IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Richardson, of No. 75, Gracechurch Street,
in the City of London, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Richardson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Decla-
ration, on the 25th August 1866, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
RICHARDSON, of Number 75, Gracechurch Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn declaration that I really believe myself
to be the first and true Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Richardson, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully
[Price 8d.1

page_text: describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to further improvements in addition to those patented
by me under the title of "Improvements in Looms for Weaving," bearing
date at Westminster the 16th April 1866, Number 1067, and consists in a
new and peculiar form (in construction) of an air pump or pumps (as the
case may be) to be attached to each loom to furnish air to impel the
shuttle at every stroke of the lathe of the loom, each stroke of the pump
furnishing just sufficient air to impel the shuttle from one side of the loom to
the other. These pumps (or pump) may be so arranged in the driving
gear" as to alter the length of the stroke, so that a more or less quantity of
air may be taken in and ejected by the pump in proportion to the weight of
and distance to which the shuttle is to be thrown. The egress pipes from the
pumps or pump being taken direct to the shuttle box at each end of the lathe
of the loom.
Another and important improvement in looms is in impelling the shuttle by
the action of air or any known fluid against a piston or plunger, so that by
confining any elastic or non-elastic fluid between a piston in a cylinder, and
having a pipe leading from this cylinder direct, to a small cylinder and piston
or plunger at the back of the shuttle. box, so that any percussive, or quick
force striking the first piston will move the column of fluid intervening between
the two pistons and strike piston No. 2 with equal force and velocity, thus
impelling the shuttle from left to right and right to left of the lathe of the
loom.
Another important improvement is in impelling the shuttle by the
explosion of carburetted hydrogen gas and common air in their proper
equivalents behind a piston which strikes and impels the shuttle, such
explosion being effected by the agency of the clectro-galvanic spark at every
throw of the shuttle from left to right and right to left.
CHAPTER 1.
Figure is a sectional elevation of my improved pumps and method of
driving them, and also altering or regulating the length of the stroke of the
same (more or less) as may be required for the weight and distance to be
thrown of the shuttle.
A, A, are two horizontal air-pump cylinders (single action), with which
work two pistons B, B; at the back of each are the inlet valves C, C; D, D,
the egress valves placed in a recess in the cylinder covers E, E. The piston may
be packed in any way, but in this case they have leather packings F, F, the pistons

page_text: when at full stroke coming up and striking against the facings G, G, which
are of vulcanized caoutchouc, thus displacing all the air at each stroke of the
piston (when at full stroke), but when. the stroke of the piston or pistons are
required to be less, then the crank pin H which slides in the slot J may.be
moved at any point to or from the centre by which the operator may obtain
the exact amount of air required to impel a shuttle of any weight across a
"shed" of any width, so that at each stroke of the pump a given amount of
air (and no more) is ejected. The crank pin H works into the rectangular
slot piece K which is affixed to the two piston rods L, L. The motion to the
wheel shewn by the dotted line M & M is obtained from the crank shaft of
the loom, so that if two pumps are used the one revolution will accomplish
the "double pick" of the shuttle from right to left .and left to right, but if
one pump be used then two revolutions of the wheel M. are required; this can
be effected in any way by the change of wheels as 2 is to 1. The egress.
pipes N&N are attached in the ordinary way to flexible pipes, and these
convey air to each air box at each end of the lathe of the loom.
when at full stroke coming up and striking against the facings G, G, which
are of vulcanized caoutchouc, thus displacing all the air at each stroke of the
piston (when at full stroke), but when. the stroke of the piston or pistons are
required to be less, then the crank pin H which slides in the slot J may.be
moved at any point to or from the centre by which the operator may obtain
the exact amount of air required to impel a shuttle of any weight across a
"shed" of any width, so that at each stroke of the pump a given amount of
air (and no more) is ejected. The crank pin H works into the rectangular
slot piece K which is affixed to the two piston rods L, L. The motion to the
wheel shewn by the dotted line M & M is obtained from the crank shaft of
the loom, so that if two pumps are used the one revolution will accomplish
the "double pick" of the shuttle from right to left and left to right, but if
one pump be used then two revolutions of the wheel M. are required; this can
be effected in any way by the change of wheels as 2 is to 1. The egress.
pipes N&N are attached in the ordinary way to flexible pipes, and these
convey air to each air box at each end of the lathe of the loom.
CHAPTER 2.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the piston, and Figure 3 a back view of the
same. Figures 4 and 5 represent what I term my improved mode of
impelling the shuttle by the moving (percussively) a column of elastic or non-
elastic fluid intervening between the two pistons.
. O.& O is a cylinder having a piston P, cross-head Q working between two
guides R & R with spiral springs to bring the piston back to its normal
position after every stroke of the percussion hammer S, which is operated on
by the revolving "tappets" T. The motion to drive this may be taken from
the main driving shaft or any other suitable place as long as the tappet shaft
gets one revolution for every double throw of the shuttle, thus keeping the
column of elastic or non-elastic fluid in motion between the piston P and the
piston U in the cylinder P, behind the shuttle box and shuttle W in plan and
elevation in Figures 4 and 5 in the Drawings.
CHAPTER 3.
Another important improvement in impelling the shuttle is by placing a
cylinder and movable piston behind the shuttle as in Figures 4 and 5, and
behind this place a receiver into which is pumped at every stroke of the
shuttle proper equivalents of carburetted hydrogen gas and common air, so

page_text: impelling the shuttle from one side of the lathe to the other. The carburetted
hydrogen gas may be generated from volatilizing any of the well-known
hydrocarbons, or common carburetted hydrogen gas may be used from the
gasworks. The "laying on" and "taking off" of the electro-galvanic fluid
may be effected by the motion of the lathe or any other part of the loom
suited to the motion of the shuttle.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not confine myself to the
precise details as herein-before described and shewn in the Drawings, as the
same may be varied without departing from the character and main features
of my Invention; what I claim as of my Invention is,-
First, the peculiar construction and arrangement of my improved pumps
and the method of regulating the stroke, and also of driving such so as to give
the exact equivalent of air to the shuttle, depending on its weight and distance
to be thrown, as fully specified in Chapter 1 and shewn in Drawings Figures 1,
2, and 3.
Second, the improved method of throwing a shuttle by moving a column of
elastic or non-elastic fluid intervening between two pistons by percussive
action and imparting such force through these mediums for the purposes
herein set forth in Chapter 2 and shewn in the Drawings Figures 4 and 5.
Third, the improved method of impelling the shuttle by the explosion of
carburetted hydrogen gas and common air (in proper equivalents) by the
agency of the electro-galvanic spark, for the purposes herein set forth in
Chapter 3.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Richardson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
CHARLES RICHARDSON. (L.S.)