AN IMPROVEMENT IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Aaron Lester, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick,
Draftsman and Designer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 19th February 1861, and dated the 6th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Aaron Lester at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th September 1860.
I, AARON LESTER, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Draftsman
and Designer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVEMENT IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention of an improvement in looms for weaving relates to that
description of loom in which several narrow fabrics are woven side by side at
the same time.
The object of the present Invention is to arrange and construct the loom
in such a manner that when, owing to the breaking of a warp thread, or any
other trifling accident happening to one of the fabrics. that are being woven, or
a shuttle requires replenishing with weft, that portion only of the loom in
which the defect exists may be stopped without the necessity of stopping all the
other parts of the loom. This object is effected by dividing the loom into

page_text: sections, each of which is made capable of working independent of the others,
although all the sections are driven from one main driving shaft.
Supposing, for example, that the Invention is to be applied to a ribbon loom
in which, say, twelve pieces are being woven side by side, the batten is divided
into sections, each of which may contain the reed, shuttle, heddles, and other
accessories for working the warp and weft for one, two, three, or more distinct
and separate fabrics. The battens and other moving parts are actuated by
separate shafts, but all the sections in one loom are driven from one main
driving shaft, which is always in motion while the loom is at work, and motion
is communicated from the main shaft to the section driving shafts, by means of
bands and pullies. Each section is provided with a fast and loose pulley, so
that when it is required to stop any particular section it will only be necessary
to remove the driving band from the fast to the loose pulley, and that par-
ticular section of the loom will be stopped while the other parts will continue
in motion. By this means a considerable economy of time will take place, as
instead of stopping the manufacture of the whole of the twelve fabrics, as is
now the case when any warp thread breaks, or the weft in any one shuttle
requires renewing, only that particular section of the loom in which the accident
occurs need be stopped.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Aaron Lester in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I; AARON
LESTER, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Draftsman and Designer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself,' Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Aaron Lester, Her special license that I, the said Aaron
Lester, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Aaron Lester, 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst
others), that I, the said Aaron Lester, 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 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 I, the said Aaron Lester, 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,.reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My Invention of "An Improvement in Looms for Weaving" relates to that
description of loom in which several narrow fabrics are woven side by side at
the same time.
The object of the present Invention is to arrange and construct the loom in
such a manner that when, owing to the breaking of a warp thread, or any
other trifling accident happening to one of the fabrics that are being woven, or
when a shuttle requires replenishing with weft, that portion only of the loom
in which the defect or want exists may be stopped without the necessity of
stopping all the other parts of the loom. This object is effected by dividing
the loom into sections, each of which is made capable of working independent
of the others, although all the sections are driven from one main driving shaft.
Supposing, for example, that the Invention is to be applied to a ribbon
loom in which, say, twelve pieces are being woven side by side, the batten is
divided into sections, each of which may contain the reed, shuttle, heddles, and
other accessories for working the warp and weft for one, two, three, or more
distinct and separate fabrics. The battens, and other moving parts, are actuated
by separate shafts, but all the sections in one loom are driven from one main
driving shaft, which is always in motion while the loom is at work, and motion
is communicated from the main driving shaft to the section driving shafts by
means of bands and pulleys in the ordinary manner of actuating driving shafts:
Each section of the loom is provided with a fast and loose pulley on its own
driving shaft, so that when it is required to stop any particular section it will
only be necessary to remove the driving band from the fast to the loose pulley
of that particular section of the loom, and such section or part will be stopped
while the other parts or sections will continue in motion. By this means a

page_text: considerable economy of time will take place, as, instead of stopping the
manufacture of the whole of the twelve fabrics, as is now the case when any
warp. thread breaks, or the weft in any one shuttle requires renewing, only
that particular section: of the loom in which the accident occurs need be
stopped.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn my Invention applied to a
loom for weaving ribbons or narrow fabrics.
Fig. 1 is a sectional view, and Fig. 2 a front view, of such a loom, in which
six pieces are being woven side by side in sections, each comprising two pieces
of work. A portion of the breast beam is broken away, in order to shew more
clearly the batten and other of the moving or working parts, the whole of
which receive their. motion from the sectional driving shafts b, b, by means of
straps and pulleys from the main. driving shaft a, which extends along the
whole length of the loom. The breast beam a* also extends along the front of
the loom, and is common to all the sections of the loom.
In the front view of the loom, Fig. 2, three sections are shewn (A, B, C,).
each containing the batten and other accessories for working the warp and
weft of two separate pieces of fabric, but a larger number of sections, each
including more than two separate pieces may be employed if desired. Each
of the sections receives its motion from the main driving shaft a of the loom
by means of the strap c, which passes from the pulley on the main driving
shaft over the pulley e on the sectional driving shaft b, see section A. From
this shaft 6 motion is communicated to the batten g of this section A of the
loom by the connecting rods f. f. The treadles ; for actuating the parts
whereby the shuttles are worked, and also the treadles marked k, whereby
motion is imparted to the jacquard apparatus and headdles or harness are
caused to vibrate up and down in a vertical line by means of cams or arms h
and i, provided with antifriction rollers, and mounted on the shaft b, which
receives its motion through the spur wheel m and pinion n on the sectional
driving shaft b.
Upon examining the Drawings, and referring to the above description of
the arrangement and operation of the various parts, it will be evident that
without stopping the whole of the work any particular section thereof may be
stopped when required by simply unshipping, the belt or driving band c from
the fast pulley e, and pushing it on. to the loose. pulley on the sectional driving
shaft.
Having now described my Invention of "An Improvement in Looms for
Weaving," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,

page_text: I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,
dividing looms for weaving two or more narrow fabrics into two, three, or
more sections, in such a manner that each section shall be capable of working
independent of the others, so that any particular section or part of the loom
may be stopped when required without interfering with the other parts, which
will, therefore, continue in motion.
In witness whereof, I, the said Aaron Lester, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
AARON LESTER. (L.S.)