IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING NARROW FABRICS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Flude, of Aylestone Street, in the Town and
County of Leicester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING NARROW FABRICS."
Sealed the 27th May. 1863, and dated the 1st December 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Flude at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
December 1862.
I, ROBERT FLUDE, of Aylestone Street, in the Town and County of Leicester,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING NARROW FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in looms for weaving narrow fabrics relates
to the means employed for driving the shuttles in such looms, which consists
in the employment of one shuttle driver with two upright levers mounted
upon it; the upper ends of such levers carry pegs which enter holes in the
front of the shuttle (one at either end), one or other of which driving pegs
being always in the shuttle, whereby it is prevented dropping in front, and
which therefore may be shorter than the shuttles usually employed. The levers
are mounted, near the middle of their length, on pivots on the shuttle driver,
which traverses quite across the fabric being woven, such levers at same time
bearing, both above and below their fulcra, and throughout their traverse, on
a fixed surface, which controls. their position and (except when each. peg lever

page_text: is passing across the fabric) keeps it in an upright or nearly upright position.
As each peg lever approaches the fabric being woven, the fixed surface, which
before held it upright now causes it to pass from the upright to an inclined
position, so that the peg is withdrawn from the shuttle and drops to a level
that will allow it to pass below the lower threads of the shed. After having
traversed the requisite breadth and cleared the shed the lever bearing surface
causes it to again oscillate to its upright position, and the peg to so rise and
enter the shuttle, which has, during this time, continued its traverse by reason
of the action of the other lever and peg; so soon as the first peg has entered
again, the other one arrives at the point where it is inclined in like manner,
and is oscillated or dipped so as to pass the shed and again rises as described
with reference to the first. The same operation takes place on the shuttle
traversing in either direction. The lever and pegs must of course be disposed
at a distance from each other greater than and according to the breadth of
fabric being woven, and to allow sufficient incline or extent for the change of
surface between the parts of the fixed bearing surface that controls the levers
that changes them from the upright to the inclined position, and vice versa.
The same shuttle driver may of course operate simultaneously on several
shuttles in like manner arranged in the breadth of the loom to weave two or
more widths of fabric at one time, as well understood.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Flude in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
FLUDE, of Aylestone Street, in the Town and County of Leicester, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Robert Flude, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Flude,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said'
Robert Flude, 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,

page_text: the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING NARROW FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Robert Flude, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Robert Flude, my do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of improvements in looms for weaving narrow fabrics relates
to the means employed for driving the shuttles in such looms, which consists
in the employment of one shuttle driver with two upright levers (for each.
shuttle) mounted upon it; the upper ends of such levers carry pegs which
enter holes in the front of the shuttle (one at either end), or the pegs may be
fixed in the shuttles and the levers be provided with holes or slots taking
thereon). One or other of the driving pegs and levers is always in connection
with the shuttle, which connection may be utilized to prevent the shuttle
dropping in front, and which therefore, in such case, may be shorter than the
shuttles usually employed. The levers may be on fulcra near the middle of
their length or at their ends, and mounted on the shuttle driver or traversing
bar, which traverses quite across the fabric being woven. These levers bear,
throughout their traverse on fixed surfaces which control their position and
keeps each lever in an upright or nearly upright position, except when it is
passing across the fabric. As each peg lever approaches the fabric being
woven, the fixed surface, which before held it upright, now causes it to pass
from the upright to an inclined position, so that the peg is withdrawn froin
the shuttle and drops to a level that will allow it to pass below, the lower.
threads of the shed. After having traversed the requisite breadth and, cleared
the shed, the lever cam surface causes it to again oscillate to. its upright
position, and the peg to rise and enter the shuttle, which has during this time
continued its traverse by reason of the action of the other lever and peg; so soon
as the first peg has entered' again, the other one arrives at the point where it is
inclined in like manner, and is oscillated or dipped so as to pass the shed and
again rises, as described with reference to the first. The same operation takes
placé when the shuttle traverses in either direction.. The levers and
pegs

page_text: must of course be disposed at a distance from each other greater-than the
breadth of fabric being woven, and to allow sufficient extent of traverse for
the gradual transition of the peg levers from the upright to the inclined posi-
tions, and in the bearing surfaces whereby it is effected. The same shuttle
driver or travelling bar may in like manner operate simultaneously on several
shuttles arranged in the breadth of the loom to weave two or more widths of
fabric at one time, as well understood.
Instead of the oscillating driving levers and shuttles being furnished with
pegs entering holes in the shuttles, or pegs in the shuttles entering holes in
the driving levers, the ends of the latter may be plain and simply received in
chases or grooves in the shuttle. In this arrangement, which in some respects
I prefer, the driving levers will offer no resistance in preventing the drop of
the leading part of the shuttle, and will only drive it back and forth. When
the driving levers are mounted at their ends (of the third order) the cam
surfaces controlling their position are disposed. between the fulcrum and the
shuttle, both for the depression and elevation of those levers. In carrying out
these improvements as applied to a double shuttle batten, that is, a batten
having two ties of shuttles, I prefer to drive the upper shuttles by means of a
lever of the first order, and the lower one with a lever of the third order, as
will be seen in the annexed Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a transverse section, and Fig. 2 a partial front view, of the
batten of a loom, for weaving ribbons and other narrow fabrics, arranged and
constructed according to my Invention. In this case I have shown two tiers
of shuttles, but one row of shuttles only may be used, if desired.
a, a, is the solid or framing part of the batten in which the shuttles are
fitted and carried in such looms, as well understood; while b, b, shows the
traversing bars carrying the parts actuating the shuttles; c, c, are the shuttles
fitted in V-guides d, d, of the batten, in which they are guided and traverse,
as usual; e, f, are the driving levers mounted on the traversing bars b, the
bosses of the levers being fitted endwise in recesses h in the bars b, and
mounted on fulcrum pins g fitted and fixed in grooves made in the bars b.
The recesses h carry the levers back and forth with the motion of bars b,
while the levers e, f, are free to oscillate on their fulcrum pins.g, but .are
controlled by the bearing surface that controls them in taking hold of and
releasing the shuttle, which control is maintained at all times and throughout
the extent of their traverse. As before mentioned, I use a lever e of the first
order to operate the upper shuttles; the tail or upper end of this lever bears

page_text: against a surface i, i, i, and the other and lower end against a surface k, k, k,
during the entire extent of its traverse, which perfectly regulates and controls
the position of said lever at all times. The form of this bearing surface is
such that each driving lever (there are two to each shuttle) at all times,
except when it is passing within the limits of the breadth of the shed, is kept
in an upright position and in connection with the shuttles. When passing
within the limits of the shed the lever e is oscillated to the position seen dotted
in Fig. 1, in which position it traverses past the shed. The cam bearing
surfaces i, i, i, and k, k, k, act in unison; while the one k, k, k, rises by a short
incline to oscillate and lift the lever, as desired, the other recedes and allows
the tail or upper end to approach the batten, and vice versa, and thus produce
the action required; the two bearing surfaces acting in conjunction control and
maintain steadily the levers e, e, in the positions required. The form and
arrangement of the bearing surfaces i, i, i, and k, k, k, will be readily under-
stood by examining the Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings. For driving the
lower shuttle I dispense with the tail ends of the levers, as at f,f, and control
the position of the levers in their traverse by surfaces embracing the lever at
the upper end, confining them to traverse, as it were, in a cam groove; this is
represented at 1, 1, 1, Fig. 2, the levers being mounted on fulcrum pins 9, 9,
fitted and fixed to the lower traversing bars b, as before described with respect
to the upper one. The traverse of the bar 6 causes the levers f to traverse
the cam grooves 1, 1, and so to assume the positions indicated in the transverse
section, Fig. 1, the upright line position being that in which the levers are in
connection with the shuttle and beyond the limits of the shed, while the dotted
position shows that which they assume while passing within the limits of the
breadth of the shed and separated from the shuttle. The cam groove l,
embracing the lever f near its end, keeps it steadily up to its work. This is
in some respects better than the arrangement applied to the upper shuttle,
and may be applied to control the driving levers both of the upper and lower
shuttles if desired. In connection with lever e I have shown the pin which
effects the connection between the shuttles and the lever, as being fixed on
the lever and entering a hole in the shuttle, while, as applied to lever f, the
pin is fixed in the shuttle and is received in and fits into a socket or hole in
the end of the lever.
Figs. 3 and 4 represent partial longitudinal and transverse sections of the
shuttle and batten, showing another arrangement of the connection between
the driving levers and the shuttles. In this case the levers have no pins or
slots, but have their ends adapted to enter chases formed in the sides of

page_text: shuttles, into and from which they are free to enter and leave in performing
the action of driving the shuttle, in manner as herein-before described.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination and arrange-
ment of parts, herein-before described and represented in the Drawings
annexed, for driving the shuttles of looms for weaving narrow fabrics, in the
manner and as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Flude, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
ROBERT FLUDE. (L.S.)