IMPROVE- MENTS IN LOOMS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Armitage, of the City of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS."
Sealed the 23rd April 1858, and dated the 16th February 1858.
PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION left by the said William Armitage at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th February 1858.
I, WILLIAM ARMITAGE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster;
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS," to be as follows:-
My said Invention relate to looms for weaving a double or duplicate fabric,
either as a bag or round fabric with one or both tlie selvedges united, or two
separate fabrics without any of the selvedges being united, and is an extension
of the principle or improvement on the Invention for which Letters Patent
were granted to William Henry Walenn, of No. 46, Regent Street, London,
dated the 9th day of November, 1855, No. 2525, in the Specification of which
the shuttle boxes are described as being pivoted or hinged at their outer
extremities' to the end of the lay, so as to leave their inner ends free to move
up and down opposite either of the two race ways each shuttlebox being in
an inclined position when opposite the other race way. Instead of having the
shuttle boxes pivoted or hinged so as to be in an inclined position as shewn in

page_text: the said Specification, I have them in a perfectly horizontal position moved by
rods and levers, arranged to deliver and receive each shuttle when shot simul-
taneously from the opposite box, thus dispensing with pivots or hinges. The
other parts of the loom are similar to the said William Henry Walenn's.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Armitage in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th August 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ARMITAGE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of February, 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 Armitage, Her special licence, that I, the said
William Armitage, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such other's
as I, the said William Armitage, 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 Armitage, by an instrument 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 Armitage, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):
My said Invention relates to certain improvements in looms in which a
double or duplicate fabric is woven, either as a bag or round piece with one or
both of the selvedges united, or for weaving two separate fabrics; the said
improvements being an extension of the peculiar character or principle of the
Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to William Henry Walenn,

page_text: of No. 46, Regent Street, London, dated the Ninth day of November, One
housand eight hundred and fifty-five, No. 2525, in the Specification of which
the shuttle boxes are described as being pivoted or hinged at their outer
extremities to the end of the lay or lathe, so as to leave their inner ends free
to move up and down opposite either end of the two race ways, each shuttle
box being in an inclined position when receiving the shuttle driven from the
opposite box, both boxes being horizontal when the shuttles are driven from
them. Instead of placing the shuttle boxes on pivots or hinges so as to be
alternately in an inclined position, as shewn in the Specification and Drawings
of the aforesaid Patent, I work them up and down horizontally by means of
rods and levers moved by a cam or tappet on any of the working shafts of the
loom, the movement of the boxes being so arranged as to receive each shuttle
when shot simultaneously from the opposite box. The pivots or hinges are
hereby dispensed with, more certain and mechanical movements being substi-
tuted in their stead. These improvements are employed in connection with
the two sets of harness and shedding motions, and also the movements when
required for weaving the closed part of the fabric or bottom of the bag.
For the purpose of weaving two independent fabrics of great length in one
loom, two sets of shedding motions are employed with or without the race
way of light guides; but instead of one moveable shuttle box at each end of
the lay, I fix two at each end, and employ two shuttles which are alternately
delivered from and received in their corresponding boxes.
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 is a front elevation of part of an under pick loom, having one of my
improved arrangements for moving the shuttle boxes horizontally up and
down; Fig. 2 is an end view of the movement detached; Fig. 3 a front
clevation of part of an over pick loom, shewing one of my improved arrange-
ments for working the shuttle boxes; Fig. 4, an end view of the movement
only; Fig. 5, a front elevation of part of a similar loom, shewing another
arrangement for working the shuttles; Fig. 6, an end view of the movement;
Fig. 7, an end view of another movement for producing the same result; and
Fig. 8 shews two shuttle boxes at each end of the lay or lathe employed when
weaving two fabrics in one loom.
In Fig. 1, representing part of an under pick loom, the shuttle boxes are
shewn at a attached by the rods b, to the levers c, working on the fulcrum d,
in the frame e, which is attached to the rocking shaft f. In Fig. 2 the crank
shaft is shewn at g, to which is fixed the cam or tappet h, operating on the
lever i, connected hy the rod and joint k, to the lever c, so that as the cam

page_text: revolves an alternate up-and-down motion is given to the lever c, giving a
horizontal up-and-down motion to the shuttle boxes a.
In Fig. 3 representing one of my improved arrangements for an over pick
loom, the shuttle boxes are shewn at l, connected by the rods m to the lever n,
working on the fulcrum o, in the frame p attached to the rocking shaft 7. In
Fig. 4 the crank shaft is shewn at r, giving motion to the cam s, which acts
on the lever t, connected by the rod and joint u to the lever n, thus giving, as
the cam revolves, an alternate up-and-down motion to the lever n, and a hori-
zontal up-and-down motion to the shuttle boxes l.
In Figs. 5 and 6, representing a modification of my improvements, the
shuttle boxes are shewn at v, connected by the rods w to the belts or straps x
passing over the guide rollers y to the drums z, which are fast to the rocking
shaft a', the belts being so placed on the drums as to raise one shuttle box and
depress the other. Motion is given to the shaft a' by fixing to it an arm or
lever, connected by the rod c¹ to the lever d¹, which is acted upon by the
cam e' on the crank shaft f¹, a spring or springs being employed to keep all
the parts tight to their work. In Fig. 7 I shew a still simpler arrangement;
the shuttle boxes g² are connected to one end of straps h³, passing. over and
attached to drums ³, fast to the rocking shaft , to which motion is given by
connecting the other end of one of the straps to an intermediate lever m¹, which
is moved up and down by its being connected by the rod n¹ to the lever o¹,
which is acted upon by the cam p¹ on the crank shaft q'; thus, when one
shuttle box is lifted up, the other falls down, their horizontal position being at
the same time maintained.
The foregoing are a few of the arrangements, modified according to circum-
stances, that I apply to looms for horizontally raising and falling a shuttle box
at each end of the lay or lathe, but it is well known that a vast number of
contrivances may be applied to produce the same result, and enable me to carry.
out the peculiar character or principle of the first part of my Invention, which is
that of giving up-and-down motion horizontally to a shuttle box at each end of
the lay or lathe of a loom, instead of allowing the said shuttle boxes to vibrate
on pivots or hinges. In Fig. 8, I represent two shuttle boxes 7", fixed at each
end of the lay or lathe s¹, and two shuttles t¹, so as to be adapted for weaving
two independent fabrics of great length in one loom. The said boxes and
shuttles being employed in connection with two sets of harness, two shedding
motions, and wide reed as described by William Henry Walenn. The two
fabrics are wound upon separate cloth beams, each having its own taking-up
motion, and there are duplicates of all those parts of the loom, which the two
fabrics may require.

page_text: It will be perceived that this is simply an extension of the Patent before
alluded to, and that by having two shuttle boxes at each end, the other require-
ments are so obvious and well understood as to require no further explanation.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein 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, giving a horizontal up-and-down movement to a shuttle box at each
end of the lay or lathe of a loom, instead of vibrating it upon pivots or hinges.
And, secondly, the application of two shuttle boxes to each end of the lay
or lathe of a loom, and two shuttles employed in connection with two shedding
motions, and wide reed, for the purpose of weaving two separate fabrics in one
loom.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Armitage, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named William Armitage,
in the presence of
WILLIAM ARMITAGE (L.S.)
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.