint attached to the framing, and forming
the fulcrum or base of the picking rod f, thereby giving greater ease or freedom
of action to the picker, causing a steadier and firmer propulsion to the shuttle
from box to box
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Todd and Jacob Todd in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
TODD, of Heywood, in the County of Tancaster. Spinner and Manufacturer,
and JACOB TODD, of the same Place, Overlooker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said

page_text: William Todd and Jacob Todd, Her special liceuse that we, the said
William Todd and Jacob Todd, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said William Todd and Jacob Todd, our execu-
tors, 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 POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition, amongst others,
that we, the said William Todd and Jacob Todd, 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 we, the said William and Jacob Todd, 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 by the following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:-
Our Invention relates to an improved picking motion for looms, wherein the
novel arrangement of mechanism employed shall cause a direct action to be
given to the picking apparatus by a peculiar arrangement of studs, plates, or
fingers, so formed and adjusted in their respective levers that by their being
brought into contact from two opposite centres a sharp, clear, or slightly
yielding notion shall be transmitted to the picking stick without any deterio-
rating wear to the picking apparatus employed. This direct action between two
centres is obtained by means of a lever arranged and secured upon any con-
venient shaft, to which a revolving or vibratory motion is given, this lever
being supplied with one of the afore-mentioned studs, plates, or fingers, which
shall, as the said lever is caused to revolve or rotate, be brought into direct
contact with a similar stud or finger, adjusted in like manner to a bell-crank
lever, baving its fulcrum attached to the frame of the loom, such lever at its
opposite end being connected with the picking stick, causing the revolving
stud in its action to give a direct blow to the stud in the bell-crank lever,
thereby transmitting motion to the picking stick, the studs, plates, or fingers
at their point of contact being flattened, bevelled, or otherwise, so that in their
action by such forms they shall give a sharp, clear, or slightly yielding motion
to the picking stick, this yielding motion being more particularly obtained by

page_text: causing the flattened edges of the studs in their contact gradually to fold upon
each other, that is, the revolving stud to come in contact with its point or edge
upon the surface of the stud in the bell-crank lever, thereby as it revolves
bringing the two surfaces together, giving the desired yield to the picking
stick, as the shuttle is thrown from box to box. Any alteration of the studs,
plates, or fingers with respect to their length from their centres of actions
regulate any required strength of pick necessary to be given through their
connecting mechanism with the picking stick.
Secondly, our improvements relate to a novel arrangement or swivel or
compound joint for supporting the base and forming the fulcrum of "picking
stick," the said joint being retained and held in position for working by means
of a bracket attached to the frame of the loom, such arrangement allowing the
action of picking stick to be free and easy.
But in order that our Invention may be the better understood and explained
in detail, we have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 being
made upon a scale of about one-fourth of full size, and Fig. 3 being half size,
baving similar letters of reference marked upon corresponding parts of the
apparatus in all the Figures.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our improved apparatus attached to an ordinary
loom frame; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of same; and Fig. 3 an enlarged view
of the two points or centres with their respective levers, having the studs or
fingers in position for commencement of the pick, the dotted lines showing
their position when the shuttle is thrown.
a is frame of the loom, supporting the wiper or tappet shaft b, to which is
keyed the lever c, having adjusted and secured to it a stud or finger d; e is
the fulcrum of the bent or bell-crank leverf, supported by the frame a, one
end of this lever having adjusted and secured to it a stud or finger g, corre-
sponding to the afore-mentioned stud or finger d; the opposite end of the
lever is connected to the picking stick h by the strap i and pulley k, this
pulley being shown in part section, Fig. 1, for the purpose of representing the
manner in which it is secured to the picking stick bracket 1, such securing of
the said pulley being necessary when the proper adjustment of the lever f and
stud 9 is effected; a¹ and c¹ are eye bolts through which the studs or fingers d
and g are inserted, for the purpose of securing them to their respective levers;
m is a spring attached to the frame a, exerting its force on the bell-crank lever f,
keeping such lever in its adjusted position; is a bracket attached to the frame
of loom, supporting a boss o, the interior of such boss being fitted with a small
shaft or stud p, supplied with a head, through which it is bored a hole at right
angles with its shaft or stud p, this shaft head projecting into a recess formed

page_text: studd
in the cap of picking stick h; r is a pin upon which the picking stick
rests, such pin passing through and fitting the hole bored in head of shaft or
P, the pin r and shaft p becoming thereby the fulcrum of picking stick,
their combined movements forming a swivel or compound joint, upon which
the picking stick freely works.
The action of our direct picking motion will readily be understood from the
foregoing lettered description, on reference being made to the Drawing. Tho
bell-crank lever f for the commencement of pick is so adjusted by the strap i
and pulley that it shall be a little inclined over the direct line of contact
between the two centres 6 and e, so meeting in anticipation, as it were, the
revolving stud d, their first point of contact, consequently, being with the edge
of stud y upon the surface of stud d, as seen more distinctly in Fig. 3, so
causing, as the stud d revolves in direction of the arrow, a yielding and
complete action to the picking stick; any desired strength of pick may bo
obtained by shortening or lengthening the studs d and g from their respective
centres, that is for getting a strong pick the stud d is lengthened or drawn
out from its centre b, the stud y being shortened in proportion, such regulation
and adjustment of studs readily obtaining any pick desirable.
Having now fully described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same was to be performed, we wish it to be distinctly
understood that we claim,-
First, the novel and peculiar combination and arrangement of the parts of
mechanism set forth and described, whereby a direct "picking motion is
obtained in looms for weaving.
Secondly, the peculiar arrangement of compound joint forming the picking
stick fulcrum, and the means whereby such joint is supported.
Also, the several parts whereby such actions are adjusted for the simple and
effective working of the said picking motions, as all such improvements aro
herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, William Todd and Jacob Todd, have hereunto
set our hands and seals, this Twelfth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WILLIAM TODD. (L.S.)
JACOB TODD.
(L.S.)