IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FASTENING OR SECURING THE RUBBER THREADS WOVEN IN ELASTIC FABRICS, AND IN SELF-ACTING MOTIONS FOR LETTING OFF THE WARPS TO SMALLWARE IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING THE SAME, APPLICABLE ALSO LOOMS." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Taylor, of the Town and County of Derby, for
an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS
FOR FASTENING OR SECURING THE RUBBER THREADS WOVEN IN ELASTIC
FABRICS, AND IN SELF-ACTING MOTIONS FOR LETTING OFF THE WARPS
TO SMALLWARE
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING THE SAME, APPLICABLE ALSO
LOOMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Taylor at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st July 1881.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
THOMAS TAYLOR, of the Town and County of Derby.
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FASTENING OR SECURING THE RUBBER THREADS
WOVEN IN ELASTIC FABRICS, AND IN SELF-ACTING MOTIONS FOR LETTING OFF
THE WARPS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING THE SAME, APPLICABLE ALSO TO SMALLWARE
Looмs."
Instead of the rubber threads being drawn in the ordinary manner through mails
or harness, my Invention consists in the employment of one or more perforated
plates, so that the rubber threads pass through the perforations, and these plates
produce a motion worked by tappets or canis at given intervals, by which the
rubber threads pass over one another and allow at intervals another thread of
rubber, cotton, or other material to pass through them.
I also use mails of an entirely new shape, which have in their centre a fork or
needle, through the eye of which is conveyed a thread of cotton or other material,
and on each side of which needle is a space which allows the rubber threads to
alternate their positions at each movement of the before mentioned plates, and
allows the shuttle or shuttles in their motion to pass between the rubber threads
and the lock threads, the effect being that the rubber threads are firmly locked by
the threads which pass through the mails before described, and so forming a kind
of plait which is fabricated in the web.
The lock thread warp when made of any material except rubber is worked with
my improved self acting letting-off motion, the warps being fixed in a cratch.
Underneath the warp are two rods attached to a cratch parallel with the warp

page_text: beam. The warp is strung underneath the bottom rod and over the topcastle,
round a pulley stock and back again over the topcastle, it is then conveyed
forward through the back slay harness and front slay to the cloth. A tension
weight is hung on the pulleystock in the ordinary manner. I then employ a strap,
one end of which is atttached to the top rod in the cratch before mentioned, the
other end has a weight attached to it called a counterweight. The strap is then
lapped over the warp beam bearing on the warp. The counter weight and the
tension weight are now connected with a string from one to the other. The
counter weight hangs down, putting a pressure on the warpbeam and holding it
firmly until eased by the taking up motion of the tension weight; thereby letting
off the warp as required. This letting-off motion is applicable to any number of
warps or chains in elastic web or smallware looms. When warps require small
tension weight and large counter weight a lever worked from the warp cratch to
the tension weight may be used.
The benefits derived over previous letting off motions are,-
Firstly. The tension given by the counter weight on the warp is self-regulating,
gradually having less brake power as the surface of the warp gets smaller.
Secondly. The changes of weather do not so much affect the working of the
straps, the latter not sticking or getting fast as straps do when worked round
grooved beams.
Thirdly. My improved motion does not require any particular make or shape
of beams, its action being alike on all shapes or sizes of beams or bobbins.
Fourthly. The alteration of leverage and tension when changing warps from
empty ones to full ones is entirely dispensed with, and the time required for
changing the warpbeams is only the same as required for changing beams in
looms where warps are let off by hand.
Fifthly. The apparatus is more compact, cheap, and simple than the usual
constructions.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by.
the said Thomas Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th January
1882.
THOMAS TAYLOR, of the Town and County of Derby.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FASTENING OR SECURING THE RUBBER THREADS
WOVEN IN ELASTIC FABRICS, AND IN SELF ACTING MOTIONS FOR LETTINg off
THE WARPS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING THE SAME, APPLICABLE ALSO TO SMALLWARE
LOOMS."
Instead of the rubber threads being drawn in the ordinary manner through the
mails or harness, my invention consists in the employment of one or more
perforated plates or slides, so that the rubber threads pass through the perforations,
and these plates or slides produce a motion worked by tappets or other agencies
at given intervals, by which the rubber threads pass over one another, and allow
at intervals another thread of rubber, cotton, or other material to pass through
them.
I also use mails of a new shape, which have in their centre a fork or needle,
through the eye of which is conveyed a thread of cotton or other material,
and on each side of which needle is a space which allows the rubber threads to
alternate their positions at each movement of the before mentioned plates or slides,
and allows the shuttle or shuttles in their motion to pass between the rubber
threads and the lock-threads, the effect being that the rubber threads are firmly
locked by the threads which pass through the needle mails before-described, and
so forming a kind of plait which is fabricated in the web.
The lock thread warp when made of any other material except rubber is
worked with my improved self-acting letting-off warp motion, the warps being
fixed in a cratch.
Underneath the warp are two or more rods attached to the cratch parallel
with the warp beam. The warp is strung under and over the lower rods,
and over the topcastle round a pulley stock, and back again over the topcastle.
It is then conveyed forward through the back slay, harness, and front slay to
the cloth. A tension weight is hung on the pulleystock in the ordinary.
manner; I then employ a strap, one end of which is attached to the top rod in the
cratch before described, the other end having a weight attached to it called a
counter-weight; for this I advantageously employ a weight which has a horizontal
hole at one end and a round hole at the other. It is of oval shape, in such form
that the weights cannot catch or ledge on each other in passing. These weights
will answer for pulleystocks and weights combined in smallware looms. The strap
is then lapped over the warp beam bearing on the warp, and the counter weight
and tension weight connected by a band. The counterweight is strung on the
connecting band, at the bottom of which is a stopper formed by tying a knot on
the band (or in any other convenient manner), and, the counterweight being loose
on the band, follows the tension weight when the warps have to be let back,
thereby keeping the combined tension of both weights on the warp. As the tension
weight works up again the counterweight works back to the stopper.
counterweight may be fastened to the strap if required. It hangs down exerting
pressure on the warp beam, and holding it firmly until eased by the taking up
motion of the tension weight, thereby letting off the warp as required.
The
This letting-off motion is applicable to any number of warps or chains in elastic
web or smallware looms, and for making tapes or grey fabric. Cotton copps can
be worked from the warp cratch instead of warps, thereby dispensing with winding
and warping entirely. When warps require small tension weights and large

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a diagram representing an elastic web loom (end view).
A1, A2, are the perforated plates or slides; B1, B2, B3 the rubber threads; C, the
novel arrangement of needle mail. D shows the warp cratch, E E warp beams,
F, F, the rods under the warp beams, G, G, the warps going from beams E over
the topcastle, H, H, the pulley stocks, I, I, the tension weights, J, J, the straps
lapped on the warps E; K', K2, represent the counterweights, L1, L2, the connecting
bands from the counterweights to the tension weights, M', M³, the stoppers.
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the manner in which the rubber B', B2, B3, binders
O, O, face P, P, P, and back threads Q, Q, are worked in the harness or healds S
in a full terry, twill webb, with the needlemail C down, and slides A1, A2, in second
positions.
J
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the weaving of the rubber B1, B2, B3, weft N, binder
threads O, O, face threads P, P, P, and back threads Q, Q, in a full terry, twill
web.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the weaving of the rubber B1, B2, B³, weft N,
binder threads O, O, and face threads Q, Q, of a mock terry or Swiss web.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged diagram (plan) shewing the manner in which the rubber
threads B1, B2, B3, and the weft N, are woven, and locked together.
Fig. 6 is a diagram (full size) of my needlemail.
Fig. 7 is a view of a counterweight.
It will be seen in Figs. 1 and 2 that the rubber threads B', B³, are conveyed
through the perforations of the slides A', A2, and then through the open space of
the needlemail C, which is on each side of the needle and round the eye. 'The
rubber thread B³ is conveyed over the slides A1, A2, and through the eye of the
needlemail, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. The slides being put in motion, A' being
drawn to the right and A2 to the left, and thereby opening the rubber threads B¹ to
the right and B to the left, and allowing the needlemail C to fall down and carry
the rubber B3 between the rubber threads B' and B2, the weft N (v. Figs. 2, 3,
and 5) is now shot through the opening in the ordinary manner. The slides A, A³,
and the needlemail C are again brought to their first position, and allowed to stand
as many picks as the pattern of the fabric requires. The slides A1, A2, being again
put in motion, A¹ being drawn to the left and A' to the right, thereby opening the
rubber threads B¹ to the left and B2 to the right, and allowing the needlemail C to
fall down again and carry the rubber B³ between the rubber threads B1 and B2, the
weft N is again shot through the opening, the motions being continued in succession,
thus forming a kind of plait, shown in Fig. 5, which fastens or locks the rubber
threads at each given motion. Any one of the three rubber threads may be
substituted by a thread of other material, and worked from warps with my improved
self acting letting off motion in the manner as the warps G, G, are shown in Fig. 1.
The beams E are put in the cratch D, having rods F1, F2, attached underneath and
parallel with the warp beams E, E. The warps G, G, are strung under, or under
and over, the lower rods F1, F2, and conveyed over the topcastle, round the pulley-
stocks H, H, and back again over the topcastle, and through the back slay, and
through harness or healds S to the cloth.
The bearing straps J, J, are attached to the top rod F¹, F¹, and lapped over the
warp beams E, E, bearing on the warps. The stoppers M', M2, are now made by
tying a knot (or by other device) on the straps or bands L1, L2. The counter-
weights K, K, are strung on the connecting bands L¹, L², and the bands are
connected to the tension weights I, I, or to the pulleystocks H, H.
The tension

page_text: weights being hung on the pulleystocks, it will be seen that as the cloth is made in
the loom there is a continual pull at the tension weight, and as the tension weight
is lifted it also lifts the counterweight, easing the pressure strap J, and letting off
the warp as required. When the warp is let back, it will be seen that the counter-
5 weight falls with the tension weight, as shewn at K, the counter weight slipping
on the connecting band L2, leaving the stopper M³, but retaining its tension on the
warp, and as the tension weight I works up again the counter weight K* is
gradually worked back to the stopper, as shown at M¹. In some cases it will only
be necessary to string the warp under the rod, as shown at F¹, but in others it will
O be found advantageous to string it under and over the rods, as shown at F. The
motion is applicable to the face and back warps shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and indeed
to all the warps in elastic web or smallware looms.
Webs that are made as shown in Fig. 2 will produce a cloth generally known as
"full twilled terry." In single shuttle terries the slides A', A2, are placed behind
the harness or healds S, and the needlemail C in front of the same, the slides being
worked up and down like an ordinary rubber shaft, and the locking motion
produced as before described.
The rubber motion can be worked to the bottom, top, back, or face of the
fabric.
I will now point out the benefits that are, I believe, derived from my
Invention:-
(a.) The rubber threads woven in fabrics in the manner described are locked
fast, and will not slip from their position when cut with the needle or from other
accident that may happen to them in fitting gussets in boots or other articles.
(b.) The gussets never get out of shape.
(c.) The web is more durable.
(l.) My letting-off motion for warps being self-acting is a saving of labour to
that extent.
(e.) The tension given by the counter-weight on the warp is self-regulating,
gradually having less brake power as the surface of the warp gets smaller.
(f) The tension derived from the counterweight on the warp is retained on the
warp when the latter is let back.
(g.) Changes of weather do not affect the working of the warps, the latter
never getting fast or sticking, as they do when worked with straps over grooved
beams.
(h.) My improved motion does not require any particular make or shape of beams,
its action being alike on all shapes or sizes of beams or bobbins.
(i.) The alteration of leverage and tension when changing warps from empty
ones to full ones is entirely dispensed with, and the time required in changing is
only the same as is required for changing beams in looms where warps are let off
by hand.
(j.) In working grey fabrics warping and winding can be entirely dispensed
with by putting copps in the cratch instead of warps.
(k.) The apparatus is more compact, cheaper, and simpler than those of the usual
construction.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,-
Firstly. The method of fastening or securing the rubber threads woven in elastic
fabrics by causing them to pass through perforated slides or plates, alternating
their position at given intervals, in combination with another rubber or other
thread passed through a reciprocating mail, so that the rubber or other thread shall
pass through the alternately crossed rubber threads and so lock the whole in the
fabric, as and for the purposes described.
Secondly. In an elastic web loom the use of the reciprocating or alternating
perforated slides A², A², as and for the purposes described.
Thirdly. The improved mail for use in elastic web looms, substantially as
described.

page_text: Fourthly. In letting-off motions for elastic web or smallware looms, arranging
the warps to pass round weighted pulleys connected with counterweighted bands
putting a pressure on the warp beams, so that the weights always follow each
other and automatically maintain a constant regulation of the warp, as and for the
purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Taylor, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 18th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1882.