IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Alfred Castree, of the City of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 20th July 1866, and dated the 25th January 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION- left by the said John Alfred Castree at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
January 1866..
I; JOHN ALFRED CASTREE, of the City of Manchester, in the County. of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVE
MENTS IN LOOKS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in improved modes or methods of driving or pro-
pelling the shuttle or shuttles across the race of the slay. Instead of the
ordinary under and over picking sticks and tappets, and tappet shaft for
working them, I employ metal or india-rubber springs expanded or contracted
by levers acted upon by the movement of the slay, or by cams or tappets
worked from the crank shaft of the loom. The springs are held by a catch
connected with each shuttle box, which catches are relieved alternately so as
to release the spring or springs on the side from which the shuttle has to be
delivered, or from the sides of the pieces when two or more fabrics are woven

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Alfred Castree in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN ALFRED
'CASTRER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Alfred Castree, Her special license that I, the said John
Alfred Castree, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Alfred Castree, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Alfred Castree, 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 John Alfred Castrée, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the figures on the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon (that is to
say):
-
This Invention consists in improved modes or methods of driving or pro-
pelling the shuttle of a single loom or the shuttles of a double loom across
the race of the slay. Instead of the ordinary under and over picking sticks
and tappets, or tappet shaft for propelling the said shuttle.or shuttles, I

page_text: employ metal or india-rubber springs expanded or contracted by levers acted
upon by the movement of the slay in connection with inclines or cams. The
springs are each held by a spring catch connected with each shuttle box, which
catches are moved alternately at the time required so as to release the spring
on the side from which the shuttle has to be delivered, or from the sides of the
pieces of fabric when two or more pieces are woven at one and the same time,
and this Invention is applicable to both hand and power looms, and also to
looms having drop or revolving shuttle boxes for fancy patterns.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 are front and end
elevations, and Fig. 3 a plan of part of a single shuttle loom provided with
one of my improved modes or methods of propelling the shuttle across the
race of the slay.
a, a, represents the end frames of the loom; b, the crank shaft; c, the
tappet shaft; d, the sword arms; 6, the slay or batten; f, the shuttle boxes;
and g, the shuttle. To each sword arm d I fix two brackets h, i, and joint to
each of the brackets i a lever k, which levers pass through slots in the bottom
of the slay, and carry at the top the pickers 1, and to the said arms d'I also
attach brackets carrying rollers m. To the levers k I connect one end of
springs n having their other ends connected to screws o held in the brackets h,
and the levers & also carry rollers o', which come in contact with one side of
the inclines or cams p when the slay comes forward for the beat up, the
rollers m on the sword arms coming in contact with the other side of the
inclines or cams p at the same time, or one before the other. To the under side
of the slay below each shuttle box is jointed a catch a provided with a spring,
and to the ends of the slay are jointed short arms & so placed that their lower
ends can be made to act upon the catches when required. In guides t fixed
to the end frames there are rods u, each having at one end a roller v, and
their other ends placed in line with the lower ends of the arms s, the said
rods being connected to springs w for giving them return movements.
right angles to the rods u there are vertical rods x working in guides, and
having at the top inclines y in contact with the rollers von the rods u, and to
the rods are jointed the connecting rods z, having their other ends jointed
to cranks a¹ fixed to the tappet shaft c, the said cranks being fixed in opposite
positions for giving up-and-down motion to the rods x alternately in different
directions. At the commencement of working the loom and the slay coming
forward to the front centre the rollers o' on the levers k, and the rollers m on
the sword arms d, come in contact with the inclines or cams p, and force the
levers k and pickers to the outer ends of the shuttle boxes f, the levers first
overcoming the spring catches 2 and then being held by them. When the
At

page_text: slay is moving to the back centré, and just before the shuttle should be pro-
pelled across the race of the slay, one rod x and incline y on the side from
which the shuttle is to be delivered have been moved down by the crank a' on
that side, and given slight movement to the rod u on the same side, so that
when the pick-has to be thrown across, the arms shall come in contact with
the rod u, and turn back the catch q so as to release the lever 'k and allow
the spring n to pull it and the picker with force, and propel the shuttle from the
box on that side to the box on the other side. When the slay comes forward
for enabling the reed to beat up the pick, the lever k which was released is
again forced outwards and held by its catch, and after the pick has been beaten
up and another pick is to be thrown across from the opposite side,' movements
similar to those before described take place on that side of the loom. The
springs connected to the levers k are first stretched, and then propel the shuttle
by their contracting force, but it is evident the action of the springs may be
reversed, that is, the springs may be compressed and exert their power by their
expanding force. In some cases I cause the swells in the shuttle boxes when
moved by the shuttle to act directly or indirectly upon the catches, and when
desired I work the catches 9 by cranks or tappets caused to revolve by a toothed
wheel gearing into another toothed wheel on the crank shaft perfectly inde-
'pendent of the ordinary tappet shaft, and also instead of inclines or cams p
for expanding the springs n and moving the picking levers k outwards, I
employ levers acted upon by some of the working parts of the loom.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Alfred Castree, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six..
JOHN ALFRED CASTREE. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named John Alfred Castree,
in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,.
Manchester.