CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James King, of Moss Mill, Rochdale, in the County
of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, and John Partington, of the same Place,
Overlooker, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 11th November 1862, and dated the 2nd June 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James King and John
Partington, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 2nd June 1862.
We, JAMES KING, of Moss Mill, Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster,
Cotton Spinner, and JOHN PARTINGTON, of the same Place, Overlooker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the letting-off motion, and it consists in an im-
proved combination of parts for unwinding the warp off the warp beam, and
keeping it at one uniform tension. The warp on leaving the warp beam is
taken over a roller and under a second roller, which is fixed to a rod and forms
a vibrator; to the rod is fixed a lever connected by a link to a weighted lever,
one arm of which passes under a lever actuated by the cross shaft of the lay
swords; this lever is furnished in the usual manner with a catch taking into a
ratchet wheel fixed on a shaft, which has a worm taking into a wheel on the

page_text: warp beam. By this arrangement of parts, as the cloth is being woven a
sufficient quantity of warp is let off from the warp beam as it is taken up by
the cloth beam, and the warp is thus kept at a uniform tension.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James King and John Partington in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 1st December 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
KING, of Moss Mill, Rochdale, in the County of Lancester, Cotton Spinner,
and JOHN PARTINGTON, of the same Place, Overlooker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said, James King and John Partington, Her special license that we,
the said James King and John Partington, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said James King and John
Partington, 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 "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said James King and John Partington, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of
our or their hands, and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of, the, said, Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 James King, and John Partington,
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, that is to say):-
'
This Invention relates to the letting-off motion, and it consists in an im-
proved combination of parts for unwinding the warp off the warp beam, and
keeping it at one uniform tension; and in order that our Invention may be

page_text: fully understood and readily carried into effect we will proceed to describe the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and
letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a loom of the usual construction, to which our
improvements are applied. Fig. 2 is a view taken from the back of the loom,
and Fig. 3 is an elevation of part of the loom taken from the front.
In Fig. 1
the loom side is left out, in order that the working parts may be more clearly
shewn. a is the crank shaft; b, the lay bottom; c, the lay swords; d, the
breast beam; e the warp. beam; e, a worm wheel connected to one end of the
beam, in which works the worm f¹, fixed to the side shaft f;. 9 is a roller,
revolving in bearings fixed to the loom sides, for guiding the warp from the
warp beam to the vibrator, consisting of the bar h, revolving in the brackets h¹;
fixed to the axle i, supported in bearings fixed to the loom side; the roller g
and bar h being free to revolve prevent the friction on the warp in passing
around them; to one of the brackets h¹ is cast a lever h³, to which is 'sus-
pended the link j, jointed below to the lever k, whose fulcrum is at k¹; to
the front end of the lever k is attached the upright l, and the back end is
weighted by the lever m, see. Fig. 2, whose fulcrum is at m', and to which is
attached a moveable weight m²; the position of this weight is varied according
to the tension required in the warp, and to suit the quality of, fabric that is to
be woven to the side shaft f is fixed the ratchet wheel f³, which is turned
round when required in the following manner :-To the lay sword c is fixed a
bracket c', in which is an adjustable stud for the swivel c³, to which is jointed
the lower end of the link n, the upper end of which has a slot fitting on a stud
in the lever o, which is loose on the side shaft f; to the lever o is also jointed
the catch o, taking into the teeth of the ratchet wheel f².
The mode of operation is as follows:-When the warp is too tight the tension
of the warp acting on the vibrating bar or rail h draws it towards the loom
side, and raises the lever h³; this action of the lever he raises the longer end
of the lever and depresses the other end, thereby lowering the upright l; con-
sequently when the lever o is allowed to descend during the forward motion of
the lay, the upright 7 being depressed allows the lever o to drop sufficiently to
draw the catch o¹ over one or more teeth of the ratchet wheel f, so that at
the back stroke of the lay the link n, acting on the stud in the lever o, causes
the catch o' to move the ratchet wheel f" partly round, thus turning the side
shaft and worm f¹ to a corresponding extent, and letting off a portion of
the warp.
When the warp is slack the lever h³ is drawn down by the weight
m², acting as before described on the longer arm of the lever k, thereby raising
the upright 7, and preventing to a certain extent the descent of the lever o,

page_text: which operation prevents the catch o¹ being drawn over a tooth of the ratchet
wheelf, and consequently the next motion of the lay sword is performed
without letting any warp off the warp beam. An ordinary friction pulley f³ is
fixed to the end of the side shaft f, with a band or chain around it connected
to the spring f, thus retaining the side shaft in its proper position when it has
been moved by the catch o². As soon as the tension of the warp again
increases, owing to the taking up of the fabric, the same action on the various
parts takes place as above described. By this arrangement of parts, as the
cloth is being woven a sufficient or corresponding quantity of warp is let off
from the warp beam, and the warp is thus kept at a uniform tension.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we make no claim to
any of the well known parts of the loom which are shewn and referred to, to
illustrate the mode of applying our improvements, but what we do claim is the
improved combination of parts herein-before described and shewn in the
Drawing, forming a self-acting letting-off motion for looms.
In witness whereof, we, the said James King and John Partington
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-eighth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two.
(L.S.) JAMES KING.
(L.S.) JOHN PARTINGTON.