IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS EMPLOYED FOR WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS AND FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Blake Williamson, of Bradford, in the
County of York, Commission Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS EMPLOYED FOR WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS AND FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 26th January 1858, and dated the 27th July 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Blake Williamson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th July 1857.
I, WILLIAM BLAKE WILLIAMSON, of Bradford, in the County of York
Commission Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS EMPLOYED FOR WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS AND FIBROUS
MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the stopping of the loom when any thread
of the warp breaks or slackens, such stopping to be effected by the action of
the weft fork in combination with certain other mechanism or without the
use of the weft fork at all. I am aware that a weft fork has long been in
use in looms for stopping them when the weft breaks, but I am not aware
of such said weft fork having been heretofore employed for stopping the
loom when any of the warp threads break or slacken. The means by which
[Price 8d.1

page_text: it is proposed to effect these improvements are as follows:-I employ as
many needles about 6 or 8 inches long as there are ends in the warp, each
needle to have a hole in at the top like those in mails or common darning
needles, and square at the bottom; one of such said needles is hung or strung
upon each separate warp thread, either before, behind, or in the middle of the
"healds" or "heddles" of the loom (as required), with which they rise and
fall in regular rotation as the heald shafts do; said needles are put through
a guide or stay on the bottom shaft of each heald to keep them upright when
a warp thread lets one fall. I also propose to attach to the loom an upright
hammer standing about half an inch above the weft fork for the purpose of
stopping the loom, as before stated, said hammer to be held up by a lever or
slide suitably placed for that purpose. I further propose to employ one or
more small iron rods placed under the healds, so that when the loom is in
inotion said rods shall nove backwards and forwards under and across the
heald shafts. The effect of this arrangement is as follows:-Suppose a warp
thread to break or slacken, the needle which is thereon drops perpendicularly,
the end thereof falling into a receiver in the before-mentioned lever, after
which the rods which are under the healds coming into contact with the same
pulls the head of the aforesaid lever from under the hammer, thus allowing
the said hammer to drop on to the weft fork and hold it down, thereby
stopping the loom immediately. When it is desired to dispense with the
weft fork, I then propose to attach the before-mentioned lever to the common
belt fork of the loom by a connecting band strung under a guide pulley from
one to the other, so that when the rod comes into contact with a needle the
belt will be driven on to the loose pulley of the loom. Or I propose also to
use the before-mentioned hammer, and to cause it to act on the common
belt fork knocker-off of the loom.
Another mode of stopping the loom according to this Invention is by
operating upon the weft when any of the warp threads break or slacken. To
effect this it is only necessary to have one or more additional forks with only
two grains instead of the before-mentioned hammer; said additional fork or
forks to be acted upon by needles, rods, and lever, as before mentioned, and
to drop on to the weft across the weft fork so that the weft shall miss the
weft fork, and thereby stop the loom.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Blake Williamson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BLAKE WILLIAMSON, of Bradford, in the County of York, Commission Agent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reigu, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Blake Williamson, Her special licence that I, the said
William Blake Williamson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Blake Williamson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigus, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS EMPLOYED FOR WEAVING
TEXTILE FABRICS AND FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Blake Williamson, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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 William Blake Williamson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manuer the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in constructing looms for weaving textile fabrics and
fibrous materials with a self-acting motion, apparatus, or contrivance for
stopping them when any of the warp threads break or slacken. I would here
remark that I am well aware of the frequent use of a weft fork for stopping
looms when the weft breaks, but I am not aware of any corresponding con_
trivance or object in respect of the warp breaking or slackening having been
heretofore effected either by the use of or in combination with a weft fork,
ás herein-after described, or without such use or combination, as herein-after
described, or in any way whatsoever.
1.

page_text: The following general outline of the manner in which I carry out my
Invention will render the subsequent description of the Drawing the more
easily understood. I employ a number of needles with holes in them (similar
to "mails" or common darning needles), which I hang or string one upon
each separate warp thread, either in advance of or behind or in the midst of
the "healds," or "heddles" of the loom, and in such manner that they may
rise and fall along with the healds or heddles, which are actuated in the
ordinary manner (or the needles may be arranged to remain stationary if
preferred). And I so dispose or place the needles in a guide or stay as to
allow of a vertical play or motion, and to keep them upright when the
breaking of only one or more of the warp threads allows any of them to fall.
And further, I attach to the loom an upright hammer standing above the weft
fork ordinarily employed for stopping the loom, as before stated, the said
hammer being held up (while the loom is working) by a lever or slide con-
veniently placed for the purpose. And also I employ a band or one or more
iron rods and cause it or them to move backwards and forwards underneath
the needles, the effect and consequence of which arrangement is as follows:-
When a warp thread breaks or slackens the corresponding needle drops
perpendicularly, and its lower end falls into a grooved board placed for the
purpose of receiving it. The band or the rods which previously could travel
or move freely will now come into contact with the needle; the needle and
board remaining still, the band will give way and will actuate the before-
mentioned lever or slide and remove its head from under the hammer, which
consequently will drop on to the weft fork, and this fork being held down will
immediately stop the working of the loom by means of the arrangements
ordinarily adopted, when forks are employed as above mentioned for stopping
looms upon the breaking of the weft threads.
I now proceed to describe the Drawing, reference being had to the numeral
figures and letters of reference marked thereon respectively, as follows :—
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a front elevation and Figure 4 a side elevation of a loom
constructed in accordance with my improvements, as above set forth and
generally described. Figures 2 and 3 are views corresponding with Figures
1 and 4 respectively, of the principal portions of the loom constituting or
immediately connected with the said improvements, but representing them in
a reversed position, or as seen from the opposite side of the loom. Similar
letters of reference are employed to denote corresponding parts in the several
Figures. a is the warp; b, b, the needles; c, the traversing band (rods may

page_text: be substituted); d, the grooved board for receiving the ends of the needles
when they drop, and termed the receiver "in the Provisional Specification;
e, e, is the framework or stand for supporting the board d; ff, slides for
working the band; g,g, frames carrying the slides; h a crank arm for working
the slides; & and ke, two wheels, the larger one i actuating the crank h, and the
smaller one driving the larger one.; Z is the lever or slide which holds up
the hammer m; n, the ordinary weft fork; o, a lever for lifting the hammer
when the loom goes on; p, a weight which acts on the lever or slide / by
knocking it from under the hammer and thus causing the loom to stop; and g,
a band and weight for pulling and returning the said lever or slide to its place,
when the motion of the loom is resumed. The remaining portions of the loom
are constructed in the ordinary manner. Instead of a hammer falling upon
the ordinary weft fork as above described, and causing it to stop the loom on
the breaking or slackening of a warp thread, the said fork may be made to
effect the same object by acting in the usual manner, that is to say, by missing
the "weft" thread. To effect or cause this action, and in substitution for the
hammer, I employ one or more additional forks (with only two grains) which
are acted upon (when the warp breaks or slackens) by means of needles,
band (or rods), and lever as above described, so that by the said additional
fork or forks dropping into or upon the weft they shall depress it, and thus
allow the ordinary weft fork to escape contact therewith, and consequently
to stop the loom.
The following are the modifications or alterations in the foregoing arrange-
ments which I adopt when performing my Invention without the use of or
combination with an ordinary weft fork or additional weft fork or forks, as
above described, that is to say) I attach the lever or slide to the ordinary belt
fork of the loom by means of a connecting band strung under a guide pulley
from the one to the other, so that when the band (or rod) comes in contact
with a needle the belt will be driven on to the loose pulley of the loom, or if
preferred the hammer m may be made to act directly upon the common belt
fork "knocker off" of the loom.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my said
Invention, and also the manner in which the same is to be and may be carried
into practical effect, I declare that I claim as of my Invention,―
Firstly, the constructing looms for the aforesaid purposes with a self-acting
motion apparatus or contrivance for stopping them when any of the warp
threads break or slacken.
And, secondly, I claim the special arrangement of apparatus herein-above
described and represented in the Drawing for effecting the said object; and

page_text: further, the several modifications of such special arrangement also herein-
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Blake Williamson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
WILLIAM BLAKE WILLIAMSON. (L.S.)
WILLIAM HAGGAS, Jun, Manufacturer,
Keighley, Yorkshire.