IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING AND IN SHUTTLES FOR THE SAME AND FOR OTHER MACHINES.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engi-
neer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING AND
IN SHUTTLES FOR THE SAME AND FOR OTHER MACHINES.".
'-A communi-
cation from abroad by Hamilton E. Towle, of the City and State
of New York, United States of America, Civil Engineer.
Scaled the 11th November 1870, and dated the 18th May 1870.
"
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th May 1870.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," :
Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING AND IN SHUTTLES FOR THE SAME AND FOR OTHER MACHINES,” a
'communication, to be as follows :-
:-
Heretofore the mechanism employed for producing the mechanical
manipulations of the threads of the fabric in looms especially adapted
for weaving narrow wares, to which this Invention particularly relates

page_text: has been so constructed and combined that several set of threads or
webs were necessarily operated together, the machinery being arranged
in one framework usually including several sets of harnesses and their
respective shuttles in such a manner that the stoppage of one shuttle
necessitated the stoppage of all the others throughout the whole frame-
work or machine. Such a system is sometimes termed an engine loom.
In such an engine loom it is not uncommon to arrange sets of different
kinds or qualities of warps according to the number of shuttles provided
and the character of the work to be produced. In looms these shuttles
vary in number according to construction. A great disadvantage in
using such an engine loom arises from the fact that a disarrangement
in any particular warp or filling or their operating mechanism of
necessity compels the stoppage of the entire system and occasions an
entire suspension of weaving in all the webs on the framework. The
shuttle and harness operating mechanism in the ordinary system above
described, is cumbersome and not applicable with economy of cost and
space to the driving, or to the weaving of single webs.
My improvements relate to jacquard mechanism for operating the
harness, and also to the construction and operation of the shuttles of
looms more especially adapted to weaving various fabrics and fancy
goods, and are particularly applicable to the weaving of several webs,
and consequently the working of several shuttles in one frame or on
separate frames, the machinery of each web operating independently of
the other in either case.
The said Invention has for its object increase of production and
consequent economy in the cost of the fabric to which it is applied.
In practice I prefer to arrange upon the framework two or more
weaving organizations in such a manner that the operating mechanism
of each shuttle together with its harness, may be started, worked, or
stopped without affecting or interfering with the working, starting, or
stopping of any other shuttle upon the framework. Thus a number of
complete elementary looms may be fixed upon one frame or kept upon
separate frames, each in its working being entirely independent of the
others, any disarrangement or breaking of threads disturbing only the
organization immediately disabled without in any manner affecting the
system or combination of elements making up the set upon the frame-
work. The harness or heddles of the jacquard proper which carry the
warp of the fabric are attached by rods, guide plates, or cords to lifting

page_text: ..
hooks above, these lifting hooks are jointed together in pairs by a hinge
or rivet through a hinge plate, to which plates as forming part of the
pair of hooks the harness is attached by means of the rods and cords
aforesaid. The pairs of hooks of which there may be any convenient
number, according to the work intended to be performed, are arranged
in a row between two pattern rollers or pattern wheels against which
they rest, each hook being kept firmly against its roller by a spring
between it and its mate, which rests against the opposite roller. Each
of the two rollers receives an independent rotary motion which is given
by means of a pawl and ratchet teeth or pins. On the rollers where
they come in contact with the hooks are placed small screws or projec-
tions, which as each roller rotates press against the hooks, so as to push
them away from the roller at any point desired in order that they may
not engage with the lifters herein-after described. The lifters of which
there are two, one for each side of the row or system of paired hooks
consist of hook formed blades broad enough to engage with all of the
hooks in each side of the row, fastened to vertical reciprocating rods.
These vertical rods, there being one on each side, are united by chains
working around pulleys or simply by walking beams above and below.
A vertical reciprocating motion is given to the rods which causes the
lifters to alternately ascend and descend and engage with the hooks
(except such as may be thrown out of their reach by the projections
the pattern rollers,) and in this way to raise the harness I use springs,
weights, straps or belts, around rollers or pulleys, or any other suitable
devices to draw the harnesses down steadily. The shuttle is moved upon
a circular track or race, the centre of which is near where the filling is
being beaten up by the forward motion of the reed or lay. The race is in
this case a T rail corresponding to a groove in the under part of the body
of the shuttle. The shuttle may be made of wood, metal, or composition.
The spool or quill carried by the shuttle has its axis vertical and at
right angles to the plane of motion of the shuttle. This position of the
weft spool is preferred because the angle of the delivery of the thread
remains more nearly constant than is the case when the axis of the
spool coincides with the longitudinal axis of the shuttle. The uniform
tension applied to the weft as it is drawn from the shuttle permits the
use of the finest thread and the highest rate of speed in the loom, and
the delivery from the shuttle bobbin whether full or nearly empty
continues with very nearly or quite the same uniform tension, therefore
the resulting fabric will have a corresponding uniformity in texture, and

page_text: present a superior selvage. For obtaining this tension I use an adjust-
able spring and à lever that bears upon the filling thread in the spool
bobbin or quill of the shuttle. The force exerted by the. spring is
adjusted by means of a wrench or key and the manner of the application
of the force so adjusted is regulated by the position of the fulcrum of
the lever, so that when the spool is nearly empty and the spring is at
its least extension the leverage is most direct upon it or at right angles
to the lever, and when the spool is quite full and the strain upon the
spring the greatest the direction of its force is applied at an acute
angle. Immediately under the centre of the shuttle race is a stud, upon
which are two sleeves turning upon a common axis. From cach of
these sleeves are bent arms projecting outward and upward; in the ends
of these arms or carriers are steel pins sliding in vertical holes pressed
upward by springs. The upper ends of the pins fit into holes or recesses
in the bottom of and near each end of the shuttle, and as each carrier
moves in the arc of a circle on each side of the shuttle race or track
the said carriers alternately engage with and carry the shuttle by the
pins entering into the said holes or recesses. Each carrier by its pin
alternately brings the shuttle around at the proper moment and passes
it into and partly through the warp, when the other carrier pin immedi-
ately engages with the other recess, and the first carrier then releases
the shuttle because of its pin being pressed down by a cam on the lower
side of the shuttle race. When the first carrier has passed the shuttle
through the warp and delivered it to the other the first remains station-
ary until the shuttle is returned, when the first again engages with it as
before. In order that there may be no possibility of the carriers failing
to move at the proper moment in relation to each other, the sleeves or
arms above-mentioned have shoulders or jogs upon them so arranged
that when one carrier arrives at the proper position for the other one to
start with the shuttle, and in case of any hesitation or failure in starting
properly from the action of its own carrier mechanism, then the jogs
come in contact and one carrier moves the other, or with the other, for
a length of time and distance sufficient to ensure the engagement and
disengagement of the pins with the holes or recesses in the shuttle.
From each of the carrier arms and also from the lay or reed, the latter
working upon a pivot in the lower part of the machine, are connecting
rods extending to levers which are operated by positive or double-acting
cams upon the main shaft in the rear part of the machine. The con-
necting rods are jointed to the carrier arms and also to the levers by

page_text: ball and socket or other joints. The complex motions of the connecting
rods themselves, which motions are derived from the movements of
the levers and carriers moving in different planes and in circular arcs,
render the ball-and-socket joint or its equivalent essential.. The take-up
consists of two (or more) rollers around and between which the fabric
is passed; these rollers have a surface of rubber, woolen cloth, leather,
or other material which will increase the friction upon the fabric.. The
fabric being woven passes from the centre of the shuttle race, where
the filling is laid by the reed, over a stand and breast piece or roller
down and around the first roller of the take-up and thence up between
that and another roller; this second roller is held against the first roller
by a spring that will allow the second roller to be drawn back to release
the fabric when required. Motion is given to the take-up by means of
a flanged friction wheel upon one end of the first roller. Clasping the
flange of the friction wheel both inside and out is a friction gripe, the
inner end of which engages in a notch in a lever which is hung upon
the centre of the friction wheel; this lever and gripe are arranged in
such a manner that when the lever is pressed down the gripe is made
to pinch or lock upon the flange of the friction wheel. For safety and
certainty of action two of these gripes are used. The lever is operated
by a stud or pin on the lay. At each forward motion of the reed or lay
the lever is pressed down, the gripes bite or lock upon the flange,
and the take-up roller is made to revolve through minute spaces as
desired. The lever and gripes are drawn back after each stroke by
springs. The movement of the take up is adjusted by moving the stud
or pin up or down upon the lay. On the flange of the friction wheel
is a hold fast or holding gripe held against it by a spring to prevent it
from moving backward. In cases where the strain would be excessive
I combine with the lever a worm wheel to operate on a flange on the
roller.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
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,
usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND IN SHUTTLES FOR THE SAME AND
FOR OTHER MACHINES," a communication to me from abroad by Hamilton
E. Towle, of the City and State of New York, United States of America,
Civil Engineer, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 accom-
panying Drawing forming a part of this Specification.
This Invention relates to a certain improved construction and arrange-
ment of looms for weaving narrow fabrics, and has for its object
increased rapidity of production and superiority and uniformity of the
fabrics produced.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvements,
I will proceed to describe their construction and operation.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Figure 2 is a side view of a loom
constructed according to my Invention. The same letters refer to like
parts in all of the Figures.
E2, B2, L², are the side pieces forming the framework of the loom.
They are kept the proper distance apart by the cross frame pieces B³,
B*

page_text: All the motions in the machine are derived from the main shaft m³,
which may be driven in any of the usual ways of communicating rotary
motion. I construct a circular or curved shuttle race of curved T rail
or track picces, the shuttle sliding upon it, as shewn in Figures 3 and 5.
In this race the shuttle moves in a circular path, the centre of which is
in or near the middle part of the fabric where the weft or filling is being
laid by the forward motion of the reed, and I attach the same to the
framework or breast beam B³.
Figure 3 shows the curved shuttle race R attached to the breast beam
of the loom B, and cut away or left open in the central part for the
purpose of allowing the reed to beat up the filling as it is laid from
the shuttle.
The shuttle is shown at a,. Figures 3, 4, and 5, and may be described
as having the form of a spindle with an elliptical cross section, as shewn
in Figure 5.. It is provided with a recess for the weft bobbin b², and
with a circular groove for the track R, as shewn in cross section in
Figure 5. The shuttle is also provided with holes u, u, for the pins,
as shewn in Figure 4. The shuttle is made preferably of wood or
vulcanite.
The improvement in the shuttle consists in the application of an
adjustable spring and a lever that bears upon the filling in the spool,
bobbin, or quill of the shuttle. The total amount of the force exerted
by the spring is adjusted by means of a key, lever, or winch, and the
manner of the application of the force so adjusted is regulated by the
position of the fulcrum of the lever, so that when the spool is nearly
empty, and the spring is at its least extension, the leverage is most
direct upon it or at right angles, and when the spool is quite full and
the strain upon the spring the greatest, its force is applied more
regularly to the lever. The shuttle a encases the spool 2 which turns
upon the axis c, and is pressed upon by the lever d² bearing upon the
filling. To the opposite end of this lever; or another lever fixed to the
same axis on the lower side of the shuttle (as shewn at e³) Figure 4, is
attached the spring f that is stretched by the cord i passing. around the
barrels h, which may be turned by the key k³, see Figure 6. By
tightening up the cord with the key the elongation and elastic force of
the spring and its action upon the lever may be regulated at pleasure:
The friction of the pin or barrel in the material of the shuttle is sufficient
to retain it for all practical purposes.

page_text: In a
In the position of the lever shewn in the Drawing, Figure 4, the end
at the spool is upon the least amount of filling, and the tension of the
spring is at its minimum, but the end of the lever to which the force of
the spring is applied is at right angles to the direction of the force, and
therefore receives the diminished force most advantageously.
similar manner when the spool is full and the spring most extended and
exercising its greatest force the force of the spring is applied. at an angle
less than ninety (90°) degrees, and therefore at a disadvantage.. At these
two extreme points and between them the varying tension of the spring
is accompanied by a corresponding variation of the angle at which the
tension or force is applied, so that the retaining power upon the spool
resulting from the application of the variable spring through the variable
lever remains unchanged. The hub of the lever should be made of
sufficiently large diameter to be bored with several holes for the
reception of the pin or axis with which it turns to enable the position
of the fulcrum and the consequent angularity of the leverage to be
changed or adjusted as may be requisite. The same end may be attained
by any other means for shifting the centre; and the position of the
centre may likewise be adapted to the end of the lever bearing upon the
spool for the purpose of accomplishing the same result by making its
action more or less angular upon the spool as the spool is more or less
full. The shuttle a is moved by means of arms or carriers a², a². The
carriers are provided with spiral springs s, s¹, enclosed in the cases t¹,
they actuate the projecting vertical pins p², Figure 3. These pins
engage the shuttle in the holes u, u. The carrier a acts upon the
shuttle by means of its pin p² during one half of its traverse, and the
carrier a through its pin engaged in the hole in the other end of
the shuttle during the remainder of the stroke. The shuttle can bo
readily removed by withdrawing the engaging pins of the carriers, and
sliding the shuttle to the opening in the front of the track near the
breast beam B³. The shuttle or weft carriers a¹, a², are operated about
a vertical axis S¹, Figures 1 and 2, having a central position in relation
to the curve of the shuttle race or path of the shuttle. The carriers are
disengaged from the shuttle while it is in motion by the carrier pins p²
being drawn out of their respective holes in the shuttle by means of the
wedge-shaped projections c¹, c*, on the lower side of the track piece
acting on a projecting cross pin driven through the carrier pins, as shewn
at r, Figure 2. The shuttle carriers obtain their motion from cams
on the main shaft m³; these cams act upon the carrier levers n³, and

page_text: through them and the connecting rods they transmit motion directly
to the shuttle carriers, the connection being made on the carrier studs
at X. To insure certainty of action of the shuttle and of its being
accurately and certainly delivered from the control of one carrier to that
of the other, the carriers are constructed so that for a certain distance in
the middle part of the stroke of the shuttle both move together with the
shuttle for a period of time, and a distance sufficient to insure the
certain engagement of the pin of the receiving carrier before the pin of
the delivering carrier is fully disengaged..
The peculiar construction of the shuttle carriers which compels them
to start at the instant the shuttle is delivered to either of them by the
other is seen near their common axis at the jogs j,j, Figures 1 and 3,
which come into contact with each other and promptly start the receiving
carrier by an impulse from the delivering carrier. Meanwhile, the
engagement and disengagement of the pins are taking place, the position
and shape of the cams on the main shaft which operate the carriers
being adjusted to correspond to the motion desired. When the shuttle
is under the control of one carrier only the other carrier is at rest at the
projection c¹ or c*. The lay motion is derived from the main shaft m³
by the action of a cam fixed upon it. The motion is transmitted from
the cam to the lay L³ through the cam lever M³, and the connecting
rod from the lever to the lay. The connecting rod to the lay is formed
with a vertical opening through it to allow the harness W₁ to have
its proper central position directly behind the reed and lay. The
harness W¹ in part is operated in its proper reciprocal motion also by
a lever w, and cam motion shewn in Figure 1. All the cams acting
upon the harness, lay, and carrier levers are upon the main shaft m³, and
all the cam levers are hinged upon centres at the rear of and below the
level of the main shaft, as shewn in Figure 1. For plain weaving
one motion of the harness lever or levers, and one motion of the carrier
levers may be obtained by the action of a spring or springs P, Figures 1
and 2, or all the motions of the levers may be made positive from the
cams alone, as shewn in the case of the two front shafts of the harness.
But for twilled and fancy work simple harness motion is not adequate,
and to provide for this class of work I provide and add a substitute for
the usual so called jacquard mechanism that will be more compact
and cheaper than those heretofore in general use and is so simple and
casily applied that it can be used for each shuttle in an engine loom

page_text: instead of one for a frame of several shuttles weaving narrow goods,
in which latter case any obstruction to one shuttle causes the stoppage
of all until the obstruction is removed; but with this improvement eacli
independent shuttle so provided with its own jacquard may run entirely
independent of the others, thereby ensuring a great saving of time, and
enabling a greater variety of work to be produced simultaneously: The
harness or that arrangement which carries the warp of the fabric is
attached by rods or cords. to lifting hooks; these lifting hooks are joined
together in pairs by a hinge or rivet through a hinge plate to which
plate, as forming part of the pair of hooks, the harness is attached by
means of the rods and cords aforesaid. The pairs of hooks, of which
there may be any number according to the work they are intended to
perform, are arranged in a row between two pattern rollers or pattern
wheels against which they rest, cach hook being kept firmly against its
roller by a spring between it and its mate which rests against the
opposite roller. Each of the two rollers receives an independent rotary
motion which may be given to it by means of a pawl and ratchet, or
otherwise. On the rollers where they come in contact with the hooks
are placed small screws or projections, which as each roller rotates
press against the hooks so as to push them away from the roller at any
point desired, in order that they may not engage with the lifters herein.
after described. The lifters, of which there are two (one for each side of
the row of hooks), consist of a hook-formed blade, broad enough to
engage with all of the hooks on its side of the row fastened to a vertical
rod. These vertical rods, of which there is one on each side, are united
by chains working around pulleys, or simply by working beams above
and below. A vertical reciprocating motion is given to the rods which
causes the lifters to alternately ascend and descend, and engage with the
hooks, (except such as may be thrown out of their reach by the pro-
jections or cams on the pattern rollers) and by this means to raise weights
or springs attached thereto, and produce motion in one direction either
up or down steadily.
Figure 3 is a plan of the shuttle and its track and of the shuttle
carriers; Figure 4, a view of the loom side of the shuttle removed from
the track; Figures 5 is a transverse section of the shuttle and track.
A and A¹ are the lifting rods which are connected by chains d and d¹
working upon two pulleys p and p¹, one at the top and one at the
bottom; B is the excentric which operates the lifting rod A¹ through a

page_text: connecting joint; D and D' are the lifters fastened to the lifting rods A and
A by collars and set screws for lifting the hooks E, E; O and O¹are arms
projecting from the lifting rods A and A¹ for the purpose of operating
the working beam L. The projecting arms are so arranged that as the
rod A' descends the arm O' will strike the working.beam L in the hook
made to receive it and depress that end of the beam with its pawl M';
G and G, Figure 1, are the pattern rollers or pattern wheels, and n, n,
are pins or teeth with which the pawls M and M¹ engage, thus giving
alternately to each of the said rollers a rotary motion of one-eighth of a
revolution at each alternate descent of the lifting rods and lifters. The
part of a revolution made by the rollers may be more or less according
to the length and position of the working beam and the number of pins.
on the rollers. R and R' are friction washers held on by a nut or piu,
which by means of the friction produced prevent the rollers G and G¹
from turning back by the friction of the pawls M and M' on the pins
n, n, in ascending. In the rollers G and G¹, opposite each hook and
corresponding to the part of a revolution which the roller makes at each
descent of the lifting rods and lifters, are placed small screws with
projecting heads ", r, which act as cams to press upon the hook arms
(e, c,) to throw the hooks E, E, away from the lifters D and D'. Therefore
at each point when it is desired that the hook should remain down a
screw is put into the roller. Instead of these screws the rollers may
have permanent projections or cams formed upon them to answer the
same purpose, but the screws are preferred, for while screws perform
the office of solid cams they can also easily be changed so as to act
at different times as the pattern rollers turn, the action of the hooks
being altered by this simple expedient of changing the number and
position of the screws on the rollers. The rollers receive their motion
from opposite ends of the working beam and are entirely independent of
cach other. As one end of the working beam with its pawl is depressed
the other is elevated and the pawl set for the next pin on the roller, the
pawls being kept in proper position to engage the pin by the spring S.
The hooks E, E, are arranged in pairs upon the hook arms e, e, hinged
or jointed at the bottom to hinge plates H, each by a single pin or
rivet i; is a spring which serves to keep each pair of hooks pressed
steadily apart against the rollers G and G¹, and in a position to be raised
by the lifter unless thrown or kept out of the reach of the lifter by
one of the screws ", ", or some equivalent device. To the hinge
plates His fastened by means of the rods or cords & the flat guide

page_text: plates P³, and to them is secured the harness W₁. Below the harness,
fastened either to the floor or some stationary part of the machine, are
weights or springs P which serve to draw the harness and hooks down
steadily. Great advantage is obtained by combining and joining the
hooks E, E, in pairs, inasmuch as by a proper arrangement of the
screws », r, on the rollers G, G¹, the warp may be kept raised or may
remain lowered while the shuttle makes one, two, or more passages,
or the various parts of the warp may even be kept continually changing
their positions according to the fabric required to be produced; this
arrangement of double hooks giving twice as many motions in the
same time as could be obtained from the use of single hooks. v, v,
are partition plates used to separate cach pair of hook arms, and keep
them in their proper vertical position and also opposite the screws 1, 1,
which are intended to act upon them. These plates are held in position
by being fitted into grooves g, g, in the rollers G and G.
The mechanism for obtaining and graduating the take-up motion is
shewn particularly in Figure 2, and may be described as a friction
wheel with a flange acted upon by a lever j¹ and jaws k². One end of
this lever is hung concentrically with the friction wheel. In the
jaw is a notch to allow the flange of the wheel to move freely in it
whenever the lever rises, but whenever the lever becomes depressed the
jaw cramps itself or locks upon the flange of the wheel je, so that
when such depression of the lever takes place the wheel is carried along
with the lever and in the same direction. On the face of the friction
wheel rests a holdfast or grip similar to the jaw k² which is held by a
spring against it in such a manner as to prevent the whole from moving
backward. Secured to the lay is a stud or pin p* which comes into
contact with the free end of the lever j³ at each stroke of the lay. This
causes the friction wheel to revolve by minute distances. The extent of
the motion of the lever and friction wheel is adjustable by the height of
the stud or pin. Upon the shaft of the friction wheel is also fixed a
small cylinder d² which revolves as a part of the friction wheel. Against
this cylinder there is held by force of a spring a small pressing roller e
covered with rubber or some other elastic substance. Between the roller
and cylinder the fabric being woven is made to pass, and is gradually
drawn through between them as the projecting pin p' of the lay acts
upon the end of the jointed lever. The jointed lever is pressed up to
be ready for a fresh action of the pin by the spring me. The common

page_text: shaped weft bobbin or spool can be used, but the form of weft bobbin
which I prefer is that represented at 6 in the shuttle a, Figure 3. It
has its axis perpendicular to the plane of motion of the shuttle; this
allows the weft to be delivered from the bobbin at nearly a constant
angle whether the bobbin be quite full or nearly exhausted, this
secures an even tension of the filling. The curvilinear motion of the
shuttle insures the gradual and uniform unwinding of the weft from the
bobbin and avoids the sudden strain or jerking of the thread usual in
looms in which the weft is laid by a shuttle or needle having a direct
rectilinear reciprocating motion. The uniform unwinding or delivery of
the weft and nearly unvarying gentle strain it is subject to in a bobbin
of this construction when used with my improvements aforesaid enable
the manufacturer to use the finest threads and at the same time to run
the loom at an unusually high rate of speed.
An important object accomplished by the use of the curved path and
my improvements aforesaid is the delivery of the filling from the shuttle
in such a manner that the thread from the bobbin is unwound with a
uniform motion and gradually, so that the sudden strain or jerking of
the thread usual in shuttles acting in a rectilinear direction is avoided.
Another object of importance in weaving which is accomplished by.
my said improvements is that the tension of the weft thread is readily
and easily adjusted as it leaves the bobbin or shuttle, and so insures a
more uniform selvage and texture than can be made where the tension
is very variable. The uniform tension of the filling is partly due to the
large and slightly varying angle which the direction of the filling thread
makes with the axis of the weft bobbin as it leaves the bobbin. Any
additional amount of uniform tension may be obtained by producing a
certain degree of friction on the weft thread or weft bobbin in the manner
herein-before described in special reference to the shuttle.
Another desired object of importance obtained in the use of my said
circular shuttle race is that the filling at the moment it is being beaten
up in the web by the reed is stretched straight across at nearly or exact
right angles to the direction of the warp.
But by far the most striking result which is obtained from my
improvements is the greatly increased rapidity with which the weft is
thrown backward and forward.
Haying thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and shewn how the same may be con-

page_text: veniently and advantageously carried into practice, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. A shuttle made with a friction pin acted upon by a spring
which is adjustable as to its degree of tension by means of a barrel or
pin turned by a wrench, lever, or key, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
Second. A shuttle moving in a horizontal plane upon a T-formed
circular rail or track piece, the shuttle having a corresponding groove in
it to guide it in its movements to and fro on the track, substantially as
and for the purpose described.
Third. A shuttle provided with a friction piece actuated by a spring
so applied to act upon the friction piece through the medium of a com-
pensating lever as to produce uniform tension or resistance to the
unwinding of the filling thread on the reel or bobbin in the shuttle,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
Fourth. The shuttle carriers a¹, a², vibrating upon a common axis
carrying at their extremities vertical engaging pins to enter into holes in
the shuttle by the force of springs, and withdrawn at the proper moment
by cams, in combination with the actuating levers and rods, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
Fifth. The construction of shuttle carriers moving about a common
axis, and provided with jogs or shoulders j, j, substantially as and for
the purpose described.
Sixth. The construction of a circular T rail or track with a part cut
away to admit the passage of a reed or, lay, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
Seventh. The combination of the double hooks constructed as described
with two pattern rollers, the latter operated independently of each other,
substantially as described.
Eighth. The construction of the double hooks pivotted or jointed to
the hinge plate on a common axis or pin, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
Ninth. The lever L provided with the depending pawl arms and their
connecting springs S actuated by the reciprocating rods A, A', giving
motion to the pattern rollers, substantially as and for the purpose
described.

page_text: Tenth. The harness guide plates P³, P³, in combination with the
connecting rod t, as shewn and described.
Eleventh. The lifters D, D¹, on the reciprocating rods in combination
with the double hooks, lever L, and independent pattern rollers, sub-
stantially as described.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)