IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Robinson, Mechanic, Joseph Priestley,
and Jeremiah Foulds, Overlookers, all in the Employ of Thomas Dewhirst,
Worsted Spinner and Manufacturer, of Bradford, in the County of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Robinson, Joseph
Priestley, and Jeremiah Foulds at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 23rd June 1863.
We, SAMUEL ROBINSON, Mechanic, JOSEPH PRIESTLEY, and JEREMIAH
FOULDS Overlookers; all in the Employ of Thomas Dewhirst, Worsted
Spinner and Manufacturer, of Bradford, in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to means of working or operating the. healds or
heddles of looms; and our object is to simplify or to render less complicated
the apparatus by which this operation is effected, and at the same time to
secure accuracy or certainty of action thereof.
Tliese improvements consist in dispensing with all the treddles and treading
tappets, jacks, jack rods, and half-moons ordinarily employed, alsö'the low shaft
and' the gearing thereto as now employed for this purpose; and instead of these
parts or apparatus we employ a rocking shaft supported'in brackets or fixings
to the top rail' of the loom. On one end of this shaft is fixed an arm or lever
connected by a rod to an eccentric fixed on the crank shaft, by which motion

page_text: is communicated to the said rocking shaft when the loom is in action. Two
other arms are fixed on the said shaft projecting over the healds or heddles,
to which are suspended lifting bars or sliding plates, which are capable of
being raised and lowered thereby and guided by suitable framing. A hooked
rod is attached to each end of each leaf of healds or heddles, and is actuated
by a spring so as to be capable of catching on the lifting bars when at liberty
Needles with double eyes are employed, or each having two eyes
arranged in such manner that the two hooked rods of one leaf of healds pass
one through each eye, and are thereby actuated simultaneously. An ordinary
jacquard or peg-lag cylinder is employed for selecting and operating the
needles, the cards or lags thereof being arranged as usual to produce the
desired movement of the needles so as to place any pair of the hooks out of
contact with the lifting bars when required. The oscillatory motion of the
cylinder is produced by means of a stud and friction roller on one of the lifting.
bars entering a slot of suitable form on the frame which suspends the cylinder,
and such motion is rendered intermittent thereby, and by means of a drop
catch, whereby time and ease is given in the changing of the hooked.rods.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Robinson, Joseph Priestley, and Jeremiah Foulds
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
ROBINSON, Mechanic, JOSEPH PRIESTLEY, and JEREMIAH FOULDS, Overlookers,
all in the Employ of Thomas Dewhirst, Worsted Spinner and Manufacturer,
of Bradford, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Samuel Robinson, Joseph Priestley, and Jeremiah Foulds, Her special
licence that we, the said Samuel Robinson, Joseph Priestley, and Jeremiah
Foulds, our; executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Samuel Robinson, Joseph Priestley, and Jeremiah Foulds, our execu-
tors, 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

page_text: Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Samuel Robinson, Joseph
Priestley, and Jeremiah Foulds, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Samuel Robinson, Joseph Priestley,
and Jeremiah Foulds, 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) :-
This Invention relates to means of working or operating the healds or
heddles of looms, and our object is to simplify or to render less complicated
the apparatus by which this operation is effected, and at the same time to
secure accuracy or certainty of action thereof.
These improvements consist in dispensing with all the treddles and
treading tappets, jacks, jack rods, and half-moons ordinarily employed, also
the low shaft, and the gearing thereto as now employed for this purpose; and
instead of these parts or apparatus we employ a rocking shaft supported in
brackets or fixings to the top rail of the loom. On one end of this shaft
is fixed an arm or lever connected by a rod to an eccentric stud wheel or
crank arm fixed on the crank shaft, by which motion is communicated to the
said rocking shaft when the loom is in action. Two other arms are fixed on
the said shaft projecting over the healds or heddles, to which are suspended
lifting bars or sliding plates, which are capable of being raised and lowered
'thereby and guided by suitable framing. A hooked rod is attached to each end
of each leaf of healds or heddles, and is actuated by a spring so as to be capable
of catching on the lifting bars when at liberty to do so. Needles with double
eyes are employed. (i.e., each needle having two eyes), and arranged in
such manner that the two hooked rods of one leaf of healds pass one through
each eye, and are thereby actuated simultaneously. An ordinary jacquard or
peg-lag cylinder is employed for selecting and operating the needles, the cards
or lags thereof being arranged as usual to produce the desired movement of the
needles so as to place any pair of the hooks out of contact with the lifting bars
when required. The oscillatory motion of the cylinder is produced by means
of a stud and friction roller on one of the lifting bars entering a slot of
suitable form on the frame, which suspends the cylinder, and such motion is

page_text: rendered intermittent thereby, and by micats of a crop catch, whereby the
and ease is given in the changing of the hooked rods.
In order that this Invention may be clearly understood we have given
reference to two accompanying Sheets of Drawings, with letters of reference
marked thereon, illustrating such parts of a loom as are necessary to shew our
improvements applied thereto.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Figs. 2 and 3 are end elevations of same.
The several parts of an ordinary loom being well known and understood need
not to be especially described here.
"
A is the rocking shaft supported in brackets, bearers, or standards B fixed
to the top rail; C is a lever arm fixed to this rocking shaft, and to which is
a rod D connecting to a stud wheel E fixed on the crank shaft; F and F¹
are the two arms fixed on the rocking shaft and projecting over the heddles,
to which are suspended the lifting bars G, which form parts of two rectangular
frames H and H', each having two parallel holes capable of sliding on vertical
pins I fixed in brackets J attached to the top rail when motion is given
to the said rocking shaft; K are the hooked rods, which are connected
by cords to the beddles L, two to each heddle. These hooked rods are so
formed as to have a spring part, which when in place will press the hooked
end into contact with the lifting bars. One simple and efficient form of
spring hook is shewn full size at Fig. 4, which is made of tempered steel
wire; M, are the needles which are supported by and capable of sliding in a
frame J fixed on the brackets J. These needles are shewn full size at
Figs. 5 and 6, with an eye m at each end, through which the hooks K
slide, and are operated or moved into or out of contact with the lifting bars;
N is an ordinary jacquard cylinder on a stud O fixed in a frame P, which
is hinged on a stud Q on a fixing to one of the brackets B. Oscillatory
motion is given to the frame P by a pin and friction roller R fixed to
and projecting from the frame H, and entering a slot hole p formed therein.
Figs. 7 and 8 are two views of the frame P, about half full size, shewing
more clearly the form and arrangement of the slot hole. Fig. 9 is a front
view of the chief parts of the apparatus, and Fig. 10 is an end view of
the same, also about half full size, the same letters of reference being
employed, and shewing more clearly the peculiar construction and arrange-
ment of the several parts thereof. The, drop catch S is hinged to the
arm F ready to drop in betwixt the horn or projecting part T of the frame P
when the lifting bars arrive near their lowest position so as to hold the
cylinder up to the needles for a certain time during the change of the
hooked rods, as may be readily understood by observing, the form, of the slot

page_text: hole at its bottom end. Fig. 11 is a section of the brackets J and frame J¹
taken through the dotted line in Fig. 10, shewing one end of a needle with
a hooked rod passing through it and hooked on the lifting bar. The hooked-
rods rest upon the low part of the bracket J when not engaged on the
lifting bar, the cords passing through small holes therein. The heddles are
assisted in lowering by springs U attached to a cross rail fixed to the bottom
rails of the loom.
It will now be seen that all the hooks which are not acted upon by the
jacquard, and thereby removed out of position for contact, will take on the
lifting bars, and be lifted thereby, consequently lifting the heddles to which
they are connected.
And it will be understood that according to the arrangement of the holes or
perforations in the cards on the cylinder, or the pegs in the lags, when peg-
lags are employed, will the needles be acted upon or pushed in removing the
hooks therein out of position for contact with the lifting bars, and which con-
sequently will not be lifted.
Also it will be seen that as provision is made for the hooked rods to rest
on the bottom of the brackets and the lifting bars are arranged to descend a
little below the hooks, time and ease will be afforded in the changing of the
hooks.
The particular construction and arrangements of the several parts may
be varied or modified as may be found most desirable, according to different
circumstances.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Priestley, on behalf of myself
and the said Samuel Robinson and Jeremiah Foulds, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of December, One thou-
sand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
by the within-named Joseph
Priestley, in the presence of
W*. TASKER,
Patent Agent, Halifax.
JOSEPH PRIESTLEY. (L.s.)