CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JoпN
PLATT, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and RICHARD
BURCH, of Heywood, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of July, in the fifteenth year of Her reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, did,,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
John Platt and Richard Burch, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that we, the said John Platt and Richard Burch, our exors,
admors, and assigns, and such others as we, the said John Platt and Richard
Burch, our exors, adñors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that we, the said John Platt and Richard Burch, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
John Platt and Richard Burch, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the
following explanation thereof, that is to say,-
Our improvements in looms for weaving apply principally to such power
looms as are employed in the weaving of fancy goods, such as stripes, checks,
ginghams, &c., and relate, first, to the raising and lowering of the shuttle
boxes in looms, wherein two or more shuttles are employed; and, secondly,
to the apparatus to be employed for the purpose of actuating the "jacks and
treadles" for forming the "shed" or opening in the warp threads for the
passage of the shuttle.
The first part of our improvements consists in the peculiar formation and
combination of certain links, forming an endless chain of tappets, for the
purpose aforesaid (i. e., actuating the shuttle boxes), together with certain
novel arrangements of mechanism for connecting the action of the said chain
of tappets to the shuttle boxes.
The second part of our Invention consists in the peculiar formation and
combination of certain links, forming an endless chain of tappets, for the
purpose of actuating the "jacks and treadles" for forming the "shed" or
opening in the warp threads through which the shuttle with the weft
thread passes.
In order to describe our Invention more in detail, and to illustrate the
practical application thereof, we have attached to these Presents a Sheet of
Drawings representing the same, and which are marked with figures and
letters of reference corresponding with those in the following description
thereof. Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the arrangement of
mechanism which we employ for the purpose of actuating the shuttle
boxes, drawn to a scale of about four inches to a foot, and Fig. 2 is an
end view of the same. a, a, represents the top rail of the main framing
of a loom, to which the frame b, b, supporting the whole apparatus is fixed.
c, c, is a spur wheel which is to be driven by means of a similar wheel of
suitable dimensions fixed upon the crank shaft of the loom. Upon the boss of
the wheel ca pinion d is fixed, giving motion to a spur wheel e, which carries
a disc, having a concentric ring and pin f, f, for the purpose of actuating the
"star wheel" g, g. It will be perceived that the disc f,f, may, when required,
be readily drawn out of gear with the star wheel g, g, upon removing the pin h.
The "star wheel" g, g, is keyed upon a shaft i, i, upon one end of which is also
keyed a hand wheel k, in order that it may be turned by hand when necessary.

page_text: Upon the shaft i, i, there is also keyed a drum 1, 1, which is provided with
notched flanches, in order to receive the ends of the pins which form the joints
or hinges of the chains m, m; the peculiar formation of the links of this chain
will be best seen in the full size views thereof, shewn detached at Fig. 3.
The links are curved to suit the circumference of the drum , and the joints
are made by a pin passing through the ends of the links (through which
corresponding holes are bored). The ends of the links are also halved
alternately right and left, in order that the chain shall present a compact
surface without intermediate spaces; some of the links are furnished with
tappets n, n, which are to be arranged so as to suit the pattern intended to be
woven. We would here remark that although the chain is shewn in the
Drawing but two links in width, of course it will be evident that any greater
number of links may be arranged side by side in the same manner according
to the number of shuttles required to be worked. The tappets n, n, take into
the teeth of the pinions o, o¹, the pinion o being fast upon its centre pin, and the
pinion o¹ loose upon the same. p, p, are two cams or "lifters," the "lifter"
p being keyed upon the centre pin, and the "lifter" p' being keyed upon the
boss of the pinion o', or cast with it. These lifters p and p' as they revolve
acting against the friction roller or bowl g, raise the sliding bar r, r, to different
corresponding levels, to allow it to fall by its own weight, as the case may be.
The sliding bar r is forked at the top so as to form a guide (see Fig. 2), and
is connected in the ordinary manner to the moveable shuttle boxes. The
operation of this arrangement of mechanism is as follows:-Upon each
revolution of the wheel e, the pin fcauses the star wheel g to turn one eighth
of a revolution, and as the drum l is keyed upon the same sbaft i, the chain m
will necessarily be advanced one link at each revolution of the said wheel. As
any of the tappets n, n, pass over the centre of the drum, they will actuate
either of the pinions o or o¹, and the "lifters" p or p¹, and consequently their
corresponding shuttle boxes, which will remain in the said position until
another tappet n, passing over the centre, effects a change; the duration of
the dwell of each shuttle box, and consequently the number of "picks"
performed by its corresponding shuttle, being determined by the amount of
space left between the tappets upon the chain.
The second part of our Invention is represented in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, in
the Drawing. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of our improved apparatus for
actuating the "jacks" and "treadles," drawn to a scale of about four
inches to a foot; and Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the same. a, a, represents
part of the top rail of the framing of a loom, to which the frame b, b
(carrying the apparatus), is attached. c, c, is a spur wheel, which is to

page_text: be actuated by means of a similar wheel of suitable diameter keyed upon the
crank shaft of the loom. The spur wheel c is attached to a drum d, d,
which is furnished with flanches e, e, which are notched for receiving the
ends of the bolts f,f, by means of which the chain of tappets is actuated.
The chain is composed of a series of "risers" and "fallers" 9, 9", and the
novel formation and combination of the links of the same (being the peculiar
feature of novelty) is seen best in the full size views of the same at Fig. 6.
The "risers and fallers "g, 9, are of the ordinary form. The links h, h, to
which they are attached are curved to suit the circumference of the drum d,
and the ends are halved alternately right and left as in the chain before
described; but instead of each end of every link being bored, one end of each
only is bored with a hole, whilst the other end is furnished with a corresponding
pin, thus forming a hinge joint between each link. When the required
number of links have been arranged side by side, they are secured by passing
a bolt through the holes i, i, and making fast with a nut and washer, the
head of the bolt at one side and the nut at the other forming the means
whereby the chain is actuated. The "risers" and "fallers " 9, 9, act in the
usual manner upon the bowls k, k, attached to the treadles 1, 1. The treadles
1, 1, vibrate upon a centre at m, and are connected to the "jacks" or levers
above and below by means of cords n, n, as usual,
Having thus described the nature and object of our improvements in looms
for weaving, together with the manner of carrying the same into practical
effect, we wish it to be particularly understood that we claim as our Invention,
First, the peculiar construction or formation of tappet chain (shewn in Figs.
1, 2, and 3 in the Drawings, and above described,) for actuating the moveable
shuttle boxes, in combination with the novel arrangements of mechanism or
apparatus shewn and described for connecting the same to the moveable
shuttle boxes. And,
Secondly, the novel and peculiar construction and adaptation of endless
tappet chain (shewn in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 in the Drawings, and above described),
for the purpose of forming the "shed" or opening in the warp threads
through which the shuttle passes, and also the peculiar straight form of the
treadles I, 1, for actuating the "jacks," as shewn in the Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Platt and Richard Burch, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Second day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid John Platt and Richard Burch came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
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