IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Heyworth, of Shawforth, near Rochdale, in
the County of Lancaster, Overlooker for Messrs. Todd and Lord, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 31st October 1862, and dated the 3rd May 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Heyworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
May 1862.
I, JOHN HEYWORTH, of Shawforth, near Rochdale, in the County of Lan-
caster, Overlooker for Messrs. Todd and Lord, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists in causing the continued motion of the loom to be
dependent upon the shuttle having struck the "check strap." For this
purpose I connect the check strap or straps to an arm capable of being
moved out of the way of the "frog" when the said strap is struck by the

page_text: shuttle, but should the shuttle become "trapped," then the check strap not
being acted upon allows the said arm to remain in a line with the "frog," so
that the motion of the loom is arrested.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Heyworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HEYWORTH, of Shawforth, near Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Over-
looker for Messieurs Todd and Lord, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Heyworth, Her special license that I, the said John Heyworth, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Heyworth, 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 LOOMS
FOR WEAVING," upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said John
Heyworth, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Heyworth, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement (and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in causing the continued motion of the loom to be
dependent upon the shuttle having struck the "check strap" or straps. For
this purpose I connect the check strap to an arm capable of being moved
out of the way of the "frog" when the said strap is struck by the shuttle,
but should the sbuttle become "trapped," then the check strap not being

page_text: acted upon allows the said arm to remain in a line with the "frog," so that
the motion of the loom is arrested.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will now proceed
to describe the Drawing attached to this my Complete Specification.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of so much of a loom as is necessary to explain the
improvements, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of one end of Fig. 1. The shuttle
boxes are shewn at 1, 2, and the pickers at 3, 4. The check strap is at 5,
mounted at the right-hand side of Fig. 1, so as to slide upon the rod 6%; the
other end of this check strap is connected to the lower part of a lever 7,
mounted so as to be capable of turning upon a centre at 8. Upon this lever
is fixed a pulley 9, over which a strap 10 passes, the other end thereof being
attached to a spring 11, carried by the slay, the said lever 7 therefore is
drawn by the spring 11 in the direction of the arrow. The upper end of the
lever 7 carries the other check strap 12, which is mounted so as to be capable
of sliding upon the rod 13.
The operation is as follows:-In the position shewn in the Drawing the
shuttle is supposed to be travelling across the loom, and should it become
trapped in its passage, then the lever 7, being in a line with the frog 12, will
arrive in contact therewith, when the beating-up takes place, and the loom
will be stopped by any of the arrangements usually adopted for that purpose;
but should the shuttle be passed properly through the shed, then the picker 3
will be driven forward, and the blow of the shuttle will be received by the
check strap 5; the effect of this will be that the sliding of the said check strap
upon the rod 6 will cause the lever 7 to turn upon its centre into the position
shewn by dotted lines, and then when the slay advances, the said lever not
being in a line with the frog, will allow the working of the loom to continue.
In like manner, when the shuttle is passing to the left hand of Fig. 1, it will
if it has passed through the shed, impart a blow to the check strap 12, which
blow will act upon the lever 7 above its centre of motion, so as to cause it to
turn upon its centre, as above described, the spring 11 always bringing it
back again in a line with the frog 14. At 15, 16, are pieces of leather,
which hang loosely over the check straps, but which yield to the blow of the
shuttle. The check strap 5 passes through a guide 17 for its support, and at
18, 19, are stops for determining the extent of motion of the lever 7.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the precise arrangement shewn and described
whereby my Invention is carried into practical operation, but I claim, as

page_text: secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent, causing the
motion of the loom to be dependent upon the shuttle having struck the check
strap or straps.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Heyworth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOHN HEYWORTH. (L.S.)