IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Willan, James Abbott, and Daniel Mills,
all of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS."
Sealed the 18th May 1858, and dated the 25th November 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Willan, James
Abbott, and Daniel Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 25th November 1857.
We, ROBERT WILLAN, JAMES ABBOTT, and DANIEL MILLS, all of Blackburn,
in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS," to be as follows:--
Our said Invention consists, firstly, of an improved mode of raising and
falling two or more shuttle boxes by means of gearing from the crank or
tappet shafts. We
We give motion to a cam or tappet which operates upon a
perpendicular lever working on a fulcrum in the loom side. At the lower end
of this lever is a bowl which works upon an incline at one end of a horizontal
lever, to the other end of which the shuttle boxes are connected, so that as the
perpendicular lever moves backwards and forwards, according to the pattern
required, the bowl moves the lower lever by means of the incline.

page_text: Secondly, of an improved method of disconnecting the tappets by means of
gearing, so that the treddles may work at any required intervals. We employ
the same gearing as in the former case, but have another cam or tappet
wheel acting upon a lever which gives motion to a bell-crank lever, one end
of which is connected to the sliding part of a clutch box, so that it may either
be in or out of gear with the tappets, as desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said Robert Willan, James Abbott, and Daniel Mills in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 25th May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
WILLAN, JAMES ABBOTT, and DANIEL MILLS, all of Blackburn, in the County
of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, 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 Robert Willan, James Abbott, and Daniel Mills, Her special licence,
that we, the said Robert Willan. James Abbott, and Daniel Mills, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Robert
Willan, James Abbott, and Daniel Mills, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN Looms," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Robert Willan, James Abbott, and Daniel Mills, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one
of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Oflico within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Willan, for and on behalf of
myself and the said James Abbott and Daniel Mills, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
Our said Invention consists, firstly, of improved modes of raising two or
more shuttles; we employ gearing or change wheels from the crank or tappet
shaft, for the purpose of giving motion to a pattern or tappet wheel, and also
place on either of the aforesaid shafts a cam or eccentric, which gives an easy
alternate motion to an arm or rod, which, when required, is pushed by a pro-
jection on the pattern wheel, so that its lower end may come in contact with
an ordinary shuttle box lever and raise the shuttles, a catch being employed to
hold them so long as is necessary.
Secondly, of an improved method of disconnecting the tappets by means of
gearing, so that the treddles may work at any required intervals; we employ
the same gearing as in the former case, but have another circle of tappets or
pattern projections acting upon a lever, which gives motion to a bell-crank
lever, one end of which is connected to the sliding part of a clutch box, so
that it may be either in or out of gear with the tappets, as desired.
The manner in which our said improvements is to be performed will be
clearly understood by reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, with
the figures and letters of reference thereon.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the framing and other parts of a loom,
shewing one of our improved modes of working two shuttles, and also the
arrangement for stopping the notion of the tappets. Fig. 2 is an end view of
the same; Fig. 3 is a plan of the framing of a loom having part of our
improvements attached; Fig. 4 is a detached view, drawn to an enlarged scale,
of the shuttle box movement, in a different position to that shewn in Figs. 1
and 2; Figs. 5 and 6 are views of our improved cam or eccentric; Figs. 7
and 8 are views of the upper part of the arm or rod; Fig. 9 represents
another arrangement of levers and parts for working the shuttle boxes;
Fig. 10 represents the ends of the catch and rod indented for the
working three or more shuttles; and Fig. 11 shews the application of a crank
instead of an eccentric, for giving an alternate to-and-fro motion.
purpose
of
In Figs. 1, 2, and 4 it will be seen that we place upon the crank shaft a
the cam or eccentric b, which as it revolves gives an alternate motion to the
arni or rod c, having at its lower end an indent or shoulder d, so that when
required it may come in contact with a projection e on the shuttle box lever f
thereby giving the latter a corresponding motion. The arm or rod c is
pushed in contact with the aforesaid projection e by means of the tappets or
projections g on the pattern wheel h, and returned or brought back in order

page_text: to prevent its coming in contact with the shuttle box leverf by the spring k
the intermediate lover i being employed simply for the purpose of adjustment.
In order to hold the shuttle boxes at their highest position during the throw of
the picks, we employ a catch 1, which is constantly pulled by a spring m, so as
to hold the shuttle box lever f, unless prevented by other projections n on the
pattern wheel h (seen in Fig. 3).
In Figs. 1 and 2, the eccentric b is shewn at its lowest position, and the
arm or rod c has raised the shuttle boxes in consequence of the said arm or rod
being pushed by one of the projections on the pattern wheel, and the catch
is also in action by means of the spring, there being no projection on the
pattern wheel to oppose it; but in Fig. 4 the eccentric' b is shewn at its
highest position, and both the catch and rod c are detached from the shuttle
box lever f, thereby allowing the shuttles and boxes to fall by their own weight
to their lowest position, the spring k pulling the rod off, and the spring mon
the catch being overcome by one of the projections on the pattern wheel.
In Figs. 5 and 6 we shew detached views of the cam or eccentric, which may
be of any throw, according to the levers employed and the work desired.
The upper part of the arm or rod is shewn at Figs. 7 and 8; it is slotted,
so as to pass over the crank shaft, and allow space for its alternate motion,
and is also furnished with rollers or bowls, in order to lessen friction, though
they may be dispensed with if desired. In Fig. 9 we shew an arrangement
in which the cam or eccentric is fixed on the tappet shaft o, giving, as it
revolves, an alternato motion to the horizontal arm or rod p, having a
shoulder or indent q, so as to come in contact when required with the stud or
projection on the shuttle box lever 8, and thereby raise the shuttles, the
rod p being lifted off by the spring t. The catch u is also placed horizontally,
working on the pin v, and is furnished with the spring w. The pattern wheel
is shewn at a, having two circles of tappets or projections for overcoming the
force of the springs & and w. It will be seen that though placed in different
positions the actions of the several parts are similar to those described in
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the pattern wheel in both cases being driven by gearing
or change wheels in any suitable position. Our improved cam or eccentric is
placed either within or without the framing of the loom, and can be made to
act upon a rod at any angle as well as perpendicular or horizontal, and the
operations may be reversed by making the rod and catch do the work of the
springs, and the springs that of the rod and catch. In Fig. 10 we shew the
rod c with shoulders or steps of different depths, for the purpose of giving
more or less traverse to the shuttle box leverf, and thereby adapt it for

page_text: working three or more shuttles, the projections g on the pattern wheel being
made of such lengths as to press the desired shoulder or step on the rod cover:
the shuttle box lever, thereby giving the latter the required motion according
to the shuttle required, similar shoulders or steps being placed on the catch 1,
and governed with projections of different lengths on the pattern wheel, which
arrangements enable our eccentric motion to work any suitable number of
shuttles.
Fig. 11 represents a crank y having a pin or bowl z placed in the interior
of the frame a', and connected with the rod b', so that as the crank revolves:
an alternate to-and-fro motion may be given to the said rod, which movement
may be employed when desired instead of the cam or eccentric, the crank
being placed on either tappet or cranked shafts of the loom.
Our improved method of disconnecting the tappets is shewn in Figs. 1, 2,
and 3. The pattern wheel his furnished with another circle of tappets or
projections c', acting as they revolve on the arm d', which presses the end of
the bell crank lever e', and shifts the sliding part f' of the clutch, thereby
making it clear the corresponding clutch g' on the ordinary tappets h¹. The
part f can both slide and turn by its being connected to the flange k¹, having
holes working on pins in the flange m', which is fast to the tappet shaft.
The clutch is put in gear by means of the spring n'.
Although the circle of tappets or projections are placed on the pattern
wheel h, it is evident that a distinct circle may be placed in another position
connected with a toothed wheel:
Having thus fully described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be distinctly
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein set
forth, as such may be varied or modified without departing from the principle
thereof; but we claim as our Invention, and which to the best of our know-
ledge and belief has not been hitherto used within the realm, -
Firstly, the employment of a cam or eccentric on the crank or tappet shafts,
for the purpose of giving an easy alternate motion to a rod with one or more
shoulders, placed in any position, which acts when required upon the shuttle
box lever.
Secondly, the employment of gearing or change wheels for giving motion
to a pattern wheel having one or more circles of projections arranged according
to the required pattern of the cloth.
Thirdly, the employment of a pattern wheel driven by gearing for operating
upon levers for disengaging a clutch from the ordinary tappets.

page_text: And, fourthly, the general arrangement of the machinery and apparatus,
s herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Willan, for and on behalf of
myself and the said James Abbott and Daniel Mills, have hereunto set
iny hand and scal, this Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
ROBERT WILLAN. (LS.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by tho within-
named Robert Willau, in the presence of
E. J. HuGues, Patent Agent,
Manchester.