CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ward, of Warrington, in the County of
Lancaster, Spinner and Manufacturer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Scaled the 16th May 1856, and dated the 1st December 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ward at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
December 1855.
I, WILLIAM WARD, of Warrington, in the County of Lancaster, Spinner
and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of improved modes of letting the yarn off the warp
beam; one mode of constructing these improvements is as follows:--To one
or both ends of the vibrator is attached a lever, to which is connected one end
of a chain, cord, or band, passing around the warp beam, and then attached
to the framing of the loom. To the vibrator are fixed levers connected to
a spring by links. When the warp is tight, the chain, cord, or band is
slackened, thereby allowing a portion of the warp to be drawn off the beam,
and as soon as the requisite quantity has been drawn off, the spring tightens
the cord, chain, or band on the warp beam.
Another mode of construction is to convey the warp as it passes from the
beam to the heddles over a rail or roller that is pushed upwards by a spring

page_text: or springs; to each end of this rail or roller is attached one end of a cord,
chain, or band, which, after passing around the warp beam, are made fast to
the framing of the loom. In this arrangement, when the tension of the warp
overcomes the resistance of the springs, the cords, chains, or bands are
slackened, and the warp is drawn off as before.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Ward in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WARD, of Warrington, in the County of Lancaster, Spinner and Manufacturer,
send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Ward, Her special license that I, the said William
Ward, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Ward, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Ward, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Ward, 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
Specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing
(that is to say)—
The nature of my Invention of certain improvements in looms for weaving

page_text: consists in improved arrangements of parts for letting the yarn off the warp
beam in proportion to the tension of the warp; and in order that my Invention
may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to
describe the means pursued by me.
24
Figure 1 of the said Drawing is a sectional elevation of the principle parts.
of an ordinary power loom, to which my improvements are applied; Figure 2
is an elevation of the same taken from the back; and Figure 3 is a plan of
part of my improvements. a is the crank shaft; b, the lay or batten; c, the
breast beam; d, the taking-up beam; e, the warp beam; f, the vibrator shaft;
and g, the vibrating rail. The parts above enumerated and the other parts
required to complete the loom, which are not particularly referred to hereafter;
are made in the usual manner. To the back stay of the loom is fixed a
bracket h, to which is attached the spring i, made by preference of birch wood,
but which may be made of any other suitable elastic material; is a second
piece of wood to increase the strength of the spring; a third or more pieces
may be added if required for weaving very heavy fabrics. Each end of
the spring i is connected by means of the rods j, j, to the arms fl of the
vibrator. Below the vibrator are the hooks f³, to each of which is attached"
one end of the chains ; the other ends, after each chain has passed once or
more times round one of the friction pulleys e fixed to the warp beam, are then
secured to the projections on the back stay. The warp, which is indicated
by the lines m, is taken from the warp beam e, between the vibrator shaft f
and vibrating rail g, and then passes through the heddles and reed in the
ordinary manner; the taking up of the cloth is also effected by any of the
well-known contrivances. After the tension of the yarn has been regulated
to suit the fabric to be woven, by means of the regulating screws and nuts at
the end of the hooks in the spring i, the loom is set in motion, and as soon as
the tension of the warp is increased by the taking up of the fabric and by the
opening of the shed sufficiently to overcome the resistance of the spring i, the
vibrating rail g is drawn by the warp towards the heddles, and the hooks f
below the vibrating shaft move in the contrary direction, thereby slackening
the chains k, and allowing a portion of the warp to be drawn off the warp
beam; as soon as the requisite amount of warp has thus been drawn off, the
spring i draws down the levers f', thereby again tightening the chains k and
retaining the warp when it has regained its proper tension; these operations
are repeated so long as the loom continues at work. When the pieces of
wood constituting the spring have been in use for a certain time, it is requisite
to turn them over, so as to bring the upper side downwards; by this means the
springs will retain their clasticity for a considerable period of time..

page_text: The lever n, shewn in Figure 1, is to be used when, for repairs or other pur-
poses, it is requisite to slacken the warp; the fulcrum of the lever is at o, and
by depressing the lever n the chains k are slackened, thereby liberating the
warp beam, and enabling the weaver to draw off the warp as required.
Another mode of constructing my improved letting-off' motion consists in
conveying the warp, as it passes from the beam to the heddles, over a rail or
roller that is pushed upwards by, a spring or springs; to each end of this rail
or roller is attached one end of a cord, chain, or band, which, after passing
around the friction pulleys on the warp beam, is made fast to the framing of
the loom, as above described.
Having thus particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim the combination of the
parts marked e, c', f, f', ƒ³, g, h, i, j, and k, forming an improved letting-off
motion for looms; also the combination of parts described, in which the warp
is taken over a rail or roller supported by a spring or springs.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Ward, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord:
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
WILLIAM WARD. (L.B.)