IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Adam Whytlaw and Alexander Mitchell the
younger, both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING."
Sealed the 7th November 1856, and dated the 24th May 1856..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Adam Whytlaw
and Alexander Mitchell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 24th May 1856.
We, ROBERT ADAM WHYTLAW and ALEXANDER MITCHELL the younger, both
of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING," to
be as follows, that is to say:
This Invention relates to mechanism to be applied to power looms for
weaving checks or stripes where two or more shuttles are employed, such
mechanism. being of such a nature so as to effect the obtainment of an
increased. speed of production, as compared with. check and stripė looms
hitherto in use.
According to. a modification of the said mechanism suitable for working two
shuttles, the double-celled shuttle box employed is connected by two stays
uniting in. a single rod, or in any other convenient inaunér, to a lever, the
opposite end of which rests or presses against the periphery of a wheel formed

page_text: with regularly arranged recesses and projections. As this wheel turns round,
the end of the lever enters a recess or rises upon a projection on the.
periphery, and shifts the shuttle drop box down or up accordingly, so as to
bring either of the shuttles into action, as required. The wheel is turned
periodically, according to a predetermined pattern, by a ratchet wheel. and
pall lever movement. The lever is weighted or otherwise arranged so as to
fall over towards the tappet shaft of the loom, and this shaft is fitted with
an arm or cam which lifts back the lever, and so turns the wheel to the extent
of a tooth. The backward movement of the lever brings it under a catch,
which retains it, and prevents- its further action upon the wheel until the
catch is itself lifted. The catch is lifted by means of a lever actuated by
a jacquard apparatus, the cards of which are perforated according to a
predetermined pattern.
There are various ways of transmitting the- action of the jacquard to the
catch; according to one of which the jacquard barrel is arranged to lift the
lever connected to the catch, when the card at the moment in action is without
a perforation. It will be obvious that by suitably. arranging the perforations
of the cards; the changes of the shuttle drop box, as effected by the wheel,
may be made to take place to suit any pattern, whilst any convenient length of
pattern may be employed by using a suitable number of cards. When the
improvements are applied to the working of more than two shuttles, a. number
of adjustable projections of various heights, to suit the several lengths of
traverse of the shuttle drop box, are fitted to the wheel in the proper order.
or succession to suit the pattern, and the jacquard mechansm regulates or
defines, as before, the periods at which each shift of the wheel takes place, and
produces the movement of the shuttle drop box.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Adam Whytlaw and Alexander Mitchell in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th November 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,. ROBERT
ADAM WHYTLAW and ALEXANDER MITCHELL the younger, both of Glasgow, in.
the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of..our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Robert. Adam Whytlaw and Alexander Mitchell the younger, Her 'special
license that we,. the said Robert Adam Whytlaw and Alexander Mitchell
the younger, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said: Robert Adam Whytlaw and Alexander Mitchell the younger, our
executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Robert Adam Whytlaw and
Alexander Mitchell the younger, by an instrument in writing under our 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 Robert Adam Whytlaw and Alexander
Mitchell the younger, 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, reference being had to
the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon;
that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to mechanism to be applied to power looms for
weaving checks or stripes where two or more shuttles are employed, such
mechanism being of such a nature as to effect the obtainment of an increased
speed.of production as compared with check and stripe looms hitherto in use.
According to a modification of the said mechanism suitable for working two
shuttles, the double-celled shuttle box employed is connected by two stays
uniting in a single rod, or in any other convenient manner, to a lever, the
opposite end of which rests or presses against the periphery of a wheel formed
with regularly arranged recesses and projections. As this wheel turns round,
the end of the lever enters a recess or rises upon a projection on the periphery,
and shifts the shuttle drop box down or up accordingly, so as to bring either
of the shuttles into .action, as required. The wheel is turned periodically,
according to a predetermined pattern, by a ratchet wheel and pall lever move-
ment. The lever is weighted or otherwise arranged so as to fall over towards
the tappet shaft of the loom, and this shaft is fitted with an arın or cam which
lifts back the lever, and so turns the wheel to the extent of a tooth. The
backward movement of the lever brings it under a catch, which retains it and

page_text: prevents its further action upon the wheel until the catch is itself lifted. The
catch is lifted by means of a lever actuated by a jacquard apparatus, the cards
of which are perforated according to 'a predetermined pattern.
There are various ways of transmitting the action of the jacquard to the
catch; according to one of which the jacquard barrel is arranged to lift the
lever connected to the catch, when the card at the moment in action is without
a perforation. It will be obvious that by suitably arranging. the perforations
of the cards, the changes of the shuttle drop box, as effected by the wheel,
may be made to take place to suit any pattern, whilst any convenient length of
pattern may be employed by using a suitable number of cards. When the
improvements are applied to the working of more than two shuttles, a number
of adjustable projections of various heights, to suit the several lengths of
traverse of the shuttle drop box, are fitted to the wheel in the proper order
or succession to suit the pattern; and the jacquard mechanism regulates or
defines, as before, the periods at which each shift of the wheel takes places,
and produces the movement of the shuttle drop box.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood, we have
hereunto appended, and shall now proceed to describe, a Sheet of explanatory
Drawings; Figure 1 on which Sheet is a side elevation, and Figure 2 is a
front elevation, of as much of a loom arranged and constructed on our im-
proved system, as is necessary to show a mode of carrying out our Invention
in practice.
The arrangements shown in the Drawing are adapted for working with two
shuttles. A two-celled drop box A for the shuttles is fitted to one side of the
loom lathe B, and this drop box is connected by two rods C working in guide
eyes in a frame D upon the lathe sword E to a cross head F. The cross head
is connected by an adjustable rod or link G, to a lever H lying nearly in a
horizontal position at the side of the loom, the point of connection between it
and the rod G coinciding as nearly as possible with the axis about which the
lathe moves. The back end of the lever H carries a roller I, which is pressed
up by the weight acting upon the other end of the lever against the periphery
of a wheel J, carried upon a stud pin upon the side frame of the loom. The
wheel J is formed with a regular scries of projections and recesses so pro-
portioned that the shuttle drop box is in its highest or lowest position
accordingly as the roller I is upon a projection or in a recess. The wheel J
has an intermittent movement given to it by means of a ratchet wheel attached
to it, and acted upon by the pall K, and at each movement the wheel J
either depresses the roller I, or allows it to rise, accordingly as it brings a
projection or a recess to act upon it. The shift is given to the wheel J at

page_text: intervals to suit the pattern when the change of shuttle is required. The pall K
is jointed to a lever L, weighted so as to have a tendency to fall over towards
the continuously revolving shaft M, which carries a wiper N so as to move the
lever over, and by means of the pall K, shift round the wheel J. When the lever
L is moved over in this way by the wiper N, it is caught by. a catch O acting
upon a projection upon it, otherwise it would shift-round the wheel J at each
revolution of the shaft M, which may if convenient be the tappet shaft of the
loom. The lever L is held by the catch O until a change of shuttle is
required, when the catch is lifted by the rod or cord P, and the lever falls
forward, and is acted upon by the wiper N, as already explained. The rod or
cord P is connected to a lever.Q above, turning about the centre R, and this
lever is fitted with a pin S, which is acted upon by a jacquard apparatus.
The jacquard apparatus used may be of any suitable kind, but we prefer to
use that shown in the Drawing, which is precisely the same as that described
in the Specification of British Letters Patent for improvements in weaving,
granted to Robert Adam Whytlaw and James Steven, both of Glasgow, and
bearing date on or about the Eleventh day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five. The cards T of the jacquard apparatus are so
arranged as regards their perforations that at the period corresponding to the
change of shuttle, an unperforated part comes under the pin S, so that on
the rise of the card barrel, the lever Q is lifted, and releases the lever L,
thereby occasioning the change of shuttle, in the manner already explained.
The jacquard cards T are represented as having two rows of perforations
besides the smaller perforations corresponding to the steadying pins upon the
barrel, and one only of these rows is required for the shuttle change movement.
The other row of perforations may either be omitted in practice, or they may
be used to act on mechanism connected either with the shedding or with the
take-up movements of the loom, or with both these movements, as described in
the Specification herein-before referred to. When more than two shuttles are
to be used, the wheel J is fitted with a number of adjustable projections of
different heights, corresponding to the various lengths of shift the shuttle box
may have to take. These projections are arranged to correspond to the order
of succession of the shuttles, the period of each change being defined, as before,
by the jacquard mechanism. It will be obvious to the practical weaver that
by making the parts of the jacquard apparatus of sufficient strength, the
movement imparted by this apparatus to the lever may be contrived so that it
shall itself shift the shuttle drop box, instead of merely releasing or bringing
into action a second movement for that purpose. We may also remark that
the shifting motion of the shuttle box may either take place vertically, as

page_text: herein-before.described, or in any other rectilinear direction if found convenient
or (desirable.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the, manner in which the same.is or may be used or carried into
effect, we may observe, in conclusion, that we do not confine or restrict ourselves
to the precise details, or arrangements which we have had occasion to describe
or refer to as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of our Invention; but what we consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim, as the Invention secured to us by the
herein-before in part recited, Letters Patent; is,
First, the application, and use, in looms for weaving with two or more
shuttles, of self-acting, mechanism for changing the shuttles according to a
desired pattern, the period of each change being defined by a jacquard
apparatus,, whilst; the change is effected by the shift round of a wheel, to the
indented periphery of which a lever connected to the shuttle drop box adjusts
itself, as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use, in looms for weaving with two or more
shuttles, ofia jacquard apparatus contrived either directly or indirectly to effect
the rectilinear shift of the shuttle, box, by which the shuttle is changed, as
herein before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Adam Whytlaw and Alexander
¡Mitchell the younger, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Twenty-first day of November, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-six.
DOD
ROD.
(LIS.)
ALEXR MITCHELL, J. (L.S.)