CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND IN THE MODE OR METHOD OF PRODUCING PLAIN OR FIGURED GOODS OR FABRICS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
WILLIAM SIEVIER, of Henrietta Street, Cavendish Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifth day of September, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert William Sievier, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Robert William Sievier, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Robert William Sievier, my
executors, administrators or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein men-
tioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark,
and Man, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING,
AND IN THE MODE OR METHOD OF PRODUCING PLAIN OR FIGURED GOODS OR FABRICS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Robert William Sievier, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as

page_text: in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Robert William Sievier, do hereby declare that the nature of my said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hercunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):-
The Invention which forms the subject of the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent consists of certain improvements upon a former Invention,
for which I obtained Her Majesty's Letters Patent on the Thirteenth
October, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two, and which was described
in the Specification of the said Patent as consisting, firstly, in a peculiar mode
of producing and raising the terry or loops of such fabrics as Brussels
carpeting, coach lace, velvets, or other similar fabrics, and which are woven
by me without the aid of intervening wires or taggs, as commonly employed
to form such terry or loops or raised surfaces; and, secondly, in certain
improvements in looms, in order to render the same more capable of
effecting that object.
As the present Invention is so closely connected with the Invention for
which I formerly obtained Her Majesty's Letters Patent as aforesaid, and
as it cannot be properly described and understood without referring to the
Specification of my said former Patent, I have thought it advisable to recite
in my present Specification such parts of the former machinery as may be
necessary for the proper understanding of my present improvements. In
the Specification of my former Patent I have stated that: "The mode by
which I produce the loops or terry is, in the first place, by partially beating
up certain picks of the shoot or weft threads as they are woven into the
"warps (that is, leaving a considerable space between two of the picks or
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shoots,) and then following with a number of close shoots; and after that
has been done, sliding or driving the whole of these successive shoots of
"weft firmly up upon the base or foundation threads to the previously formed
work, by means of which the terry parts of the warp occupying the space
"between the open picks will be puckered up in loops on the surface of the fabric,
"and form that raised portion of the warp heretofore produced by passing
"those parts of the warp threads over transverse wires or elevated ribs of
"metal or other materials."
.
My present mode of forming the terry is, in general, similar to the one
above referred to; but in addition thereto I now employ a mode of holding

page_text: such portions of the warps as are required to form the loops or terry, and
also a mode of tightening the ground warps or draw threads, whilst the slay
is beating up the weft, to make fast or secure the terry loops. By means of
these contrivances, which I consider to be the first part of my present in-
provements, I am enabled to employ from two to seven or more frames,
containing any convenient number of bobbins, as arranged in common for
weaving coach lace, carpets, or figured velvets and similar fabrics.
The second feature of my present Invention consists in an improved mode
of weighting the bobbins, in order to keep an equal tension upon the threads
during the operation of weaving. By reference to the accompanying Drawings
I shall be enabled to explain clearly how these improvements are effected,
and by what mechanical means, always considering that a reference to the
Specification of my former Patent (dated Thirteenth October, One thousand
eight hundred and forty-two,) will assist the weaver in seeing and under-
standing the main features of my improved process or mode of operating.
In the Drawings hereto annexed Fig. 1 represents an end elevation of
my present improved loom complete, and suited for weaving carpets or
figured fabrics.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, taken a short distance within the
side framing.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same loom, taken a little above the
level of the shuttle race, in which similar letters of reference point out the
same parts of the loom and its appendages.
Presuming the general features of a loom worked by rotary power to be
well understood, I do not think it necessary to describe all its details; it
will therefore be sufficient to say,-A, A, points out the framework or stan-
dards; B is the main rotary axle, actuated from any first mover. Upon this
shaft is the crank that works the batten C; the beam D carries one of the
foundation warps, or what I have called the draw threads; the beam E is
the breast roll; F, F', are beams carrying binding threads; and G, G, G, are
bobbins containing the warp threads for producing the surface figures. H is the
mounture or harness through which the warps pass, and by which the figuring
warps are raised and depressed through the agency of a Jacquard, the draw
and binder warps being worked by cams I upon the shaft K.
Having thus generally described the loom, I proceed to point out those
parts or mechanical agents adapted thereto, by which my present improvements
in weaving terry goods are effected. a, a, represent the bent arms or sides of
a vibrating frame, mounted by its pivots in the vertical standards of the
machine, as shewn in Fig. 2. This frame is represented detached and in front

page_text: view at Fig. 4, consisting of the two sides a, a (which are bent as in Fig. 2),
connected by a transverse rail cat bottom and two rails d, d, above, seen best
in the section Fig. 5, and horizontal view Fig. 6. Into this bottom rail care
inserted a series of vertical rods e, e, e, which are screwed at top into a brass
notched bar f, f, confined between the rails d, d, as shewn at Fig. 5. The
peculiar form of the brass notched bar f will be seen in the two detached
Figures 7 and 8. The latter of these represents the bar f as it would appear
in a horizontal view taken on the upper side; the latter is a vertical section of
the bar taken through the middle of it longitudinally, and Fig. 7 shews a part
of the notched bar externally. The transverse notches seen in the upper side
of the bar fat Fig. 8 are intended to receive a series of small iron plates i,
shewn detached in three positions at Fig. 9, one side of each plate having a
piece of felt or other soft substance attached to it. Fig. 10 is a longitudinal
view of a sliding rack bar g, which is to be partially inserted into the groove in
the top of the bar f, the teeth of the rack g being in the groove between the
plates i in the bar, as partially shewn in Fig. 7. The rack bar g is intended
to move longitudinally, its ledges bearing upon levels in the inner sides of the
bars d, d; and at the end of the rack bar there is a small antifriction roller /
working in a slot in the end of the frame a to relieve the friction of the double-
armed or bell-crank lever k. This lever k is acted upon by a rod l (see Fig. 2)
connected to a lever m below, which is worked by a rotary cam n on a trans-
verse shaft K; by the depression of the lever m, rod 7, and bell-crank lever-k,
the rack bar g is slidden toward the right, and when the pressure of the lever
is withdrawn, the spring 9 at the opposite end slides the rack bar back again.
The parts connected with the rack are confined in their places by a cap plate
r, r, see Figs. 4, 5, and 6.
Having now described the mechanism by which I effect the holding of the
threads to form the terry, I proceed to explain its mode of operating. It will
be remembered, that in my former Patent I introduced a mode of slackening
certain of the warp threads, for the purpose of driving up by the slay such
slack threads at intervals to form loops for the terry. I now effect the same
purpose by holding such selected and raised warp threads as are intended to
make the terry loops, and slackening such threads, by bringing the holding
apparatus slightly forward, in order that such slackened threads may be driven
up by the slay, and formed into the loops in the way described in my former
Patent. The manner of doing this is as follows:-Having raised those
portions of the warp threads that are to form the terry (as at s, s, s, Figs. 2)
by the ordinary means of the Jacquard or otherwise, and these said threads
being then by their elevated situation severally brought into the spaces between

page_text: the teeth of the rack g and the felted sides of the plates i; represented in Fig. 4,
the rotary cam n then acting upon the lever m will depress the rod land work
the bell crank k, which will push the rack g (see Fig. 4) toward the right, and
cause the said threads to be severally pinched and firmly held between the teeth
of the rack and the felted plates, as shewn in Fig. 11. When this taking
hold of the threads has been effected, it is necessary to slacken them toward
the breast beam, for the purpose of affording the means of forming the terry
loops, which is done by the rotary cam t on the shaft K acting as it comes
round against the bent or tail end of the frame a, and throwing the frame into
the situation shewn by dots at p in Fig. 2. At the time that the slackening
of these threads takes place, and the batten is driving up the terry loops in the
work, a cam v on the shaft K, shewn by the upper dots Fig. 2, acts upon and
depresses one end of a lever u, which causes the other end of that lever to
raise a vertical click w, taking into a ratchet wheel upon the draw thread
roller D, and hence to drive back the roller and produce a greater degree of
tension upon the draw threads whilst the loops are being formed. A similar
retrograde movement of the draw thread beam is also made to take place by
another elevation of the cam v at the second shoot after the loop is made,
which I call the clearing shoot.
The second head of my Invention is a mode of giving at all times an equal
tension to the bobbins carrying the terry threads, or the same may be applied
to any of the warp beams. This is effected by the following means-At the
back part of the loom, shewn in Fig. 2, the axles of the bobbins G, G, G, hang
in frames ranged one above another. Each bobbin has a pulley or groove
formed at its side, and a weighted cord passed over it, in order to produce
sufficient friction to hold the warp thread with a suitable tension. The
auxiliary, Fig. 11*, represents one of these bobbins and its appendages upon an
enlarged scale. The tension cord a is fastened to a staple under the frame at
1, and passes thence over the pulley of the bobbin, and is at its other end
attached to a wire. y at 2, which wire is passed through the eye of a staple
fixed in the frame, and the wire y is weighted at bottom, which draws the
cord tight round the bobbin. The thread from the periphery of the bobbin is
carried over a transverse wire fixed in the frame in the direction of the arrows
at 3, and thence is passed through an eye in the weight, and then led onward
over a transverse wire 4 at top of the frame, from whence it proceeds through
the harness, which arrangement will be found to give at all times equal tension
to the threads. The action of the bobbin is as follows:-As the warp is taken
up in the direction of the arrows by the weaving, the weight is drawn up;
and when it is of suflicicut height to raise the smaller weight 5, which is

page_text: attached to it by a string, it lightens the tension of the band over the pulley
or groove in the edge of the bobbin, and allows a sufficcient quantity of warp
to be unwound by the gravity of the larger weight
It is not absolutely
necessary to use the wire y, as the string or any fibrous band may be made to
continue from the staple 1 over the pulley on the bobbin to the weight 5,
but I prefer the use of the wire.
In order that the weaver may have every facility to make the fabric accord-
ing to the Specification, assisted by the Specification of my former Patent of
the Thirteenth of October, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two, as
above alluded to, I will state what course of shoots of the weft, and what are
the lifts of the warp necessary to form such a fabric as what is technically
termed a "five-framed carpet," not in any way confining myself to these tyes,
as it is in the power of the weaver to vary the shoots or lifts according to the
appearance he wishes to give to the face or back of his work. The first shoot
of the weft is made with that part of the figure warp raised which is to con-
stitute the next row of loops or terry, and with it the binder on the roll F,
Fig. 2. This shoot is the one laid at a distance from the last terry or loop, as
alluded to in the quotation above made from the Specification of my former
Patent. After this shoot the batten or stay beats it up to a distance short of
the last terry or loop made. This is immediately followed by the second shoot,
which is made with the whole of the figure warps down, and the two binders
F and F up.
This shoot is then driven up by the batten or slay to the one
previously thrown. After this the portion of warp necessary to make the
figure is drawn up in the usual way, and it is held up by the action of the
rack g of the pinching or holding apparatus holding the raised warp firmly
between itself and the felt on the plates marked i, and seen best in Fig. 11.
It now becomes necessary to slacken that portion of the figure warp which
is held by the pinching apparatus for the purpose of forming the terry or loop.
This is effected by the cam t, which acts against the bent arms a, a, and forces
their lower ends backward, and by that action the upper part comes forward,
and the figure warp threads are slackened towards the breast beam; then the
batten drives up the two shoots above mentioned home to the last woven terry
or loop, thereby forming an additional loop or terry. It will be necessary that
the draw threads on the roll D should be tightened while the above-mentioned
two shoots are being driven home, which is effected by the intervention of the
cam v, Fig. 2, which depresses the inner end of the lever u, and thereby
elevates the upright poll w, w, which, by forcing round the ratchet wheel on
the roll D, tightens the draw throad so as to facilitate the raising of the terry
or loop as before mentioned. During this action of the loom the shuttle is at

page_text: rest, and does not pass through the warp, as there is a portion of the wheel B*
which is not furnished with teeth, consequently the shuttle shaft C*, which is
actuated by this wheel, stands still during this operation.
In the fourth operation of the loom the warps are all raised up, excepting
the binder warp on the roller F, and the shuttle now passes through the shed.
and the weft is beaten up home so as to secure the terry or loops just com-
pleted. The rack bar which has been holding that portion of the figure warp
which forms the terry is now released from the cam n, and the spring 7, Fig. 4,
forces it back to its former position, and the figure warp threads are then
released, and the pinching apparatus returns to its former position.
In the fifth operation that portion of the figure warp is to be raised up that
is intended to form the next row of loops or terry; the draw threads are also
raised with it, and the shoot or weft now passes under them both, and the
batten or slay beats its up home. This I call a clearing shoot, as it clears the
row of loops for the commencement of a fresh row of terry or loops.
I have now described the mode of forming a complete row of terry or loops,
which may be continued at pleasure, so as to form any length of carpet or
other terry or looped fabric. In the small ware loom for weaving coach lace
and narrow goods, where a terry or looped figure is desired, I have made some
few alterations or improvements upon my foriner Invention, patented as before
mentioned on October Thirteenth, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two,
and which are as follows:-A pinching or holding apparatus, which is con-
structed upon a different plan to that above described, but which, with certain
modifications, may also be employed for weaving carpets. In this loom the
mode of pinching or holding the threads produces the slack upon the warp,
and which is to make the terry or loop in a totally different manner, and is
eflected in the following way. I will describe, in the first place, the loom
generally, and then more particularly the pinching apparatus and its action in
the loom. A, A, (Figs. 16, 17, 18, and 19,) represents the framework of the
loon; B, the batten; C, the fiddle-stick; D, the breast beam; E, the work
roll; F, the draw thread warp roll; 1, the crank shaft; K, the driving pulley;
L, the crank lever for communicating the motion from the crank shaft to the
batten; P, the Jacquard apparatus; Q, the tappet wheel for driving the tappet
shaft R; S, the toothed wheel for working the rack w, which moves the
shuttles e by means of the pinions x, as best seen in front view, Fig. 16. X is
the cam on the shaft R, which depresses the lever .Y at its inner end, and
elevates the opposite end, to which is attached a cord or chain for tightening
the draw threads. a, a, are tho draw threads; b, b, the stays or reeds through

page_text: which the warps pass; c, c, the figure warps; d, d, the binder warps; e, the
shuttles; f, the rod worked by the cam U, which moves the lever g attached
to the shaft h, which, by means of another lever, gives motion to the rod k
attached to one end of the lever 1, which works the Jacquard, all of which is
clearly seen in the front view, Fig. 16.
Having given a slight description of the loom, for the more minute parti-
culars of which I refer to the Specification of my former Patent of the
Thirteenth October, One thousand eight and forty-two, 1 now proceed to
explain the nature of my present improvements as regards the pinching or
holding apparatus. 1 represents a horizontal beam extending the whole width
of the loom, and 2, 2, are uprights mortised into this beam, as seen in
Figures 18 and 19. These uprights have slots 3 cut in them (as seen in
Fig. 18) for the purpose of receiving the ends of a moveable piece 4, to the
ends of which, strings or cords 6, 6, are attached (best seen in Figures 18
and 19). These cords are furnished with helical springs 7, for the purpose of
giving them a slight degree of elasticity. The lower ends of the cords are
connected to levers 8, 8, (see Fig. 18), which are acted upon by a cam 9 on
the tappet shaft. Immediately beneath the moveable pieces 4, 4, are fixed
stationary cross pieces 5, 5, which are furnished with semicircular grooves, for
the purpose of receiving a projecting rib formed on the under side of the
moveable pieces 4, 4, as seen best in the cross section. The action of this
apparatus is as follows:-Suppose that portion of the pattern part of the warp
which is intended to form the terry or loops has been drawn up by the
Jacquard apparatus, as seen in Fig. 18, the moveable piece is brought
down between the uprights 2, 2, on to the top of the stationary piece 5, by
means of the rotation of the cam 9 depressing the lever 8. The effect of this
will be that the pattern warps will be pulled down into the position shown by
dots in Fig. 18, and consequently, as the Jacquard keeps the pattern part of
the warp up while the whole of the warps are being pinched, it follows that
this part, by being bent out of a straight line, will be longer than that which
more nearly approaches a straight line. Then the Jacquard being lowered (by
a portion of its cam being cut away to effect that object), the formerly raised
portion of the pattern warp becomes slack, and admits of its being driven up
to form a terry loop, in the same way as in the carpet loom before described.
The spring 7, by its elasticity, prevents a heavy pinch from cutting or breaking
the threads of the warp. I have shewn in Figures 12, 13, 14, and 15,
another mode of pinching or holding that portion of the pattern warp which
is required to form the terry or loop. In this plan, instead of pinching the

page_text: threads by means of a rack, as above described, I effect this object by
hooking up a certain number of the threads, and holding them tight against
the under sides of slots, recesses, or notches formed in a bar for that purpose.
Fig. 12 represents a front view of part of a pinching apparatus, a part of the
front bar a being removed the better to shew the internal construction. b, b,.
cre the bent arms or side bars of a vibrating frame, and c, c, the cam or
tappet which acts against the lower end of the bent arms. d, d, is the bottom:
rail, in which is inserted a row of upright bars e, e, e, c, between which the
warp threads are placed, as in the carpet loom. The upper ends of the bars
e, e, e, e, are attached to the lower end of the teeth of a brass notched bar f. f. f,
the teeth of which are slit longitudinally nearly to their bottom, and enclose a
bent or hooked wire 9, 9, 9, as seen in the Figures. The vibrating frame
b, b, is mounted on a pivot h connected to the frame i of the loom at each end,
and upon which it vibrates. The hooks g, g, are attached to a series of
springs (seen in Fig. 15), which are mounted on a horizontal bar k, sup-
ported in bearings attached to each end of the pinching or holding appa-
ratus. The bark is actuated by a lever 1, which is connected by means
of a rod m, m, to another lever 12 below. This lever n is acted upon by
the camo on the tappet shaft p. The operation of this apparatus is as
follows: When the Jacquard apparatus raises a portion of the pattern.
warp for the purpose of forming the terry or loop, it draws up those
threads into the inclined notches of the brass bar f, f, as seen at q in
Fig. 15, by the dots, the hooks or bent wires g, g, being retained or shielded
within the notched bar, as seen at A, Fig. 12; then the cam o, Fig. 15, by
acting on the lever n, depresses it, and thereby draws down the rod m and
lever above. This elevates the springs j, as seen by the dotted lines, and.
draws up the hooks g, g, into the position shown at B in Fig. 12, and thereby
collects together and pinches up the warp threads against the end of the
notch so as to hold them firmly; then the tappet shaft p, continuing to revolve,
brings the cam or tappet c against the end of the vibrating arm b, b, and
forces it back, thereby causing the upper end to come forward towards the
breast beam and slacken the pattern warp threads in the same way as men-.
tioned in the carpet loom. Figures 13 and 14 are mere modifications of the
plan just described. In Fig. 13 the hook is made of steel wire, but is
flattened in a part of its length, as seen at 7, for the purpose of giving greater
flexibility so as to allow the bent part of the wire to pass the projecting stud s
easily, which it must do so as to bring the hook into the position shewn by
dots, for the purpose of taking up any straging thread of the warp. Fig. 14

page_text: represents a book at the end of a straight shaft of wire, having its pointed end
much thinner and very flexible, so as to be easily pushed back by the stud u.
When the hook is raised it assumes the shape and position shewn by dots for
the purpose of catching and gathering up straggling threads, as in the former
instance.
I would observe, in conclusion, that the carpets or other fabrics produced by
the above-described machinery may be either figured in many colours by
means of the Jacquard apparatus, or they may be simply made with a terry.
loop with one uniform color, and when so made they may, if desired, be passed
through a cutting, shearing, or cropping machine, for the purpose of cutting
off or removing the ends of the loops and giving them them the appearance of
a piled carpet or a velvet face, which in plain goods may, if required, be block-
printed or painted with any pattern that may be desired.
Having now described my present Invention of "Improvements in Looms
for Weaving, and in the Mode or Method of producing Plain or Figured
Goods or Fabrics," and also the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that, although for the more perfect explanation and
elucidation of my present Invention I have thought it necessary or advisable.
to describe and shew certain parts of looms which are not new, I do not
intend to claim any such parts as are found in my former Specification, above
referred to, as constituting my present Invention; but that which I claim, and
wish to have protected under the present herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent, is,
Firstly, the modes of holding the threads or yarns and of slackening them,
in the manners described for the purpose of forming in the loom the loops of
terry fabrics.
Secondly, the means employed and described of tightening the draw threads
whilst such terry loops are being formed.
And thirdly, the method of weighting the bobbins or yarn rollers, as
exhibited in the Drawings, for the purpose of regulating the tension of warp
threads in a loom, whatever may be the quantities of material wound upon
such bobbins or rollers.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert William Sievier, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of March; in the year of our Lord'
One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
(L.S.) R. W. SIEVIER.
:

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Fifth day of March, in the
year above mentioned, the aforesaid Robert William Sievier came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled on the same Fifth day of March, in the year above written.