IMPROVEMENTS IN PATTERN CHAINS FOR Looms
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Martin Benson, of No. 9, Southampton Buildings,
London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PATTERN CHAINS FOR
Looms."-A communication from abroad by Joseph Frank Wicks,
of the Oity and County of Providence, in the State of Rhode
Island, United States of North America.
Sealed the 6th July 1875, and dated the 2nd April 1875.
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Martin Benson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and.
Declaration, on the 2nd April 1875, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARTIN
BENSON, of No. 9, Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PATTERN CHAINS FOR LOOME," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant
unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and have mado solemn Declaration that it has.

page_text: been communicated to me from abroad by Joseph Frank Wicks, of the
City and County of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, United
States of North America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, tho said Martin Benson, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed in and by the following statement :—
Heretofore, so far as I am aware, all pattern chains (in looms for
fancy weaving) for controlling the warp opening devices or heddles have
always been constructed as wide as the aggregate width of all the jacks
or equivalent devices which operate the heddles requisite for producing
the pattern to bo woven. A chain, for instance, suitable for controlling
say sixteen harnesses as heretofore made would be at least as wide as the
aggregate thickness of the several heddles, and usually as much wider
than that as the aggregate difference between the thickness between each
harness and the width of the jack through which it is immediately
controlled. It is well known to weavers that a chain of this character
made up for producing a certain pattern composed of several distinct
figures must of necessity have ono bar of the chain which is the
beginning and the ending of a series of perfect patterns. To illustrate I
will assume that a 16 heddle loom was expected to produce a pattern of
three figures, that one of these figures required 4 harnesses and 9 bars of
chain, another 5 harnesses and 11 bars of chain, and the last figure 7
harnesses and 7 bars of chain, and that all the figures were commenced
on the first bar of the chain. Under these circumstances the chain
would of necessity be at least 693 bars long, that is to say before the
initial bar of the chain could be also the terminal bar, and so permit it
to be an endless chain; the 9 bar figure must be repeated 77 times, the
11 bar figure 63 times, and the 7 bar figure 99 times.
By reason of my Invention I would be enabled to produce these threo
figures with but twenty-seven bars of chain instead of six hundred and
ninety-three bars as stated, and my said Invention consists in a harness
controlling chain constructed in independent longitudinal sections and
mounted upon a chain cylinder which is common to all the sections, and
which operates them all in like manner as if they were united in one

page_text: chain; but more particularly to describe my Invention I will refer to the
Drawings, in which,—
Fig. 1 represents in end view a loom provided with my novel harness
Fig. 3.
The loom shown in Fig. 1 belongs to a well known class of looms
which are largely employed in weaving fancy cassimers, and which are
frequently operated with as many as 20 heddles, and sometimes a greater
number. Ten heddles are shown therein in this instance.
I
. A denotes the harness chain; it is composed of four sections; sections
a, b, c, d, control respectively one, two, three, and four harnesses each,
each section has its particular part to perform in producing the fabric,
and are shown to have 10, 25, 30, and 17 bars respectively, giving an
aggregate length in all of 82 bars. Should this same service be sought
in a chain constructed as formely and not in sections said chain would
of necessity be 2550 bars long, that is to say the 10 bars would have to
be repeated in the chain 255 times, 'the 25 bars 102 times, the 30 bars
85. times, and the 17 bars 150 times, before the two ends of the chain
could be united, and make a perfect endless chain for producing perfect
results.
I
In Fig. 2 I show a sectional chain in which each section is arranged
to control but one harness.
In Fig. 3 I show partial end view of a loom in which the harnesses
are actuated by duplicated horizontal sliding jacks, which in turn are
operated by a laterally reciprocating "knife bar” and “evener." In this
instance 18 jacks for operating 18 harnesses are shown. The chain
is made in four sections. The two outer sections control 4 harnesses
each, and the two inner ones control 5 each.
In Fig. 5 I show a chain of the construction and width heretofore
:

page_text: sectional chain of the "pattern card" system, in which the same advan-
tages may accrue by reason of its sectional construction as in the
instance previously cited. The operative functions of both systems of
chains are the same, in that they are the controllers of the warp opening
or shed forming dovices.
It is not to be understood that any particular number of sections con-
stitutes my Invention, provided that the chain be constructed in two or
more longitudinal sections, each of which is complete in itself, and all
of which, mounted on the same cylinder, operate in producing the desired
pattern as one single chain has heretofore been operated.
To still further illustrate the value of my Invention I will assume that
for producing a certain pattern I require 20 heddles; that said pattern
involved three separate figures; that for these figures I required five,
seven, and eight heddles respectively, and sections of chain of 9, 11, and
15 bars respectively. For preparing for weaving this figure by means of 1
chains constructed as heretofore, said chain would have to be built up
bar after bar until the initial bar would also constitute the terminal bar,
and so form an endless chain; in other words, it appears from mathe-
matical calculations that in said chain the 9 bar figure would have to be
duplicated 55 times, the 11 bar 45 times, and the 15 bar pattern 331
times, thus making in the aggregate a chain of 495 bars in length,
while with my sectional chain the same service would be performed with
an aggregate length of chain of 35 bars. To show to what an extent tho
addition of a single bar to one of these patterns would effect the length
of the chain I will suppose that the 15 bar figuro be changed to a 16 bar
figure, other figures remaining as before. In this case the chain would
necessarily be increased 97 bars, or, in other words, have 792 bars
before the initial and terminal bar would be united in one bar, while
with my sectional chain an aggregate length of but 36 bars would be
required for same service.
Now as an instance of further value, let it be supposed that two of the
figures last refered to were desired in another pattern in combination
with a different figure to take the place of the third in the figure pre-
viously stated. With chains as formly constructed the entire chain
structure must be taken apart and rebuilt. With my improved sectional a

page_text: Benson 8 Improvemen
chains the retained figure sections remain intact, and only a new section.
will be required for the new figure. By this means and by reason of the
fact that the changed section only requires the precise number of bars to
produce the new figure, a change of pattern only involves the labor of a
few minutes, while heretofore it has always only been accomplished in
several hours.
'
It will be seen that by reason of my Invention there is not only
a great economy attained in the greatly lessened quantity of chain
material requisite, but the labor heretofore requisite in building up the
chain is so far lessened as to cause the cost in time of making up entirely
new patterns with my sectional chain a 'matter of trifiling consequence,
whereas with chains as heretofore constructed said labor and expense
constituted a heavy item in production of goods.
It will also be seen that the side bars and pulley bars of the sectional
chain may be made much lighter than heretofore, and therefore several
sections may readily be constructed so as to occupy no more space than
the old style of chain of full width.
Moreover by means of my sectional chain I am enabled to produce
what I term "kaleidoscopic" effects, whereby varieties of irregular
and sometimes beautifully, regular figgures may be produced as ir-
regular patterns by the employment of no more skill or thought than
is requisite for displaying the changeable figures in a kaleidoscope.
To illustrate I will refer to that always marketable style of cassimeres
known as "pepper and salt," and assume that I was working a loom
with 10 harnesses (for instance) in the production of those goods, and
that a chain constructed in five sections was employed for controlling
the harness. For producing a "kaleidoscopic" effect I would advance
one chain a bar or two, perhaps withdraw another, or in other words I
would mix them up at random as I would turn a kaleidoscope. As I
would be seeking irregular patterns I would not of course be dis-
appointed if the result was of that order, but I would be as liable to
produce beautiful effects with more or less approximate regularity of
figure as any other, and as there always exists a demand for novelties in
pattern and styles, regardless of their special combinations in figure, tho
products of the loom would seldom-if ever-fail- of a prompt market.

page_text: It will be advisable in large mills to have one or two looms at work
on waste or poor stock for the express purpose of developing styles.
The sections having each bar numbered or otherwise marked will admit
of a chain record being kept with each pattern developed, so that when-
ever a desirable style is to be reproduced it may be set up at short 5
notice.
Although I have herein given but a partial enumeration of the
advantages accruing by reason of my Invention, it will be obvious to
persons skilled in the art that styles of weaving which have been here-
tofore been deemed as capable of being performed only in a jacquard 1
loom are, by reason of my Invention brought within the capacity of
ordinary pattern chain looms, and that operations with a jacquard loom
may be greatly simplified so far as labor and expense is concerned in
the necessary preparation and construction of card chains.
In connection with the jacquard looms it is only necessary further to 1
say, that with a general assortment of card chain sections, cach adapted
to produce an isolated figure, a complex pattern involving any desired
number of figures selected from the assortment may be promptly
provided for.
I am aware that it is not new to mount on the same cylinder or chain 2
shaft a chain for controlling the heddles, and also a chain for controlling
the box or shuttle motion, but I am not aware that prior to my Invention
a heddle chain for controlling the warp opening or shedding mechanism
was ever constructed in two or more sections and operated on one shaft
in like manner as a chain of full width has heretofore been operated. 2
It is not to be understood that each section of the chain need bo con-
fined to the execution of a single perfect figure or a series of figures.
because any one section of chain may (under some circumstances) bc
made to assist adjacent sections in completing a figure when the several
sections thus coacting are of equal length, or when the coacting bars in 3
the assisting sections may be located at perfectly regular intervals
therein.
Having thus described my Invention, what I claim as new is, a pattern
chain for controlling the harnesses or other shedding mechanism in a
loom for weaving fancy figures, constructed in separate and distinct 3
longitudinal sections mounted on a shaft or cylinder common to

page_text: all the sections, and operated. as a single chain, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Martin Benson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.