IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Lee Norton, of Belle Sauvage Yard, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Lee Norton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th March 1870.
I, JAMES LEE NORTON, of Belle Sauvage Yard, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows :—
This Invention relates, firstly, to a means by which any of the
moveable shuttle boxes used in looms (no matter what number or
whether slide or revolving boxes), can be brought into position for
weaving any required pattern. Take, for example, a loom with mechanism
for working a tier of six shuttle boxes. Hitherto it has not been
found practicable in working power looms to move the shuttle boxes a
once from top to bottom or from bottom to top with all the intermediate

page_text: movements at command.
And if the mechanism was so arranged to
move six shuttle boxes in any order of succession it must of necessity
entail great complication, as there are so many different movements to
be controlled by the pattern surface, and each of the movements,
whether it be from the first box to the second or to sixth box, must
be completed during less than one half of a revolution of the crank
shaft. Such an unlimited command of the shuttle boxes is therefore
incompatible with a quick running loom.
I accomplish the object of obtaining unlimited command over the
shuttle boxes by operating on them twice or more times if required
consecutively, during which time a cessation of motion takes place in
the picking and shedding of the loom. This cessation of motion is
caused by a projection or otherwise on the "pattern surface"
or chain
which throws the required part of the loom out of gear, while two or
more successive movements are given to the shuttle boxes (in order
to bring the shuttle into position for working) in all cases where the
distance between the shuttle working and the shuttle next required is
too great to be traversed in one movement.
The next improvement relates to a method of reversing the motions of
a loom or causing a cessation of movement in one part of a loom, while
the other part turns backward or forward as may be required, On the
crank shaft of the loom or otherwise two bevil wheels are mounted
loosc, each gearing into a third bevil wheel, and a catch box slides on a
shaft between the wheels in the ordinary way of reversing gear well
known. On the same shaft between one of the bevil wheels and the
loose strap pulley a cone is mounted and connected by projections to
the bevil wheel, but it is free to slide laterally on the shaft a certain
distance without being disconnected from the wheel. A bevilled rim is
attached to the loose pulley which holds the cone by friction, so that
both revolve together when in contact. The said cone is connected to
the catch box, and both are moved simultaneously in a lateral direction
on their shaft ; they are also connected to a rod or hand lever, or otherwise
placed in a convenient position to be operated on by the weaver. The
hand lever is also connected to the picking part of the loom to throw
it in or out of action. The reversing gear drives the shuttle and shedding
motions. In working a loom it often happens some mistake has to be
rectified; in such cases the weaver pulls the hand lever to a certain
position which disconnects the picking, and the loom with all its other

page_text: parts can continue at work as long as necessary. Or when it is neces-
sary for these motions to return back to repeat the pattern the hand
lever is pulled a little further, which causes the catch box to take hold
of the other bevil wheel; this causes the shuttle and shedding motions
to run backward as far as allowed while the crank and batten run
forward as usual. If while the shuttle and shedding motions run
backward the batten is required to be stationary the weaver can pull the
hand lever a little further and the cone is pressed in contact with the
rim on the loose strap pulley and the catch box disconnected from the
bevil wheels, thus allowing the loose strap pulley to actuate the shedding
and shuttle motions in a reverse direction while the crank shaft and
batten of the loom remain at rest. The above plan is applicable to
fancy looms generally.
The next improvement relates to a method of raising and lowering
the shuttle boxes in a loom. For this purpose I use a stepped cone or
cones in two or more sections. The cone has as many steps as the
number of shuttle boxes to be moved require, and it is mounted on a
stud or the crank shaft of a loom, and each of its sections are free to
move laterally on its axis. A pattern surface of any usual form worked
by an intermittent motion is employed to slide the sections of the cone
on its bearing, and as the cone revolves at a proper speed the position
of the sections controls the position of the shuttle boxes by means of a
lever which is elevated or allowed to fall according to the distance which
the stepped cone is slid on its axis, bringing one or other of the steps to
operate on the lever which raises the shuttle boxes.
The next improvement relates to mechanism by which the picking
parts of a loom are brought into operation to pick the shuttle cither
alternately from each end of the batten or any number of consecutive
times from either end of the batten as the design to be woven may
require. For this purpose I employ the shuttle itself to indicate the
pick. Whenever any of the shuttles are brought in their boxes in a line
with the shuttle race they press out a swell in the usual manner. This
swell is made to elevate a lever or partly revolve a rod on its axis. A
finger on the rod or lever comes in contact with another lever during a
certain part of the oscillation of the batten, which last lever puts into
or out of action the picking motion as often as may be required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Lee Norton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LEE NORTON, of Bello Sauvage Yard, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Lee Norton, Her special
licence that I, the said James Lee Norton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Lee Norton, 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,
"IMPROVEMENTS
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
IN LOOMS FOR Weaving," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said James Lee Norton, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 James Lee Norton, 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 :-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a means by which any of the
moveable shuttle boxes used in looms (no matter what number or
whether slide or revolving boxes) can be brought into position for
weaving any required pattern. Take, for example, a loom with
mechanism for working a tier of six shuttle boxes. Hitherto it has not
been found practicable in working power looms to move the shuttle
boxes at once from top to bottom or from bottom to top with all the

page_text: intermediate movements at command. And if the mechanism was so
arranged to move six shuttle boxes in any order of succession it must of
necessity entail great complication, as there are so many different move-
ments to be controlled by the pattern surface, and each of the movements,
whether it be from the first box to the second or to the sixth box, must
be completed during less than one-half of a revolution of the crank
shaft. Such an unlimited command of the shuttle boxes is therefore
incompatible with a quick running loom.
I accomplish the object of obtaining unlimited command over the
shuttle boxes by operating on them twice or more times if required
consecutively, during which time a cessation of motion takes place in
the picking and shedding of the loom. This cessation of motion is
caused by a projection or other like instrument on the "pattern surface”
or chain which throws the required part of the loom out of gear while
two or more successive movements are given to the shuttle boxes (in order
to bring the shuttle into position for working) in all cases where the
distance between the shuttle working and the shuttle next required is
too great to be traversed in one movement.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings illustrates the method which I
prefer to carry this part of my Invention into effect.
the fly wheel,
a, a, is the side frame of the loom; b is the crank shaft with the
fly wheel c upon it; c¹ is a tappet on the side of
which as it revolves comes in contact with the jointed arm d' on the
picking shaft d, thus causing the shaft suddenly to make a partial
rotation, in doing which it actuates the picker. The tappet c¹ has a
motion communicated to it towards and from the centre of the fly wheel
so that it may only catch the arm d' at each alternate revolution.
These parts are all well known so that more detailed explanation of
them is unnecessary.
e is a star wheel on the barrel which carries the
pattern chain or surfaces which controls the shuttle boxes; f is a wheel
which drives this barrel one step for every two revolutions of the crank
shaft; it receives its motion, as is shown, by spur gear from the crank
shaft. These parts also are ordinary. g is a lever turning on a fixed
centre at g', and connected by a rod h with the arm i mounted on the
axis k. When the pick is to be held off a projection on the axis of the
star wheel e comes round and lifts the lever y and arm i, and then in
consequence of the arm d¹ being lifted out of the way of the tappet c¹
no pick will take place. The axis k is carried through to the other side

page_text: of the loom, where by another arm i upon it it also controls the picking.
In order that the stopping off a pick from time to time may not derange
the jacquard which governs the shedding of the warp the lines of holes
in the cards are repeated at the places where the stopping off occurs.
The let off and the take up motions of the loom are not positive, but
depend on the tension of the warps.
I claim, as respects this part of my Invention, the arranging looms in
such manner that the shuttle boxes may be moved two or more steps
between one pick and the next.
I also claim, the general arrangement of the apparatus substantially as
described.
The next improvement relates to a method of reversing the motions
of a loom or causing a cessation of movement in one part of a loom
while the other part turns backward or forward as may be required. On
the crank shaft of the loom or otherwise two bevil wheels are mounted
loose, each gearing into a third bevil wheel, and a catch box slides on
the shaft between the wheels in the ordinary way of reversing gear well
known. On the same shaft between one of the bevil wheels and the
loose strap pulley a cone is mounted and connected by projections to
the bevil wheel, but it is free to slide laterally on the shaft a certain
distance without being disconnected from the wheel. A bevilled rim is
attached to the loose pulley which holds the cone by friction so that
both revolve together when in contact. The said cone is connected to
the catch box, and both are moved simultaneously in a lateral direction
on their shaft. They are also connected to a rod or hand lever or other
instrument placed in a convenient position to be operated on by the
weaver. The hand lever is also connected to the picking part of the loom
to throw it in or out of action. The reversing gear drives the shuttle
and shedding motions. In working a loom it often happens some
mistake has to be rectified; in such cases the weaver pulls the hand
lever to a certain position, which disconnects the picking, and the loom
with all its other parts can continue at work as long as necessary. Or
when it is necessary for these motions to return back to repeat the
pattern the hand lever is pulled a little further, which causes the catch
box to take hold of the other bevil wheel; this causes the shuttle and
shedding motions to run backward as far as allowed, while the crank
and batten run forward as usual. If while the shuttle and shedding
motions run backward the batten is required to be stationary the

page_text: weaver can pull the hand lever a little further, and the conc is pressed
in contact with the rim on the loose strap pulley and the catch box
disconnected from the bevil wheels, thus allowing the loose strap pulley
to actuate the shedding and shuttle motions in a reverse direction,
while the crank shaft and batten of the loom remain at rest. The above
plan is applicable to fancy looms generally.
The way in which I prefer to carry into effect this part of my
Invention is illustrated by Figure 2, which is a portion of a front view
of a loom partly in section. a, a, is the framing; b, the crank shaft;
c and d are two bevilled wheels mounted loosely on this shaft and
gearing with the intermediate bevilled wheel e. The shedding and
shuttle motions may be driven either from the axis e¹ of the wheel e, or
from the spur wheel cfixed to the, bevilled wheel c; both of these
methods are well known. ff, is a catch or clutch box made in two
parts, and capable of sliding on the shaft, but the part fis compelled to
rotate with it by a feather on the shaft 6 entering a groove in the part ƒ of
the clutch; g is a sliding rod connecting the two parts of the clutch box ;
it is worked by the hand lever hand by forks g³, g², it moves the clutch
along the shaft. When the clutch is in the position in which the
Drawing shews it a notch on the right-hand side of the part fengages
with a projection on the side of the wheel c, which is thus compelled to
rotate with the shaft b, and all the parts of the loom then work forward.
When the clutch is moved towards the left hand a notch on the left
hand side of the part f engages with the projection d' on the wheel d,
and then the whole of the working parts of the loom (with the exception
of the picking, which is held off as is herein-after described) are driven
backwards so long as the driving strap is kept on the fast pulloy 6*.
By moving the clutch ff, further along the shaft b the projection d¹
gets into the circular groove f* of the clutch, and the wheel d is again
set free. The projection d¹ is carried by a short arm fixed to the
wheel d, and at such a distance from the centre as to clear the clutch.
This further movement of the clutch also carries the cone / formed on
the end of the clutch into the corresponding recess prepared to receive
it on the side of the loose pulley 1, and then (as the wheel d always
remains connected with the part f' of the clutch by the projection (*)
if the driving belt be put upon the loose pulley the shedding and
shuttle motions will be driven backwards whilst the batten remains
stationary; this admits of a wrong weft being readily taken out pick

page_text: by pick. In place of the cones for connecting the loose pulley / with
the wheel d, a notch and projection may be employed as in the other
cases. On the hand lever is a friction pulley which at the first
motion of the hand lever lifts the lever m turning on a stationary pin
at m³, and this by a link n stops the picking shafts in the way already
described in respect to Figure 1 by lifting the jointed arms of the
picking shafts.
I claim, as respects this part of my Invention, the arranging looms in
such manner that shedding and shuttle motions may be coupled with
the loose belt pulley of the loom, and by it driven in a backward
direction whilst the crank shaft and batten remain stationary.
I also claim, the general arrangement of the apparatus substantially as
described.
The next improvement relates to mechanism by which the picking
parts of a loom are brought into operation to pick the shuttle cither
alternately from each end of the batten or any number of consecutive
times from either end of the batten as the design to be woven may
require. For this purpose I employ the shuttle itself to indicate the
pick. Whenever any of the shuttles are brought in their boxes in a line
with the shuttle race they press out a swell in the usual manner. This
swell is made to elevate a lever or partly revolve a rod on its axis. A
finger on the rod or lever comes in contact with another lever during a
certain part of the oscillation of the batten, which last lever puts into
or out of action the picking motion as often as may be required.
The way in which I prefer to carry this part of my Invention into 2
effect is illustrated by Figure 3, which is a side view of a part of a
loom. n, n, are the shuttle boxes on the batten o, and P is a shuttle on
one of them pressing out a swell p³, and in doing so moving back the
arm q' on the axis q, and raising another arm q³ on the same axis, so
that as the batten beats up it may come in contact with the stud on
the lever r. This lever is mounted on an axis k having on it another
arm i, which in a manner to that already described in respect to
Figure 1 lowers the arm d¹ of the picking shaft d into the path of the
tappet c¹.
When the arm q² does not act on the stud a spring acts
on the levers so as to hold the arm d' clear of the tappet. Similar a
apparatus may be used on the opposite side of the loom, or the axis q
may be carried through the loom, and on the other side carry a second
arm i, which when depressed lowers the arm d' on which it acts out of

page_text: the path of the tappet so as to prevent a pick being made at this side
except when the stud¹ escapes the arm q¹.
I claim, as respects this part of my Invention, the arranging looms in
such manner that the presence or absence of the shuttle from the shuttlo
box opposite the picker determines whether or not a pick is made.
I also claim, the general arrangement of the apparatus substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lee Norton, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Seventh day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.