IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mark Smith, of the firm of William Smith and
Brothers, of Heywood, in the County of Lancaster, Power Loom Makers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING"
Sealed the 28th August 1855, and dated the 16th March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mark Smith at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th March
1855..
I, MARK SMITH, of the firm of William Smith and Brothers, of Heywood,
in the County of Lancaster, Power Loom Makers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING" to be as
follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists, first, in dispensing with the scroll
employed in Luke Smith's patent picking motion, and in giving motion to
the picking shaft in the direction of its axis, so as to bring the lever alter-
nately in and beyond the reach of the stud on the fly wheel. This motion of
the picking shaft may be derived from a cam on the tappet shaft acting on a
lever in connection with the picking shaft itself, or on the footstep in which it
works.
Secondly, in working the heddles of looms by vibrating levers actuated by a
stud in the face of a second motion wheel, or a tappet on such a wheel, or by
a scroll on the crank shaft. One arm of the vibrating levers gives motion to
one heddle, and the other arm to the other heddle. By means of this arrange-
ment the top shaft and rollers may be dispensed with.
Thirdly, in regulating the tension of the warp by supporting the warp beam
in levers, whereby the weight of the warp beam, when full, produces the

page_text: requisite resistance to the unwinding of the yarn, and the diminution in the
weight consequent on the decreasing diameter reduces proportionately the
resistance to the unwinding of the yarn. The levers supporting the warp beam
bear on adjustable studs in a second pair of levers, to which are attached the
friction straps or bands by which, when slackened by the beating. up of the
cloth, the warp is let off.
Fourthly, in an improved taking-up motion, applicable to looms worked
with a loose reed. To the rod which holds the loose reed is fixed a lever,
acting on an escapement elbow lever, the lower arm of which is connected with
the click on the taking-up ratchet wheel; this elbow lever is pressed upon by a
spring, the strength of which is regulated according to the cloth to be woven.
When the resistance of the cloth moves the reed, the elbow lever pushes the
click over a tooth of the ratchet wheel; consequently, when the lay recedes,
the click, which is acted upon by one of the lay swords, draws the ratchet
wheel partly round, and gives motion to the taking-up roller.
Fifthly, in an improved weft stopper; the grid acting on the weft fork
instead of being in a line with the reed as in ordinary looms, is formed at the
end of a lever hinged to the batten; the fork which is hinged to the lay
bottom acts upon the strap fork by a lever, in a manner somewhat similar to
that generally employed. The grid and the fork fit in a recess in the lay
bottom, and the grid is made to rise and drop to feel for the weft by a tappet
on the crank shaft acting on a lever connected to another lever hinged to the
batten, or in any other convenient manner.
Sixthly, in an improved mode of keeping the weft threads of different
shuttles 'out of the way of the weft fork. To the frame of the drop box is
hinged a lever furnished with a fork, which is made to drop below and rise
above the shuttle race by a rod connected to the drop box and to the lever.
When the drop box rises, the fork lifts the weft above the shuttle race, and
out of the way of the weft fork; and when the fork drops, it presses down the
weft that was below it into the recess formed in the lay bottom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Mark Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
.September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARK
SMITH, of the firm of William Smith and Brothers, of Heywood, in the 3.
County of Lancaster, Power Loom Makers, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Mark Smith, Her special license that I, the said Mark Smith, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Mark
Smith, 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, exer-
cise, 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
Mark Smith, 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 Mark Smith, 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 following Specification
thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
The nature of my said Invention of Improvements in Looms for Weaving
consists, first, in certain improved combinations of parts for giving motion in
the direction of of their axes to the picking shafts, whereby the projection on
such shafts are brought alternately within and beyond the picking stud on the
fly wheel.
Secondly, in dispensing with the top shaft and rollers usually employed in
working the heddles, and in communicating the requisite up and down motion
to heddles by certain improved combinations of machinery.
Thirdly, in supporting the warp beam in levers, whereby the diminishing
weight of the warp beam consequent on the unwinding of the warp reduces
proportionately the resistance to the unwinding of the yarn.
Fourthly, in an improved taking-up motion, applicable to those looms on
which a loose reed is employed.
Fifthly, in an improved weft stop motion, particularly applicable to looms in
which two or more shuttles are used.
And, lastly, in an improved combination of parts applicable to looms in
which two shuttles are employed, for keeping the weft threads of the different
shuttles alternately out of the way of the weft fork..
...

page_text: I have in the said Drawings given Figures for shewing how my improve-
ments may be constructed, similar parts in each of the views being marked
with similar letters of reference.
Figure 1 is an end view of a loom to which one mode of constructing the first
part of my Invention is applied. a is the crank shaft; a', the fly wheel; a²,
the picking stud; b, the tappet shaft; and c, the picking shaft, which is similar
to those in ordinary use, except that the journals at each end are longer than
usual, to admit of the shaft being moved in the direction of its axis; this
motion is communicated by the tappet ', fixed on the tappet shaft acting on
the lever d, which is forked at the upper end, and fits between shoulders
on the picking shaft; a similar tappet is fixed at the other side of the loom,
but at right angles to that shewn; c¹ is the projection from the picking shaft
against which the stud a² on the fly wheel acts, and c² is the curve, also pro-
jecting from the picking shaft, to which the picking strap is attached in the
usual manner. When the loom is at work, the tappet ¹ elevates and depresses
the lever d, thereby giving motion in the direction of its axis to the picking
shaft c. The Drawing represents the lever d up, and the projection c¹ in the
position beyond the reach of the stud a; but when the tappet & has moved
sufficiently to allow the lever d to drop, the projection c¹ descends to the
position for being acted upon by the stud a³; by this means each picking stick
is acted upon alternately, in the same manner as in the scroll picking motion,
for which Letters Patent were granted to Luke Smith in the year One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
In Figure 2 is shewn another modification of this part of my Invention; in
this instance, the picking shaft is supported in the foot step e, which is formed
in the lever e', whose fulcrum is at e; the outer end of this lever bears upon
the tappet f, which is moved to and fro by the second motion wheel g,
driven by the pinion a³ on the crank shaft a, and by the crank pin g¹,
which is connected by the link g' to the lever f¹, fixed to the shaft of the
tappet f³.
In Figure 2 I have also shewn how the second part of my Invention may
be constructed; to the shaft fare fixed the levers f³ and f, which are con-
nected to the frames h, in which the heddles are supported by the links h¹;
consequently, the second motion wheel g in revolving imparts the requisite up
and down motions to the beddles; the levers f³ are rather shorter than those
markedf, by which means less motion is imparted to the heddles near the
cloth. The heddles may also be worked in the same manner by a scroll on
the crank shaft, or by a tappet on the second motion wheel. The top shaft
and rollers usually employed for working the heddles are thus dispensed with.

page_text: In Figures 3 and 4 I have shewn how the third and fourth of my improve-
ments in looms may be constructed. i represents the warp beam, supported
in bearings in the side levers j, whose fulcrum is at j'; these levers bear upon
the adjustable pieces k, which are attached to the levers ¹, whose fulcrum is
at . Around the friction pulley of the warp beam is the cord or chain i', one
end of which is made fast to the framing at 2, and the other end is attached to
a regulating screw passing through one of the levers k¹. In weaving heavy or
coarse fabrics the pieces are placed near the extremity of the levers k², but
for light fabrics the pieces are brought closer to the fulcrum of the said
levers k'. When the warp beam is full, the weight thereof being then
greatest produces the greatest resistance to the unwinding of the warp, but
this resistance is gradually diminished in consequence of the gradually
diminishing weight and diameter of the warp beam.
My improved taking-up motion, which is applicable to looms in which a
loose reed is used, consists of the following combination of parts :-n is the
reed, which is held at the time the weft is struck up into the cloth by the
levers n', fixed on the cross shaft n², and by the lever n³, which comes against
a projection on the escapement elbow lever r; the taking-up roller o is turned
round, as in other looms, by the wheels o¹ and o², and pinions o³ and o*, the
latter of which is fast to the ratchet wheel p, actuated by a click p¹, jointed to
the lever p, the lower end of which is in communication with the lever q, pro-
jecting from the fulcrum shaft of the lay swords by the link q'; the spring ps
is for drawing the lever p² back, after it has been acted upon to give motion to
the ratchet wheel p, as will be explained hereafter. r is the escapement elbow
lever, mounted on a stud r, fixed to the framing of the loom; the short arm
of the elbow lever r is furnished near its extremity with a projection, against
the under side of which the lever n³ acts when the weft is struck up, as above
mentioned; to the long arm of the elbow lever is jointed one end of the link
, the other end being made with a slot fitting on a stud projecting from the
lever p; the spring, which is capable of adjustment by set screws, as shewn
in the Drawing, presses the lever r against the fixed stud 7. The mode of
operation is as follows:-When the weft has been thrown across the shed,
the resistance thereof against the reed when it is struck up into the cloth
causes the lever n³ to act on the under side of the projection from the short
arm of the escapement elbow lever r, thereby moving the long arm thereof in
the direction of the arrow; the spring p³, then acting on the lever på, draws the
click p¹ over a tooth of the ratchet wheel p; consequently when the lay moves
back, the lever q and link q', acting on the lower arm of the lever p² in the
contrary direction to the arrow, cause the click p¹ to give the desired motion

page_text: to the ratchet wheel p and to the taking-up roller o, the slot in the mik ?**
allowing the escapement lever to be brought back to its original position by
the spring, as soon as the lever n³ has been withdrawn from under the pro-
jection on the short arm of the said escapement 1.ver. If, owing to the absence
of the weft, or to other causes, the resistance to the reed is not sufficient to raise
the lever n³ sufficiently to allow the click p¹ to be brought over a tooth of the
ratchet wheel p, the back stroke of the lay is effected without imparting motion
to the taking-up roller.
In Figures 5 and 6 I have shown the mode of performing the fifth of my
improvements. a is the crank shaft; s, the lay bottom; s', the lay sword; and
82, the breast beam. To the crank shaft a is fixed a pinion a', gearing into a
carrier pinion t, which gives motion to a pinion t¹, fixed to the same shaft as
the excentric or cam t2; this cam acts on a bowl at the upper end of the lever u,
which is fixed to the cross shaft u¹, to which are also fixed two levers u²; each
of these levers gives motion by means of the links ³ to the forks v, which
are hinged to studs projecting from the lay swords, as shewn in Figure 6.
In the lay bottom is supported a slender rod w, to which the grids ware
fixed; one of these grids has a projecting finger w, which acts when required
on the lever w³, hinged to the breast beam. The forks v and grids w¹ fit in
recesses in the lay bottom.
When the loom is at work, every revolution of the crank shaft causes the
cam t to raise the forks v before the shuttle is thrown across the shed; if the
weft is left in the shed, the forks v in descending press upon the weft and
depress the grids w¹, thereby raising the finger w³ above the end of the lever
w, and allowing the loom to continue its work; but if the weft fails, the
prongs of the forks v drop through the grids w¹, and the finger w³ remains
down; consequently, when the lay approaches the cloth, the finger w² coming in
contact with the end of the lever w³ causes the knocking off lever w' to escape
from its retaining notch, thereby stopping the loom in the ordinary manner.
This arrangement of parts is particularly beneficial when applied to looms in
which three or more shuttles are used, as the action of the forks takes place
before the reed is up to the cloth; consequently, the wefts from the shuttles
in the drop box are not in the way when the forks descend.
Figure 7 represents part of the end of a two-shuttle loom, to which the last
of my improvements is applied. s is part of the lay bottom, and a the frame
attached to the lay sword s', in which the drop box a is moved up and down
in the usual manner by the cross bar a². To the frame a is jointed the lever
y, to which a fork y' is attached, fitting when down in a recess in the lay
bottom; this lever is moved up and down by the link y², connected below to

page_text: the cross bar a, and above to the said lever. The shuttles are both supposed
to be in the drop box al, and the fork y' being up, has raised the weft of the
upper shuttle above the grid of the weft stop motion, which is therefore at
liberty to act in the usual manner on the weft of the lower shuttle; as soon as
the drop box is lowered, the fork y¹ in descending depresses the weft of the
lower shuttle into the recess in the lay bottom, thereby leaving the weft of the
upper shuttle at liberty to be acted upon by the weft stop motion.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim as of my Invention,―
First, the improvements in the picking motion of looms, whereby motion in
the direction of their axes is given to the picking shafts, as herein-before
described.
Secondly, the improved combination of machinery for working the heddles,
as herein-before described.
Thirdly, supporting the warp beam in levers for the purpose of diminishing
the resistance to the unwinding of the warp in proportion to the reduction of
the weight of the warp beam, as herein-before described.
Fourthly, the use and application of the escapement elbow lever, marked r,
in Figures 3 and 4, when applied to the taking-up motion of looms, as herein-
before described.
Fifthly, the improved combination of parts for stopping looms in the absence
of the weft, as shewn and described in reference to Figures 5 and 6.
And, lastly, the improved arrangement of parts applicable to looms, in which
two shuttles are used for keeping the weft of one shuttle out of the way of the
weft fork, when the lay beats up after the other shuttle has been thrown across
the shed, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mark Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
MARK SMITH. (L.S.)