IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Crook, of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Crook at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
March 1858.
I, WILLIAM CROOK, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to an improved shuttle-box motion, and consists of
placing in suitable guides two racks working with a pinion geared into them
so as to maintain a perfect balance, and connect the shuttle-box frame to
either of the racks, which are made of any desired length, according to the
number of shuttles employed; and in order to raise and depress the shuttles
I pass through the racks spring stops or pins, one above the other, which are
actuated upon by a pattern strap or other contrivance for regulating the
patterns or designs, so that at the back of either rack a pin or stop projects
whenever a change of shuttle is required, the said pin being moved upwards
by means of a sliding arm or lifter put in motion by being connected to &
lever made to move up and down by the action of the tappet or crank shaft,
so that as the pins are shifted and made to move up the racks move simul-
taneously with them, the opposite pins and racks being depressed; I connect

page_text: to the shaft of the pinion a friction lever, or a star friction wheel, in order to
maintain steadiness at the time of change. This arrangement gives great
facility for employing a small or large number of shuttles with simplicity and
economy.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Crook in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CROOK, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Crook, Her special licence that I, the said William Crook, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Crook, 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," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Crook, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 William Crook, 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 (that is to say):-
=
My said Invention relates to an improved shuttle-box motion, and consists
in placing in suitable guides two racks working with a pinion geared into
them so as to maintain a perfect balance. The shuttle-box frame is con-
nected to either of the racks, which are made of any desired length, according
to the number of shuttles employed. In order to raise and depress the
shuttles I pass through the racks spring stops or pins, one above the other,

page_text: which are acted upon by a pattern strap or other contrivance for regulating
patterns or designs, so that at the front of either rack a pin or stop pro-
jects whenever a change of shuttle is required, the said pin and also the rack
and shuttles being moved upwards by means of a lifter put in motion in any
5 convenient manner, so that as one set of pins are shifted and made to move
up their corresponding racks move simultaneously with them, and the
opposite pins and racks are depressed. I connect to the shaft of the pinion an
ordinary friction wheel, and also a star friction wheel, to be used separately or
conjointly, as may be desired. Motion is given to the pattern strap by means
of an intermittent wheel or other dividing apparatus, which can be thrown out
gear and reversed and regulated in order to obtain good work.
of
These improvements will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, with the figures and letters of reference thereon.
Fig. 1 represents a front view of the framing and other parts of a loom to
which my improved shuttle-box motion is attached; Fig. 2, a transverse view
of the same; and Fig. 3, a back view of the working parts of the shuttle-box
motion.
In the aforesaid Figures, a is the shuttle-box frame connected by the rod b
to the arm or projection c cast upon or fixed to one of the racks d, which with
the opposite rack e, is geared into the pinion f, so that the movement of one
may balance the other. The racks, and consequently the shuttle-box frame,
are moved the distance of one or more shuttles by means of the lifter g, which
has a uniform lift imparted to it by connecting it at each side to the chains h
fixed to the large pulley i, which latter is put in motion by connecting it by
means of the chain j to the lever k, having motion given to it by the cam or
eccentric on the tappet shaft m, a clutch being employed so as to relieve the
cam and lever when required. The extent of movement of the shuttles is
regulated by the spring stops or pins n fitting holes in the racks, and also the
guide plates o sliding in slots in the frame p, so that if the lowest pin on one-
side is projected, the boxes are lifted their entire height; if the lowest pin on.
the other side is projected, the boxes are depressed to their lowest position ;.
and all the intermediate heights of the boxes are obtained according to which
pin on either side is pushed out. The aforesaid pins n are connected to
levers q, so placed that they may clear each other, having ends of different
lengths, so that they may be acted upon by other levers r, one at a time,.
according to the pattern. The levers r are connected by rods s to arms or
levers t working on the fulcrum u connected to the frame v, which is fixed to
the framing of the loom, the said levers t being acted upon, one at a time, by
the projections w on the pattern strap a moved by the drum y, so as to push

page_text: 2.
one of the levers tbackwards, and pull one of the levers r forwards, which
acting on the end of one of the levers 9 pushes out one of the spring stops or
pins, so that the lifter g may come in contact with it, and raise or depress
the boxes and shuttles, according to the positions of the projections on the
pattern strap. The instant the lifter is relieved from the spring stop or pin
that it has been acting upon the said stop is drawn back by a spring In
Fig. 3 I shew but one lever and spring, but it must be understood that each
lever is furnished with a similar spring, so that each stop may be drawn
զ
back after it has done its work. In order to maintain the steadiness of the
shuttle boxes, both during and after a change, I connect with the shaft of the
pinion fa star or cam wheel a¹ having a presser b', around the spindle of which
is a spring c¹, which yields when the star wheel is turning, but holds the parts
firm when the desired movement has been made. I also employ a handle
wheel d¹, in order to adjust the positions of the boxes by hand, and also for
the purpose of applying to its periphery a break furnished with a spring or
weight, so as to obtain additional means of steadiness. On the frame p I place
a plate e¹, so that the spring stops may come against it when lifted by the
lifter, thus preventing the boxes from rising above their exact position. If the
lowest spring stop should be forward the lifter raises it the entire throw and
touches the plate, but if the highest spring stop is out the lifter passes all the
others without any effect, only acting upon the stop when it arrives at it, and
carrying it to touch the plate e¹, stopping the rebound of the shuttle boxes,
and maintaining an accuracy not hitherto attained. Motion is given to the
drum y which drives the pattern strap by fixing on the shaft of the drum a
spur wheel geared into the pinion g¹ put in motion by the intermittent
wheel h', which is acted upon by the pin wheel ¹ on the tappet shaft m, which
parts are shewn by dotted lines.
In order to reverse or adjust the pattern strap by hand I pull the inter-
mittent wheel out of gear, and turn it by means of two bevil wheels, the shaft
of one being brought to the front of the loom and furnished with a handle or
wheel, the said shaft working in a swivel bearing, so that the intermittent
wheel may be pulled out by it, and also turned either way, as required.
The Figures in the Drawing represent a loom with six shuttles requiring ten
spring stops, and the same number of levers and rods, but it is evident that
any other suitable number of shuttles may be employed.
I also place on the tappet shaft a clutch, so as to throw the pin wheel k¹ out
of gear with the intermittent wheel h¹, thereby causing the latter to be sta-
tionary, and preventing the movement of the drum y, which moves the pattern
strap, thus enabling a great length and variety of pattern to be woven.

page_text: Although in the Drawings a pattern strap is shewn for regulating the pattern,
any other suitable pattern arrangement may be employed.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details berein set forth, as such
may be varied or modified without departing from the principle thereof; but I
claim as my Invention, and which to the best of my knowledge and belief has
not been hitherto used within the realm,-
Firstly, the employment of spring stops or pins in connection with two racks,
balancing each other by means of a pinion, the said stops being pushed out so
as to shift the shuttles by being influenced by any pattern arrangement.
Secondly, the employment of a lifter for acting on the spring stops as one or
the other comes forward, and also the arrangement for giving a pull on one or
both sides of the lifter.
Thirdly, the employment of a plate or stop, so that the shuttle boxes may
be raised to their exact height by stopping their rebound.
Fourthly, the mode of reversing the pattern by hand by means of shifting
the intermittent wheel, and afterwards turning the pattern to any required
position.
Fifthly, the employment of a cam and spring to steady the shuttles, and also
a friction break to steady their movement.
And, sixthly, the general arrangement of my improvements as herein
described, and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Crook, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named William Crook, in
the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.
WILLIAM CROOK. (L.S.)