IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bullough, of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 30th September 1864, and dated the 1st April 1864..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Bullough at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st April 1864.
'I, JOHN BULLOUGH, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING," to be as follows:-
Firstly, employ certain improved arrangements for letting back the
taking-up motion and cloth beam of the loom, in order to prevent thick and
thin places in the fabric, with greater certainty than has hitherto been
obtained. Instead of allowing the weft fork lever to work the finger and
cross rod used for raising the catches from the teeth of the ratchet wheel of
the taking-up motion when the loom is stopped, I place the finger out of the
reach of the weft fork lever, and cause it to be moved by hand at the
discretion of the operative, and attach to the ratchet or toothed wheels or
shafts of the taking-up motion a friction pulley, partly or entirely encircled by
a strap, attached at one end to a spring connected to a short arm of a double
lever, and at the other end to another and longer arm of the double lever,

page_text: which arm is placed between adjustable stops. When the loom is at work the
friction pulley slides under the strap and stretches the spring, so that the long
arm of the double lever comes in contact with one of the adjustable stops,
but when a weft thread breaks and the taking-up motion has to be let
back, the operative moves the finger and lifts the catches from the teeth of
the ratchet wheel, and the spring pulls back the friction pulley, gearing, and
cloth beam, until the long arm of the double lever comes in contact with the
other adjustable stop, and according to the positions of the stops; more or less
letting back can be obtained with certainty: Instead of placing the spring
between the lever and the strap, I may connect the strap to the lever and
place the spring below; or instead of the spring I may employ a weight.
Another of my improved arrangements relates to that mode of "letting
back," wherein a slide catch in connection with the ratchet wheel is the agent
which regulates the quantity of cloth to be let back. Heretofore this catch
has been moved back by the force of the yarn beam weights acting through
the medium of the ratchet wheel; I proposo to connect this slide catch to a
finger on the cross rod which lifts the catches of the taking-up motion, so that
when the weaver presses this rod he at the same time forces back the sliding
catch, and allows the cloth to be let back. Thus my improvement consists in
taking the work, of forcing back the slide catch when the cloth is to be let
back off the weights, and putting it on to the weaver. By these arrangements
.I obtain a positive letting-back motion instead of the irregular and uncertain
one obtained by the tension of the yarn, or the turning of the wheels or beam
by the hands of the operative.
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Secondly, I employ an improved fly spindle stud and shuttle guard.
Hitherto the stud has been so fixed to the top of the slay sword that it could
not be shifted horizontally, and when the continual working of the picker
caused one end of the spindle to be loose in the stud, and the other end loose
in the pap at the end of the slay, there was no remedy but new spindles,
studs, or paps. To avoid these inconveniences I place the stud in a horizontal
slot in the slay sword, or make a horizontal slot in the stud, so that as the
ends of the spindle or stud wear the stud can be moved and afterwards
tightened against the end of the spindle, and thereby keep it perfectly tight.
I also form on the lower side or bottom of the stud a projecting surface which
proiects over the shuttle box, and acts as a guard to prevent the shuttle from
rising when entering and leaving the box.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Bullough in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BULLOUGH, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Bullough, Her special license that I, the said John Bullough,
my.executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Bullough, 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, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Bullough, my executors or administrators, by an instrument. in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands 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 I, the said John Bullough, 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):-
First, I employ certain improved arrangements for letting back the taking-
up motion and cloth beam of the loom in order to prevent thick and thin
places in the fabric with greater certainty than has hitherto been obtained.
Instead of allowing the weft fork lever to work the finger and cross rod used
for raising the catches from the teeth of the ratchet wheel of the taking-up
motion when the loom is stopped, I place the finger out of the reach of the
weft fork lever, and cause it to be moved by hand at the discretion of the
5 operative, and attach to the ratchet or toothed wheels or shafts of the taking-
up motion a friction pulley, partly or entirely encircled by a strap attached at
one end to a spring connected to a short arm of a double lever, and at the

page_text: other end to another and longer arm of the double lever, which arm is placed
between adjustable stops. When the loom is at work the friction pulley
slides under the strap and stretches the spring, so that the long arm of the
double lever comes in contact with one of the adjustable stops, but when a
weft thread breaks and the taking-up motion has to be let back, the operative
moves the finger and lifts the catches from the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and
the spring pulls back the friction pulley, gearing, and cloth beam, until the
long arm of the double lever comes in contact with the other adjustable stop
and according to the positions of the stops, more or less, letting back can be
obtained with certainty. Instead of placing the spring between the lever and
the strap I may connect the strap to the lever and place the spring below; or
instead of the spring I may employ a weight.
Another of my improved arrangements relates to that mode of "letting
back," wherein a slide catch in connection with the ratchet wheel is the agent
which regulates the quantity of cloth to be let back. Heretofore this catch has
been moved back by the force of the yarn beam weights acting through the
medium of the ratchet wheel. I connect this slide catch by a finger to the
holding catch of the taking-up motion, so that when the weaver pulls the
finger on the cross rod he at the same time lifts the sliding catch and allows
the cloth to be let back. Thus my improvement consists in taking the work,
of lifting the slide catch, when the cloth is to be let back off the weights, and
putting it on to the weaver. By these arrangements I obtain a positive
letting back motion instead of the irregular and uncertain one obtained by
the tension of the yarn or the turning of the wheels or beam by the hands of
the operative.
Secondly, I employ an improved fly spindle stud and shuttle guard.
Hitherto the stud has been so fixed to the top of the slay sword that it could
not be shifted horizontally, and when the continual working of the picker
caused one end of the spindle to be loose in the stud, and the other end loose
in the pap at the end of the slay, there was no remedy but new spindles,
studs, or paps.. To avoid these inconveniences I place the stud in a horizontal
slot in the slay sword, or make a horizontal slot in the stud, so that as the
ends of the spindle or stud wear the stud can be moved and afterwards
tightened against the end of the spindle, and thereby keep it perfectly tight.
I also form on the lower side or bottom of the stud a projecting surface which
projects over the shuttle box, and acts as a guard to prevent the shuttle from
rising when entering and leaving the box.
This Invention will be clearly understood by referring to the figures and
letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 2 aro

page_text: end and front elevations of part of a loom having one of my improved arrange-
ments for letting back the taking-up motion and cloth beam of the loom, and
also my improved fly spindle, stud, and shuttle guard; Figs. 3, 4, and 5, are
end elevations of part of a loom having modified arrangements of my letting-
back motion; and Figs. 6, 7, and 8, are views of my improved spindle, stud,
and shuttle guard drawn enlarged.
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, a represents the framework of the loom; b, the
cloth beam ; c, the ratchet wheel of the taking-up motion; d, the moveable
catch or ratchet for giving it motion; e, the holding catch; f, the gearing
between the ratchet wheel and cloth beam; 9, the cross rod; h, the finger for
moving it by hand; and i, the arm for raising the moveable catch. To the
ratchet wheel c, Figs. 1 and 2, I fix the friction pulley 7, and partly or
entirely encircle it by the friction strap k attached at one end to the long arm /
of a double lever, and at the other end to the top of the spring m connected
at the bottom to the short arm n of the double lever, the longer arm of which
is placed between a ljustable stops o, p. When the moveable catch d works
the ratchet wheel c the friction pulley j slides under the strap k, and the
friction stretches the spring m, so that the long arm shall be in contact with'
the lower adjustable stop o, but when the loom stops in consequence of the
breakage or absence of weft and the taking-up motion has to be let back, the
operative moves the finger h and lifts the catches from the ratchet wheel, and
the spring pulls the friction pulley, ratchet wheel, gearing, and cloth beam,
until the long arm of the double lever comes in contact with the upper
adjustable stop p, and according to the positions of the stops, more or less
letting back can be obtained with certainty, as the stop only allows the exact
letting back required, and the friction on the friction pulley prevents any
action from the tension of the yarn, thereby making it a positive letting-back
motion.
It will be seen that the main features of this part of my Invention consist
in making the finger on the cross rod independent of the weft fork lever; the
application of friction to the ratchet wheel or gearing, and the employment of
stops for regulating the amount of letting-back; and it is evident that these
objects can be attained in various ways. Thus instead of placing the spring
between the strap and the short arm of the double lever, I may connect the
strap to the top of the arm, and attach the upper end of the spring to the
bottom of the arm, and its lower end to a stationary stud or holder. Or
instead of the spring I may employ a weight.
In Figs. 3 and 4 I represent slight modifications of the foregoing arrange-
ment. In Fig. 3 the friction strap k, which partly encircles the friction

page_text: pulley j, is connected at one end to a rod q which passes through the spring r
and is fixed to a plate or disc s, the top of the spring being in contact with
the bracket t, and the other end of the strap is attached to a rod u working
through the bracket t, and having upon it adjustable stops w, x. Fig. 4 is
similar to Fig. 3, with the exception that a weight is substituted for the
spring. When the loom is at work the friction contracts the spring or raises
the weight until the upper stop w is in contact with the top of the bracket t,
but when the catches are raised from the ratchet wheel the spring or weight
pulls back the friction pulley until the lower stop a is in contact with the
bottom of the bracket, and thus lets back the cloth beam according to the
positions of the stops, thereby obtaining a positive letting-back motion.
In Fig. 5 I represent my improvements connected to that mode of letting-
back wherein a slide catch in connection with the ratchet wheel is the agent
which regulates the extent of letting-back. The hooked part of the slide
catch which rests in the teeth of the ratchet wheel c is shewn at a', it is
connected to or forms part of a bar 6', having in it a slot c' of any required
length, in which slot there is a stud d¹ fixed to the framework, and at the top
of the bar there is a set screw e', which passes into the slot and is in contact with
the stud, and as this screw is moved up or down it lengthens or shortens the
extent the slide catch can move back, and also the sliding catch when the finger
is pulled. The top part of the slide is connected by the finger f¹ to the top of
the holding catch e. Thus when the operative pulls the finger on the cross rol,
both the holding and moving catches are removed from the ratchet wheel, and
the holding catch by means of the finger f¹ lifts the sliding catch until the
bottom of the slot c¹ comes in contact with the stud d', and as the ratchet
wheel can move no farther, this must be the extent of the letting-back, but
the extent can be regulated as desired by the length of the slot, and the
position of the set screw in all cases giving a positive motion.
One arrangement of my improved fly spindle stud is shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 6,
and 7. represents the slay sword; h¹, the horizontal slot; i, the fly
spindle; and ¹, the ordinary fly spindle stud, having at the back the bolt or
screw which passes through the slot h¹ in the slay sword, and allows the
stud and bolt to be moved horizontally so as to press against the end of the
spindle and be afterwards tightened by the nut m².
Another arrangement of fly spindle stud and shuttle guard is shewn in
Fig. 8, in which I make the slot in the back of the stud as at n', in which is
placed the head of the bolt o' which passes through the slay sword, and has at
the back the nut p¹, and by means of the slot in the stud it can be moved
horizontally and tightened by the nut p'; there being a projection or shuttle

page_text: guard at the bottom of the stud, as at q'. It is evident that this arrangement
may be modified by making the slot in the head of the bolt.
Having now fully described the nature and particulars of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I claim,―
First, the disconnecting of the finger h from the weft fork lever, and the
system of attaching to the ratchet wheel or gearing of the taking-up motion a
friction pulley, partly or entirely encircled by a friction strap working in
connection with a spring or weight and adjustable stops, for the purpose of
obtaining a positive letting-back motion.
Secondly, the finger f¹, Fig. 5, connecting the sliding catch with the
holding catch e.
And, thirdly, the slot h', Fig. 6, in the slay sword, and the slot n', Fig. 8,
in the fly spindle stud, for allowing the stud or bolt to be moved horizontally
for tightening the fly spindle, as all such improvements are herein described
and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Bullough, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named John Bullough in
the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
. Manchester.
JOHN BULLOUGH. (L.S.)