IMPROVEMENTS, IN WEAVING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Parker, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar,
North Britain, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS, IN
WEAVING."
Sealed the 7th December 1855, and dated the 12th June 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Parker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th June 1855.
I, CHARLES PARKER, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN WEAVING" to be as follows, that is to say :-.
This Invention relates to the arrangement, construction, and working of
looms for weaving various classes of goods; and consists, in the first place, of a
contrivance for obtaining an uniform an equal take-up of the cloth as it is
woven by the agency of a roller set or studded with pointed pins, which
revolving points are in direct contact with the cloth being wound upon the
take-up roller or beam. The pointed pin roller is the sole driver of the
take-up beam, and, being driven at an uniform rate by gearing in connection
with the loom action, the pointed pin surface gives the same surface velocity
2

page_text: to the take-up beam, whatever may be the condition of the winding-on
of the cloth, whilst the pins have a firm hold upon the beamed cloth, and
derangement cannot occur from chance slipping.
The second head relates to the adaptation of a screw movement for obtain
ing the necessary shifting traverse of the yarn or warp beam lever weights
ordinarily employed for producing a tensional drag upon the warp beam.
The acting screw which shifts the lever weight is caused to rotate by being
connected with the warp beam itself; the effect being, that as the diameter
of the beamed warp gradually diminishes, the effective drag leverage is also
correspondingly diminished, by the weight being pushed near to the lever's
fulcrum. In this way the tension upon the warp is uniform from the begin-
ning to the end of the weaving action, no periodical hand shifting being
necessary.
The last head relates to the taking back of the warp during the weaving
process in cases where the shuttle may have run without putting in any weft,
or in other cases when from any reason it may be necessary to back the warp.
In the present improvements this is effected without necessitating the raising
of the lever weights of the warp beam; as at present; neither is the weaver
compelled to go behind the loom in the operation. In this arrangement
for managing the warp beam, the drag pulley is loose upon the beam as a
centre, and it carries a detent capable of gearing with a ratchet wheel fast
on the warp beam as a centre. A shaft connected with the warp beam passes
forward to the front of the loom where the weaver stands, so that he can thus
easily take back the warp from the front without any other operation. The
taking back of the warp,may be accomplished in various ways, the application
of a loose drag pulley being the essential feature of this part of the present
improvements.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Parker in the Great Seal- Patent Office: on the
10th December 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
PARKER, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
.

page_text: 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 Charles Parker, Her special license that I, the said Charles Parker, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Parker, my 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 I, the said Charles Parker, 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 fimmediately after the date of. the
said Letters Patent:
*
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said -Charles Parker, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained. in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say
My said Invention relates to the arrangenient, construction, and working of
looms for weaving various classes of goods; and consists, 'in the first place, of a
contrivance for obtaining an uniform and equal. take-up of the cloth as it is.
woven by the agency of a roller set or studded with pointed pins, which
revolving points are in direct contact with the cloth being wound upon the
take-up roller or beam. The pointed pin roller is the sole driver of the take-
up beam, and, being driven at a uniform rate by gearing in connection with
the loom 'action, the pointed pin surface gives the same surface velocity to the
take-up beam, whatever' may be the condition of the winding-on of the cloth,
whilst the pins have a firm hold upon the beamed cloth, and derangement
cannot occur from chance slipping.
The second head relates to the adaptation of a screw movement for obtain-
ing the necessary shifting traverse of the yarn or warp beam lever weights
ordinarily employed for producing a tensional drag upon the warp beam. The
acting screw which shifts the lever weight is caused to rotate by being con-
nected with the warp beam itself; the effect being, that as the diameter
of the beamed warp gradually diminishes, the effective drag leverage is also
correspondingly diminished, by the weight-being-pushed near to the lever's

page_text: fulcrum. In this way the tension upon the warp is uniform from the begin-
ning to the end of the weaving action, no periodical hand shifting being
necessary.
The last head relates to the taking back of the warp during the weaving
process, in cases where the shuttle may have run without putting in any
weft, or in other cases when from any reason it may be necessary to back the
warp. In the present. improvements this is effected without necessitating
the raising of the lever weights of the warp beam, as at present; neither is the
In this arrange-
weaver compelled to go behind the loom in the operation.
ment for managing the warp beam, the drag pulley is loose upon the beam as
a centre, and it carries a detent capable of gearing with a ratchet wheel fast
on the warp beam as a centre. A shaft connected with the warp beam passes
forward to the front of the loom where the weaver stands, so that he can thus
easily take back the warp from the front without any other operation. The
taking back of the warp may be accomplished in various ways, the application
of a loose drag pulley being the essential feature of this part of the present.
improvements.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several explanatory Figures on the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto attached.
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is a front elevation, and Figure 2 is a
side elevation, of a power loom, showing one mode of applying the improve-
ments comprehended under my.said Invention; Figure 3 is a vertical section
of the front part of the loom, shewing the positions of the pinned and take-
up rollers; Figure 4 is an elevation of the back part of the loom, shewing
the warp beam and variable drag apparatus; Figure 5 is a plan, corresponding
to Figure 4; Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through-the warp beam and
frictional drag pulley, and Figure 7 is a face view of this pulley, shewing its
ratchet connection with. the spindle of the warp beam. The woven fabric A
passes down from the breast beam B in a direction inclined slightly backwards
to the roller D, to which the take-up motion-is-communicated. The roller Dis
şet or studded with pointed pins, so as to take a firm hold of the cloth which
passes round it to the winding-on roller E. In some cases, instead of passing
round the roller D, the woven fabric may be simply passed between it and
the roller E and on to the latter. The spindles of the roller E revolve in slots
in the framing inclined towards the centres of the roller D, so that the roller E
always remains in contact with the roller D by reason, of its own gravity, assisted
by weights, if necessary, the slots being inclined upwards, and the roller D

page_text: a spur
n turning delivers the woven fabric to the roller E, and at the same time drives
the latter roller so as to wind up the fabric. The roller D may be actuated
by any suitable slow motion derived from any suitable moving part of the loom
mechanism. According to one plan, a spur wheel F fast upon the spindle of
the roller D is in gear with a pinion G, which is fixed to or in one piece with
wheel H, revolving loosely on a stud fixed to the framing of the loont.
The spur wheel H is in gear with a pinion I, fast upon a short spindle revolving
in a framing bracket, and which has also fast upon it a ratchet wheel-J, which
is actuated at regular intervals by the jointed catch or pall of a lever K,,
turning upon an adjustable centre in a bracket on the framing. The lower
end of the lever K is linked to the lathe sword L, as indicated by dotted lines
in Figure 2, and the reciprocating motion of the lathe sword causes the lever K
to act upon the ratchet wheel J.. The rate of take-up as compared with the
rate of weaving may be modified by adjusting the lever K, or by altering the.
proportions of either of the wheels I or G, by which the motion is transmitted
to the roller D..
. The improvements.comprehended under the second head of the Invention
are carried out, according to the modification represented upon the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto attached, by using the weighted automatic adjustment
levers M for giving tensional strain to the cords or ropes N, which are wound
round the friction pulleys on the ends of the warp beam, in order to give
the requisite tension to the warps, the other ends of the cords N being fixed
to brackets P upon the stationary framing. The levers M are hung upon
centre pins fixed to the stationary framing at Q, and are made boxwise or
open to receive longitudinal screwed spindles R to nuts S, working upon which
the weights T are attached. Toothed wheels U are fixed upon the ends of the
screwed spindles R, so as to be driven by means of a pitch chain V, which is
passed round them and round corresponding but smaller toothed wheels W,
fixed upon the. ends of the warp beam spindles X. As the weaving action
goes on, the motion of the warp beam Y causes the screwed spindles R of
the levers M.to turn and gradually shift the weights T nearer to the centres
or fulcra Qof the leavers, so as to act with diminished leverage upon the warp
beam, as the quantity of warp upon the beam is gradually reduced by the
weaving action.
In.working out the improvements comprehended under the third head of
my said Invention, a ratchet wheel Z is fixed upon the spindle X of the warp
these
beam Y, inside each of the friction pulleys O; and palls a, jointed upon
pulleys and provided with springs, act upon the ratchets Z, whilst the-pulleys O

page_text: are otherwise loose upon the spindle X of the beam. The retarding strain o
the weighted levers M acts upon the warp beam Y through the ratchet
wheels Z and palls a in one direction. The beam is, however, free to turn
in the opposite direction when it is required to wind back upon it any portion
of the warps, the ratchet arrangement admitting of this being done without
taking the strain off the pulleys O. When it is necessary to wind back upon
the beam Y any portion of the warps, the beam is turned by means of a hand
wheel in front of the loom and on the end of a shaft c, which runs back
along the side of the loom, and has fast on it a bevil pinion d, in gear with a
bevil wheel e fast on the spindle X of the warp beam Y.
According to a slight modification of the mode of working out the improve-
ments comprehended under the second and third heads of my said Invention,
the tension drag apparatus may be applied to the shaft c, as may also the
ratchet arrangement for permitting the taking back of the warp without
relieving the friction pulleys from the tensional drag action.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without devi-
ating from the principles or main features of my Invention;' but what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention' secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery, apparatus,
or means for effecting the take-up of the woven fabric, and for applying a
tensional strain to the warps in power loonis for weaving, as herein-before
described.
=
Second, the application and use in power looms for weaving of a roller, set
or studded with pins or pointed projections, and driven at a regular rate in
contact with the woven fabric upon the winding-on beam, as herein-before,
described.
Third, the automatic adjustment system or mode of applying a tensional
strain to the warps in power looms through the medium of the warp beani,
or of a shaft in gear with it, wherein screwed spindles worked from the beam
or shaft by means of toothed wheels and pitch or other driving chains, are
arranged to shift the weights of the levers acting upon the friction pulleys, as
herein-before described.
'
Fourth, the system or mode of connecting the tensional friction pulleys to

page_text: the warp beams of power looms, or to shafts in gear with such beams, by
means of ratchet wheels and palls, so as to allow of the turning back of the
warp beam without taking off the tensional strain, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Parker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
CHARLES PARKER. (L.S.)