IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Thom, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Manufacturer, and Hugh McNaught, of the same Place,
Mechanic. for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 23rd April 1858, and dated the 24th October 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Thom and Hugh
McNaught at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 24th October 1857.
We, JAMES THOM, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Manufacturer, and HUGH MCNAUGHT, of the same Place, Mechanic, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved arrangement or combination of
mechanism for shifting the drop box of power looms working with two or
more shuttles, and which may also be made to act on the heddle-actuating
details so as to produce varied weaving effects. In a modification of the
improved mechanism as arranged for acting on a drop box adapted for two
shuttles, the drop box is connected by a rod to the back end of a lever turning
on a stud at one side of the loom near the floor. This lever is formed with a
short bell crank arm directed upwards and fitted with an adjustable tongue.or
knife edge piece, which is kept against a pattern or tappet wheel by the weight
of the drop box. The tappet wheel is formed with alternate elevations and
depressions to act on the bell-crank lever, and thereby shift the drop box,

page_text: each shift of this wheel corresponding to a change of the shuttle. The tappet
wheel is shifted round by means of ratchet teeth and a catch, the latter being
jointed to a frame or slide, which is made to reciprocate by a pin or eccentric
on the wiper or low shaft of the loom, or by any other moving detail from
which a suitable motion can be derived. On the stud pin upon which the
tappet wheel turns there is a barrel, contrived to carry round an endless chain
of plates or cards, by means of which the mechanism is made to produce any
required pattern. This barrel is turned by means of a ratchet wheel and a
catch, the latter being carried by the reciprocating slide or frame, and the
cards act on a lever turning on a stud pin, and arranged to act on the catch
which turns the tappet wheel. Perforations are made in the plates or cards
corresponding to the picks of the loom at which the change of shuttle is to
take place, and when one of these perforated plates or cards come round, a
projection on the lever sinks through the perforation and into a recess in the
barrel, and the descent of the lever allows the other catch to shift round the
tappet wheel, which has the desired effect.
By a slight modification of the tappet wheel and details connected therewith,
it may be made to act on three or more shuttles, and by connecting the tappet
wheel with the treadles for working the heddles, it may be made to connect
and disconnect them, so as to vary the shedding action.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Thom and Hugh M Naught in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 23rd April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
THOM, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturer,
and HUGH MCNAUGHT, of the same Place, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Thom and Hugh McNaught, Her special licence, that we, the said
James Thom and Hugh McNaught, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said James Thom and Hugh McNaught, 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,

page_text: 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 we, the said James Thom
and Hugh McNaught, 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 James Thom and Hugh McNaught,
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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:―
Our said Invention relates to an improved arrangement or combination of
mechanism for shifting the drop box of power looms working with two or more
shuttles, and which may also be made to act on the heddle-actuating details,
so as to produce varied weaving effects. In a modification of the improved
mechanism as arranged for acting on a drop box adapted for two shuttles, the
drop box is connected by a rod to the back end of a lever turning on a stud at
one side of the loom near the floor. This lever is formed with a short bell-
crank arm directed upwards and fitted with an adjustable tongue or knife-edge
piece, or with a small roller, which is kept against a pattern or tappet wheel
by the weight of the drop box. The tappet wheel is formed with alternate
elevations and depressions to act on the bell-crank lever, and thereby shift the
drop box, eack shift of this wheel corresponding to a change of the shuttle.
The tappet wheel is shifted round by means of ratchet teeth and a catch, the
latter being jointed to a frame or slide which is made to reciprocate by a pin
or eccentric on the wiper or "low" shaft of the loom, or by any other moving
detail from which a suitable motion can be derived. On the stud pin upon
which the tappet wheel turns there is a barrel contrived to carry round an
endless chain of plates or cards, by means of which the mechanism is made to
produce any required pattern. This barrel is turned by means of a ratchet
wheel and a catch, the latter being carried by the reciprocating slide or frame,
and the cards act on a lever turning on a stud pin and arranged to act on the
catch which turns the tappet wheel. Perforations are made in the plates or
cards corresponding to the picks of the loom at which the change of shuttle is
to take place, and when one of these perforated plates or cards comes round, a
projection on the lever sinks through the perforation and into a recess in the

page_text: barrel, and the descent of the lever allows the other catch to shift round the
tappet wheel, which has the desired effect.
By a slight modification of the tappet wheel and details connected therewith,
it may be made to act on three or more shuttles, and by connecting the tappet
wheel with the treadles for working the heddles, it may be made to connect or
disconnect them, so as to vary the shedding action.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood, we have
delineated on a Sheet of Drawings hereunto attached, and shall now proceed
to describe, our improved mechanism as arranged to act on the shuttle drop
box of a two-shuttle loom.
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is a side elevation, and Figure 2 is a plan
of the said mechanism, as much of the loom to which it is adapted being
shown or indicated in these Figures as is necessary for the purposes of this
discription. The like reference letters mark the same parts in both Figures.
The said mechanism is carried upon a bracket A, bolted to the side frame B
of the loom, and to this bracket there is fixed a stud pin C, upon which is
carried loosely a tappet wheel D, formed with alternate elevations and
depressions at its periphery to act on the vertical arm E of a bell-crank
lever F, centred on a stud pin G, the other arm of this lever F being jointed
to the lower end of the rod H, by which the shuttle drop box is shifted. A
weighted lever W is represented as centred upon the frame B, being arranged
to counterbalance a portion of the weight of the shuttle drop box; but this is
not required in all cases. An adjustable knife edge piece I is attached to the
arm E of the bell-crank lever to be acted upon by the tappet wheel D, and by
means of it the positions of the shuttle drop box can be very accurately
adjusted; a simple small antifriction roller may, however, be used in place of
this knife-edge piece I, if preferred. The tappet wheel D has formed in one
piece with or fixed to it a ratchet wheel d, by 'means of which it is shifted
round as each change of shuttle has to take place. The ratchet wheel dis
acted upon by a catch J, jointed upon a slide or rod K, which is made to
reciprocate. by means of an eccentric pin L, carried by the "low" or wiper
shaft M of the loom. A reciprocating back and forward stroke of the rod K
takes place at every alternate pick of the loom according to this arrangement,
but the catch J is prevented from acting and so producing a change of the
shuttle except when it is required by the pattern by being lifted out of range
of the ratchet wheel d by a lever N carried on a stud pin O, and acting upon
a pin P fixed upon 'the side of the catch J.
wheel D are prevented from slipping or
The ratchet wheel d and tappet
being jerked too far round by
a spring Q acting frictionally upon the teeth of the ratchet wheel. On

page_text: the stud pin C, and outside of the wheels D, d, there is carried loosely a
barrel R, having formed in one piece with or attached to it a ratchet wheel r,
which last is acted upon by a catch S jointed upon the reciprocating slide or
rod K, by the movement of which the ratchet wheel r and barrel R are shifted
round a step at each alternate pick of the loom. Instead of the pieces D, d,
and R, r, being each fitted directly upon the stud pin C, one of these pieces
may be formed with an elongated boss, on which the other turns loosely. The
barrel R is constructed to carry round an endless chain T of cards or metal
plates, and is by preference made cylindrical, and the cards or plates are curved
to fit it; but, if desired, the barrel may be polygonal and the cards flat, as in
ordinary jacquard apparatus. The cards or plates act on the lever N, already
described as that which by holding up the catch J prevents it from turning
the tappet wheel D. This lever N is formed with a projection n, which rests
on the surface of the card or plate on the top of the barrel when such card or
plate is unperforated, and keeps up the catch J. When, however, a perforated
card comes under the projection n of the lever N, the lever descends, the
surface of the barrel R being hollowed to allow it to do so, and permits the
catch J to descend and turn round the wheel & when drawn back by the rod K.
From this it will be obvious that in order to make the loom work any variety
of pattern capable of being produced by the alternate use of the two shuttles,
it is simply necessary to arrange the chain of plates or cards T so that a
perforated plate or card is brought under the lever N at the period when the
pattern requires the change of shuttle. The lever S is formed with a bend or
handles, and it can be lifted off the ratchet wheel r to admit of the barrel R
being turned round by hand in either direction to readjust the pattern cards
or to go over any part of them again. A plate spring V is fixed on the stud
pin C, and acts frictionally upon the barrel R, so as to prevent its getting out
of its proper position. In applying our improved mechanism to act on the
heddle movements of the loom so as to produce varied weaving effects by
their means, the required shifts may be derived from the tappet wheel D
according to any of the various plans in which a suitable action is or may be
obtained by means of such a wheel moved intermittently, as herein-before
described.
Having now particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, we must observe that
we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described and
delineated, as our Invention is susceptible of various modifications, nor do we
claim to have invented each detail herein described or delineated; but what

page_text: we consider to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to us
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement or combination of mechanism for shifting,
the drop box of power looms working with two or more shuttles, and for acting
upon the heddle-actuating details, as herein-before described.
Second, the herein-before described system or mode of actuating both the
jacquard or pattern barrel and the tappet wheel by a simple reciprocating slide
or rod.
Third, the system or mode of mounting the tappet wheel which effects the
changes, and the jacquard or pattern barrel which regulates the periods of the
changes on the same stud pin, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Thom and Hugh McNaught,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
JAME
M.
(L.B.)
HUGH MONAUGHT. (L.S.)