IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Smith, of Houley, near Huddersfield, in the
County of York, Manufacturer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Smith at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th August 1881.
EDWIN SMITH, of Houley, near Huddersfield, in the County of York, Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
The improvements relate to the weaving of what are known as "dhootas;" that
is to say, fabrics having for their central portions grey, plain, or figured cloths, and
for borders, a portion varying in width, of coloured warps, and also of coloured
weft or wefts for that portion only. And the improvements are also applicable to
the weaving of shawls, handkerchiefs, fringes, or fringed fabrics.
Hitherto such goods have been for the most part woven in India by native
workmen, and with primitive methods. The object of this my present Invention
is to weave the same by means of a power or other automatic loom of the descrip-
tion hereinafter given, and to form an improvement upon my former Invention, for
which Letters Patent have already been granted to me, and numbered 633 of this
year, 1881. To accomplish this and to effect my improvements I actuate the warp
threads by means of jacquard motion, dobbies, or tappet motions, in such manner
that a shed is formed for the passing of the ordinary shuttle through the central
portions of the yarn alternately with sheds formed in the borders, for the passing
of special shuttles through them, which special shuttles can carry yarn of cotton
or silk, or wool or other fibres of any desired colour. To enable this to be done, a
shed is opened, or the yarn of the warps is divided in the usual manner, excepting
the warp yarns forming the borders, which latter are allowed to lie on the slay-board
or shuttle race. The ordinary shuttle is then thrown through this shed so formed,
and at the next motion of the loom the warp yarns forming the body or central
portions of the fabric are in turn allowed to lie on the shuttle race or slay board,
and the border sheds are opened for the passage of the special shuttles aforesaid,
which special shuttles are actuated in the following manner, viz. A shuttle race,
C21
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page_text: or guide, or carrier is formed for each special shuttle, and is constructed in circular
form and fitted with a shuttle which is formed with the required curve to enable
it to fit or slide in the circular race or guide aforesaid.
Portions of the circle of the race or guide are cut away to enable the open shed
to be made with the warp yarns for the passage of the curved shuttle, and for
taking the same in and out.
This circular shuttle race guide or carrier is suitably mounted on a slide, or it
may be on a lever, whereby the shuttle guide is caused by suitable mechanism to
follow the reed or battern in its to and fro motion, but independently of such
battern, at those times when the shuttle contained therein is required to be passed
or thrown through the warp threads. Motion is given to the shuttle by means of
a rack and pinion, or of spring pegs actuated in any suitable manner by means
of the ordinary working parts of the loom.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edwin Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th February
1882.
EDWIN SMITH, of Houley, near Huddersfield, in the County of York, Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
The improvements relate to the weaving of what are known as "dhootas;" that
is to say, fabrics having for their central portions grey, plain, or figured cloths, and
for borders, a portion varying in width, of coloured warps, and also of coloured weft
or wefts for that portion only; and the improvements are also applicable to the
weaving of shawls, handkerchiefs, fringes, or fringed fabrics.
Hitherto such goods have been for the most part woven in India by native
workmen, and with primitive methods.
The object of this my present Invention is to weave the same by means of a
power or other automatic loom of the description hereinafter given, and to form an
improvement upon my former Invention, for which Letters Patent have already.
been granted to me, and numbered 633 of the year 1881.
To accomplish this and to effect my improvements, I actuate the warp threads
by means of a jacquard motion, dobby, or tappet motion, in such manner that a
shed is formed for the passing of the ordinary shuttle through the central portions
of the yarn alternately with sheds formed in the borders for the passing of special
shuttles through them, which special shuttles can carry yarn of cotton or silk, or
wool or other fibres of any desired colour.
To enable this to be done, a shed is opened or the yarn of the warps is divided
in the usual manner, excepting the warp yarns forming the border, which latter
are allowed to lie on the slay board or shuttle race. The ordinary shuttle is then
thrown through this shed so formed, and at the next motion of the loom the warp
yarns forming the body or central portions of the fabric are in turn allowed to lie
on the shuttle race or slay board, and the border sheds are opened for the passage
of the special shuttles aforesaid, which special shuttles are actuated in the following
manner, viz. A shuttle race, or guide, or carrier is formed for each special shuttle,
and is constructed in circular form and fitted with a shuttle, which is formed with
the required curve to enable it to fit or slide in the circular race or guide aforesaid.
Portions of the circle of the race or guide are cut away to enable the open shed to
be made with the warp yarns for the passage of the curved shuttle, and for taking
the same in and out. This circular race guide or carrier is suitably mounted on
a slide, or it may be on a lever, whereby the shuttle guide is caused by suitable
mechanism to follow the reed or battern in its to and fro motion, but independently
of such battern, at those times when the shuttle contained therein is required to be
passed or thrown through the warp threads. Motion is given to the shuttle by
means of a rack and pinion, or of spring pegs actuated in any suitable manner
by means of the ordinary working parts of the loom.
But that the improvements may be better understood I will, by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings, proceed more fully to describe means employed by me.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shows an end view of apparatus forming a portion of my Invention, and
Fig. 2 shows a plan view thereof.
The same letters indicate corresponding parts wherever they occur.
a, a, is the framing carrying the special circular shuttle guide and its connections,
which framing is capable of being mounted either to slide backwards or forwards
when required, with the to and fro môtion of the reed, or it may be mounted on a

page_text: suitable rocking rod or lever for such purpose; b, b, is the shuttle guide, and b¹, b',
is the curved shuttle fitting in the same. The shuttle b¹, 61, is carried from one
side of the guide to the other across the opening for and consequently through the
shed formed by the jacquard or dobby, or other means for that purpose, by the
pegs c, c, attached to the spring carriers d, d, fixed to the pulley e, e, and actuated
by the cords ff, which have the required motion given thereto by levers or
treadles actuated by suitable cams or tappets fitted on to the working parts of the
loom. But motion may be given to the shuttle in various ways, such as a rack
and pinion motion, as is well understood; g, g, is the reed; and h, h, are threads
of the warp yarn, which shews their relative position with the shuttle motion,
whereby it will be seen that the motion of the shuttle is such that when out of
the shed it comes to rest over the fabric already woven, and that the plain of its
circular or curved motion through the shed is parallel or nearly so to the plain of
the fly shuttle's motion forming the body of the cloth; j, j, is an incline over which
the spring shuttle carriers pass in taking the shuttle through the selvage shed,
whereby the spring carriers are disengaged from the shuttle one at a time to allow
of such passage, as is well understood.
Having now described my Invention, and means I adopt in carrying the same
into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details shewn and described, as variations may be made without departing from
the peculiar character of my Invention, but what I do claim is the application of
circular special shuttle motions to the borders of fly abuttle looms, which shuttle
motions are made capable of following or not the motion of the slay or battern
when required for the purpose, and in manner substantially as shewn and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Smith, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.
Less,
WILLIAM GADD,
Consulting Engineer,
Manchester.
EDWIN SMITH. (L.S.)