IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PICKING MOTION OF POWER LOOMS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Gray, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PICKING MOTION OF POWER LOOMS."
Sealed the 19th January 1858, and dated the 14th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Gray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
September 1857.
I, ALEXANDER GRAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PICKING MOTION OF POWER LOOмs," to be as follows, that is to
say:
The said Invention comprehends two improvements in the picking motion
of power looms; the first relating to the mechanism for imparting the proper
motion to the picking stick or lever, and the second relating to the manner in
which the picking stick is carried. The improvements are specially designed
for the arrangement of power looms in which the picking levers turn on
centres at or near the base of the loom, and work in a plane parallel to the
lathe, such plane being supposed to partake of the motion of the lathe. The
tappet shaft of the loom, or a shaft corresponding to it, and revolving at the
usual relative speed of tappet shafts, is retained, and has keyed upon it towards
each side of the loom a wiper or lever carrying a pin, the two wipers being on
diametrically opposite sides of the shaft. Level, or nearly level with the

page_text: tappet shaft, there is at each side of the loom a short horizontal shaft carried
in bracket bearings attached to the loom framing, and in this shaft there is
fixed a pin in such a position that the pin of the tappet shaft wiper comes in
contact with it at a part of its revolution. Near the front of the loom the short
horizontal shaft carries a quadrant corresponding to a small portion of a drum
or pulley, and to this quadrant is fixed the strap, which is connected to and
works the picking lever. It follows from this arrangement, that as the tappet
shaft comes round, its pin coming in contact with the pin on the horizontal
shaft, causes the latter to turn round to a certain extent, & this motion by
means of the quadrant and strap gives the requisite movement to the picking
lever. As the tappet shaft revolves it alternately acts on each horizontal
shaft, and thus causes the picking action to take place alternately from each
side of the loom. The picking lever may be carried in the usual way upon a
pin at the lower end of the lathe sword, or it may be carried upon a ball
formed upon the end of a bracket fixed to the loom framing, in a position
coincident or nearly coincident with the axis about which the lathe turns.
The picking lever is jointed upon the ball by means of two hemispherical
socket pieces, so as to form a universal joint, which allows the picking lever
to follow the motion of the lathe at the same time that it can turn in the
plane of the lathe when picking.
picking. This mode of carrying the picking lever
constitutes the second improvement comprehended under the present Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Gray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
GRAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manager, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alexander Gray, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander
Gray, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alexander Gray, 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,

page_text: use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PICKING MOTION OF POWER LOOMS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alexander Gray, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their 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 and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Gray, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
"
My said Invention comprehends two improvements in the "picking motion'
of power looms; the first relating to the mechanism for imparting the proper
motion to the picking stick or lever, and the second relating to the manner in
which the picking stick is carried. The improvements are specially designed
for the arrangement of power loom in which the picking levers turn on
centres at or near the base of the loom, and work in a plane parallel to the
lathe, such plane being supposed to partake of the motion of the lathe. The
low or tappet shaft of the loom, or a shaft corresponding to it, and revolving
at the usual relative speed of low or tappet shafts is retained, and has keyed
upon it towards each side of the loom a wiper or lever carrying a pin, the two
wipers being on diametrically opposite sides of the shaft. Level, or nearly
level with the tappet shaft, there is at each side of the loom a short horizontal
shaft carried in bracket bearings attached to the loom framing, and in this
shaft there is fixed a pin in such a position that the pin of the tappet shaft
wiper comes in contact with it at a part of its revolution. Near the front of
the loom the short horizontal shaft carries a quadrant corresponding to a
small portion of a druni or pulley, and to this quadrant is fixed the strap.
which is connected to and works the picking lever. It follows from this
arrangement, that as the tappet shaft comes round, its pin coming in contact.
with the pin on the horizontal shaft, causes the latter to turn round to a
certain extent, and this motion by means of the quadrant and strap gives the
requisite movement to the picking lever. As the tappet shaft revolves, it
alternately acts on each horizontal shaft, and thus causes the picking action to
take place alternately from each side of the loom. The picking lever may be
carried in the usual way upon a pin at the lower end of the lathe sword; or,

page_text: according to the second improvement comprehended in the present Invention,
the picking lever may be connected to the loom framing by being carried or
jointed upon a ball formed upon the end of a bracket or stud fixed to the
loom framing, in a position coincident with or near the axis about which the
lathe turns. The picking lever is jointed upon the ball by means of two
hemispherical socket pieces, so as to form a universal joint, which allows the
picking lever to follow the motion of the lathe at the same time that it can
turn in the plane of the lathe when picking.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I have
bereunto appended and shall now proceed to describe a Sheet of explanatory
Drawings, exhibiting the manner of working out the same in practice.
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is a front elevation, Figure 2 is a
transverse vertical section, and Figure 3 is a plan, showing as much of a
loom fitted with my improved mechanism as is necessary for the
purposes of
this description. The first motion or crank shaft A of the loom is as usual
made to drive the second low or tappet shaft B, by means of spur wheels C,
which make the low shaft B revolve at half the speed of the crank shaft A.
The picking action is effected by means of two wipers D, keyed in diametrically
opposite positions upon the low shaft B, and fitted each with a striking pin E,
which is made of hardened metal, and so as to be easily adjusted or renewed.
At the level of the low shaft B, and lying at right angles thereto, towards the
front of the loom, there are a couple of short horizontal rocking shafts F,
arranged in bracket bearings G, H, the former G bolted to the side frame I
of the loom, and the latter H to the front tie frame J. In the Drawings
hereunto attached, the rocking shafts F are arranged within the lathe swords
K; if, however, it is thought convenient, they may be arranged outside the
lathe swords K, and between them and the side frames I of the loom, in
cases where there is room for them in that situation. The inner end of each
rocking shaft F has transversely fixed in it a pin L, like the pins E already
described, and the arrangement is such, that as the corresponding wiper D
comes round, its striking pin E comes in contact with the pin L, and thereby
imparts a sudden partial turn to the rocking shaft F, the pin E freeing itself
after the stroke and passing onwards. The parts of the pins E and L which
come in contact are chamfered or bevilled off, to insure a proper action of the
one on the other. Each rocking shaft F imparts motion to its respective
picking lever M, by means of a quadrant N fixed upon it in a suitable
position. The quadrant N is in shape something like a portion of a small
belt drum, but it is by preference set eccentrically on the rocking shaft F, the
part which comes into action last being of the greatest radius, so that the

page_text: picking stroke is most severe towards its termination, and the shuttle is
thereby thrown in a better manner than in ordinary looms. A strap O is
applied to the acting surface of the quadrant N, being fixed to it at the end
furthest from the picking lever M, and being fixed to the picking lever at P.
The arrangements are the same on both sides of the loom, and in the
Drawings the like parts are marked by the like reference letters. The low
shaft B turns in the direction of the arrows, and the pins E strike upwards,
causing the quadrants N to turn towards the centre of the loom in the
direction of the arrows, and to draw in the picking levers M for the picking
strokes. The wipers D being placed in diametrically opposite positions on
the shaft B, come into action alternately, and cause the picking levers M to
be actuated alternately. In the arrangement shewn in the Drawings, the
picking levers M work through the bottoms of the shuttle boxes Q, slotted for
the
purpose. Each picking lever M is held between a couple of jaw pieces R,
the lower parts of which are hollowed to form a spherical socket, which fits
and works on a ball on the end of a bracket or stud S, bolted to the side
frame I. The studs S are placed near the centre line of the spindles on which
the lathe vibrates, and the picking levers M work on the balls as joints, and
accompany the lathe in its vibratory motion. Springs T are applied to the
jaw pieces R of the picking levers M, to take the latter back after each stroke.
Where the construction of the loom admits of it, the picking levers may be
centred on pins fixed directly upon the lathe swords; but I may remark that
the arrangement represented in the Drawings is applicable to old and new
looms in which the lathe swords work inside the side pieces of the loom, or in
which the ordinary mounting of this class of picking levers cannot on other
accounts be adopted.
Having now particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I must observe, in
conclusion, that I do not restrict myself to the precise details which I have
herein-before described or delineated, nor do I claim to have invented the
whole of the details which I have had occasion to describe or delineate in
explaining my said Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the system or mode of actuating the picking levers of power looms by
means of horizontal rocking shafts, to which the sudden motion required for
the picking action is imparted by wipers upon the low or second motion shaft
of the loom, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of connecting the picking levers of power loonis

page_text: to the loom framing by ball and socket joints arranged near the line about
which the lathe vibrates, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Gray, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
28, S. Enoch Square, Glasgow.
ALEX GRAY. (L.S.)