CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Cross Richardson, of Lilly Hill, near
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Cross Richard-
son at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Pe-
tition, on the 18th June 1853.
I, JOHN CROSS RICHARDSON, of Lilly Hill, near Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to such power looms as have two or more
shuttles, and are employed for weaving checks and other fancy goods.
The "shuttle boxes" upon one side of the loom are capable of rising
and falling, being suspended from a lever which is actuated by means
of certain risers" and "fallers" upon a chain. The pulley over which
the said chain passes is actuated by means of an intermittent or

page_text: "star" wheel which is driven by means of a disc furnished with suit-
able pins or pegs. This disc is usually driven with a continuous rotary
motion by means of spur wheels, and thus at every two "picks"
a fresh section of the chain is presented. My Invention consists in
giving to the disc which drives the "star wheel" an intermittent
instead of a constant motion by means of a ratchet wheel or other-
wise; and by providing the said disc with suitable pegs or pins I am
enabled either to change a section of the chain every two "picks,"
or to allow the same section to remain for twenty-four or even more
picks" without changing, so that one section answers instead of
twelve, which in weaving broad checks is very important, as it
materially lessens the weight and also the cost of the chain, besides
enabling me to produce a much greater variety of patterns.
The discs may be made solid and cast to the pattern required, or
they may be made in sections, and the pattern changed or varied at
pleasure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Cross Richardson in the Great Scal Patent
Office, on the 17th December 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN CROSS RICHARDSON, of Lilly Hill, near Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year of er reign, did, for Herself, IIer heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Cross Richardson, Her special
license that I, the said John Cross Richardson, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Cross
Richardson, 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

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Cross Richardson,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particu-
larly 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 John Cross Richardson, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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 and accompanying Drawings
(that is to say):
My Invention relates to such power looms as have two or more
shuttles, and which are employed in weaving checks and other fancy
goods, and in which looms the shuttle boxes upon one side are
constructed so as to be capable of rising and falling, being suspended
from a lever which is acted upon by means of certain "risers" and
"fallers" upon an endless chain. The pulley over which the said
chain passes is actuated by means of an intermittent or "star" wheel
driven by means of a disc furnished with suitable pins or pegs. This
disc is usually driven with a continuous rotary motion by means of a
spur wheel, and thus at every two "picks" a fresh section of the chain
is presented. My Invention consists in giving to the disc which drives
the "star' wheel an intermittent instead of a constant and uniform
motion by means of a ratchet wheel or otherwise; and by providing
the said disc with suitable pegs or pins I am enabled either to change
a section of the chain every "two picks," or to allow the same section
to remain for twenty-four or even a greater number of "picks" with-
out changing, so that one section answers instead of twelve, which
in weaving broad checks is very important, as it materially lessens the
weight and also the cost of the chain, besides enabling me to produce a
much greater variety of patterns. In order more fully to describe the
particular nature of my improvements in looms, and the machinery or
"

page_text: real size, and have marked thereon letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following description thereof, and have placed similar
letters of reference upon corresponding parts of the mechanism in all
the Figures.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
Fig. 1, is a side view of part of a power loom shewing the manner
of working the shuttles; Fig. 2, a back view of the same; Fig. 3, is
an inside view; and Figs. 4, and 5, are detail views of the disc and
"star" wheel working into it. In Fig. 1, a, is the frame; b, the disc
wheel composed of segments, one or more having studs c, at the
periphery or edge working into the star wheel, upon the spindle of
which the pattern chain e, revolves. This chain is composed of a series
of leaves, tappets, or risers projecting different distances from the
centre of the links (which is well understood), and which, as they
revolve, raise or fall the lever f, by means of the pulley g, and by
raising or falling the shuttle box 1, cause the different shuttles to be
brought into use, as required. In Fig. 2, i, is the crank or principal
shaft working the "lathe" or "slay," and also the eccentric j, by
means of the wheels ; 7, is a slot rod attached to the accentric j, and
having a tongue m, working into the indentations or teeth of the ratchet
wheel n, fixed upon the axis of the disc wheel. This rod, by the rota-
tion of the eccentric, rises and carries the disc wheel b, round the
distance of a tooth every two picks," and by increasing the segmental
pieces of the disc having studs as at c, the different shuttles may be
brought into use at any number of "picks," from "two" to "twenty-
four," or even more. In Fig: 3, i, is the crank or principal shaft;
j, the cecentric; l, the rod; m, the tongue acting upon the ratchet
wheel n. Fig. 4, is an enlarged view of the disc wheel with the cap
and nut removed, shewing its construction, and the manner of pro-
ducing the requisite change in the section of the chain by means of the
studs c, which, coming in contact with the recesses o, in the star

page_text: wheel p, carry it round, and actuating the chain and causing the shuttle
box to rise or fall; the discs may also be made solid, and cast with
studs upon them necessary to produc the pattern required.
Having thus described the nature of my said improvements, together
with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would re-
mark, in conclusion, that I claim as my Invention the giving to the
disc which drives the star wheel an intermittent motion, and the con-
structing a disc either made solid and according to the pattern required,
or composed of moveable segments, one of which, or every one, or any
intermediate number, having a stud or studs, as required, at its circum-
ference or edge, in order to change the section of the endless pattern
chain by the means herein-before more particularly set forth, or com-
posed of moveable segments, one of which, or every one, or any inter-
mediate number, having a stud or studs, as required, at its periphery or
edge, in order to change the section of the endless pattern chain, as
herein-before particularly set forth and described and exhibited in the
Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cross Richardson, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, the Sixteenth day of December One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
JOHN CROSS RICHARDSON. (L.S.)