IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Dodgeon; of Burnley, in the County of
Lancaster, Commission Agent, and William Atkinson, of Walk
.
Mills, Colne, in the same County, Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 3rd February 1871, and dated the 11th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Dodgeon and
William Atkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 11th August 1870.
We, JOHN DODGEON, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, Com-
mission Agent, and WILLIAM ATKINSON, of Walk Mills, Colne, in the
same County, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
-
The first part of this Invention relates to the treading or shedding
motion of looms or the means of effecting an opening of the warp for the
shuttle to pass through, and the improvements consist in constructing.
the treading levers of various lengths or in arranging their fulcrums or

page_text: hinge points in various positions relatively to the treading tappets and
the healds when the said levers are hinged to the back part of the loom,
so that the same size of tappet will be available to act upon each of the
said levers to produce the required movements of the healds for effecting
an even shed or an even opening of the warp threads.
The second part of our said Invention relates to the "letting off motion
or means of letting off the warp or supplying warp from the beam as it is
required for the weaving in a regular manner or of equal tension. For
this purpose we employ a "vibrator" or crank bar for the warp to pass over
from the beam as heretofore, and on the end of the said bar we fix either
a pulley or a lever to which is attached a chain or cord or rod connected
to a weighted lever, and a friction pulley is so arranged as to be connected
by claws with the warp beam, to this pulley is attached a spur wheel to
gear with another spur wheel connected to another friction pulley so
arranged that a chain or cord may be attached to it, which passing around
it and thence around the other friction pulley in connection with the warp
beam is then attached to a lever connected by a link to the aforesaid
weighted lever. Or instead of the aforesaid chains or cords passing
around the friction pulleys, a brake or brakes may be applied to the said
friction pullies to act in connection with the said levers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Dodgeon and William Atkinson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 11th February 1871.
-
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
DODGEON, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, Commission Agent,
and WILLIAM ATKINSON, of Walk Mills, Colne, in the same County,
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said John Dodgeon and William Atkinson, Hér
special licence that we, the said John Dodgeon and William Atkinson,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
John Dodgeon and William Atkinson, our executors, administrators, and

page_text: 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 LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Dodgeon and
William Atkinson, 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 Dodgeon and William
Atkinson, 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 and accompanying
two Sheets of Drawings (that is to say):-
The first part of this Invention relates to the treading or shedding
motion of looms or the means of effecting an opening of the warp for
the shuttle to pass through, and the improvements consist in con-
structing the treading levers of various lengths, or in arranging their
fulcrums or hinge points in various positions relatively to the treading
tappets and the healds when the said levers are hinged to the back part
of the loom, so that the same size of tappet will be available to act upon
each of the said levers to produce the required movements of the healds
for effecting an even shed or an even opening of the warp threads.
"
The second part of our said Invention relates to the "letting off
motion or means of letting off the warp or supplying warp from the
beam, as it is required for the weaving in a regular manner or of equal
tension. For this purpose we employ a vibrator or cranked bar for
the warp to pass over from the beam as heretofore, and on the end of:
the said bar we fix either a pulley or a lever, to which is attached a
chain or cord or rod connected to a weighted lever. A friction pulley is.
so arranged as to be connected by claws with the warp beam, and to.
this pulley is attached a spur wheel to gear with another spur wheel.
connected to another friction pulley so arranged that a chain or cord.
may be attached to it, which passing around it and thence around the
other friction pulley in connection with the warp beam is then attached

page_text: to a lever connected by a link to the aforesaid weighted lever. Or
instead of the aforesaid chains or cords passing arround the friction
pulleys, a brake or breaks may be applied to the said friction pulleys to
act in connection with the said levers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents the back elevation of an ordinary loom or such parts
thereof as will be required to illustrate the application of our improve-
ments thereto; and Fig. 2 is a portion of the end elevation thereof.
A and B are two of the treading levers which are hinged in a bracket C
fixed to the back rail D of the loom. The peculiar construction and
arrangement of these levers and bracket will be better seen and under-
stood by reference to Figs. 3 and 4, in which it will be observed that the
fulcrums or hinges E of these two levers are at different distances from
the pullies F, upon which the treading tappets act. It will now be
readily understood on reference to the diagram Fig. 5, that if the same
amount of action be given to each lever at the pullies Fa greater extent
of motion will be given the lever A at its end A¹ than to B at its cnd B',
consequently, instead of the tappets being of different sizes or of different
amounts of throw or eccentricity for each heald as heretofore, in order to
obtain an equal shed or the proper shedding of the warp, we obtain the
same result by the variation in length of the levers from the fulcrum to
the pulley or the point where the tappets act upon them, whereby we
can have the said tappets uniform in size and shape. This improvement
is applicable to all looms wherein the treddles are hinged to the back,
and whether for plain or twill weaving, in which looms it is well known
that the tappets heretofore have had to be varied in size or amount of
eccentricity in proportion as the healds are placed further from the cloth
or the beat up of the batten.
The second part of our Invention is also shewn at Figs. 1 and 2,
wherein H is an ordinary vibrator over which the warp I passes, and J
is a pulley fixed on one end of it, to which is attached a cord K,
which is also attached to a weighted lever L. A friction pulley M
is fixed on one end of a short shaft, which is supported in a boss or
bearing N fixed to the loom end frame, and on the other end of which
is a spur wheel O, which gears in another spur wheel P fixed on another
short shaft, which is supported in the boss Q, and on the said shaft is
fixed another friction pulley R. A cord S is attached to the rail D;

page_text: which passes over the pulley R, thence around the pulley M, and is
then attached to the lever T, which is connected by a link U with the
weighted lever L. The pulley M is recessed to receive the end of the
warp beam W, and is also provided with claws or prongs m, which takes
into notches in the beam end so as to hold and drive the same. On
the other end of the vibrator is fixed a spring lever X, which is
operated by a cam or. eccentric Y fixed on the crank shaft Z at every
revolution thereof. The action or operation of this apparatus for the
proper letting off of the warp is as follows:-When the shed is opened
extra tension or stress is laid upon the warp, which acts upon the
vibrator H, and the spring lever X allows it to give way or turn on its
axes, and by so doing the pulley J takes up the cord R which lifts the
weighted lever L, and thereby partly releives the pullies R and M of
the friction applied by the cord S so as to allow warp to be let off the
beam. And when the shed is closed or not open and the healds level
the cam or eccentric Y lifts the spring lever, and thereby causes the
vibrator to take up the slack of the warp, thus this apparatus is self-
acting. Instead of the cord S being attached to the rail D, it may be
turned around the pulley R and attached to the lever T so as to release
the friction of the cord S on the pullies R and M more effectually.
Fig. 6 is a back elevation of the same loom, shewing a modification of
this part of our Invention applied. The friction pullies R and M and
gear wheels are as in the former Figs., but the cord S is attached at
one end to a weighted lever, and the other to a spring or bracket 'fixed
on the back rail, and instead of the vibrator we only use a fixed rail for
the warp to pass over. We may here state that these friction pullies
may be placed outside the loom end, and the gearing within, and the
lever may be arranged on the end of the loom instead of the back, as
shewn, if desirable.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and shewn
by Drawings in what manner the same is to be performed or put into
practise, we would have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to
the precise details herein shewn and described, but what we claim as of
our Invention is,—
Firstly. The method of constructing treading levers of various lengths
according to the position of the healds they are to actuate when hinged
to the back of the loom for the purpose of having the treading tappets
of uniform size and form.

page_text: Secondly. The combination and arrangement of two friction pullies
geared together; and the method of applying a cord or chain and
weighted lever or levers in manner and for purposes substantially as
shewn and described.
Thirdly. The application to the vibrator of a spring lever resting upon
and operated by a cam or eccentric on the crank shaft, which will give
way for the purpose of relieving or releasing the weighted lever or
levers according to the amount of tension or stress put upon the
warp.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Dodgeon, for and on behalf
of myself and the said William Atkinson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
JOHN DODGEON. (L.S.)