IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Carter Ramsden, of Bradford, in the County
of York, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 8th June 1869, and dated the 18th March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carter Ramsden
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th March 1869.
I, JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bradford, in the County of York,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in looms for weaving narrow
fabrics, by means of which a much increased speed can be obtained in
the loom, and a more continuous production of material. In weaving
this class of goods there are generally a number of pieces of fabric
placed side by side according to the width of the loom, with a sufficiency
of space betwixt each for the proper working of the shuttles.

page_text: In my improvements I dispense with the shuttles and feed in the
weft from each side by means of needles; the bobbins upon which the
weft is wound can be of any suitable size and fixed at any convenient
part of the loom, care being taken to fix them in that position in which
the yarn or weft will come off with the least friction or drag. It will
be observed that I have two bobbins to each tape, ribbon, or other
fabric being woven.
One mode in which I propose to fix and work the said needles is
somewhat as follows:-Across the loom in front of the lathe I place a
bar, into which at suitable intervals I fix as many studs as are requisite,
one stud to each piece of fabric intended to be woven. Upon each stud
I place two arms, these arms project one on each side of the ribbon or
tape; to the lower end of the arms needles are attached, and through
the eyes of these needles the yarn or weft is passed. These arms are
operated upon and the needles caused to enter the shed at the proper
time by suitable mechanism. The needles which have passed into the
shed have each carried with them their respective thread of weft, which
threads are prevented returning when the needles pass out by other
needles or pins, which pass inwards at a different angle and so-hold the
threads until the first needles have passed out and moved out of the way
to allow the slay to beat up the weft.
Another method of arranging the arms and needles is somewhat as
follows: Instead of inserting studs into the bar at suitable intervals.
as before mentioned, I have a rod across the loom capable of sliding;
upon this rod I fix as-many projecting arms as requisite, each arm will.
project betwixt two pieces of fabric, and on the end of each arm I
attach a double needle or two separate needles, one needle projecting
towards one fabric, and the other needle towards the other fabric, each
needle carries a separate weft thread, thereby it follows that when the
rod is slided towards the left all the needles pointing that way will move
into their respective fabrics and there deposit their weft, and when the
rod moves to the right all the needles pointing that way will move into
their respective fabrics and there deposit their weft. The weft is pre-
vented returning by means of other pins or needles, as before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Carter Ramsden, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bradford, in the County of York,. Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her:
Letters Patent bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Carter Ramsden, Her special
licence that I, the said John Carter Ramsden, my executors, adminis-,
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Carter Ramsden,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agrec
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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Carter Ramsden, my executors, or adminis-.
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Carter Ramsden, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in looms for weaving narrow-
fabrics, by means of which a much increased, speed can be obtained in
the loom, and a more continuous production of material. In weaving,
this class of goods, there are generally a number of pieces of fabric.
placed side by side, according to the width of the loom, with a
sufficiency of space betwixt each for the proper working of the shuttles.

page_text: In my improvements I dispense with the shuttles and feed in tho
weft from each side by means of needles, the bobbins upon which the
weft is wound can be of any suitable size and fixed at any convenient
part of the loom, care being taken to fix them in that position in which
the yarn or weft will come off with the least friction or drag. It will be
observed that I have two bobbins to each tape, ribbon, or other fabric.
being woven.
One mode in which I proposé to fix and work the said needles. is.
somewhat as follows:-Across the loom in front of the lathe I place a
bar, into which at suitable intervals I fix as many studs as are requisite,
one stud to each piece of fabric intended to be woven. Upon each stud
I place two arms, these arms project one on each side of the ribbon or
tape; to the lower end of the arms needles are attached, and through
the eyes of these needles the yarn or weft is passed; these arms are
operated upon and the needles' caused to enter the shed at the proper
time by suitable mechanism. The needles which have passed into the
shed have each carried with them their respective thread of weft, which
threads are prevented returning when the needles pass out by other
needles or pins which pass inwards at a different angle, and so hold the
threads until the first needles have passed out and moved out of the
way to allow the slay to beat up the weft.
And in order that my Invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed aided by the accompanying
Drawings more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an end view and Figure 2 is a front view of parts of a
loom having my Invention applied thereto; Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7,
are views of some of the parts to a larger scale.
As my Invention does not apply to any of the ordinary and well
known parts of a loom I do not consider it necessary to give any detailed
description of such parts, but will proceed to describe the application of
my Invention thereto.
In weaving narrow fabrics a number of pieces are generally woven
side by side, and the weft is laid therein by means of small shuttles,
out according to my Invention I dispense with such small shuttles and
lay in the weft by needles or instruments a, a, one of such needles or

page_text: instruments (the instrument a) acting on the left-hand edge of the
fabric being woven, whilst the other acts on the right-hand edge thereof..
The needles a and a are fixed respectively to pinions b, c, which are
mounted on studs or axes d' carried by the bar d, which is fixed to tho
breast beam, as shewn. Qn the bar d are fixed guides e, in which are
fitted two bars fand g, on each of which are formed or fixed suitable
toothed racks f, g, to take into and give motion to the toothed
pinions b, c. The bar g is operated so as to move it to and fro as required.
to operate upon the needles a by the upper end of a lever h, which is
mounted upon a centre of motion ', and at its lower end is operated by a
cam i mounted on a shaft or axis j, which receives motion from the cam
shaft by the bevilled toothed pinions k³, k³, as shewn. The bar f is
operated at the desired times by a similar arrangement of parts to that
employed for operating the bar g, but as such, with the description
already given, will be readily understood, I have not thought it
necessary to shew these parts in the Drawing. The needles a, a, arc
supplied with weft from reels or bobbins 2, from which the weft passes
through eyes or guides m³ in the bar m², it then passes under the rod or
bar m to the healds n, whence the threads of weft pass to the eyes of
the needles or instruments a, a, by which they are at the desired times
carried into the shed, and in order that the weft shall be drawn off from
the reels or hobbins in regulated quantities so as to afford the least
possible resistance to its passing through the eyes of the needles or
instruments a, a, I pass the weft threads through the healds and
below the eyes or "mails" thereof on either side of each piece of fabric
being produced, whereby as each half of the shed is carried down to
form the bottom thereof the weft is drawn off from the bobbins 1,
and then when such lower half rises to form the upper half of the shed.
such weft is slackened to allow of its being readily passed into the
shed. When the needles a, a, have passed into the shed and carried
their weft with them, other needles or instruments o are caused to
descend and hold the weft in position whilst the needles a or a are
being again withdrawn from the shed, and then the needles or instru-
ments o are caused to retire out of the way of the reed in order to allow
it to beat up the weft as desired. These movements are effected in the
following manner:-The needles or instruments o are fixed to a bar p
by means of screws and nuts p' and plates p³, as shewn; the bar p has
fixed thereto slides p', which are capable of travelling in fixed guides q'

page_text: carried by the brackets or bearings q in which the shaft or axis is
mounted with capability of freely turning therein as required. On this
shaft or axis are fixed at suitable distances apart a sufficient number of
arms or levers 7, the outer ends of which are forked to embrace studs
or projections p' fixed to the bar p. The shaft or axis r- has fixed on
one or each end an arm or lever 8, which at its lower end is pin jointed
to one end of a link t, the other end of which is pin jointed to a lever u,
which is mounted on an axis of motion w, and is provided with a truck
or bowl, which is acted upon by a cam o mounted on the eam shaft .
The warp is supplied by warp beams or rollers 10, as shewn, and the
work is taken up by rollers x, which may be operated in any suitable
and ordinary manner; but I prefer to operate them by means of a
driver actuated by a lever carried by the shaft or axis r, as will be
readily understood; y is a cover to each set of pinions b, c, and parts
acting therewith over which the work passes to the taking-up rollers.
In the Drawings above described I have only shewn one needle or
instrument a or a to act at cach selvage of each piece of fabric being
woven, but in some cases two needles or instruments a, a, may be fixed
to each pinion b, c, as shewn at Figures 8 and 9, and caused simul-
tancously to enter two sheds formed in the warp. Or if desired two or
more needles or instruments a, a, and pinions b, c, operated by separate
rack bars f, g, may act at each selvage of each piece of fabric, and the
rack bars f, g, may be operated at different times by jacquard or other
suitable means to cause the needles or instruments a, a, to carry
different colors or qualities of weft into the shed, as will be well under-
stood. In Figure 5 I have shewn a plan of a portion of the bar d and
parts carried thereby as they would appear when the bar d is held in
a horizontal plane.
6
I will now proceed to describe the mode in which a loom having my
improvements applied thereto, as shewn in the various Figures of the
Drawings operates, and will suppose that work has already been made
in the loom, and that a shed is now opened in each width of work for
weft to be passed in by a needle or instrument a*, which, as shown at
Figures 1, 3, and 4, has already commenced to enter the shed; the
bar 9 with the racks g' is caused to move endwise by the cam i, and in
doing so the racks o' act upon the pinions to cause the noodles

page_text: points of the instruments or needles o are caused by the cam to
descend below the warps and prevent the weft being drawn out of
the shed in the return motion of the needles or instruments a°; then
when the needles or instruments a have been fully withdrawn from the
slieds and have come to a position of rest the auxiliary needles or
instruments o are caused to rise above the warps, and in doing so to
retire out of the way of the reed, which is then caused to beat up the
weft. Another shed is now formed in each piece of work for weft
to be passed in by the needles or instruments a, which are operated by
the rack bar f, in a similar manner to that before described with respect
to the needles or instruments a, such rack bar f being actuated as
before described by a cam, not shewn in the Drawings, but similar in
form to the cam ; such cam being timed to act upon the rack bar f
when the rack bar g and needles or instruments a are at rest. When
the needles or instruments a have carried the weft entirely through the
sheds the points of the auxiliary needles or instruments o are caused
again to pass below the warps and prevent the weft being drawn out of
the shed by the needles or instruments a in their return motion out of the
shed, and then when the needles or instruments a have come to a position
of rest the auxiliary needles or instruments o are caused to rise above the
warps, as before described, to permit of the reed beating up the weft,
and so on. As before stated two sheds may, if desired, be simul-
taneously formed in each piece of work, and two weft threads may be
simultaneously passed into such sheds by a double needle or instru-
ment a or a, as shewn at Figures 8 and 9; by these means facility is
afforded for producing clastic webbing and other fabrics where a central
warp is required to be completely covered.
Another method of arranging the arms and needles is somewhat as
follows:-Instead of inserting studs into the bar at suitable intervals,
as before mentioned, I have a rod across the loom capable of sliding.
Upon this rod I fix as many projecting arms as requisite, each arm will
project betwixt two pieces of fabric, and on the end of each arm I
attach a double needle or two separate needles, one needle projecting
towards one fabric, and the other needle towards the other fabric, each
needle carries a separate weft thread, thereby it follows that when the
rod is slided towards the left all the needles pointing that way will
move into their respective fabrics and there deposit their weft, and when

page_text: the rod moves to the right all the needles pointing that way will move
into their respective fabrics and there deposit their weft. The weft is
prevented returning by means of other pins or needles o, as before
described..
I have not thought it necessary to give a Drawing of this arrange-
ment, as with the description already given such will be readily
understood.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
mode in which the same may be carried into effect, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein
shewn and described, nor do I claim the mechanical parts separately
considered; but what I do claim is the combined improvements in looms
for weaving narrow fabrics, substantially as herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carter Ramsden, have here-
unto set my hand and scal; this Fourteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN. (L.S.)