IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Mellodew and Thomas Mellodew, of Moor-
side Mills, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturers, and
Charles. William Kesselmeyer, of Manchester, in the said County,
Warehouseman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 28th April 1863, and dated the 8th November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Mellodew, Thomas
Mellodew, and Charles William Kesselmeyer at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 8th November
1862.
We, JAMES MELLODEW and THOMAS MELLODEW, of Moorside Mills, Oldham,
in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturers, and CHARLES WILLIAM KESSEL-
MEYER, of Manchester, in the said County, Warehouseman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
to be as follows:-
Our Invention refers to the apparatus for making the shed in looms. To
effect this operation we use two elements, the one consisting of a tappet or
series of tappets, and the other of a pattern chain or equivalent apparatus,
the latter of which determines whether tappets shall be "risers"
** sinkers."
In order to illustrate this main feature of our Invention, we will describe a

page_text: certain arrangement that may be employed. Upon a rotatory disc is a series
of tappets mounted thereon so as to be capable of turning upon centres, and
we cause the pattern chain to act upon them, so that when one end is turned
inward the other is turned outward, the rollers attached to the treadles or
jacks are therefore "shunted" upward or downward as the pattern chain has
determined.
As another example we form a disc with grooved cams on the face thereof,
one portion of, which disc is capable of sliding radially by the action of the
pattern chair, so as to shunt the connexion with the treadles or jacks, and
thus effect a rising or sinking.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Mellodew, Thomas Mellodew, and Charles William
Kesselmeyer, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
MELLODEW and THOMAS MELLODEW, of Moorside Mills, Oldham, in the County
of Lancaster, Manufacturers, and CHARLES WILLIAM KESSELMEYER, of Man-
chester, in the said County, Warehouseman, send greeting.
WHEREAS. Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, 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
us, the said James Mellodew, Thomas Mellodew, and Charles William
Kesselmeyer, Her special license that we, the said James Mellodew,
Thomas Mellodew, and Charles William Kesselmeyer, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Mellodew,
Thomas Mellodew, and Charles William Kesselmeyer, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and 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 Mellodew, Thomas
Mellodew, and Charles William Kesselmeyer, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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
い
•

page_text: in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
(NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Mellodew, 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 fol-
lowing statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
Our Invention refers to the apparatus for making the shed of looms. To
effect this operation' we use; two elements, the one consisting of a tappet or
series of tappets, and the other of a pattern chain or equivalent apparatus,
the latter of which determines whether the tappets shall be "risers". or
"sinkers.".
In the accompanying, Drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 represent one method of.
carrying out this main feature in our Invention.
. The tappet shaft of the loom is shewn at a, upon which is mounted a disc b,
receiving rotatory motion from a pinion c upon the crank shaft. Upon this disc
is formed a series of fixed tappets e, which as they revolve act upon a roller f,
mounted, upon, a; bar; g; capable of sliding upward or downward in a slot h,
therein embracing the tappet shaft a. The lower end of this bar is connected
at i to a jack k, and by these means therefore the jack and consequently the
warps connected therewith are at a certain point of revolution of the disc b
raised if they, have previously. been depressed, or received at the same level if
they have previously been raised, so that the whole range o of warps are, at this
supposed time, in one horizontal line, and in a state of preparation for being
opened to form the shed; it will therefore be understood that the tappets e
are not concerned, in making the shed, but act only by preparing for that
operation. Upon the disc b.is mounted a series of tumblers 1, 1*, constituting
the tappets, to which our Invention refers. These tumbling tappets are
capable of turning upon axes at m, and carry at their ends projecting pins n, n*.
At o is a, lever provided with inclined planes p, q, and turning upon a fixed
centre at r; to its upper end is jointed a rod s, connecting it to a lever t,
turning upon a fixed centre at u, and situate beneath an endless chain car-
rying a series of tappets, one of which is shewn at v.
The operation is as follows:-According to the position shewn in the Drawing
the chain tappet v has depressed the lever t, and has caused it to turn upon its
centre so as to raise the rod s, by which means the lever o will have been turned
upon its centre. This having been accomplished, the warps will have been
brought to their level line by the tappets e, as above explained, and the roller f
will, as shewn in the Drawing, rest on the top of one of the said tappets, ready
to be a "riser" or "sinker" according to the required weaving." The aforesaid

page_text: turning of the lever o has brought the inclined plane p into such a position
that the revolution of the disc 6 has brought the pin n in contact therewith,
whereby the tumbler tappet * has been turned upon its centre, so as to
elevate the upper end thereof, and a further revolution of the disc 6 will
cause the said tumbler tappet to pass over the roller f, and thus depress it,
so as to effect a sinking of the warps connected with a jack k; but if, instead
of this sinking, a rising had been required, then the pattern chain v would
not have acted upon the lever t, and the tappet would have passed free
of the incline p, the other incline q would, however, in that case have fallen
forward, so as to intercept the pin n*, whereby the said tappet would have
been depressed into the position shewn by the red lines, and the revolution of
the disc 6 would have carried it under the roller f, so as to effect the required
rise.
The pattern chain v is provided with a second set of tappets, acting, after
the manner above described, upon a second lever o*, such tappets being a
repetition of the pattern designed for use in turning the loom back, and
allowing a quarter turn of the crank shaft (there being in this case four
to the round) as is well understood.
Another method of carrying our Invention into effect is shewn at Figs. 21
and 3.
The tappet shaft of the loom is at 1, receiving motion from the crank shaft.
Upon this tappet shaft is mounted a disc 2, upon which is a series of tappets 3
capable of sliding radially thereon, and of being guided in such sliding motion
by pins 4, projecting into slots 5 formed in the said disc. The plates 6, on
which these tappets are formed, are also provided with grooves 7, constituting
another series of tappets, the first mentioned being for the purpose of effecting
a rising of the warps connected to the jack 8, and the latter for the sinking
thereof. Upon the plates 6 are mounted rollers 9, which as they revolve are
carried round within a groove 10, unless they are turned from that course, as
will hereafter be described. The groove 10 is formed upon a stationary plate 11,
excepting a portion thereof from 12 to 13, which portion is one rib, 14,
only, formed upon a plate 15, mounted so as to slide upward or downward.
To the lower end of this plate is connected a lever 16, turning upon a centre
at 17, and jointed at its other end to a rod 18, which is acted upon by a pattern
chain 19.
The operation is as follows:-According to the position shewn in the
Drawing the sliding plate 15 has been moved upward by the pattern chain 19
having acted upon the lever 16, so as to have caused it to turn upon its centre
This movement has caused the rib 14 to lift the roller 9*, which was
17.

page_text: passing thereon, and its further revolution is therefore caused to follow the
course of an inward groove 20, and when it shall have arrived at the position
of the roller 9**, it will have brought the tappet 3* into contact with the
jack 8, so as to effect a raising thereof; but supposing that instead of this a
sinking had been required, then the pattern chain would not have acted upon the
lever 16, and the rib 14 would have remained in the position shewn by the red
lines, under which circumstance the roller 9* would have continued its course
along the outward groove 10, and a grooved tappet 7 would have acted upon
the jack, so as to draw it downward. The roller 21 of the jack between the
periods of being acted upon by one or the other of the tappets 3, 7, rests upon
the intermediate supports 22, and is therefore in a state of preparation for
becoming a riser or sinker.
In the above description reference has been made to one set of tappets only,
but they may, of course, be multiplied side by side, according to the number of
shafts in use.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that we claim as secured to us under the above in part recited Letters Patent,
the use of tappets which are caused to be risers or sinkers through the agency
of a pattern chain or equivalent apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Mellodew, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
JAMES MELLODEW. (L.S.)