CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Donald and William Heginbotham, Power
Loom Managers for John Ferguson and Company, both of Carlisle, in
the County of Cumberland, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Donald and
William Heginbotham at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition and Declaration, on the 20th December 1854, pur-
suant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
DONALD and WILLIAM HEGINBOTHAM, Power Loom Managers for John
Ferguson and Company, both of Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland,
send greeting.
WHEREAS we are in possession of an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto us, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same,
and have made solemn declaration that we verily believe ourselves to be the
true and first Inventors thereof:
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Donald and William Hegin-
botham, do hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under
our hands and seals, fully describes and ascertains the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-

page_text: Our Invention has for its object a certain arrangement of apparatus for
giving friction in power looms, whereby all the weights, ropes, and levers
which are now ordinarily attached to yarn beams of power looms are dispensed
with, and the vibration of the yarn beam, which causes much breakage in the
warp threads, is done away with. The apparatus we employ for this purpose
consists of a metal clip or friction strap, which is made in two pieces, each
piece embracing one-half of the yarn beam. The extremities of each piece
are made flat, so that when placed round the yarn beam they may be connected
on the one side by means of a bolt and nut, and on the other the distance
between them may be adjusted by a set screw, and consequently the amount
of friction requisite in power looms may be produced by either drawing the
halves of the clip nearer together or widening the distance between them,
as circumstances may require. We place one of these clips at each end of
the beam. The clips are prevented from revolving with the yarn beam
by means of a strap or rod, attached to the framework of the loom.
yarn
In order more fully to describe the nature of our Invention, and the carry-
ing the same into practical effect, we have attached a Sheet of Drawings
illustrative of the same, and have marked thereon letters of reference corre-
sponding with those in the following description thereof.
Figure 1 is a side view of a power loom with our apparatus applied; Figure
2 is another view of our apparatus; Figure 4 is a view of the back of the
loom, shewing the connection between the hammer I on the vibrator and the
finger H on the clip. The loom being in general use and well understood, it
will only be necessary to give a particular description of those parts which con-
stitute our present improvements, so as to enable persons acquainted with this
class of machinery to understand and carry out our Invention. In Figure 1,
A is the yarn beam; B is the taking-up roller; C is the warp; D is the
vibrator; D is an arm to support vibrator; D2 is the fulcrum shaft of
vibrator; D³ is the slot lever; E is the metal clip or friction strap; F is the
set screw for adjusting the distance between the clips; G is a strap or rod,
attached to an arm of the clip E, for the purpose of preventing the clip revolving
with the yarn beam.
In Figure 2 & 3, E, E, are the two arms of the metal clip or strap; I is
a cork lining, rub'd with black lead; H is a finger on the clip. In Figure 4,
A is the yarn beam; H, H, are the fingers on the clip; I, I, are hammers,
keyed on the vibrator, which strike against the fingers H on the clips, causing
the warp to have an uniform tension.
Having thus described and shewn the nature of our Invention, and the
'manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, we would have it

page_text: understood that we do not confine or restrict ourselves to the precise details
we have described and shewn; but what we claim as novel and original is, the
use in power looms, for the purpose of giving friction and doing away with
the vibration of the yarn beam, of a metal clip, arranged as herein-before
described and shown.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Donald and William Hegin-
botham, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixteenth day
of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-four.
WILLIAM DONALD.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM HEGINBOTHAM. (L.S.)