CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SAME
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BULLOUGH, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Overlooker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Third day of November, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-two, in the sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Bullough, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James
Bullough, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I,
the said James Bullough, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
SAME," which have been communicated to me by a Foreigner residing abroad;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said James
Bullough, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in
Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Bullough, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the
following explanation thereof (that is to say) :-
These Improvements in the Construction. of Looms for Weaving relate, in
the first place, to ordinary power looms employed for weaving plain cloth;
and, secondly, to those looms which are furnished with the common Jacquard
machine, or apparatus for. working the figure or design. The principal
features of novelty are in the construction and arrangement of the working
details of the power loom, all the general parts being retained. But, in order
that these improvements may be particularly understood, I have attached to
these Presents two Sheets of Drawings.
Sheet 1 represents several Figures illustrative of the first part of these
improvements, being those in connection with the power loom for weaving
plain cloth; and Sheet 2 exhibits, as well as a further improvement in the
power loom, the improvements which are attached to the Jacquard apparatus,
or machine for working the figure or pattern. For the sake of distinctness; I
have represented all the ordinary parts of the loom as drawn in outline, and
the better to shew the application of these improvements the new parts and
arrangements of the mechanism are tinted with colour.
Fig. 1 is a plan or horizontal view of a power loom as seen from above,
being drawn upon a scale of about 2 inches to the foot. Fig. 2 is an elevation
of the back of the same. Fig. 3 is a side or end elevation of the loom; and
Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken through about the middle of the loom.
It being perfectly unnecessary minutely to describe all the ordinary and
well-known parts of the loom, and their mode of operation, I shall confine
myself entirely to the description of the said improvements, and the manner in
which they are to be practically applied. Of the ordinary loom it will be seen
that A, A, is the framework; B, the yarn beam; C, the cloth beam; D, the
breast beam; and E, the lathe or slay; F are the healds; G, the pickers; H,
the crank shaft; and I, the tappet shaft, with its tappets or treadles K.
Firstly, these improvements apply to the heald shafts, and will be readily
understood by reference to the detached Figures 5 and 6, and also as seen in
the relative situations in the proceeding Figures. In Fig. 15, a, a, represents
one of the top heald shafts, as seen in plan view and section. Instead of
fastening the healds directly to the shafts, as in common, 1 attach them to a
wire or cord b, b, running along the bottom of the shaft, and suspended
by vertical wires or cords c, c, c, c, from an upper wire or cord d, d, placed in

page_text: a recess in the top of the shaft a, a, and supported by cross pins e, e, e, e, the
top wire or cord d, d, being fastened at one extremity to one end of a
spring f, f, the other end of which is in connection with the bottom wire or
cord b, b, and the bottom wire is similarly attached at the reverse extremity
to another spring f, as shewn in Fig. 2. By this arrangement of attaching
the healds to the top heald shafts it will be seen that the healds are made
pliable, elastic, or yielding, of whatever strong or stubborn materials they may
be made, and consequently give ease to the yarns or warps, thus preventing
considerable breakage, and imparting a greater durability to the healds. A
modification of this arrangement may be made, as shewn in Fig. 6, which
is making the healds still more pliable or yielding by substituting springs g, g,
in place of the vertical suspending wires c, c, c, c.
Secondly, I make the heald rollers or bosses, from which the healds are
suspended, excentric instead of being circular rollers or bosses, as usual.
These heald rollers are shewn detached at Fig. 7, at h, and also in their
relative positions in the loom in the preceding Figures. This improvement is
in order to cause the rising heald shafts to ascend more than the depressed
heald shafts descend in shedding the warps, and consequently gives slackness
to the top shed when the slay is beating up. A corresponding modification
must also be made in the treading tappet.
Thirdly, I introduce between the yarn beam B and the healds F a beam or
bar i, i, extending under the yarn or warp threads the whole width of the
loom, for the purpose of raising and lowering the yarns, and thereby giving
slackness to the top shed when the slay is beating up, and thus putting in the
picks of weft with much more ease to the yarn, and also to the working
machinery of the loom. It also has the advantageous effect of better
covering the face or upper side of the cloth, and forms better selvages. This
arrangement, although for a similar purpose as the improvement just
described, is more particularly applicable for heavy cloths, and the former for
lighter fabrics. The action of this rising and falling bar is accomplished at
every revolution of the crank shaft by means of the excentrics k, k, attached
to the crank shaft lifting the rollers 1, l, attached to the forked piece m, m,
which carries the bar or beam i, i, sliding up and down upon the vertical
guide pins n, n, at each end. The action of this bar is shewn in red lines
in Fig. 4.
Fourthly, these improvements apply particularly to the giving out motion
for letting off the yarn from the yarn beam as the weaving proceeds, and
consists in a novel arrangement and application of mechanism adapted to let
off or supply the yarn progressively in equal proportions, notwithstanding the

page_text: gradual diminishing diameter of the yarns on the beam, and is distinctly
represented in the various Figures of the loom as applied to the yarn beam B.
It will be seen, that upon the common tappet shaft I a carrier and roller n* is
fixed, which at each revolution strikes the lever o mounted upon its fulcrum p.
At the other end of this lever is suspended a click or ratchet q, driving the
ratchet wheel r one tooth at each revolution. This ratchet wheel is fixed at
one end of the shaft s, which is supported in the carrier t and guide u. At
the other end of this shaft is a conical drum v, mounted with a sliding groove
and feather upon the shaft (and sliding upon it as hereafter explained).
Around the drum va strap w passes, and is retained in its position (that is,
prevented from sliding with the cone drum,) by the guides x, x, attached to
the loom frame. This strap passes also round the drum or pulley y upon the
short shaft, upon the other end of which is keyed the worm or screw 1
gearing into the worm wheel 2, attached by its boss to the crank and holding
pin 3, which bears against the ends of the clip 4, embracing one end or
bearing of the yarn beam B, and thus gives out or lets off the yarn as
required, being regulated entirely by the conical drum v. It will be evident,
that as the length of the strap is the same at all points of the conc,
the shaft of the conical drum is merely suspended in the carrier t, the
reverse end being supported by the tension of the strap. Now, as the yarn
upon the beam B decreases in diameter as the weaving proceeds, a small
roller 5, or other suitable bearing, placed in contact with the yarn upon the
beam B, being supported in the frame or carriage 6, rises, and consequently
actuates the bell crank lever 7, 8, mounted upon its fulcrum at 9. To the lower
arm 8 of this crank lever is attached a clip 10, embracing the smaller end of
the conical drum v, and the movement of the lever 7, 8, will draw the conical
drum along the shaft s, presenting the larger diameter of the drum to the strap,
and consequently increase the speed of the yarn beam, and equalize its delivery
as required. It will of course be evident to the practical weaver that the surface
of the conical drum should be curved as shewn in the Drawing, and its taper
exactly proportioned to the different diameters assumed by the yarn upon the
beam B during the progression of the work. This arrangement of mechanism
for letting off the yarn enables the loom to produce much stronger work, as
the resistance of the slay is met by such mechanism entirely independent of
the weighting of the yarn beam.
Fifthly, these improvements apply particularly to certain novel mechanism
connected with the working of the loom, and intended to prevent the occur-
rence of what is commonly called "float;" that is, imperfect cloth, arising from
the shuttle passing over a certain portion of the warp instead of regularly

page_text: between the sheds, which "float" or imperfect weaving makes it necessary for
the weaver to unweave or pick out the weft threads as far back as such
imperfect weft has "floated" over the warp threads. This contrivance I call a
"float preventer," and is exhibited in its relative situation in the several
Figures of the loom. I place an additional heald 11, suspended by a spiral
spring, in front of the ordinary harness, of half the fineness (or any other
degree if preferred) of any one of the other healds, throngh which half the
same warps as are worked by the back shaft pass. Each shaft of the heald 11
is attached by wires or cords 12, 12, to the levers 13, 13, at each side of the
loom. If the heald 11 rises freely, without any obstruction or occurrence of
"float," the levers 13, 13, are lifted above the studs 14, 14, in the lathe
sword 15, 15, which vibrate at every pick; and also, if the heald 11 descends
freely, the levers 13, 13, are dropped below the said stud; and consequently,
in either case, the weaving proceeds. But the instant any "float" or other
obstruction in the shedding takes place, the heald 11 will neither rise or fall
sufficient to escape the studs 14, 14, which, upon the return of the slay, strike
against the end of the levers 13, 13, and vibrates the levers 15, 15, upon the
fulcrum shaft 16, which extends across the loom, thus turning that shaft part
of a revolution. To one of the levers 15 is attached the sliding rod 17, and, on
motion being given to this rod by means of the shaft 16, it pushes the setting-
on rod 18 out of gear, and throws the driving strap off the fast pulley.
Sixthly, these improvements apply to the shuttle employed in looms for
weaving, and is also designed as another means of preventing the "float" by
breaking the weft thread in the shuttle when any imperfect shedding takes
place. This improved shuttle is shewn in plan view at Figure 8, and in
section at Fig. 9. a, a, is the shuttle containing the cop of weft b. On the
upper side of the shuttle there is a bent wire c, having a tendency to spring
upwards, as shewn at Fig. 9; and, upon any imperfection in the shedding,
the warp threads depress this wire, as shewn in red in the same Figure.
This bent wire also has a tendency to spring inwards, as shewn in the top
view, Fig. 8, but is held in its place as long as the weaving proceeds by the
guard piece d, and upon its being depressed by the warps it springs inwards,
its hooked end escaping through the notch at the bottom of the guard d, as
shewn in red in Fig. 8. The weft thread consequently hooks on the end of
the wire c, and is immediately snapped asunder.
Seventhly, these improvements consist in the application of certain mecha-
nism to the loom, constituting a novel " stop rod," or apparatus whereby the
loom is thrown out of gear or stopped working whenever the shuttle does not

page_text: get clear of the shed or complete its race. The particular feature of this
improvement is, that the shuttle only operates upon the stop rod whenever it
is left in the shed of the warps, whereas, in ordinary looms, the shuttle
partially operates on the stop rod at every pick; thus a considerable saying of
the working of the loom is effected, and the ordinary concussion attendant
upon stopping the loom avoided. The stop rod is placed under the body of
the slay, as seen at 19, 19, and worked by the ordinary "spring cap.20 as
follows: The reed 21 is carried by the spring cap as usual, and swivels in
the top rail or slay cap; and whenever the shuttle 22 stops in the shed, and
prevents the reed from beating up, the resistance caused by the cloth against
the shuttle forces the bottom part of the reed backwards against the spring
cap, which gently vibrates the upright levers 23, 23, fixed to the stop rod 19,
turning that rod partially round, and actuates the stopping lever 24 (sce
Figure 1), causes it to come contact with, the setting-on rod 18, and, throw it
out of gear. There are also attached to the stop rod 19 other levers 26, 26,
which are so arranged, that whenever, the shuttle performs its duty, and the reed
consequently allowed to beat up; these levers strike at every beat of the slay
under the stops 27, 27, and thereby support the reed, and enable it to beat up
the cloth by keeping up the spring cap 20, as drawn in red in Figure 4. The
swords of the lathe must be recessed, as shewn at 28, for the purpose of
allowing the back board of the slay to be made elastic by the introduction of a
spring 29, 29, in order to accommodate the shuttle when it may happen to be
left partially in and part out of the shed, and thus allowing the shuttle to be
pressed back by the cloth..
Eighthly, these improvements consist in the means employed for putting on
and detaching a friction break connected with the fly wheel of the loom, so that
the loom may be instantly stopped, either by the hand of the operator or by
any of the self-acting, movements adapted for this purpose, instead of being
left to vibrate a few picks, as in common. The principal part of this improve-
ment is exhibited in the detached Figures of the setting-on rod 10, 11, 12, and
in their situation in the loom in Figure 3, where the break is shewn in con-
nection with the fly wheel at 30 swivelling upon its fulcrum 31.. To the end
of the break lever 32 a small support 33 is fixed by a set screw, which bears
upon an inclined plane 34 affixed to the setting-on rod 18. A strong spring
35 is also attached to the break lever for the purpose of holding the break
when applied. Now when the setting-on rod is pushed out of gear by any
of the self-acting means employed, it is pushed into the position shewn in red
in Figure 10, and the support 33 runs down the incline, allowing the spring

page_text: 35 to act and put on the break. Whenever the setting-on rod is thrown out.
by hand, as shewn in Figure 11, it is shifted round the midfeather 36 (see
Figure 1), and the support, 33, runs off the inclined plane, and also allows the
spring to' act and hold on the break..
14.
Ninthly, these improvements consist in a novel mode of working the healds
and shafts for dividing the warps, and thereby entirely dispensing with the
stringing and with the lambs and jacks usually employed for this purpose.
In Sheet 2, Figure 1 represents a front view of an arrangement of healds,
and Figure 2 an end view, shewing the improved mode of working them.
a, a, a, a, are the heald shafts, the ends of which are to be placed in suitable
recesses or frames b, b, b, b, at each side of the loom; c is the common tappet
shaft, and d the treadle, tappet, or bowls jointed to the heald frames or bearers
b, b, and will work or shift the healds as required, being wrought by the
system of bowls and tappets according to the pattern.
Lastly, these improvements apply particularly to the Jacquard machine, or
apparatus employed for working the figure or pattern in fancy looms, and
consist principally in a certain arrangement or application of mechanism
whereby the "card cylinder" is made to turn entirely independent of the
lifting motion for dividing or shedding the warp.
In Sheet 2, Figure 3 represents a front view of an ordinary power loom,
with an end view of an attached Jacquard machine above. Upon the common
tappet shaft ff, of the loom is placed a tappet excentrix cam g for the purpose
of working the bowl h, attached to the treading lever i, a side view of which
is shewn at Figure 4. As the lever is caused to ascend by the action of the
cam g, it elevates the vertical connecting rod k, k, attached to it. The upper
end of this rod is affixed to the short lever 1 fast upon the same shaft with the
spur wheel n.
This spur wheel gears into the toothed rack n above, fixed
upon the rod o attached to the axis of the card cylinder p; and as the wheel
m is caused to make part of a revolution, the rod o advances, and the cylinder
is pushed forwards against one of the lathes p+, and consequently turned, in
order to present a fresh surface of the cards to the needles. Now, in order
to raise the "grate" or "griff," and lower the bottom or bed board for the
purpose of dividing or shedding the warps, there is a similar excentrix cam 7,
fixed on the tappet shaft, for the purpose of working the bowl attached to
the trending lever 8, a side view of which is shewn at Figure 5.
s is caused to ascend by the action of the cam q, it elevates the vertical con-
necting rod t attached to it. The upper end of this rod is affixed to the short
lever u, fast upon the same shaft with the spur wheel v. This spur wheel gears
into the toothed racks w¹, w, bearing against the guide rollers X, X. The rack
As the lever

page_text: w¹ is attached to the lifting "grate" or "griff," and the rack w 2 is affixed to
the bottom or bed board y; consequently it will be seen, that upon the partial
revolution of the spur wheel v, one of the racks will ascend and the other
descend, thus dividing the shed as required by lifting the "
grate" simul-
taneously, and as the cam 7 continues to revolve, the racks w¹, w³, will reverse
their action and cause the shed to close, and so on alternately.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bullough, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
Inrolled the Third day of May, in the year above written.