IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN WEAVING
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hirst, junior, of Dobcross, Saddleworth, in the
County of York, Merchant, and James Hollingworth, of the same Place,
Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN WEAVING."
Sealed the 5th September 1861, and dated the 11th March 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hirst and James
Hollingworth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 11th March 1861.
We, JOHN HIRST, junior, of Dobcross, Saddleworth, in the County of York,
Merchant, and JAMES HOLLINGWORTH, of the same Place, Mechanic, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN WEAVING," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to means of using the same jacquard or such like
apparatus to act at the same time upon the harness or healds and upon series
of shuttle boxes for changes thereto. For this purpose the needles .operated
by the pattern surface act as heretofore upon the hooks to bring them into posi-

page_text: tion to be raised or missed by the griffs or knife edges for the selection of the
harness or healds, but we connect those needles to act directly or without the
intervention of the hooks upon the means for bringing the tappets, or levers,
or other operating means into position for operating the change of boxes. By
this arrangement time is saved in working the weaving apparatus. This part
of the improvements is also applicable to operate upon picking apparatus by
connecting such with the needles in place of the hooks.. We also form the
hooked wires or rods of the jacquard apparatus (the hooks of which are acted
upon by the knife edges or griffs) double, with a hook at each end, capable at
the same time of taking on to separate griffs or knife edges, by which means
the inconvenience arising from the opening of the bottom of the hook when the
bands are attached is avoided, as well as greater certainty of action obtained,
as in the event of one hook missing its griff or knife edge the other will be taken
by another knife edge or griff; and we also sometimes pass the separate stems
of the hooks through separate needles, by which, in the event of one needle
missing to be operated upon, another is in position for the purpose.
We also connect the motion of the jacquard, or lag barrel, or other pattern
surface for operating the healds or harness with the pattern surface for
operating series of boxes, in order that when a back motion is given to one it
may be communicated to the other, and to an equivalent extent.
Also, the improvements relate, when series of lifting shuttle boxes are-used,
to a combination of means for bringing the required box of the series in a line
with the lay. For this purpose, at each end of the lever supporting the boxes
we apply studs or projections in number adapted to the number of boxes;
each of these projections is capable. of being acted upon by a lifter, and these
lifters have a rising and a falling motion by cams or tappets, and are brought
into position by jacquard or pattern surface, so that whilst one lifter is acting
to lift or lower, the other is out of the way, and there is friction-holding means
applied during the intervals.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Hirst and James Hollingworth in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 11th September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HIRST, junior, of Dobcross, Saddleworth, in the County of York, Merchant,
and JAMES HOLLINGWORTH, of the same Place, Mechanic, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Hirst and James Hollingworth, Her special licence that we, the
said John Hirst and James Hollingworth, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Hirst and James Holling-
worth, 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, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR. AP-
PARATUS EMPLOYED IN WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others). that we,
the said John Hirst and James Hollingworth, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the band and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 John Hirst and James Hollingworth,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The improvements relate to means of using the same jacquard or such
like apparatus to act at the same time upon the harness or healds, and upon
series of shuttle boxes for changes thereto. For this purpose the needles
operated by the pattern surface act upon the hooks to bring them into position
to be raised or missed by the griffs or knife edges for the selection of, the
harness or healds, and we also connect those or similar needles to act directly
or without the intervention of the hooks upon the means for bringing the
tappets, or levers, or other operating means into position for operating the
change of boxes. By this arrangement time is saved in working the weaving
apparatus.
:
This part of the improvements is also applicable to operate upon picking
apparatus by connecting such apparatus with the needles to be operated
directly by them in place of through the hooks. We also form the hooked
wires or rods of the jacquard apparatus (the hooks of which are acted upon

page_text: or
by the knife edges or griffs) double, as indicated by Figure 1, with a hook a
at each end capable at the same time of taking on to separate griffs or knife
edges, by which means the inconvenience arising from the opening of the
bottom of the hook, where the bands are attached, is avoided, as well as greater
certainty of action obtained, as in the event of one hook, a, missing its
griff or knife edge, the other hook, a, may be taken by another knife edge
or griff. We also connect the motion of the jacquard, lag, barrel, or other
pattern surface for operating the healds or harness with the pattern surface
for operating series of boxes; in order that when a back motion is given to
one it may be communicated to the other, and to an equivalent extent.
Figure 2 shews a front view, and Figure 3 an end view of some of the
parts of one end of a power loom with this part and other of the improvements
applied to it; b is the main framing; c the main or crank axis to which
motion is given by a steam engine or other power acting by a strap or band
on the drum or pulley c¹ affixed on this axis c; c² is a loose pulley upon
which the driving strap or band may be shifted when required as is
well understood. Upon this axis c is affixed the toothed wheel e, the teethi
of which take into the teeth of a pinion e¹ which revolves upon the fixed
stude. These pinions e and e¹ are shewn by blue lines in the end view:
Upon the pinion e¹ is affixed the bevilled pinion e' so that it may move with
the pinion e¹. And this bevilled pinion e³ takes into and drives the bevilled
pinion e affixed upon the shaft or axis e, which turns freely in the bearings
e", e, carried by the main framing. At the upper end of this shaft e is
affixed the bevilled pinion e, the teeth of which take into and drive the
two bevilled pinions es and e" which are capable of turning freely on the
axis e¹, except when either of them is connected thereto so as to give motion
to it by means of the clutch e", so that the shaft e¹0 may be caused to rotate
in either direction, as is well understood by the clutch e" being slided into
gear with either the one or the other of these wheels es or e, or the clutch
may be held between them' so as to allow them to revolve in opposite
directions without giving any motion to the shaft or axis elo. The clutch e" is
formed with a neck which is embraced by a fork e¹ from the sliding plate
els, which is capable of sliding in the bearings e, and is connected by pin
joint at e¹ to one end of the connecting rod e¹e, the other end of which is
connected to the stud e projecting from the spring lever e¹s affixed to the
shaft e. The lower end of the spring lever e18 is formed with a handle
and is capable of sliding on the segmental plate e and of being held in one
For other of the notches formed for it in this plate e. Upon the axis e is
ell

page_text: affixed the bevilled pinion f, the teeth of which take into the teeth of the
bevilled pinion f upon the shaft or axis f2, one end of which is formed, with
à ball to rest and revolve in the socket formed for it in the bearing'e at:
that end of the axis e¹. The upper end of this axis f is supported by a
bearing f3 from the rocking lever f' carrying the jacquard or lag cylinder,
on the axis f of which is affixed the star wheel fo, which is operated
intermittently, and in the intervals held by the stud or pin wheel f' affixed
upon the axis f, by which the desired intermittent. motion on its axis is
imparted to the jacquard or lag cylinder. The to-and-fro motion to the
jacquard or lag cylinder is imparted by means of the eccentric g acting on the
fork g¹ formed at the lower end of the rocking lever f', and this rocking
lever is affixed to the axis or shaft of motion f³, having a similar arm f
at the other end. Motion is given to the axis of the eccentric g in the
ordinary manner. Upon the axis or shaft eo is also affixed the pin or stud
wheel h to act with the star wheel h¹ upon the axis h², upon which is: affixed
a suitable cylinder or pattern surface for operating by suitable connecting
means as is well understood upon the apparatus for operating a series of
shifting shuttle boxes. By these means it will be seen that any back motion
which it may be desired to impart to the one pattern surface will simultaneously
be given to the other. The teeth of the bevilled pinion f are also taken
into by the teeth of the bevilled pinion i upon the axis 2, which is carried
by bearings affixed to the main framing and has affixed to it the handle
wheel by which the axis eo and parts operated thereby may be readily turned
in either direction when the clutch e" is disconnected with either of the wheels
68 or e³.
In connection with this part of the improvements we also apply means for
reversing the picking motion. j is part of one of the picking arms affixed to
the axis j', upon which are affixed the arms j, j³; j being connected to a
spring, as is well understood, whilst the arm j³ is, by means of the link j';
connected to one end of the lever 1, which turns upon a fixed centre of
motion j, and is formed with an open frame to support the axis j' of the
pulley, and so that the pullies 18 may be slided in such frame so as to be in
position to be acted upon by the picking tappet, or of being missed thereby.
The axis j' at each end of the loom are similarly formed with.necks to receive
forks j from the bar jo, and the bar j is formed with a neck to receive
the fork j, formed at the end of the lever j¹, which turns upon the fixed
'centre j¹³; carried by the main framing, and at its upper end is connected by
pin joint to one end of the link j¹, the other end of which has a stud which

page_text: passes into the slot k' formed in the T. lever k, which turns upon the fixed
centre', and at its end is operated by pattern surface, carried by the
axis h. Upon the shaft or axis eo is also affixed the arm l,, which at its
outer end is forked to embrace the connecting rod or link j, so as to 'raise
one end of that link in the slot k¹, as indicated by red lines, and thereby
reverse the direction, imparted by pattern surface to the T-lever k, and thence
to the pulleys js of the picking levers.
Also the improvements relate, when series of lifting shuttle boxes are used,
to a combination of means for bringing, the required box of the series in a
line with the lay. For this purpose, at each end of; the lever supporting the
boxes we apply studs or projections, in number adapted to the number, of
boxes. Each of these projections is capable of being acted upon by a lifter,
and these lifters have a rising and a falling motion by cams or tappets, and
áre brought into' position by jacquard or pattern, surface, so that whilst one
lifter is acting to lift or. lower, the other is out of the way, and there is friction-
holding means applied during the intervals. m is a frame supporting a series of
three shuttle chambers (1), (2), (3), capable of sliding vertically upon rods m³, m³,
carried by the frame m² of the batten. The frame m is by pin joint m³
connected to the lower end of the rod m, the upper end of which is by pin
joint m³ connected to one end of the lever mo, which is capable of motion on
the fixed stud m', and has affixed: in it two sets of studs or projections m³
and m³, which are adapted, when acted upon by the lifters mo, m¹¹, to hold
one of the boxes (1), (2), or (3) opposite the race of the lay, for the proper action
of the shuttle therewith. The lifter m¹0 is at its lower end connected by pin
joint with one end of the lever m², the other end of which turns upon the
fixed stud m: The lifter m" is connected by pin joint to one end of the
lever m¹ turning upon a fixed stud m15, and these two levers m¹ and m¹ are
connected together, as shewn, by the link me, so that they may be simul-
taneouly acted upon. The lever m¹ carries a truck or bowl, m", operated by
the cam or tappet m18. The two lifters.m; m", are connected together by a
link mo, as shewn, and this link m20 has a stud or projection m", embraced
by the forked end of an L lever m², which is constantly acted upon in one
direction a spring, whilst, when desired, it is moved in the opposite direction
by a cord from the jacquard or pattern surface. n is a friction holder, formed
with recesses n', adapted to receive the truck or bowl n³ on the lever ms, and
hold that lever in position after each selection.
Having thus described our improvements, and the means by which we
carry them into effect, we would have it understood that we do not confine

page_text: ourselves to the precise details shewn and described, as these may be varied
without departing from the peculiar character of the improvements as herein
set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Hirst, jun., & James Hollingworth,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
HENRY SCHOFIELD,
Dobcross,
Saddleworth.
HIKSI, JUN.
(L.S.)
JAMES HOLLINGWORTH. (L.S.)