IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Gray, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN POWER LOOMS."
Sealed the 17th July 1860, and dated the 28th January 1860.1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Gray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
January 1860.
I, ALEXANDER GRAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN POWER LOOMS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to that portion of the mechanism of power looms by
which the picking stick or lever is actuated, and has for object to simplify the
parts, and to render the "motion" capable of being driven at a higher rate with
comparatively little vibration. The improvements are specially designed for
the arrangement of power looms in which the picking levers turn on centres
at or near the base of the loom, and work in a plane parallel to and moving
with the lathe.
In one modification of the improved arrangements the strap attached at
one end to and actuating the picking lever is fixed at its other end to a
curved flange formed on the front end of a horizontal lever, centred on a ver-
tical pin upon a bracket attached to the side of the loom frame. This lever
extends back from its fulcrum towards the tappet or low shaft of the loom, and
carries a conical antifriction roller on a vertical pin at its back end. On the
low shaft there is fixed a disc having on its face a curved projection with
inclined sides, and when the loom is working this projection actuates the hori-
zontal lever. The motion is modified or adjusted by raising or lowering the
antifriction roller, and by shifting the fulcrum of the horizontal lover.

page_text: In a second modification the strap from the picking lever passes round
beneath a guide pulley and up to the front end of a lever extending back and
working vertically on a horizontal pin. The back end of this lever is periodi-
cally depressed by an arm on the low shaft, this arm having an antifriction
roller on a pin projecting laterally from it parallel to the shaft.
In a third modification the strap from the picking lever is attached to one
end of a bell-crank lever turning on a vertical pin, or instead of the lever the
piece may consist of a short vertical spindle carrying two arms at right angles,
or nearly so, to each other. One of these arms may be a pin carrying an anti-
friction roller, which lies against the slightly coned edge of a disc fast on the
low shaft of the loom. At one part of the edge of this disc there is a projec-
tion with inclined edges, and bevilled or shaped to keep in contact with the
antifriction roller upon which it acts. As the low shaft rotates the projection
on the disc imparts the proper motion to the bell-crank lever or its equivalent,
and through it actuates the picking levers.
pins
A fourth modification comprises the principal parts of a "picking motion,"
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to the present appli-
cant, and dated 14th September 1857, (No. 2383), but instead of the "
therein described as carried respectively by the arm on the low shaft and by the
rocking shaft, an antifriction roller is carried by the arm on the low shaft,
and this acts on a comparatively broad wing or flange projecting radially or
nearly so from the rocking shaft.
In the various modifications the parts described are of course repeated at
each side of the loom, being arranged to act alternately on each side in the
usual way. In all the modifications the parts are so proportioned that the
smallest possible amount of material has the indispensable reciprocating motion
imparted to it and to the smallest possible extent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Gray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th July 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
GRAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manager, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said

page_text: Alexander Gray, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander Gray, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Gray, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Alexander Gray, my executors or administrators, by an 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 Alexander Gray, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to that portion of the mechanism of power looms
by which the picking stick or lever is actuated, and has for object to simplify tho
parts and to render the "motion" capable of being driven at a high rate with
comparatively little vibration. The improvements are specially designed for
the well-known arrangement of power loom in which the picking levers turn
on centres at or near the base of the loom, and work in a plane parallel to
and moving with the lathe. And whereas in the Provisional Specification
lodged by me on applying for the said Letters Patent, several modifications of
my improved picking motion were described, I would here remark that I pur-
pose claiming under the said Letters Patent only one of such modifications,
not having as yet carried out the other modifications to a practically useful
result.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood and
carried into effect, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of explanatory Drawings
to which I shall refer in particularly describing what I consider to be the best
modification of my improved picking motion.
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is a transverse vertical section; and
Figure 2 is a plan of as much of a power loom as is necessary in explaining the
improved motion; the same reference letters marking the same parts in both
Figures. In this example the picking levers or sticks A are cach connected

page_text: by a double or swivel joint to a stud B fixed to the lower part of the side
frame C of the loom, the upper ends of the levers working through slots in
Each picking lever A is actuated by a
the bottoms of the shuttle boxes D.
strap E, the inner end of which is attached to a curved flange F formed on
the front end of one arm of a bell-crank lever G, centred on a vertical stud H
fixed in a bracket I, bolted to the side frame C. Instead of a simple bell-
crank lever the piece G may consist of a vertical spindle or elongated tubular
boss carrying two arms at right angles, or nearly so, to each other. The back
arm of the bell-crank lever carries a conical antifriction pulley J, which lies in
contact with the partially-coned edge of a disc K fast on the "low" or second
motion shaft L of the loom. At one part the edge of the disc K projects
in a radial direction beyond the general circular outline, and it is this project-
ing part M, which as the shaft L rotates comes round and moves the bell-
crank lever G; this lever being cranked in order that the pulley J may receive
the impulse of the disc K in the direction of its motion, that is, the motion of
the pulley and the part of the lever carrying it, whereby the concussion and
vibration is lessened. The pin carrying the conical antifriction pulley J is
made adjustable, so that the action of the lever may be modified. The parts
described are repeated at each side of the loom, and are arranged to act alter-
nately in the usual way, the discs K beiug fixed upon the shaft L, with their
projections M in diametrically opposite positions, as shown in the plan, Figure 2,
wherein at one side the parts are shown as actuating the picking stick, the
parts at the other side being in the opposite position.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I have to state that
I do not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated;
but that what I consider to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
The actuating of the picking levers of power looms by means of intermediate
bell-crank levers, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Gray, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this
day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
ALEXANDER GRAY. (L.S.)