A SELF-ACTING DEVICE FOR REGULATING THE TENSION ON THE WARPS OF RIBBON AND OTHER LOOMS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "A SELF-ACTING DEVICE FOR
REGULATING THE TENSION ON THE WARPS OF RIBBON AND OTHER LOOMS."
-A communication from abroad by Julius Reimann, of Dresden,
in the Kingdom of Saxony.
Sealed the 16th July 1872, and dated the 23rd January 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd January 1872.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "A SELF-ACTING DEVICE
FOR REGULATING THE TENSION ON THE WARPS OF RIBBON AND OTHER LOOMS," to
be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to regulate the tension on the warp

page_text: beams of ribbon and other looms, and thereby to provide for the use of
yarns of a far higher number than is at present employed in power
looms.
The warp beam of the ribbon loom consists of a series of drums
mounted on a common axle, and each furnished with deep flanges
formed by disc plates attached to opposite ends of the drum. The
warp wound upon these drums is led over and under a series of guide
or delivery rollers, some of which turn in stationary and some in
moveable bearings. Above each drum is mounted a forked frame,
which is free to vibrate on a fixed centre. Within the fork are mounted
two rollers, one of which is provided with a soft friction surface. The
axes of this roller and of the drum are in the same vertical plane. The
friction roller bears upon the warp coiled around the drum, and is
intended to put a drag on the delivery of the warp. A spring bears
upon this roller so as to prevent its turning too easily by reason of friction
of contact with the warp on the drum. The pressure of this spring
may be regulated by an adjusting screw. The second roller carried by
the forked frame serves as a guide to the warp, which after passing over
this roller is led under a guide roller mounted on a stationary spindle
and thence upwards to a second stationary roller, whence it passes to a
third stationary roller, and so on to the end of the loom. There is
however hung upon the warp between the second and third rollers a
weighted roller, the stud pin of which is fitted to a rod which carries at
its lower end a weight and at its upper end a finger. The tendency of
this weighted roller is to draw down the warp between the second and
third fixed rollers and to keep an even tension on the warp. As the
warp is worked up in the weaving operation the drag put upon it by the
harness and cloth beam will cause the weighted roller to rise and give
out a warp which it still holds at tension. As this roller reaches its
highest position the finger of the rod to which it is attached will strike
the forked frame, and thereby lift the friction roller clear of the warp
beam. The result of this motion will be the giving out of a length of
warp and the dropping back of the weighted roller to a lower position.
The forked frame being thereby released its friction roller will again
bear upon the warp, and act as a brake on the warp beam.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ircland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "A SELF-ACTING DEVICE FOR REGULATING THE TENSION ON THE WARPS OF
RIBBON AND OTHER LOOMS," being a communication to me from abroad by
Julius Reimann, of Dresden, in the Kingdom of Saxony, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):-
This Invention relates to a new self-acting device for regulating the
tension on the warps of power looms, chiefly those employed in weaving

page_text: ribbons and tapes, the object being to avoid the trouble connected with
the setting of the weights which regulate the tension of the warp,
and to render practicable the employment of yarns of a far finer quality
than has hitherto been used in power looms, and consequently to
produce tapes and ribbons of a quality as fine as it has been possible to
weave in hand looms.
In tape or ribbon looms the warp is wound upon drums that turn
freely on a common shaft. From these drums the warp is (according to
this Invention) led over and under a series of guide or delivery rollers,
some of which turn in stationary and some in moveable bearings. Above:
each drum is mounted a forked frame, which is free to vibrate on a fixed
centre. Within the fork are mounted two rollers, one of which is
provided with a soft friction surface. The axis of this roller and of the
drum are in the same vertical plane. The friction roller bears upon the
warp coiled around the drum, and is intended to put a drag on the 1
delivery of the warp. The second roller carried by the forked frame
serves as a guide to the warp, which after passing over this roller is led
under a guide roller mounted on a stationary spindle, and thence
upwards to a second stationary roller, whence it passes to a third
stationary roller, and so on to the reed of the loom. There is however
hung upon the warp between the second and third rollers a weighted
roller, the stud pin of which is fitted to a rod that carrics at its lower
end a weight and at its upper end a finger. The tendency of this
weighted roller is to draw down the warp between the second and third
fixed rollers, and to keep an even tension on the warp as it is given off 2
by the drum.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation
of the self-acting tension apparatus (with parts of a loom shewing the
warp being nearly empty). Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the
apparatus, shewing the warp beam or drum filled. Fig. 3 is an end
elevation of the apparatus and parts of the loom, one warp beam being
shewn in section with the weight rising, the other warp beam being
shewn in full with the weight in its lowest position. Fig. 4 is a plan
view of the tension apparatus. Similar letters of reference indicate like
parts in the different Figures.
which has freed sims of aband

page_text: from the drum takes its course over the rollers e, f, g, h³, i, k, to the
reeds of the loom.
α,
The rollers h¹ turns on a stud, which is fixed to the pendent rod 7 and
which carries at its lower end the weight G. By this weight the warp
is always kept tight.
The roller e turns between the arms of the
bifurcated lever h, which also carries the roller b, the latter being
covered with a fabric of soft quality. This roller b bears against the
warp on the drum a with a pressure proportioned to the drag on the
warp. This pressure however of the roller 6 due to the drag of the
warp would not suffice to prevent the warp from unduly winding off.
from the warp beam and allowing the weight G to touch the floor, and
thereby relieve the warp of all tension. To avoid this a spring c is
arranged to bear upon the pressure roller b. Overlying this spring c is
a bracket piece fixed by screws to the solid part of the lever h, and
carrying a set screw d by which the pressure of the spring c on the
roller 6 is regulated. The pressure created by the weight G on the two
cylinders a and b must be of such a nature that the friction between a
and 6 will suffice to turn the roller or cylinder 6 when the drum or
cylinder a revolves, and it will now be apparent that by causing more
or less pressure on the spring c the drum a will turn lightly, or the
reverse.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-While the weight G is
in either of the two positions or thereabouts shewn in Fig. 3, the drum
a will by reason of the friction created by the break roller 6 and the
pressure lever / be unable to turn, and therefore according to the spend
of the warp in weaving the weight G will rise. After a certain time
the upper part of the pendent weighted rod will arrive at the lever h,.
and by touching it will lift it so as to allow of the rotation of the
drum a, and consequently a winding off of the warp threads, thereby
lowering the weight G to a certain extent, say about six inches.
The descent of the weight is perfectly gentle, and creates no increase
of strain on the warp, the set screw d affording the means to keep up
the utmost evenness of strain during the descent of the weight G.
The entire mechanism is so reliable that while employing the finest
numbers of yarns the warp thread will but rarely break. At the same
time the manufactured tape presents a degree of uniformity not better
attained by hand looms.

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "A. Self-acting
Device for Regulating the Tension on the Warps of Ribbon and other
Looms," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,
the arrangement above described whereby I am enabled to maintain
the requisite tension of the warps of ribbon and other looms.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-second day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.