IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Ingram, of Bradford, in the Courty of
York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 27th September 1860, and dated the 4th April 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Ingram at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
April 1860.
I, THOMAS INGRAM, of Bradford, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
be as follows:-
The improvements relate to mechanism for effecting a continuous action
in looms, that is, a mode or method of supplying the loom with weft
without stopping to change the bobbin or cop, or for an additional supply,
whether the weft be all used up or only broken, and 1 accomplish it in the
following manner :-
An opening or aperture is made in the front, top, back, or bottom of the
shuttle box, large enough to admit a shuttle, or a case containing a spool or
spools of weft to pass through to be inserted within the box, one of those
openings to be protected or temporary closed by a stop piece or cover attached
to a lever which works upon the stop rod, or upon some other portion of the
loom. When the weft is broken or used up, or a change of weft is required,
the shuttle, or the case within the shuttle containing the weft, is immediately
Price 8d1

page_text: expelled through one of the openings in the shuttle box, and supplied
through another of the openings with another shuttle, or a case containing
a further quantity of weft, by means of a lever or levers which work upon a
stud fixed at the fulcrum end of the lathe sword, and connected thereto is
a branch lever which projects over or under the tappet or crank shaft, and
is held down or up, as the case may be, either with springs or weights, and is
operated upon by a tappet or tappets, pin or pins, fixed upon the tappet shaft,
picking wheel, or crank; on the upper part of this lever is a stud or pro-
jection by which the said lever is gripped and held with a latch or catch
attached to and worked upon one end of a stud affixed to the loom end. On
the other end of the said stud is a finger connected with the lever of the weft
fork and also with another lever which allows the weft fork to be operated
by the weft without knocking off or stopping the loom as is the case
in ordinary or common looms, so that immediately the weft breaks or is used
up, or a change of weft required, the weft fork operates upon the said latch or
catch and instantly liberates the levers, the branch from which is acted upon
by the tappets or pins fixed upon the picking shaft, picking wheel, or crank,
and causes the said lever to take from a rack, drum, endless strap or belt,
or other suitable apparatus, such further supply of weft as will enable the
loom to continue the work without stopping.
A further improvement in looms for weaving consists in having two
spools or cops of weft in one shuttle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Ingram in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
INGRAM, of Bradford, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Ingram, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Ingram,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Ingram,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, exer-

page_text: cisc, 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 I, the said
Thomas Ingram, 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Ingram, 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 (that is to say) :-
The improvements relate to mechanism for effecting a continuous action
in looms, that is, a mode or method of supplying the loom with weft without
stopping the loom to change the bobbin or cop or for giving an additional
supply of weft whilst the loom is in action, and whether the weft be all used
up or only broken, which I accomplish by the following means, reference
being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and letters thereon :-
Figure 1 is an end elevation of an ordinary loom with my improvements
attached thereto; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same; and Figure 3 is
a detail view of the weft fork or ordinary stop motion, which is seen also in
Figures 1 and 2; Figures 4 and 5 are full size views of a shuttle, as con-
structed or adapted for carrying out this Invention, which is made hollow to
receive a case containing a spool or cop of weft, which case is held temporarily
therein by spring stop-pieces, shewn at Figure 6, and alsoin figures 4 and 5;
Figure 7 is a case containing a spool or cop of weft, placed in a frame or
betwixt two grooved plates, forming a hopper A, which is shewn at Figures 1
and 2, holding a series of such cop cases, and numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, &c. B is
the lathe, batten, or shuttle bed, with one of such hollow shuttles C containing
a cop case, shewn in cross section at Figure 1, and taken through the
line D, E, in Figure 2; F is a lever, hinged at its lower end on the fulcrum
of the lathe sword, the top end being bent at right angles to the upright
part of the lever, and formed with a flat end to near the size of a cop
case; G is a branch lever or arm attached thereto, and having friction
roller g at its end; H is a tappet or cam fixed on the tappet shaft, which
operates the said lever, or lifts it as required to the position shewn, where it
is held ready for action by the catch or latch I taking on to a stud or catch
piece on the said lever. The said latch I is fixed on one end of a short shaft,

page_text: attached to the loom end by a boss or pedestal J, and on the other end 18
fixed a short lever K. Another short lever L is fixed on one end of the
shaft M, which shaft extends across the loom, and on the other end of which
is fixed a lever N, which is set or placed so as to be operated by the weft fork
lever O, which in ordinary looms operates the strap guide to stop the loom
when the weft breaks or is used up, but which I employ to change the cop
of weft.
The action of the loom is as follows:-The hopper A is supplied with
any convenient number of cases, each containing a cop of weft; the coming
off ends of the said weft are made fast betwixt a pair of clambs P, fixed to
the breast beam. It will be observed the lowest case in the hopper is placed
exactly opposite the opening in the shuttle. When the weft breaks or is used
up, the weft fork Q hooks or catches on the lever R, which is acted upon by
a tappet on the tappet shaft in the usual manner, and actuates the lever O,
which moves or operates the lever N, turning the shaft M, and raising the
lever L into contact with an inclined piece Z fixed on the lathe bed or batten,
which raises the lever L still further, which lifts the lever K, and consequently
the latch I off the stud or catch piece, thus liberating the lever F, which is
instantly actuated by the spring S, which forces the Number 1 case from the
hopper into the shuttle at the same time expelling or driving the other case
out of the shuttle into the spout T, which conducts the same to any receptacle
ready to be taken away and renewed with weft, and to be again placed at the
top in the hopper. The series of cases in the hopper will lower into position
immediately after the expulsion of the lowest case, and the withdrawal of the
propeller or flattened end of the lever F, which is effected with the tappet H
lifting the arm g, and forcing back the said lever F into position where the
latch I will grip or catch thereon, and hold it out of action until the weft
motion again operates to release it. The cases are prevented being driven
too far by a stop piece T placed at a suitable distance from the shuttle box,
which also adjusts the case in the shuttle.
Figures 8 and 9 shew a modification of the means for effecting the change
of weft or cop case, where instead of the lever F, arm G, and tappet H, is a
slide piece or propeller U, capable of sliding betwixt cheeks V, and a short
lever W is hinged on a stud fixed to the loom end, the upper end of which
clips a pin in the propeller, and to the lower end is hinged a tumbler or
finger X, which by means of a short lever Y fixed on the end of the shaft M
is lifted into contact with the finger Z, fixed to the lathe bed, which will on
the beat up operate the lever W, and cause the propeller U to slide forward
and force a case from the hopper into the shuttle, expelling the other case into

page_text: the spout, the propeller being immediately drawn back by the spiral spring Z¹
into proper position for further action.
Figure 10 is a detail of the propeller U and the lever W with the tumbler
X and finger Y, shewing by dotted lines the propeller drawn back, and the
tumbler lowered out of contact with the finger Z, but ready to be iifted by
the lever Y into position for action.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I
am aware it has before been proposed to exchange the cop of weft by means
of a portable case, whilst the loom was in action; I therefore make no claim
to the use of portable cop cases; but what I claim is the combination and
the general arrangement of apparatus or mechanism for producing or
effecting continuous action in looms for weaving, substantially as herein
described, and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Ingram, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
THOMAS INGRAM. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named Thomas Ingram, in the presence
of
W. TASKER, Patent Agent,
Halifax.