IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Fielding, Manufacturer, David Whittaker,
and Benjamin Croasdale, Overlookers, all of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 31st January 1861, and dated' the 8th August 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Fielding, David
Whittaker, and Benjamin Croasdale at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 8th August 1860.
We, JAMES FIELDING, Manufacturer, DAVID WHITTAKER, and BENJAMIN
CROASDALE, Overlookers, all of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in certain improved modes of working the healds or
heddles of looms for forming the shed. We fix upon the tappet shaft any
required number of tappets having grooves formed according to the dwell
desired. In one arrangement each tappet gives a to-and-fro motion to a
vertical lever having its fulcrum at or about the middle, which motion is trans-
mitted to the healds by connecting to the heald boss shaft a strap, band, chain,
or cord having the ends fastened to each end of the lever.
We modify the arrangement by causing each grooved tappet to give motion
to a toothed segment or rack, either of which gears into a toothed wheel or
pinion connected to the heald boss shaft, thus forming the shed. Or instead
of the rack we employ a bar, at two parts of which is fixed a strap, band,

page_text: chain, or cord, which is connected to a boss or pulley on the heald boss shaft,
so that as the bar moves to and fro a corresponding movement is given to the
.heald.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Fielding, David Whittaker, and Benjamin Croasdale
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th February 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
FIELDING, Manufacturer, DAVID WHITTAKER, and BENJAMIN CROASDALE, Over-
lookers, all of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth. day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,"
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
James Fielding, David Whittaker, and Benjamin Cronsdale, Her special
licence, that we, the said James Fielding, David Whittaker, and Benjamin
Croasdale, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said James Fielding, David Whittaker, and Benjamin Croasdale, our exe-
cutors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Fielding, David Whittaker,
and Benjamin Croasdale, our executors-or-administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one or more of our or 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
mmédiately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Fielding, David Whittaker, and
Benjamin Croasdale, 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 (that is to say):-
-
Our Invention consists in certain improved modes of working the healds or
beddles of looms for forming the shed. We fix upon the tappet shaft a single
tappet for each set of healds and give it the proper form for the desired. dwell.

page_text: The tappet is either internal or external and gives a to-and-fro motion to one
or more levers, rack, or bar connected by one or more straps, bands, chains,
cords, or rods to the healds and heald boss shaft, so that the to-and-fro motion
of the lever, rack, or bar may be transmitted to the healds and form the shed.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings representing some of the
modes of working the healds by a single tappet in connection with a lever,
rack, or bar, the letters referring to each Figure separately.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation; and Fig. 2, a transverse section of the framing
and other parts of a loom, in which one set of healds are worked by a single-
grooved tappet acting upon a double lever. The tappet shaft is shewn at a, on
which is fixed the internal tappet b, having the groove c, in which is placed the
bowl d working on a stud e on the double lever f, to the top and bottom of which
are fastened one end of the straps g and h, which pass under guide pulleys i
and j, and have their other ends attached to the bottom of the healds.k and l,
so that as the tappet shaft and tappet revolve a to-and-fro motion is given to
the double lever, which motion is transmitted to the healds and forms the
shed. The guiding pulleys or bowls i and j work on studs fixed to the small
frame m. The double lever is furnished with slots, in order to adjust the
lengths of the two arms, and thus regulate the traverse of the healds and the.
stud on which the double lever works is fixed to an adjustable frame, as shewn
in Fig. 3.
In the following Figures we represent the application of external tappets,
although, when desired, grooved tappets may be substituted for them.
Figs. 4 and 5 represent front and end views of our improved mode of
working one set of healds by means of an external tappet in connection with
a rack and pinion. The tappet shaft is shewn at n, and the external tappet
at o. To the shaft is fixed the boss p, over which is placed the slotted bar q
mounted with studs for carrying the bowls r and s, the peripheries of which
are in contact with the tappet. At one end of the slotted bar there is a rack t
gearing into the pinion u connected to the bosses and w, which either turn
upon the pin & or are fixed to the pin, which then turns in the bearings y
and z.
Above the rack there is a guiding bowl a¹ for ensuring steadiness of
motion, which bowl works upon a stud attached to a standard fixed to the
cross bar of the loom. To the bosses and ware fastened the straps b' and c³,
which are connected to the healds d' and e' in any suitable manner: Thus
when the tappet shaft and tappet revolve the slotted bar and rack move to and
fro and turn forwards and backwards the pinion 2 and bosses v and w, which
motion is transmitted to the healds and forms the shed.

page_text: Fig. 6 represents an end view of a mode of working one set of healds, by
means of one tappet and a slotted bar. On the tappet shaft there is a boss f³,
over which is placed the slotted part g³ of the bar h', which is mounted with bowls
kin contact with the tappet 1.. To the top or side of the bar at two parts,
as at m³, are fixed the two ends of a strap, band, chain, or cord'n', which
encircles a boss o¹ connected with other bosses, to which are fastened the straps
pattached to the healds. Or, instead of one strap n³, two separate straps may
be connected to the boss in the same manner as in the ordinary heald boss
shaft. In either case, as the tappet revolves a to-and-fro motion is given to the
bar and the necessary up-and-down movement of the bealds.
.
In Fig. 7; we shew another mode of attaching the healds to the bar itself
without the intervention of other bosses... To the under part of the healds are
connected the straps q' and ' which pass round guide rollers s¹ and t¹, and are
fastened at their ends to the top or side of the slotted bar, so..that when it
moves to and fro one strap is pulled down and the other raised up, which
thereby gives the up-and-down movement of the healds and forms the shed.
The slotted bar being guided in any desired manner.
=
In Figs: 8 and 9, we shew front and end, views of an arrangement in which
two levers are employed in connection with one external tappet for working
one set of healds; the levers are shewn at a and b working on studs c and d;
and mounted with bowls e and fin contact with the tappet. To the top of the
lever a is fastened the strap 9 passing under the guide roller h, and connected
with the heald i, and to the bottom of the lever 6 is fastened the strap k
passing under the guide roller / and fastened to the heald m. When the tappet
revolves a vibrating motion is given to each of the levers, which is trans-
mitted by the straps to the healds and forms the shed. The levers are slotted
so as to be adjusted according to the desired movement of the beald, and the
studs are attached to adjustable frames, similar to that shewn in Fig. 3.
In Figs. 10 and 11 we shew front and end views of another arrangement,
in which two levers are employed in connection with one external tappet for
working one's
set of healds. The levers are shewn at n and o working on studs
P and 2, which are adjustable or not, as desired; the said levers are mounted
with bowls r and s in contact with the tappet t, and their ends are connected
by straps u and v to the healds, so that when the tappet revolves an oscillating
movement is given to each lever, one reverse to the other, which movements
being transmitted by the straps to the healds from the shed.
Fig. 12 represents an end view of an arrangement of tappet and slotted bar
in connection with a lever and bowls or segments for giving the traverse of
the healds. The slotted bar is shewn at w, it is mounted with bowls and

page_text: moved to and fro by the tappet, similar to those before described. The bar is
attached by a swivel or slotted joint to a lever a working on the axis or shaft
y. To the shaft or lever are fixed in an eccentric position the bowls z; having
fastened to them the straps a' and ' connected with the healds, so that as the
slotted bar w moves to and fro an oscillating eccentric movement is given to
the. bowls z, which move the straps and healds up and down and form the shed.
It is evident that instead of the bowls z segments of circles will produce the
same effect.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be distinctly understood
that we claim as our Invention, and which to the best of our knowledge and
belief has not been hitherto used within the realm, the employment of one
internal or external tappet acting upon one or more levers, rack, or bar for
giving motion to one set of healds, as all such improvements are herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, or any
modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Fielding and David-Whittaker
for and on behalf of ourselves and the said Benjamin Croasdale, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JAMES FIELDING.
(L.S.)
DAVID WHITTAKER. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named James Fielding and David
Whittaker in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.