IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING PILE PRO FABRI, AND IN A MODE AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING THE
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Antoine Limousin, Weaver, of Paris, Empire
of France, and of No. 5, Laurence: Pountney Lane, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING PILE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Antoine Limousin
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th December 1853...
"
I, the undersigned ANTOINE LIMOUSIN, Weaver, of Paris, Empire
of France, and of No. 5, Laurenco Pountney Lane, London, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING PILE FABRICS, AND IN A MODE AND APPARATUS FOR
CUTTING THE PILE," to be as follows:
These improvements have reference to that sort of looms called
bar looms employed for weaving ribbons and other narrow fabrics.
To an apparatus for cutting the pile of all sorts of pile fabrics, which

page_text: apparatus may be used by itself or form a part of the loom; they
consist,―
1st, in using in lieu of the metallic wires hitherto employed for pro-
ducing the pile a braided or plaited cord or string, a strip of leather, or
any other suitable yielding flexible material, of proper form and length,
which I call wire cord, and answering exactly the same purpose for
which the pile wires are used in weaving certain descriptions of fabrics;
these wire cords are fixed to and receive their motion from a shuttle,
and they are introduced in proper time into the opened shed under
the pile weft in order to form the pile, and are withdrawn in proper
time from under the pile weft.
2nd, in a peculiar arrangement of the needles, the slip knots, the
harness cords, and jacquard cards, in such a manner as to open two
sheds in the warp, and allow two shuttles to pass simultaneously, viz.,
the shuttle for the pile loop and that for the ground weft or back, which
is performed by means of threads passing over a pulley, which threads
may be raised at two different heights by the motion of the jacquard,
and in this manner open two sheds.
3 in the application of the wire cords before mentioned to a loom
with an ordinary batten possessing an up and down movement and two
shuttles.
4th, in the application of the said wire cords to a loom with a
batten and three shuttles, the two upper ones being provided with wire
cords, and having an up and down motion, whereas the under one
remains at a fixed height, and with the arrangement for opening two
sheds in the warp.
5th, in the application of the said wire cords to a loom with three
shuttles arranged in the same manner as indicated in N° 4, but without
the flexible or rigid strings or wires to be described in N° 7.
6th, in an arrangement of a catch applied to the marionets or move-
able vertical bars, which by the medium of string gives the motion to
the shuttles, which catch by retaining them in proper time, and acting
on the sword, provents the returning motion of the shuttles during a
certain time..
7th, in an arrangement of rigid or flexible wires or strings, which,

page_text: in combination with the batten, the shuttles, and jacquard, serve to
withdraw the wire cords from under the pile weft.
8th, in an arrangement of a frame with horizontal metallic wires
passing through the centre of small bobbins turning freely on these
wires on which the flushings or pile wärps are wound, and which frame
is situated between the harness cords and warp yarns.
9th, in an arrangement of weights and counter weights applied to
the said bobbins, having for effect to unreel the flushing or pile warps
without any jerks.
10th, in an arrangement for cutting the pile of pile fabrics,, which
arrangement may form a separate machine, or be applied to and work
simultaneously with the loom, and consisting in one or more cutting
blades or knives, under which passes the fabric which is drawn over a
projecting blade placed at an adjustable distance from the knife in
order that the latter may cut as much from the pile as desired.
11th, in having the cutting edge of the cutting blades or knives
form either a continuous straight or curved line, or have, the same with
certain parts blunt, and thereby leave certain parts of the pile uncut..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Antoine Limousin in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, that I,
ANTOINE LIMOUSIN, Weaver, of Paris, Empire of France, and of
Number 5, Laurence Pountney Lane, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, in, the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto him; the said Antoine Limousin, Her special
licence that he, the said Antoine Limousin, his, executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or. such others as he, the, said Antoine Limousin,
his executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: 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 FOR WEAVING PILE FABRICS, AND IN A MODE AND
APPERATUS FOR CUTTING THE PILE," upon the condition (amongst others)
that he, the said Antoine Limousin, by an instrument in writing under
his hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 he, the said Antoine Limousin, do hereby
declare the nature of his said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
These improvements in looms refer more particularly to that sort of
looms called bar-looms, with brocade batten, employed for weaving
velvet, ribbons, coach lace, and similar narrow fabrocs of the kind known
by the name of terry-loop or pile fabrics. In weaving these sorts of
fabrics metallic wires are inserted into the fabric, over which wires the
terry-loops are formed, the wires being drawn out after the beating up.
One of my improvements consist in using instead of the said metallic
wires a braided or plaited cord or string, or a strap of leather, or any
other suitable yielding flexible material, of proper length and thick-
ness, which I will call henceforth the wire cord, and answering exactly
the same purpose for which the loop wires serve in weaving the above-
mentioned descriptions of fabrics. These wire cords are fixed in one
or more series of shuttles, in the brocade batten, in the manner as may
be seen in Fig. 1, 2, and 3, in which latter G represents a wire cord
fixed to a pin H, in the shuttle N, and inserted in the shed opened in
the warp threads I of the fabric K. The shuttle M, on the left hand
side is one of the series of shuttles carrying the quills C, for the weft
thread. For the wire cords I prefer using a square braided cord or
string of silk, without core, though a round or any other form might
also answer for the same purpose; one end of this wire cord is fastened

page_text: either to a quill skewer, and may be passed either through a hole A,
in the fore part the shuttle, or through a slot B, C, of sufficient
length, as in this latter case a greatter race is afforded to the wire
cords, which is particularly usefull in weaving larger sorts of pile fabrics;
or the said wire cord may be attached in any other suitable manner to the
shuttle, and even this latter might be replaced by a segment of metal
or any other hard body of suitable form, in order to introduce the wire
cord in the opened shed. It will be found suitable to twist a thread
round the other extremity of the wire cord in order to prevent its un-
ravelling. A string or cord of leather would also be found to answer
the purpose very well. The thickness of the wire cords depends on the
size of the terry loops, and its length of the breadth of the tissue, and
this length is to be regulated in such manner that in throwing the wire
cord shuttle through the opened shed, in the same measure as the end
of the wire cord fixed to the shuttle euters in the shed, the opposite
extremity of the said wire cord is withdrawn from under the row of loops
formed at the preceeding stroke of the shuttle. In order to have this
introducing and disengaging of the wire cord take place more easily, I
place at both sides of the fabric, in a parallel direction to warp threads,
a metallic wire, or a string P, P, of sufficient strength, on which I
prefer adapting a small revolving tube Q, Q, and which wires I will
call henceforth the tube wires. The ends of these tube wires nearest
attached to one of the harness cords,
the jacquard in order to press against
to the batten are each of them
and are lifted in proper time
the wire cord, and withdraw this latter from under the row of loops
just before formed. The fore ends of the tube wires have an eye hole,
through which is passed a horisontal wire R, R, on which the tube
wires may turn as on a fulcrum; the extremity of this wire R, R, rest
into beamings S, S, fixed against the inner side of the breast beam T.
The tube wires are retained at the proper distance from each other by
means of a tube U, revolving on the horisontal wire R, R, which tube
U serves at the same time for permitting the fabric K to glide with
more facility over the breast beam T. In this Figure, N represents
the wire cord shuttle; and M, the weft shuttle; each of these sort of
shuttles forming a seperate series in the brocade batten, this batter

page_text: with up and down movement. In Fig. I. the wire cord is represented
as inserted under the row of loops formed by the passage of the weft
shuttle; the wire cord shuttle is about to be thrown through the opened
shed from the right hand side towards the left hand side, and will, as I
have already explained, in this movement draw the free end of the
wire cord from under the row of loops just before formed, and cary
this free end of the wire cord in the shed. In Fig. A, B, and C,
is represented another arrangement for the wire cords, in which
the front ends of each of these latter rest in moveable puppets G,
gliding up and down in bearing blocks D, fixed against the inner side
of the breast beam P, by means of one or more screws F, inserted
through a slot hole E, permitting to fix the block nearer to or farther
from the tissue; one of these bearing blocks D, being fried at
each side of the fabric. Fig. B shows a lateral view of the beaming
block, of which Fig. C represents a vertical section G, in the puppet,
sliding up and down in a slot H, which puppet is represented in Fig. A
in its elevated possition; the puppet is drawn down in the slot H, by
means of a small spiral spring I, encircling a skewer K, which latter
serves as a guide for the puppet; the upper end of this spring is fixed
into the under side of the puppet, and the other end into the under side
of the block D; and both the spring and the skewer are introduced in
a hole L, pierced through the block. At the top of the puppet a small
tenter hook M, is fixed against its inner side, into which hook is laid
the tube wire end, this end being formed also as a hook, the extremity
of which is inserted in a hole N, pierced in the same side of the puppet
close to the tenter hook. It will be observed that by this contrivance
the end of the tube wire may turn in the hole N, and that this end is
retained in this hole by the tenter hook M; if now I should wish to
remove the tube wire I should only have to turn the tenter hook in the
position as represented by the dotted lines M, when the bended end of
the wire may be removed from out of the hole N. The block and
puppet represented in Fig. A and B, is that which is fixed to tho
left hand side of the tissue; a similar one turned in an opposite direc-
tion is situated at the other side of the fabric. It will be evident that
in this arrangement the tube wires may be replaced by simple wires

page_text: without tubes; the ends of these wires nearest to the batten are fixed
to harness cords, and act in the same manner as has been explained in
first arrangement, Fig. B. Another arrangement consists of having
instead of the tube wires a bearing block, with tube puppets fixed
against the inner side of the breast beam. Fig. D represents a plain
view of the bearing block; Fig. E showing a vertical section of the
same; F, is the bearing block fixed in a horisontal position against the
upper part of the inner side of the breast beam G, and with its middle
part exactly beneath the middle of the fabric H. Two slot holes I, I*,
are formed into this block, in each of which slots glides a puppet K
and K, guided from above and from beneath by small straps L; spiral
springs M, encircling a guide skewer. N, push the puppets out of the
slot holes I, towards the batten, the prejecting under side of which
latter strikes against a pin O, fixed in the under side of the puppets near
their ends, in the upper side of which, and also close to their end, are
fixed small verticall skewers P, round which revolves a small tube Q,
which tube serves for withdrawing the wire cords from under the loops
of the fabric. It will be observed that in this arrangement, after each
beating up, and when the batten receds, the spring M will push the
puppets, and consequently the tube Q, forward; and as at the same
time the wire cord shuttle is thrown through the shed, the wire cord
will be turned round, that one of these two tubes Q, which is nearest
to the side from were the said wire cord shuttle commenced its
race, and by the resistance which this tube will offer to the wire
cord, the end of this latter will be withdrawn from under the row of
loops formed at, the preceding stroke of the shuttle. It will be
observed that in this arrangement the tube skewers might be replaced
by simple skewers without tube, but I, prefer using the tubes C. A
third arrangement for withdrawing the wire from under the row of loops
consists in having hooks adapted for this purpose to the latten. This
contrivance is indicated in Fig. F, representing a perspective fron view
of the principal parts of the brocade batten G, G, with up and down
movement along its swords; H, H, is a rule provided at each. end
with a stud pin K, K, sliding in slot holes L, formed at one end of
another smaller rule or arm M, M, the other end of which turns round

page_text: a stud pin N, fixed into the front side of the batten G, G; against the
inner side of each sword H, H, are fixed, in a solid manner, stays or
stops 0, 0, and in the front side of the rule I, hooks P are fixed at
ench side of the fabric, represented in actual size in Fig. G), and con-
sisting of a double bended wire Q, R, S, the part Q of which is secured
to the rule T, above the wire cord shuttle, whereas the arm S may serve
as a skewer for a tube T. This latter may be dispenced with, but I
prefer using it. The length of the arm R must be so regulated that
the arm S projects beyond the fore part of the shuttle. By the
descending motion of the batten this arm S will fall between the fore-
part of the shuttle and the wire cord, which latter will by this means be
led round the said arm, and its end drawn consequently from under the
row of loops just before formed, when the shuttle is thrown through
the shed. The different arrangements described for withdrawing the
wire cord from under the loops may be applied, as already mentioned,
1st, to looms with an ordinary brocade batten with up and down move-
ment and two rows of shuttles, viz., one row for the wire cords, and
one row for the wefts. 2nd, to looms with a brocade batten, without up
and down movement, but with harness for opening two sheds in the
ground warp; but in this case the arrangement described in C is only
applicable when the movement is given to the projecting hooks by the
jacquard; these projecting hooks being then forcedly attached to the
rule as described, whereas with a brocade batten with up and down
movement, they might, if judged convenient, be fixed to the front part
of the batten itself instead of to the rule. The battens being without
up and down movement the harness cords are to be arranged in such
manner as to allow the opening of two sheds being opened in the warp,
through cach of which a shuttle may be thrown simultaneously, viz.,
the wire cord shuttle and the weft shuttle. In order to obtain this
opening of two sheds simultaneously the jacquard hook wires are fas-
tened two and two to a cord of about double the length of the ordinary
sleepers, both ends of which cord pass through the same hole of the
cumber board, through which commonly the sleepers pass; a small
pulley with a pending strap is to be passed over each cord before the
ends of this latter are passed through the holes of the cumber boards,

page_text: and at the pending strap of the pulley is fixed one of the harness cords
or lashes. If now by the movements of the jacquard only one of the
hooks of the cord over which the pulley is passed are lifted, the corre-
sponding warp thread will only have been lifted to half the height the
same would have been lifted with the ordinary method of lifting, whereas
if the hooks fixed at each end of the pulley cord are both lifted simul-
taneously, the warp thread will be lifted at double the preceeding height,
and, consequently, two sheds may be opened by these means at the
same time in the warp, and two shuttles passed simultaneously. By
this arrangement the warp is divided in three parts, viz., one which
remains stationary, the second which is lifted to one shed, and the
third lifted at double the hight of the second, and forming the second
shed; through one shed may be passed the weft shuttle, and through the
other the wire cord shuttle. 3, to looms having a brocade batten
with three rows of shuttles, the uppermost having the up and down
motion, and being wire cord shuttles, whereas the under one are weft
shuttles remains at a fixed height, and whereby two sheds may be
opened in the wrap. The wire cord shuttles may be applied also to the
same looms, as described in N° 3, but without the contrivances for
withdrawing the wire cords from under the terry loops, these wire cords
being withdrawn simply by having the wire cord shuttles performing
double the length of race as with the above described contrivances.
By using the brocade batten with up and down motion and two rows
of shuttles, the wire cord shuttles may form indistinctly either the upper
or the lower row; but in this latter case it will be necessary to lift
simultaneously with the pile warp some selvage threads at the opposite
side from where the shuttle begins its race, in order that wire cord
passing under these threads, the end of the quill of the weft shuttle re-
mains always above the wire cord, which prevents their twisting together.
By my arrangements velvet can be weaved with a terry loop surface on
both sides, which is executed by repeating on the under side the above
described process for forming the terry loops, and, if wanted, either the
same or a different pattern may be formed at each surface of the tissue.
My arrangements allow also the weaving of double velvet, that is to say,
two tissues one above the other, by making the threads of the under

page_text: pile wrap pass between those of the upper pile warp for forming at once
the pile for both pieces. The pile of the double fabric is cut in the
same manner as will be explained hereafter for a single terry loop
tissue. The two pieces are afterwards detached from each other, and
seperated entirely by cutting longitudinally in the middle of a double
selvage which has been left on one side of the tissue, and which is abso-
lutely wanted when only one weft shuttle is used; but if two weft
shuttles would have been employed, to fixed selvages will be had, and
the two other tissues may in that case be seperated without being
obliged to cut any weaving threads. In order to prevent that in
weaving fabrics of greater breadth the wire cord is not withdrawn
too soon from under the row of loops, as it that case it might happen
that by the tension of the pile threads the loops of the last-formed row
would be undone; the fore-part or segment of the wire cord shuttle,
instead of having a simple hole A, Fig. I., through which passes the
wire cord, has a slot B, C, formed in the middle of its height, through
which slot glides the wire cord, the and end of which is attached to a
wire D, E, fixed in the body of the shuttle, in which case the pin F is
dispenced with. By this contrivance the wire cord in gliding along the
wire D, E, and through the slot B, C, allows a longer race to the
shuttle without resistance, the consequence of which is that the wire
cord will remain so much longer under the row of loops putt formed.
Another part of my improvements consists in the manner of placing
the ribbons for the pile warp, which arrangement is represented in
Fig. H, is a side view elevation of the loom, and Fig. I, a point view
of the board B, for spindles of the pile warp bobbins fixed at some dis-
tance from the back part of the loom by means of brackets C. Either
in on or in both surfaces of this board are fixed the skewers a, a, a, a,
for the said pile wrap bobbins a', a', a', a'; the threads proceeding from
the bobbins are passed over glass or other polished rods D, turning
in standards E, fixed at the upper side of the board, from where the
said threads pass over two or more similar rods F, G, H, laid in
brackets I, fixed to the frame K, at the upper part of the loom; the
threads descend from there vertically, and are wound round other
glass rods L, from where they pass to the harness in the usual manner.

page_text: In order to impart a proper degree of tension to these pile wrap
threads, their bobbins a', a', have small weights pending over one of
their ends, and another small weight is hung over cach theard between
and G, or G and H.
the
Another part of my improvements consists in an apperatus for cutting
the pile of terry loop fabrics, which apperatus may either form a part
of the loom and receive its motion from the same, or form a seperate
machine, which latter I prefer. Fig. G represents a front elevation
view of the apperatus, of which Fig. H indicates partly a side view.
The same consists of a solid frame, having on the upper part a tra-
versing bar A, against the front of which is fixed the under blade B, of
a pair of scissors; the upper blade C of which turns round a pin D;
two or more pressing screws E retain the blade B at such distance
from the front of the bar that the fabric F being drawn between the
back of the blade B and the bar A, with the terry loop surface towards
the blade, a portion of the loops projects over the cutting edge of the
blade. The tissue is stretched by passing over a velvet or roller G,
the axis of which turns in suitable bearings, and the surface of which
is provided with rows of light sharp studs or pins I, I. It will be
evident that if the distance between the blade B and the front of
the bar A is so calculated that the loops of the fabric are obliged to
protrude for a certain length over the cutting edge of the said blade,
and the upper cutting blade is made to fall over the under blade, a
certain portion of the loops will be cut off, the length of which will
depend on the length of the loops protrude over the under blade; the
upper blade being then lifted up, another portion of the pile surface may
be brought over the under blade in order to have its loop longer cut,
and so on, for the entire surface. The up and down motion of the
upper blade C is imparted by a string K fixed to the end of this blade,
and acted upon by a treadle or any other suitable arrangement, whereas
the said blade is returned to its primiture position by a string L fixed
to the blade and to the upper part of the machine, or by any other
suitable means. Instead of having the upper blade C turning round a
fulcruin D, the same could be made to glide vertically up and down
between two vertical standards; in that case the cutting edge of this of

page_text: this upper blade ought to be in a slanting direction in respect to the
cutting edge of the under blade. By means of this cutting apparatus
stripes of the fabric may have their loops left uncut by having corre-
sponding parts of the cutting edges of the blades left blunt, or even
partly cut out; at the same time a transverse or a diagonal motion
might be imparted to the tissue, whereby certain combinations of uncut
stripes would be formed on the pile of the fabric. Instead of a straight
cutting edge the blades might have their edge of a curved form.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do
not confine myself to precise details of the arrangements described,
provided the general character of those arrangements or their mechanical
equivilents be retained; but what I claim as my Invention is,-
1, the substitution of an elastic braided or plaited cord or string
for the metallic wires used in weaving terry loop fabrics with bar looms
with brocade batten, and the several modes of introducing and with-
drawing the said cord or string from under the former loops.
2nd, the arrangement described for opening two sheds simultaneously
in the warp, and the application of these improvements for weaving
velvet, offering a terry loop on both surfaces, and also for weaving
double pieced velvet, as has been described.
3rd, the method of placing the pile warp bobbins, allowing the appli-
cation of a greater number and a greater division of these pile warp
threads.
4th, the described apperatus for cutting the pile of pile or terry loop
fabrics, and the method of leaving some parts of the pile uncut.
In witness whereof, I, the said Antoine Limousin, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
ANTOINE LIMOUSIN. (L.S.)