CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF- ACTING TEMPLES TO BE USED IN WEAVING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Maynes, of Stockport, in the County of
Chester, Agent, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-
ACTING TEMPLES TO BE USED IN WEAVING."
114
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Maynes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
August 1855.
I, WILLIAM MAYNES, of Stockport, in the County of Chester, Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
SELF-ACTING TEMPLES TO BE USED IN WEAVING" to be as follows:-
The improvements constituting my said Invention have reference to temples
of, the class commonly known as "box and roller" or "trough temples," and
consist in the following additions to, and modifications in, the construction of
such temples. They may be applied either severally, or in combinations of any
two or more of them..
Firstly, the division of the roller into two or more parts or separate rollers;
such of the pivots or necks of the said rollers as are not carried by the ends of
the trough being supported in. a, bearing or in bearings at one or more intervals
in the length of the temple; or in the formation of the said roller in one piece,
but supported at one or more intermediate,points in its length as well as at its

page_text: ends, together with an arrangement of rests, bearings, or supports for carrying
the intermediate pivots of the separate rollers before mentioned, or for sup-
porting the roller, if continuous, at the proper intervals.
Secondly, an arrangement for facilitating the occasional removal of the rollers
or roller, by mounting them or it in a frame capable of being turned back on
hinge joints, or affixed to the other parts of the temple by buttons, bolts, or
otherwise, so as to be easily removeable.
Thirdly, an arrangement of two or more rollers or series of rollers parallel to
each other in the same frame or trough.
Fourthly, the use of all or any of the above arrangements with the guide
trough or straight edge placed in an inverted position.
Fifthly, a method of securing perforated metal plates to the surfaces of the
temple rollers by nailing, pinning, or screwing such plates to slips of wood
inserted in longitudinal grooves sunk in the bodies of the rollers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Maynes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th February 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MAYNES, of Stockport, in the County of Chester, Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Maynes, Her special
licence that I, the said William Maynes, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Maynes, my executors, adminis-
trators, or 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 of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING TEMPLES TO BE USED IN
WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Maynes, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Maynes, 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 following
statement (that is to say) :-
My said Invention applies to self-acting temples of that kind which present
a continuous bar or straight edge parallel to the face of the reed over which the
cloth passes and upon which it rests. The only form of this temple which has
hitherto been brought into extensive use is that called the "trough" or "box
and roller" temple, which consists of a long roller revolving in a semi-cylin-
drical box or trough. My present improvements apply partly to the instrument
in this form, and partly to modified constructions of it, wherein the essential
characteristic of a continuous bearing bar or straight edge is retained, while
other arrangements are dispensed with. It will conduce to the better under-
standing of the following statement if I preface it with a few words respecting
the well-known implement to which my improvements apply.
The earlier kinds of self-acting temples were generally made in two parts,
each of which was applied to and held one of the selvages of the fabric, which
was extended between them without any intermediate support. In the act of
shedding, such of the ends of warp as passed over the temples and those
forming the middle part of the piece were necessarily subject to a very unequal
strain; the former being liable to more severe tension, because the temples
prevented any yielding of the fabric before them, whilst the strain on the other
parts was somewhat modified by the liberty which the cloth had to yield to the
pull of the bottom shed. Hence, the ends forming the sides or selvages of
the piece were more stretched than those in the middle, were consequently
more liable to fracture, and made a worse selvage. It was also more difficult
to make a good cover on the cloth. The Invention of the "trough temple"
remedied these evils. By supporting the fabric in a continuous line across its
whole width, the strain on the ends of the warp in shedding was equalized, a
better selvage was obtained, and the selvage ends were less liable to breakage.
At the same time the edge of the trough forms a fulcrum or support, against
which the bottom shed can be trod deeper in comparison with the top shed than
before, and hence a better cover is made. The "trough temple" has in con-
sequence met with very general approval, but its advantages are countervailed
by some drawbacks. In the first place, the necessary thickness of the roller
added to that of the trough renders the temple bulky and clumsy to apply, it
being sometimes difficult to keep it clear of the shuttle race without elevating
the edge of the trough more than is desirable. In the second place, the cloth
passes under the roller, by which it is kept out of sight for about three inches

page_text: from the fell, and "floats" or other defects are thus liable to pass undetected
for so long a time that a considerable quantity of cloth must sometimes be
unwoven in order to rectify them. My improvements have for their principal
object the removal of the defects last mentioned, and they also apply to some
points of construction. To assist my explanation of them, I have appended to
these Presents two Sheets; of Drawings, to. which. I shall refer by numerical
characters inscribed on the various parts of the several Figures, such characters
when occurring more than once being understood as indicating the same part
or thing under different aspects or in different places.
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, on the first Sheet of Drawings, represent a temple
combining several of my improvements. Figure 1 is a plan view; Figures
2, 3, 4, and 5 are sections, taken through the parts of the temple opposite 'to
which the Figures are placed in the Drawing; Figure 6 is an end view. In
this temple 1, 1, are two rollers placed end. to end in one line. Their adjacent
pivots are kept down by a bearing at 2; their remote ones revolve in bearings
at the ends of the temple. These rollers, having an intermediate support at 2,
are made of smaller diameter than would otherwise be required to ensure the
necessary degree.of rigidity. 3 is the trough, which is of the usual form, but
of a diameter diminished to correspond with the size of the rollers; 4.is a bar
extending along the whole length of the temple behind the rollers; its use is
to carry the projecting arm or claw 5, whose extremity forms the bearing or
support against which the inner ends 2 of the rollers 1, 1; rest. The rollers
may be as many in number and of such dimensions as may be considered ex-
pedient, and the arms or claws against which they rest must correspond in
number and position. 6, 6, are a second set of rollers, parallel to and behind
the first. The cloth passes under the first rollers and over the second, as shewn
in the Drawing. The adjacent pivots of the second set of rollers rest in a
bearing or bearings (7, Figure 4,) immediately under the arm or arms 5. A
third set of rollers may be introduced behind the second, if desired. 8 is a piece
of framing connecting the trough and other parts of the temple together; 9 is
one of the lugs used for attaching the temple to the loom by springs in the
ordinary manner. The extreme outer pivots of the rollers at the ends of the
temple are enclosed by a moveable cap 10, hinged on a pin joint at 11, so
that the cap can occasionally be turned up to release and replace the rollers:
These caps are fastened down when the temple is at work by small bolts with
winged nuts 12, 12.
'
'
The advantages of this construction consist in the reduced bulk of the
rollers and trough, in the increased extent of adhering surface afforded by the
second set of rollers, and in the convenience of the turn-over joint at 11 for:

page_text: raising the cap in order to re-adjust the rollers. The rollers 1, 1, instead of
being separate, may be constructed in one length, with necks at suitable inter-
vals to rest against the bearing arms or claws 5, and the second set of rollers
may be continuous in like manner.
.. t
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, Sheet 2, shew another improved form of temple, in
which the general arrangements as compared with the preceding are inverted,
with the exception of the position of the straight edge. Figure 7 is a plan
view; Figures 8, 9, and 10 are sections, taken through the temple at the parts
opposite to which the respective Figures are placed in the 'Drawing. The
cloth in this case passes over the rollers instead of under them, the main object
of the arrangement being to keep the cloth as it leaves the reed exposed to the
inspection of the weaver. The trough in this case assumes the form of a flat
bar 13. 14, 14, are rollers carried in the steps 15. These rollers may be.of
any convenient length, but as this temple is intended for light fabrics they
need not be very long. The cloth passes over them, and is kept in contact
with their anterior surfaces by guides or fingers, one of which is shewn in its
place at 16, the other being removed to expose the roller. These fingers may
be made to turn upon a pin joint, like the caps of the temple represented in
Figure 1, or they may be retained by set screws. The side of the bar 13 next
to the reed extends a little beyond the front sides of the rollers, and is formed
with a ledge, as shewn in the section, Figure 9, so as to present a straight edge
upwards, at about the level of the axes of the rollers, to receive and support
the cloth, in the same manner as the edge of the common trough. This edge
is shewn at 17. The cloth passes between the upper sides of the rollers and
the fingers 16, the middle portion of it in its passage resting upon the straight
edge 17, which affords the same advantages as the edge of the ordinary trough,
while the cloth remains fully exposed to the weaver's observation, with the "
exception of the small portion concealed by the fingers 16.
A third form of temple is shewn at Figures 11, 12, and 13; Sheet 2;
Figure 11 being a plan view; and Figures 12 and 13, sections taken at the
respective parts of the temple to which they are placed opposite. This temple
is another modification of the inverted trough, in which the temple rollers are
made to act the part of the straight edge or lip of the trough in supporting the
cloth. 18 are the rollers revolving in bearings 19. They may be more or less
in number, as in the first-described temple. The cloth passing over them' is
equally sustained throughout its whole width, being brought into close contact
at the selvages by means of the shells or guides 22, the form and application of
which will be understood by inspection: 20 is the main bar or frame of the
temple'; 21 is another bar, which carries the shells or guides 22, affixed to it

page_text: by set screws, but capable of being moved lengthwise, so as to be adjustable to
any width of cloth. In this temple the cloth passes over the roller 18,
under the guides 22, and under the bar 21, in the course shewn by the red line
in Figure 12.
The rollers used in any of these forms of temple may have their surfaces
rendered adhesive, either by being chased and fluted, or by having teeth or
sharp prominences raised upon them by an angular pointed punch, both of.
which methods are commonly practised and well known. The most econo-
mical method, however, I consider to be the covering of them with perforated
metal plate, in the manner pointed out in the Specification filed under certain
Letters Patent granted to Messrs. William Vaughan and John Scattergood,
and bearing date the Third day of March, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-four. And with a view to facilitate the application of such plates, I have
devised the following method of attaching them :-I groove the rollers longitu-
dinally from end to end, and fill the groove with a slip of wood, applying the
metal plate closely round the roller so that its edges may overlap each other
immediately over the groove; I then nail them firmly to the slip of wood
inserted in the groove. Figure 14 shews the section of a roller so covered, the
groove and enclosed slip of wood being seen at 24.
I do not claim any exclusive right or privilege to or in any of the parts
taken separately which constitute the temples herein-before described, nor any
of the modes of construction shewn which have been heretofore used; but I
claim as new and of my Invention,―
Firstly, the division of the rollers into two or more lengths or parts, the
adjacent pivots or necks of such parts being supported or stayed by bearings at
one or more points in the length of the temple, or the construction of such
roller in one continuous length, but supported or stayed in the manner described
at one or more intermediate points.
Secondly, the described method of staying or supporting the intermediate
pivots or necks of the aforesaid rollers (or roller if continuous) at proper
intervals.
Thirdly, the method of facilitating the occasional removal of the rollers, by
making the caps or covers of the temple ends capable of being turned back on
a hinge joint, as described in connection with Figure 1.
Fourthly, the arrangement of two or more rollers or sets of rollers parallel
to each other in the same frame, for the purpose of augmenting the extent of
adhering surface.
Fifthly, the specific combination of parts constituting a temple, represented
in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, Sheet 2, in which the bearing bar or straight edge

page_text: is retained under the cloth, while the guiding edges are inverted, and the cloth
passes over instead of under the rollers.
Sixthly, the specific combination of parts represented in Figures 11, 12, and
13, Sheet 2, in which the guiding edges are above, and the cloth supported by
the roller or rollers.
And, seventhly, the method of securing perforated metal plates to the
surfaces of temple rollers, by nailing such plates to slips of wood inserted in
longitudinal grooves sunk in the bodies of the rollers.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Maynes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
WILLIAM MAYNES. (L.S.)