Im- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING HEDDLES OR HEALDS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Melvin, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Jacquard Card Manufacturer, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING HEDDLES OR
HEALDS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 30th April 1858, and dated the 19th November 1857..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Melvin at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th November
1857.
I DAVID MELVIN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Jacquard Card Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING
HEDDLES OR HEALDS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the details of a well-known
partially self-acting machine for making beddles or healds for weaving, and
has for object to simplify and reduce the cost of construction, and to improve
the working thereof.
Machines of this kind have hitherto been constructed so as to take up the
heddle leaf as it is made by the action of a train of gearing upon a drum,
upon which the heddle leaf is wound, the "rib cords" or backing forming the
foundation of the heddle being kept tight by the application of weights or
other retarding appliances to the drum or drums off which they are drawn.

page_text: According to the present Invention, however, the drum or drums off which
the rib cords are drawn is or are driven by gearing instead of the take-up
drum, a weight and cord being applied to the latter to wind up the heddle as
the gearing applied to the cord drum or drums gradually gives off the cords.
In carrying this arrangement into effect according to one convenient plan,
a worm is fixed on the spindle of the pinion, by means of which the pitch
chain actuating portions of the apparatus is driven intermittently once for
each stroke of the machine. This worm drives a worm wheel fast on a shaft
carrying another worm which drives a worm wheel fast on the spindle of the
cord drum or drums, these worm wheels being changeable to suit different
counts of heddles.
An index pointer is fixed on the intermediate shaft of this movement, and
coming up to a fixed mark at each revolution shews the worker when to insert
in the heddle the thread for marking the count.
Another improvement comprehended in the present Invention relates to the
braiding needles, and consists in the omission of a contrivance usually employed
to raiso what is termed the " depresser," the point of the depresser being slightly
bevilled instead, so that it is raised by the needle itself.
The braiding needles are usually carried by a frame which is moved by a
cam shaped to suit the motion required; but according to the present Inven-
tion the frame itself is shaped to suit the motion required, and it is acted
upon by an antifriction pulley carried by a wiper on what is usually the cam
shaft, this arrangement being adopted to reduce the friction.
A further improvement comprehended in the present Invention relates to
the ring or tube which pushes the heddle eyes off the stud (on which they are
formed) as the process proceeds. Instead of the ordinary complicated way of
working this ring or tube, it is actuated by a link passing to a lever on the
outside of the machine, to the opposite end of which lever is jointed a link or
rod which is moved by a pulley on a wheel or wiper on the shaft working the
braiding needle frame.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Melvin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
MELVIN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Jacquard s
Card Manufacturer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said David Melvin, Her special licence that I, the said David Melvin,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
David Melvin, 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 Ire-
land, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING HEDDLES OR HEALDS
FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said David
Melvin, 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 David Melvin, 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
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to improvements in the details of a well-known
partially self-acting machine for making heddles or healds for weaving, and
has for object to simplify and reduce the cost of construction, and to improve
the working thereof.
.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to particularly describe the improvements comprehended therein,
having for reference and further elucidation delineated certain modifications
thereof upon the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended.
Figure 1 on the said Sheet of Drawings is a side elevation, Figure 2 is an
end elevation, and Figure 3 is a plan, of a heddle-making machine as con-
structed with certain of my improvements; Figure 4 is an enlarged back view
of a portion of the machine, and will be hereinafter more particularly referred
to; the like reference letters mark the same parts in all the Figures.
I must here observe that a very full and complete description of the kind
of heddle-making machine to which my present Invention has reference is

page_text: given in the Specification of Letters Patent for England granted to James
Berric and David Anderson, on or about the Twenty-fifth day of March, in
the year One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five, and it will therefore be
unnecessary for me to describe herein any of the details of the machine, to
which a special reference is not needed in explaining my own improvements.
Machines of this kind have hitherto been constructed so as to take up the
heddle leaf, as the making of it proceeds, by the action of a train of
gearing upon a drum A, upon which the beddle leaf is wound, the " rib cords"
or backing B, forming the foundation of the heddles, being kept tight by the
application of weights or other retarding appliances to the drum C, or drums,
off which they are drawn. According to the present Invention, however, the
drum C, off which the rib cords B are drawn, is driven by gearing instead of
the take-up drum A; a weight D, and cord E, or equivalent means being.
applied to the latter to wind up the heddles as the gearing applied to
the, cord drum C gradually gives off the rib cords B. In carrying this
arrangement into effect according to one convenient plan, a worm F is fixed
on the spindle G of the pinion, by means of which the pitch chain I is
driven intermittently once for each stroke or cycle of operations of the
machine. This worin F drives a worm wheel I fast on a shaft J, carrying
another worm K, which drives a worm wheel L, fast on the spindle M of the
card drum C. The shaft J is carried in adjustable brackets N, and the
worin wheels I and L are made changeable to suit different "counts" of
beddles. An index pointer O is carried by the intermediate shaft J, and
coming up to a fixed mark or point P at each revolution shows the worker
when to insert in the heddles the thread for marking the count. The weighted
cord E acts on the take-up drum A through the intervention of a barrel and
ratchet wheel, so that it can be wound up like a clock without turning back
the drum A. According to a slight modification of this arrangement the
weight D and cord E may be dispensed with, and the drum A may be made
to take up the heddles by means of pulleys, and a belt or cord imparting
motion to it from the shaft M, the pulleys being so proportioned as to tend to
wind up the heddles with slightly greater rapidity than that with which the
rib cords B are given off by the drum C, to make up for any stretching of the
rib cords and to keep them tight, the cord or belt driving the drum A slipping
when the strain on the rib cords exceeds its frictional hold. Another im-
provement comprehended in the present Invention relates to tho braiding
needles Q (Figure 4), and consists in the omission of a contrivance usually
employed to raise what are termed the "depressers "R, the points of these
depressers being slightly bevilled instead, so as to be raised by the needles

page_text: themselves as they are carried outwards by their carriage S. According to
one modification of the portion of the present Invention relating to the
carriage or frame S, to which the braiding needles Q. are attached, this
carriage or frame is moved backwards and forwards by means of a wiper T
fast upon a transverse horizontal shaft U, and carrying an antifriction
roller V, to act on the inside edge of the frame S, which edge is shaped to suit
the motion required for the braiding needles Q. The shaft U is represented
in the Drawings hereunto appended as driven by gearing from the fly wheel
or first motion shaft W of the machine, the gearing consisting of bevil.
wheels X, by which motion is given to a transverse horizontal shaft im-
mediately below the shaft U, the shaft U having fast on it a spur wheel Y
driven by a pinion Z on the shaft beneath it.
Instead, however, of this arrangement of mechanism for moving the braiding
needles, that described and delineated in the Specification of Berrie and
Anderson's Patent herein-before referred to may be adopted, but in this case,
instead of deriving the outward movement of the braiding 'needles from a cam
on the great wheel u, and the return movement thereof from the reaction of a
weight, I prefer to derive both movements from cams on the great wheel a.
In the Specification of Berrie and Anderson's Patent, herein-before' referred to,
the great wheel is described and delineated as being supported and guided by
three pulleys carried by stationary brackets fixed externally to the wheel. It
has, however, been a common practice to arrange the great wheel or toothed
ring to slide round upon the ends of stationary arms, and in, the Drawings
hereunto appended the great wheel or toothed ring a is represented as being
mounted in this way, one of the stationary arms being seen in Figure 2.
Both these arrangements have the fault of giving too little bearing surface
to the great wheel and I propose to fix upon or form in one piece with the
arms a complete ring rendered cylindrical on its outer surface, and to form the
great wheel with a corresponding ring turned cylindrically on its inside to work
upon the stationary ring, which means a complete circular bearing will be
given to the great wheel or toothed ring a. Or the stationary ring may be fixed
directly to the framing instead of upon the arms b. A further improvenient
comprehended in the present Invention relates to the ring or tube c, which
pushes the heddle eyes off the stud d, on which they are formed as the manu-
facturing process proceeds. Instead of the ordinary way of working this ring c,
it is actuated by a link e passing to a lever f, on the outside of the frame g,
to the opposite end of which leverf is jointed a link or rod h, which is moved
by a pulley on the wheel Y, a spring ; being applied to the rod h to recover
it after making a stroke.

page_text: Having now particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I must observe that
I do not restrict myself to the precise details which I havo bercin described
and delineated, nor do I claim to have invented the whole of the details herein
described, delineated, or referred to; but what I believe to be novel and
original, and claim in connection with heddle-making machines as the in-
vention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the application of the gearing by which the motion of the rib cords is
proportioned to the number of clasps formed to the drum or druins giving of
the rib cords, instead of to the take-up drum.
Second, the omission of the contrivances hitherto employed for raising the
<lepressers when the braiding needles are moved outwards or towards the great
wheel, and the slight bevilling of the points of the depressers so as to be raised
by the braiding needles themselves.
Third, the application and use of a revolving wiper, acting by means of an
antifriction roller for moving the carriage bearing the braiding needles.
Fourth, the system or mode of mounting the "great wheel" or toothed ring
upon a complete cylindrical surface, as herein-before described.
Fifth, the herein-before described arrangement of mechanism for actuating
the ring or tube which pushes the heddle oyes off the stud on which they are
formed.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Melvin, havo hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
28, St. Enoch Square, Glasgow.
DAVID MELVIN. (L.B.)