IMPROVED MACHINE FOR WEAVING
Year: 1787

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, EDMUND
CARTWRIGHT, of Doncaster, in the County of York, sends greeting.
WHEREAS the King's most Excellent Majesty, by His Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the First day of August,
in the twenty-seventh year of His reign, gave and granted unto the said
Edmund Cartwright, his executors, administrators, and assigns, His special
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that he, the said Edmund
Cartwright, his executors, administrators, and assigns, by himself or them-
selves, or by his and their depety or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as he, the said Edmund Cartwright, his executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with and no others, from time to time, and
at all times thereafter, during the term of years therein and herein-after
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend his
"IMPROVED MACHINE FOR WEAVING," formerly invented by the said Edmund
Cartwright, within that part of Great Britain called England, Our Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to him,
the said Edmund Cartwright, his extors, administrators, and assigns, or any

page_text: of them, should in their discretion seem meet, and that the said Edmund Cart-
wright, his executors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might
have and enjoy the whole profit, commodity, and advantage, from time to time
and at all times hereafter accruing or arising by reason of the said Invention,
for and during the term of years therein and herein after mentioned, to have
and to hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advan-
tages herein-before mentioned to be granted unto the said Edmund Cartwright,
his executors, administrators, and assigns; for, during, and unto the full end
and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next
and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to
the Statute in that case made & provided, His Majesty in such Letters
Patent thereby strictly commanding all and every person or persons, bodies
politic and corporate, and all other His Majesty's subjects whatsoever of what
estate, quality, degree, name, or condition, they being within that part of His
Majesty's said Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, that neither they nor any of them
at any time during the continuance of the said terme of fourteen years thereby
granted, either directly or indirectly do make, use, or put in practise the said
Invention, or any part the same so attained unto the said Edmund Cartwright
as aforesaid, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor
make or cause to be made any addition thereto or substraction from the same,
whereby to pretend himself or themselves the inventor or inventors, devisor
or devisors thereof, without the licence, consent, or agreement of the said
Edmund Cartwright, his extors, adñiors, or assigns, in writing under his or
their hands and seals first had and obtained in that behalf, upon such pains or
penalties as can or may be justly inflicted upon such offender or offenders for
their contempt of His Majesty's said Royal Command, and further to be answer-
able to the said Edmund Cartwright, his executors, administrators, and assigns,
according to the law, for bis or their damages occasioned thereby; in which
said Letters Patent is contained a provisoe that if the said Edmund Cartwright,
his executors, administrators, and assigns, or any other person or persons which
shall or may at any time thereafter, during the continuance of the said grant,
have or claim any right, title, or interest in law or in equity of, in, or to
the power, privilege, and authority of the sole use and benefit of the said
Invention, should make any transfer or assignment or any pretended transfer
or assignment of the said liberty or privilege, or any share or shares of the
benefits or profits thereof, to or for any number of persons exceeding the
number of five, and also that if the said Edmund Cartwright should not par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under his
hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties
and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and
become void, anything therein contained to the contrary thereof in anywise
notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edmund Cartwright, in pursuance of
and in compliance with the said provisoe in the said recited Letters Patent
contained, do, by this present Instrument, declare that the nature of my said
Improved Machine for Weaving, formerly invented by me, and the manner in
which the same is performed, is described and ascertained in the Plan
hereunto annexed, and which is explained and referred to in the letters, figures,
and words following (that is to say):-
Figure 1. (a, a,) the pickers, with groves in the top and bottom, gliding
between two rods. (b, b,) the picker strings passing over pullies in the top of
the picker rods, and fastened to the swords or standards at (c, c). (d, d,) the
picker rods vibrating on centers at (e, e,) and receiving their motion from
springs drawing over pullies in the bottom of the lathe at (f, f). (g, g,)
wheels that strike off the picker rods and bring them back to their places, by
means of two wings nearly at the alternate quarters, the shorter of which
wings winds up the rod at the roller or friction wheel (h), the longer sets the
rod at liberty, by striking off the trigger or latch (i). (k) a hook or radius
hanging behind the lathe, turning with its axis at (1), which passes through
the lathe horizontally. In the axis is fixed another hook (m) which rises up
through the fly. The picker, as it is driven back by the shuttle, depresses the
hook (m), and consequently elevates or gives an oblique direction to the point
of the hook or radius (k). (n) a hook or radius standing up behind the
lathe at the opposite end from the hook or radius (k,) and turning with its
axis (o), in which axis is fixed another hook (p) which rises through the fly.
The picker, as it is driven back by the shuttle, depresses the hook (p), and con-
sequently depresses the point of the hook or radius (n), this hook or radius being
connected with the hook or radius (k) by means of a wire passing from above
the centre of the hook or radius (n) to below the centre of the hook or radius (k).
The point of the hook or radius (k) is elevated, or receives an oblique direction
when the hook (p) is depressed, in the same manner as when the hook (m) is
depressed on its own axis. (9) a spring which keeps the hook (k) in a per-
pendicular position, when neither one nor booth the pickers are driven or put
back. G, G, G, the swords or standards of the lathe. H, the bottom rail,

page_text: into which they are framed. I, I, the centre points, upon which the lathe
swings. K, K, sections of the cross rails of the loom (see Figure 6), in
which the centre points work. L, L, the springs that draw the picker rods.
Figure 2. (r) a lever turning upon the centre (s); at the side of the loom the
lever lies parrallel to the lathe, which when put back nearly touches it. (t) a
hook or half staple, into which the hook or radius (k) falls during the time the
shuttle is on its passage.
If the shuttle stops or flies out the hook or radius (k)
keeps its position, and when the lathe offers to strike to brings the lever (r)
along with it, which forces the wedge (u), which swings upon a centre at (v),
between the wheel (w) (see Figure 3 and 4), which receives its motion
immediately from the mill, and the roller or friction wheel (), and by that
means disunites the socket and the wheel, and stops the machine. For the
operation of the socket and wheel, see the Specification of a former Patent,
dated the Sixteenth day of November, One thousand seven hundred and
eighty-six.
Figure 3 shews the wheel and socket united, and the wedge at rest, the
lathe falling to when the shuttle is home at either end of the fly.
Figure 4 shews the wheel and socket disunited, the lathe offering to fall to
when the shuttle has stopt or been thrown out:
Figure 5, the temples, which are composed of two pair of plyers on each side
of the loom; they are kept shut by springs lying between their branches. To
one of the branches of each pair of plyers is a rod with a tooth at the bottom
end going down to a wheel upon each end of the principal axis, upon each of
which wheels are two cogs, one at each opposite side; these cogs alternately
open the pairs of plyers. By these means there will be always a pair of plyers
on each side of the cloth having hold, and at the same time keeping it
stretched. The plyers glide between rollers, that as the cloth winds up the
plyers may come along with it, and at the same time gently strech; as they
open they are pushed forward to their places by springs.
Figure 6. A, A, two levers, turning upon centers at B, B. At one end of
each lever is suspended a weight; the other ends press against the swords or
standards of the lathe, and push it to when the reed is to strike.
Figures 7 and 8 exhibit another method of working the lathe. (C) a wheel
upon the principal axis of the loom. D, a wheel half the diameter of the
wheel C, turning upon an axis of its own. E, E, cogs that push back the
lathe. F, a cog that pushes back the lathe too. Note, that if the wheel D is
the same diameter as the wheel C, it must have two cogs, and so in proportion.
G, a sword or standard, going up the middle of the lathe from the bottom
rail, against which the cogs E, E, and F act.

page_text: Figure 9, a spring which gently presses upon the shuttle when it comes
o the box, and prevents the rebounding.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Cartwright, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Fourteenth day of August, in the twenty-
seventh year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third,
of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith,
&c., and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and
eighty-seven.