IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC WEB AND APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Molesworth and William Ward, both of Preston's
Factory, Wharf Street, Leicester, in the County of Leicestershire, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC WEB AND
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN.”
Sealed the 23rd December 1879, and dated the 24th June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Molesworth and
William Ward at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th
June 1879.
.
JOHN MOLESWORTH and WILLIAM WARD, both of Preston's Factory, Wharf
Street, Leicester, in the County of Leicestershire. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ELASTIC WEB AND APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN."
We construct a loom for making "terry" or other elastic web having one or more
sets of shuttles with the cam or tappet shaft cut in two or more separate lengths or
parts, so that by means of gear attached to each part containing a different number
of teeth or cogs each separate part may be caused to revolve at a different rate of
speed. By this means and a careful adjustment and arrangement of the other
portions of the loom we are enabled so to arrange the lifting of the warp threads
that the face of the same piece of fabric may be woven with one number of shoots
of the shuttle to each revolution of the cam shaft, and the back with a greater or
lesser number, as may be desired, or vice versa; or the number of shoots employed
may be alike, and so on with every warp employed in making the fabric. We are
also enabled to retain the use of the binder thread or threads, and by our arrango-
ment these can be lifted so that they lock the rubber threads securely. We can
also by this means make every different class of web with a round, regular, and
nerfect terry edge.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Molesworth and William Ward in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd December 1879.
JOHN MOLESWORTH and WILLIAM WARD, both of Preston's Factory, Wharf
Street, Leicester, in the County of Leicestershire. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ELASTIC WEB AND APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN.”
"
We construct a loom for making "terry" or other elastic web having one or more
sets of shuttles with the cam or tappet shaft cut in two or more separate lengths
or parts, so that by means of gear attached to each part containing a different
number of teeth or cogs each separate part may be caused to revolve at a different
rate of speed. By this means and a careful adjustment and arrangement of the
other portions of the loom we are enabled so to arrange the lifting of the warp threads
that the face of the same piece of fabric may be woven with one number of shoots
of the shuttle to each revolution of the cam shaft, and the back with a greater or
lesser number as may be desired, or vice versa; or the number of shoots employed
may be alike, and so on with every warp employed in making the fabric. We
are also enabled to retain the use of the binder thread or threads, and by our
arrangement these can be lifted so that they lock the rubber threads securely.
We can also by this means nake every different class of web with a round, regular,
and perfect terry edge.
In the ordinary loom as now employed in making elastic web the tappet or cam
shaft is entire or undivided in its length, and has fixed upon it, generally near the
centre, or near either of the bearings, a cog wheel having one hundred and sixty
teeth driven by a smaller cog wheel having forty teeth fixed upon the crank or
driving shaft, or any other number of teeth on either cog wheel may be employed
which will produce a similar division, and by this arrangement a web is produced by
an equal number of shutes of the shuttle or shuttles employed in connection with it
and having an equal texture on the back and face. The object of our Invention is
to produce a web varying in texture on the back and face by means of a varying
number of shutes of the shuttle or shuttles employed, and to produce this we
construct a loom of one or more shuttles, the cam or tappet shaft of which instead of
being in one entire length is divided into two or more separate lengths or parts,
such separate parts to be of any length that may be convenient.
By fixing upon one of these separate lengths in any convenient position a cog
wheel having one hundred and thirty two teeth, and driving this by another cog
wheel having twenty two teeth fixed upon the crank shaft, or by employing any
other convenient number of teeth so that the driving wheel may have one sixth
the number of teeth of the larger wheel, we get when the loom is in action a six
shoot motion of the shuttle it controls instead of a four shoot motion, and by putting
a cog wheel with twenty teeth upon the crank shaft and gearing this to a cog wheel
with one hundred and sixty teeth upon another length of the tappet shaft, or by
employing any other convenient divisional number, we get an eight shute motion
from its shuttle, while by the combination of both these actions we get a four and
six shute motion, a four and eight shute motion, a six and six shute motion, an
eight and eight shute motion, and many other combinations, all in the same web
and at the same time.
It will thus be seen that by driving each separate length or part of the tappet
shaft at a different speed by means of suitable gear upon the crank or driving shaft
we are able to produce a web having a great variety of texture on the back and
face, a few only of such variations having been enumerated, or to amalgamate
different classes of web into one and the same fabric, and also to retain the use of
the binder thread or threads, while these can be lifted so that they lock the rubber
thread securely, and every class of web can by this means be made with a round,

page_text: regular, and perfect terry edge. In the Drawings are shown the manner in which
the warp threads are risen by the harness or leashes of the loom in four only of the
variations contemplated in our Invention, and in connection with the divided cam
shaft which is not shown in the Drawings, as we have so fully and clearly described
it, but very many other combinations are possible and will be obvious to every one
practically acquainted with the manufacture.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we would have it understood
that what we claim and wish to be secured by these Letters Patent, is, the employ-
ment in a loom of a cam or tappet shaft divided into two or more separate lengths,
each length to be driven at a different rate of speed, and the application of such
loom to the manufacture of an improved elastic web by the amalgamation of the
great variety of lifts or rises thereby given, and substantially in the manner set
forth and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Molesworth and William Ward,
have hereunto set our hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.