IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER FABRICS."
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Collier, of Halifax, in the County of
York, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Collier
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th March 1858.
I, GEORGE COLLIER, of Halifax, in the County of York, Mechanic,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER FABRICS" to be as fol-
lows:
My first improvement relates to a Patent granted to me, December
31st, 1851, under the above title. I find by experience, that the hook
for withdrawing the wires is obliged to travel so fast, and to be so
small, to prevent its withdrawing more than one wire at a time, that it
sometimes fails to withdraw at all, or fails to deliver it into the hopper.
My improvement under this head remedies this defect, by having an
additional hook worked upon an upright shaft by a tappet, which travels
'slowly, and withdraws one wire a short distance, say half an inch. By.

page_text: this arrangement I can have a much larger hook upon the other, which
withdraws with much greater certainty.
My second improvement still relates to the Patent granted to me.
December 31st, 1851. In that Specification I showed an instrument
to receive the end of the wire last drawn out of the cloth, for the
purpose of carrying it over the other heads of the wires into the deep
part of the shed, ready to be again inserted. I have found by expe-
rience, that where wide widths or small wires are required, that it is
much better to have two or more supports, to keep the wire com-
paratively steady during the process of being inserted.
My third improvement consists in, and still relates to, a Patent
granted to me. December S1st, 1851, under the above title. Whereas
in that specification I showed how, in introducing wires into an open
shed, the hopper or holder which received the head of the wire carried
or pushed it into the shed, and held it until the terry warp was caused
to descend and hold the wire in the position the holder left it. I,
however, find by experience, that when quick speeds are attempted.
that the force or momentum which the wire acquires is so great, that
when it gets to the end of its journey the wire is apt to go forward
instead of remaining in the holder. My improvement under this head
remedies this evil, by having a pin fixed to the loose jaw of the hopper:
and when the said hopper has travelled to the end of its journey, in
inserting the wire the pin is caused to go under a fixed incline, which
prevents the head of the wire coming out of the hopper until it recedes.
An instrument is caused to enter the head of the wire before the hopper
receles, which answers the double purpose of assisting flat wires to
keep upright, and also provents the hopper taking back the wires; but
I do not claim this instrument, because it has been in operation some
time.
4th. I find that wires for making uncut terry work are liable, occa-
sionally, to get into the lower warp in lieu of going through the shed.
I find that a good remedy for this evil is to have the end turned up,
and made very thin, so that when going into the shed they are turned
up, but when withdrawn they are so thin that they draw into a straight
line, and do not at all injure the pile.

page_text: 5th. I find by experience in Jacquard terry weaving, that the
quantity of warp is so great and so tight, that when the Jacquard
selects threads that have been on the back some time to bring upon
the surface, it has so much difficulty in making its way through all the
tight threads that it is apt to form a loop on the back, or at any rate
to be very rough. My remedy for this is to insert a comb from the
under side, the same fineness, or nearly so, as the slay, which is caused
to work up to the cloth, and descend out of the way of the lay; by this
means the shed will be continually cleared up to the cloth, and make a
smooth back.
6th. It is found to be an improvement to uncut terry fabrics, for the
pile to be laid a little to one side, as it by this means covers the weft,
and has a better appearance. My mode of accomplishing this, and
which I wish to secure by Lotters Patent, is to have a hollow dish
fixed below the pike roller, which delivers the cloth as woven, and a
roller caused to revolve in the said dish against the pile. It will by this
means accomplish the double object of laying the pile, and taking it
away from the pike roller.
7th. My next improvement consists in apparatus to insert thicker
weft on the back than is on the face of terry and velvet carpets or
rugs, when worked in combination with the Jacquard or figuring
machine by power.
8th. Heretofore, when two shuttles have been required for power
looms, there have been rising and falling boxes, but this is an evil,
where large shuttles are required; my improvement consists in having
the shuttle race that is under the warp to be made to rise and fall
according to the shuttle required to be inserted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Collier, in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 9th September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GEORGE COLLIER, of Halifax, in the County of York, Mechanic, send
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queon Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth year
of Her reign. did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors. give and
grant unto me, the said George Collier, Her special licence, that I, the
said George Collier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Collier, 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 THE MANUFACTURE
OF CARPETS AND OTHER FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said George Collier, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and scal, 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 1, the said George Collier, do hereby de-
clare 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 thereof (that is to say):
My first improvement relates to a Patent granted to inc, December
Thirty-first, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, under the above
title. I find by experience, that the hook for withdrawing the wires is
obliged to travel so fast, and to be so small, to prevent its with-
drawing moro than one wire at a time, that it sometimes fails to
withdraw at all, or fails to deliver it into the hopper; my improvement
under this head remedies this defect, by having an additional hook
worked upon an upright shaft by a tappet, which travels slowly, and
withdraws one wire a short distance, say half an inch. By this ar
rangement I can have a much larger hook upon the other, which
withdraws with much greater certainty.
My second improvement still relates to the Patent granted to me

page_text: December Thirty-first, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one. In
that Specification I shewed an instrument to receive the end of the
wire last drawn out of the cloth, for the purpose of carrying it over the
other heads of the wires into the deep part of the shed, ready to be
again inserted. I have found by experience, that where wide widths
or small wires are required, that it is much better to have two or
more supports, to keep the wire comparatively steady during the process
of being inserted.
My third improvement consists in, and still relates to, a Patent
granted to me December Thirty-first, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-one, under the above title. Whereas in that Specifica-
tion I showed how, in introducing wires into an open shed, the
hopper or holder which received the head of the wire carried or
pushed it into the shed, and held it until the terry warp was caused
to descend and hold the wire in the position the holder left it. I,
however, find by experience, that when quick speeds are attempted,
that the force or momentum which the wire acquires is so great, that
when it gets to the end of its journey the wire is apt to go forward,
instead of remaining in the holder. My improvement under this head
remedies this evil, by having a pin fixed to the loose jaw of the hopper;
and when the said hopper has travelled to the end of its journey, in
inserting the wire, the pin is caused to go under a fixed incline, which
prevents the head of the wire coming out of the hopper until it recedes.
An instrument is caused to enter the head of the wire before the
hopper recedes, which answers the double purpose of assisting flat
wires to keep upright, and also prevents the hopper taking back the
wires; but I do not claim this instrument, because it has been in
operation some time.
Fourthly. I find that wires for making uncut terry work are liable,
occasionally, to get into the lower warp in lieu of going through the
shed. 1 find that a good remedy for this evil is to have the end turned
up, and made very thin, so that when going into the shed they are
turned up, but when withdrawn they are so thin that they draw into a
straight line, and do not at all injure the pile.
Fifthly. I find by experience in Jacquard terry weaving, that the
quantity of warp is so great and so tight, that when tha Jacquard

page_text: select threads that have been on the back some time to bring upon
the surface, it has so much difficulty in making its way through all the
tight threads that it is apt to form a loop on the back, or at any rate to
be very rough; my remedy for this is to insert a comb from the under
side, the same fineness (or nearly so) as the slay, which is caused to
work up to the cloth and descend out of the way of the lay; by this
means the shed will be continually cleared up to the cloth, and make
a smooth back.
Sixthly. It is found to be an improvement to uncut terry fabrics for
the pile to be laid a little to one side, as it by this means covers the
weft, and has a better appearance. My inode of accomplishing this, and
which I wish to secure by Letters Patent, is to have a hollow dish fixed
below the pike roller, which delivers the cloth as woven, and a roller
caused to revolve in the said dish against the pile; it will by this
means accomplish the double object of laying the pile, and taking it
away from tho pike roller.
Seventhly. My next improvement consists in apparatus to insert
thicker weft on the back than is on the face of terry and velvet carpets
or rugs, when worked in combination with the Jacquard or figuring
machine by power.
Eighthly. Heretofore, when two shuttles have been required for
power looms, there have been rising and falling boxes, but this is an
evil, when large shuttles are required; my improvement consists in
having the shuttle race that is under the warp to be made to rise and
fall according to the shuttle required to be inserted.
And, in order that my Invention may be most fully understood, and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued
by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, shews a section of so much of a power loom for weaving

page_text: which relate to my present improvements. a, is an upright shaft or
axis, supported in bearings on the side framing, as shewn. b, is a
lever arm fixed on the upper end of the axis a, having a hook formed
on its end, which enters into the head of the wire which is presented to
it, and withdraws it about half an inch out of the fabric at each partial
revolution of the axis a: this additional hook places the head of the
wire in a position to be taken by the larger hook carried by the slide,
as was formerly described by me. The axis a, receives motion in the
following manner:-e, is a cam or tappet on the cam shaft, which acts
on the lover f, which, by the connecting rod d, gives motion to the
lever arm c, fixed on the lower end of the shaft a; when the hook b,
has withdrawn a wire a short distance, it moves back out of the way,
and rests whilst the larger hook takes and withdraws the wire out
of the fabric, and then acts again to withdraw another wire a short
distance.
I will now describe the second part of my improvements, which
consists in giving additional support to the wire after it has been
withdrawn from the fabric, and consists in the application of additional
supporting instruments, similar to those described in my former Specifi-
cation, for supporting the end of the wire, and carrying it towards the
deep part of the shed. I find, particularly when long thin wires are
used, that it is desirable to apply two or more such supporting instru-
ments to keep the wire steady whilst it is being inserted, placed mid way
between the two ends of the wire when withdrawn; and as these addi-
tional supporting instruments are arranged and receive motion in the
same manner as those described in my former Specification for support-
ing and carrying the end of the wire, I have not thought it necessary
to enter into a more minute description thereof, as a workman ac-
quainted with this class of machinery, and aided by my former descrip-
tion, will readily apply my present improvements. The only alteration
rendered necessary will be to make the forked part of the additional
supporting instruments wide enough for the free passage of the wire-
holder when withdrawing the wire.
I will now describe the third part of my improvements, which con-
sists in the arrangement of apparatus to prevent the head of the wire

page_text: being thrown out of the holder when it arrives at the end of its journey
in carrying it into the shed.
Figure 2, shows a front view of so much of the apparatus for insert-
ing the wires as will enable me to describe this part of my Invention.
a, is a projection on the louse jaw of the wire holder which comes in
contact, at the end of its motion, with the fixed stop or incline b, carried
by, the arm b, as shewn, and thereby prevents the wire from leaving
the holder until it moves in the opposite direction. Figure 3, shew's
part of a wire constructed according to the fourth part of my Invention.
the end of the wire being made very thin, and turned up to prevent it
entering below the threads of the lower warp when being inserted, the
bent end being so thin that it is drawn into a line with the wire on
being withdrawn from the fabric.
I will now describe the fifth part of my Improvements, which con-
sists in the application of a comb which is caused to enter the warp
threads in front of the lay when the shed is open, and then move
towards the cloth, and descend out of the way of the lay, so as to clear
the way for the selected threads which have been on the back with
greater facility, and thereby produce better work. The comb is carried
by a lever on each side of the loom, and has a to and fro and a rising
and falling movement communicated thereto in any convenient manner.
Figure 4, shews a section of so much of part of a power loom for wear-
ing carpets and other fabrics as will enable me to describe the sixth
part of my improvements; a, b, are two smooth rollers supported in
bearings below the pike or cloth roller c; the uncut terry fabric passes
partly round the roller c, over the roller a, and up between the rollers a,
and 6; the roller being pressed against the roller a, by a spring, in
order to lay the pile as the fabric passes between the rollers. Motion is
communicated to the rollers a, and b, in the following manner :—d, is
a lever arm on the lay shaft, which gives motion by a connecting rod e,
to a lever arm, moving freely on the axis of the roller a; the lever
arni f, carries a catch or clawker f', which takes into the ratchet toothed
wheelf, on the axis of the roller a, and gives motion thereto at each
forward movement of the lathe; a', is a toothed pinion on the axis a,
which gives motion to the toothed pinion b', on the axis b. Figure 5,

page_text: shows a variation from the previous arrangement, in which the roller a,
presses the terry fabric into a concave dish b, in place of its being
pressed between the rollers a, b; the object of this part of the Invention
being to lay the terry surface on one side.
The seventh part of my Invention consists in the employment of
apparatus for inserting thicker weft on the back than on the face of
terry and velvet carpets or rugs, when worked in combination with
Jacquard or figuring machinery by power. The apparatus I employ
for this purpose consists of using two shuttle boxes on either side of the
loom, with movement, so as to bring the particular shuttle which is to
be next introduced into a correct position with the shed; and as the
nature and working of moveable shuttle boxes is well understood when
working with different coloured wefts, a workman acquainted with such
classes of machinery will, without more description thereof, readily
apply the same in combination with machinery for weaving terry and
velvet carpets and rugs by power, at the same time working with
Jacquard or figuring machinery. This part of my Invention consisting
of employing two shuttle boxes on either side of the loom, to receive
respectively the thick and thin weft shuttles, the movements of the
shuttle boxes being effected as when weaving with different coloured
wefts.
I will now describe the eighth part of my Invention. Figure 6,
shows so much of a power loom as will enable me to describe this part
of my Invention. a, is the lathe, which is formed with two fixed
shuttle boxes, one above the other, on each side; the part a', of the
lathe, which is under the warp threads, is made capable of rising and
falling, so as to be brought from time to timo into a position
with the upper or lower shuttle boxes, according to the particular
shuttle which is to be inserted. The part a', is caused to rise and fall
in the following manner-b, is a cam on the cam shaft, which gives
motion to the lover c, moving on an axis at c'; the lever c, gives a
rising and falling motion to the part a', of the lathe, by means of the
connecting rod d; the cam b, shown in the drawing, being arranged
for the bottom shuttle to make one pick for every three picks of the
upper shuttle; but this may be varied, the cam b, being altered accord-
ing to the relative number of picks to be made.

page_text: Ifaving thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details as shown and described, so
long as the peculiar character of any part of my Invention is retained.
But what I claim is, first, the application of an additional instrument.
as herein described, to withdraw the wire a short distance. Secondly,
1 claim the giving additional support to the wire, as herein described.
Thirdly, claim the preventing the wires leaving the holder when
being inserted, as herein explained. Fourthly, I claim the forming of
wires for making uncut terry fabrics with a thin turned-up end, as
herein described. Fifthly, I claim the application of a comb in front
of the lathe, to clear the warp threads of the shed. Sixthly, I claim
the laying of the pile of uncut terry fabrics by pressing surfaces, as
herein described. Seventhly. I claim the applying rising and falling
shuttle boxes, suitable to receive shuttles carrying different thicknesses
of weft, in order to insert thicker weft on the back than is on the face
of terry and velvet carpets and rugs. when made by power in con-
bination with Jacquard or figuring machines. Eighthly, I claim the
causing that part of the shuttle race which is below the warp, when
two shuttles are employed, to rise or fall for the support of the shuttle
next to be introduced into the shed, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Collier, have hereunto
set my
hand and scal, this Ninth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
GEORGE COLLIER. (LS.)
Witness, J. G. TONGUE.