IMPROVE- MENTS IN LOOMS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Murphy, senior, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Pattern Designer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS."
Sealed the 10th October 1862, and dated the 17th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Murphy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
- April 1862.
I, JAMES MURPHY, senior, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Pattern Designer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention of improvements in looms relates to arrangements for
weaving with two shuttles simultaneously, and is beneficially applicable in
producing various kinds of figured or ornamental fabrics.
An important part of the improved arrangements consists of what may be
termed a movable or floating race for the uppermost of the two shuttles to
run upon and be supported by. This movable race is a kind of comb attached
to a horizontal bar fitted to slide up and down in grooves in the lathe swords
or frame. The teeth of the comb project downwards, and are by preference
of metal, their bottom ends being bevilled or pointed, so as to divide and enter
amongst the warp threads' when made to descend. The bottom of the race is
formed by horizontal pieces attached at right angles to the teeth, which project

page_text: downwards, the front ends of the horizontal pieces being also pointed or
bevilled. The shedding movements are arranged to form two sheds simul-
taneously, one below what may be termed the middle line for the lower shuttle
running upon the ordinary race, and one above the middle line for the upper
shuttle. As the lathe moves backwards the movable race descends, and the
threads raised to form the top of the upper shed pass up between the teeth,
forming the race sufficiently high for the upper shuttle to pass between them
and the horizontal parts of the teeth forming the bottom of this race. As the
shuttles pass necessarily further from the reed than in ordinary looms, a series
of pointed wires may be made to rise up at the proper period to give the back
support to the lower shuttle, which it would otherwise have had from the reed.
If the weft of the upper shuttle is used for the figuring, the upper shed for it
may be formed by jacquard or other pattern mechanism, the shed for the
Jower shuttle being formed by heddles. It is, however, necessary in all cases
to prevent the middle warps forming the division between the two sheds from
slackening, and so being moved up or down by those threads which are acted
upon by the heddles or harness.. For this purpose all the warp threads, or at
least all concerned in the figuring, are passed through the mails of a set of
weighted tails passed through a hole board, by preference near the back of
the loom, and these weighted tails have the effect of keeping in their proper
middle position such threads as do not happen to be moved either up or down
by the harness or heddle action.
The movable race, or a modification of it, may be combined with what is
known as the "swing frame," and the race may be made in sections across the
loom, such sections being contrived to act independently of each other..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Murphy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MURPHY, senior, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Pattern
Designer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant, unto me, the said
James Murphy, senior, Her special licence that I, the said James Murphy,

page_text: senior, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Murphy, senior, 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 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 LOOMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Murphy,
senior, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 James Murphy, senior, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings,. and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention of improvements in looms relates to arrangements for
weaving with two shuttles simultaneously, and is beneficially applicable in
producing various kinds of figured or ornamental fabrics.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to in particularly describing
my improvements, and representing their application to a hand loom.
Figure 1 is a vertical section at right angles to the front of the loom, and
Figure 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, whilst Figures 3 and 4 are
enlarged section and front view of what is herein-after termed the floating
race. The same reference letters are used to mark the same or like parts in
all the Figures.
The application of my improvements is by no means restricted to the hand
loom, but may also be extended to the power loom.
An important part of the improved arrangements consists of what may be
termed a movable or floating race (A) for the uppermost of the two shuttles
to run upon and be supported by. This movable race is a kind of comb
attached to a horizontal bar A, fitted to slide up and down in grooves in the
lathe swords or frame B. The teeth C of the comb project downwards, as
shown in Figures 3 and 4, and are by preference of metal, their bottom ends
being bevilled or pointed, so. as when descending to divide and enter down-

page_text: wards amongst the warp threads D, E. The bottom of the floating race is:
formed by horizontal pieces G attached at right angles, or nearly so, to the:
teeth 'C, which project downwards, the front ends of the horizontal pieces. G:
being also pointed or bevilled. The shedding movements are arranged to
form two sheds D E, E F, simultaneously, one, E F, below what may be.
termed the middle line E for the lower shuttle, running upon the ordinary
race H, and one, D E, above the middle line E for the upper shuttle. The.
shuttle boxes I at both sides are of course formed with two cells, (or, if.
shifting shuttle boxes are used, with more than two cells,) and at each side a
duplex driver J is provided, having two striking faces, one projecting into
each shuttle cell, so as to strike both shuttles simultaneously; or two
separate drivers may be employed, these being connected to a single picking
stick. The floating race A is suspended by cords K at each side to levers L
centred on the top side pieces M of the loom framing, and from the back ends
of these levers L cords N return downwards, and are attached to. the back of
the lathe frame B. When the lathe is beating up, the floating race A is
raised clearly above the warps, but as the lathe moves backwards the cords N.
slacken and allow the floating race A to descend by its weight, and the warp
threads D, raised to form the top of the upper shed D. E, pass up between the
teeth CG, constituting the floating race, sufficiently high for the upper shuttle
to pass between the said teeth C, G, and the raised warps D. As the shuttles
necessarily pass further from the reed P than in ordinary looms, a series of
pointed wires on a bar Q are introduced immediately behind the line of the
lower shuttle's traverse, to give that shuttle the support it would otherwise
have had from the reed. If the weft of the upper shuttle is used for figuring
or producing a figure on the surface of the fabric, the upper shed for it may
be formed by harness R and jacquard or other pattern mechanism, the
lower shed being formed by heddles S. It is, however, necessary in all cases
to prevent the middle warps E, or those which at any particular shed do not
happen to be shed either upwards or downwards, but form the division
between the two sheds, from slackening, and so being moved up or down by
those threads which are acted upon by the heddles or harness. For this
purpose all the warp threads, or at least all concerned in the figuring, are
passed through the mails of a set of weighted tails T, passed through or
attached to a board, by preference at the back of the loom. To prevent these
weighted tails T from themselves forming a shed, the warps after passing
through them are passed over a guide bar V, which, with the tails T, keeps at
the proper level and middle position such warp threads as do not happen to
be moved either up or down by the harness or heddle action.

page_text: The movable race, or a modification of it, may be combined with what is
known as the "sewing frame," and the race may be made in sections across
the loom, such sections being contrived to act independently of each other.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the applying to looms
of a movable or floating race to admit of two shuttles being actuated simulta-
neously, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Murphy, senior, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
JAMES MURPHY, SEN³. (L.S.)
28, St. Enoch Square, Glasgow.