CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING FABRICS COMPOSED WHOLLY OR IN PART OF WOOLLEN, WORSTED, COTTON, LINEN, SILK, OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY AND IMPLEMENTS FOR AND METHOD OF WORKING THE SAME
Year: 1823

page_text: STANSFELD, BRIGGS, PRICHARD, & BARRACLOUGH'S
SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
WOLRICH STANSFELD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Worsted Manufac-
turer, HENRY BRIGGS, of Luddendenfoot, in the Parish of Halifax, in the said
County, Worsted Manufacturer, WILLIAM PRICHARD, of Leeds aforesaid,
Engineer, and WILLIAM BARBACLOUGH, of Bierley, in the Parish of Leeds
aforesaid, Worsted Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster,
the Fifth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and twenty-three, in the
fourth year of His reign, give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Wolrich
Stansfeld, Henry Briggs, William Prichard, and William Barraclough, our
exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that we, the said Thomas Wolrich Stansfeld, Henry Briggs,
William Prichard, and William Barraclough, our exors, admors, and assigns,
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING FABRICS COMPOSED WHOLLY OR IN PART OF WOOLLEN,
WORSTED, COTTON, LINEN, SILK, OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY
AND IMPLEMENTS FOR AND METHOD OF WORKING THE SAME;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that if we, the said Thomas
Wolrich Stansfeld, Henry Briggs, William Prichard, and William Barra-
clough, or one of us, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by

page_text: an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all
liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease,
determine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Thomas Wolrich Stansfeld, Henry Briggs, William Prichard, and William
Barraclough, do hereby declare that the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof (that is to say) :-
-
The first of our said improvements consists in an improved combination and
arrangement of machinery or implements for the purpose of communicating a
revolving motion to the yarn beam or yarn roller of looms to effect the giving
out or unwinding of the yarn or warp therefrom in proportion as it may be
required for producing the cloth or fabric.
The second of our said improvements consists in the employment in the
working of such looms of certain cylinders or rollers for the purpose of
unwinding and delivering the yarn or warp from the yarn beam or yarn roller
of looms in a regular and uniform manner, and with a continuous rotary
movement, or by a rotary movement communicated to it at intervals. The
said cylinders or rollers we denominate, for distinction, delivering cylinders.
The third of our said improvements consists in the employment of certain
machinery or implements for the purpose of keeping the threads or yarns of
the warp in a proper degree of tension when they are not seperated or formed
into a shed, and of relieving or slackening the warp at proper intervals
sufficiently to admit of the seperation being made to produce the shed without
occasioning an unnecessary degree of strain upon the warp.
Fig. 1 upon the Sheet of Drawings which is hereunto annexe represents
an end elevation of the framing and some of the principal parts of a loom,
such as is usually denominated a power loom. The supports for the centers
of the wheelwork are supposed to be in part removed, for the purpose of
explaining our improvements more clearly.
Figure 2 represents a longitudinal elevation of the same loom, supposed to
be taken at the back thereof.
Figure 8 represents part of the framing of a loom, with the chief parts of
the machinery supposed to be removed, in order to explain the manner of
applying our said delivering cylinder.

page_text: Note, the Figures are drawn to a scale of about one inch and a half to the
foot.
A, Figures 1 and 2, represents the yarn beam or roller. It is supported
upon pivots at its extremities, turning in two fixed brackets 4, 4, as seen in
Fig. 2. One end of the yarn beam has a cog wheel B fixed upon it, which
engages with the teeth of a pinion c, the axis of which turns upon pivots in
two small brackets fixed to the cross rail 5, 5, of the framing, as seen in
Fig. 2. This axis has a ratchet wheel & fixed upon it, by the side of the
pinion c. The ratchet weel d is adapted to be moved round slowly by the
operation of one or more palls or clicks, which are fixed upon a center in the
side of an arm or lever h, i. The end i of this lever moves upon a center in a
fixed bracket projecting from the cross rail 5, 5, and the other end has an
oblong slit or groove formed in it, and is connected by a link or arm k with
the small excentric circle m, which is firmly fixed upon the tappet shaft n.
Thus every time that the said tappet shaft performs one revolution it will, by
means of the excentric m and link k, cause the lever h, i, to move once up and
down, and by the clicks or palls will turn the ratchet wheel & and yarn
beam A round, so as to give out or unwind a portion of yarn or warp
therefrom. The degree or extent of movement which will require to be thus
communicated to the yarn beam (so as to give out the warp in a proper
manner) will be constantly varying by reason of the decreasing diameter of
the said yarn beam, from the warp being wound from off its circumference.
This variable movement is effected in the following manner :-o, p, represent
an arm or lever which moves upon a fixed center pin at q. The uppermost
end o of this lever is made broad, as seen in Fig. 2, and is adapted to bear
continually in contact with the surface of the warp upon the yarn beam
being pressed or drawn sufficiently against it; by the action of a small cord r,r,
and weight t, which is fastened to the said lever above the center q, the cord
r, r, performs an entire turn round the pulley z upon the axis of the ratchet
wheel d, then descends, and has the weight t attached to it. The lower
end p of the lever o,p, is connected by a rod or link with the center pin of
the arm of the excentric m before mentioned. Thus, in proportion as the
diameter of the yarn beam diminishes by the warp being wound off it, the
upper end o of the lever o,p, will approach the center of the yarn beam, and
the lower end 2 will consequently be moved outwards, and by its rod v
will draw the pin of the arm along in the groove before mentioned,' in
the lever h, towards the center i of the said lever, so that the motion
of the excentric m will cause the lever h, i, to move up and down
through a greater space, which will by means of the clicks or palls

page_text: move the ratchet wheel d round a greater number of teeth at each revolution
of the excentric m, and by the lengths of various levers being properly
adjusted and proportioned according to the diameter of the warp beam when
full or empty the warp may be caused to be given out equally, whether the yarn
beam be full of warp or nearly empty. The ordinary parts of the loom which
are represented in the Drawing will be sufficiently understood by persons con-
versant with such works, without our entering into a detailed description of
them. We will therefore only mention them in a brief manner as follows:-
H represents the driving or fast and loose pulleys upon the end of the crank
shaft I, which has tho fly wheel K fixed upon its opposite extremity.
L shews the connecting rods proceeding from the cranks to the lay M, which
moves upon a center at N, and is supposed to be furnished with the usual
appendages of reed, shuttle, stopping apparatus, &c. P represents the heddles,
which are caused to move up and down by the tappets Q, seen in Figure 2.
These tappets are fixed upon one end of the tappet shaft n, which receives its
motion by a cog wheel w and pinion of three to one, the said pinion being
fixed upon one end of the crank shaft. R shews the picking arm or lever for
throwing the shuttle. It is moved backwards and forwards at the proper
intervals by the straps S, S, and rods a, a, from the pecking tappets T, which
are fitted upon the end of the tappet shaft n, so as to turn round freely and
independently of the said shaft, the picking tappets T being moved round by a
cog wheel, which is firmly fixed upon a boss or tube by the side of the said
tappets, working into a pinion of one half its diameter upon the end of the
crank shaft. V represents the roller over which the warp passes in its passage
from the yarn beam A to the heddles, and then over the breast beam W to
the cloth roller or cloth beam X, which is adapted to take up or wind the
cloth or fabric upon its circumference as fast as it is produced. This may bo
effected in any of the ways which are at present known and practised for the
purpose of taking up the cloth or fabric in looms.
We will explain, by reference to the Figure 3 upon the Drawing, a con-
venient manner of applying our said delivering cylinder to a loom. A repre-
sents the yarn beam, which is mounted upon pivots at its extremities in the
ordinary manner. B shews the delivering cylinder, which is made of wood,
metal, or other suitable material; it is mounted upon pivots at its extremities,
which are adapted to slide backwards and forwards in grooves or slots in fixed
brackets of the framing, as seen by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. The delivering
cylinder is made of such length as to enter between the end plates or flanges
of the yarn beam, and rest with its circumference in contact with the surface
of the warp upon the yarn beam, and its surface is either made smooth and

page_text: even, or it may sometimes be slightly ribbed or fluted in the direction of its
length. in order to apply and hold better against the warp. The delivering
cylinder has a worm wheel c fixed upon one end of it, which engages with the
threads of a worm or endless screw D, upon the axis of which is fixed another
worm wheel E, which engages with the threads of a worm or endless screw F
fixed upon the tappet shaft n. By this connexion of wheelwork the rotary
motion of the tappet shaft n communicates a slow and continuous rotary motion
to the delivering cylinder, which, by its circumference being pressed in contact
with the surface of the warp upon the yarn beam, causes a uniform and regular
delivery of the warp to take place, which delivery will depend entirely upon
the velocity with which the circumference of the delivering cylinder moves,
whether the yarn beam be full of warp or nearly empty. The delivering
cylinder is caused to move towards the center of the yarn beam in proportion as
the warp upon the surface of the same diminishes in diameter by means of
curved levers similar to what is seen at a, b, which move upon a center at a in
a fixed bracket of the framing. There are two of these curved levers, one at
each end, which are adapted to bear against the pivots of the delivering
cylinder. The lower extremities of the levers a, b, are formed to a hook, and
have cords h fastened to them, which cords, after making an entire turn round
the ends of the yarn beam, descend, and have weights k attached to them.
These weights always tend to press the circumference of the delivering
cylinder into close contact with the surface of the warp upon the yarn beam,
at the same time the cords h are adapted to create a sufficient degree of
resistance to the motion of the yarn beam. The endless worm D is made
sufficiently long to prevent the worm wheel c from getting out of gear when
the delivering cylinder slides backwards and forwards to approach or recede
from the yarn beam.
We will describe a convenient manner of carrying our third improvement
into effect by reference to the Figures 1, 2, & 3 upon the annexed Drawing.
In the Figures 1 & 2 the position of the various parts is represented at the
period when the yarns of the warp are relieved or slackened for the purpose of
seperating them to make the shed, and in Figure 3 the various parts are
shewn in in a proper position to keep the yarns of the warp in a requisite
state of tension during the period that the yarns of the
warp are not seperated.
It consists of two small rollers or rounded rods, marked 6 and 7. The one
marked 6 lies beneath, and is borne up against the under side of the warp by
the aid of springs or weights, so as to be capable of yielding downwards in a
slight degree. The other roller or rounded rod, marked 7, extends across
immediately above the surface of the warp (as seen in Figure 2), and is

page_text: attached by joints at its extremities to the uppermost ends of two links
marked 8. The lower ends of these links are attached to short arms or
levers 9, which move on a center or axis 10, turning in fixed brackets of the
framing. This axis has curved arms 11 projecting from it on the opposite
side, which curved arms are operated upon by small excentric camms or
tappets 12, fixed upon the crank shaft I, as represented in the Figures 1 and 3.
Thus the revolving motion of the crank shaft and tappets 12 causes the curved
arms 11 to move upwards, and by the connection above described the roller or
rounded rod 7 will be drawn downwards so as to bend the warp over the
roller or rod 6, and thereby keep the warp in a proper state of tension when
the shed is not required to be made, as represented by the Figure 3; but as
soon as the crank shaft n has turned round and arrived at the part where the
shed is required to be made, the points of the tappets 12 quit the curved
arms 11, and suffer the roller or rounded rod 7 to be thrown upwards by its
small spiral springs upon the links 8, as seen in the Figures; or, if desired, the
roller or rod 7 might be caused to rise up by the action of a weight applied to
the extremity of the curved arms 11, so that the said roller or rod would
become clear above the surface of the warp, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, which
will relieve or slacken the warp sufficiently to produce the shed without
straining the warp in any material degree.
We have now described a convenient and advantageous manner of carrying
our said Invention into effect, by describing it with reference to the annexed
Drawings in such a manner as to enable persons conversant with works of a
similar nature to put it in practice. And we do hereby declare that the only
parts or combinations of parts of the machinery or implements herein-before
described, the arrangement and application of which we consider to be new as
regards looms for weaving fabrics composed wholly or in part of worsted,
cotton, linen; flax, silk, or other materials are as follows:-
First, the improved combination and arrangement of machinery or imple-
ments, as herein-before described, by reference to the Figure 1 upon the
annexed Drawing for the purpose of giving out or unwinding the warp from
off the circumference of the yarn beam. The parts to effect this improvement,
which we consider to be new, and which have not been before used for
the giving out of the warp in looms, are the excentric m, the connecting link
or arm k, and lever h, i.
Secondly, the employment of the delivery cylinder marked B in the Figure 3
which we consider to be new, as regards its use, in the delivering out of the
warp in looms, and which has either a continuous rotary motion or a rotary
motion at intervals communicated to it by means of a train of wheelwork, a

page_text: ratchet wheel, an excentric or other similar contrivance, the circumference of
the said delivering cylinder being caused by the operation of the curved
arms a, b, cord h, and weight k, to bear continually in contact with the surface
of the warp upon the yarn beam, so as thereby to turn the yarn beam round,
and deliver or give out the yarn regularly.
Thirdly, the employment of one or more rollers or rounded rods, as described
by the numbers 6 and 7 in the Figures upon the Drawing, some of which
rollers or rods are placed below and others above the warp, and have motions
communicated to them by excentrics or other suitable mechanism for the
purpose of tightening and relieving the warp in the making of the shed so as
to prevent unnecessary strain upon the warp.
The parts which we consider to be new in this improvement, as applied to
the tightening and relieving of the warp in looms for the purpose aforesaid
are as follows:-The rollers or rounded rods 6 and 7, the links 8, the arm or
lever 9, 10, and 11, and the excentric or tappet 12, observing that the form
and proportions of the different parts of the said machinery may be varied
according to the discretion of the workman employed in manufacturing the
same, or according to the nature of the fabric which the loom may be intended
to weave; the materials of which the different parts of the said machinery may
be made may also be varied according to the circumstances of the case without
departing from the object of our Invention, as herein-before described and set
forth.