IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS-FOR. WRAVING
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Edmondson, of Halifax, in the County of
York, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS-FOR.
WRAVING
ין
Sealed the 16th March 1866, and dated the 20th September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Edmondson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th September 1865.
I, JOSEPH EDMONDSON, of Halifax, in the County of York, Manufacturer,-
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for." IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention relates to "loose reed" looms, and the
object is to avoid in the process of weaving the breakagesfrequently resulting
either to the shuttle or to the warp by the fixed back of the shuttle box pre-
venting the shuttlefromreceding with the loose reed when any obstruction to
the proper transit of the shuttle takes place. This object is accomplished by
hinging the box back on a horizontal axis, such axis (not necessarily, but by
Price Sd.1

page_text: preference) coinciding as nearly as may be with the axis in or on which the
loose reed is hung.
The second part of this Invention has reference to "continuous" looms, or
such as without stopping supply their shuttles with fresh bobbins or cops as
they are required. Such looms are described in the Specifications of the
following Patents, viz., No. 1046, granted to Patrick M'Farlane, dated
April 13th 1857; No. 861, granted to Thomas Ingram, dated April 4th
1860; No. 239, granted to Joseph Edmondson and Thomas Ingram, dated
January 27th 1863, and No. 688, granted to Joseph Edmondson and Thomas
Ingram, dated March 17th 1864. The object of this improvement is to
avoid breakages arising from the loom's failing in its attempt to drive à fresh
cop case into the shuttle. The improvement consists in making the bottom
of the shuttle box of the same or nearly the same width as the shuttle, so that
when the "carriers" and lathe recede from each other the cop case, which has
failed to enter the shuttle, will have nothing to rest upon, and will therefore
fall down out of the way of collision; and also in having the back of the
shuttle box made loose and (not necessarily, but by preference) hinged on a
horizontal axis. When any obstruction to the entrance of the cop case into
the shuttle causes the pressure on the back of the shuttle box to be too great
for the safety of the shuttle on the cop case, the back of the shuttle box
recedes and actuates a finger or tongue which strikes the belthandle and stops
the loom.
The third part of this Invention also relates to continuous looms, and
consists in using a series of shuttle boxes or shuttle stalls, each containing a
shuttle properly fitted with weft, instead of the skeletonshuttle and the series
of cop cases described in the aforesaid Specifications of Patents. Suitable
guides or holders are attached to the lathe into which the boxes or stalls
containing shuttles are driven in succession as required.
The apparatus for driving the boxes or stalls into their place on the lathe
may be a modification (but which is not claimed as a novelty) of any of the
methods for driving cop cases into shuttles described in the aforesaid Specifi
cations of Patents.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Edmondson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
EDMONDSON, of Halifax, in the County of York, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Joseph Edmondson, Her special licence that I, the said
Joseph Edmondson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Joseph Edmondson, 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 FOR WEAVING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Edmondson, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said Joseph Edmondson, 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 follow-
ing statement (that is to say):-
:-
The first part of this Invention relates to "loose reed "looms, and the
object is to avoid in the process of weaving the breakages frequently result-
ing either to the shuttle or to the warp by the fixed back of the shuttle
box preventing the shuttle from receding with the loose reed when any
obstruction to the proper transit of the shuttle takes place. This object is
accomplished by hinging the box back on a horizontal axis.
The second part of this Invention has reference to "continuous" looms,or
such as without stopping supply their shuttles with fresh bobbins or cops as

page_text: they are required. Such looms are described in the Specifications of the
following Patents, viz., No. 1046, granted to Patrick McFarlane, dated
April 13th 1857; No. 861, granted to Thomas Ingram, dated April 4th
1860; No. 239, granted to Joseph Edmondson and Thomas Ingram, dated
January 27th 1863, and No. 688, granted to Joseph Edmondson and Thomas
Ingram, dated March 17th 1864. The object of this improvement is to avoid
breakages arising from the loom's failing in its attempt to drive a fresh cop
case into the shuttle. This improvement consists in making the bottom of
the shuttle box of the same or nearly the same width as the shuttle, so that
when the "carriers" and lathe recede from each other the cop case, which
has failed to enter the shuttle, will have nothing to rest upon, and will
therefore fall down out of the way of collision, and also in having the back
of the shuttle box made loose, and (not necessarily, but by preference)
hinged on a horizontal axis. When any obstruction to the entrance of the
cop case into the shuttle causes the pressure on the back of the shuttle box
to be too great for the safety of the shuttle or the cop case, the back of the
shuttle box recedes and actuates a finger or tongue, which strikes the belt
handle and stops the loom.
The third part of this Invention also relates to continuous looms, and
consists in using a series of shuttle boxes or shuttle stalls, each containing a
shuttle properly filled with weft, instead of the skeleton shuttle, and the series
of cop cases described in the aforesaid Specifications of Patents. Suitable
"guides" or "holders" are attached to the lathe into which the boxes or
stalls containing shuttles are driven in succession as required.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation, Fig. 2 a front elevation, and Fig.3 a section
(through the line a, b, in Fig. 2) of a shuttle box for a loose reed loom,
shewing one form of the first part of my Invention. The box front, picker
spindle, and spindle stud are omitted, so as to give a clearer view of
the Invention.
A is the lathe or batten (which is of the ordinary kind); B, the lathe
sword; and C, the stop rod, having tongues or arms thereon (one of which is
seen at C¹), connected to and carrying the lath or clip C2 for holding in the
loose reed; D is the loose back of the shuttle box, from the lower part of
which are two spurs D1, D2, terminating in bosses, one of them being fixed
on to the stop rod, and the other capable of working on a stud F fastened into
a bracket E attached to the bottom of the lathe. It will be seen that any

page_text: undue pressure of the shuttle against this loose back D will cause it to recede
in the same manner as does the loose reed undersimilar circumstances, except
that in this case the box back is hung from or hinged below, while the reed
is hung from or hinged from its upper part. The box back may be hung on a
horizontal axis in various other ways, and the one which I prefer is shewn at
Figs. 7 and 8 as applied to a continuous loom herein-after described, where
the axis on which the box back is hung is coincident or nearly so with that
on which the loose reed is hung. When this plan is adopted for an ordinary
(i.e. non-continuous) loom, the tongue or lever H (Figs. 7 and 8) is fixed
on to the stop rod, which then takes the same form as in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a loom, and Fig. 5 is a front elevation of
part of a loom to which the second part of my Invention is attached; Figs. 6
and 7 are respectively an enlarged section and enlarged plan of the shuttle
box and of the hopper or rack for cop cases with the "carriers" and
"pusher "herein-after referred to;.and Fig. 8 is an enlarged front elevation
of the shuttle box and its appurtenances.
A is the lathe or batten; B, a continuation of the same, attached thereto
by bolts C, its upper surface forming the bottom of the shuttle box; Dis the
back of the shuttle box hung on centres fixed in brackets E' and E2, the
former fastened to the continuation B of the lathe, and the latter to the
sword F. These centres are coincident or nearly so with the centre on which
the loose reed is hung. G is a guard of leather or other suitable material,
placed there to cause the expelled cop cases to drop downwards, and thus
prevent them from flying into the gear wheels of the loom; H is a tongue or
lever working on a stud H³, and having a hook at H2, to which is attached a
spring H
The end H of this lever passes against the box back, which it
keeps in its place so long as the pressure thereou from its front side does not
exceed that to which the spring H' is adjusted. I is the projecting piece,
attached to the belt handle K, by which the latter is "knocked off" and the
loom stopped when the end H2 of the lever H is raised by excessive pressure
against the front side of the box back; L is the "hopper" containing a series
of cop cases M; N are the carriers, fixed to the cross head N of a lever N³..
O is the "pusher," carried by a lever O' for driving the cases into skeleton
shuttles, which are similar to those described on the aforesaid Specifications
of Patents. R is another lever (shewn in detail in Figs. 9 and 10) carrying a
spindle S3, to which is attached a tumbler S¹, carrying a friction pulley S.
On the spindle S2 is a tongue or finger S³, entering a slot in the end T¹ of a
lever T. The other end T2 of the said lever is connected by a rod T³ (or other
cop

page_text: suitable connection) to another lever V fixed on the shaft W, which is actuated
as usual by the weft work. The levers N, O', R, and T all work on the stud P
the centre of which coincides with the centre of the fulcrum of the lathe.
Fig. 9 is an enlarged elevation of the levers R and 'T', spindie S³, tumbler S',
and friction wheel S, with part of the lever O' in section; Fig. 10 is a plan of
the same, shewing also the arrangement of the levers N2, O', R, and T on the
stud P. The lever O' is divided at its lower end into two jaws, so as to allow
the lever R to work on the stud P between them. The set screw R' in the
lever R, with its end abutting on the part of the lever O' immediately beneath
it (as shewn in section in Fig. 9), regulates the relative positions of these two
levers to each other. X is a spring, one end of which is fixed to the lever 01
by the hook O2, and the other end to the lever R by a stirrup and hook R³;
this spring communicates the motion of the lever R to the lever O1. Y is
another spring, having one end attached to the hook 03, and the other to the
hook N³, and communicating the motion of the lever O' to the lever N2; Z is
a cam on the usual tappet sliaft, having on its edge a groove between two
flanges. In the flange nearest to the friction wheel S are gaps Z' and Z² for
the entrance and exit of the friction wheel. In the gap Z2 there is a "shunt,"
by which the friction wheel is expelled. Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of the
cam Z from the under side, shewing the gaps and shunts. The arrow
indicates the direction in which the cam revolves. The mode of operation is
as follows: When the weft is broken or exhausted the weft fork (as usual)
causes the shaft W to turn partially round on its axis in the direction of the
arrow in Fig. 4. By means of the lever V and rod T3 it lifts the end T² and
depresses the end T¹ of the lever T, and causes the spindle S2 to rock in the
direction of the arrow in Fig. 5, bringing the friction pulley S through the
gap Z' in the flange of the cam Z, and into the groove of the said cam. This
cam as it revolves depresses the lever R, draws forward the levers O¹ and N2,
and drives a fresh cop case into the skeleton shuttle, as described in the
Specification of the Patent granted to Joseph Edmondson and Thomas
Ingram, No. 688, dated March 17th 1864. After having driven the fresh
cop case into the shuttle, the friction pulley is driven out of the groove of the
cam Z by the shunt Z2, and remains in the position indicated in Fig. 3 till
the weft work again operates. The spring His adjusted to exert as much
pressure on the back D of the shuttle box as is needful to allow the cop case
to be driven into the shuttle when there is no obstruction, but to give way
when the needful pressure is exceeded. If then the shuttle should not have
come far enough into the shuttle box for the fresh cop case to enter the

page_text: opening in the shuttle, or if there be any other obstruction preventing the
entrance of the cop case, the pressure against the shuttle, and through it
against the back of the shuttle box, causes the back to recede; this also
pushes back the end H¹, and raises the end H2 of the lever H, and (as
the lathe is at that time approaching the breast beam) the end H2 of the
lever H strikes the piece I projecting from the belt handle, "knocks off"
the latter, and stops the loom.
Fig. 12 is a plan of the shuttle box, with the box front and the picker
spindle omitted, and shewing the position of the shuttle when in its right
place in the box. The bottom B of the box is cut away in front, so as to
leave it of the same or nearly the same width as the shuttle, so that a cop
case M2 which has failed to enter the shuttle will have nothing to rest
upon, and will therefore fall out of the way of collision, a tray being placed
below in any convenient position to receive such falling cop cases, as well
as those expelled in usual course.
Fig. 13 shews another method of attaching a loose back to the shuttle
boxes of continuous looms; b is a stud fixed to the back of the continuation B
of the lathe, and carrying the box back, which is free to move on this stud
The other letters in this Figure indicate the same parts as in
as a centre.
Figs. 4 to 8.
Fig. 14 is an end elevation of a loom with the third part of my Invention
attached; Fig. 15 is an enlarged front elevation of a detached shuttle box
in its place on the continuation of the lathe; Fig. 16 is an enlarged plan of
the same, and of the hopper containing the series of reserve shuttle boxes
ready to replace that on the lathe when required; Fig. 17 is a section of
the hopper with its appurtenances; and Fig. 18 is an end elevation of the
fittings at the end of the continuation of the lathe.
A is the lathe or batten, and B a continuation of the same attached thereto
by bolts C. It is furnished with slides B¹ to receive the shuttle boxes. D is the
shuttle box in its place on the continuation B of the lathe; it has slides D¹
fitting into the corresponding slides B'already described. E is a spindle with
a wedge-shaped head E¹, which is pressed by the spring E' into a notch D2 in
the end of the bottom of the shuttle box, and keeping it in its proper place
on the continuation B of the lathe. F is the picker spindle; G is a forked
holder, into which the picker slides when driven honie by the shuttle; His a
guard of leather or other suitable material, causing the shuttle box when
expelled to drop downwards, and to prevent its flying into the gear wheels of
the loom; I is the "hopper" attached to the frame K of the loom; L is the

page_text: series of reserve shuttle boxes in the hopper I, each containing a shuttle
properly filled with weft, and having the end of the weft twisted round a
knob M; N is a pusher for driving the reserve boxes into their place on the:
continuation B of the lathe; it has two shelves or projections N¹ extending
across the under side of the hopper, and preventing the boxes from dropping
out. These shelves also serve as carriers of the boxes from the hopper to
their places on the continuation of the lathe. The upper surface of the pusher
is extended, as shewn at N2, which prevents the boxes from falling out of the
hopper when the pusher travels forward to convey a box from the hopper to
the continuation of the lathe. The letters O¹, O, P, R, S, S', S, T, V, W,
X, Z, Z¹, and Z2 in Figs. 14 and 17, refer to parts of similar structure, and
for the same purposes as the same letters in Figs. 4 to 13. The mode of
operation is as follows:-When the weft breaks or is exhausted the weft fork
operates on the levers V, T, R, and O¹, as described in reference to Figs. 4
to 13. The lever O¹ carries the lowest box (with its contained shuttle) from
the hopper to the continuation of the lathe, expelling the box (with its con
tained shuttle) already there. The wedge-shaped head E¹ of the spindle E
enters the notch D' in the bottom of the newly inserted box, retaining it in
its place, the pusher and carrier then returning to their former position
beneath the hopper. The series of shuttle boxes then drop down on to the
shelves N¹, and the friction pulley S is shunted out of the groove in the cam Z
to await the next breakage or exhaustion of weft. In the meantime the
shuttle in the newly inserted box is "picked" out, and the weaving proceeds
without interruption. The weaver takes up the expelled box at his leisure,
replenishes its shuttle with weft, and replaces it in the hopper.
Having thus described the nature of this my said Invention, and shewn
how the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical operation,
I would have it distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details of construction or arrangement of the parts herein shewn and
described, as various modifications may be made therein without departing
from the main features of the Invention; but what I claim as of my Inven-
tion is,-
Firstly, the use of loose backs hung on horizontal axes for the shuttle
boxes of loose reed looms.
Secondly, the use (in continuous looms) of a loose back to the shuttle
box for the purpose herein-before described.
Thirdly, the use (in continuous looms) of a shuttle box the bottom of
which is of the same or nearly the same width as the shuttle..

page_text: Fourthly, the supplying of weft to continuous looms by the use of a series
of detached shuttle boxes, each containing a shuttle filled with weft.
Fifthly, the combination and arrangement of parts or apparatus for the
purposes set forth, in the manner substantially as herein described and
shewn in the accompanying three Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Edmondson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of March,One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-six.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
by the within-named Joseph
Edmondson, in the pre-
sence of
WILLIAM TASKER,
Patent Agent,
Halifax.
JOSEPH EDMONDSON. (L.S.)