IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elias Smethurst, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elias Smethurst at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th September 1881.
"
ELIAS SMETHURST, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
This Invention has reference to looms for weaving colored borders to plain or
other fabrics (such, for instance, as "Dhooties"), and is an improvement upon the
apparatus for which Letters Patent were granted to Christopher Cross, No. 1027,
bearing date the 9th day of March, A.D. 1880, the object of my Invention being
to obtain a more steady delivery of the border weft, and at the same time to
materially simplify the mechanism employed in weaving such borders.
I employ a stationary cop held in a shuttle (or by other suitable means), and
fixed in a convenient situation to the side framing of the loom.
The "lap weft" from this cop passes through an eye at the top of a vertical sliding
rod or bar, which has an up and down motion imparted to it by means of a lever
connected to its lower end, which lever is actuated by a link connecting it to a
second lever, which is moved by an excentric on the tappet shaft. Another similar
excentric is keyed on the tappet shaft in the reverse position to the first, and
imparts an up and down motion to a second vertical sliding rod or bar, which is
provided with an arm resting upon the excentric. This rod carries a kind of weft
fork which, as it rises and falls continually bears gently upon the lap weft, which
passes beneath it and over the face of a plate in which slots are cut, and which is
provided at either side with guiding eyes to keep the lap weft in position.
This plate is fixed on the top of a light vertical sliding rod, and when the lap
weft is unbroken it is depressed by each downward motion of the before named
weft fork, and the lower end of the sliding rod actuates a weigh beam and stop
motion similar to those described by the inventor cited above.

page_text: But when the lap weft is broken or slackened by the breakage of the ordinary
weft of the main cloth the weft fork does not depress the sliding rod, but passes
through the slots in the plate, thereby allowing the hook of the weigh beam to catch
against its vibrating hammer and stop the loom.
It will be observed that as the lap weft fork is depressed and consequently
bearing down upon the lap-weft, while the delivery rod or bar (which is situated
between it and the cop) is rising and unwinding the lap weft, the tension on the
said lap weft between the fork and the woven cloth is constant and never strained
by the motion of the delivery rod or bar.
As the lap weft goes to the shuttle race it is passed through an eye at the upper
end of a light sliding bar at the back of the slay, which bar is suitably connected
to one of the treadles of the loom and receives an up and down motion there-
from, thus communicating the desired shedding motion to the "lap weft "and
causing it to loop or "lap" round the main weft of the piece.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Elias Smethurst in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd March
1882.
ELIAS SMETHURST, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster.
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
"
IMPROVEMENTS
This Invention has reference to looms for weaving colored borders to plain or
other fabrics (such as "Dhooties"), and is an improvement upon the apparatus for
which Letters Patent were granted to Christopher Cross, No. 1027, bearing datė
the 9th day of March, A.D. 1880, the object of my Invention being to obtain a
more steady delivery of the border weft, and at the same time to materially simplify
the mechanism employed in weaving such borders.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood
I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked
the same with Figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in thé.
following explanation thereof.
:
3
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing is a sectional view of so much of a loom as is
necessary to illustrate the application of my Invention thereto. a, a, is part of
the framing of the loom; b, b, the lathe ; c, c, the crank shaft; and d, d, the tappet
shaft.
I employ a stationary cop held in a shuttle as at e, e, (or by any other suitable
means) and fixed in a convenient situation to the side framing of the loom. The
lap-weft f, f, from this cop passes through an eye g at the top of a vertical sliding
rod or bar h, h, which has an up and down motion imparted to it by means of a
lever i, i, upon which its lower end rests, which lever is actuated by a link k, k,
connecting it to a second lever 1, 1, moved by an excentric or cam m, m, on the
tappet shaft d, d.
Another similar excentric or cain m³, m³, is keyed on the said tappet shaft in the
reverse position to the first, and imparts an up and down motion to a second
vertical sliding rod or bar h¹, h¹, which is provided with an arm U, U, resting on the
excentric or cam m¹, m¹.
This rod h', h', (see enlarged views, Figs. 2 and 3) carries a kind of weft fork n, n,
which as it rises and falls continually bears gently upon the lap-weft f. f, which
passes beneath it and over the face of a plate o, o, in which slots are cut, and
which is provided at either side with guiding eyes p, p, to keep the lap-weft f, f, in
position.
This plate o, o, is fixed on the top of a light vertical sliding rod q, q, and when
the lap weft is unbroken it is depressed by each downward motion of the before-
mentioned weft fork n, n, and the lower end of the sliding rod 1, h¹, actuates a
weigh beam r, r, and stop motion similar to those described in the Specification of
the Letters Patent above cited.
But when the lap-weft f, f, is broken or slackened by the breakage of the
ordinary weft of the main cloth, the weft fork n, n, does not depress the sliding
rod h, h, but passes through the slots in the plate o, o, thereby allowing the
book of the weigh-beam r, r, to catch against its vibrating haminer and stop the
loom.
•
It will be observed that as the lap-weft fork n, n, is depressed and consequently
bearing down upon the lap-weft, while the delivery rod or bar h, h, (which is
situated between it and the cop) is rising and unwinding the lap-weft, the tension

page_text: on the said lap-weft between the fork n, n, and the woven cloth is constant and
never strained by the motion of the delivery rod or bar h, h.
Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a modification of this weft fork motion, wherein the
positions of the weft fork m, n, and the slotted plate o, o, are reversed; the eyes p, p,
for guiding the lap weft are formed in the fork instead of in the plate, and the lap
weft passes under the latter instead of over the same.
As the lap-weft goes to the shuttle race it is passed through an eye at the upper
end of a light sliding bar 8, 8, at the back of the slay b, b, at each side of the loom
(see Fig. 6), which bars are connected by light levers t, t, to one of the treadles u, u,
of the loom, and receive an up and down motion therefrom thus communicating the
desired shedding motion to the "lap weft" and causing it to loop or "lap” round
the main weft of the cloth.
The tappet of the weft motion is so timed that the lap weft is not held between
the fork and the slotted plate during the opening of the shed which prevents
breakage of the said lap-weft.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention the novel
and peculiar arrangement of mechanism for actuating the lap-weft in looms for
weaving colored borders, as herein before more particularly described and illustrated
by the Drawings annexed; and
Secondly. I claim the apparatus shown and described for stopping the loom
whenever the weft thread is broken or otherwise absent, or when it becomes too
slack; and
Thirdly. I claim the apparatus shown and described for shedding the lap weft.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elias Smethurst, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
SMAMTIDST