IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER SIMILAR FABRICS, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Fawcett, John Lamb, and Francis Best
Fawcett, all of Kidderminster, in the County of Worcester, Carpet
Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF CARPETS AND OTHER SIMILAR FABRICS, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS
TO BE USED THEREIN."
Sealed the 12th October 1855, and dated the 15th May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Fawcett, John
Lamb, and Francis Best Fawcett at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 15th May 1855.
We, WILLIAM FAWCETT, JOHN LAMB, and FRANCIS BEST FAWCETT, all of
Kidderminster, in the County of Worcester, Carpet Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER SIMILAR FABRICS, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPA-
RATUS TO BE USED THEREIN," to be as follows (that is to say):-
Our Invention, which has principally for its object to effect an improvement
in the tie or bind of Florence carpets, but is also applicable to Brussels and
other carpets and similar fabrics, consists,―
Firstly, in raising the figure warp in the process of weaving the said fabrics
only half the usual number of times, thus removing every other shute from the
back in such manner as to strengthen the surface.

page_text: Secondly, in a mode of raising the whole figure warp or worsted for the
shuttle to go on the back of the cloth, which we do by means of the trap board
or its equivalent in the jacquard.
Thirdly, in a similar mode of raising or depressing the said figure warp, as
required, by moving up and down the whole of the jacquard machine.
Fourthly, in an improved form of bows to wires, securing their accurate
arrangement during the insertion of the said wires in the cloth, by a projecting
piece under the bow of the wire, and a guide attached to the side of the loom.
Fifthly, in a method of drawing the linen and worsted warps through the
stay, to assist the worsted threads to separate clearly when drawn up for
the lash.
Sixthly, in the use of gutta percha cords in connection with the cords or
wires from the needles of the jacquard, as working smoother and lasting longer
than the ordinary cords.
Seventhly, in a method of letting off the worsted warp from the bobbins by
means of a pin or bar in connection with the cross wires, and with suitable
arrangements in the creel.
Eighthly, in a method of giving a dwell to the lay or batter at suitable
times, by causing the motion link to work with a roller on it up and down in a
slot piece.
And, niuthly, in a method of giving the lay a regulated velocity, which we
do by attaching to the lay shaft a suitable arrangement of toothed wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Fawcett, John Lamb, and Francis Best Fawcett in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
FAWCETT, JOHN LAMD, and FRANCIS BEST FAWCETT, all of Kidderminster, in
the County of Worcester, Carpet Manufacturers, send greeting.
Wher most Extenem rinjesty Queen riviving
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Fawcett, John Lamb, and Francis Best Fawcett, Her special licence
that we, the said William Fawcett, John Lamb, and Francis Best Fawcett, our

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Fawcett, John Lamb, and Francis Best Fawcett, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND OTHER SIMILAR
FABRICS, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Fawcett, John Lamb,
and Francis Best Fawcett, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 William Fawcett, John Lamb, and
Francis Best Fawcett, 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:-
Our Invention, which has principally for its object to effect an improvement
in the tie or bind of Florence carpets, but is also applicable to Brussels and
other carpets, and similar fabrics, consists,
Firstly, in raising the figure warp in the process of weaving the said fabrics
only half the usual number of times, in order to remove every other shute from
the back of the fabric, and thereby better bind in and strengthen the pile
surface.
Secondly, in a mode of raising the whole figure warp or worsted for the
shuttle to go on the back of the cloth, by an arrangement of parts in connection
with the trap board or its equivalent in the jacquard.
Thirdly, in effecting the raising or depressing of the figure warp, as required,
by giving the requisite rising and falling motion to the jacquard machine.
Fourthly, in a mode of arranging the bows or heads of the pile wires in
combination with a guide attached to the side of the loom, in order to secure
their accurate arrangement during the insertion of them into the work.
Fifthly, in a method of arranging the linen and worsted warps in the slay
in such manner as to assist the worsted threads to separate more clearly from
each other when drawn up for the lash.
Sixthly, in the use of gutta percha cords in connection with the cords or

page_text: wires from the needles of the jacquard, in order to their working smoother and
lasting longer than the ordinary cords.
Seventhly, in a method of letting off the worsted warp from the bobbins.
Eighthly, in a method of working the lay or batten by which we obtain a
dwell or pause thereto at each back and forward motion given to it.
Ninthly, in a method of giving the lay or batten a varying velocity, by an
arrangement of parts in connection with toothed wheels.
But in order that these our said improvements may be more fully under-
stood and readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe them by the
aid of the accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say:-Figures 1 and 2 show two views of
parts arranged for carrying out the first part of our improvements. A, A, is
the crank or driving shaft; B, B, are pinions secured thereto by keys C;
D, D, spur or toothed wheels, which, together with the tappets E, E, affixed
thereto, are capable of revolving loosely upon the lower shaft F, upon which
the ordinary tappets for working other parts of the loom are mounted, and
which in carrying out this part of our improvements are employed in the
usual manner. Figure 3 shows one of the tappets or cams E, full size. By
the arrangement of these parts the raising of the figuring and stuffing warps is
effected by the tappets E, placed so as to actuate the side levers for operating
the harness in the ordinary way as in other three-shute carpet looms, except
that, in place of those cams or tappets being affixed to one hollow axis or tube,
which receives motion from the crank axis by a pinion fixed thereon, taking
into and driving a toothed wheel affixed on such tube, and which pair of
wheels is placed in or near the centre of the loom, we employ, as shown, two
pairs of such wheels, and affix the cans or tappets one to each, by which
arrangement we leave the centre part of the tappet shaft clear for the other
cams or tappets placed thereon; and the relation between the sizes of the
two wheels B and D is as 1 to 6, in place of 1 to 3, as is usually the case, by
which the figuring warps will in the weaving be raised only one-half the usual
number of times, thus removing every other shute or shoot from the back, in
order to our being enabled better to tie in the pile warp, and thus strengthen
the surface of the fabric. For this purpose, in adapting our improvements to a
single-shed Brussels power loom, in place of the usual lash cam we substitute
a cam as represented at Figure 4, the object of which is to raise the lash in
time for the insertion of the wire after the harness has fallen; the tappets E, E,
being set or timed to allow the comber or cumber board to fall as soon as the
shuttle has picked or gone across the back of the fabric. The cams for raising

page_text: the linen warp are the same as those now in use in the three-shoot power
loom, and are arranged to change at the same time, so that the shoot removed
from the back may properly bind or tie the pile or surface. We also cause
the linen or binding warp to be wound on two beams (in place of one as at
present), half the usual number of threads being on each beam, as one half
of them is required to be worked up faster than the other. In regulating or
timing the motions for the production of our improved fabric, wo cause upon
the falling of the comber board the lash or pile warp to be raised as before
described, and the loop wire (or that which is simply for forming a row of
uncut pile) inserted. The lash or pile warp is then allowed to fall, and the
shuttle is picked or thrown across the surface of it with one-half of the linen
or binding warp up. The linen warp is now changed, so that that half that
was up may be down, and the other half of it may be up, and the shuttle is
aguin thrown across the surface of the pile warp. The harness during these
operations remains down. The lash or pile warp is now again raised, and a
knife wire, or one which is formed for a row of velvet or cut loops, is inserted.
The lash then again falls, and the shuttle is thrown across the surface under
one and over the other half of the linen warp, which is now again changed;
the whole harness is then raised for a shoot to be thrown across the back.
The harness then falls as soon as the shuttlo has gone across, allowing the lash
to be raised for the insertion of the next loop wire, thereby binding the knife
wire or every alternate wire with an additional shoot on the surface removed
from the back; and so on with each of the successive wires. Our mode of
entrapping the cords for operating the figure warp, so as to enable the trap
board of the jacquard machine to raise the whole of them at once, consists in
the employment of a frame with a series of bars forming a grating, placed
with each bar or portion of the frame capable of operating upon a row of
cords, to move them when desired into the narrow portions of the openings
formed for them in the trap board, in order that when the trap board rises,
those cords may be raised by their knots. These improvements are repre-
sented at Figures 5, 6, and 7. G is the trap board, and I the grating, motion
to which is given through the medium of the back board of the jacquard (K,
Figure 9,) in a to-and-fro direction, for the purpose of entrapping the cords
as aforesaid. When the arrangement of needles in the jacquard is both
positive and negative (that is, one half of them in a position to be lifted, and
the other half to remain down, except when otherwise operated by the
jacquard), then we form the grating or framing I in two parts, capable of
being operated as shown at Figure 7, cach part being connected by links L to

page_text: levers L', (one on each side of the apparatus,) cach of which turns upon a
centro L, by which, when one half or part of the grating L is operated, the
other will also in like nanner be operated, but in an opposite direction. In
carrying out this part of the improvements we find it necessary to give an
additional rising motion to the trap board, for which purpose we employ the
cam, Figure 8, in substitution of the ordinary lash cam. Our improvements
for effecting the raising and depressing of the figuring warp, by raising or
depressing the jacquard apparatus, is shewn at Figures 9 and 10. M is the
jacquard apparatus, which in carrying out this part of the Invention is mounted
upon cross heads N, N, one on each side of the loom, and the cross heads are
bolted firmly to vertical side rods 0, 0, which are guided in the movements
given to them by bearings P, P, from the main framing, and each side rod O
is connected to one end of each of the counterbalanced levers Q, Q, which
are affixed to the axis Q', and at their ends they have trucks or rollers by
which they are actuated by the cams R, R, one of which is represented full
size at Figure 11. The axis Q', has also arms Q', which support a box Q³,
for weights, which serve in part to counterbalance the weight of the jacquard
apparatus. Figures 12, 13, and 14 shew separate views of wires, with the
guide arranged to operate therewith according to the fourth part of our im-
provements. S, S, are the wires, which are each formed with a hook S', on
its under side, by which they are capable, when going up to the work, of partly
embracing the bar T, affixed to the framing of the loom, and of thereby being
held in a correct position till withdrawn. The bar T also serves to support the
heads of the wires, in place of the plate now used for that purpose.
In order to explain the fifth part of our Invention, we will suppose that
five worsted warps are employed to every two linen or binding warps, then,
according to the method at present adopted of threading or drawing in such
threads between the dents of the slay, there would be a dent between each
two linen threads and five worsted threads, with tho linen warps close up to
the side of one dent, whilst the pile or worsted warps extend therefrom to the
next dent, as shown by the Diagram, Figure 15, where U represents the linen
or binding warp, and V the worsted or pile warp; but in practice it is found
that by so many worsted warp threads coming together, the foose fibres thereof
become entangled with each other, and imperfect sheds are thereby produced;
and we have found that by so threading or drawing the separate threads
through the slay that the dents may divide the pile warps, as shewn by
Figure 16, that the separate threads more effectually clear each other, and
whatever the number of pile or worsted threads employed in relation to the

page_text: linen, in carrying out this part of the improvements, we still draw or thread
the warps through the slay, so that the dents may as near as possible equally
divide those worsted threads which are between the linen or binding threads.
To lessen the great wear and tear of the harness cords, to which the mails and
lingoes are affixed, and render them more durable and secure, we, in carrying
out the sixth part of our Invention, substitute for the ordinary cords or bands
cords of gutta percha.
Figures 17, 18, and 19 represent three views of parts of a creel arranged
according to the seventh part of our improvements. a, a, is the frame;
b, b, are grooves' or openings to receive the spindles of the bobbins c, c; d repre-
sents the worsted or woollen warp threads; e, e, are weights thereto; f, ƒ,
pins round which the threads from the bobbins pass, as shown, causing the
said bobbins to revolve in the contrary direction to those ordinarily arranged;
9, 9, are cross bars or wires to which the pins fare attached. It will thus be
seen that the thread from each bobbin first passes partly round a pin f, thence
back over, and so as to rest on the yarn upon the bobbin by the pressure
thereto applied by the weight e, which hangs upon that portion of the yarn
which is passing over the bobbin to the rail next to it in the direction of the
loom. The weight will thereby have a tendency to draw down the yarn upon
and partly around the yarn still unwound from the bobbin, and thus create a
drag thereon in the opposite direction to that of its rotation in giving off yarn.
The action of this arrangement in the weaving is to raise this weight, and
by thus lessening the friction on the bobbin, to admit of its unwinding.
The eighth part of our Invention is shown applied at Figures 20 and 21.
It consists of a mode of giving motion to the batten or lay to obtain a pause
or dwell thereto at each back and forward motion given it in the working of
the loom. His a slot, of which there is one formed in each side framing of the
loom, to receive a friction roller, or it may be simply a pin formed on the ends
of the bar or rod J, which extends from one side to the other of the loom.
This rod J is connected by the arms K with the cranks of the crank shaft,
by which the sliding motion of that bar in the slots H is obtained, and the
bár J is connected to the batten L by the links L'. By the form of slot
H shewn, it will be seen that a dwell or pause will be obtained at each
extreme position of the bar J, that is, when the batten is in the extremes
front and back.
Another method of giving motion to the lay or batten is represented at
Figures 22, 23, and 24. It is effected by a peculiar arrangement of bevilled
toothed wheels acting in combination with a controlling rod, by which a

page_text: varying speed to the crank shaft is obtained during its rotation. m, m, are
the side frames of the loom; n is a bevilled toothed wheel, keyed upon the
crank shaft o, upon which are formed cranks p; q is one of the connecting
rods for communicating motion from the crank shaft to the lay or batten; r is
a bevilled toothed wheel affixed to and so as to rotate with the driving pulleys,
and running loosely on the crank shaft o; t is another bevilled pinion which
revolves upon a support from the collar u, which is capable of moving freely
on the crank shaft o. This pinion t receives motion from the pinion r, and
communicates it to the pinion n, but in its rotation it is governed by means of
the rod v, one end of which turns upon a fixed pin v', whilst its other end
embraces the pin v, on the pinion t, by which, although the pinion t receives a
regular motion, it will impart an irregular one to the pinion n. By raising
the wheel t on its axis away from the teeth of the wheels n & r, and turning
it moro or less on its axis before bringing it again into action with them,
the time when the faster or slower speed to the batten will be obtained may
be varied.
Having now fully described the nature of this our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we would have it clearly
understood that we do not intend to confine ourselves to the precise details
herein-before referred to, as the same may be varied without departing from
the general character of our improvements; but that which we do claim as
new and of our said Invention is,―
Firstly, the general arrangement of and mode of operating power looms,
as herein-before described under the first head of our Invention.
Secondly, we claim the mode of arranging and operating parts in connection
with the trap board, for raising the whole of the cords which operate the
figure warp or worsted, as described.
Thirdly, we claim for effecting the raising and depression of the figure warp
by giving the requisite motions to the jacquard apparatus.
Fourthly, we claim the mode of securing the accurate arrangement of the $
wires as introduced to the work as herein explained.
Fifthly, we claim the method of dividing the worsted warp threads in
threading or drawing them between the dents of the slay, as described.
Sixthly, we claim the employment of cords or bands of gutta percha, in
substition of the ordinary harness cords to the jacquard, as explained.
Seventhly, the mode of arranging parts in connexion with the creel for
obtaining a retarding motion to the warp in passing from the bobbins, as
explained.

page_text: Eighthly, we claim the mode of obtaining motion to the lay, and thereby
obtaining the requisite dwell or pause, as described.
And, lastly, we claim the mode of giving motion to the lay or batten, as
explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Fawcett, John Lamb, and
Francis Best Fawcett, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
W. BRINTON, Solicitor,
Kidderminster.
WILLIAM FAWCETT:
JOHN LAMB.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
FRANCIS BEST FAWCETT. (L.B.)