CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Asa Lees, of the Soho Iron Works, Green Acres
Moor, near Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and
John Clegg, of the same Place, Foreman, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Asa Lees and John Clegg
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the
19th December 1857.
We, ASA LEES, of the Soho Iron Works, Green Acres Moor, near Oldham,
in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and JOHN CLEGG, of the same
Place, Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
The nature of our Invention consists in an improved combination of parts
forming the picking motion.
In performing our Invention we attach a pinion on the crank shaft of the
loom, gearing into a wheel having twice as many teeth as the pinion; to this
wheel is fixed a cam or excentric, for giving motion to a link connected to a
lever fixed on a cross shaft, which has another lever at the opposite side of
the loom; these levers are connected to the picking shafts, which are thus
made to slide in their bearings, thereby bringing the picking fingers alter-
nately, within reach of the picking studs fixed to the fly wheels on the
crank shaft.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Lees and John Clegg in the Great Seal Patent
Offico on the 19th Juno 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ABA
LEES, of the Soho Iron Works, Green Acres Moor, near Oldham, in the
County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and JOHN CLEGG, of the same Place,
Forcinan, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Asa Lees and John Clegg. Her special licence that we, the
said Asa Lees and John Clegg, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Asa Lees and John Clegg, our 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Asa
Lees and John Clegg, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of our or 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 Offico within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Asa Lees and John Clegg, our 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 following statement (that is to say):-
The nature of our Invention consists in certain improved combinations
of parts, whereby the picking sticks are brought into operation when
required.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the means pursued by us,
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings and to tho
figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a looni to which one mode of constructing our

page_text: improved picking motion is applied; Fig. 2 is a side view of part of the same.
a is the crank shaft, to which are fixed two fly wheels b, but only one of these
fly wheels is shewn in the Drawing; te cach fly wheel is fixed a picking stud
or bowl c; d is the picking shaft to which is fixed the picking finger e and
the segment f, to which is attached a strap passing round the picking lever 9.
The parts above enumerated and the other parts requisite to complete the
loom, excepting those particularly referred to hereafter, are made in the usual
manner. When the fly wheel b revolves the picking stud or bowl c, striking
against the picking finger e, 'imparts the requisite motion to the picking
lever g, to throw the shuttle across the slied; but as each picking stick must
only be acted upon for every two revolutions of the crank shaft, or according
as the shuttles are required to be thrown, it is necessary to remove the picking
finger & beyond the reach of the picking stud or bowl c, after every pick has
been given; this may be effected by giving motion to the shaft d in the
direction of its axis, as is sometimes customary, or by moving the picking
finger, as will be explained hereafter. When the picking shafts are moved in
the direction of their axes, we make use of the following improved combination
of parts: The pinion & fixed to the crank shaft gears into the wheel i, which
has twice as many teeth as the pinion h, and consequently revolves at half the
speed; to the wheel i is cast or fixed a cam or excentric acting on the link j,
the lower end of which is jointed to the lever k, fixed on the cross shaft ; tho
end of this lever takes in a groove in the picking shaft d, and moves it in the
direction of its axis sufficiently to bring the picking finger e beyond the reach
of the stud or bowl c. The shaft extends from one side of the loom to tho
other, and is furnished at each end with a lever k, by which arrangement both
the picking shafts are acted upon simultaneously; but the picking fingers are
so placed that when the one at the right band side of the loom is in position
for being acted upon by the stud or bowl on the fly wheel, the other at the
left hand side is held beyond the reach of the stud or bowl. The springs m
acting on the picking shafts are attached to the levers k, as shewn in
Fig. 1.
Figs. 3 and 4 represent a modification of our Invention, in this arrange-
ment the picking shafts d are not required to be moved in the direction of
their axes, but the picking fingers e are jointed to the picking shafts, as shown
in Fig. 4. The cross shaft is provided with two levers n, to which are
jointed the slotted bars o, and the picking fingers e pass through the slots in
the said bars o; by this means when the shaft vibrates, the bars o cause the
picking fingers to be brought in a line with or beyond the reach of the picking
studs or bowls on the fly wheels b, as before described, in reference to Figs. 1

page_text: and 2. Tho same object may also be accomplished by making the picking
fingers slide on the picking shafts.
Our Invention may also bo further modified by applying a pinion h, wheel
and excentric i, and link to each side of the loom; by this arrangement the
cross shaft may be dispensed with, and the levers k and n are then mounted
on studs.
เ
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we declare that we claim the improved combinations of
parts, as shewn and as described, for bringing the picking motion at each side
of the loom into operation when required.
In witness whereof, we, the said Asa Loes and John Clegg, have hereunto
set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord Ono thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
II. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
ASA LEES.
(L.S.)
JOHN CLEGG. (L.B.)