CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Harrison, John Harrison, and Henry
Harrison, of the Firm of J. Harrison and Sons, of Blackburn, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineers, and Benjamin Croasdale, of the same
Place, formerly Overlooker in a Cotton Mill, for the Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 5th July 1867, and dated the 22nd January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Harrison, John
Harrison, Henry Harrison, and Benjamin Croasdale at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd January
1867.
We, WILLIAM HARRISON, JOHN HARRISON, and HENRY HARRISON, of the
Firm of J. Harrison and Sons, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers, and BENJAMIN CROASDALE, of the same Place, formerly Overlooker
in a Cotton Mill, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention is applicable to the looms in in which a loose reed is employed,
and it consists in dispensing with the usual stop rod, which in looms of the
ordinary construction is supported in bearings fixed to the lay bottom and to
which the back rib of the loose reed is connected.

page_text: In performing our Invention we hinge the said back rib to the lay bottom,
and to the back rib are fixed the levers or feelers technically called "duck
bills," these "duck bills" are usually fixed to the stop rod, and they pass
under stop pieces as usual when the reed is near the fell of the cloth to hold
the reed when the weft is beaten up. The above described improvement
may be used either with or without a stop finger jointed to the ley bottom,
which stop finger is acted upon by one of the duck bills above referred to,
and when the shuttle is caught in the shed comes against a projection on
the spring lever and releases it from its retaining notch, thereby throwing
the driving strap from the fast to the loose pulley and stopping the loom.
By means of these improvements the cost of the loom and the weight of the
lay or batten are reduced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Harrison, John Harrison, Henry Harrison, and
Benjamin Croasdale in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th July
1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HARRISON, JOHN HARRISON, and HENRY HARRISON, of the Firm of J.
Harrison and Sons, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers,
and BENJAMIN CROASDALE, of the same Place, formerly Overlooker in a
Cotton Mill, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of
Iler reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said William Harrison, John Harrison, Henry Harrison, and Benjamin
Croasdale, Her special license that we, the said William Harrison, John
Harrison, Henry Harrison, and Benjamin Croasdale, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Harrison, John
Harrison, Henry Harrison, and Benjamin Croasdale, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Harrison, John

page_text: Harrison, Henry Harrison, and Benjamin Croasdale, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our
or their hands and seals, 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 Harrison, John Harrison,
Henry Harrison, and Benjamin Croasdale, do hereby declare the nature of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
(that is to say):-
This Invention is applicable to the looms in which a loose reed is employed,
and it consists in dispensing with the usual stop rod which in looms of the
ordinary construction is supported in bearings fixed to the lay bottom and to
which the back rib of the loose reed is connected.
In performing our Invention we hinge the said back rib to the lay bottom,
and to the back rib are fixed the levers or feelers technically called "duck
bills," these "duck bills" are usually fixed to the stop rod, and they pass
under stop pieces as usual when the reed is near the fell of the cloth to hold
the reed when the weft is beaten up. The above described improvement
may be used either with or without a stop finger jointed to the lay bottom,
which stop finger is acted upon by one of the duck bills above referred to, and
when the shuttle is caught in the shed comes against a projection on the
spring lever and releases it from its retaining notch, thereby throwing the
driving strap from the fast to the loose pulley and stopping the loom.
And in order that our Invention may be more fully understood and readily
carried into operation we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a loom with a loose reed to which our
improvements are applied, and Figure 2 is a front view of the principal
parts of the same. a is the crank shaft; b, the crank arms or connecting
links; c, the lay; c', the lay swords; d, the tappet shaft; e, the spring starting
lever; f, the strap fork or guide; and a', the driving pulley. The parts above
enumerated and all the others requisite to complete the loom which are not
particularly referred to hereafter are made in the usual manner.
In our improved loom the usual stop rod is dispensed with, and in lieu
thereof we employ the short shaft g which is supported in bearings h and i,
the latter is fixed to the lay bottom c, and the former is cast with the lay

page_text: sword c; near the outer end of the shaft g is fixed the stop finger j, and the
inner end of the same shaft is cranked at k, the crank pin taking into a slot
in the lever or feeler , technically called the "duck bill," which is acted
upon by the spring screwed to the lay bottom c; a similar duck bill is
.applied at the other end of the loom, and these duck bills are screwed to the
usual back rib or reed case c² which is hinged to the lay bottom instead of
being fixed to the stop rod, as in looms with loose reeds of the present
construction. As long as the loom continues to work, and the shuttle reaches
its destination.in the shuttle box, the duck bills pass under the usual stop
pieces m so as to hold the reed fast when the weft is beaten up, but if the
shuttle is caught in the shed the back rib c yields and the ends of the duck
bills are raised, consequently when the reed is near the fell of the cloth the
ends of the duck bills slide up the inclined part of the stop pieces m and
open the reed wider to relieve the shuttle, at the same time the stop finger j
instead of passing under the projection on the spring starting lever e comes
in contact with it and releases the said starting lever from its retaining notch,
thereby moving the strap from the fast to the loose pulley and stopping the
loom in the usual manner.
By means of these improvements the cost of the loom and the weight of
the lay or batten are reduced.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, we declare that we claim,
First, the short cranked shaft g when used in lieu of the ordinary stop rod
as described.
And, secondly, fixing the duck bills to the back rib or reed case instead
of fixing them to the stop rod as heretofore.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Harrison, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-seven.
WILLIAM HARRISON. (L.S.)