CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Desurmont, of Seclin, France, Gentleman,
and Charles Goudeau, of Alost, Belgium, Mechanical Engineer, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Desurmont and
Charles Goudeau at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 15th March 1859.
We, CHARLES DESURMONT, of Seclin, France, Gentleman, and CHARLES
GOUDEAU, of Alost, Belgium, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
to be as follows, that is to say:-
The Invention relates to looms for weaving figured fabrics, and has for
object to obtain greater speed in the action of the lames by means of a double
action. The Invention consists, first, in the employment of two presses or
boxes, in combination with hooks and levers, for raising the lames alternately;
secondly, in the peculiar arrangement of the lower levers for lowering the
lames; thirdly, in the construction and combination of a drawing composer
or endless tappet chain or rack (manchon in French), which enables a design
to be immediately formed or changed. On the side of the ordinary loom is a
projecting piece forming part of the framing, in which are placed two iron
boxes or presses, which slide vertically in two grooves. In each of the boxes
twenty iron rods, having a hook in the centre, are placed vertically, and each
of the rods is united at its upper part to one of twenty levers placed above the

page_text: lames, and which keep the latter suspended. On the front of the hooked rods
is a keyboard, consisting of twenty keys or levers placed parallel to each other.
Each of the levers has at its upper end a hinged rod, each of which rods
contains a groove for the passage of the hooked rods. The lower end of the
levers is semicircular, and may be furnished with a small pulley, against which
the drawing composer or endless tappet chain acts. The endless tappet chain
varies in its arrangement according as it is required to work small or large
designs.
For small designs it is composed of as many iron pins or rods as there are
"d'huites" required to be thrown to form the design. These pins are placed
at a certain distance apart, united at their extremities by iron lugs, and
terminated by screw nuts. The space between the screw nuts is equal to the
width of the twenty levers of the key-board, and on each of the pins twenty
tappets are placed in juxtaposition; these tappets are moveable when the
design is composed, and fixed when it is formed. The whole of the pins thus
united with their tappets form an endless rack or chain, which is supported on
two toothed pinions fixed on an axle, and receiving motion from one of the
axles of the loom.
The above improvements may be modified and applied to every description
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Desurmont and Charles Goudeau in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we; CHARLES
DESURMONT, of Seclin, France, Gentleman, and CHARLES GOUDEAU, of Alost,
Belgium, Mechanical Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Charles Desurmont and Charles Goudeau, Her special licence that we,
the said Charles Desurmont and Charles Goudeau, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles Desurmont and
Charles Goudeau, our 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;

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Charles Desurmont and Charles Goudeau, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their bands
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 we, the said Charles Desurmont and Charles
Goudeau, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say:
.
Our Invention relates to the construction and arrangement of apparatus to
be applied to looms for weaving figured fabrics, and has for object to obtain a
greater speed in the action of the lames or heddles by means of a double
action, and thus obtain a greater quantity of work.
The improvements consist, first, in the employment of two " presses" or
slides, in combination with hooks and levers, for raising the "lames" or
heddles alternatoly; secondly, in a peculiar arrangement of levers for lowering
the heddles or "lames;" thirdly, in the construction and combination of a
design composer," or endless tappet chain or rack, which permits a design
to be immediately formed or changed.
Having thus briefly described the nature of the said Invention, we will now
proceed to describe the same moro particularly, reference being had to the
annexed Drawing, in which the same letters refer to corresponding parts.
Figure 1 represents a side view in section, shewing the improvements
applied to a loom; Figure 2 is a front view of the same; Figure 3 shews in
side view, and on a scale of full size, the construction of the improved endless
tappet chain; Figure 4 represents a front view of a part of the same;
Figure 5 shews a front view of a portion of an "endless card chain or
"design composer," for designs of large dimensions; Figure 6 is an end
view of the same on a cylinder; Figuro. 7 is a view of the levers for lowering
the heddles or "lames."
A, A, are two side supports forming a framework united by cross pieces;
these supports are formed internally with grooves for the vertical action of the
slides or presses b, b. In the interior of the frame are formed a series of

page_text: twenty compartments, in each of which is placed a long flat iron hook C, C.
These hooks are placed vertically and parallel to each other; the lower part,
which rests on a plate perforated with holes, receives a cord which passes over
the pulleys E, E. The card is attached to a wire rod connected with the
levers F, F, placed on the loom, and supporting the "lames" or heddles e, e.
The upper parts of each of the hooks C, C, rest upon a griff which supports
the presses or slides b, b. By means of this griff the "presses" are enabled
to lift the hooks in their vertical movement for producing the design; those
hooks which should not be raised act in the following manner :-Under the
presses b. b, and in front of the hooks C, C, is a key-board composed of levers
or keys D, D, and grooves f.f, equal in number to that of the hooks C, C,
and are placed parallel to each other, and supported at their centre on a rod..
'The lower part, in the form of a hook, rests on the "design composer," or
endless tappet chain; the upper part is fixed to a hinged rod D', D¹. In
each of these rods is a groove, through which a hook passes. When the keys
or lovers are raised by the tappets or cams G', G', the groove will push back
those hooks which should not be lifted by the "presses."
The "design composer," or endless tappet chain for small designs, is formed
as follows, see Figure 3. A number of cylindrical rods equal to that of the
designs which it is desired to make, are united together by means of iron ears s
or links g, g, of two different forms; the two extremities of these rods are
kept in position by two nuts r, r, s, s¹, see Figure 4. Upon each rod are
mounted twenty cams G, G, formed of zinc or other metal, with a washer
placed between each. These cams or tappets are moveable, and can be
turned to the required position on their rods. Each tappet is formed with
two holes to receive two pins or rods, which pass also through the ears or
links g, g, see Figure 4, and they keep the tappets in the proper position when
acting on the levers or keys D, D. When wo wish to change the design, it
suffices to withdraw the pins of each series of tappets; then, according to the
pattern on paper indicating the design, we incline those tappets which are not
required to act, whilst we place in a horizontal position those which are to work.
We replace the small rod or spindle and faston the whole of the tappets
together tightly by means of the nuts at the ends of the rods, and the chain is
ready to form the design. Motion is given to the endless tappet chain as
follows: Two pinions o, o, with long teeth, are fixed on an axis which
receives and conducts the chain. At one of the extremities of this axis is
placed a circular rack i, i, formed with a dozen pins or teeth; underneath this
rack, and close to the frame, is an axis, on which are mounted two levers J, J;
one of their extremities is provided with a catch or pawl 1, 1, which acts

page_text: "
alternately on the teeth of the rack i, i; the other extremity of these levers
carries a rod J', which is connected to the slides or "presses b, b, so
that the latter in their vertical movement give motion to the endless tappet
chain. The action of the presses is produced by an axis placed at the top of
the frame; on this axis are fastened two pullies provided with two straps;
the extremities of which are fastened to the "presses "b,b; at one of the ends
of the axis carrying the pullies is a small arm or lever m, connected to a
rod n, n, which latter receives motion from one of the gearing wheels u of
the loom.
'
The "design composer," or endless card chain for large designs, is constructed
as follows: This "design composer" consists of cards or sheets of gutta percha
L, L, or other material (see Figure 5). Each of these cards is pierced with
three rows of holes, twenty-one in number, per sheet or band; above each
hole is a valve of gutta percha P, P, fixed by a screw so as to close or open
the holes at will. All these cards or sheets are united together by a band of
gutta percha q, q, to form an endless chain. The cards are placed over a
cylinder R, with eight sides (see Figure 6). All the movements of the
apparatus are the same as in the chain herein-before described. When,
however, the card chain is employed, each of the levers D, D, is provided at
its lower part with a small pin which enters the holes when open. The
bearings supporting the axis of the composer or chain are rendered moveable,
so that at each revolution the cylinder makes an ascending motion. Figure 7
shews the arrangement of levers for lowering the lames or heddles. The
small levers h, h, work on a pivot x. One of the extremities of the levers is
connected by a cord to the heddles e, e, whilst the other extremity is connected
to the weighted levers h', h', so that each time the lames are made to rise,
the counterweight levers produce the lowering of the heddles (see Figure 7).
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, we wish to observe
that we do not restrict ourselves to the exact construction of the improved
apparatus for looms as herein laid down, so long as the peculiar features or
principles of the Invention be retained; what we claim, and desire to be
secured by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general construction and application to looms for weaving of an
apparatus having a double action for producing figured fabrics, as herein-
before described, and shewn in the Figures of the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, the construction and employment of the "presses" or slides b, b,
hooks C, C, levers D, D, D', D', in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described, and shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed Drawing.

page_text: Thirdly, the peculiar arrangement and use of levers for lowering the lames
or heddles, as herein-before described, and represented in Figure 7 of the
Drawing.
Fourthly, the arrangement and employment of a design composer, or
endless pattern chain for composing or changing a design, as hercin-before
described, and represented in. Figures 5 and 6 of the Drawing.
Fifthly, the peculiar construction and employment of a "design composer
or endless tappet chain ("manchon"), by which the design may be formed or
changed at will, as herein-before described, and represented in Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Desurmont and Charles
Goudeau, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
CHADIES DESTIDMONT
CHARLES DESURMONT (S.)
CHARLES GOUDEAU..
(L.B.)
CHARLES DESURMONT
CHARLES GOUDEAU.
(L.S.)