Beam and Weighing Machine Manufacturer
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Crichton, of the City of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Machinist, William Donbavand, of the
same Place, Scale Beam and Weighing Machine Manufacturer, and
Duncan Crighton, of the same Place, Engineer and Machinist, for
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Crichton,
William Donbavand, and Duncan Crighton at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 1st October
1868.
We, DAVID CRICHTON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Machinist, WILLIAM DONBAVAND, of the same Place, Scale
Beam and Weighing Machine Manufacturer, and DUNCAN CRIGHTON, of
the same Place, Engineer and Machinist, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be
as follows:-
Our Invention consists in improved arrangements for diminishing
the friction of the swells on the shuttle and for regulating the movement

page_text: of the shuttle in the process of weaving for the purpose of enabling
the shuttle to be easily and steadily ejected from the shuttle boxes
by the action of the pickers, and thereby diminish the wear in the
parts which operate the shuttle action and reduce the motive power
to work the loom. We apply to the swells in the single shuttle boxes
a supplementary spring action or its equivalent for steadying the shuttle
when in the boxes, and also employ certain mechanical movements
put in operation by the working of the crank arm of the lathe, the
mechanical movements being firstly for the purpose of releasing the
mainspring and stop rod pressure from the swells when the shuttle
is ejected from the boxes by the pickers, and secondly only for releasing
the pressure of the mainspring from the swells when the shuttle leaves
the boxes, and the supplementary spring action is to keep the shuttle
steady in the box by slight pressure at the time the mainspring is
withdrawn from the swells to receive the picker stroke, and also to
regulate the action of the shuttle across the raceboard and at the same
time allow the required pressure to be given to the swell when the
shuttle arrives in the opposite box,
These improvements will be understood by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the figures and letters drawn and
marked on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 being an end
view from the inside of part of a loom provided with an arrangement
of our improvements, and Figs. 2 and 3 plans of part of the same.
a, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, represents the raceboard of the lathe in section
and in part; b, the shuttle; and c, one of the sword arms; d, Fig. 1,
the stop rod finger; e, the stop rod; and f, the frog; g, Figs. 2 and 3, the
ordinary swell for working the stop rod; h, the swell finger; and i, one
of the pickers; and in Fig. 1, k, l, represent one of the cranks and
crank arms. To the ordinary swell g, Figs. 2 and 3, we apply the
supplementary spring m for exerting a slight pressure on the said
swell g, and to the stop rod e, Fig. 1, we fix an arm n, the book o being
connected by the spring p to the hook a fixed to the sword arm c, and
to the crank arm we fix a small arm r. The shuttle 6 with its pick
of weft is driven across the raceboard of the lathe; when the lathe
is moving back and shortly before the shuttle leaves the box by the
action of the picker the small arm comes in contact with the arm n,
as shewn in Fig 1, so as to turn back the stop rod e a short distance
and remove the swell finger h from the swell g, as seen in Fig. 2, and

page_text: at the time the shuttle is driven from the box the only pressure upon
it is that which is exerted by the supplementary spring n on the swell,
and thus the shuttle is enabled to have an easy and steady delivery
from the box. After the crank has turned the bottom centre the
crank arm is raised and the arm removed from the arm n, thereby
releasing the stop rod and allowing the spring p to bring forward the
swell finger h, as shewn in Fig. 3, and give the required pressure to
the swell when the shuttle arrives at the opposite box.
We have shewn and described an arrangement of our Invention for
releasing the mainspring and stop rod fingers from the swells, but there
are other known contrivances not of our own Invention for the same
purpose, and with these we combine the employment of a supplementary
spring pressure action or its equivalent to the swells of the single shuttle
boxes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Crichton, William Donbavand, and Duncan
Crighton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st April 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
CRICHTON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, WILLIAM DONBAVAND, of the same Place, Scale Beam and
Weighing Machine Manufacturer, and DUNCAN CRIGHTON, of the same
Place, Engineer and Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said David Crichton, William Donbavand, and
Duncan Crighton, Her special license that we, the said David Crichton,
William Donbavand, and Duncan Crighton, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said David Crichton,
William Donbavand, and Duncan Crighton, our 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

page_text: of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said David Crichton, William
Conbavand, and Duncan Crighton, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or 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 we, the said David Crichton, William
Donbavand, and Duncan Crighton, do hereby declare the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
(that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists in improved arrangements for diminishing the
friction of the swells on the shuttle and for regulating the movement
of the shuttle in the process of weaving for the purpose of enabling
the shuttle to be easily and steadily ejected from the shuttle boxes
by the action of the pickers, and thereby diminish the wear in the
parts which operate the shuttle action and reduce the motive power to
work the loom. We apply to each swell in the single shuttle boxes a
supplementary spring action or its equivalent for steadying the shuttle
when in the boxes, and also employ certain mechanical movements put
in operation by the working of one of the crank arms of the lathe, the
mechanical movements being for the purpose of taking off the stop
rod pressure from the swells shortly before the shuttle is ejected from
the boxes by the pickers, and the supplementary spring action is to
keep the shuttle steady in the box by slight pressure at the time the
main pressure is withdrawn from the swells to receive the picker stroke,
and also to regulate the action of the shuttle across the raceboard and
at the same time allow the required pressure to be given to the swell
when the shuttle arrives in the opposite box.
These improvements will be understood by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the figures and letters drawn and
marked on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 being an end
view from the inside of part of a loom provided with one arrangement
of our improvements; Figs. 2 and 3, plans of part of the same; Figs.
4 and 5 end views representing modifications of the improvements

page_text: shewn in Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 an end view of another arrangement for
the same purpose as the improvements shewn in Figs. 1, 4, and 5.
In all the Figures a represents the lathe in section and in part; b, the
shuttle; and c, one of the sword arms; d, Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 6, the stop
rod finger for the frog; e, the stop rod; and f, the frog; g, Figs. 2 and 3
the ordinary swell for working the stop rod; h, the swell finger; and i,
one of the pickers; and in Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 6, k, l, represent one of the
cranks and crank arms. To the ordinary swell g, Figs. 2 and 3, we
apply the supplementary spring m for exerting a slight pressure on the
said swell g, and to the stop rode or swell finger h, Figs. 1, 4, and 5,
we attach an arm n, the hook o fixed to the stop rod being connected
by the spring p to the hook q fixed to the sword arm c, and to the
crank arm we connect a small arm r by means of a pin or bolt. The
shuttle 6 with its pick of weft is driven across the raceboard of the
lathe, when the lathe is moving back and shortly before the shuttle
leaves the box by the action of the picker i, Figs. 2 and 3, the small
arm r, Figs. 1, 4, and 5, comes in contact with the arm n so as to
turn back the stop rod e a short distance and remove the swell
finger from the swell g, as seen in Fig. 2, and at the time the
shuttle is driven from the box the only pressure upon it is that
which is exerted by the supplementary spring n, Fig. 2, on the swell,
and thus the shuttle is enabled to have an easy and steady delivery
from the box. After the crank has turned the bottom centre the
crank arm is raised and the action of the arm r removed from the
arm n, thereby releasing the stop rod and allowing the spring p to
bring forward the swell finger h, as shewn in Fig. 3, and give the
required pressure to the swell when the shuttle arrives at the opposite
box. The object of the arrangement of the arms n and r, Fig. 4, is to
remedy the evil of traps when the loom is turned by hand accidentally
the wrong way, or if the crank recoils when stopping the loom, for
in these cases the arm r will pass clear of the arm n and allow the
stop rod finger d to come against the frog to stop the loom and
prevent damage to the warp. In Fig. 5 the arm n is held by a
pins and india-rubber ring or band t or its equivalent to the arm u
fixed to the stop rod or swell finger, which arrangement is for the
purpose of enabling the arm n to be lifted if the armr should come
against it when putting the shuttle in the boxes by Lanl. Or the
arm n may be jointed to the arm " by a knuckle joint and held by

page_text: a spring so that it will be firm when the loom is turning in the
right direction, but will yield when required and prevent damage to
the warp.
In Fig. 6 we represent another mode of taking off the stop rod
pressure from the swells. Instead of fixing the arm n to the stop
rod or lower part of the swell finger h we fix it on the finger above
the centre of the stop rod, and connect it by a rod, chain, or band o
to an arm to connected to the crank arm by a bolt, so that it can be
adjusted to any required position and then firmly fixed. The said
arm to projects above the crank arm 1, and shortly before the shuttle
leaves the boxes by the action of the pickers the arm w moves the
rod and arm n so as to overcome the power of the spring p con-
nected to the hooks o, q, fixed to the stop rod e and sword arm c,
and turn back the stop rod and remove the swell finger a short
distance from the swell, as seen in Fig. 2, thereby removing the
pressure as effectually as the movements before described. The arms
r and n are made of any required shape and strength, and are placed
in any position so long as they can be put in operation by the
working of one of the crank arms to take off the stop rod pressure
from the swells shortly before the shuttle leaves the boxes.
We have shewn and described various arrangements of our Invention
for taking off the stop rod pressure from the swells, but there are other
known contrivances not of our Invention for the same purpose, and
with these we combine the employment of a supplementary spring
pressure action or its equivalent to the swells of the single shuttle
boxes.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we
desire it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the exact
details here given, but reserve to ourselves the right of varying the same
so long as the peculiar character of our Invention is retained; but what
we claim is, the application to each swell in the single shuttle boxes
of a supplementary spring action or its equivalent for slightly pressing
and steadying the shuttle when in the boxes, and the mechanical
movements shewn in Figs. 1, 4, and 5 or modifications thereof, put in
operation by the working of one of the crank arms for taking off the
stop rod pressure from the swells at the times required, and the improved
arms n and w, Fig. 6, connected by a rod, chain, or band for the same

page_text: purpose, and also the combination of the supplementary spring action or
its equivalent with other ordinary contrivances for taking off the stop
rod pressure from the swells.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Crichton, for and on behalf
of myself and the said William Donbavand and Duncan Crighton,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of
March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-nine.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
by the within-named David
Crichton, in the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
DAVID CRICHTON, (L.S.)