IMPROVEMENTS IN Looms
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Oldfield, of Coventry, in the County of
Warwick, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN Looms."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Oldfield at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th
September 1860.
I, 'BENJAMIN OLDFIELD, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Looms," to be as follows, that is to say :-
My Invention refers to improvements in the batten and shuttles, by which I
am enabled to pass more than the ordinary number of shuttles moving in a
horizontal plane and in an upright position through one opening in the warp.
The batten is constructed with sunk racks corresponding in number to that of
the shuttles I employ, and each shuttle is also furnished on the under side
with a similar rack; a pinion under each shuttle, which pinion runs in upright
bearings, allows each shuttle to traverse the batten. The bearings carrying

page_text: the pinions also support the planks, in which the shuttle, grooved at each of its
sides to fit the planks, travels. There would be for one space two sets of
planks, one on either side the space, or for a number of spaces one more set
of planks than the number of spaces.
My improvements in the shuttle consist in providing an iron guard above
the quill, which guard prevents the quill from catching the warp as it is
passing through. The wood from the centre of the shuttle is consequently cut
entirely away to admit of the quill. The shuttle can be made in two parts to
admit of the part carrying the quill being removed and, another quill of a
different colour substituted.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Benjamin Oldfield
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
OLDFIELD, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Machinist, 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 Benjamin Oldfield, Her special license that I, the said Benjamin Oldfield,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Benjamin Oldfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN Looms," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Benjamin Oldfield, 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 on or before. the Twenty-eighth day
of March, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Benjamin Oldfield, 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

page_text: statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed; and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention refers to improvements in those parts of looms.termed the
batten and shuttles, by which improvements I am enabled to pass more than
the ordinary number of shuttles moving in a horizontal plane, and in an
upright position through one opening in the warp. The batten is constructed
with sunk racks corresponding in number to that of the shuttles I employ,
and each shuttle is also furnished on its under side with a similar rack; a
pinion under each shuttle, which pinion runs in upright bearings, allows each
shuttle to traverse the batten. The bearings carrying the pinions also support
the planks in which the shuttle, grooved at each of its sides to fit the planks;
travels. There would be for one space two sets of planks, one on either side
the
space, or for a number of spaces one more set of planks than the number
of spaces.
My improvements in the shuttle consist in providing an iron guard above
the quill, which guard prevents the quill from catching the warp as it is
passing through. The wood from the centre of the shuttle is consequently
cut entirely away to admit of the quill. The shuttle can be made in two parts
to admit of the part carrying the quill being removed and another quill with
silk of a different colour substituted.
The Invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the. accom-
panying Drawings, in which a batten of one space and four rows of shuttles is
represented, but a greater or smaller number of rows of shuttles can be
employed, if desired.
'
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, represent severally a plan, side elevation, longitu-
dinal and transverse section of a batten, constructed according to my improve-
ments; Figure 5 is a plan of one of my improved wooden shuttles; Figure 6,
a side view of the same; Figure 7 represents the under side; and Figure 8,
a cross section of the same; Figure 9 is a plan; Figure 10, a side view ;
Figure 11, an under side view; and Figure 12, a cross section of another of
my improved shuttles; Figures 13, 14, and 15, shew a shuttle constructed
partly of wood and partly of metal, Figure 13 being a plan, Figure 14 a
side elevation, and Figure 15 a transverse section. The under side of this
shuttle is similar to that shewn in Figure 11; Figures 16 and 17 shew a side
elevation and end view of a portion of the bearing or standard carrying the pinions.
I will now proceed to describe the batten shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3; and 4;

page_text: A is the bed. of the batten grooved, as at (B, B1, B2, B3, Figures 1 and 4,)
for the racks (C, C', C, C³,) to slide in; motion is given to these racks in one
direction by the cords (d, d', d², d³,) being operated upon in the opposite
direction by the cords (E, E¹, E³, E³), the former passing over the pullies
(F, F, F, F³), and the latter over the pullies (G, G¹, G, G³, H, H¹, H², H³);
any of the ordinary reciprocal motions can be employed to actuate these cords.
In the stands or bearings (1 and K) are loosely hung the pinions (L, L, L², L³,)
and (M, M', M2, M³) (details of which are given in Figures 16 and 17); the
pins (N and O) pass through them, and upon these pins they revolve. The
shuttles P, P, Ps, P³, are constructed with sunk racks on their under side, as
shewn in (Figure 11), these racks corresponding with the racks in the bed of
the batten, and like them engaging also with the pinions (L, L', L, L³,)
consequently upon the cords (E, E, E, E³,) being drawn, the racks (C, C¹,
C³, C³) advance, and by reason of the pinions (L, L, L, L³, and M, M', M³, M³,)
engaging both with the racks (C,.C1, C2, C3,) in the bed of the batten and the
racks on the under side of the shuttles (P, P', P, P³); the shuttles are carried
through the opening or openings in the warp, and are received on the planks
on the opposite side, and the motion of the shuttles is continued forward by
the pinions (M, M', M, M³). The reciprocal motion of the cords (E, E¹, E2 E³,)
returns the shuttles to their former position.
The planks or races (as they are commonly termed) which receive the
shuttles, and are marked (Q, Q', Q, Q, and R, R1, R2, R3,) are each tongued
to fit the grooves in the sides of the shuttles, and each row is supported on
two metal carriers S, S, S¹, S¹; these carriers are turned down at either ends
over the standards or bearings, in which bearings screws are tapped working
in slots (T), immediately over the pin upon which the pinions revolve. This
arrangement allows of the planks or races, and consequently the shuttles also,
being readily adjusted to the right depth for the pinion wheels to engage with
the sunk rack on the under side of the shuttles, and also admits of a row of
planks and their shuttles being easily removed for the purpose of cleaning
it is simply necessary to release the screw (V¹) in the slot (T).
Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, represent an improved form of wooden shuttle.
(a) is the body of the shuttle, having grooves (b, b) cut in it on both
sides. The wood from the centre is cut entirely away. to admit of the quill,
and above the quill an iron guard (w) is fixed to the body (a) of the shuttle,
which guard prevents the quill from. catching the warp in passing through.
The same guard also carries the shoot which passes through an eye in the
centre of the guard.

page_text: Fourthly, I claim the improvements described in making shuttles partly of
wood and partly of metal, as shewn in Figures 9, 10, 11, 12.
Fifthly, I claim the construction of the shuttles, as seen in Figures 13, 14,
and 15, by which I can readily remove the quill; or substitute one carrying
silk of a different color, as herein more fully set forth and specified.
In 'witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Oldfield, have hereunto set 'my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
[BENJAMIN OLDFIELD. (L.S.)

page_text: Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12, represent another form of improved shuttle, the
under part only being of wood grooved on both sides, and with a sunk rack
formed on the under side in manner similar to that already described.
Figures 13, 14, and 15 represent a form of shuttle by which I am enabled
readily to remove the part carrying the quill, and substitute another with
silk of a different color if required. In order to effect this I fix to the
lower or grooved part, two upright springs (X, X,) taking into openings (Y, Y,)
in the upper or metal part, and by these springs the two parts are securely
held together.
-
I can construct the pinion wheels for the batten of metal or wood, or partly
metal and hide, or partly metal and wood. By these my improvements I am
enabled to make the batten considerably shorter than those now in use,
resulting from the position of the pulleys (G, G', G2, G³), and the arrange-
ment of the cords (d, d', d², d, E, E, E², E³). The Drawings illustrate a
batten constructed for four shuttles, but by the position of the sley (Z) at the
back of the batten I can profitably employ this form of batten with one shuttle
only, and this shuttle being close to the sley instead of in the front part of
the batten, a considerably smaller opening in the warp, and a shallower sley
will be sufficient.
The red lines in Figure 3 shew the position of the racks when the shuttle
has passed through the warp, and has been received by the planks on the
opposite side.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be clearly understood that I
do not confine myself to the precise details herein set forth and specified, as
the same may admit of considerable variation without departing from the
spirit of my Invention; but that which I claim, and desire to have secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
Firstly, the improvements in the construction of the batten, by which I am
enabled to pass more than the ordinary number of shuttles moving in a hori-
zontal plane, and in an upright position through one opening in the warp, as
herein described and illustrated.
Secondly, I claim the improvements in the construction of the batten,
adapted for one shuttle, by which, in consequence of the sley being at the back
of the batten and the shuttle close to the sley, there is no loss of space; I can
consequently employ a much smaller opening and depth of sley, the shuttle
passing at the back instead of the front of the batten.
Thirdly, I claim the improvements described in the construction of 'wood
shuttles, as shewn in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8.