IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Carter Ramsden, of Bradford, in the
County of York, Stuff Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 8th July 1853, and dated the 30th March 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carter
Ramsden at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 30th March 1853.
I, JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bradford, in the County of York,
Stuff' Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS POR WEAVING " to be as follows:
In an arrangement of machinery or apparatus by which I am enabled
to weave alternately plain and figured work in the same piece of goods.
This I accomplish by placing a series of treadles in a rocking frame.
To one end of each of these treadles the proper heald is attached, and
the other ends are brought over a series of tappets placed upon a
horizontal shaft. This shaft has a wheel upon one end, which works into
another at the end of the main tappet shaft. Upon this shaft suitable
tappets for weaving plain work are placed, so as to slide upon a fixed

page_text: key. When it is requisite to weave figured parts of the goods, the
treadles on the rocking frame are brought to work in contact with the
tappets for any given period, and then by suitable mechanism they are
removed, and the tappets on the main tappet shaft for weaving plain
goods are instantly brought into action. And by this means, goods
having alternately plain and figured portions may be woven, and by a
change in the tappets or treadles I can also weave goods with different
figured portions alternately succeeding each other, or different figured
and plain portions succeeding each other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Carter Ramsden, in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 29th September 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bradford, in the County of York, Stuff Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Ier reign, did, for Ierself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Carter Ramsden, Her especial licence,
that I, the said John Carter Ramsden, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Carter Ramsden, 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, au Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Carter Ramsden, by an instrument in writing under my
band 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

page_text: six calendar inonths next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Carter Ramsden, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say):
My Invention relates to an arrangement of mechanism by which
that class of fabrics can be woven by power looms, the patterns or
figures of which are produced by changes in the order of succession in
which the leaves of the healds are risen or depressed to form the
"sheds," or such as are produced by the hand-loom weaver by changing
the order or succession of treading from one to another; such as from
plain to what will produce tweel, from regular to reverse, or from
regular to broken tweel, or changes which will produce reverses of the
"flushing" of the warp and weft. Such fabrics have been hitherto
woven in power looms by means of a jacquard machine. Now it is well
known that fabrics continuously plain, or "regular" or "broken" tweels,
are woven by tappets or cams, and that various changes could be made
in the same piece by detaching one set of tappets and replacing them
by gearing a different set of tappets or cams whenever such change was
required; but to do this much time would be lost, especially when
such changes were required frequently. My Invention consists in
arranging and gearing as many sets of "tappets" or "cams' as are
necessary to produce the required changes, or which are necessary for
different divisions of .healds, and in geering them in such manner
that I can render any of them operative or inoperative at pleasure,
or for any fixed duration or order, by self-acting mechanism. The
advantages of this mechanism over that hitherto in use for weaving
the class of fabrics referred to are these: first, an economy in the first
cost of the machinery; second, less cost in working or producing
changes of patterns; and lastly, which is most important, there is a
larger production from the loom, as it is well known that the same
speed cannot be obtained in the jacquard loom as in looms where
the healds are worked by tappets or "cams." The manner
in which I render the "cams'
19
"
or
tappets
."
operative or inope-

page_text: rative is, by arranging them on the shaft which gives motion to
them so that they will slide upon it, and a key fixed to carry them
round. By this arrangement they may be brought opposite the bowls on
the treadles, and thus brought in operation, or slided along the shaft so
as not to come in contact with them, and thus be rendered inoperative.
By this arrangement the same "cams" or "tappets" may be made to
operate upon different sets of treadles, or otherwise the fulcrums of the
treadles may be placed on a shaft in a frame, or on an arm which will
vibrate or oscillate; by which means, when the treadles are required in
operation, the frame or arm is made to bring the ends of the treadles
in contact, so as to be operated upon by the "tappets" or "cams;" and
when not required in operation, the frame or arm is moved back, so as
to be out of contact with the treadles; or otherwise different sets of
tappets may be brought to operate upon the same set of treadles, by
combining the two methods already described, that is, by arranging the
treadles sufficiently apart to allow room between each for the tappets
intended to operate upon each treadle, and by mounting the treadles on
a frame or arm, as before described, so that when a change is required
the treadles may be moved out of contact, and the tappets slided on the
shaft so as to bring the tappets required opposite the treadles, which
must then be brought into contact with them; or the treadles and
tappets may be arranged as just described, except that the tappets are
fixed on the shaft, and the treadles have the sliding motion on the axis,
so as to bring them opposite the tappets which are intended to operate
upon them, as well as the motion which brings them in and out of
contact, so that they may slide or move sideways without coming in
contact with the sides of any of the "tappets." By these arrangements
it will be obvious, that as the "tappets" and "cains" are never dis-
connected with the driving power, that they will always act upon the
treadles so as to form the shed at the proper time when brought in
contact, as by the arrangement described, when they are not required,
their action is only rendered inoperative so far as regards the forming
of the "shed." It will be readily understood that by lovers, connecting
rods, and handles, each set of tappets or cams may be brought into or
out of operation at pleasure, or that the changes may be effected by

page_text: self-acting mechanism, such as a wheel or disc, which revolves once for
each repeat of the pattern, having upon its face raised or depressed
surfaces, or indentations, or pins, which will act upon levers, by which
the "tappets" or "cams" are brought in or out of contact with the
treadles in the order required, the indentations or surfaces extending over
arcs of the wheel corresponding to the length required to be woven
during the operation of each set of tappets.
Having now given a general idea of the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which it is to be performed, I will now proceed to describe par-
ticularly the manner in which I carry it into effect, with the assistance of
the drawings annexed hereto, premising, before proceeding further, that
the same letters and figures of reference are employed to denote similar
parts in each of the figures. The drawings shew so much of the parts
of a loom as will be necessary to explain my Invention and its applica-
tion; Fig. 1, being a plan view of the loom below the healds; Fig. 2,
an end, and Fig. 3, a front view, and Fig. 4, an enlarged side view of
the self-acting apparatus for effecting the changes of pattern, or bringing
the different sets of cams or tappets in and out of operation. A, framing
of the loom; B, warp beam; C, crank shaft; D, cloth beam; E, tappet
or cam shaft; F, fancy tappet shaft; G, the healds.
There are
sixteen leaves of healds shewn; and, for the purpose of illustration,
I will suppose that they are arranged to weave a fabric with stripes
which are alternately changed, the plain parts to tweel, and the tweel
to plain. They are mounted in a manner commonly in use, that is,
springs (g) are used (india-rubber in this case) to bring down each
leaf to the position in which it is required, to form the lower part of
the shed when the leaf is not acted upon by the treadle, which only
rise the leaves. Each leaf is suspended and acted upon by cords
(g), which pass over the pulleys g', and to one of the treadles J,
or K, in the division to which it belongs; these treadles work the
tweel or fancy parts, eight of the leaves containing one part of the warp,
and eight the remaining parts. The two divisions are divided into two
parts of four leaves each. The four leaves of each of these divisions
are attached by cords to the levers g*, g³, g, g', and these are con-
nected by cords with the treadles (e, e, es, e), which work the healds

page_text: to weave the plain parts of the fabric. They are worked by the cams
a', e, and e, e', which are of the ordinary form, but they are made so
as to slide upon the shaft E, on fixed keys o, e, the boss of each set
being provided with grooves e, eª, in which the prongs of the forged T
levers I, and L, take, which they are slided backwards and forwards
on the shaft, after the manner of the "clutch box;" the cams act upon
the bowls e, e, eº, 6', on the treadles (which have their centres fixed to
the framing at e, ef, in the usual manner; the tappet shaft E, makes
one revolution every two" picks;" on the end of it is keyed the
wheel E', which takes into the wheel E. On the tappet shaft F, there
are eight tappets f', f', shewn to the round; therefore, as is well known,
the shaft must make one-eighth of a revolution for each pick. The
tappet shaft F, works in bearings f, fixed to the framing a, which is
secured to the side framing of the loom A. The treadles have their
axles upon shafts J, K', the ends of which are carried by the
arms J, K, centred on the framing at J, K³; the ends of the treadles are
bent downwards, as shewn, and each carry a bowl. The arms K, and
J, are continued upwards beyond the axis of the treadles, and jointed
with rods K, J, which connect them each with an lever K, Jo, the
axis of both being carried upon a stud a', fixed in a bracket secured
to the framing a. The forked T levers L, L, for moving the
cams o¹, e, e, c', in and out of contact with the bowls of the treadles,
have their axis upon studs l', and ', fixed on the cross stays of the
loom; one of the arms (1, and 1º,) of each of the forked levers is jointed
with rods 3, and 1, which connect them with the levers, 1** with K,
and with J. Any ordinary mechanic would easily and readily fix
and connect the levers with handles, by which the tappets or cams
could be brought in and out of contact; but for patterns which require
frequent changes it will be advantageous to effect this by self-acting
mechanism, apparatus for which purpose is shewn applied to the loom,
and by an enlarged detached side view at Fig. 4. II, is an axis, upon
which (what I call) the pattern wheel h, is fixed; it is a plain disc,
having holes drilled all round its edge, into some of which pegs are
fixed on each side of the disc or wheel (according to the changes
required in the pattern) which force and keep back the bowls h', fixed

page_text: in the levers h, which are centred on the framing at h³. Keyed on the
shaft H, is also the wheel h', which gears into an intermediate
wheel 5, which takes into a pinion on the shaft h, that revolves in a
fixing h, secured to the framing. On the other end of the shaft ho, is
a ratchet wheels. I, is the fulcrum or lower part of the frame of the
lay; to this two arms are secured, which partake of its motion. Into the
slotted end of one of these levers i, a pin takes, fixed in the end of a
lever i', which has its fulcrum i, secured to a bracket from the framing
at it; the other end of this lever is jointed to a pawl i³, which acts upon
the ratchet wheel hs; another pawl h, which is fixed on a pin secured
to the framing at h", takes into the ratchet wheel h³, to prevent it
from going back. The other arm m, which is fixed to the axis frame of
the slay I, has also a pawl m³, jointed to its end, which takes on to the
edge of the pattern wheel. The upper ends of the levers 7, and h**,
are jointed by connecting rods 15, and 1, with the arms 1º, 1", of the
T levers L; and vulcanized india-rubber or other springs 1', 1', are attached
to the framing or other fixed part, and to the jointed end of the arms, 1, 1º,
which have power sufficient to bring back the levers when the pins on
the sides of the pattern wheel are not acting upon the bowls in the
levers h, h. The drawing exhibits the plain tappets e', e², out of
contact with, or on one side of, the bowls e', e, of the treadles e', ';
and the fancy treadles J, in contact with the tappets, and the plain
tappets e, e, and the fancy treadles K, vice versa, and the bowl of the
lever *, as forced outwards by the pins in the pattern wheel ; it also
shews the other lever h, as brought in towards the centre of the
pattern wheel by the action of the spring , as there are no pins in
that part of the pattern wheel to keep it out. The cams e", &, may be
supposed to be operating upon the levers g, and g, working the second
division of the healds, so as to produce plain; and in which case the
treadles will be acting upon the first division of the healds, so as to
produce a tweel. If both sets of plain cams e', e, e", e², are in opera-
tion at the same time, the fancy treadles will be out of operation, and
the whole of the web will be worked plain; if both sets of fancy
tappets J, and K, are in operation, the whole of it will be tweel.

page_text: The self-acting apparatus for effecting the changes operates in the
following manner:-Pins are placed in each side of the pattern
wheel, extending over arcs of the pattern wheel, corresponding with
the number of picks required during the operation of the tappets,
which will be brought into action by the pins; and spaces are left
without pins, corresponding with the number of picks required during
the operation of the cams or tappets, which come into action when
the bowl is off the pins (those circles on the edge of the pattern wheel
which are stroked are the pegs). When the slay of the loom vibrates
from the cloth, the ratchet wheel h, is advanced one tooth; its motion
is transmitted by the toothed wheels to the pattern wheel h, which is
thereby revolved in the direction pointed by the arrow in a diminished
proportion. At the same time the vibration of the slay will cause tho
pawl m', to move backwards and forwards on the periphery of the
pattern wheel from one position, shewn in dotted lines at 1, to the other
at 2. As each vibration of the slay from the cloth will advance the
pattern wheel a distance proportionate to one pick, this motion would
cause the pins to come in contact with and force back the bowls h', or
at the end of an are of pins the bowl would be permitted to return
towards the axis of the pattern wheel; but as the changes are required
to be effected quickly, the slow motion of the pattern wheel is not sufli-
cient, as the changes should be effected as near the middle point be-
tween the picks as practicable. The arm m, and pawl m', are for the
purpose of giving quick motion to the pattern wheel. For the purpose
of effecting the changes, pins *, are placed on the periphery of the
pattern wheel, at points corresponding with the points of the changes
for both sides of the pattern wheel, but in advance of those parts of
the pattern wheel which effect the changes, equal to the arc of the
wheel extending between the pawl m, and to the bowls h. The pins
are carried forward by the slow motion of the pattern wheel (which is
derived from the ratchet wheel h³, as before explained,) till each of
them arrives at the point 1, when the hook of the pawl will drop
over it, and will carry the wheel forward during the motion of the
slay towards the cloth a distance equal to the arc of the vibra-

page_text: tion of the arm, (or from 1 to 2,) at the same time this in-
creased motion is transmitted through the intermediate toothed
wheels, the pawls, h³, allowing it to pass as it is in the same
direction in which the ratchet wheel is revolved by the vibration of the
slay. As each of the changes requires an arc of the pattern wheel equal
to the vibration of the pawl m', this will have to be taken into account,
and allowed for in arranging the pins for the patterns required. Instead
of employing wheels with pins, one with continuous surfaces may be
used; and instead of one pattern wheel, several may be employed, by
arranging them all loose on one axis, which shall impart a common
motion to all of them for advancing the pattern by ratchet wheels keyed
upon it by the side of each pattern wheel, each of which shall act (to
push forwards the pattern wheels) against pawls fixed on centres at-
tached to the pattern wheels, which pawls are kept against the ratchet
wheels by springs (this is a well-known mechanical arrangement).
This arrangement will leave the pattern wheels at liberty to be advanced
independently. The pawls to work on the peripheries of each of the
pattern wheels, may all be arranged on one axis, and make their vibra-
tions together; and the motion which drives the common axis of the
pattern wheels, and gives notion to the ratchet wheels between them,
may be obtained from the vibration of the slay, by mechanism similar to
that shewn and already described, which imparts motion to the shaft H;
or continuous motion may be employed, conveyed by toothed wheels
from the tappet shaft E, or other source; or an intermittent motion
may be got from the same source, by means of the star wheel and pin,
as found most convenient. In some patterns one set of tappets or
treadles may always be allowed to remain in operation, or they may
always be allowed to operate upon the healds, for this reason, that they
raise a portion (one or more) of the leaves required to be risen, and
which would be risen in the changed order of working the healds by
the other tappets brought into action, which need not raise other leaves
than those required additional, though it is obvious that it would not
matter whether one or two tappets were operating upon the same heald
when both are acting in the same direction. The patterns in which

page_text: I will now
one set of treadles may always be allowed to remain in operation are
numerous; for instance, that class of patterns produced by alternations
of plain and tweel weaving, as it will be easily understood by weavers,
that the leaf risen by the tweeling "tappets" only requires arranging
to form one of the division of leaves risen by the plain tappets or cains.
For the purpose of more clearly explaining this, I will suppose, as
before, that the pattern required is striped in the warp, in which case
two division of healds will be required, as shewn, one containing one
portion of the warp or the stripe, and the other the intervals between
the stripes; and that the changes are from plain to twill. The twilling
tappets will raise one leaf in a regular tweel in succession.
suppose the plain cams or tappets e, e, are brought to operate upon the
treadles, and that the first of the tweeling treadles is rising the first leaf
of the healds; then the cam or tappet must be arranged to operate upon
the treadle for plain, which rises the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th leaves; the
next of the tweeling tappets will then operate upon the 2nd leaf, which
forms one of leaves risen by the plain tappets, those risen by the plain
being alternately the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th, and the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and
8th leaves, the tweeling tappets operating upon the 1st, 3rd, 5th, or
7th, with the 1st division, and upon the 2nd, 4th, 6th, or 8th, with the
second division. Thus it will be seen that the tweeling treadles may
always remain in operation, in which case their axis may be fixed, and
the rods and levers K, K, P, P, and J, J, 1, 2, for bringing them in
and out of contact with the tappets, may be dispensed with, the plain
cams or tappets requiring only to be engaged and disengaged to effect
the changes.
Having now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried into effect,
I wish it to be understood that I do not claim the parts herein de-
scribed and shewn in the drawings, separately considered; nor do I
confine myself to the details herein given, as they may be variously
modified, and still retain the peculiar features of my Invention; but
what I claim as my Invention is the mode by which different sets of
tappets or cams are brought in and out of operation, or the mode in

page_text: which they are rendered operative or inoperative upon the same healds
so as to weave fabrics, the patterns of which are produced by changing
the order of succession in which the leaves of the healds are worked,
whether such tappets or cams are brought in or out of the operation by
hand or by self-acting mechanism, as herein described, so long as the
peculiar features of my Invention are retained.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carter Ramsden, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN.
(L.S.)
Signed, scaled, and delivered by the within-
named John Carter Ramsden (being
first duly stamped), in the presence of
PETER J. LIVSEY,
of Manchester.