CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Diggle, of Radcliffe, in the County of
Lancaster, and Hugh Booth, of Pilkington, in the same County,
for the Invention of “CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING.”
Sealed the 4th November 1870, and dated the 19th May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Diggle and Hugh
Booth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 19th May 1870.
We, JOHN DIGGLE, of Radcliffe, in the County of Lancaster, and
HUGH BOOTH, of Pilkington, in the same County, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING," to be as follows:-
-
The Invention is designed for the purpose of effecting a uniform
perfect cross shed with cach change of the warp threads when shedding,
and combining therewith a "dwell" to the healds that will enable the
shed to remain open from the time the weft is "closed in" to the
picking of the shuttle (that is) during the time the crank is moving
from its front to back centre, the change actuating the healds for

page_text: shedding being effected during the aforesaid "dwell," the healds also
when the shed is open can be forced down by the operative in a line
with the lower healds at the time of piecing broken ends, after which,
and before again setting the loom on, the healds at once adjust themselves
to their right position.
The improvements may be thus described:-A series of sliding bars
provided with inclined sliding surfaces are supported in a suitable frame-
work secured to the loom side; these bars have their inclines formed
in opposite directions, one set being placed above in the frame, and the
other below, the under set being 'a duplicate of the upper, each sliding
inclined bar is independently supported on inner projections of the
frame and roller bars, and are so arranged that when pushed forward by
an arrangement of mechanism herein-after described to force through
the medium of their inclined surfaces bowles secured to vertical levers
connected with the "jacks" giving the necessary rise and fall to the
healds for shedding.
The apparatus giving motion to the sliding inclined bars actuating
the shedding of the healds may be thus described:-An oscillatory lever
actuated through the medium of a connecting rod by gearing receiving
motion from a second motion shaft is supplied with an arrangement of
peculiarly bent lévérs, the fulcra of which are secured to the said
oscillatory lever, their ends terminating so as to rest upon supporting
studs projecting from a vertical lever which is caused to rise and fall
through the medium of a pattern chain, barrel, or other equivalent, the
rising and falling motion given to such peculiarly bent levers is for the
purpose of placing them in position to form contact with and push the
inclined bars, they are placed in a.line with at the time the oscillating
lever moves forward, their positon being determined by the pattern
chain or other equivalent which has been previously arranged according
to the pattern desired to be woven. The forward sliding motion thus
given to the inclined bars force the before-mentioned bowls with which
their inclined surfaces come in contact upwards or downwards according
to the direction of such incline, thus transmitting to the healds through
the medium of the jacks and vertical bars connected with and carrying
such bowls the necessary rise 'and fall for shedding.
The peculiarity of the pusher levers consist in forming them 'with a
recess or curve that will allow them at the time of pushing the inclined
bars to receive above their line of contact the tappet or stud next

page_text: required to form the following shed which is raised into position for:
action by the pattern chain barrel or other equivalent during the shed.
then formed "dwells " or remains open, thus preparing and adjusting.
the pusher levers on their return for the next shed which enables the
pattern chain to be continuous in its action. The locking or binding of
the sliding inclined bars during the time of changing shed when moving.
backwards is prevented by constructing in the upper bars a recess that
allows then to rise when passing their guide studs, thereby enabling
them to pass clear of each other. The return of the bars is accomplished
by means of a plate connected by rods with the oscillatory lever. The
rods when moving backwards or forwards slide upon bowls that
materially reduce their frictional bearing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Diggle and Hugh Booth in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th November 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, JOHN
DIGGLE, of Radcliffe, in the County of Lancaster, and HUGH BOOTH, of
Pilkington, in the same County, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said John Diggle and Hugh Booth, Her special license
that we, the said John Diggle and Hugh Booth, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Diggle and Hugh
Booth, our executors, administrators, 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 for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said John Diggle and Hugh Booth, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of
their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain tho
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be

page_text: through the medium of a pattern chain barrel or other equivalent; .the
rising and falling motion given to such peculiarly bent levers is for the
purpose of placing them in position to form contact with and push the
inclined bars they are placed in a line with at the time the oscillating
lever moves forward, their position being determined by the pattern
chain or other equivalent which has been previously arranged according
to the pattern desired to be woven. The forward sliding motion thus
given to the inclined bars force the before-mentioned bowls with which
their inclined surfaces come into contact upwards or downwards accord-
ing to the direction of such incline, thus transmitting through the
healds through the medium of the jacks and vertical bars connected
with and carrying such bowls, the necessary rise and fall for shedding.
The peculiarity of the pusher levers consists in forming them with a
recess or curve that will allow them at the time of pushing the inclined
bars to receive above their line of contact the tappet or stud next
required to form the following shed, which is raised into position for
action by the pattern chain barrel or other equivalent during the shed
then formed "dwells or remains open, thus preparing and adjusting
the pusher levers on their return for the next shed, which enables the
pattern chain to be continuous in its action. The locking or binding of
the inclined sliding bars during the time of changing shed when moving
backwards is prevented by constructing in the upper bars a recess that
allows them to rise when passing their guide studs, thereby enabling
them to pass clear of cach other. The return of the bars is accomplished
by means of plates connected by rods with the oscillating lever. The rods
when moving backwards or forwards slide upon bowls that materially
reduce their frictional bearing.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained
in detail we have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawing made upon a
scale of about two inches to the foot, similar letters of reference being
marked on all the Figures alike.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical front section of the framing supporting the
inclined sliding bars actuating the vertical rods connected to the jacks,
also the pattern chain, and connecting mechanism, through which the
"shed" to the warp threads is effected. This view is shown in the position
the mechanism would assume when the "shed" is closed. Fig. 2 repre-
sents a similar view to the last, with the exception that the apparatus is
shewn in the position the various parts would assume when the "shed"

page_text: "
is open. Fig. 3 represents a back elevationed view of the " shedding
apparatus. Fig. 4 represents a front elevation of the shedding apparatus.
And Fig. 5 represents a plan view of the apparatus taken through the
line A, B, of Fig. 1. An enlarged view of the slotted lever actuating the
inclined sliding bars is shewn at Fig. 6.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 a, a, is the framing of an ordinary loom
manufacturing plain "twilled" or fancy fabrics; b, the crank shaft; c,
the jacks; d, the warp beam; e, the healds, and f the breast beam, all
being old and well-known parts of the loom; g is a framing connected
to one side of the loom in which is supported the bars i, a portion of the
length of each having a slanting or inclined formation in a direction
opposite to each other, the number of bars being regulated by the
number of "jacks" or heald shafts they are designed to actuate. These
inclined sliding bars are formed in duplicate one above the other, and
are supported by the projecting pieces h and roller ¹ upon which they
slide; m, m, are levers partaking of a peculiar curved formation, each
one being hinged on to and connected with the oscillatory lever n, their
opposite ends rest upon projections o, o, formed upon the vertical rods p,
the lower ends of which are flattened for the purpose of resting upon a
pattern barrel or endless tappet chain ". The ends of the curved
levers m, m, thus supported are when in their normal position opposite
to or in the mean position between the ends of the inclined bars i, i, but
when any one or more of them are raised through the medium of the
tappet chain and rods p they are brought into a position directly
opposite the upper inclined sliding bars i, i, at which time the oscillatory
motion given to the lever n forces the ends of the curved levers m, m,
into contact with those sliding inclined bars i, i, previously raised, the
.action of which causes the inclined surfaces of such bars to press against the
bowls 8, s, and force the vertical rods k, k, connected with the jacks c, c,
in a direction corresponding with the inclined surface giving them
motion, thus simultaneously raising and lowering the warp threads and
producing the shed according to the pattern required.
"shed"
The action of the various parts producing the change and cross
desired upon reference to the foregoing lettered description will be readily
understood. At the time the crank is on its top center the curved
levers m, m, are placed in position to act upon the inclined sliding bars i,
as seen in Fig. 1, which at this time are in their normal position, the
shed being closed as the slay beats forward the weft, immediately the

page_text: weft is "closed in" the oscillation of the lever n transmits motion
through the medium of the curved levers m, m, to the inclined sliding
bars i, i, bowls 8, and vertical rods k, to the jacks c', which effect an
immediate full and open cross shed, as seen in Fig. 2, which remains in
the same open position until the weft has been "picked" in; during
this time, and whilst the shed is dwelling open, the pattern chain or
tappet effects the change desired for the next shed, that is, the pro-
jection o upon the vertical rod p upon which the ends of the curved
levers m, m, rest, are through the revolving of the pattern tappets raised
into a position that will enable them to come into contact with and
actuate the inclined sliding bars i, i, intended to form the next shed.
The alternate oscillation of the lever n when withdrawing the curved
levers m by reason of their connection with the front platest draws the
inclined sliding bars i back to their original position ready to be acted
upon again by the curved lever n for shedding. The peculiar slotted
formation of the lever scen at Fig. 6 is designed to transmit motion to
the sliding bars for shedding as herein-before described in the following
manner: When the crank is on the top center the slotted lever x and
oscillatory lever n are in their vertical position, at this time the stud u
giving motion to the lever a throws, before leaving the contracted portion
of the slot, the said lever into the slanting position shewn in dots, during
this movement the shed has been fully opened and is caused to remain
or dwell in the same open state during the time the stud u is moving to
the lower contracted portion of the lever x, at which time the shed is
again changed and fully crossed preparatory for the next pick.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, together with
the method of carrying the same into practical effect, we would wish it
to be distinctly understood in conclusion that we do not confine ourselves
to the precise details shewn and described, so long as the general features
of the Invention are retained, but we wish it to be understood that
what we claim is the general construction, arrangement, and adaptation
of the several parts constituting these improvements, whereby the
shedding of looms whether for manufacturing plain or fancy goods will
be actuated so as to effect when changing the shed a full open cross
shed" and dwell or remain open until the shuttle has placed or
'picked in " the weft, also that during the time the shed is dwelling
open the pattern tappets will effect the change for the next shed as
"
"

page_text: herein-before described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the Drawings
attached.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto attached our hands and seals,
this Fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy..
Witness,
THOS. WRIGLEYS,
of the Firm Wrigley & Dawson,
Agents to the Patentees,
Manchester.
JOHN DIGULL. (U.S.)
HUGH BOOTH. (L.s.)