IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Meadows and Richard Thomas Cotton, both of
Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 11th July 1879, and dated the 30th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Meadows and
Richard Thomas Cotton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
30th April 1879.
RICHARD MEADOWS and RICHARD THOMAS COTTON, both of Blackburn, in the
County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
This Invention relates principally to looms employed for weaving handkerchiefs
and other articles having stripes or patterns across the piece at certain intervals to
correspond with the longitudinal borders or patterns woven on the selvedges of the
piece, and is designed to enable the loom to weave these headings or cross patterns
by self acting mechanism at a given time.
On the tappet shaft and cast with one of the tappets is a clutch, and on this shaft
is also keyed (but sliding freely thereon) a clutch box, which is actuated by a forked
lever, one end of which is pivoted to the front of the loom frame. Attached to the
bottom cross binders of the loom are fixed two brackets provided with slots, which
carry a sliding bar. To one end of this sliding bar is attached a heart cam, which
is acted upon and caused to revolve by means of a bevil wheel fixed in a bracket
attached to the cross binder of the loom, and driven by another bevil wheel keyed
on the tappet shaft. A catch lever is pivoted on the cross sliding bar, which is
held down by a spring, and bears and acts upon the clutch box lever, one end of a.
cord or wire being connected to this lever, and the other end to one of the jack
levers on the dobby above.
At the top of the loom we fix a simplified arrangement of an ordinary dobby, the
feeler wires of which are actuated by pegged lags or cards,

page_text: On one end of the star wheel shaft are keyed two ratchet wheels, which are
acted upon by two catches or pawls at a given time.
On one of the cross binders of the loom we fix a bracket which carries a measuring
roller; this measuring roller is caused to revolve by means of an endless tape or
band which passes around the sand roller or emery beam of the loom. This
measuring roller is provided with pegs or pins at certain intervals which act
upon a lever connected with the cord or wire of the pattern catch lever on the
dobby.
On the tappet shaft and cast with the other tappet is a tumbler, which is acted
upon by a bowl on the end of a forked rod or lever, the other end of which is
pivoted to a bracket on the loom frame.
The healds in this arrangement of loom are worked direct by the ordinary treadles
instead of from the dobby or jackquard, as heretofore.
The action of the mechanism is as follows:-
When it is desired to weave the heading or pattern across the piece a pin on the
measuring roller comes into contact with the lever, which is connected by a wire or
cord to the "pattern catch on the dobby, depressing the said catch onto the
toothed ratchet wheel, causing it to revolve, carrying with it the chain of pegged
lags or cards which act upon the feelers or hooked wires connected to the "jack "
lever.
The wire attached to the end of the jack lever is connected to the hooked catch
in the sliding bar (aforesaid) beneath the loom, which causes the hooked catch to
act upon the clutch box lever, thereby throwing the said clutch out of action with
the tappets, and so produces the pattern.
Thus when the loom is weaving the plain cloth (with the striped borders) the
clutch box is in gear with the clutch connected to the tappets, and when weaving
the heading or stripe across the piece the sliding clutch is thrown out of gear with
the tappets for a given number of picks by the aforesaid arrangement, so as
to form the cross stripes.
When the heading or stripes across the piece is being formed the taking up roller
is acted upon by a catch which prevents it taking up the cloth until a certain
number of picks are given in one "shed," thereby forming a kind of cord in the
stripes.
The tumbler connected with the tappets on the tappet shaft is acted upon by the
bowl on the end of the pivoted lever aforesaid, so as to steady the tappets and
prevent them turning round with the shaft when thrown out of action with the
clutch box.
For weaving pattern borders we employ two dobbies, one of which is working
continuously, and forms the pattern along each selvedge by floating the warp
threads, and the other works only at intervals when put into gear by the pin on
the measuring roller above mentioned coming into contact with the catch lever, and
forms the pattern by floating the weft threads.