CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING MACHINERY
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, JOHN
BORLAND, of Norfolk Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Second day of
November (One thousand eight hundred and fifty), in the fourteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Borland, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Borland, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Borland, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully, might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Guernsey,
Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, my, Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING
MACHINERY;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said John Borland, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's

page_text: High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Borland, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained
in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say):-
My Improvements in weaving machinery consist in certain additions to
the power loom whereby that machine is rendered more simple in its con-
struction and easier to be worked, and have relation,-
First, to the mode of effecting the movement of the heddles.
Second, to the picking or throwing of the shuttle. And,
Third, to the taking up of the cloth.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawings represent so much of a loom con-
Structed according to my said Invention as is necessary to shew my improve-
ments. Figure 1 is a front elevation; Figure 2, a plan; Figures 3 and 4,
end elevations, the framing being in each case omitted.
MOVEMENTS OF THE HEDDLES.
A, A, is the main shaft; B, the fly wheel; C, the driving pulley, which is
put in motion by a belt from some prime mover. The inner edge of the
pulley C is made of considerable thickness, so that it may act as an assistance
to the fly wheel. D is a diagonal-grooved pulley which serves as a wiper to
give motion to the upper end of the lever E, which has its fulcrum or axis at
F. The upper end of the lever has a friction wheel a mounted upon it which
takes into the grooves b, b, of the wiper pulley D by which the top of the lever
is made to oscillate from side to side. The amount of travel thus given to the
lever is equal to the distance between the centres of the grooves b, b.
Figure 5 is a plan of the periphery of the pulley cut across and spread
out in a straight line. It is so represented that the whole of the grooves
may be exposed to view at once. From this it will be seen that the lever E
is kept steady in one position during the greater portion of the revolution of
the main shaft; that is, while the friction pulley a is moving along the
parallel portions b, b, of the grooves, and performs its oscillation or change
from side to side when the pulley a is making its pass over the diagonal
portions 6, 6. The proportional lengths of the parallel and diagonal portions
of the grooves, as also their positions upon the main shaft, are so disposed in
relation to the other parts of the machine that the lever E is made, with the

page_text: help of the other arrangements next to be described, to effect the movement
of the heddles just at the proper intervals of time. G, G, are two pulleys or
riggers, which are connected together. by a band H, which is fixed to the
peripheries of both riggers, so that they must both move together. The lower
end of the lever E is attached to the band H, so that at each oscillation which
it makes the riggers G, G, are made to make part of a revolution. I, I,
I, I, are four cords, the lower ends of which are affixed to pins projecting
from the surface of the riggers, while their upper ends are attached to the
heddles K, K, by which arrangement their alternate rising and falling is
effected every time the riggers are moved.
PICKING OR THROWING THE SHUTTLES.
L, L, are two levers the lower ends of which move on a stud fixed in the
rocking tree; their upper ends are passed up through the lathe to which the
picker is connected, and by which motion is communicated to the shuttle.
These levers are acted on alternately at each revolution of the main shaft by
movements produced in the several parts following. M, M, are two upright
spindles, the lower ends of which are stepped in bearings formed in a cross
rail N, and their upper ends passed through slots x, x, formed in the top rail,
into which slots they are capable of being moved from one side of the machine
towards the other, and to such a distance as is sufficient to disengage the
friction rollers c, c, placed upon the arms O, O, and prevent them from coming
into contact with the cams P, P, keyed to the main shaft. The friction
rollers c, c, are drawn into gear with the cams P, P, by means of the helical
springs R, R, and are again drawn out of gear by the bands S, S, which are
attached to the upright spindles M, M, by means of collars d, d, to which the
helical springs R, R, are also attached. Every time the lever E makes a
move towards either side of the machine (by means of the wiper pulley before
explained) it causes one of the friction pulleys c to gear upon the cam P, in
which position, as the cam revolves, it causes the upright spindle M to make
a partial revolution, and suddenly, to bring round the lever arm Q, which is
affixed to the spindle M. R2, R3, are bands which connect the ends of the
arms Q, Q, with the levers L.. L, so that when the arm Q. is suddenly drawn
round, as has just been explained, the lever L is caused to effect the throwing
of the shuttle.
TAKING UP OF THE CLOTH.
The main shaft A has its bearings in two levers T, T, one placed at each
end of the machine, which have their axes at e, e. U is a lever or handle

page_text: (being a continuation of one of the levers) which is loaded with a weight V
sufficient to counterpoise the weight of the main shaft and the gear which is
upon it. When the frog W, which has a notch upon one side of it for the
reception of a pin in the lever is drawn back, it allows the lever to fall down,
and the driving pulley C to rise up till it comes in contact with the break X,
which slackens the driving band supposed to be coming from above, and thus
stops the machine. The frog W is kept in its place by means of a helical spring
fand the handle f2. Y is the breast beam, which is of the peculiar curved form
shewn in Figures 3 and 4. The upper edge is presented in a slanting
direction to the reed, and set up like a file, by which it takes a hold of the
cloth as formed, keeping it the width of the length of the reed. I am thus
enabled to dispense entirely with the use of a temple. The breast beam is
fixed to the sides of the frame by means of two studs upon which it is free to
move when any extra pressure is brought to bear against its front edge. If
the shuttle should happen to miss completing its full journey, and stick in the
warp, then, when the lathe moves forwards, the breast beam will move back,
turning upon the pivots upon which it is placed, and thus prevent the breakage
of any of the parts of the loom as well as any damage to the web. The
movement so given to the breast beam farther disengages the frog W from its
hold of the lever U by pressing back the arm g which forms a part of the
frog, upon which the lever U falls, and stops the loom. h is the warp beam;
i, the cloth beam; k, k, the ratchet wheel and pulley; 1, a weight for causing
the cloth to take up upon the beam as it is formed; m, another weight which
causes the cord n to have the requisite friction upon the beam. The taking-
up motion thus receives the cloth upon the beam as it is struck forward by
the lathe; so that if the shoot should happen to break, and the loom continue
to go on, no flow will be thereby formed in the cloth on again starting, as the
warp will not have advanced.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is the power
loom above described, in the peculiar arrangement, disposition, and combi-
nation of parts of which the same consists; that is to say, in so far as regards
the employment of only one shaft, and that shaft moveable upon levers
placed upon the frame; the double wiper pulley for moving the heddles
or sheds, and the parts in immediate connection therewith; the moveable
breast beam toothed upon its upper edge, and placed close to the reed, whereby
the temple is dispensed with; the taking-up motion by which flaws or other
defects in the cloth are prevented in the case of the shoot breaking; and the

page_text: arrangements connected with the breast beam for stopping the loom in case
of the shuttle resting in the shed during its passage across the loom.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Borland, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
JOHN (L.S.) BORLAND.
JOHN (L.S.) BORLAND.
Enrolled the Second day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-one.