IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER PILE FABRICS."
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Collier and John Collier, both of Halifax,
in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER PILE FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Collier and John
Collier at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 20th December 1859.
We, GEORGE COLLIER and JOHN COLLIER, both of Halifax, in the County of
York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER PILE
FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to novel arrangements of parts of the wires used in
forming the pile, and also to means for operating the wires. The wire head or a
part thereof is of an angular or wedge-shaped form, such form being bevilled,
undercut, or hollowed out, or the wire head may be of other suitable form, and
bevilled, undercut, or hollowed out, and in each case the instrument or carrier
which actuates the wires is of such a character as enables it to embrace or
securely take hold of the wire head, or a part thereof, for the purpose of with-
drawal and insertion of the wire. The wire carrier is adapted to slide upon, and
is governed in its to-and-fro movement (which may be effected by any convenient
means) by a guide rail or slide rail turning upon an axis at one end, so that its

page_text: other end may traverse between the point of inserting and that of withdrawing
the wires. We may here remark, however, that heads of wires and the instru-
ment or carrier of the character named may be used in combination with other
means of guiding or operating them. In some cases a spring may be attached
to the carrier to assist it in inserting the wires, such spring being prevented, if
found desirable, by a stud or stop from acting upon the wire, except during its
insertion. To that end of the slide or guide rail nearest the fabric we attach
& spring or other plate for the purpose of supporting the point end of the wire
when withdrawn from the fabric, and aiding to guide it into position for
reinsertion. A spring catch operates to hold the last wire introduced in position
after it has been beaten up by the reed and by a shoulder thereon acting on
the wire nearest the breast beam to embrace all the wires in the fabric. In
order to release the wire head from its carrier when the wire has been inserted
we employ a plate, which in addition to sustaining the heads of the wires in
the cloth also prevents the wire heads being introduced, and the spring attached
to the carrier when the spring is used from going beyond a certain point. The
carrier, however, still moves forward a little towards the cloth, so as to detach
itself from the head of the wire, or a guide plate may be so arranged, that
after the wire carrier has completed its inserting motion, and then brings the
wire forward to the fell of the cloth, the wire head comes against an incline
of the said guide plate, and is thus pushed back a sufficient distance to free it
from the wire carrier, which is then brought opposite the wire nearest the
breast beam, and in its withdrawal movement it again comes into contact with
the head of the wire, and draws it out as before.
Another part of our Invention relates to withdrawing the wires from the
fabric in an inclined or deflected direction, in place of drawing them out in a
line at right angles with the selvage of the fabric as has invariably been the
case heretofore. This may be accomplished by means of the guide or slide
rail or other means for governing the direction of the wire carrier in its with-
drawal movement, being placed or operated so that the carrier may be withdrawn
in a diagonal line as considered with that of the reed. We do not confine
ourselves, however, to withdrawing the wire in a deflected line.
In some cases also, we use deflected wires in place of the straight ones
ordinarily used; the deflection being to give the point of the wire, during
insertion, a tendency to incline towards the reed or widest part of the shed.
Straight wires, however, may be used if desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Collier and John Collier in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th June 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
COLLIER and JOHN COLLIER, both of Halifax, in the County of York, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said George Collier and John Collier, Her special licence that we, the
said George Collier and John Collier, our executors, administrators, and
assigns or such others as we, the said George Collier and John Collier, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER PILE FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said George Collier and John Collier, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, or them, 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 we, the said George Collier and John Collier,.
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 thereof, that is to say :-
The improvements relate to novel arrangements of parts of the wires used in
forming the pile and also to means for operating the wires. The wire head or a
part thereof is of an angular or wedged-shaped form, such form being bevilled,
undercut, or hollowed out, or the wire head may be of other suitable form and
bevilled, undercut, or hollowed out, and in each case the instrument or carrier
which actuates the wires is of such a character as enables it to embrace or
securely take hold of the wire head or a part thereof for the purpose of
withdrawal and insertion of the wire. The wire carrier is adapted to slide

page_text: upon and is governed in its to-and-fro movement (which may be effected by
any convenient means) by a guide rail or slide rail turning upon an axis at
one end so that its other end may traverse between the point of inserting and
that of withdrawing the wires. We may here remark, however, that heads of
wires and the instrument or carrier of the character named may be used in
combination with other means of guiding or operating them. In some cases
a spring may be attached to the carrier to assist it in inserting the wires, such
spring being prevented, if found desirable, by a stud or stop from acting upon
the wire except during its insertion. To that end of the slide or guide rail
nearest the fabric we attach a spring or other plate for the purpose of
supporting the point end of the wire when withdrawn from the fabric and
aiding to guide it into position for re-insertion. A spring catch operates to
hold the last wire introduced in position after it has been beaten up by the
reed. In order to release the wire head from its carrier when the wire has
been inserted we employ a plate which, in addition to sustaining the heads of
the wires in the cloth, also prevents the head of the wire which for the time is
being introduced as well as the spring attached to the carrier (when such
spring is used) from going beyond a certain point. The carrier, however, still
moves forward a little towards the cloth so as to detach itself from the head of
the wire, or a guide plate may be so arranged that after the wire carrier has
completed its inserting motion and is bringing the wire forward to the fell of
the cloth, the wire head comes against an incline of the said guide plate and
is thus pushed back a sufficient distance to free it from the wire carrier, which
is then brought opposite the wire nearest the breast beam, and in its with-
drawal movement it again comes into contact with the head of the wire and
draws it out as before.
Another part of our Invention relates to withdrawing the wires from the
fabric in an inclined or deflected direction in place of drawing them out in a
line at right angles with the selvage of the fabric as has invariably been the
case heretofore. This may be accomplished by means of the guide or slide
rail or other means for governing the direction of the wire carrier in its
withdrawal movements being placed or operated so that the carrier may be
withdrawn in a diagonal line as considered with that of the reed. We do not
confine ourselves, however, to withdrawing the wire in a deflected line. In
some cases also we use deflected wires in place of the straight ones ordinarily
used, the deflection being to give the point of the wire during insertion a
tendency to incline towards the reed or widest part of the shed. Straight
wires, however, may be used if desired.
But that the nature of these improvements and the means which we adopt

page_text: to describe the Drawings annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a front view, Figure 2, a side view, Figure 3, a plan, and
Figure 4, a sectional side view of parts of a loom adapted for the weaving
of that description of carpets commonly called tapestry carpets, and having our
improvements applied thereto. But it will readily be understood that the
improvements are equally applicable to looms arranged to weave other
descriptions of carpets or other pile fabrics where pile wires are required.
Other Figures show some of the parts separately, but in each of the Figures
the same letters refer to the same parts wherever they occur.
a, a, is the main framing; b, the main or driving shaft upon which are
affixed the drums or pullies 6', 62, one fixed, the other loose, and which receive
motion by a strap or band from a steam engine or other suitable power; upon
this shaft b is also affixed the pinion 63, the teeth of which take into the teeth
of the wheel c upon the crank shaft c', and upon the shaft b is also affixed the
toothed wheel b', the teeth of which take into the teeth of the toothed wheel d
upon the tappet shaft d' to give motion thereto. e, e, are the pile wires, of
which, according to the arrangement shown, there are ten in use, but this
number may be varied; and Figure 5 shows a portion of one of these wires
separately, with a head e arranged according to our improvements; f is the
instrument or carrier by which each wire is in succession actuated for its
insertion into the open shed formed for it, and by which it is in due course
withdrawn from the loops of the formed fabric for re-insertion to the open
shed. This carrier f is formed at (1), (2), to embrace the edges of the
guide or slide rail g, and so as to slide thereon, and the sliding motion to the
carrier on the rail g is obtained by means of the cams or tappets f', ƒ²,
affixed to the axis d', acting on the trucks or rollers f³, f, to the arms f³,
which are affixed to the axis fe, which turns upon suitable bearings carried by
the main framing, as shown, and this axis f has affixed to it the arm f", which
by pin joint f is connected to one end of the connecting link fo, the other end
of which is by pin joint (3) connected to the carrier f. The guide rail g turns
at one end upon a stationary pin g' carried by the main framing, whilst at the
other end, next the selvage of the fabric, it has motion given to it so as bring
the carrier at the times desired opposite the required positions for inserting
and then for withdrawing a wire, and this motion is obtained by means of the
cam or tappet g upon the cam or tappet shaft d', such cam or tappet g² acting
on the truck or bowl 93 of the lever arm g*, affixed to the axis 9, which turns

page_text: as shown in bearings carried by the main framing, and has affixed to or
formed on it the arm g, to the upper end of which is connected by pin joint
one end of the link g'; this link is supported so as to slide in the bearings g
carried by the main framing, and at its other end it is by pin joint 9° connected
to the rail gas shown.
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the Drawings show the parts in the
position they would assume when for inserting a wire; Figure 12 shows the
parts in position when a wire is being withdrawn. During the insertion of a
wire the point (5) of the head e¹ is held in the recess (6) formed for it in the
projection (7) of the carrier f, and at such time the point (14) of the
plate (8) which is affixed to the spring (9) carried by the carrier f, bears slightly
against the side of the head e¹ with a tendency to bring the point of the wire
opposite the open shed, whilst the wire is kept from going too far towards the
reed by the turned up portion of the guide plate j. Each wire as taken
into a shed by the carrier is, according to the arrangement shown, conducted
with the open part (10) of its head embracing the plate h, which then prevents
the further motion of the wire, and at this time the stud (11) of the plate (8)
comes against a plate (12) to relieve that plate from further pressure on the
head of the wire. The parts of the carrier fare then released from the head
of the wire just inserted into the shed in the following manner :-That end of
the rail g next the formed fabric now by the action of the cam g² comes for-
ward to take the position indicated by Figure 12, and in so doing one end of
the spring plate i, the other end of which is attached to the rail g, comes
against the head of the wire just inserted to push it along the incline (13) of
the plate by which that head will be slightly drawn back again so as to
withdraw the point (5) clear of the recess (6) in the part (7), and in the
continued motion of that end of the rail g to the front, that wire head will be
pushed by the plate i fully up to the heads of the wires already in the fabric,
and so that the body of the wire last introduced may be brought within the
catch of the plate j, there to be held during the beating up by the reed, and
by which, and the part j³, all the wires in the fabric will be embraced, and
thereby better held in position, and then when another wire is withdrawn, to
push all of them forwards against the stop k. In place, however, of this spring
plate ia separate lever or other means may be employed if required to act
upon the heads of the wires, and in place of the heads e¹ being formed with
open parts (10) to rest on a plate h, they may have each a hole through them
adapted to receive a pointer or finger for the purpose of holding them correctly
and steadily in position during their forward motion towards the breast beam.
The carrier f being thus brought in a line with the head of the foremost wire

page_text: with its recess (6) opposite the point (5) of the head of the wire to be with-
drawn, and in position to withdraw that wire by the motion of the carrier to
the right along the rail g, that sliding motion will now be given to it by the
action of the cams f¹, f, already referred to. And when the carrier f bas
proceeded for a short distance in withdrawing a wire, the body of that wire
being withdrawn will slip under the plates and (12), and when the wire is
fully withdrawn, and the rail g begins to move backward in a direction to
place the carrier f opposite the position for reinsertion of a wire, the end l' of
the plate carried by the rail g comes against the wire, and aids to move the
point of it correctly opposite the place of insertion. (15) and (16) are stops
fixed to the carrier f to act against the parts of the plate (8); m is an oiling
brush such as heretofore employed for oiling the wires as they pass into the
shed, and to enable them to be more easily withdrawn from the formed
fabric.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the means we
have found to answer in carrying the same into effect, we would have it under-
stood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details shown, as these
may be varied without departing from the peculiar character of our improve-
ments; and in place of the wire head having a point as shewn for passing
into a recess in the carrier, these parts may be of other angular or wedge-
shaped form adapted the one to pass into or upon the other, and for the time
to embrace or securely take hold of the wire head or a part thereof for the
purpose of withdrawal and insertion of the wires. But what we claim is the
adaptation or combination of mechanical means or apparatus to be used in
the manufacture of carpets and other pile fabrics substantially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Collier and John Collier, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
JOHN HUMPHRIES,
of Kidderminster.
GEORGE COLLIER. (L.S.)
JOHN COLLIER.
(L.S.)