CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Sidebottom, of Waterside, in the County of
Derby, Cotton Spinner, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 14th February 1860, and dated the 17th August 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Sidebottom at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th August 1859.
I, JAMES SIDEBOTTOM, of Waterside, in the County of Derby, Cotton Spinner,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, first, to a novel method of of driving power looms, and
consists in the employment of an extra driving shaft extending between and
coupling two looms, and having at each end a hollow pinion gearing with a
pinion upon the end of the ordinary crank shaft, and thus communicating
motion thereto from the single driving pully on the extra driving shaft. Either
of the looms may be stopped or thrown out of gear (by means of the ordinary
spring handle) by withdrawing a clutch from the hollow pinion, which thus
acts as a clutch box; by this arrangement the usual fast and loose pulley is
dispensed with, and a rope may be employed instead of a band for driving,
and consequently in some instances a less amount of shafting is required.
A second portion of the Invention relates to that part of the power loom
known as the "taking-up motion," and is designed for the purpose of regu-

page_text: lating the "taking up" of the cloth as the cloth beam increases in diameter by
the accumulation of cloth, and is effected as follows:-The "taking up" of
the cloth is regulated by a short roller bearing against the beam of cloth, and
supported by a pair of horizontal levers having their fulcra about their centres,
the opposite ends of the levers being connected by an adjustable link to a piece
sliding upon a vertical bar in connection with the slay sword, so that as the
cloth accumulates and the diameter of the beam increases, the roller and one
end of the levers become depressed, and the other ends of the levers raise
the sliding piece up the bar, and the sliding piece being connected to a
fractional foot or propellor acting upon the "taking up" wheel upon the end
of the cloth beam causes a less quantity of cloth to be taken up at every
revolution of the beam, and such quantity may be regulated to a very small
amount by the employment of a frictional wheel or propellor instead of a
ratchet wheel on the cloth beam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said James Sidebottom in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th February 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SIDEBOTTOM, of Waterside, in the County of Derby, Cotton Spinner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ine, the said James Sidebottom, Her special license that I, the said James
Sidebottom, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Sidebottom, my 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 POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition,
amongst others, that I, the said James Sidebottom, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Sidebottom, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be,
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates, first, to a novel method of driving power looms, and
consists in the employment of an extra driving shaft extending between and
coupling two looms, and having at each end a hollow pinion gearing with a
pinion upon the end of the ordinary crank shaft, and thus communicating
motion thereto from the single driving pulley on the extra driving shaft.
Either of the looms may be stopped or thrown out of gear (by means of
the ordinary spring handle by withdrawing the clutch from the hollow pinion,
which thus acts as a clutch box; by this arrangement the usual fast and loose
pulley is dispensed with, and a rope may be employed instead of a flat band
for driving, and consequently in some instances a less amount of shafting is
required.
A second portion of the Invention relates to that part of the power loom
known as the "taking-up motion" and is designed for the purpose of regu-
lating the "taking up" of the cloth as the cloth beam increases in diameter
from its accumulation, and is effected as follows:-The "taking up" of the
cloth is regulated by a short roller bearing against the beam of cloth, and
supported by a pair of horizontal levers having their fulcra about their centres,
the opposite ends of the levers being connected by an adjustable link to a
piece sliding upon a vertical bar in connection with the slay sword, so that as
the cloth accumulates and the diameter to the roller increases, the short roller
and one end of the levers becomes depressed, and the other ends of the levers
raise the sliding piece, being connected to a frictional propeller or foot acting
upon the "taking-up" wheel upon the end of the cloth beam, causes a less
quantity of cloth to be "taken up at every revolution of the beam, and such
quantity may be regulated to a very small amount, by the employment of a
frictional wheel and propeller instead of a ratchet wheel on the cloth beam.
"
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail, I have hereunto annexed two Sheets of Drawings illustrative of the
same, and having similar letters of reference marked upon corresponding parts
in the views shewn.
In Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a back view of a portion of two looms connected by
the extra driving shaft, and driven from the central pulley through the
intermediate gearing, as shewn.

page_text: In Sheet 2, Fig. 1 exhibits a front view of that portion of a loom to which
the second part of my Invention, namely, the "taking-up" motion, relates, and
Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, shewing the cloth roller and cloth in red
and the small roller beneath in connection with the levers and apparatus for
regulating the motion of the cloth roller and the quantity of cloth to be
"taken up."
In Fig. 1, a, a, is the framing of the looms, and b, b, the crank shafts d; is
the extra driving shaft, extending between and coupling the two looms driven
by the pulley e, and having at each end a hollow pinion f, f, gearing with the
pinion g, g, upon the crank shafts 6, 6, and thus communicating motion thereto;
h, h, are two spring handles by means of which either loon may be stopped
by compressing the coil springs i, i, and withdrawing either of the portions
k, k, forming with the hollow pinion an ordinary friction coupling or clutch
box, whereby a rope may be employed instead of a driving band, and the
ordinary fast and loose pulley dispensed with.
In Sheet 2, Figs. 1 and 2, a, a, represents that part of the loom to which
the taking-up motion is applied, b, b, being the cloth roller, upon which the
fabric shewn in red is wound when woven; c, c, is a short roller, the periphery
of which is in contact with the cloth; this roller is supported in bearings in
the levers d, d; the opposite end of one of such levers being connected to the
sliding piece by the link f, which may be changed, and a longer or shorter
one substituted, according to the number of " picks" required. The sliding piece
e slides upon the bar g, which is jointed or hinged to the framing at the top,
and is slotted at the lower end, and connected by a pin or stud h to the slay
sword i, from whence it derives motion. k is a connecting link extending from
the sliding piece to the foot or propeller 1, which acts upon the periphery of
the wheel m, which gives motion to the cloth roller by the gearing n, n, the
foot or break o, o, preventing the rotation of the wheel in a contrary direction.
It will be readily understood that as the fabric is woven, and the diameter
of the cloth roller increases from the accumulation of fabric thereupon, the
roller c, c, will be depressed, and the opposite end of the lever raised, which
will cause the sliding piece e, to advance up the bar g, and by gradually
shortening the length of the "throw" of the link k, the foot or frictional
propeller will have a shorter movement, and consequently impart less motion
to the wheel m, and thereby effect a slower rotation of the cloth roller, its
surface and diameter increases, and causing a less quantity of fabric to be
"taken up" at each revolution, such quantity being regulated with greater
precision by the novel employment of a frictional propeller.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, together with the

page_text: method of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark, in conclusion,
that I claim,
First, coupling and driving two looms, by means of an extra driving shaft
and single driving pulley thereupon and intermediate gearing, and having
each separately under control by clutch boxes or other mechanical equivalent.
Secondly, I claim regulating the motion or revolutions of the cloth beam
or roller as the cloth accumulates thereupon by the employment of a frictional
propeller actuated by the mechanism shewn, or any slight modification thereof,
for lengthening or shortening the action of such propeller upon the " taking-
"wheel and receiving motion from the slay sword.
up
And, lastly, I claim the general arrangement and construction and combi-
nation of such mechanism for regulating the revolution of the cloth roller and
the "taking up" of the cloth, as herein-before described, set forth, and fully
exhibited in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Sidebottom, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
JAMES SIDEBOTTOM. (L.S.)