IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jules Bèlicard, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 29th November 1872, and dated the 3rd June 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jules Bèlicard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd June 1872.
I, JULES BELICARD, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to looms for weaving pile fabrics such as velvets,
plushes, and others of a similar nature, whether plain or figured, and as
cloth or ribbons, and the object is to make the pile more level and
perfect than has hitherto been attained by very simple and economical
arrangements and contrivances. I use two warp beams for the pile and
foundation, weighted simply by cords and weights, and for the pile I
employ two healds and for the foundation four or eight as required, the
warps being crossed by lease rods, and these healds are worked up and

page_text: down by cords, rods, and levers connected to a jacquard dobby.or other
well known pattern apparatus. I give two, three, or more picks for the
pile part of the fabric, and two, three, or more picks for each part of the
foundation, and so on consecutively, so that both the pile part and
foundation shall be firmly allied together, and both the warps and weft
for the pile are of any required colours, according to the intended pattern
or design.
For keeping the fabric at a uniform thickness and the pile perfectly
level I place a wire between the sheds both of the pile and foundation
warps just before beating up the two, three, or more picks, and instantly
withdraw it after the beating up has taken place, the said wire being of
any required thickness, according to the intended strength of the fabric,
and it is this wire which prevents the fabric from being beaten up
unevenly. The wire is connected to a block or slide fitted to a groove in
a frame outside one or both ends of the slay, the wire being placed
between the sheds and taken out either by hand or by ordinary self-
acting movements as in carpet weaving, it being only necessary to
regulate or time the action of the picker by tappets or cams on the
tappet shaft of the loom in order to keep the shuttle in the box whilst
the reed is beating up the weft with the wire behind it and allow it to
give the picks when the wire is withdrawn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Jules Bèlicard in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd December 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULES 2
BELICARD, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Jules Belicard, Her special license that
I, the said Jules Belicard, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Jules Belicard, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from

page_text: 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 Jules Belicard, by
an instrument in writing under my hand 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 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 Jules Belicard, 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, reference being had to the figures on the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to looms for weaving pile fabrics such as velvets,
plushes, and others of a similar nature, whether plain or figured, and as
cloth or ribbons, and the object is to make the pile by very simple and
economical arrangements and contrivances more level and perfect than
has hitherto been attained. I use two warp beams, one for the pile and
the other for the foundations, both weighted simply by ropes and weights,
and for the pile I employ two healds and for the foundations four or
eight as required, the warps being crossed by lease rods, and these healds
are worked up and down by cords, rods, and levers connected to a
jacquard dobby or other well known pattern apparatus. I give two,
three, or more picks for the pile part of the fabric and for each part of
the foundation, and so on consecutively, so that both the pile part and
foundation shall be firmly allied together, and the warp for the pile is of
any required colour according to the intended pattern or design.
For keeping the fabric at a uniform thickness and the pile perfectly
level I place a wire between the warps just before beating up the two,
three, or more picks, and instantly withdraw it after the beating up has
taken place, the said wire being of any required thickness, according to
the intended strength of the fabric, and it is this wire which prevents
the fabric from being beaten up unevenly. The wire is connected to a
block or slide fitted to a groove in a frame outside one or both ends of

page_text: the slay, the wire being placed between the warps and taken out either
by hand or by self-acting movements, it being only necessary to regulate
or time the action of the picker in order to keep the shuttle in the box
whilst the reed is beating up the weft with the wire behind the pile, and
allow it to give the picks when the wire is withdrawn.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figs. 1 and 2 are front and
end views of part of a loom provided with my improvements; and
Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are detached views of some of the parts.
a, a, represent the side frames of the loom; b, the cranked shaft;
c, the fast and loose pulleys; d, the tappet shaft; e, the sword arms;
f, the slay or batten; g, the healds; h and i, the warp beams; k,
the
picking sticks; %, the picker shafts; and m, n, the taking up rollers.
The crank and tappet shafts b, d, are geared by the ordinary toothed
wheels of two to one, and the tappet shaft is geared by the wheels o, p,
of four to one to the shaft q, so that when the crank shaft has made
eight revolutions the tappet shaft has made four and the shaft q one,
these wheels and proportionate speeds being adapted for three picks for
the pile with one for one foundation and two for the other alternately.
On the crank shaft there are two discs r, each having a tappet & for
acting on the picker shafts when required, the arms on the shafts
being kept out of the way of the tappets & by springs u until the pick is
to be given, and at each end of the shaft there is a disc o carrying three
cams w for acting on arms x, the ends of which are in contact with short
snugs or projections y on the picker shafts 1. The wire marked z for
keeping the fabric at a uniform thickness is held in the sliding block a¹
fitted in the bed or frame 6', and to the block is attached bands or cords c¹
which encircle the large pulley & to which is fixed a small pulley e¹
encircled by the band f¹ fastened to the lever g¹ connected by the rod h¹
to the lever, having a slot k¹ in which is placed the end of the arm / of
the compound lever l³, m³, n¹, worked one way by a tappet o¹ on the
shaft q, and the reverse way by a tappet p¹ on the tappet shaft d, to
which is also fixed an eccentric q' for giving to-and-fro motion to the
knife by means of the eccentric strap t¹, lever u¹, band o¹, pulleys w¹, x¹,
and band y'. When the loom is at work and the shuttle has to be passed
through a shed of warp threads one of the cams to raises one of the
arms x, the end of which acting on a snug or projection y turns a picking
shaft, so that its upper arm t can be struck by a tappet 8, the effect of
which is to give sudden motion to the picker shaft, picker stick, and

page_text: picker, and propel the shuttle from one shuttle box to the other, and
when the next shed is formed similar movements take place at the
opposite side of the loom, the springs u always keeping the arms & out of
the reach of the tappets & when no pick is required. When three picks
have been given there is sufficient space between the cams wo on the
discs to allow time for the wire z to be passed between the warps
behind the pile, and after the beating up quickly withdrawn by the
action of the arms of the lever l, m¹, n¹, the arm n¹ being moved by the
tappet o¹ on the shaft q to work the levers, pulleys, and bands, and place
the wire between the shed or warps, and the arm m¹ moved by the
tappet p¹ on the tappet shaft to give a quick return movement to the
levers, pulleys, and bands, and withdraw the wire from the warps, and
these operations take place after three picks for the pile, with one for one
foundation and two for the other alternately, but for two and other
numbers of picks the diameters of the discs and numbers of cams w
are regulated accordingly.
When desired, instead of having one long wire moved forwards and
backwards at one side of the loom I divide it into two parts, worked at
both sides of the loom, each part passing simultaneously between the
shed or warps and nearly meeting in the middle, both parts being quickly
withdrawn after the beating up.
It will be seen that no wire remains in the cloth at the time of beating
up, and therefore there are no spaces to cause unevenness, the wire being
simply passed between the warps and beaten up behind the pile at every
two, three, or more picks, the two fabrics being cut or divided by the
knife r¹.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that in looms used for weaving pile fabrics I claim,-
First. The system of placing a wire at one or both sides of the loom
between the warps behind the pile just before the beating up, and
removing it or them from the warps before the next pick is given.
Secondly. The discs and cams on a supplemental shaft for regulating
the action of the picker shafts, picking sticks, and pickers.
And, thirdly. The compound lever and tappets on the tappet and
supplemental shafts, and parts in connection with them, for moving the

page_text: wire in and out of the shed or between and from the warps as required,
as all such improvements are herein described, and illustrated on the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jules Bèlicard have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of December, in the year of 5
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Jules Belicard, in
the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
JULES BÉLICARD. (L.S.)