IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING CHECKS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clark, Manufacturer, and William Cross,
Manager, both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING CHECKS."
Sealed the 11th October 1860, and dated the 26th April 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clark and William
Cross at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 26th April 1860.
We, JOHN CLARK, Manufacturer, and WILLIAM CROSS, Manager, both of
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING
CHECKS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements applicable, under suitable modifica-
tions, to power looms, having shifting shuttle boxes worked in connection with
various kinds of pattern mechanism, comprising a band or series of jacquard
cards or plates or their equivalents, the improvements considerably reducing
the number of such details required for a given pattern, and also to an im-
provement permitting of the use in check looms of shuttles of the kind used in
plain weaving looms.
A very convenient and efficient arrangement is formed by combining a
modification of the first mentioned improvements with pattern mechanism of
the kind described in the Specification of Letters Patent, granted to James

page_text: Thom and Hugh McNaught, under date the 24th October 1857, (No. 2708.)
In this arrangement the pattern mechanism is for the most part carried on a
long horizontal stud standing out laterally from the side of the loom near the
floor, and comprises the tappet wheel or wheels acting directly on the lever which
moves the shifting shuttle box, certain ratchet wheels and a barrel round
which the chain of pattern cards or plates are passed. The movements of the
various parts are derived from a reciprocating bar actuated by an eccentric
pin on the low or second motion shaft of the loom and carrying a number of
catches arranged to act on the ratchet wheels already referred to. These
catches are all held up so as not to act except at proper periods by levers which
rest upon the pattern plates or their equivalents. A first ratchet wheel has
fixed to one side of it a narrow barrel with a depression or depressions, or
carrying a chain of plates or cards with a slot or slots, which depressions or
slots, whilst the ratchet wheel is in continuous action, come round under a
lever resting on the barrel at regular intervals, (each interval corresponding
to twenty or other convenient number of shots). The depression or slot
allows the lever to descend, thereby permitting a catch to act on a second
ratchet wheel fixed to the main pattern barrel, in consequence of which n
fresh plate is brought into action and a change of shuttle follows or not
according to the plate. With this arrangement each card or plate corresponds
to twenty (or other number of) shots, or if the barrel or chain of the first
ratchet has two or more depressions or slots at irregular intervals the plates
will correspond to such intervals in regular succession, and the pattern will
consist of the different wefts arranged in widths extending each over one,
two, or more of the intervals of if the intervals are equal over one, two
or more times the twenty (or other number of) shots. It is however
frequently desirable to introduce a narrow stripe or a series of narrow stripes
(or "small checking") in or between broad stripes, (or "large checking") and
for this purpose a second catch is provided to act upon the ratchet, (made
This
broad or double for the purpose,) which turns the pattern barrel.
catch is governed by a lever, which is acted upon by the pattern plates or
cards on the barrel, or by a separate drum or barrel being brought into
action at the end of the (twenty shot or other) interval preceding the "small
checking." In this way provision is made for the most varied widths of
checking whilst a large proportion of the cards or plates ordinarily used are
dispensed with.
The improvement having reference to the use of plain weaving shuttles in
check looms, consists in applying a spring stopper against which the shuttle
strikes the picker on coming home into its cell in the shifting shuttle box.

page_text: The reaction of this spring stopper causes the shuttle to recoil towards its
proper position, and, if when the shuttle box rises or falls the shuttle should be
too far out, its point passes an antifriction wheel carried by the shuttle box
frame, which has the effect of forcing it easily and without jerk into its
proper place. This contrivance permits of the use of ordinary shuttles and of
pickers, and of other details of less expensive kinds than are generally required
in check looms.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Clark and William Cross in the Great Seal Patent.
Office on the 25th October 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
CLARK, Manufacturer, and WILLIAM CROSS, Manager, both of Glasgow, in
the County of Lanark, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord'
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign did, for Ilerself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto us,.
the said John Clark, and William Cross, Her special licence that we, tho
said John Clark and William Cross, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Clark and William Cross,.
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 of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER
LOOMS FOR WEAVING CHECKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we;.
the said John Clark and William Cross, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said John Clark and William Cross,
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 in writing, reference being had to the

page_text: is to say:
Our said Invention relates to improvements applicable under suitable
modifications to power looms having shifting shuttle boxes worked in con-
nection with various kinds of pattern mechanism comprising a band or series of
jacquard cards or plates or their equivalents, the improvements considerably
reducing the number of such details required for a given pattern, and also
to an improvement permitting of the use in check looms of shuttles of the kind
used in plain weaving looms.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood and
carried into effect, we have delineated upon a Sheet of explanatory Drawings
hereunto appended, and will particularly describe a very convenient and
efficient arrangement, which is formed by combining a modification of our
said first mentioned improvements with pattern mechanism of the kind
described in the Specification of Letters Patent, granted to James Thom and
Hugh McNaught, under date the 24th October 1857, (No. 2708.) As the
manner of applying our improvements will thus be clearly shown, the extension
of their application to other varieties of pattern mechanism will be easily
understood. Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is an elevation; and Figure 2
is a plan showing the side of a loom with the pattern mechanism attached.
In this arrangement the pattern mechanism is for the most part carried on
a long horizontal stud A, standing out laterally from the side B of the loom.
In the present instance the mechanism is constructed for working with three
shuttles, there being two tappet wheels C, C, acting directly on the lever D,
which moves the shifting shuttle box through the rod E. These tappet
wheels C, C, with the attached ratchets c, c', by means of which they are
shifted round to produce the changes of shuttle, are mounted on the stud A,
as is also the barrel F, round which the chain (f, Figure 1,) of pattern cards
or plates is passed. The movements of the various parts are derived from an
eccentric pin G, on the low or second motion shaft g of the loom, which pin G
gives a reciprocating motion to a couple of horizontal bars. H, I, carrying a
number of catches arranged to act on the various ratchet wheels. These
catches are or may be all held up so as not to act except at proper periods, by
levers which rest upon or are actuated by the pattern plates or their
equivalents. A first ratchet wheel J, on the stud A, has fixed to one sido of
it a narrow barrel with a depression, which whilst tho ratchet wheel is in
continuous action comes round under a lever 1, resting on the barrel at
regular intervals, (each interval corresponding to twenty or other convenient
number of shots) or the barrel j, may have two or more depressions, or it may

page_text: carry a chain of plates or cards with a slot or slots acting in the same way.
When a depression or slot is not under the lever j', it holds up a catch K,
worked by one of the reciprocating bars I, but on the depression or slot
coming under the lever j' its descent allows the catch K to act on a ratchet
wheelf, fixed to the main pattern barrel F, and in consequence thereof a
fresh plate of the pattern chain f is brought into action and a change of
shuttle follows or not according to the plate, such change is effected by
the descent of one or both of two levers L, M, the lever L being fast on
a spindle 7, passing through a tubular bracket N, and having fast on its
other end a lever acting on a pin fixed to the catch O for driving one c
of the tappet ratchets, whilst the lever M acts directly on a pin fixed to the
catch O', for driving the other tappet ratchet c', the catches O, O', being
carried by the reciprocating bar H. With the arrangement, as far as described,
each card or plate of the chain f corresponds to twenty (or other number of)
shots, or if the barrel or chain of the first ratchet J, has two or more
depressions or slots at irregular intervals the plates will correspond to such
intervals in regular succession, and the pattern will consist of the different
wefts arranged in widths extending each over one, two, or more of the intervals,
or if the intervals are equal over one, two, or more times the twenty (or
other number of) shots. It is however frequently desirable to introduce a narrow
stripe or a series of narrow stripes, (or "small checking") in or between
broad stripes (or "large checking ") and for this purpose a second catch k,
carried by the reciprocating bar I, is provided to act upon the ratchet f',
(made broad or double for the purpose,) which turns the pattern barrel F.
This catch is governed by a lever P, which is acted upon by the pattern
plates or cards f, on the barrel F (or by a separate drum or barrel) being
brought into action at the end of the (twenty shot or other) interval preceding
the "small checking." The cards of the chain f will thus have different
values as regards the numbers of shots to each, when the catch k is in
action each card will correspond to two shots only and may produce any
variety of "small checking," but when the catch K only is in action each
card will correspond to twenty (or other number of) shots and produce
large checking. If the catch J', acting on the first ratchet J, is always in
action any "small checking" will form a component part of one or more of the
"large checking" intervals; but by the contrivance indicated in red lines in the
Drawing, the action of the ratchet J may be suspended, whilst the " small
checking" is being worked off. This additional contrivance consists of a
lever Q, connected by a link q, to the lever P and weighted so as on the
descent of this lever and consequent action of the "small checking" catch k,

page_text: to lift the catch J₁ out of action. The stud A is attached to a bracket a,
bolted to the side frame B of the loom, and to this bracket are fixed smaller
brackets h, i, formed with guides in which the reciprocating bars H, I, work.
In the mechanism thus described provision is made for the most varied widths
of checking whilst a large proportion of the cards or plates ordinarily used are
dispensed with. Amongst the many other varieties of pattern mechanism
to which our improvements are applicable, we may instance that described
in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Richard Roberts, Wright
Shaw, and Samuel Shaw, dated on or about the 5th June 1857, (No. 1579.)
In this mechanism the barrel carrying the chain of cards or plates is carried
by a continually vibrating frame and acts on rods or "needles," which
put into action or determine the action of the shuttle shifting mechanism.
A fresh card is brought into action by the barrel encountering a stationary
catch in its vibratory motion, and our improvements are applied in the first
place by introducing a ratchet wheel, narrow barrel, and lever, corresponding
to those herein-before described and marked J, j, and 1, in the accompanying
Drawings, which keeps the catch out of action except at (twenty shot or
other) intervals; and in the second place, by using a lever (Q,) which keep
the ratchet wheel catch (J') out of action, whilst the "small checking" is
being worked off the corresponding cards, having provision for acting on
such lever (Q).
The improvement having reference to the use of plain weaving shuttles
in check looms, is shown in Figure 3, which is a front elevation of a portion
of the frame of a loom lathe with the shifting shuttle box. The improvement
consists in applying a spring stopper indicated by dotted lines at S, against
which the shuttle strikes or forces the picker on coming home into its cell in
the shifting shuttle box R. The reaction of this spring stopper causes
the shuttle to recoil towards its proper position, and if when the shuttle box
rises or falls, the shuttle should be too far out its point passes an antifriction
wheel T, carried by the shuttle box frame U, which has the effect of forcing it
easily and without jerk into its proper place. This contrivance permits of the
use of ordinary shuttles and of pickers and other details of less expensive kinds
than are generally required in check loouis.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, we have to state that
we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or delineated
but that what we consider to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the applying to power looms for weaving checks of jacquard pattern

page_text: mechanism, comprising a movement which causes changes of the cards at
comparatively distant intervals (for "large checking") combined with a separate
movement, which causes changes of the cards at comparatively short intervals
(for "small checking) substantially in the manner herein-before described.
Second, the applying to a shifting shuttle box loom of a spring and guide
rollers to insure the shuttle assuming its proper position when the shuttle box
shifts, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clark, in behalf of myself and
of the said William Cross, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
28, St. Enoch Square,
Glasgow.
JOHN CLARK. (LS.)