IMPROVEMENTS IN MA- CHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WEAVING FANCY LOOPED OR KNOTTED FABRICS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Langshaw, of Bolton, in the County of
Lancaster, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MA-
CHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WEAVING FANCY LOOPED OR KNOTTED FABRICS."
Sealed the 31st December 1858, and dated the 10th July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Langshaw at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th July 1858.
I, WILLIAM LANGSHAW, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WEAVING FANCY LOOPED OR KNOTTED FABRICS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention, which is an improvement on the Invention for which Letters
Patent were granted to myself and George and William Jelley, dated the
Twenty-ninth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, consists
of an improved needle, with improved gearing for working the loom. Instead
of the double-hooked needles, as shewn and described in the Specification of
the said Patent, which in practice I have found ineffectual, I use double-
bearded swivel-hooked needles, that is to say, I make the hook double-bearded
and cause it to swivel easily on a pin, so as to yield with facility to the yarn.
I also make the temples of two or more rollers or pullies, with projecting
spikes, which revolve as the fabric is being woven, and the projecting spikes
pass through the fabric and keep it extended.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Langshaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LANGSHAW, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Langshaw, Her special licence that I, the said William Langshaw, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Langshaw, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR WEAVING FANCY LOOPED OR KNOTTED FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Langshaw, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Langshaw, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists of an improved needle with improved gearing or
mechanism for working the loom. Instead of the double hooked needles
described in the Specification of the Patent granted to me and George and
William Jelley, dated the Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, I employ double bearded swivel
hooked needles, each double hook working on a piu, so that when one side
seizes fresh yarn, the other side gives off a loop without any impediment.
The improved gearing or mechanisın consists of certain improvements in the
modes of giving the pattern to the fabric, in the taking-up motion, and in the
general arrangement of the loom. I also employ improved temples, consisting
of two or more rollers or pulleys having projecting spikes, which pass through

page_text: the fabric and keep it extended, the pulleys revolving as required with the
passage of the work.
These improvements will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, with the figures and letters thereon, similar letters
referring to similar parts in all the Figures.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved loom or warp machine furnished
with my improved needles, for the purpose of weaving fancy looped, knotted, or
knitted fabrics; Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse external elevations of the same;
Figs. 4 and 5, transverse views of the interior of the machine; Figs. 6, 7, 8,
and 9, detached views of the needle; Figs. 10 and 11, parts of the pattern
chain; Figs. 12 and 13, detached sections of the needle bar, needle guides,
regulating pins or points, and other arrangements connected therewith drawn
to an enlarged scale; and Fig. 14, a detached view of some of the regulating
points with a rod passing through them. a represents the framing of the
machine; b, the double crank or driving shaft, on which is fixed the pinion c,
giving motion by means of the toothed wheels d and e to the shaft f, fixed to
which is the crank g and the cams h, i, k, l, and m. The crank g is connected
by the rod or link n to the lever o working on a fulcrum fixed to the frame,
the said lever giving motion by means of links p to other levers 7, to which
the ends of the chain r are attached, the middle being fastened to a drum or
pulley s fixed to one end of the needle bar or shaft t, which works in bearings
in the frame ends, so that when circular motion is given to the double crank
shaft, either by hand or power, an alternate rolling or concentric motion is
given to the needle shaft and needles. The yarn beams are shewn at u, from
which the yarn passes over rods v to the guides w attached to arms a sup-
ported by the pivots y and z, of such lengths as to allow of a certain defined
lateral movement acting in connection with the regulating pins or points a'.
The guides are made to vibrate up and down by connecting their bars with
the shafts &', having at their ends the levers c¹ connected by the rods d¹ to
other levers el working on the stud f', to which levers the necessary motion is
given by the cams g¹ on the shaft f. The guides not only vibrate up and
down, but slightly move to and from the centre of the machine. The shafts b
are supported on the arms or supports h¹ connected to other bars or shafts k',
which are moved as required by the cam k acting on the roller and lever m',
which is connected by the arm or rod n¹ to the lever p', which is fixed to one
of the shafts k, and gives it motion. The other cam acts on the roller q' on
the lever connected to the other shaft A, thereby causing it to move as
required; thus, according to the shape of the cams an advancing and receding
motion is given to the guides. The regulating points or pins, shewn at a are

page_text: raised alternately up and down by connecting them by means of the rods t¹ to
the levers u¹, fixed to bars or shafts v¹ working in the bearings w¹, and having
the required motion imparted to them by means of the cams h and i acting
against rollers on the levers and y'. It will be seen that the cams are
placed in reverse positions, and according to their shape give the required
up-and-down movement of the points for regulating the yarn. The lateral
motion is given to the guides by connecting their bars or frames by the rods 2¹
to the levers a working on the fulcrum be in the supports c², the lower ends of
the levers being acted upon by the projections on the pattern chain d, part of
which is shewn enlarged at Figs. 10 and 11. The revolution of the pattern
chain is caused by the pins connecting it together falling into recesses on
plates or flanges e² fixed to a shaft f2, on which is a toothed wheel g³, acted
upon by a double cam plate h³, which is fixed to and revolves with the cam
shaft f. Although only two guides are shewn in the Drawing, any required
number may be used, and also amy corresponding number of levers and
pattern chains, or other pattern arrangements employed.
My improved needle, adapted to all kinds of looms or warp machines for
weaving fancy, looped, turnstitch, knotted, or knitted fabrics, is shewn at
Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9. The stem or trunk is formed with a recess k³, and
at the lower part of the stem there is a pin or pivot, on which is placed the
double hook, which moves or swivels on the pin; both hooks can be
exposed, as seen in Fig. 6, or one hook placed in the recess, as shewn in
Fig. 7, which recess is scen more plainly in Fig. 9, the hook being removed
for the purpose.
This power of moving the hook is of great importance, as
the yarn can be caught with great certainty, and the loops after they are
formed can slide off the stem of the needle, and pass through the fresh
formed loops without any difficulty.
For the purpose of pressing down or acting on one side of the hooks as
required, I employ covering bars m³, Figs. 5, 12, and 13, fixed to or forming
part of plates n working in bearings attached to the shafts . The plates 21²
are attached to rods of connected to levers p³, having movement imparted to
them by tappets or cams, shewn by the dotted lines q, in which position they
are not acting on the levers; but when the latter are operated upon, the
covering bars are pressed upon one of the hooks of the needle, as seen at 12,
Fig. 13, causing it to enter the recess in the stem or trunk, and thereby
enable the other hook to catch the yarn or thread. The hooks which have.
been opened are then closed by their lower parts coming in contact with a.
presser wire or rod s² passing through the regulating points or pins a³, seen
enlarged in Fig. 14. In Fig. 13 I shew projections 13 acting as buffers or

page_text: resisters, in order to check or case the guides in their forward movement,
thereby ensuring the exact position required.
My improved temples are shewn at 2, Figs. 1 and 5, adjusted at any
required width upon a rod v connected to the weighting levers w², having
bearings for carrying the tightening roller. The fabric passes from the
temples to the under side of the roller a, and then over a roller y² having
stationary bearings, from whence it passes to the taking-up beam 22, upon
which the fabric is wound as required. The beam 2 is furnished with a
ratchet wheel a³, acted upon according to the tension of the fabric by the
ratchet, jointed to the lever c³, which is moved up and down by the cam m.
The ratchet is connected to one arm of a bell crank d³, the other arm being
attached by the rod to one of the weighting levers, which rises or falls
according to the tightness or slackness of the fabric. When the latter is
tight, the taking-up beam should not turn, and is prevented doing so in
consequence of the ratchet being pulled back, so as to have no effect upon
the ratchet wheel, by means of the rising of the weighting lever and rod e³.
But when the fabric is slack, and requires winding on the beam, the
weighting lever is depressed and with it the rod es, which acts upon the bell
crank d³, and allows the ratchet to come in contact with the ratchet wheel, as
shewn by the dotted lines, thereby giving motion to the taking-up beam:
The ratchet is lifted off entirely or advanced so as to take up one or more
teeth, changing backwards and forwards, or constantly feeding, according to
the nature and tension of the fabric.
When required, I employ in connection with the pattern chain for moving
one, two, or more guides, a jacquard arrangement for giving motion to other
guides, so as to enable me to form complicated patterns of fabric.
The operation of my improved double swivel-hooked needle is as follows:-
A warp or yarn on either side is laterally shifted according to the pattern
required, so that it can be seized by one of the hooks of the needle, and then
be carried partially round, aud held upon the trunk or stem of the said
needle, at which time the opposite guide or guides perform the task of shifting
the necessary warp, so that the other hook can seize and form a loop, which
also passes on to the stem of the needle, the former loop at the same time
passing off. The regulating points and pins act simultaneously with the
above movements, and render the positions of the warps more certain for
the needles to act upon. The loops are alternately relieved or rolled off the
needle by the combined action of the regulating points or pins, and the rolling
or concentric motion imparted to the needle bar, the opening and closing of
the hooks rendering the operations more certain and perfect.

page_text: The aforesaid combinations, whether in whole or detail, may be applied to
machines of any dimensions, and adapted to manufacture a great variety of
fancy, looped, knotted, or knitted fabrics.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein set forth,
as such may be varied or modified without departing from the principle
thereof; but I claim as my Invention, and which to the best of my knowledge
and belief has not been hitherto used within the realm,-
First, the double-bearded swivel-hooked needle, in the trunk or stem of
which there is a recess, so that each hook may alternately enter it, the said
needle being adapted for fancy looped, turnstich, knotted, or knitted fabrics.
Secondly, the application of a pattern chain either with or without a
jacquard arrangement for giving lateral movement to any suitable number of
guides.
Thirdly, the improved revolving temples, furnished with pins or spikes.
Fourthly, the improved taking-up motion in which the tension or the
tightness and slackness of the fabric forms the governing of the taking up.
Fifthly, the covering bars and rod through the regulating points, for the
purpose of opening and closing the hooks of the needle.
And, sixthly, the general arrangement of the loom or warp machine,
adapted to any size, pattern, or kind of fabric required, as all such improve-
ments are herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Langshaw, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
WILLIAM LANGSHAW. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named William Langshaw, in the presence
of
WILLIAM LANGSHAW. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named William Langshaw, in the presence
of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.