IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING HEALDS."
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Ward, of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Gold Patent Thread Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING HEALDS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Ward at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
April 1859.
I, GEORGE WARD, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Gold Patent
Thread Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING HEALDS," to be as
follows:-
I attach the base of the braid (technically called the backing or rig-cord)
at one end to two taking-up pulleys placed upon one shaft, and driven by a
series of toothed wheels and pinions, geared by means of bevil wheels to the
driving shaft of the machine, which is turned either by power or manual
labour, change wheels being employed in order to regulate the number of
counts. The other end of the braid or bands is coiled around pulleys placed
at the end of the framework, and retarded as required by employing weights
in the usual manner. The heald as it is formed is not wound upon the
taking-up pulleys, but passes over rollers adjusted to the required distance
from each other, so that the length of the heald is formed without the necessity.

page_text: of winding on a drum, the pulleys being simply employed for pulling or taking
up at the necessary speed. The two braid bands are coiled around bobbins
attached to holders fixed at one end of hollow shafts, at the other end of
which are the ordinary braiding fingers or revolving lappers, pressure or
friction being employed for maintaining the proper tightness of the bands.
Motion is given to the bobbins by means of gearing at the end of the machine
in connection with a toothed sector or segment, which is put in movement by
tappets or studs fixed to a toothed wheel, having motion imparted to it by
means of a pinion on the driving shaft, there being an arm in connection with
the sector, for the purpose of regulating the movement of the revolving lappers;
the said arm acts upon a double lever, one end of which enters a hole in a
flange or plate fixed to one of the hollow shafts, thus holding the lappers and
keeping them steady as required. The toothed wheel carrying the tappets or
studs works upon friction rollers, so as to leave the interior of the wheel
perfectly open, allowing one of the hollow shafts and revolving lappers to work
within it. The said toothed wheel also carries a bobbin, the thread from which
forms the bottom part of the heald as the wheel revolves, the upper part being
formed by the operative in the usual manner. The braiding needles are put
in operation by means of a lever, acted upon at one end by a stud or crank in
a toothed wheel, driven by a pinion gearing with the driving shaft. The said
lever also operates upon another lever connected to a rod and pusher, for
pushing off the eyes of the heald. The pressers for hooked needles are
influenced by springs on adjustable brackets attached to the framework, which
brackets carry the studs for maintaining the proper depth of the heald, which
can be varied and regulated according to the depth required. In order to
push off the eyes of the healds as they are formed, the pusher is put in motion
by a lever operated upon by a bowl. The aforesaid machinery may be
modified in various ways, and instead of employing the ordinary hooked
needles, pitched braiding bands may be substituted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Ward in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WARD, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Gold Patent Thread
Manufacturer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said George Ward, Her special licence that I, the said
George Ward, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Ward, 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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING HEALDS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said George Ward, by an instrument in
writing under my band and seal, 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 Scal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Ward, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to certain improvements in Berrie and Anderson's
well-known machinery for making healds or heddles used in weaving, and
consists of an improved taking-up motion worked by toothed gearing instead
of worms and worm wheels; of an arrangement of guide and stretching pullies
for enabling the entire length of the heald to be formed without winding or
lapping any part on a drum; of the employment of a carrier wheel for giving
motion to the pinions which turn the bobbins containing the braid bands or
tie threads, and also the revolving lappers; of an improved mode of working
the pusher for pushing off the eyes of the heald as they are formed; and of a
simple and efficient arrangement for working the sliding bolts or frame for
working the braiding needles.
The other working parts of this machine are similar to those described in
the Specification and Drawing of Berrie and Anderson's Patent, dated the
Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-five, No. 6798, such as the great wheel open in the
interior and working upon three rollers; the rim being mounted with the

page_text: bobbin and stem for the clasp thread; the passing of the backing cord from
drums or pullies loaded with friction cords and weights; the employment of
revolving bobbins and lappers for laying the braid bands or tie threads round
the backing cords; the thread on the bobbins being maintained at its proper
tension by means of springs.
My improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the letters and
figures on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents
a front elevation of my improved heald-making machinery; Figs. 2 and 3
end views of the same; Fig. 4, a plan of some of the parts; and Fig. 5, a
detached plan of one of the movements.
The base of the braid (technically called the backing or rig cord,) is shewn
at a, attached at one end to two taking-up pullies 6 fixed to the vertical
shaft c, and driven by a series of toothed wheels and pinions d from the
upright shaft e, on which is the bevil wheel f geared into the bevil pinion g
fixed to the driving shaft h, which is turned either by power or manual labour,
the aforesaid wheels and pinions being changed as required to regulate the
The other end of each braid or cord is coiled around drums or
pullies and k, working on pins fixed to the framework, and retarded as
required by employing weights in the usual manner.
counts.
The heald as it is formed is not wound on the taking-up pullies b, but
passes over guide and stretching rollers adjusted at such distances that
the entire heald can be formed without winding any part on a drum, the
pulleys being simply employed for taking up or pulling forward the heald
as it is formed at a certain uniform speed without any part lapping over
the other.
The two braid bands or tie threads m are coiled around bobbins n, attached
to holders o, fixed to the hollow shafts p, at the other end of which are the
ordinary braiding fingers or revolving lappers, pressure or friction being
employed for maintaining the proper tightness of the bands. Motion is given
to the bobbins n by gearing the pinions q with a carrier wheel » driven by
the pinion s, on the shaft of which is a wheel t geared into a pinion u on the
driving shaft h. The said carrier wheel can be shifted sideways so as to
accommodate it to the different depths of the healds, the hollow shafts being
adjusted in slots in the framework.
The stem and bobbin for the clasp thread is placed upon a toothed wheel
or rim v working upon friction rollers, the interior of the wheel being perfectly
open so as to allow one of the hollow shafts and revolving lappers to work
within it; the clasp thread forms the bottom part of the heald, the upper part

page_text: being formed by the operative in the usual manner.
The braiding needles
are connected either to sliding bolts or the frame w put in motion by means
of the lever a acted upon by a crank y fixed to the upright shaft e. The
pusher for pushing the eyes off the healds as they are formed is attached to a
rod a jointed to the lever b', which is connected by the rod c¹ to another lever
d, operated upon by a crank e' on the wheel f', put in motion by the wheel g¹
on the shaft e. It will be perceived that the aforesaid combination and
arrangement produces a heald-making machine of great simplicity and
cconomy.
When desired I modify the machine by giving motion to the braiding
bobbins by means of gearing at the end of the machine in connection with a
toothed sector or segment, which is put in movement by tappets or studs
fixed to a toothed wheel having motion imparted to it by means of a pinion on
the driving shaft, there being an arm in connection with the sector for the
purpose of regulating the movement of the revolving lappers; the said arm
acts upon a double lever, one end of which enters a hole in a flange or plate
fixed to one of the hollow shafts, thus holding the lappers and keeping them
steady as required. I also give motion to the taking-up pullies by means of
a system of gearing known as the sun-and-planet motion, in which a slow
movement is obtained turning two wheels of different numbers of teeth,
the said movement being according to the difference, which, applied to the
taking up shaft, gives a slow movement to the pullies.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein set forth
as such may be varied or modified without departing from the principle
thereof, but I claim, as my Invention, and which to the best of my knowledge
and belief has not been hitherto used within the realm,-
Firstly, the improved taking up motion worked by toothed gearing from the
first driving shaft to the shaft of the pullies.
Secondly, the construction and employment of guide and stretching pullies
for enabling the entire length of the heald to be formed without winding or
lapping any part on a drum.
Thirdly, the employment of a carrier toothed wheel for giving motion to the
pinions which turn the holders and bobbins containing the braid bands and
revolving lappers.
Fourthly, the employment of a crank pin for working the pusher which
pushes off the eyes of the heald as they are formed.

page_text: Fifthly, the simple and efficient arrangement for moving the sliding bolts
or frame for working the braiding needles.
And lastly, the general arrangement of the parts of my improved heald-
making machinery, as all such improvements are herein described and
illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Ward, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named George Ward, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
GEORGE WARD. (t..s.)
Patent Agent,
Manchester.