IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Wilson, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster,
Pattern Maker, for an Invention of
WEAVING"
" IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Wilson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th May 1881.
EDWARD WILSON, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Pattern Maker.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
This Invention of improvements in looms for weaving relates principally to an
improved arrangement of dobby or jacquard mechanism. According to my
Invention the upper and lower staves of the healds are attached by means of
cords running over and under anti-friction pulleys to the upper and lower ends
respectively of flat vertical slide rods standing side to side, to which an up and
down reciprocating motion is imparted by two levers or arms operated by a double
cam wheel on the end of the tappet shaft. The levers at one end are supported on
joints or pivots, their opposite extremities being provided with anti-friction rollers
or bowls which enter a pair of corresponding grooves formed on the side of the
cam wheel. Upon each of the levers, at that end nearest to the tappet shaft, is
fixed a grid which answers the same purpose as the "knife" in ordinary dobby
apparatus. The vertical slide rods to which the healds are connected pass through
the two grids or knives on the upper and lower levers, each of the vertical slide
rods being provided with a pair of notches so placed that as the grids or knives
approach each other at each revolution of the tappet shaft the entire set of slido
rods is brought in line one with the other. To the side of each slide, midway of
its length, is pivotted the central projecting part of a flat double hook or catch, so
arranged that the upper portion of the hook may be caught up by the upper edge
of the top knife or grid, whilst the lower portion of the hook may be caught upon
the lower edge of the bottom knife or grid. The hook is so formed that its lower
end of its own weight or by means of a spring will hang or be pulled towards the
lower knife or grid; thus the lower portion of the hook will remain in connection
with the bottom knife or grid unless released, and thereby caused to be taken up
by the top knife or grid, as hereinafter described, and the slide rods to which the
Prino G21

page_text: hooks are attached will actuate the healds accordingly as the upper or lower
portions of the hooks are in connection with the upper or lower knives or grids, as
the case may be. An ordinary card barrel or cylinder is arranged somewhat above
the centre of the slide rods and hooks; pins or studs, one to each hook, operated by
a lattice and pegs or by perforated cards in the same manner as the "needles" in
ordinary jacquard or dobby apparatus, being mounted in a bar placed between the
card barrel and the hooks. The card barrel is brought up to the studs or needs
at each upward and downward stroke of the knives or grids by means of suitable
rods or levers operated by the crank shaft. The grooves in the cam wheel are so
formed as to allow the arms or levers upon which the grids or knives are mounted
to remain at rest for a given period, so as to provide the requisite "dwell" during
which the shuttle may pass completely through the shed.
In lieu of the ordinary "crutch" and spiral spring for holding the card barrel in
position, I employ a spring of horse shoe shape, preferably of cast iron. The lower
or rounded end of the spring is fixed rigidly to the arm supporting the card-barrel,
the block of the card barrel being held tightly in position between the two ends of
the spring.
In place of the wood pegs usually employed for the lattices for dobby or
jacquard weaving, I employ metal screws having an enlarged flattened head,
the head of the screw answering the purpose of the projecting part of the ordinary
wooden peg.
Instead of staves of wood, as ordinarily used, I employ staves made of thin bar
iron or other suitable metal, thereby being enabled to place a number of healds
side by side in much less room than heretofore. Suitable grids or guides fastened
to the frame of the loom, in which the ends of the metal staves are free to move up
and down, are provided, and thereby prevent the staves and healds from rubbing
against each other, at the same time that increased steadiness to the motion of the
healds is afforded.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by.
the said Edward Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th November
1881.
_EDWARD WILSON, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Pattern Maker.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
This Invention of improvements in looms for weaving relates principally to an
improved arrangement of dobby or jacquard mechanism. According to my
Invention the upper and lower staves of the healds are attached by means of
cords running over and under anti-friction pulleys to the upper and lower ends
respectively of flat vertical slide rods standing side by side, to which an up and
down reciprocating motion is imparted by two levers or arms operated by a double
cam wheel fastened on the end of the tappet shaft.
In Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings a is the upper and a the lower stave
of a heald b; c, c, are cords attached thereto running over and under the anti-
friction pulleys d, d, to the upper and lower ends respectively of the vertical slide
rod e.
In Fig. 2 the levers f, f, at one end are supported on joints or pivots g, g,
their opposite extremities being provided with anti friction rollers or bowls h, h,
(shewn in dotted lines) which enter a pair of corresponding grooves i, i, formed on
the side of the cam wheel j. Upon each of the levers f, at that end nearest to the
tappet shaft, is fixed a grid k, l, (see also Figs. 3 and 5) which answers the same
purpose as the "knife" in ordinary dobby apparatus. The vertical slide rods e to
which the healds are connected pass through the two grids or knives k, k¹, on the
upper and lower levers f, each of the vertical slide rods e being provided with a
pair of notches or stops 7, 7, (see Fig. 5) so placed that as the grids or knives k, k¹,
approach each other at each revolution of the tappet shaft, to which is attached the
cam wheel by screw bolts passing through the slots m (see Fig. 2) and a plate
placed behind the arms of the tappet wheel, the entire set of slide rods e, e, is
brought together in line one with the other. To the side of each slide e, midway
of its length, is pivotted the central projecting part n of a flat double hook or
catch o, so arranged that the upper portion of the hook 1 may be caught up by the
upper edge of the top knife or grid k, whilst the lower portion of the hook 2 may
be caught upon the lower edge of the bottom knife or grid k¹. The hook o is so
formed that its lower end of its own weight or by means of a spiral spring p will
hang or be pulled towards the lower knife or grid ; thus the lower portion of
the hook 2 will remain in connection with the bottom knife or grid unless
released and thereby caused to be taken up by the top knife or grid k, as herein-
after described, and the slide rods e to which the hooks o are attached will be
moved up or down and will actuate the healds, accordingly as the upper or lower
portions of the hooks are in connection with the upper or lower knives or grids.
An ordinary card barrel or cylinder q actuated in the usual or in any convenient
manner is arranged somewhat above the centre of the slide rods e and hooks o,
pins or studs r, r, one to each hook, operated by perforated cards in the same
manner as the "needles" in ordinary jacquard or dobby apparatus, being mounted
in a bar s placed between the card t and the hooks o. The card t is by means of
the card barrel brought up to the studs or needles at each upward and downward
stroke of the knives or grids by means of suitable rods or levers operated by the
crank shaft, or by means of a cam groove u formed on the periphery of a boss v
projecting from the middle of the cam wheel j (see Fig. 6). When a lattice and
pegs are employed, I prefer to dispense with the studs or needles r, r, and_guide
bar 8, and to cause the pegs to press directly upon the hooks o, as shewn in Fig. 5.
The grooves i, i, in the cam wheel ; are so formed as to allow the arms or levers

page_text: upon which the grids or knives are mounted to remain at rest for a given period
(see portion of grooves concentric with centre of cam wheel between 3 and 4,
Fig. 2), so as to provide the requisite "dwell" for the shuttle to pass completely
through the shed.
Any convenient arrangement may be employed for preventing the card barrel
being rotated and moved forwards when the movement of the loom is reversed.
One arrangement for effecting this object consists in attaching one end of a cord to
the card barrel hook, the cord passing over antifriction pulleys round the crank
shaft is attached at its other end to an arm projecting from the back of the hook.
The rubbing of the crank shaft upon the cord, or upon a piece of leather to which
the cord may be attached, causes the hook to be lifted out of action when the
ordinary movement of the crank shaft is reversed, whilst on the other hand when
the crank shaft is rotating in its usual direction the arm behind the hook will be
pulled upwards so as to cause the hook to be pressed downwards, thereby rendering
its action more certain and reliable.
The above described mode of actuating the healds dispenses with the use of
springs or weights usually employed for pulling the heald back to its normal
position after having been lifted or depressed, and also causes a uniform tension on
the healds. Moreover my improved arrangement of apparatus permits in the case
of fancy weaving the shed to be formed or opened out in the same manner as in
ordinary looms for plain weaving, in which whilst one portion of the warp is lifted
upwards the remaining portion is pulled downwards, thus obviating the unequal
strain upon the warp which obtains in arrangements wherein the shed is formed by.
simply raising or pulling down one portion of the warp whilst the rest remains
stationary or in line.
I bave described and shown my improved jacquard or dobby mechanism
arranged at the side of the loom in close proximity to the end of the tappet shaft,
which position might not in all cases be found convenient. It will be evident,
however, that the above described pivotted levers, vertical slide rods, hooks, and
other attendant mechanism may easily be arranged in a position, for instance,
above the loom, and that the same reciprocating up and down motion may be
communicated to the levers by means of connecting rods connected at their upper
extremities with the anti-friction bowls of the double cam wheel below.
In lieu of the ordinary "crutch" and spiral spring for holding the card barrel in
position, I employ a spring w of horse shoe shape, preferably of cast iron (see Fig. 7).
The lower or rounded end of the spring is fixed rigidly at x to the arm y supporting
the card barrel g (see Figs. 5 and 6), the block z of the card barrel being held
tightly in position between the two ends of the spring.
It will be obvious that the improved spring is applicable to arrangements of
dobby or jacquard apparatus other than the improved arrangement above
described.
In place of the wooden pegs usually employed for the lattices for dobby or
jacquard weaving, I sometimes employ metal screws having an enlarged flattened
head, the head of the screw answering the purpose of the projecting part of the
ordinary wooden peg.
Instead of staves of wood as ordinarily used, I prefer to employ staves made of
thin bar iron or other suitable metal, thereby being enabled to place a number of
healds side by side in much less room than heretofore. Suitable grids or guides
fastened to the frame of the loom, in which the ends of the metal staves are free to
move up and down, are provided, and thereby prevent the staves and healds from
rubbing against each other, whilst increased steadiness to the motion of the healds
is afforded.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying it into practical effect, I would have it understood that I do
not claim as of my Invention or the exclusive use of the several parts hereinbefore
described or referred to, except when the same are used in and for the purpose of
my said Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore

page_text: claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters
Patent is,
1. The mode of actuating the healds by connecting their upper and lower staves
with the upper and lower ends of vertical rods to which an up and down
reciprocating movement is imparted, substantially as described and shown in the
Drawings.
2. The arrangement of double hook o mounted upon a vertical slide rod e having
notches or stops operating in conjunction with the two levers f, substantially as
described and shewn in the Drawings for the purpose specified.
3. The use or employment of a double cam wheel ; and two levers f arranged to
impart a reciprocating movement to the knives or grids k, substantially as described
and shewn in the Drawings.
4. The use or employment of the spring w, constructed, arranged, and operating,
substantially as described and shewn in the Drawings for the purpose specified.
5. The combination of parts constituting the improved apparatus constructed,
arranged, and operating, substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Wilson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one
EDWARD WILSON. (L.S.)