IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FICKERS TO BE EMPLOYED IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING. PROVISIONAL SPFICATION
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Burslem, of Cheadle, in the County of
Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
FICKERS TO BE EMPLOYED IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William. Burslem at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th July 1871.
I, WILLIAM BURSLEM, of Cheadle, in the County of Chester, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF PICKERS TO BE EMPLOYED IN LOOMS FOB. WEAVING," to be as
follows:-
This Invention applies to the construction of pickers to be employed
in looms for weaving, and the object of the Invention is to strengthen
the pickers and cause them to be much more durable than pickers of the
ordinary construction.
In pickers as hitherto made of buffalo hide or other similar material
in the usual manner the foot of the picker is formed of an elongation of

page_text: the piece (or pieces) which forms (or form) the inside of the body and
leg, and it is found in practise that as soon as the point of the shuttle
has worn away the front of the leg as far as the iron rivet the foot
breaks off at that point and the picker becomes useless.
My Invention consists in forming the inside or lining of the body and i
leg of the picker of a short thick piece of hide or other similar material,
and constructing the foot of a continuation or elongation of the piece
(whether single or double) which forms the outside or casing of the
body and leg. The two thicknesses are brought together beneath the
bottom of the piece which forms the lining and are rivetted or pegged 1
together to produce the foot. In this manner the whole of the outside
of the picker (body, foot, and leg,) is made of one piece. The wear of
the shuttle point is borne entirely by the thick piece which lines the leg,
and the foot being formed of the outside piece is not liable to be cut or
broken off. The consequence is that the picker is serviceable for a 1
much longer time than ordinarily, and may be used until the leg is
almost completely worn through.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Burslem in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BURSLEM, of Cheadle, in the County of Chester, send greeting.
•
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Burslem, Her special licence that I,
the said William Burslem, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Burslem, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE

page_text: "
CONSTRUCTION OF PICKERS TO BE EMPLOYED IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Burslem, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of 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 I, the said William Burslem, 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 statement:-
My Invention has reference to the construction of pickers employed
in looms for weaving, and the object of the Invention is to strengthen
such pickers and cause them to be much more durable than pickers of
the ordinary construction.
Hitherto pickers have been made of buffalo hide or other similar
material in the usual manner, the foot of the picker being formed of an
elongation of the piece (or pieces) which forms (or form) the inside of
the body and leg, and it is found in practice that as soon as the tip or
point of the shuttle has worn away the front of the leg as far as the
iron rivet the foot breaks off at that point and the picker becomes
useless.
My Invention consists in constructing the inside or lining of the body
and leg of the picker of a short thick piece of hide. or other similar
máterial, and constructing the foot of a continuation or elongation of the
picce (whether single or double) which forms the outside or casing of
the body and leg. The two thicknesses are brought together beneath the
bottom of the piece which forms the lining, and are rivetted-or pegged
together to produce the foot. In this manner the whole of the outside
of the picker (body, foot, and leg) is made of one piece.
The wear of
the shuttle point or tip is borne entirely by the thick piece which lines
the leg, and the foot being formed of the outside piece is not liable
to be cut or broken off by the action of the shuttle tip or point in
weaving.
The consequence of my improved construction besore described is
1

page_text: the case, and may be used until the leg is almost completely worn
through.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention I will now proceed
to particularly describe and ascertain in what manner the same may be
carried into operation by the aid of the Drawings accompanying this
Specification, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
2
Fig. 1, sectional elevational view of my improved picker; Fig. 2,
front view thereof; Fig. 3, side view thereof. In these Figures the
letter A. denotes the body, and A* the leg and foot of the picker (it 1
will be seen that the body and leg and foot are one and the same piece
of hide or such like material); R denotes the lining, which is a separate
piece. The parts are rivetted together as shown. C denotes the point
where the hide or material is brought together and secured by rivets, as
shown.
It will be seen that in other respects the body of the picker possesses
no novelty in construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I
hereby declare that I claim, the “ Improvements in the Construction of 2
Pickers employed in Looms for Weaving," wherein the body, leg, and
foot are formed in one piece with lining inserted, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Burslem, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
2
Witness,
PETER HIGGINS,
Cheadle,
Cheshire.
WILLIAM BURSLEM. (L.S.)