CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Willam and Jacob Todd, of Heywood, in the County
of Lancaster, Spinners and Manufacturers, for the Invention of " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 7th April 1857, and dated the, 18th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William and Jacob Todd
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on
the 13th October 1856.
We, WILLIAM and JACOB TODD, of Heywood, in the County of Lancaster,
Spinners and Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of our said Inven-
tion for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements relate, first, to that part of power looms known as the
tappet shaft, and used for actuating the tappets which give motion to the
healds, and consists in a novel method of driving such shaft, which is accom-
plished by means of a second shaft, to which a rocking or reciprocating motion
is imparted, and at each end of which shaft is a small pulley or drum, to which
is attached an endless band or strap of metal, leather, or other suitable
material; the strap also passes round and is attached to a loose pulley upon
the tappet shaft; this pulley has upon the interior surface of its rim a spring
pressing upon a pawl or catch, which acts against a plate secured upon the

page_text: tappet shaft, and having two or more ratchets or teeth formed on its periphery.
By this arrangement, when a rocking motion is given to the pulleys at the end
of the rocking shaft it will be imparted to the loose pulley, which will cause
the pawl to force round the ratchet and give an intermittent motion to the
tappet shaft as required. This arrangement is applied at each end of the
loom, and both driven in the same direction by the straps, being one open and
the other crossed, as the pawls are required to force the ratchets alternately
on each side of the loom. The motion given to the "yarn bearer" for ensur-
ing the equal tension of yarn is also actuated from the rocking shaft by means
of an excentric in connection with and through the medium of a suitable
arrangement of levers.
The second part of this Invention relates to the rocking or oscillating shaft,
above mentioned, and consists in imparting to the said shaft an uniform recipro-
cating motion, through the medium of which a positive dwell is given to the
healds. This motion is effected by means of a lever or arm indirectly connected
with the crank shaft (from which it receives motion) by an arrangement. of
levers. One end of this lever is secured to the framing, the other being enlarged
to the required size, so as to form a segment of a circle. About the centre
of this segment is situated the required number of teeth, leaving the two sides
of the segment a plain surface; gearing into these teeth are the corresponding
teeth of a disc fixed upon the rocking shaft, the remaining portion of such.
dise having a plain surface like the segment. Supposing motion to be given
to the arm, the teeth thereupon would turn the toothed disc until the plain
surfaces came into contact, which would cause a dwell; if, now, the arm moves
back, as the crank revolves, a plate secured upon the said arm will fit into a
corresponding recess in the toothed pinion and bring the teeth again into gear,
and so on, at every upward and downward throw of the crank, thus causing
the required oscillation or reciprocating motion of the shaft and positive dwell
of the healds while open.
Lastly, these improvements apply to the part called the "weft stopping
inotion," usually in connection with the "swell" of the shuttle box, and consists
in the addition and: application of a suitably formed spring situated beneath
one of the cranked levers, one of which presses against the swell of the shuttle
box, the second being employed to strike the "frog;" this spring is placed
under the third, in order to assist in forcing the second on to the "frog," and,
by being suitably curved, to release the "swell," and consequently the shuttle
from pressure as it is expelled from the box. A similar effect may also be
gained by curving the third lever upwards, so as to come into contact with a
stud upon the crank arm, and so fitted, that as the arm moves the lever may

page_text: touch the stud, and thus release the swell from pressure and raise the second
finger from the "frog" if the shuttle completes its course from box to box ;
but should any occurrence interfere to cause the absence of the shuttle, then
the first lever would press the swell in and allow the third one to be raised
and struck by the advancing stud, and consequently force the second lever on
to the "frog" and stop the loom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William and Jacob Todd in the Great Seal Patent Office.
on the 13th April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
TODD and JACOB TODD, of Heywood, in the County of Lancester, Spinners and
Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Todd and Jacob Todd, Her especial license that we, the said William
Todd and Jacob Todd, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said William Todd and Jacob Todd, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said William Todd' and
Jacob Todd, by an instrument in writing under our 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 after imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Todd and Jacob Todd, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and'
by the following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
Our improvements relate, first, to that part of the power looms known as the
tappet shaft, and used for actuating the tappets which give motion to the healds,

page_text: and consists in a novel method of driving such shaft, which is accomplished
by means of a second shaft, to which a rocking or reciprocating motion is
imparted, and at each end of which shaft, is a small pulley or drum to which
is attached an endless band or strap of metal, leather, or other suitable material;
the strap also passes round and is attached to a loose pulley upon the tappet
shaft; this pulley has upon the interior surface of its rim a spring pressing upon
a pawl or catch which acts against a plate secured upon the tappet shaft, and
having two or more ratchets or teeth formed on its periphery. By this arrange-
ment, when a rocking motion is given to the pulleys at the end of the rocking
shaft it will be imparted to the loose pulleys, which will cause the pawl to force
round the ratchet and give an intermittent motion to the tappet shaft as
required. This arrangement is applied at each, end of the loom, and both
driven in the same direction by the straps, being one open and the other
crossed, or by an arrangement of driving, wheels, as the pawls are required to
force the rackets alternately. The motion given to the yarn bearer for
ensuring the equal tension of the yarn is also actuated from the rocking shaft
by means of an eccentric in connection with and through the medium of a
suitable arrangement of levers.
The second part of this Invention relates to the rocking or oscillating shaft,
above-mentioned, and consists in imparting to the said shaft an uniform re-
ciprocating motion, through the medium of which a positive dwell given to the
healds. This motion is effected by means of a lever or arm indirectly con-
nected with the crank shaft (from which it receives motion by an arrange-
ment of levers. One end of this rod or lever is secured to the framing, the
other being enlarged to the required size, so as to form a segment of a circle.
About the centre of this segment is formed the required number of teeth,
leaving the two sides of the segment a plain surface; gearing into these teeth
are the corresponding teeth of a disc fixed upon the rocking shaft, the remain-
ing portion of such disc having a plain surface like the segment. Supposing
motion to be given to arm, the teeth thereupon would turn the, toothed disc
until the plain surfaces came into contact, which would cause a dwell; if, now,
the arm moves back, as the crank revolves, a plate secured upon the said arm
will fit into a corresponding recess in the toothed pinion and bring the teeth
again into gear, and so on, at every upward and downward motion of the
crank, thus causing the required oscillating or reciprocating motion of the
shaft and positive dwell of the healds whilst the shed is open.
In order that our Invention may be better understood and explained in.
detail, we have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, made upon a scale of
about two inches to the foot, and having similar letters of reference marked

page_text: upon corresponding parts of the apparatus. Fig. 1 shews the gearing of the
wheels and ratchets employed at each end of the rocking and tappet shafts.
Fig. 2 shews an elevation of the tappet with the wheels secured at each end;
Fig. 3 is a plain view of the same, shewing both the rocking and tappet shafts
and the gearing attached thereto; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of that portion
to which this apparatus is applied, shewing the lever and gearing for trans-
ferring motion from the crank shaft to the rocking shaft through the segment
and lever, and also the arrangement of levers for equalizing the tension upon
the warp yarns receiving motion from the rocking shaft, which is more clearly
shewn in the Diagram, Fig. 5. In Fig. 1, a is the rocking shaft, on which are
secured the wheels a, a, gearing into the wheel.b, b, which are loose upon the
tappet shaft e, and upon which shaft the ratchetts d, d, are fixed; the pawls e, e,
are attached to the wheels b, b, the carrier pinion f employed in order that the
wheels at each end of the shaft may be driven in the same direction. In Fig 4,
g is the crank shaft, which imparts motion through the wheel h to the lever h¹,
beams the segment, which works in the teeth of the disc i on the rocking
shaft a kis the slotted rod by which the wheel h is connected with the
lever h¹; is a rod by which the dwelling motion is connected with the healds
by means of the plate or lever m. The operation of the various parts of the
apparatus will be more clearly understood upon reference to the following
description:-The rise and fall of the crank is communicated to the lever h¹
by means of the pinion gearing into the wheel h and the connecting rod k ;
this causes shaft a to rock or oscillate at every throw of the crank, a dwell
taking place at every half turn of such shaft, caused by the plain surfaces on
the segment and plate; this rocking shaft imparts motion to the wheels b, b,
through the wheels a', a', causing the wheels b, b, (not being secured upon the
shaft) to rotate continuously, and by means of the catches or pawls e, e, to
force round the ratchets d, d, and thus impart an intermittent rotatory motion
to the tappet shaft, and consequently the required "dwell" is given to the
healds at every rise and fall of the crank; also upon the rocking shaft is
secured the tappet n (shewn in Fig. 5), which lifts the rod at every rise
and fall of the healds and transfers the motion of the rocking shaft to the
rod o, over which the warps pass, thus yielding or giving to the warps as
the angle of the same increase, and vice versa. By this means the tension
of the warps is equalized.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention, together
with the method of performing the same, we would remark, in conclusion, that
we claim,
"
First, imparting a positive dwell to the healds every time the "shed"

page_text: is open for the passage of the shuttle, by means of the apparatus shewn
and described for actuating or effecting the same.
Secondly, the method of giving motion to the rod o by means of the con-
necting rod from the rocking shaft.
And, lastly, we claim the general novel arrangement and combination of the
several parts herein-before. described, set forth, and fully exhibited in the
accompanying Drawings, constituting our present improvements in power
looms for weaving.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Todd and Jacob Todd, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, the Eleventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
BARA
WILLIAM TODD. (L.S.)
JACOB TODD.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM TODD.
(L.S.)
JACOB TODD.
(L.S.)