CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Richardson, of Whitefield, in the County
of Lancaster, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 17th November 1868, and dated the 20th June 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Richardson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th June 1868.
I, GEORGE RICHARDSON, of Whitefield, in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a description of looms particularly adapted
and used for weaving "drills" and fancy goods, and is designed for
the purpose of actuating the "healds" or "jacks" in such looms.
The improvements consist in the application and use of a roller or
rollers over which a series of horizontal rods are passed continuously
by means of an endless chain, of which they form part, and the said rods
being supplied with adjustable bowls secured in the position desired by
washers, the whole being actuated by a star wheel and revolving stud

page_text: imparting a regular intermittent motion to the chain so as to bring
each bar of the series with its adjustable bowls successively and
intermittently in front of a series of vertical suspended bars. These
bars have dents or recesses on each side of their edges above and below
and opposite to the continuous bars in front of them. When the said
bars are in a normal position they allow two reciprocating horizontal
bars actuated by a cam to rise and fall without contact, but when the
shedding motion is to be brought into action one set of the adjustable
bowls on the travelling bars come into contact with the levers, which
are forced out of their vertical position, and the recesses therein are
caught by the cam levers as they rise and fall, which causes the healds
in connection with the levers so lifted to rise and open a "shed" or
passage for the shuttle in accordance therewith; thus according to the
position of the "bowls" the "shed" and pattern to be woven is
regulated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Richardson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th December 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
RICHARDSON, of Whitefield, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Richardson, Her special license
that I, the said George Richardson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Richardson, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said George Richardson, my executors or administrators, by an

page_text: 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 George Richardson, 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, and accompanying Drawings (that is
to say):-
My Invention relates to a description of looms particularly adapted
and used for weaving "drills" and fancy goods, and is designed for
the purpose of actuating the "healds" or "jacks" in such looms.
The improvements consist in the application and use of a roller or
barrel over which a series of horizontal rods are passed continuously
by means of an endless chain, of which they form part, and the said
rods being supplied with adjustable bowls of various widths secured in
the position desired by washers or ferrules, the whole being actuated
by a star wheel and revolving stud imparting a regular intermittent
motion to the chain so as to bring each bar of the series with its
adjustable bowls successively and intermittently in front of a series of
vertical suspended bars or treadles, which have dents or recesses on
each side of their edges. These bars or treadles are suspended from the
upper jacks, and are connected to the lower jacks at such a point that
they will be drawn constantly towards the barrel and enter the spaces
between the bowls of the chain, and are thus brought into position to
be caught by one of two knife-edged levers which are caused to rise
and fall alternately by means of a cam. Whenever a bowl on the
chain comes opposite to one or more of the suspended bars or treadles'
it forces it (or thein) out of the normal position so as to be caught
by the other knife-edged lever. As these levers rise and fall all those
treadles which are opposite to the bowls are carried up, whilst all
those opposite to the spaces are carried down, and thus a "shed" or
passage is opened for the shuttle in accordance therewith, the "shed"
and pattern to be woven being regulated by the position of the bowls.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Certain
Improvements in Looms for Weaving," I will now proceed to describe

page_text: more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be
carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be clearly
understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative
thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference
corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof (that is
to say)-
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of so much of a loom as is necessary
to illustrate my Invention drawn to a scale of about one-eighth; and
Fig. 2 is a back view of the same.
a, a, is part of the frame of the loom; b, b, are the healds; and c, c,
the "jacks;" c¹, c', is a roller or barrel over which passes an endless
chain composed of side links c², c², and horizontal rods d, d, upon which
are strung adjustable bowls e, e, arranged according to the pattern to be
produced, and held in the required position by means of tubes or
ferrules ff, placed on the rods between the bowls. The details of this
chain are shown full size at Fig. 3. Upon one end of the axis of the
barrel c', c', is a star wheel 9, 9, which is driven intermittently one notch
at a time by means of a revolving stud h which receives its motion through
the train of spur gearing i, i, from the crank shaft. As the barrel c', c',
revolves it brings each horizontal rod with its scries of bowls successively
in front of a series of suspended bars or treadles k, k, which have dents or
recesses 1, 1, on each side of their edges, and are placed between two
knife-edged levers m, m, which are caused to rise and fall alternately by
means of a revolving cam n, n, Fig. 1. The bars k, k, are suspended
from the upper jacks c, c, and are connected to the lower jacks c³, c³, at
such a point that they will be drawn constantly towards the barrel and
enter the spaces between the bowls of the chain, thus being brought in
position to be caught by the knife-edged lever m, which imparts to them
a downward motion. As the sets of adjustable bowls come successively
in front of the bars the bowls of cach set will come into contact with
their respective opposite bars, forcing them out of their normal position
so as to cause them to be caught by the knife-edged lever m¹ in its
upward movement, as seen clearly in the enlarged detached views, Figs. 4
and 5. The motion of the bars as governed by the chain will be im-
parted through their respective jacks to the healds and open a shed
for the passage of the shuttle in accordance with the position of the
bowls e, e, upon each horizontal rod as it is successively presented
opposite the row of vertical bars or treadles k, k. Thus it will be evident

page_text: that by altering the relative positions and widths of the bowls on the
horizontal rods, and by increasing or diminishing their number, any
desired pattern may be produced, a great advantage of this arrange-
ment being that the back shafts are opened out further than the front
ones and thus a clearer shed is produced. o, o, are two levers connected
to the levers m, m', by links p, p, and actuated thereby so as to bring
the upper jacks (and consequently the healds) to their central position
between each shed.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I
claim as my Invention, the peculiar combination of mechanism consisting
of an endless chain of adjustable bowls worked intermittently in con-
nection with the vertical notched bars or treadles and reciprocating
levers actuated by a cam, substantially in the manner and for the
purpose herein-before particularly set forth and illustrated by the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Richardson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
GEORGE DAVIES, C.E.,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
GEORGE RICHARDSON. (L.S.)