IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Leach, of Over Darwen, in the County of
Lancaster, Overlooker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 6th October 1857, and dated the 9th April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Leach at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th April 1857.
I, JOHN LEACH, of Over Darwen, in the County of Lancaster, Overlooker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention .for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in an arrangement of apparatus for "shedding
the warp." For this purpose I cause rollers to revolve and act within recesses
or slots formed within moveable plates. These recesses or slots are so formed as
to admit of a "dwell" or slower motion at certain periods, as when the
shuttle is being thrown. To the moveable plates are adapted straps, or bands, or
other suitable connexions, for giving motion to rollers or other apparatus upon
which the healds are mounted. The moveable plates I suspend by rods
capable of vibrating, or they may be adapted to ordinary guides.
Another part of my Invention refers to the "picking motion," and consists in
the use of apparatus whereby the propelling force is applied in a right line
or parallel to that of the "pickers" motion. An arrangement for accomplish-
ing this consists in so mounting the picking sticks that the lower ends thereof

page_text: are capable of being lowered as the forward vibration takes place, and this
lowering is regulated by levers jointed thereto, the other ends being capable of
turning upon centres situate above.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Leach in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LEACH, of Over Darwen, in the County of Lancaster, Overlooker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Leach, Her especial licence that I, the said John Leach, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Leach, 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 FOR WEAVING," upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said
John Leach, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Leach, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists, firstly, in an arrangement of apparatus for shedding
the warp. For this purpose I cause rollers to revolve and act within recesses
or slots formed in moveable plates. These recesses or slots are so formed as to
admit of a dwell or slower motion at certain periods, as when the shuttle is
being thrown. To the moveable plates are adapted straps, or bands, or other
suitable apparatus for giving motion to the heddles.

page_text: Another part of my Invention refers to the picking motion, and consists in
the use of apparatus whereby the propelling force is applied in a right line or
parallel to that of the picker's motion. These improvements I have illus-
trated in an accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which I will now proceed to
describe.
Fig. 1 is a front view of a loom constructed according to my Invention;
Fig. 2, an end view thereof; and Fig. 3, a detached view. The tappet shaft
is shewn at a, receiving rotatory motion by the usual arrangement; but in this
case it extends only partly across the loom, and is supported at the inward end
by a bracket b. Upon this shaft is mounted a crank c, carrying a roller d,
situate within a recess e, formed in a plate f, which recess it will be observed
(see Fig. 3) is of irregular form, there being two indented parts g, h. The
plate f is provided with two arms i, k, moving in fixed guides l, m, and upon
the arm i is formed a toothed rack n; this rack is in gear with a pinion o,
upon the axle of which are rollers p carrying straps 9; these straps are con-
nected to the healds r, and there are corresponding straps q", which pass over
other rollers g, situate above. As the tappet shaft revolves, the rollers & will
arrive in contact with the sides of the indented parts g, h, thereby causing
the bar i to move to and fro and communicate rotatory motion to the pinion o,
which motion will move the straps 2, 2*, so as to cause the shedding of the
warp through the harness », but when the roller d' is moving in contact with
the parts g, h, the desired dwell will take place. The above arrangement
shews apparatus for weaving with two shafts only, but it will be evident that
the crank c may be a plate carrying rollers to work on two pieces, similar to
that shewn at f, so as to operate upon four shafts.
In order to explain the next part of my Invention, I will in the first place
refer to the Diagram, Fig. 4, in which A represents the picking stick turning
upon a centre at A*. According to the ordinary method it is evident that as
the picking stick is caused to vibrate its upper end will describe the curbe
B, C; but according to my improvement, I lower the said picking stick during
its motion, so that its upper end shall travel through the line B, D, and when
at the central line I cause it to be raised so that the right line B, D, E, may
be followed. The manner in which this is accomplished is as follows:-The
lathe swords are shewn at t mounted upon the horizontal bar 2, which turns
upon centres in the framework of the loom. Upon the bar u, and at either
side of the loom, is mounted a projecting arm v, to which is jointed a link w,
the lower end thereof being jointed to the metal of the picking stick . To
the picking stick is also jointed a lever y, the other end of which turns upon
a centre pin attached to the bar ; as the lathe therefore vibrates the whole

page_text: of this apparatus moves to and fro together. At the right-hand side of Fig. 1
the picking stick x is shewn in its backward position; upon motion being com-
municated thereto in order to effect, the blow it will be caused to turn upon
the centre, but in doing so it will carry with it the pin of the link w, which
link, being connected at its other end to a fixed centre at v, forces downward
the lever y and with it the picking stick x, so as to neutralize the tendency at
its upper end of moving in a curved direction. The central line having been
gained, the link w will then act in an opposite direction, and draw upward the
picking stick, so as to complete the right line B, D, E, of Fig. 4. The Draw-
ing shews the picking motion and other parts of the loom of ordinary con-
struction, and as they form no part of my Invention it will not be necessary
to add any description; for it will be obvious to any competant person that the
arrangement of the machine may be varied at pleasure, and that the principles
of my Invention may be carried out by many modifications of mechanism;
that which I claim as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters
Patent being,
Firstly, the use of the apparatus above described for shedding the warp.
And, secondly, the method of mounting the picking sticks, whereby the
blow is diverted from its circular course towards a right line.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Leach, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.