IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Thornton, Edwin Thornton, and Joseph
Thornton, all of Elland, in the County of York, Manufacturers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 5th March 1861, and dated the 10th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Thornton, Edwin
Thornton, and Joseph Thornton at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th September 1860.
We, THOMAS THORNTON, EDWIN THORNTON, and JOSEPH THORNTON, all of
Elland, in the County of York; Manufacturers, do hereby declare the
nature of. the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS. INLOOMS FOR WEAVING;" to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to looins for weaving fancy textile fabrics, wherewith
jacquard engines are employed to actuate the mechanism thereof for pro
ducing or indicating-the-figure or design required.
Heretofore in the working of such looms when the weft breaks in the shed;
arid because of the momentum of the working parts of the loom when in
action the stopping thereof cannot be effected instantaneously, altho' the strap
may be thrown off the driving pulley, but will make one or more picks after-
wards, which picks or shoots of the weft have to be removed or taken out of

page_text: The
the shed or from the warp threads before again. proceeding to weave.
loom having to be reversed, the shuttles and other parts re-adjusted or set in
their proper order and relative positions or places, which is both tedious and
requires: considerable skill to effect in the present arrangements of such looms.
To remedy which is the object of our said Invention. And the improvements
consist in working or driving the jacquard engine by shafting and gear chain,
or strap and peg, or tooth pullies, or other similar means direct from the loom
gearing, in such manner that when the loom is reversed the jacquard engine
will also be reversed, thereby maintaining the arrangement of the parts
whether in forward or reverse action; and to enable the attendant to reverse
or turn the loom backward more readily, we apply an additional driving pulley
with reverse motion, so as to change the driving strap thereto, and thus reverse
the loom by power. We also apply a catch lever for working the picking
levers, which is connected with the strap guide, so that on the reverse or back
action of the loom the picking levers are kept out of contact with the picking
tappets..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Thornton, Edwin Thornton, and Joseph Thornton,
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
THORNTON, EDWIN THORNTON, and JOSEPH THORNTON, all of Elland, in the
County of York, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent,, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give .and grant :unto
us, the said Thomas Thornton, Edwin Thornton, and Joseph Thornton,. Her
special licenes that we, the: said Thomas Thornton, Edwin Thornton,. and
Joseph Thornton, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Thomas Thornton, Edwin Thornton, and Joseph Thornton,
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. Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said
Thomas Thornton, Edwin Thornton, and Joseph Thornton, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said Thomas Thornton, Edwin Thornton,
and Joseph Thornton, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly.
described and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to
say):
This Invention relates to looms for weaving fancy-textile fabrics, wherewith
jacquard engines are employed to actuate the mechanism thereof for producing
or indicating the figure or design required.
Heretofore in the working of such looms when the weft breaks in the shed,
and because of the momentum of the working parts of the loom when in
action the stopping thereof cannot be effected instantaneously, altho' the strap
may be thrown off the driving pulley, but will make one or more picks after-
'wards, which picks or shoots of weft have to be removed or taken out of the
shed or from the warp threads before again proceeding to weave. The loom
having to be reversed, the shuttles and other parts "re-adjusted or set in-their
proper order and relative positions or places, which is both tedious and
requires considerable skill to effect in the present arrangement of such looms.
To remedy which is the object of our Invention. And the improvements
consist in working or driving the cylinder of the jacquard' engine by shafting and
gear, chain or strap, and peg or tooth pullies, or other similar means direct from
the loom gearing, in-such manner that when the loom is reversed the jacquard
engine will also be reversed, thereby maintaining the arrangement of the parts,
whether in forward or reverse action. And to enable the attendant to reverse
or turn the loomi backward more readily, we apply an additional driving-palley
with reverse motion, so as to change the driving strap thereto, and thus
reverse the tooth by power. We also apply a catch lover for working the
picking levers; which is connected with the strap guide, so that on the reverse
of back action of the-loom-the picking levers are kept out of contact with the
picking tappets.
This Invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying

page_text: Sheet of Drawings, similar letters referring to the same parts of the loom, in
the several Figures. Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a loom with our improve-
ments, applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a portion of the back elevation, and Fig. 3 is
another portion of the back elevation of same. The ordinary parts of looms
being so well understood we have not considered it necessary to illustrate the
whole, but such only as are requisite to shew the application of our improve-
ments. A is the framing of an ordinary loom, and B a jacquard engine with
the cylinder C and chain of lags or cards c supported on an arm c³, to which
vibratory motion is communication by crank and connecting rod c³ in the
usual way. To the end of said cylinder is fixed a star wheel c', which comes
in contact with a "noggin plate " D fixed on a shaft d', supported by a stand
d. On the shaft d' is a bevil wheel d³, gearing with another bevil d³ fixed on
one end of a diagonal shaft E, on the other of which is a bevil or angle wheel
e' gearing with another angle wheel, fast on the boss of a spurr pinion ³;.
which runs loose on a stud fixed to the loom and gears with another stud
wheel or carrier e, which gears with a pinion e' fixed on the crank shaft F.
A detail of the star wheel and noggin plate by which the cylinder is turned,
is shown at Fig. 4 on a larger scale, the peculiar action of which is well
understood. It will be evident that in whichever direction, the crank shaft is
turned, whether forward or backward, the noggin plate, will also be turned,
and consequently.the cylinder of the jacquard engine will be turned in like
manner direct or reverse. To enable the loom to be reversed by power instead
of hand labour, we have an additional driving pulley G running loose on the
crank shaft, on the boss of which is fixed a bevil wheel 9¹ gearing with
another bevilg running loose on a stud and gearing with a bevil wheel g
fixed on the crank shaft, on which are also the ordinary fast and loose driving
pullies H and I. The manner, action, or operation of which pullies, to produce
direct or reverse motion to the shaft, is well known and needs not further
explanation. To prevent picking during the reverse action of the loom, we
apply a catch lever, in connection with the jacquard engine, for working the
ordinary picking levers J and J, which are hinged, and capable of sliding on
studs.; and when operated by the levers K and K' into position. or
contact with the noses on the picking tappets Land L'. The levers Kand K³
are actuated by a slide bar M, on the ends.of which are adjustable fingers m
and m³. The said bar receives motion from the jacquard engine through the
medium of an ordinary jack and the rod m² connected to the bell-crank lever
M³, which pushes or moves the slide bar one way or the other as required, the
fingers acting against the levers. The said levers K and K' are drawn back

page_text: or out of position with the noses by the springs N and N. The bell-crank
lever M is formed in two parts, and a lever m³ is hinged to one part or arm
with a catch piece m' fixed thereto, which enters a recess in the projecting
end m of the other arm of said lever, which holds the two arms rigidly
connected; but on reversing the loom (which is done moving the driving
strap on to the pulley G) a rod m³ connected to the strap guide P and to a
lever m' lifts the catch piece out of the recess, and keeps it out until the
strap guide be removed from the pulley G to the pulley I, when it again drops
into the recess. The strap-guide lever R is retained in position for the strap
to be on any of the pullies desirable by a slot plate fixed on the loom end, as
shewn at Fig. 5.
It will be clearly evident from the foregoing description and illustrations
that we obtain a positive motion or means of working the cylinder of a
jacquard engine, that is, the said cylinder will turn backward or forward as
the loom is so turned; also that a chain or strap, with peg wheels, may be
employed for this purpose, but we prefer shaft and gear wheels; and by the
addition of reversing gear the loom may be turned back more easily and
quickly than by hand labour; also by the application of the catch lever the
picking motion can be thrown out of action during such back action of the
loom, a peculiar feature of our improvements being that the picking levers are
kept out of contact with the noses on the picking tappets by the springs N and
N', and only brought into position by the jacquard engine when required, con-
sequently when it is necessary to reverse the loom there will be no disarrange-
ment betwixt the shuttle boxes and the picking motion and the shed.
Having thus fully described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be performed, we would have it distinctly
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details as herein
set forth, as variations may be made without departing from the main features
thereof; but what we believe to be new and therefore claim as of our
Invention is,
Firstly, the method of working or driving the cylinder of the jacquard
engine by shaft and gearing, or other similar positive motion direct from the
loom.
Secondly, the application of reversing gear for driving the loom in a back-
ward direction, as shown.
Thirdly, the application of a catch lever for working or governing the
action of the picking levers, and the means or method of having the said
levers always out of contact with the noses of the picking tappets, except when
actuated by the jacquard engine, as set forth.

page_text: Fourthly, the combination and general arrangement of the parts or appa-
ratus substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Thornton, for and on behalf of
myself and the said Thomas Thornton and Joseph Thornton, have 5
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of March One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
WM. TASKER,
Patent Agent,
Halifax.
EDWIN THORNTON. (L.s.)