Year: 1867

page_text: of the shaft on which the driving pulley turns, and in which the recesses or
openings for the toggle jointed levers and sliding rod are formed separately
from the other part of the shaft, and by casting the first-mentioned part of
the shaft I am enabled to form in it the required recesses or openings, and to
suitably shape it in other respects at a comparatively small cost.
This part
of the shaft may be cast with the brake wheel, or it may be cast with a flange
-or-disc-and bolted_to_the_hub of the break wheel, or it may be, otherwise
coupled with the other part of the shaft to which the break wheel is affixed.
Another object of this part of my Invention is to facilitate the lubrication
of the driving pulley, and for this purpose I cast a spiral recess or slot in the
part of the shaft on which the driving pulley turns, and fill it with cloth or
some other absorbent material to hold a reserved supply of oil, and I connect
the recess which contains the reserved supply of oil with the outer end of the
shaft by means of a hole or tube, in such manner that the supply of oil may
be replenished whilst the driving pulley is in motion.
A
The next part of my Invention relates to a mode of imparting a backward
movement to the loom to put it into any desired position. In the reversing
movements heretofore applied to looms the gear which receives motion
from the pinion or gear on the driving pulley is supported by fixed
stands and
revolves continually whenever the driving pulley revolves.
This part of my Invention consists in giving to the reversing mechanism a
condition independent of the moving parts of the loom, so that it shall be in
motion only when the loom is being moved backwards, and be at rest at all
other times. For this purpose a spur gear or friction roller is affixed to the
hub of the driving pulley (or to the hub of the loose pulley in case a fast and
loose pulley are used), and another gear, though of larger diameter, is affixed
to the driving shaft or to the break wheel as may be most convenient.
vibrating bar or lever capable of moving towards and from the driving shaft
carries a gear or friction roller suitably formed to engage with the before-
mentioned gear or friction roller on the driving pulley, which gear or friction
roller acts on another gear on an axis parallel to the driving shaft, which axis
carries-another-gear-suitably-formed-to-engage_with_the_before-mentioned gear on
the driving shaft, the whole of the intermediate gears being carried and supported
by the before-mentioned vibrating bar or lever in such relation to the before-
mentioned gears on the driving pulley and the driving shaft that whenever
the vibrating bar or lever is moved towards the driving shaft the gears on the
driving pulley and driving shaft engage with their respective intermediate gears
and impart a backward movement to the loom so long as they are thus held
in contact, and when the vibrating bar or lever is moved away from the driving

page_text: shaft far enough to draw the gears out of contact, the reversing mechanism
ceases to act, and remains at rest until the motion of the loom is to be again
reversed. The weaver moves the vibrating bar or lever to put the gears in and
out of contact for the purposes above described, by means of an arm on the
releasing shaft with which it may be connected.
The next part of my Invention relates to a mode of distending the cloth
during the operation of weaving. For this purpose I employ nippers which
grasp the cloth at either edge of it near the cloth forming line and hold it in
a distended condition whilst the reed is moved back for the passing of the
shuttle. The nippers are capable of vibrating with the movement given to
the cloth by beating up the weft, and are opened to renew their grasp on it
whilst it is distended by the reed; the jaw of each of the nippers which acts
on the upper side of the cloth overlaps the edge of the cloth as far as may be
necessary to firmly hold it, and is formed on the outer end of a bar which is
pinjointed to a stand below the cloth affixed to the breast beam, the bar
being bent up around the selvage of the cloth to bring its jaw into the
required position. The jaw which acts on, the under side of the cloth is
formed on an arm extending horizontally from the outer end of an axis which
is supported by projections on the under side of the before-mentioned bar,
which arm extends forward from its axis a sufficient distance to bring its jaw
under the upper one before described. The jaws of the nippers are opened
and closed by vibrating this axis; around this axis a spiral spring is coiled
which constantly tends to press the jaws together. whilst from its inner end an
arm extends downwards, against which a projection carried by the lay strikes
and opens the jaws when the lay beats up the weft; this arm is affixed to its
axis beyond the pin joint before-mentioned which allows the nippers to vibrate,
so that when the projection on the lay strikes it to open the jaws, it will
move them forward towards the end to renew their grasp on a new portion of
the cloth. For weaving some kinds of cloth the projections on the lay which
open the jaws of the nippers as just explained may be adjustable pins pro-
jecting from the front side of the race beam, but when it is desired to have
the jaws of the nippers grasp the cloth as nearly as practicable to the cloth
forming line the projections after they have opened the jaws should relax
their action and allow them to close again upon the cloth before the lay
commences its backward movement. For this purpose I place a shaft on the
lay parallel to the race beam from the inner part of which two arms, one for
each pair of nippers extend upwards opposite to the depending arms by which
the nippers are opened, whilst from its ouier end another arm extends
horizontally. To the end of the last-mentioned arm a latch lever is jointed

page_text: which strikes against a fixed cam surface when the lay beats up the weft, the
latch lever and the cam surface on which it acts being so arranged with
respect to each other that the two arms on the inner part of the shaft will
be held in a position to open their respective nippers by the time the lay
completes its forward movement, and relaxed to allow them to close again upon
the cloth before the lay begins its backward movement. When it is not
desired to open the nippers to renew their grasp on a new portion of the cloth
-at-every-beat-of-the-lay_the_cam_surface just mentioned may be turned aside
to clear the latch lever during such portion of the beats of the lay as it is
desired to have the nippers remain closed; this may be effected by a rod and
lever acted on by a cam receiving motion from the cam shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Erastus Brigham Bigelow in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 31st October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ERASTUS
BRIGHAM BIGELOW, of Boston, United States of America, now residing at the
Hotel du Rhin, Place Vendome, in the City of Paris, in the Empire of France,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Erastus Brigham Bigelow, Her special licence that I; the said Erastus Brigham
Bigelow, my exécutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Erastus Brigham Bigelow, 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 LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Erastus Brigham Bigelow, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Erastus Brigham Bigelow, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in looms for weaving, and
relates, firstly, to a mode of constructing certain parts of the mechanism for
In the
engaging and disengaging the driving pulley with the driving shaft.
arrangement for this purpose described in the Specification of a Patent
granted to me on the 27th day of September 1866 (No. 2503) the toggle-
jointed levers which press the friction levers against the rim of the driving
pulley and the sliding rod which operates them work in recesses or openings
formed in the driving shaft. The forming of these recesses or openings,
especially in shafts of wrought iron, is attended with considerable labor, the
diminution of which is one of the objects of this part of my Invention.
this purpose I make the part of the shaft on which the driving pulley turns.
and in which the recesses or openings for the toggle jointed levers and
sliding rod are formed separately from the other part of the shaft, and by
casting the first-mentioned part of the shaft I am enabled to form in it the
required recesses or openings, and to suitably shape it in other respects at a
comparatively small cost. This part of the shaft may be cast with the break
wheel, or it may be cast with a flange or disc, and bolted to the hub of the
break wheel, or it may be otherwise coupled with the other part of the shaft
to which the break wheel is affixed:
For
Another object of this part of my Invention is to facilitate the lubrication
of the driving pulley, and for this purpose I cast a recess or slot which may be
in a spiral form in the part of the shaft on which the driving pulley turns, and
fill it with cloth or some other absorbent material to hold a reserved supply
of oil, and I connect the recess which contains the reserved supply of oil with
the outer end of the shaft by means of a hole or tube, in such manner that the
supply of oil may be replenished whilst the driving pulley is in motion.
a is the
Figure 1 is a horizontal section of the apparatus thus arranged.
main shaft of the loom; b, the break wheel upon it; 'c is a casting bolted to
it and forming a continuation of the shaft a; a side view of this casting is
shown separately at Figure 2. d is the belt pulley revolving upon the
casting c and secured thereon by a ring c¹; e is a sliding bar working within
Its inner end embraces
the casting c, which is bored truly to receive it.
the toggle levers f, f, which work in the slots c³, the ends of which bear
upon the friction flaps g, g, which are pinjointed to the break wheel b.
means of the sliding bar e, and the toggle levers f, the flaps g can be pressed
By

page_text: against the interior periphery of the pulley d, or by drawing back the slide e
the friction flaps g may be set free, and then their springs g throw them back
out of contact. the action being in all respects similar to that described in the
Specification of my former Patent, to which reference has already been made.
Side views of the slide e and of the toggle levers are shown at Figures 3
and 4. In the casting c a groove c² is formed of any convenient depth; it is
filled with soft woollen cloth or other material capable of absorbing and
retaining oil. In the ring-c-an-oil-hole-is-bored-communicating_with_the_
groove or oil cavity c. In this way a very effective means is provided of
lubricating the surfaces in contact with the belt pulley, and the oil will only
require to be replenished at long intervals. By forming the piece c in cast
metal it may be very readily and cheaply produced as it comes from the sand
with the required passages and openings in it, and requiring little else than
facing, boring, and turning to complete it. whereas to produce the requisite
openings and passages in the wrought-iron shaft a would be troublesome and
expensive.
Figure 5 shows a front view of the arrangement with the belt pulley
removed; the circle of its inner periphery however is indicated by a dotted
line. Figure 6 shows a similar arrangement adapted for use with a small
driving pulley.
The next part of my Invention relates to a mode of imparting a backward
movement to the loom to put it into any desired position. In the reversing
movements heretofore applied to looms the gear which receives motion from
the pinion or gear on the driving pulley is supported by fixed stands, and
revolves continually whenever the pulley which drives it revolves. This part
of my Invention consists in giving to the reversing mechanism a condition
independent of the moving parts of the loom, so that it shall be in motion
only when the loom is being moved backwards; and be at rest at all other
times. For this purpose the following arrangement is preferred: A spur
gear or friction roller is affixed to the hub of the driving pulley (or to the
hub of the loose pulley in case a fast-and-loose pulley are used) and another
gear, though of larger diameter, is affixed to the driving shaft or to the break
wheel, as may be most convenient. A vibrating-bar-or-lever-capable-of-
moving towards and from the driving shaft carries a gear or friction roller
suitably formed to engage with the before-mentioned gear or friction roller on
the driving pulley, which gear or friction roller acts on another gear on an axis
parallel to the driving shaft, which axis carries another gear suitably formed
to engage with the before-mentioned gear on the driving shaft, the whole of
the intermediate gears being carried and supported by the before-mentioned

page_text: vibrating bar or lever, in such relation to the before-mentioned gears on the
driving pulley and the driving shaft that whenever the vibrating bar or lever
is moved towards the driving shaft the gears on the driving pulley and driving
shaft engage with their respective intermediate gears, and impart a backward
movement to the loom so long as they are thus held in contact, and when the
vibrating bar or lever is moved away from the driving shaft far enough to
draw the gears out of contact the reversing mechanism ceases to act, and
remains at rest until the motion of the loom is to be again reversed. The
weaver moves the vibrating bar or lever to put the gears in and out of contact,
for the purposes above described, by means of an arm on the releasing shaft
with which it may be connected.
Figure 7 is a side view, and Figure 8, a front view of reversing apparatus
thus arranged.
a is the frame of the loom; b, the belt pulley on the main axis; c and d is
the break wheel on the same axis, it has a ring of teeth d¹ formed upon it, by
which it is driven when the loom is reversed; e is a rocking frame which
carries the apparatus and is furnished with a lever or handle e, by means of
which it may be raised or lowered, it carries an axis having at one end a
pinion e, and at the other end another pinion e', and by raising and lowering
the rocking frame the pinion e may be moved into and out of gear with the
ring of teeth d'; the pinion e' gears with another pinion e turning on a
stud which is carried by an arm on the rocking frame e; e is a friction wheel
formed or fixed upon the pinion e, and b' is a friction pulley formed upon the
hub of the belt pulley b; when the rocking frame is raised the pinion b¹
drives the friction wheel e, and through the train of gear already described a
backward movement is given to the loom; but when the rocking frame is
allowed to descend the friction wheel e and the spur pinion e³ go out of gear,
so that when the loom is running forward, or is at rest, the whole of the
reversing gearing is stationary. The rocking frame may receive its motion
from a releasing lever acted upon by the workman in the manner shown in the
Specification of my aforesaid former Patent.
The next part of my Invention relates to a mode of distending the cloth
during the operation of weaving. For this purpose I employ nippers which
grasp the cloth at either edge of it near the cloth-forming line, and hold it in
a distended condition whilst the reed is moved back for the passing of the
shuttle. The nippers are capable of vibrating with the movement given to
the cloth by beating up the weft, and are opened to renew their grasp on it
whilst it is distended by the reed. The jaw of each of the nippers which acts
on the upper side of the cloth overlaps the edge of the cloth as far as may be

page_text: necessary to firmly hold it, and is formed on the outer end of a bar which is
pin-jointed to a stand below the cloth affixed to the breast beam, the bar being
bent up around the selvage of the cloth to bring its jaw into the required posi-
tion. The jaw which acts on the under side of the cloth is formed on an arm
extending horizontally from the outer end of an axis, which is supported by
projections on the under side of the before-mentioned bar, which arm extends
forward from its axis a sufficient distance to bring-its-jaw-under-the-upper-one-
before described. The jaws of the nippers are opened and closed by vibrating
this axis; around-this axis a spiral spring is coiled which constantly tends to
press the jaws together, whilst from its inner end an arm extends downwards,
against which a projection carried by the lay strikes and opens the jaws when
the lay beats up the weft. This arm is affixed to its axis beyond the pin joint
before mentioned which allows the nippers to vibrate, so that when the pro-
jection on the lay strikes it to open the jaws it will move them forward towards
the end to renew their grasp on a new portion of the cloth. For weaving
some kinds of cloth the projections on the lay which open the jaws of the
nippers, as just explained, may be adjustable pins projecting from the front
side of the race beam, but when it is desired to have the jaws of the nippers
grasp the cloth as nearly as practicable to the cloth-forming line the projec-
tions after they have opened the jaws should relax their action and allow
them to close again upon the cloth before the lay commences its backward
movement. For this purpose I place a shaft on the lay parallel to the race
beam, from the inner part of which two arms, one for each pair of nippers,
extend opposite to the depending arms by which the nippers are opened, whilst
from its outer end another arm extends horizontally. To the end of the last-
mentioned arm a latch lever is fixed which strikes against a cam surface when
the lay beats up the weft, the latch lever and the cam surface on which it acts
being so arranged with respect to each other that the two arms on the inner
part of the shaft will be held in a position to open their respective nippers as
the lay completes its forward movement and relaxed to allow them to close
again upon the cloth before the lay begins its backward movement.
Figure 9 is a plan of selvage nippers or temples thus arranged, together
with parts of the loom in connection therewith; Figure 10 is a transverse
section of the same parts, but in another position. a, a, is part of the frame
of the loom; b is the take-up roller over which the cloth which has been
woven is passed; this cloth and some of the warps as yet unwoven are indi-
cated in the Drawing by red lines. c is the batten or lay; d, d, are brackets
fixed to the frame a to carry the selvage nippers, one pair for each selvage.
One of these brackets is also shown at Figure 11; it is represented, together

page_text: on the axis of the
there is fixed a latch
with the parts which it carries, as they appear when looked at from the back
of the loom. At the inner end of each bracket d there is formed a socket
which receives the vertical pivot e' of the upper nipping jaw, which consists of
a bar e passing along immediately under the fabric, and supported also by a
stud e resting upon the outer end of the bracket d. At the selvage the bar e
is turned round and caused to lap over the face of the fabric, as is shown at e².
From the bar e a bearing e³ projects, and through it there passes an axis f
carrying at its end an arm which forms the lower nipping jaw; the axis f
also passes through a bearing formed in the pivot e', and beyond it has on its
inner end an arm ; f is a spiral spring fixed at one end to the bracket d.
and at the other to the collar on the axis f: this collar is adjustable to
regulate the tension of the spring, which should be sufficient to keep the
The
nippers closed as firmly as is necessary to hold the selvage securely.
nipping jaws are suitably roughened, or have teeth upon them to assist in
retaining the fabric. g is an axis carried in bearings by the batten or lay, and
gare small arms upon this axis opposite to the arms
lower nipping jaws. Upon the outer end of the axis
lever g, and opposite to it on the frame of the loom there is fixed a moveable
incline or cam surface h, which a spring h¹ holds in the position shown at
Figure 10. is an adjustable screw stop carried by the batten, and opposite
to the bearing e on the upper nipper. The action then is as follows:--The
nippers being closed upon the selvage of the cloth, and the weft having been
introduced, the lay or batten beats up, and as it moves forward the latch
lever g comes against the incline or cam h, and in this way the lever g is turned
partly round; this brings the arms g' into a position to act upon the arms on
the axes f. and so as the batten or lay continues to advance the arms fare
pushed back, and the nipping jaws at either selvage are opened.
diately after the nose of the latch lever g
incline h. and the nipping jaws being free
their spring, and their position at the
bearing eresting against the adjustable screw stop i on the batten: the
nippers having closed the batten commences to recede, and as it does so the
latch lever g is enabled to clear itself from the incline or cam h by over-
powering the spring and turning the said cam or incline on its axis, so as
to move it out of the way; the spring brings it back immediately the latch
lever has passed. In place of arranging the incline or cam to yield as above
described whilst the latch is on the axis, the cam may be fixed, and the latch
able to move independent of its axis as the batten moves back.
Imme-
passes off the end of the cam or
at once close again by the action of
time of closing is regulated by the
When it is not. desired to open the nippers to renew their grasp on a new

page_text: portion of the cloth at every beat of the lay, the cam surface just mentioned
may be turned aside to clear the latch lever during such portion of the beats
of the lay as it is desired to have the nippers remain closed. This may be
effected by a rod and lever acted on by a cam receiving motion from the cam
shaft.
In witness whereof I, said Erastus Brigham Bigelow, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven