IMPROVEMENTS IN GIMP Looms
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Stone, of Derby, in the County of
Derby, Weaver, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GIMP
Looms."
Sealed the 6th December 1875, and dated the 16th June 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Stone at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th June 1875.
I, ROBERT STONE, of Derby, in the County of Derby, Weaver, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Grip Looms," to be as follows:-
.
The object of this Invention is so to construct gimp looms as to
enable them to work automatically. In the looms as at present con-
structed the assistance of the workman is constantly required to keep
the gimp threads at tension as they are delivered from the shuttle, and to
ensure the proper shaping of the loops or scrolls formed by the gimp
threads.
My first improvement relates to the shuttle bobbins.
Instead of winding the gimp- threads upon one shuttle-bobbin as-is--
usual I provide for each gimp throad a bobbin of peculiar construction

page_text: which will give off the required amount of thread at each throw of the
shuttle, and wind up any slack that may remain unused. Supposing.
three bobbins are required for the shuttle, two to carry gimp threads and
a third and larger bobbin to carry a "spiral" thread or cord, I mount
the two smaller bobbins on a pin wire to which I fit two helical springs. 5
Over each of these springs I place a tube which is to receive the bobbin,
and the coiled spring I so connect with their enclosing tubes that while
yielding to any axial drag on the tubes they will be free to reverse the
rotary motion of the tubes when the drag is removed. Externally of
these tubes I fit say, four flat springs which are arranged longitudinally 1
of the tube, and are secured thereto at one end only, the free ends of
two of the springs being at reverse ends of the tube. These springs serve
as retaining springs to the bobbin, and by having a curve outwards
they will bind against the inner periphery of the bobbin and yet yield
to allow of its being inserted in the shuttle or withdrawn therefrom. 1
The largest bobbin will be similarly fitted, but alone upon its pin wire;
the three threads are drawn through separate eyes in the shuttle, and
the shuttle may be worked after the manner common to small ware
looms. Of these shuttles the loom may contain six, or more or less,
according to the capabilities of the attendant to manage the loom. The 2
reeds I severally fit upright in a horizontal frame attached to a sliding
bar or batten, which slides upon fixed guide rods and receives a to-and-fro
motion from the throw of the crank shaft. The reed frames are each
formed with a socket at their front end to receive the reed, and the reed.
is held in a vertical position by an elastic clip piece. In front of each 2
reed of the batten I provide a table which is fitted with a spring presser.
This table is carried by pins which project from a plate attached to the
breast piece of the loom, and by means of coiled springs surrounding
the pins which carry the table, the table is free to yield to the blow of
the reed at the beat up and return to its normal position. The work as 8
it is woven passes under the spring presser with which the table is pro-
vided and thence to the work roll. By passing the work under this
spring presser the loops of gimps will be automatically flattened as by
the finger and thumb of the workman. The facilities for weaving thus
provided enables me to drive the loom by power, and to weave at one 3
and the same time several pieces abreast of each other a general
superintendence only of tho work being required from the attendant.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Stone in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
STONE, of Derby, in the County of Derby, Weaver, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Stone, Her special. licence,
that I, the said Robert Stone, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Stone, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 Gınp Looms,”
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Stone,
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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Stone, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :—
The object of this Invention is so to construct gimp looms as to
enable them to work automatically. In the looms as at present_con-
structed the assistance of the workman is constantly required to keep
the gimp threads at tension as they are delivered from the shuttle,

page_text: and also to ensure the proper shaping of the loops or scrolls formed
by the gimp threads.
J
My first improvement relates to the shuttle bobbins.
66
Instead of winding the gimp threads of each shuttle upon one shuttle
bobbin as is usual I provide for each gimp thread a peculiar arrange-
ment of bobbin which will give off the required amount of thread at
_ each throw of the shuttle, and wind up any slack that may remain
unused. Supposing three bobbins are required for the shuttle, two to
carry gimp threads and a third and larger bobbin to carry spiral"
thread or cord, I mount the two smaller bobbins on the same pin wire,
'to which I fit two helical springs. Over each of these springs I place a
tube which is to receive the bobbin, and the coiled springs I so connect
with their enclosing tubes that while yielding to any axial drag on the
tubes they will be free to reverse the rotary motion of the tubes when
the drag is removed. Externally of these tubes I fit say, four flat
springs which are arranged longitudinally of the tube, and are secured
thereto so as to form retaining springs for the bobbin. These springs
by having a curve outwards will bind against the inner periphery of the
bobbin, and yet yield to allow of its being placed on the tube or with-
drawn therefrom. The largest bobbin will be similarly fitted, but alono
'upon its pin wire.
6.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shows in plan view at A, A,
one of a pair of shuttles fitted according to my Invention for weaving a
piece of gimp, such shuttles being worked alternately; the other parts
of this Figure will be hereafter referred to when describing the con-
struction of the loom. The shuttles work in a fixed race B which is
made independent of the motions of the batten in order to prevent the
gimp threads overriding each other, which is liable to take place on the
advance of the shuttles to the breast beam. The shuttle A is shown as
fitted with three bobbins C, D, E, but it may be fitted with two front
and two back bobbins if thought desirable.
The contrivance for holding in place the front bobbin O which carries
the spiral thread is shown at Fig. 2, and consists of a tube C¹ which is
furnished with four flat bow springs C³. These springs are secured to
the tube at one end, their opposite ends being free to allow of the springs a

page_text: yielding to receive the bobbin when pushed endwise on to the tube, änd
of holding it securely in place. 'Or the said springs may be secured at
their centres to the said tube, leaving both ends of each spring free to
receive the bobbin. Through the tube O' is passed a pin wire O', šhówn
detached at Fig. 3, one end of which is crooked to fit into a notch in
the shuttle and prevent its turning therein. Surrounding this pin wire
is a helical spring C', one end of which is made fast to the wire and the
other to a bush C' which is loose on the wire, and is intended to fit
tightly into one end of the tube C³. The opposite end of this tube is
formed with a socket to receive the straight end of the pin wire. The
back bobbins D and E which carry the gimp threads are mounted on
similar tubes, but these are both fitted to the same pin wire, as shewn
in the detached views, Figures 4. In other respects the fitting up of
these bobbins is similar to that of the bobbin O above described.
The threads of the several bobbins are drawn through separate eyes
in the shuttle, as shown at Fig. 1. The working of the shuttles will be
after the manner common to small ware looms.
By the mode of mounting and fitting the bobbins above described it
will be readily understood that they will be free to give off their several
threads, the helical springs C* yielding to allow of their turning on the
pin wires, and the bow springs yielding to admit of their turning inde-
pendently of the tubes, but if any slack is produced it will be instantly
taken up by the recoil of the helical springs which form an elastic con-
nection between the fixed pin wires and their respective tubes C³.
My Invention relates secondly, to improvements in the construction
of the loom itself. These improvements are.shewn in the partial plan
view, Fig. 5, and in the partial sectional elevation, Fig. 6, which Figures
show also the mechanism for working the batten. In these views the
mechanism for producing one piece of work only is shewn, but it will
be understood that the loom may be made of any width within the
capacity of the workman to attend it. Fig. 1 and Fig. 1*. show the
improved mechanism in plan and sectional elevation at the full size with
the gimp in course of manufacture.. In these Figures B is the stationary
shuttle race carried by brackets attached to the main framing of the
loom, as shewn at Fig. 6. F is the reed fitted upright on a horizontal

page_text: frame F' attached to a sliding bar or batten G, Figures 5 and 6. This
batten slides upon fixed guide rods G' carried by the framing of the loom,
and receives a to-and-fro motion from the throw of the crank shaft H
through the connecting rods H³, H. The reed frame F is formed with
sockets at its front end to receive the reed, and the reed is held in a i
vertical position by an elastic strut or clip piece F" which is made fast
to the reed frame F and yields to allow of the ready detachment of the
reed from its frame. In front of the reed I provide a table I which
serves as a support for the lower warp threads of the open shed, and
thereby facilitates the proper formation of the loops of the shuttle 1
threads as will be presently understood. This table is fitted with a
spring presser K and is carried by pins I', which project from a plate
attached to the breast piece L of the loom, and by means of coiled
springs surrounding the pins and inserted between the table and the
breast of the loom, the table is free to yield to the blow of the reed at 1
the beat up, and return to its normal position. The threads as they are
laid in consecutive order in the open shed are drawn under and held by
the spring presser K, whereby they are prevented from overriding each
other and producing defective work. The work as it is woven and
beaten up passes over the table I and under the spring presser K and
thence to the work roll. By the passage of the work under this spring
presser and over the sliding table as the work is wound on to the work
roll, the loops of gimp as they are formed will be automatically flattened
as by the finger and thumb of the workman. The facilities for weaving
thus provided enable me to drive the loom by power, and to weave at one
and the same time several pieces abreast of each other, a general super-
intendence only of the work being required from the attendant.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in Gimp Looms," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent 1 claim,
shown described fax maintainine the tousion
Letters Patent 1 claim,-
First. The arrangement above described for maintaining the tension
while ensuring the proper delivery of the shuttle threads while the
shuttles are in action.
Secondly. The means above described for carrying the reed.

page_text: of gimp will be automatically brought to shape as the beating up takes
place, and the work is wound upon the work roll.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Stone, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.