THE IMPROVEMENT OP LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François Loret-Vermeersch, in Malines, Kingdom
of Belgium, for the Invention of "THE IMPROVEMENT OP LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Scaled the 8th January 1856, and dated the 10th July 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Loret-Vermeersch
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th July 1855.
I, FRANÇOIS LORET-VERMEERSCH, of Malines, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "THE IMPROVEMENT OF
LOOMS FOR WEAVING" to be as follows:-
Having had Royal Letters Patent granted me, sealed the Twenty-second
day of August 1854, for my Invention, consisting of "improvements in loomis
for weaving fabrics either by hand or power," my present Invention refers to
further improvements in relation to the same.
With regard to the motion of the heddles in one of my former looms, there
are four eccentrics and four levers; I now employ only two, and the pinion
makes but two revolutions to one of the large wheel. As respects the motion
of the shuttle, the batten or lay has near each of its ends a cast-iron upright,

page_text: having on the top a small axis, on which the small horizontal lever turns, its
opposite end being jointed to the vertical lever. This lever goes through the
driver, extends beneath the batten end, and is attached to a card; to the axis is
also attached a spiral spring, and the lower end fastened to a small thong which
is connected with the vertical lever.
I employ a new regulator for winding the fabrics on the cloth beam,
consisting of a horizontal and bell-crank lever pivotted on a small axis
attached to the cross framing. I introduce an improved arrangement for
stopping the loon; motion being given to the loom by a band passing over a
suitable pulley, it can be stopped by simply isolating the pulley on its axis.
In respect to the heddle motion in wide looms, I would observe, that near
the lower ends of the levers are screw tension rods; adapted to the heddles at
the extremities of these levers are also cords, which, passing over one pulley
and under another, are fastened to the heddles.
When employing my improved loom with cylinder and (rabat) lowering
heald, in weaving a twilled fabric (with twelve heddles for instance) having a
heavy warp, the loom must work "a rabat" or with a lowering heald. The
vertical levers which give motion to the heddles move in a cast-iron bar,
which serves as a fulcrum. To the top ends of these levers are fastened small
thongs, which after passing over pulleys are attached to the heddles; their
lower ends have also thongs, which pass over other pullies and are fastened to
the heddles. A cast-iron cylinder rotating on an iron shaft carries at its
end a toothed wheel, and at each end is a spindle, which turns in an outer
bearing. The cylinder has perforations corresponding to the number of
heddles. The lower ends of the levers have small pulleys actuated by
eccentrics on the cylinder. The driving shaft carries a pinion working into a
toothed wheel, and is also fitted with a pinion which gears into the wheel of
the cylinder.
In a wide loom each vertical lever has at its upper extremity two small
thongs, and other two at its lower end, each passing over separate pulleys and
respectively fastened to the heddles.
Another of my improved looms has a variable number of heddles and
lower healing. I sometimes employ three eccentrics, but 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
may be fitted thereto, according to the fabric to be woven, changing the
wheel and pinion to suit the_number_of_eccentrics employed. By my
improved arrangements, when the eccentric passes the lever to cause it to
descend, the end of this lever obliges a bell-crank lever to pivot, and the
vertical arm urges forward a long rod, which, in drawing with it the vertical

page_text: arms of the cranks, force these to pivot, and to move in a direction to cause
the heddles to descend. The inverse motion takes place as soon as the lever
is acted on towards the top of the outer curve of the eccentric.
Having thus indicated the main features of my said Invention, I do not
restrict myself therein, but reserve the privilege of making such modifications
as may be required within the limits described, and likewise to supply such
necessary details as the same may demand.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said François Loret-Vermeersch in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th January 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANÇOIS
LORET-VERMEERSCH, in Malines, Kingdom of Belgium, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
François Loret-Vermeersch, Her special licence that I, the said François
Loret-Vermeersch, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said François Loret-Vermeersch, 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 law-
fully 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 "THE IMPROVEMENT OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said François Loret-Vermeersch, my executors
or administrators, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said François Loret-Vermeersch, 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 :-

page_text: Having had Royal Letters Patent granted me, sealed Twenty-second August,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, and bearing date the Twentieth
March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, for my Invention, consisting
of "improvements in looms for weaving," applying to the weaving of fabrics,
either by hand or by power, my present said Invention refers to further im-
provements in relation to the same, the details of which I will now proceed to
describe, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, in which the
same letters indicate like parts throughout.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Sheet 1 Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved loom with four
heddles and the new stop, moved by steam or other power; Figure 2 is a
right-hand side view of loom; Figure 3 is a front view of regulator for
winding the fabric on the cloth beam; Figure 4 is a top section of mechanical
arrangement of the stop; Figure 5 is a front view of heddle motion for wide
looms.
Sheet 2 Figure 6 is a front view of loom with twelve heddles, with cylinder
and excentrics for giving motion to heddle levers; Figure 7 is a right-hand
side view of same; Figure 8 is a front view of heddle motion of same.
Sheet 3 Figure 9 is a front view of loom adapted to a variable number of
heddles, suppressing the top part of frame and giving the heddle motion by
levers and counter levers; Figure 10 is a right-hand side view of the same;
Figure 11 is a front view of heddle motion for wide looms; Figure 12
is a side view of the batten; and Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of the
same.
The movement of the batten or lay is the same as that of the loom with
two heddles, in the Specification of my before-named Patent, dated Twentieth
March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, (Shect 2, Figure 13 ;), and
the movement of the heddles is likewise the same (as shewn in the said
Sheet 2, Figure 18), with the exception that my present improved loom has
only two excentrics (e) and two levers (f), and that the pinion (a) of my
said improved loom makes but two revolutions to one of the large wheel (d),
shewn in the said Sheet 2, Figure 13).
As respects the motion of the shuttle, the batten or lay C, Figure 1 and 2,
-has-near-each-of-its-ends-a-cast-iron-upright-o,-o,-having-at-top-a-small-axis-1,-
on which the horizontal lever 2 turns, and has its opposite end jointed to the
vertical lever 3. This lever goes through the driver p, extends beneath the
batten, and is attached to the cord q; to the axis 1 is also attached a spiral

page_text: spring 4, its lower end fastened to the small thong 5, which is connected with
the vertical lever 3; this spring withdraws the lever 3 each time it has
produced its effect. To each end of the batten C is adapted a small spring",
having at its extremity a small thong 6, also fastened to the lower end of the
vertical lever 3; this spring deadens the blow of the vertical lever 3, each
time it shoots the shuttle. The two arms G, G, attached to the cast-iron
pieces, bolted to the cross piece of the frame, carry near their center steel
levers t, t, the upper surfaces of which are bow-shaped. To the lower ends of
the arms G, G, are adapted thongs s¹, fastened to the lower cross piece of the
frame t, serving to hold the arms each time they are pressed down. The iron
axis B carries on its end a cross in cast iron H, the end of each arm
furnished with a steel pulley v, v, v, v, which pressing alternately on the levers
t, t, cause the arms G, G, to descend rapidly, drawing with them the cords
9, 9, and the levers 3, 3, start the drivers p, p, and cause the shuttle to be
thrawn.
I employ a new regulator for winding the fabric on the cloth beam, consisting
of a horizontal and bell-crank lever I, Figure 3, pivotted on a small axis a,
attached to the cross framing; to this cross piece is also fixed a graduated
iron scale y, on which slides the cast-iron piece z, furnished with an adjusting
lever a and spiral spring b', its end pressing against the lever I, on the end
of which is a detent or pall c¹, which takes into the teeth of the ratchet
wheel d', the end of the vertical arm e being acted upon by the wooden
finger or claw f', which carries the shuttle box C.
I introduce a peculiar arrangement for stopping the loom, which is an
improvement on the plan for the like purpose described in my before-named
Patent (and shown in Sheet 1, Figure 3, attached thereto). I now employ
the method shown in Sheet 1, Figures 1, 2, and 4. The main or driving
shaft J is extended beyond the width of the loom, carrying the fly wheel k
and pulley L, which revolve on the shaft. Bebind the fly wheel against the
pulley L is placed a hook-shaped pall i, Figure 1, pressed by a spring j¹, also
placed against the pulley. Beyond the pulley L a portion of the shaft is
square, on which is a cast-iron lever ', its end carrying a pin or stud +.
the upright piece A, Figures 2 and 4, is fixed an iron claw 7, with projecting
The claw has a notch n for the
part 1, Figure 4, having a claw m.
spring M, Figure 1 and 2, the lower end being fastened to A. The fork of
the lever N, Figure 4, moving on its pivot o¹, receives the spring M; the
lever N has also a fork p', which in its turn falls into the grooved part of
the lever . Motion being given to the loom by the band o passing over the
Το

page_text: pulley L, it can be stopped by simply isolating the pulley L on its axis J.
The loom is started by the workman thrusting from him the spring M, of
which the handle is shown, and he stops it by drawing the spring towards
him.
In respect to the motion of the heddles in wide looms, I would observe, that
in Figure 5, near the lower ends of the levers f, are screw tension rods J',
adapted to the heddles ; at 1 are cords, which, passing over the pulleys m¹
and under 2, are fastened to the heddles ; the levers f, pressed by the
eccentrics e, produce the same motion throughout the length of . The cords
passing between the pulleys are tied together by the screw tension rods o, and
serve to regulate the heddles . The pulleys m¹ and n¹ move in the two
uprights P, fixed in the longitudinal cross piece Q of the framing A.
When employing my improved loom with cylinder and (rabat) lowering
heald in weaving a twilled fabric (with twelve heddles for instance) having
a heavy warp, the loom must work "a rabat" or with a lowering heald, which
means, first, that the beddles not raised shall produce the same amount of
tension on the warp below as on that portion which is lifted; and, secondly,
that the heddles shall cross precisely at the moment that the batten strikes up
the weft, the great advantage being, that by a simple blow of the batten and
a slight tension of the warp, the weft may be driven up as close as desired
without any injury to the warp threads, thus allowing the use of inferior
warps. In Figures 6, 7, and 8 the vertical levers A which give motion to the
heddles move in the cast-iron bar B, which serves as a fulcrum. To the top
ends of these levers are fastened small thongs a, which, passing over the
pulleys b, are attached to the heddles c, c. The lower ends of these levers
have also the same thongs d, which pass over the pulleys c, and are likewise
fastened to the heddles c¹, c¹. A cast-iron cylinder C, rotating on the iron
shaft D, carries at its end a toothed wheel E; at each end of the shaft is a
spindle, which turns in an outer iron bearing F, F. The cylinder C has as
many rows of holes as there are heddles (in this instance twelve), in which
are fitted small cast-iron excentrics f, f, fastened by nuts and screws +, and
are arranged in the order in which the heddles should be raised. Near the
lower ends of the levers A, Figure 8, are small pulleys on tempered steel,
placed between the excentrics f. f. On the cylinder rotating, the excentrics f
-act upon-the-pulleys-g, force-the levers A to move on their pivots B, and to
lift or drop the heddles e, e. The excentrics f. f, have an inner and an outer
curve, between which are placed the pulleys g, which being pressed by the
upper part 3 of the excentric f, the upper part of the lever a lifts the beddle c,

page_text: the lower part moving in an opposite direction; on the contrary, when the
lower part 4 of the excentric acts on the pulley g, the outer curve of the
excentric presses the pulley g towards the cylinder C, and forces the lower part
of the lever d to act upon and bring down the heddle. This arrangement
constitutes the working "a rabat," or with a lower heald. The driving shaft G
carries towards its centre the pinion H; the iron axle I, placed on interior
bearings F, F, carries at one end the toothed wheel J, double the diameter
of H, with which it gears; at K is fitted a pinion which gears with the wheel
E of the cylinder. J carries two steel pullies h, h', diametrically opposed to
each other, which press alternately on the steel levers i, i, of the rods L, L',
to throw the shuttle. The other motions are the same as in looms already
described.
In a wide loom, each vertical lever A, Figure 8, has at its upper extremity a
two small thongs m, passing over the pulley o, fastened to the heddle p, and
the other n, also fastened thereto after passing over the pulley 9; these pulleys
are fitted to the upper cross piece M. To the lower end of the lever A are
also attached two small thongs r, passing under the pulley t and fastened to
the heddle p"; as is also the thongs, after passing under the pulley u, fastened
to the heddle p¹, so that on moving lever A they lift or draw down the
heddles p to an equal extent throughout their length. The pulleys t and u
are fitted to the cross piece M' of the frame.
Another of my improved looms has a variable number of heddles and lower
healing, Figures 9, 10, and 11. The frame is composed of four small uprights
A and cross pieces B. The driving axle C carries nearly in the centre of it
length the pinion D, and at its interior extremity the pinion E. The iron axle F
carries near the centre of its length the toothed wheel G, double the diameter
of D, with which it gears, and the iron axle H carries the tooth wheel I, triple
the diameter of E, with which it gears. On the other end of H are fitted
three excentrics a, their curves divided into three parts; they have also an
inner curve b, Figure 11, and outer curve c. Between these two curves is
placed the pulley a, fitted to the horizontal levers J, of which there are three,
corresponding in numble with the excentrics; their fulcrum is in the inner
bar K, bolted at its end to the two uprights L, which are bolted to the cross
piece B of the loom frame. To the inner ends of the levers J, Figure 9, are
fitted screw tension rods, hooked on to the rods f, and reciprocally to the
heddles g. These levers J project beyond the loom franie, and their ends are
jointed to the rods h, which are also jointed to the counter levers M. The cast-
iron bar N, the ends bolted to the uprights L, serves as the fulcrum for these

page_text: levers. To the inner ends of the counter levers M' are fitted screw tension
rods i, hooked to the rods k, and subsequently to the heddles g¹. In propor-
tion as the part d of the excentrics a press on the levers J, the counter lever M
performs the same motion, bringing down or lifting the heddles g. The loom
shown in the Drawing has three excentrics, but it may be fitted 2, 3, 4, 5,
and 6, according to the fabric to be woven, but in such case the wheel I and
its pinion E must be changed in proportion with the number of excentrics
employed. The wheel G carries two steel pulleys m diametrically opposed,
and which press alternately the steel levers n of the rods o, and cause the
shuttle to be thrown. These rods have their fulcrum in the cast piece P,
bolted against the cross piece of the loom franie.
In Figure 10, towards the inner extremity of the lever J is fitted a screw
tension rod e, hooking on to the heddle g¹; the end of J is jointed to the little
rod o, jointed to the horizontal arm of the bell-crank lever Q, its vertical arm
jointed to the long horizontal rod R. To the horizontal arm of a second bell-
crank lever S is fitted the screw tension rod p, hooking on to the heddles g¹.
The vertical arm of S is connected by a joint at its end to the horizontal
rod R, jointed at its end to the vertical arm of a third bell-crank lever T; its
horizontal arm jointed to the horizontal lever M, which carries at its inner
extremity the screw tension rod i, hooking on to the heddles g. When the
excentric a passes the lever J to cause it to descend, the end of the lever o
obliges the crank Q to pivot, and the vertical arm urges forward the rod R,
which, in drawing with it the vertical arms of the cranks S and T, force them
to pivot, and to move in the direction indicated by arrows in the Drawings,
causing the heddles to descend. The inverse motion takes place as soon as
the lever .J is acted on towards the top by the outer curve c of the excentric a.
The cranks Q and S have their turning points in the small uprights U and V,
attached to the longitudinal cross piece X of the loom frame. The crank T
has its turning point in the iron piece r, bolted to the cross piece of the loom
frame, and the lever M' has for its pivot the cast-iron upright L', the lower
end of which is bolted to the cross piece of the frame.
The batten or lay Y, Figure 12, rests and is fixed at each end upon the
horizontal lever . These levers are put in motion by one of their ends
attached to the vertical branches s. The other ends of these levers are sup-
ported by the pulleys t, in which they slide freely, and which are supported by
the transverse B.
In Figure 13 is shown the longitudinal form of the batten Y, which carries
at each end the shuttle u, u, to which are adapted a kind of horizontal slides

page_text: v, v, which take their movement under the batten, and are put in motion in it
by means of two small sheets of metal y, y, screwed against the batten; these
chase shuttles u, and are repelled by a spiral spring a, a, which crosses the
batten in all its length. These springs always repel the two shuttles every
time that the rods o, o, Figure 9, have produced their effect.
Having thus fully described the peculiar features of my said improvements,
1 do not restrict myself to dimensions or materials, or the precise details herein
described, my said Invention being capable of modifications without deviation
from the principle thereof. And I do declare that what I claim as my Inven-
tion is, namely, the several improved arrangements in the construction of
looms actuated by steam or other power, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said François Loret-Vermeersch, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Third day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
F. LORET-VERMEERSCH. (L.S.)