CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Whitaker Collins, of Buckingham
Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Scaled the 8th September 1853, and dated the 21st March 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Whitaker
Collins at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 21st March 1853.
I, WILLIAM WHITAKER COLLINS, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad, to be as
follows:--
It consists in the arrangement of self-acting machinery, by which
the tissues or textures are woven in a circular form resembling tubes,
and in order to accomplish which my Invention performs the following
operations :-
1st. The loom as arranged to take up a number of warps in such a
manner as to admit of them running off again successively during the

page_text: process of weaving; the necessary tension, however, being still main-
tained.
2ndly. The placing the warps alternately above and below the weft
threads, and carry them alternately and ultimately to that part where
they are joined to one another.
3rdly. The loom takes up the spooled weft thread so as to admit of
its running off again during the process of weaving, the tension being
maintained in order to join the warps.
The spooled weft thread is placed in the machine in such a manner
as to make it pass above and below the warps respectively, thus forming
conjointly the required shape of the woven tissue or texturo resembling
tubes.
The joined tissue or texture is removed by the machine at a speed
which can be regulated at pleasure.
The claim is for a loom which weaves in a running circular form, in-
stead of in straight lines, by which a new character is given to various
descriptions of woven fabrics.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Whitaker Collins, in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 20th September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM WHITAKER COLLINS, of Buckingham Street, Adelphi, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the s
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 William Whitaker
Collins, Her special licence, that I, the said William Whitaker
Collins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Whitaker Collins, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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,

page_text: 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," being a communication to me by a foreigner
residing abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Whitaker Collins, 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 William Whitaker Collins, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
My Invention of certain Improvements in looms for weaving consists
in the application of certain improvements to that description of looms
known as circular looms, by which various kinds of manufactured
articles are produced, having the warps and wefts laid alternately, or
interwoven with each other, and which will readily be understood by
referring to the accompanying drawings, marked respectively Sheets 1,
2, 3, and 4. On Sheet No. 1, is a perspective view, drawn to half the
full size; the remaining sheets exhibit views of details drawn to full
size, except the diagram Figure 26, on Sheet No. 4, which is drawn to
half size, which shows the direction of the warps and position of the
bobbins. The various letters and figures of reference indicate the same
parts throughout.
The loom consists of three principal subdivisions, which are repre-
sented in the perspective view Sheet No. 1, the upper portion being the
spooling frame, or support for the warp bobbins; the next or middle
part, whence the manufactured product is delivered; and the lower part,
the plates upon which the weaving machinery is fixed.
The warps, which in this case are eighty in number, are brought
down and pass between guides or levers, which are alternately elevated
and depressed; the wefts, which in the present case are two in number,

page_text: are made to revolve in a horizontal circular plane, by which (in con-
junction with the alternate motion of the warps) the weaving is
accomplished.
In Sheet No. 2, Figure 1, represents a section; and Figure 2, a plan
of the lower part, which contains the weaving machinery, which consists 5
(as seen in Figure 1,) of three Plates, D, E, and F. The Plate D, is
fixed to and kept apart by means of the bolts marked a, and columns 6.
The two lower Plates E, and F, are connected with each other by
three feet, having a free space between them to allow for the wheels G,
and II, with their necessary supports. The wheel C, which receives 1
motion by any ordinary means, gears with the pinion II, which is fixed
on the vertical or main shaft I. To the main shaft I, the wheel J, is
fixed, which has an eccentric groove marked c, on its upper surface, as
seen in the half plan in Figure 3, Sheet 3.
On the Plate D, are projections on the upper and under surface, as 1
seen in Sheet No. 2, those on the upper surface consist of ten pairs
marked K, and K', placed equidistant from the central axis of the
loom in the spaces between each pair of projections the warp guides d,
and, move. The projections K, K', are so arranged as to form, on
the top surface, portions of a circular groove, in which the weft frames
move; the portion of the frame which fits in this groove is made of
sufficient length to enter one groove before leaving the other, and is in-
dicated by the dotted lines on Figure 2, and has a spur segment, Figure 44,
Sheet 3, which is acted upon at all times by two spur pinions, one
taking on before the other is left off; there are ten of these pinions,
marked e, fixed on the upper parts of the spindles f, motion being given
to them from the wheel J, working into the pinions fixed to the lower
end of the spindles marked f. On the under side of the Plate D, there
are projections, marked g, to serve as supports or bearings for the
spindles, marked h, on which the lever L, is fixed. It will be seen, by
reference to the drawing, that by the revolution of the eccentric groovec,
the levers L, (of which there are ten) vibrate and communicate, by
incans of the connecting rods M, and N, a rising and falling motion to
the levers or warp guides d, d', which have fulcrums a', between projec-
tious on the top of the Plate D.

page_text: Having now described the general construction of the loon or weav-
ing machine, I will now proceed to explain its mode of operation.
The warps, which in this case are eighty in number, descend from
the spools or bobbins in the direction shewn by the red lines in Fig. 1',
Sheet 1, to the centre of the machine, and pass over a guide of the size
adapted to the description of material to be woven the warps are
shewn by thin red lines. The weft bobbins are in this case two in
number, and the wefts passing from them are shewn by thick red lines,
also tending to the centre. It may be here remarked that two weft
bobbins are absolutely necessary; and for manufacturing some descrip-
tion of material more than two are requisite. Now, it will be seen that
by the alternate rising and falling of the warp guides, the weft is, by
means of its rotation, interwoven with the warp. Each lever L, operates
upon eight warp guides, causing every other one of these guides to be
alternately elevated and depressed, one weft being on one side of the
machine, over the warp guides marked d, and under those marked d';
and on the other side of the machine over those marked d', and under
those marked d.
To ensure uniformity of tension on the warps, levers and weights
are applied, as seen on plan in Figure 5, and in elevation in Figure 6,
on Sheet 4. At one end of the lever marked i, a small open ring j, is
fixed, which receives the thread (in the manufacture of silk fabrics glass
is preferred for this purpose); a small weight marked k, is fixed to the
other end of this lever. The axis to this lever is formed by a bent wire,
marked ; this wire operates at two intervals, viz., the part marked 7,
serves as an axis to the part marked i; and that marked , serves at
the next interval as axis to the lever marked m, and limits also the
motion of the lever marked i. The lever marked m, presses with its
foremost end on the angular edge of the spool n, in proportion to
the weight fixed on the other end of the same, and thus serves as a
brake.
The lever marked i, with its weighted arm, passes under the lever m,
so that the part which constitutes the brake is relieved when necessary,
and thereby any inequality of tension corrected. It is obvious that the
weights would be regulated according to the nature of the material

page_text: manufacture; it may, however, be well to observe that the weight o,
should never be so light as to cause the spool to let go the thread before
the lever i has lifted up the weight o.
The contrivance by which the loom takes up the spooled weft threads
in such a manner as to allow of them being delivered during the process
of weaving, and at the same time maintain the necessary tension to join
the warps, is shown in
Sheet 3, in which Figure 7 represents
"
an elevation, and Figure 8, a plan of the weft bobbin bearers.
The bow marked p, is united to the piece q, in an oblique direction.
The axis r, of the weft bobbins, revolves in bearings in the arms
marked t, as seen in the drawings; to this the sheave or disc w, is fixed.
The extremities of the bow are smoothly indented, as best seen on the
plan Figure 2. Sheet 2. When the weft thread is withdrawn from the
spool during the process of weaving, any extreme tension tends to open
one portion of the bow, and thus release the disc or sheaven, which is
fixed to the bobbin 8, the amount of the tension being regulated by the
spring marked e, fixed to the piece y.
The mode adopted for delivering the manufactured article is shewn
in Sheet 4, as well as on Sheet 1, and which is applied only in cases
when the fabric is of a braid or ribbon-like nature, and capable of being
equably recled off.
At the top of the upright spindle w, a small worm is fixed which
works into a small worm wheel a, fixed to the horizontal shaft 3, which
revolves in bearings attached to the frame, which is united to the
under side of the Plate P, of the loom, and which is partly shewn so
as to render this motion more intelligible. On the shaft y, is a toothed
wheel Q, which gears into a wheel of somewhat smaller diameter fixed
to the horizontal spindle or shaft marked R. At the opposite end of
the horizontal shaft y, a pulley marked S, is fixed, having its periphery
serrated (the edges, however, are smooth), each alternate tooth being
set in contrary directions, and thus forms a groove, the revolution of
which draws out the manufactured article without the possibility of its
slipping off. At the opposite end to that already referred to of the
horizontal shaft R, is a roller T, which bears upon a smaller roller
marked U. Motion is communicated to the smaller roller by means of

page_text: spur pinions, as shewn, and a slight pressure is given to the manufac-
tured article which passes between these rollers by means of a spiral
spring.
The material is conducted from the centre of the loom over guide
pullies towards the serrated pulley, from thence between the roller
marked T, and V, and removed to any convenient place.
Having now described the nature of my Invention of certain im-
provements in looms for weaving, I wish it to be understood that what
I claim as the invention communicated to me by a foreigner residing
abroad is, the principle of weaving in a horizontal circular plane by
means of two or more wefts, as before described; also the mode of
maintaining the tension of the warps and wefts, as well as the mode of
delivering the manufactured article, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Whitaker Collins, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentienth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-three.
WILLIAM WHITAKER COLLINS. (L.S.)