CERTAIN IM- PROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Critchley Barraclough, of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IM-
PROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."-A communication from abroad
by Wilhelm Gminder, of Reutlingen, in the Kingdom of Wirtemberg.
Sealed the 12th January 1864, and dated the 7th November 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Critchley Barra-
clough at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 7th November 1863.
I, THOMAS CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," which has been commu.
nicated to me from abroad by Wilhelm Gminder, of Reutlingen, in the
Kingdom of Wirtemberg, to be as follows:-
The Invention relates, first, to that part of the power loom known as the
tappets," which are secured on the "tappet shaft," and employed to actuato
the "treadles" which elevate and depress the "healds," and is designed to
effect a different disposition of the same "tappets" when a difference in the

page_text: weaving is required, so as to render the same tappets available for many
descriptions of weaving. This improvement consists in the employment and
use of a series of plates or dises having " dovetail" shaped grooves or channels
radiating from their centres, through which centres the tappet shaft with
which they rotate passes. The dovetail grooves in these plates are constructed
to hold the projecting studs or "tappets," which may be retained therein by
a nut on the tappet, which forces the plates together, by loosening which the
tappets may be removed to be differently arranged if required.
A second part of the Invention relates to an arrangement of apparatus for
equalizing the tension of the spring attached to the healds, and by which they
are raised, so that the disadvantage which such springs now possess, that of
the tension of the spring increasing when it should diminish, is obviated. The
improvements consist in the use of a double pulley, that is, having two
diameters, over which the "head cords" pass, thus a double cord is secured
to an eye at a point on the large pulley vertically below its centre; these pass
over the top of the pulley and separate (at about a horizontal axis), one cord
passing to each end of the "heald bar;" another cord is attached to the spring
on the framing, and is secured to the large pulley at another point, and is
employed to keep the healds up. When the healds are drawn down by the
tappets, the double pulley makes part of a revolution, letting off the double
cord, and causing the spring cord to fall on the smaller diameter, which
shortens the leverage and reduces the tension of the spring as required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Critchley Barraclough in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th May 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engi-
neer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Critchley Barraclough, Her special license that I, the said
Thomas Critchley Barraclough, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Critchley Barraclough, my executors, admi

page_text: nistrators, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
which has been communicated to me from abroad by Wilhelm Gminder, of
Reutlingen, in the Kingdom of Wirtemberg, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Critchley Barraclough, 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 Thomas Critchley Barraclough, d>
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
The Invention relates, first, to that part of the power loom known as the
tappets," which are secured on the "tappet shaft," and employed to actuate
the "treadles" which elevate and depress the "healds," and is designed to effect
a different disposition of the same "tappets" when a difference in the weaving
is required, so as to render the same tappets available for many descriptions
of weaving. This improvement consists in the employment and use of a
series of plates or discs having " dovetail" shaped grooves or channels radiating
from their centres, through which centres the tappet shaft with which they
rotate passes. The dovetail grooves in these plates are constructed to
hold the projecting studs or "tappets," which may be retained therein. by a
nut on the tappet shaft, which forces the plates together, and by loosening
which the tappets may be removed to be differently arranged if required.
A second part of the Invention relates to an arrangement of apparatus for
equalizing the tension of the springs attached to the healds, and by which they
are raised, so that the disadvantage which such springs now possess, namely,
that their tension increases when it should diminish, is obviated... The
improvement consists in the use of a double pulley or set of pullies having two
diameters, over one of which the heald cords pass; these cords are secured
to an eye at a point on the circumference of the large pulley, pass over it and
divide, one being attached to each end of the "heald rod;" another cord is

page_text: attached to the spring on the framing, and is secured to the face of the large
pulley. When the healds are drawn down by the tappets, the double pulley
makes part of a revolution, lets off the heald cords, and causes the spring
cord to fall on the smaller diameter of the pulley, which shortens the leverage
and reduces the tension of the springs as required.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail, I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, Figs. 1, 2, and 3 being
made upon a scale of about one inch and a half to the foot, similar letters of
reference being marked upon corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 represents an elevation of a loom shewing the application of the
improved description of tappets, and the arrangement of apparatus for equa-
lizing the tension of the springs attached to the healds; Figs. 2 and 3 are
respectively an end view and plan view of the loom; Figs. 4 and 5 are
enlarged views of the dises and tappets; Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged Diagrams
of the double pulley and cords.
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, a, a, is the framing of the loom; b, b, are the discs or
plates, in which are formed the "dovetail" or angled grooves or channels for
retaining the tappets c, and which rotate with the tappet shaft d, upon which
they are secured and held together by the nut and screw e acting against the
collar f. I would remark, that this arrangement of tappets may also be
employed outside the framing of the loom if preferred. In Figs. 5 and 6, 9 is
the double pulley, having two different-sized peripheries; h, h, are the cords
secured to an eye on the circumference of the larger diameter of the pulley 9,
and which pass over the pulley and separate, each cord being attached to the
ends of the "heald rods ;" another cord i is attached to the spring k on the
framing, and is secured to the face of the larger pulley. When the healds
are drawn down by the tappets the double pulley g makes part of a revolution,
lets off the heald cords h, h, and causes the spring cord i* to fall on the smaller
diameter of the pulley g, which shortens the leverage and reduces the tension
of the spring as required.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I claim,-
First, the employment and use of a series of plates having dovetail grooves
or channels to hold the tappets, and so arranged that the disposition of the
tappets may be altered as required.
Secondly, I claim the use of the double pulley having two varying diameters,
in combination with the cords and springs, for equalizing the tension of such

page_text: 5
springs, as herein-before described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the
Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Critchley Barraclough, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
THOMAS CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH. (L.S.)