IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING AND WOVEN GOODS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Martin, Merchant, and Alexander Crichton,
Mechanic, both residing in Pollokshaws, in the County of Renfrew, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING AND WOVEN GOODS."
Sealed the 5th August 1859, and dated the 28th February 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Martin and
Alexander Crichton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 28th February 1859.
We, ALEXANDER MARTIN, Merchant, and ALEXANDER CRICHTON, Mechanic,
both residing in Pollokshaws, in the County of Renfrew, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING AND WOVEN
Goods," to consist in the substitution of shedding apparatus in the power loom,
so constructed as to weave either plain or tweeled cloth or plain cloth, into
which is introduced tweeded striping or tweeded cloth, into which is introduced
plain striping. For accomplishing these objects, four shedding levers or
treadles are used under the loom, into each treadle a pulley box is cast, into
which is fitted a friction pulley as in the common shedding lever. Imme-
diately alongside each of these levers (which may be called major levers) a
shorter lever passes, working on its back end on the same pin or spindle as
the major series, terminating at the other or moving end in a slot cast in the
side of the major treadle. This minor series of treadles also has a pulley box

page_text: & pulley on each, the friction pullies of both series being placed at same
distance from the heel, so that they form an unbroken row of eight friction
pullies. On each major treadle is fixed a catch or bar, which being held in
position by a spring, couples each of the major treadles with its neighbour of
the minor series, or which being held back allows each treadle to move freely
and independently by itself. Over these treadles is a shaft carrying four
double wypers containing two segments each; the two segments being placed
at opposite sides of the centre, a pap of the wyper beside being placed a short
distance right and left of each other, so that each of the segments of the same
wyper act upon two separate friction pullies, the one on the major the other
on the minor, so that when a major and minor treadle are joined together,
whichever of the two is acted on, the major treadle must descend; but if the
two treadles are uncoupled by the catch or bar being. moved back, then the
minor treadle, when acted on, descends by- itself and leaves its major neighbour
at rest. The major series are kept in contact with the wypers by being suspended
from the treadles, & the minor series not being suspended from the treadles are
kept in contact with the wypers by a spring or weight;, or the minor treadles
may be dispensed with by casting on the major treadles under the pulley box
a slot or dovetailed slide working downwards, in which is a corresponding
dovetailed feather carrying at its top end a pulley box & pulley, being kept in
contact upwards with the wyper by a spring or weight, & being locked or
unlocked to the major treadle to which it is attached by a bar or catch. The
office performed by the minor treadles in the one case, or their substitute the
dovetailed feather & box in the other, is that when weaving plain cloth they
must be locked each to its neighbour major treadle, so that whichever of the
two treadles or treadle & dovetailed slide are being acted on by their section
of the wyper, the major treadle must descend, causing. plain cloth to result;
then when tweeling, is required the treadles are unlocked. by the catch. being
drawn back, so that when the minor treadle. or dovetailed-slide is operated on
it descends by itself, leaving its 'major neighbour at rest, & as the wypers are
so placed on the shaft as to act in regular succession on each of the four
treadles major, a regular three and one turcél results.
The bar or catch is kept in contact by a spring, &ris moved out of contact
by a rod passing across the treadles, from which descend prongsor. little.'arıms
acting on four pins which project from the catches, & the rod and prongs.are
acted on from a tappet wheel fixed to the frame of the loom, & receives: its
motion from the rocking shaft of the lay or other suitable part of the
machinery, so that according to the arrangement of the tappets on the tappet
wheel, so will the order of tweel & plain on the cloth be; or the bars. or

page_text: catches may be operated by jacquard machinery. By this process the heddles
must be kept in position by means of springs or weights, these may be acting
on the heddles either upwards or downwards. But if the heddles are kept
down the treading must be upwards; but if kept up the treading must be
downwards. The headles may be suspended from the top castle of the loom
by bell cranks, straight levers or cords passing over pullies, & must be con-.
nected with the treddles under the loom by cords or iron rods. The shaft on
which the shedding wypers are placed has its motion from the main shaft of
the loom by a pair of spur wheels, the two shafts may be parallel with each
other or at right angles by a pair of bevel pinions, or they may be placed on
the main shaft in the ordinary way, but on whatever shaft they are placed it
must revolve one revolution for four pricks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said Alexander Martin and Alexander Crichton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 23rd August 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALEXANDER
MARTIN, Merchant, and ALEXANDER CRICHTON, Mechanic, both residing in
Pollokshaws, in the County of Renfrew, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Alexander Martin and Alexander Crichton, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Alexander Martin and
Alexander Crichton, 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 the Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEAVING AND WOVEN GOODS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Alexander Martin and Alexander Crichton, our executors or adminis-
trators, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Alexander Martin and Alexander
Crichton, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists in the substitution of shedding apparatus in the
power loom so constructed as to weave either plain or tweeled cloth or plain
cloth, into which is introduced tweeled striping or tweeled cloth, into which is
introduced plain striping. For accomplishing the above objects, four shedding
levers or treadles A, Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawings, are used under
the loom into each of these treadles there is cast a pulley box, into which is
fitted a friction pulley, as in the common shedding lever. Immediately
alongside each of these levers (which for distinction may be called the major
levers) there passes a shorter lever B working at its back end on the same
pin or spindle C as the major series, terminating at the other or moving end
in a slot D cast on the side of the major treadle; this shorter or minor series
of treadles also carries a pulley box E and pulley F on each the friction
pullies of both series being placed at the same distance from the heel, so that
they form an unbroken row of eight friction pullies, as at G. On each major
treadle there is fixed a little bar or catch H, which being held in position by a
spring, couples each of the major treadles with its neighbour of the minor series,
or which being held back allows each treadle to move free and independent
by itself. Another way of effecting this object can be seen at Fig. 4, where
the bar or catch H is dispensed with, and in lieu thereof a small catch S is
used, which from the excess on its back will naturally gravitate forward, and
in that position lock itself to the major treadle, resting as it will upon the
small projection shown at T, this catch is drawn back by the small end U
attached to the prong N. Immediately over these treadles is a shaft I,
Figs. 2 & 3, carrying four double wypers K, containing two segments each,
the two segments being placed at opposite sides of the centre, a pap of the
wyper besides being placed a short distance right and left of each other, so
that each of the segments of the same wyper act upon two seperate friction
pullies, the one on the major, and the other on the minor, therefore when a
major and minor treadle are coupled together by means of the bar or catch H,
whichever of the two is acted on, the major treadle must descend, but if the
two treadles are uncoupled by the catch or bar H being moved back,. then the
minor treadle when acted on descends by itself and leaves its major neighbour
at rest; the shaft 1 and wypers K are shown in plan at Fig. 3. The major
series is kept in contact with the wypers by being suspended from the headles,
and the minor series not being suspended from the headles is kept in contact

page_text: with the wypers by a spring or weight L, Fig. 2; or the minor treadles may
be dispensed with altogether by casting on the major treadle immediately
under the pulley box a slot or dovetailed slide working downwards; in this
dovetailed slide is a corresponding dovetailed feather, carrying at its top end a
pulley box and pulley, it being kept in contact upwards with the wyper by a
spring or weight, and being locked and unlocked to the major treadle to which
it is attached by means of a little bar or catch. Now the office performed by
the minor series of treadles in one case, or their substitutes the dovetailed
feather and box in the other, is that when plain cloth is weaving they must be
locked each to its neighbour major treadle, so that whichever of the two
treadles or treadle and dovetailed slide are being acted on by their respective
sections of the wyper, the major trendle must descend, causing plain cloth to
be the result. Then when tweeling is required the treadles are unlocked by
the catch being drawn back, so that when the minor treadle or dovetailed slide
is acted on, it descends by itself, leaving its major neighbour at rest; and as
the wypers are so placed on the shaft as to act in regular succession on each
of the four treadles forming the major series, a regular three and one tweel is
the result. The little bars or catches H, Fig. 1, before mentioned, are kept
in contact by means of a spring, and are moved out of contact by a rod M,
Fig. 2, passing across the treadles, from which descend four prongs or little
arms N; these act in four slots O in the four catches, one from each, and the
rod P and prongs N are acted on from a tappet wheel fixed to the frame of
the loom, and receives its motion from the rocking shaft of the lay or other
suitable part of the machinery, so that according to the arrangement of the
tappets on the tappet wheel, so will the order of tweels and plain on the cloth
bc, or the bars or catches may be acted on by an arrangement of jacquard
machinery.
By the above described process the headles must be kept in position by
means of springs or weights, these may be acting on the headles either
upwards or downwards (an arrangement to act downwards is shewn); but if
the headles are kept down then the treading must be upwards, and if kept up
then the treading must be downwards. The headles may be suspended from
the top castles of the loom either by bell cranks, straight levers, or cords
(shown here by cords and springs) passing over pullies; either of these systems
of cranks, levers, or pullies, must be connected with the treadles under the
loom by means of cords or light iron rods.
The shaft I. (Figs. 2 & 3), on which the shedding wypers are placed, receives
its motion from the main shaft of the loom by means of a pair of spur wheels;
the two shafts may be either parallel with each other or at right angles by a

page_text: pair of bevil pinions, or they may be placed on the main shaft in the ordinary
way; but upon whatever shaft they are placed it must revolve at the rate of
one revolution for four picks.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which it may be performed, what we claim as new is,―
First, the combination of the various parts of the shedding apparatus as
detailed in the foregoing description, and shown at Figs. 1, 2, & 3.
Second, the introduction, adaptation, and use of four minor or supplementary
treadles B, Fig. 1, or their substitutes, the sliding pulley boxes which have
been described, but not shown beyond what is required in producing ordinary
tweeled goods.
Third, the locking and unlocking of each of these supplementary treadles or
slides with its twin of the major series, so that when unlocked and being acted
on by its own section of the wyper, and not being by itself in actual com-
munication with it, gives no corresponding motion to the headles, but when
locked to its twin it then performs all the functions of an ordinary treadle.
Fourth, the apparatus generally aud in combination, as herein-before
described, being new and original in power loom weaving, and producing
goods composed of plain and tweeled checks.
In witness whereof, we, the said Alexander Martin and Alexander
Crichton, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Tenth day of
August 1850
ALEX. MARTIN.
(L.S.)
ALEX. CRICHTON: (L.S.)