IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FIGURE WEAVING IN COMBINATION WITH A JACQUARD LOOM
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Smale, of Oxford Road Mills, Maccles-
field, in the County of Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FIGURE WEAVING IN COMBINATION WITH A
JACQUARD LOOM,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Smale at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th March 1868.
I, WILLIAM SMALE, of Oxford Road Mills, Macclesfield, in the County
of Chester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FIGURE WEAVING IN COMBINATION
WITH A JACQUARD LOOM," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of racks employed in figure
weaving, and the novelty consists in so constructing a rack as that it may
be used for weaving different size figures with one and the same rack,
whereas in using racks as heretofore constructed and employed for that

page_text: purpose it is necessary to use different racks for different size figures;
and further by this Invention I am enabled to have the spaces between
the figures of the same width as the figure, whereas by the old form
of rack the space was obliged to be twice the width of the figure.
The following is an example of the construction of the above-
mentioned improved machinery or apparatus of which the rack is pro-
posed to be formed, observing that instead of forming the rack with
spaces therein of any given width for the warp threads employed to
form the several figures to pass out of the way of the shuttles at each
shed of the warp and the other parts of the rack solid, I propose to form
the entire length of the rack with upright teeth fixed into the under
side of the top part of the rack for the warp threads to pass between,
and I fix a long piece of metal with a groove therein to the front edges
of the said teeth, and in this groove at certain distances asunder,
according to the required distances between the figures, I adjust short
pieces of metal, to each of which a lever or striker is connected by a
screw as a fulcrum for the said striker to move on. The upper part of
each of these strikers has a slot hole formed therein which passes over
a stud fixed or adjustable in a horizontal bar or rail capable of sliding in
the woodwork of the rack. The opposite end of the said striker is formed
flat and with its face at right angles to the upper part of the striker,
and the lower part of the striker is intended to impel the shuttle with
the bobbin of colored silk attached thereto across the warp at each shed
of the warp so as to form the figure. The several small shuttles (there
being one to each figure) with their respective bobbins work in a groove
or race formed across the front edges of the several teeth of the rack,
and to the top of the aforesaid sliding bar and about midway of the
entire length thereof I fix or form an upright piece, the top edges
thereof being formed with inclines like the letter V inverted, the use of
these inclines being to move the strikers out of the way of the warp
threads at each shed of the warp after the said strikers have impelled
the several small shuttles to form the figure. The striker bar is moved
in its groove each time the loom beats up. There is an arrangement
also for moving the said bar by means of a notched lever for bringing
each succeeding row of figures midway between and above the row of
figures last woven.
By constructing the rack with teeth as above stated, the warp threads

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Smale in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SMALE, of Oxford Road Mills, Macclesfield, in the County of Chester,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirtieth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Smale, Her special licence
that I, the said William Smale, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Smale, 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, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY
OB APPARATUS FOR FIGURE WEAVING IN COMBINATION WITH A JACQUARD LOOM,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Smale,
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 William Smale, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 construction of racks employed in figure
weaving, and the novelty consists in so constructing a rack as that it

page_text: may be used for weaving different size figures with one and the same
rack, whereas in using racks as heretofore constructed and employed for
that purpose it is necessary to use different racks for different size figures;
and further by this Invention I am enabled to have the spaces between
the figures of the same width as the figure, whereas by the old form of
rack the space was obliged to be twice the width of the figure.
The following is an example of the construction of the above-
mentioned improved machinery or apparatus of which the rack is
proposed to be formed, observing that instead of forming the rack with
spaces therein of any given width for the warp threads employed to
form the several figures to pass out of the way of the shuttles at each
shed of the warp and the other parts of the rack solid, I propose to form
the entire length of the rack with upright teeth fixed into the under
side of the top part of the rack for the warp threads to pass between,
and I fix a long piece of metal with a groove therein to the front edges
of the said teeth, and in this groove at certain distances asunder,
according to the required distances between the figures, I adjust short
pieces of metal, to each of which a lever or striker is connected by a
screw as a fulcrum for the said striker to move on. The upper part
of each of these strikers has a slot hole formed therein which passes
over a stud fixed or adjustable in a horizontal bar or rail capable of
sliding in the woodwork of the rack. The opposite end of the said
striker is formed flat and with its face at right angles to the upper part
of the striker, and the lower part of the striker is intended to impel the
shuttle with the bobbin of colored silk attached thereto across the warp
at each shed of the warp so as to form the figure. The several small
shuttles (there being one to each figure) with their respective bobbins
work in a groove or race formed across the front edges of the several
teeth of the rack, and to the top of the aforesaid sliding bar and about
midway of the entire length thereof I fix or form an upright piece, the
top edges thereof being formed with inclines like the letter V inverted,
the use of these inclines being to move the strikers out of the way of
the warp threads at each shed of the warp after the said strikers have
impelled the several small shuttles to form the figure. The striker
bar is moved in its groove each time the loom beats up. There is
an arrangement also for moving the said bar by means of a notched
lever for bringing each succeeding row of figures midway between and
above the row of figures last woven.

page_text: By constructing the rack with teeth as above stated, the warp threads
being able to pass between them, different size figures may thus be
woven with one and the same rack, it being simply necessary to adjust
the strikers in accordance with the width of figure required.
And in order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible,
I now proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for
carrying the same into practical effect, reference being had to the
illustrative Sheet of Drawings accompanying these Presents, and to the
numeral figures and letters of reference marked thereon, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the fly of a figure-weaving
loom shewing my improved machinery or apparatus adapted thereto;
Figure 2, a top plan view of the batten, drawn to an enlarged scale;
Figures 3 to 10 inclusive represent several views of detached parts of
my improved mechanism herein-after particularly described and referred
to. At each of the foregoing Figures I employ similar letters of
reference to denote corresponding parts in so far as such parts appear
or can be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
A, A, marks the fly of the loom, mounted by the pivots B in a framing
in the usual way; C, the batten fixed to A; D, the reed; E, the rack,
the construction of which I now proceed to describe as follows:-G, the
rack holder, the ends H whereof work in slotted guide pieces I, and are
connected by strings to the levers K and L in the usual way; M is a
sliding bar or rail fitting in a groove in the piece G, as at Figures 3
and 4; a, a, mark screws adjusted in the slotted part of the rail M at
the back thereof, as at Figure 5, at equal distances asunder, according
to the size of the figure to be produced, and also the space between the
figures. It will be seen upon referring to Figures 3 and 4 that the
part of the piece G is formed grooved for the free passage of the heads
of the several screws a; these screws are cach connected to a square
washer or thin nut fitting loosely in the groove b in the bar M for
tightening the several screws in proper position in the slot of the bar M;
N are blocks for holding the bottom part of the piece M in proper
position. At Figures 4 and 6 P mark pieces of metal, shewn full size
at Figure 7, which I call strikers, each of which is adjusted by a screw
at d and thin nut in the slot e of the piece G, as at Figures 4 and 6,
after the manner of the screws a, a; the slotted part of the piece P is
#

page_text: intended to receive the head of the screw a, so that upon the weaver
pushing the bar M either to the right or left by means of one or other
of the pins Q fixed in M, in like manner the strikers P will be moved
on their axis at d, the pieces R being adjusted on the top of the
piece G, so as to arrest the movement of the bar M by the piece S
coming into contact with one or other of the pieces R, the extent of
movement of the strikers P being in accordance with the width of the
figure it is required to produce. At Figure 8 T marks a piece of box-
wood formed with teeth as a comb; the Drawing at this Figure shews
a full size view of the piece T. I employ several of these pieces
arranged close together side by side in a groove y in the picce G, and
fixed therein each by a screw g, as at Figure 3; there is a groove h
formed across the teeth of the pieces T, into which a bobbin or poppet U
fits loosely, containing silk to form the figure; x marks a piece of
bristle fixed into the piece U, and doubled so as to form an eye, through
which the silk passes from the poppet; W marks a piece of metal fixed
to C, and i, i, are rollers adjustable in the slot of the piece C.
I now proceed to describe the operations of the mechanism as
follows: The warp being properly arranged in the loom and put into
connection with the jacquard machine in the usual way, the weaver
proceeds to adjust. the extent of movement of the striker bar M, as
hereafter described; he then lifts the comb bar T by means of the
lever L, so as to bring the combs out of the way of the ground shuttle;
the shed of the warp is then opened by the action of the jacquard
thereon, after which the weaver throws the shuttle across the shed and
beats up the work; he then lowers the combs, and by means of one or
other of the pins Q imparts motion to the strikers P, which acting each
upon its respective bobbin or poppet moves it the width of the figure
to be woven, and as the combs are lifted the inclines on the piece S
coming into contact with one or other of the studs i, moves the
strikers back ready to act again on the bobbins or poppets at each
shed of the warp.
The following is the mode of adjusting the action of the striker bar
according to the width of the figure intended to be produced. This may
be done by setting and fixing the plates R in the groove of the piece G,
so that as the weaver moves the striker bar from right to left, or vicê
versâ, it shall only move the distance of the width of the figure. In

page_text: all other respects the mode of operating is the same as that in which
racks of the ordinary kind are employed in figure weaving.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of
my said Invention for "Improved Machinery or Apparatus for Figure
Weaving in Combination with a Jacquard Loom," together with the
best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical
effect, I would remark, in conclusion, that I hereby declare my Invention
to consist in and I claim,-
First. Constructing racks with teeth as a comb, as above described
with reference to the accompanying Drawing for the purposes above
stated.
Secondly. The mechanism above described and represented by the
Drawing, and the mode of operating therewith, for imparting motion
to the strikers P, also the mode of adjusting the extent of movement
of the said strikers to produce the desired width of figure.
Thirdly. I claim the parts referred to under the first and second claims
in combination with the other ordinary parts of looms employed in figure
weaving.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Smale, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Sixteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM SMALE. (LS.)