IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Richardson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th April 1866.
I, CHARLES RICHARDSON, of No. 75, Gracechurch Street, in the City of
London, Engineer. do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to that class of loom known under the name of
the pneumatic loom by impelling the shuttle in its race with air instead of the
old picker stick motion. Instead of impinging the air (as is now the practice)
against the conical ends of the shuttle I cause the air to impinge internally
against surfaces centralizing the blow or force economizing the air, as well as
giving a more direct action to the shuttle.
Figures and 2. represent a plan and elevation of one of my improved
shuttles in its shuttle box. A, A, the hir box; B, the ingress valve at the
back or inside of a conical nipple C, which nipple is affixed to the front of the
air box. On this nipple the recess D at the end of the shuttle fits, so that in
Price 8d 1

page_text: its action at either end of the shuttle race it will fit on to the nipple which
forms the air tube conveying the air into the centre of the shuttle, impinging
with greater force on a surface which is at right angles to the direction of the
air. E, E, a brass tube in which travels a ball valve F, so that when the air is
admitted at one end of the shuttle it carries the ball valve at the front end of
the shuttle, impinges against the brass seatings G, G, so that as the shuttle
receives its air from each end of the lathe (from right to left, and left to
right), the ball valve F is always at the front end of the shuttle, the first
impingement of the air being against the surface in the cavity H.
Another form of my improved shuttle is shewn in Figure 3, where instead
of a ball valve traversing the internal tube I place a small rod, marked K, at
the ends of which are two conical points I and I', taking the form of the nose
of the shuttle, so that alternately the front end of the shuttle would be filled
up, forming the apex of the conc, so that it may pass freely through the
"shed." The small rod K would also act as a "copp" pin if required. I
also use the cavity H without the brass tube, and pass the base of the conical
cavity H back as far as may be deemed necessary, the base of which forms
the area of surface for the compressed air to strike or impinge against, the
whole object being to centralize the air and use it with economy.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Richardson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, CHARLES
RICHARDSON, of Number 75, Gracechurch Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto mic,
the said Charles Richardson, Her special licence that 1, the said Charles
Richardson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Charles Richardson, 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

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Charles Richardson, 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 Charles Richardson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My improvements relate to that class of loom known as the pneumatic
loom, the shuttle being impelled in its race by the force of compressed air
instead of the old picker stick motion, and are improvements on the Inventions
of Charles Weightman Harrison, dated the 18th November 1862, No. 3097,
the 22nd August 1864, No. 2071, and the 30th of August 1864, No. 2133,
respectively.
My first improvement consists in an important modification of the pneumatic
shuttle box by doing away with the check or swell spring at the back of the
shuttle box, which necessitates the cutting of an opening to let the spring
project through the aperture into the box, and against the side of the shuttle,
the said aperture preventing the air from acting on the shuttle, letting the air
out at the back before it has spent its whole force. I furthermore elongate
the shuttle box and also the cover or cap over the same, so as to retain the
air as long as possible that the shuttle may receive the whole of the elastic
force of the jet of air delivered through the valve on the shuttle. I use
instead of the ordinary check block or swell spring a check spring underneath
the cap of the shuttle box projecting down on the shutile. I use any form of
shuttle in the improved shuttle box, either the old form of shuttle or my
improved shuttle herein described. I also use a revolving disc seating to
either the conical or flat valve.
Secondly, instead of impinging the air as is now the case against the
conical ends of the shuttle, I cause the air to impinge internally against
surfaces, centralizing the blow or force, economizing the air, as well as giving
a more direct action to the shuttle.
Figure 1 represents my improved elongated shuttle box in sectional
elevation. A, A, the air box; B, B, the ingress conical valve attached to the

page_text: spindle C passing through the stuffing box D, and also through the guide
bracket E, the valve being held up to its seating at any pressure by the
spiral spring F. The regulating nuts G are for the purpose of adjusting the
action of the valve by the lever and wiper H, which is actuated on by the
rod J in the manner described in Mr. Harrison's Specification. This conical
revolving valve B fits into a conical seating K, the aperture coming directly
against the conical end of the shuttle; if of the old form or if the form shewn
in the Drawing there is provided a projecting nipple L, on to which the ends
of the shuttle fits in both the shuttle boxes at each end of the lathe of the
loom. This shuttle has a double ended valve rod M & M', so that when the
air strikes the shuttle the rod at the end M' projects out through the aperture
forming a conical end to the shuttle O, so as it may pass through the warp
easily without cutting the threads and (vice versa) from the opposite end.
The shuttle is impinged upon when arriving at the end of the shuttle box by
the bent steel spring P fitted in the under side of the shuttle box cover Q, so
that by doing away with the catch block or swell spring at the back of the
shuttle box, passing through an opening and letting the air out before its
whole force is expended, 1 make a close shuttle box, as herein described, and
elongating it as much as oossible in proportion to the length of the shuttle I
obtain a much greater force to impel the shuttle from right to left, and left to
right, of the lathe with less air than by the short shuttle box with a hole at
its back, as used by Mr. Harrison and others. This improved shuttle box
may be adapted to any form of valve, either conical, flat, or otherwise; or it
may be used with the common shuttle without the double-ended valve rod, as
fully described.
Thirdly, Figure 2 represents a sectional elévation, and Figure 3 a plan of
my improved elongated shuttle box with a shuttle of another form, having an
aperture through its centre, and instead of its having a double-ended valve
rod, as before described, we have a ball valve R, which passes from end to
end alternately at each stroke of the lathe impinging against the brass
seatings S&S'. The air will of necessity act against the surface in the
cavities T&T, the object being to centralize the air in its action on the end
of the shuttle.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not confine myself to
the precise details as herein-before described and shewn in the Drawings, as
the same may be varied without departing from the character and main
features of my Invention; what I claim is,-

page_text: First, the making of an elongated shuttle box without an aperture, check
block, or swell spring at the back, either for the use of the ordinary shuttle or
my improved form of shuttle, as fully described.
Second, the peculiar form of seated conical revolving valve and shuttle with
travelling ball valve, as fully described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Richardson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
CHARLES RICHARDSON. (L.S.)