CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE POWER LOOM FOR WEAVING
Year: 1827

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
COLLIER, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Fustian Shearer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Tenth day of November, Onc
thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, in the eighth year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Willian Collier, His especial licence that I, the said William Collier, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Collier, my exors,
adñiors, or assigns, should at any time appoint and agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE POWER LOOM FOR WEAVING," which Invention I becamo
possessed of by certain communications made to me by a Foreigner residing
abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the
said William Collier, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed and carried into effect, and to cause
the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
above-recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
bad, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Collier, do hereby declare that my aforesaid improvements in the
power loom are herein-after particularly described and set forth in and by the
following description thereof, and the explanatory Drawings or Figures thereby
referred to and hereunto annexed.
In the general construction of power looms, the batten, with its reeds, sley,
and other appurts, is generally moved backwards and forwards to drive home
the shoot by cranks placed upon a revolving shaft; but this means of
producing motion has generally been confined to looms of small dimensions,
and one great inconvenience attending its use is, that the batten is scarcely a
moment free from motion, and frequently does not allow a sufficient time for
the passage of the shuttle through the warp, particularly in the weaving of
broad cloths or wide fabrics. This inconvenience is completely overcome by.
my improvements about to be described, since by very simple means I am
enabled to retain the batten in a positive state of rest during any requisite
portion of the time that the machinery of the loom requires to make a com-
plete revolution; and this improvement I consider as one of the most
important points in the said Invention and improvements, which, moreover,
consist of a new and simple mechanical means of throwing the shuttle with
sufficient power through the widest fabrics, and also of fixing the warp at the
moment when the batten makes its blow to drive up the shoot, by which the
finest fabrics may be closely woven without any inconvenient stretching of
the warp; and the manner in which I produce these three principal and most
important points in my aforesaid improvements, as well as several others of
minor consequence, will be rendered apparent by an inspection of the
'Drawings and following description, to render which the more clear and simple
I shall divide it into five distinct heads, embracing all the objects necessary to
be attended to in power weaving. These are,-
First, the play or motion of the leases or heddles for alternately carrying up
and depressing the threads of the warp.
Secondly, the throwing of the shuttle backwards and forwards.
Thirdly, the blow of the batten, and maintaining it in a state free from
motion during the passage of the shuttle.
Fourthly, the means of keeping the warp in a state of due tension against
the blow of the batten at the moment when it is made. And,
Fifthly, the means of winding up the fabric progressively at the same rate
at which it is woven.
In describing these several operations the same letters of reference are used
to denote the same parts whenever they occur in the Drawings.

page_text: First, of the play or working of the leases or heddles, see Fig. 1 and 2.-
a is the principal shaft or arbor of the loom to which the power of any kind
that is intended to work it is to be applied. This arbor carries the toothed
wheel b, which is keyed upon it, and works into another toothed wheel d, of
twice its own diameter. C is the shaft or arbor for moving the leases or
heddles, which are of the common or ordinary construction, and therefore form
no part of my aforesaid improvements. The shaft C carries two excentrics c, c,
fixed upon it in opposite directions, and which operate upon the two rollers
ff, which are supported on frames or carriages which slide upon the two
pedals or treddles g, g', which treddles turn or move upon the center pins I as
the said excentrics turn round. These same treddles each carry a sliding
piece h, h', to which the leases or treddles j, j', are attached by the wire hooks
i, i, or other proper attachment, and the leases or heddles are attached together
in the usual manner by a cord passing over the double pullies k, l, fixed to the
upper part of the loom in such manner that when one rises another must fall,
and of course producing a corresponding motion in the two treddles g, g', and
as these treddles are worked or operated upon by the excentrics e, e', it
follows that each lease or heddle, or each parcel of them (if more than one
shall be tied together), will rise and fall twice during each revolution of the
shaft or arbor C, consequently the shed of the work will be twice opened; or,
in other words, the threads of the warp will be twice crossed, the shuttle must
be twice thrown, and the batten make two blows, all which will be brought
about by the above-mentioned. proportion of the toothed wheels b. and d,
because the arbor C will only make half a revolution, while the principal arbor a,
which works the shuttle and batten, makes an entire revolution, and operates
upon them in a manner to be herein-after described.
Secondly, of the manner of throwing the shuttle backwards and forwards.-
1, Figs. 1 and 2, is a lever or driver for throwing the shuttle from the left to
the right hand side of the loom; 1, Fig. 2, a similar lever or driver for
throwing the shuttle from the right to the left hand side, such drevers being
worked by the two treddles m, m¹. These treddles are depressed by the two
friction rollers n, n', fixed in arms of proper length, which are placed upon and
move with the principal shaft a directly over the said treddles, as is most
distinctly seen in Fig. 2; and, as these arms and rollers are both fixed in the
same direction or side of the shaft a, both the treddles m, m³, will be depressed
at the same time when the shaft revolves, and yet will produce opposite effects
upon the drivers 1, ', as will be evident upon inspection of Fig. 2. o, o¹, are
two levers, the use of which are to throw back the driver l into its position for
driving the shuttle immediately after the driver has thrown it from the right

page_text: to the left, and p, p', are two similar levers on the opposite side of the loom,
for producing the same action on the driver as soon as that at has
performed its office of throwing the shuttle from left to right. The longest of
these levers o and p are bent, and are best seen in Fig. 1, which also exhibits
two excentric pins or cams q, q', fixed upon arms on the opposite sides of the
shaft C in such manner that they may operate alternately on the levers o, o¹,
P, p, for bringing the drivers 1, 1', into their striking positions. After having
been discharged against the shuttle the two friction rollers n, n', being fixed
on the principal shaft a (each revolution of which produces a stroke of the
batten), will cause the alternate depression; each one of its corresponding
treddle m, m, which, by their communication with the drivers 1, l', as may be
distinctly traced in Fig. 2, will elevate those drivers alternately, so that in two
revolutions of the arbor a one will produce the passage of the shuttle in one
direction, and the other will cause it to return in such manner that while
one is acting the other will be at rest, and vice versa. In all looms for wide
weaving the adoption of two drivers, as above described, will be found much
better and more effective than the single one generally known and used, and
driven by the same shaft that works the leases or heddles, the power of which
is seldom strong enough to produce the proper effect, unless in looms of small
dimensions.
My new mode of moving the drivers, as above described, has also another
advantage, namely, that it admits the power of each driver to be sepa-
rately regulated at pleasure in an independant manner, while with a single
driver it is impossible to regulate one of its motions without more or less
affecting the other. It likewise possesses the additional advantage of permit-
ting the loom to be altered for different kinds of work, such as common
weaving, tweeling, or any other crossing of the threads, without any dis-
turbance or derangement of its parts, by merely adding a toothed wheel and
additional treddles and cains or excentrics, according to the kind of work
required, in such manner that the movement of the shuttle may always remain
connected with that of the batten, but independant of the motions of the lams,
leases, or beddles.
Thirdly, of the motion of the batten, and its repose during the passage of
the shuttle. The working of the batten, so that it makes its blow and is
then brought to a state of rest during the passage of the shuttle, is obtained by
the revolution of a shaft and two toothed wheels which take into each other;
the wheel which is driven having, however, a certain number of its teeth left
out or cut away, so that the wheel that drives it may continue its motion
without communicating motion to the driven wheel, but so soon as their teeth

page_text: are again brought into contract they continue to move together, and thus
produce an alternate state of motion and rest in that part of the machinery
which is connected with the batten; and, to avoid any shock or jar that might
be produced by the sudden entry of the teeth of the moving wheel into those
that are stationary, a sliding groove or grooves of a right-lined form, or what
is better, of an epicyloidal form of curve, either terminating or not in a
right-lined direction, is fixed upon one side of the wheel that is to be
driven, or upon the axis of that wheel, in such manner that a pin or stud
projecting from the side of the driving wheel, and being, in fact, a prolongation
of one of its teeth, may pass into and through such sliding groove, and thereby
gradually produce the commencement of the necessary motion of the driven
wheel when it is required to pass from a state of rest to that of motion. Only
one such projecting pin or stud has been mentioned as being formed upon the
driving wheel, but the number of such pins or studs must depend upon the
respective size of the two wheels to each other; because if the driven wheel is to
make two turns, and has also to stand still twice while the driving wheel makes
one revolution, then the driving wheel inust have two such studs or projec-
tions, and so on for any other difference in their respective velocities, as will be
rendered clear and intelligible by referring to that part of the Drawing in
which these several movements are represented, and where r, r, is the top and
bottom rails of the batten, carrying the reed or sley between them, the said
batten being supported on swords or bearers, which have their center of motion
at 3. s, s, are two connecting rods affixed to the two ends of the batten for
giving motion to it, for which purpose the opposite ends of these connecting
rods work upon crank pins in the round disk or crank wheel t, t, which
revolves on a central shaft or arbour u. Holes to fit the crank pins are made
at different distances from the center of these crank wheels, of which there are
two on the shaft u, and by placing these pins nearer to or further from the
batten may be regulated in its
center of motion, the traverse or swing of the
extent at pleasure. is a small wheel fixed upon the shaft u, and is the
wheel above mentioned that is to be driven in order that it may carry the
crank wheels t, t, round, and occasionally make them stand still, in order that
the batten may at the same time be stationary; and with a view to produce
that effect it will be observed that it has no teeth for about one fourth of its
circumference. The part of this wheel that has teeth is acted upon and driven
by the teeth of the large wheel d, d. w, w, is the piece of metal or hard
wood in which the epicyeloidal or other curved or straight sliding grooves are
formed, and which piece is fixed either to the back of the small wheel v or to
the shaft u, that carries it so close to the wheel v that it shall not be out of the

page_text: reach of the four studs or projections x, x, y, y', which project from the back
part of the wheel d, d, and which are in fact prolonged teeth of that wheel.
In the proportion of the two wheels shown in the Drawing four of such studs
or projections are necessary, and as the wheel d, d,.revolves they meet, and
enter the curved grooves w, w, which conduct the said prolonged teeth or
studs into contact with the teeth of the small wheel v, and thereby prevent any
shock or jar which might otherwise arise upon the said teeth coming into contact
with each other. 2,2', are two projecting circular arcs, which are fixed opposite
to each other on the back of the wheel d, and which are parallel to or of the
same radius as the circular are formed on the lower side of the piece w, w¹, so
that when that piece is in its lowest position the concave circular arc on its
bottom side comes into contact with the convex side of the arc on the wheel d,
which slides under it, and thereby keeps the wheel v, and consequently the
batten, in a steady and fixed position until one of the studs or projections on
the wheel d, d, is conducted by the groove w¹ into the teeth of v, to set it in
motion; and it will be then free to move, because by that time the convex are
on d, d, will have passed away from underneath w, w'. In order to show
more distinctly the action of the above wheels and the curved groove
piece upon each other they are drawn in a detached form, and on a
scale of th of their actual size, at Fig. 3, v being the small wheel to
be driven, and its shaft or axle ;) w, w¹, the curved groove; d, part
of the large driving wheel; y, a prolonged tooth or stud just beginning
.to traverse up the groove w¹; and 2, part of the projecting convex
are upon the side of the wheel d; the two arrows indicate the direction in
which the two wheels are supposed to be moving. Arrows are likewise
placed against the corresponding wheels in Fig. 1, for a similar purpose;
and by contemplating this last Figure, it will be seen that the stud or
.projection traversing in the groove w must, throw that groove upwards
into a nearly horizontal position, thereby bringing down the groove w¹,
.and, consequently, the wheel v will shortly stand still, because that part of
it that is without teeth will be presented to the wheel d, d, and the concave
and convex arcs before mentioned will come into parallellism and contact
with each other; this state of rest will continue until the stud or projection
yfalls into the groove w', when the wheel v will once more be put into
motion, and will make a single revolution, when it will again stop. Thus it
will be seen that, in each half revolution of the wheel d, d, the batten will
make its stroke, and will return again by the crank wheel t, having made a
complete revolution, while it will remain perfectly still and stationary during
the passage of the shuttle. It will likewise be evident from the form; of the

page_text: wheels d, d, and v, and the curved grooves w, w¹, that notwithstanding the
direction of their motion while in regular work is pointed out by the arrows,
yet that they may be moved in a contrary direction without fear of derange-
ment, whenever the nature of the work may require it; and, by varying the
proportion of the wheels d, d, and v, and making a suitable disposition of the
studs or projections x, x, y, y', and of the curved grooves w, w¹, any re-
quired degree of rest of the batten may be obtained that may be necessary
for the passage of the shuttle; according to the velocity given to it by the general
movement of the machine. When the material that is weaving requires more
than one blow of the batten upon each shoot of the weft, the repose of the
batten during the passage of the shuttle may be brought about by giving the
small wheel v its full compliment of teeth, instead of leaving any of them out,
and leaving such a number of teeth out of the large wheel d, d, as may be requi-
site to produce the length of repose required. The circumference of the wheel
d, d, must in this case have as many teeth between each empty space as are equal
to the number of teeth in the small wheel v, multiplied by the number of blows
of the batten which are required to be given to each shoot; this will evidently
cause the small wheel to make as many revolutions for each set of teeth in the
large wheel as will correspond with the strokes of the batten; and, by thus
combining the action of the batten with the motion of the wheels and their
appendages as above described, an alternate state of rest and motion will be
produced in looms of any magnitude, and the batten may be made to strike
twice or oftener on the same shoot of the weft, and, as the second action drives
the shoot further than the first, an economy of time is produced by the
operation.
Fourthly, of the means of keeping the warp in a state of due tension
against the blow of the batten.-For this purpose, in addition to the ordinary
check
rope X passing round the yarn or warp roll or beam D, and stretched
by the weight O and pressing levor M, drawn downwards by the weight N, I
use an additional check rope W, W₁, which I call the warp bridle, which
passes once or twice round one end of the warp beam D, according to the
quantity of friction it is required to produce, and its two ends terminate in the
bridle lever A, A, to which they are tyed; this lever turns on a pivot at 4,
and is drawn downwards by a weight sufficiently heavy to produce the desired
friction upon the warp beam, or to hold it steadily from moving while the
batten makes its stroke or blows. This lever carries a friction wheel B at its
upper end, which runs upon the excentric wheel or roller C fixed upon the
main shaft A, which by its revolution will alternately raise the friction wheel
B and upper end of the lever A, A, thereby slackening the bridle W, W', and

page_text: permitting the warp beam to move, but as the excentric C falls again it permits
the lever A, A, to fall also by the action of its weight, and thus fixes the warp
beam for the necessary time, after which it is again released, and permits
such parts of the warp as may be necessary to be drawn forward on to the
front or cloth beam G, which receives the work as it is woven and finished.
The introduction of a bridle check, such as has just been described, possesses
another important advantage, which is, that it makes the great quantity of
weight that is always used to check the motion of the warp beam, when
hard or close drove weaving is required, unnecessary; and this load of
weight it is well known is very detrimental to the warp, and occasions
the breaking of many of its yarns, which this improvement will entirely
obviate, because when the bridle is used a very small weight applied in the
usual way to the warp beam will keep the warp in proper tension while the
batten is not acting.
Fifthly, of the means of winding up the fabric upon the front or cloth beam
as rapidly as it is woven.-The parts of the machine that are connected with
this operation, are as follows: D, the warp beam charged with the warp yarns
that are to be woven; E, a roller extending across the loom to bear up the
warp and keep it at one uniform height; F, front rail of the loom, extending
likewise quite across it to bear up the cloth or fabric after it is woven, and con-
duct it to the front cloth beam G; H is a heavy roller lying with its full weight
upon the cloth beam, in order to hold and press the material close upon that
beam after it is woven, and prevent its slipping; I, a click or ratcket wheel
fixed to the end of the axis of the cloth beam; J, J, a driving lever turning
on the same arber as the wheel I, and having a pall or driver at its end
working into the ratchet teeth of that wheel, to drive or push it round in
one direction; K, a shifting weight upon the longest arm of the lever J, J,
to bear it down, and cause it to force the wheel I round in the direction of
the arrow whenever such weight descends; L, four. palls or clicks of different
lengths, having their pivots upon one of the upright posts of the loom, and
acting into the ratchet teeth of the wheel I to prevent its turning back again
after it has been drawn forward by the lever and pall J, J; M, a pressing
lever before mentioned, which turns on a pivot at. 4, and is borne down by the
weight N for the purpose of tightening the check rope X round the warp
beam D; and O is a counterpoise attached to the opposite end of the said rope
to keep it tight; but these two weights, lever, and check rope are not con-
sidered or claimed as any part of the present Invention. The operation of
these several parts is obvious, because whenever the batten makes its blow it
stretches the warp behind it, and at the same time slackens the cloth before

page_text: it which is already woven, thereby permitting the cloth beam G to turn a little
round and pull the cloth forwards, in consequence of the pressure of the weight
.K. communicated through the intervention of the lever J, J, and ratchet wheel
I; but as the palls L prevent that ratchet wheel from returning, so, conse-
quently, the cloth must be held between the cloth beam and the pressing
roller, as fast as it is produced, and it falls over the top of the pressing roller
upon the floor. The holding palls L may be more or less in number than
four, as above mentioned; and by having several of them they may be so
arranged in length as to prevent the cloth from returning more than the.
fractional part of the length of one of the ratchet teeth after the batten has
made its blow; thus, if there are four palls, the wheel I may be restrained
from returning more than one fourth of the distance that its teeth are asunder,
and this tension of the cloth will be sufficient to bring the warp forward off
the warp beam whenever the pressure of its bridle, as before described, is
removed; and in order to facilitate such motion of the warp beam, the counter-
poise weight O is hung so near to the floor that when the beam moves that
weight will descend and touch it, and thus slacken the check cord; but the
weight N, in falling, again tightens it, and brings it to its proper bearing; the
upper end of the bridle lever A, likewise, may carry a pin or projecting arm
adjustable to different heights by a screw, and this projecting arm or pin, by
striking under the driving lever J, J, will elevate and depress it in any
required degree, and will thus afford another means of driving the ratchet
wheel I of the cloth beam G round with any required velocity, which must
always depend upon the thickness of the yarn used for the weft or shoot of the
cloth, and the hardness with which it is required to be woven; by this last pro-
cess, all unnecessary and detrimental strain upon the warp is entirely avoided.
Another means which I employ to produce the same effects as last described,
of advancing the cloth as it is woven, is shewn at Fig. 5 of the annexed
Drawings; and when this is made use of, the check rope X, Fig. 1, together
with its weights and lever, and likewise the bridle and bridle lever with its
appendages, as herein-before described, become unnecessary. In Fig. 5 the
ratchett wheel I of the cloth beam, its driving lever and pall J, J, its weight
K, and the stopping palls L, are exactly the same as before described, but
instead of lifting the end J of the lever J, J, by a pin or arm from the bridle
lever, which is in this construction left out of the machine, I tye it by a cord
s', J, to the part s¹ of one of the connecting rods s, s³, of the lay or batten r, r,
and as that connecting rod moves up and down by the revolution of the crank
wheel t, it will, of course, communicate any required degree of motion to the
lever J, J; the quantity of this motion is regulated by the manner of tying

page_text: the cords s', J, because if it is tyed tight it will communicate as much motion
to Jas takes place at s', but by tying it in a slack or loose manner it will
communicate no motion until it becomes stretched by the connecting rods, s¹,
reaching its highest position (as in the Figure); and thus it may be made to
advance the ratchet wheel I a single tooth, or any required number of teeth,
for each turn of the crank wheel t; instead of a cord at s', J, a wire or rod with
a screw adjustment upon it, may be used by letting its upper end slide thro
a hole or eye in the connecting rod s, s¹; D is the yarn beam placed in the
same situation as before, but instead of applying a check rope with its lever
and weights, and the bridle and bridle lever, as herein-before described, all
this apparatus is dispensed with, and a simple toothed wheel R is applied to
one end of the yarn beam, and is acted into by an endless screw V turning
upon an horizontal shaft or axle V, m, P, which is properly hung or fixed in the
fram work of the loom, as shewn in the Figure; P is a flat grooved rigger
fixed upon the shaft or axle of the endless screw, to give motion to it by the
line N, s, which is fastened at its upper end to the connecting rod s, s¹, and
after passing once round the rigger, terminates below in a small weight P.
As the connecting rod rises or falls, it will raise and lower the weight p, and,
of course, turn the endless screw V to let out a portion of the warp; but as
that warp cannot return again, so the rigger P will be unable to turn in the
direction that would draw back the warp, and the cord will therefore slide
over it; but to prevent this unnecessary friction, it is better to let the small
rigger P be loose upon the shaft, and to apply a small ratchet wheel and click
to its side, in such manner that the rigger will turn easily round in one
direction, but will not turn without the shaft in the other. To regulate the
quantity of motion to be given to the endless screw V a small bridle cord
F, N, is tyed at one end to the frame of the loom, and at the other to some
convenient part of the cord s, N, so that the weight p does not rise and fall
thro' a distance equal to the diameter of the crank wheel t, but may be made
very limited in its descent, while the upper part of it from s to N hangs loose,
and by a proper adjustment of the length of the bridle cord F, N, such a
motion of the warp beam may be obtained as will exactly keep pace with the
draught of the cloth beam produced as aforesaid, and thus keep the warp in
one uniform state of convenient tension. It only now remains to show how
the ley and batten are stopped, as well as other parts of the machinery,
because this is necessary in the event of the threads of the warp or weft
breaking, or the shuttle stopping short in the shed instead of reaching the
boxes at the ends of its race, or other unforseen accidents happening; and
with a view to render this more clear, I shall now name the remaining parts

page_text: of the loom, some of which are essential to these operations. U, U, in Figs.
1 & 2, is the general exterior framework of the loom, which may be made of
wood or metal as usual; and V, VI, is an internal framework for supporting the
shafts and some of the principal wheels of the machine placed near the centre
of the loom, as will be more distinctly seen in Fig. 2. The race of the shuttle
is formed as usual on the lower rail of the batten r, r, and terminates at each
end in the usual boxes and driving pieces for holding the shuttle and pro-
pelling it forwards. A latch or lever formed like S, Fig. 1, projects at its
upper end into each of the shuttle boxes, but turns on a pivot at its lower
extremity, so that, while the shuttle is in its box, the piece S must be pro-
tuded or pushed backwards; and this protrusion acts upon a trigger or lever
R. the lower end of which is connected with a small round shaft hung imme-
diately below the bottom rail of the batten, and carrying the tongues or
projecting palls P, which fall by their own weight or by a weak spring applied
to them. T is a stop formed on each side of the frame of the loom, to
receive the ends or points of the tongues or palls P, whenever they happen to
fall down; but if they do not fall, the said palls or tongues will pass over
the top of the stops T, without any interruption; Q is an elevator also
fixed on each side of the main frame for the purpose of raising up the
said palls or tongues whenever they happen to fall, and wbich elevation it
will be seen takes place merely by the drawing back of the batten. The
operation of this machinery is very simple, for whenever the shuttle has
made a full traverse of its race, and is lodged in either of its end boxes,
the latches S will be protruded, whereby the pall or tongue P will be kept in
its elevated position, and will be incapable of striking against the stop T; but
on the contrary, if it stops short of the said boxes and remains in the shed.
the price S will not be protuded, and consequently the pall or tongue P will
fall as soon as it passes over the elevator Q by the batten moving forward,
and the sleg will thus be prevented from striking upon the shoot or upon the
shuttle in the shed, or from doing any mischief to the warp. In front of cach
of the stops T the tail of a lever (not shown in the Figure) rises, so that it
may be struck by the tongue or pall P before it reaches the stop T; and as
this lever is so constructed as to throw the prime mover of the loom out of
gear, of course the whole motion of the machine is instantly stopped: the
workman can of course stop the whole machine at any time by moving the
said lever by hand instead of letting it be operated upon by the tongues or
palls, as aforesaid. In small or narrow looms, where less force is necessary
for driving the shuttle than in large ones, the principal shaft or arbor a with
its toothed wheel b may be entirely left out, and the moving power may be com-

page_text: municated at once to the shaft C by prolonging it; and in this case the shuttle
may be projected by a single lever or driver acting both ways, and receiving
its motion from the shaft C. This loom may be further simplified, when it is
only applied to simple weaving, by also leaving out the shaft or arbor u when
the shaft or arbor C will alone remain; and in this case it must run quite
thro' the whole width of the loom from one side to the other: It must, as
before, carry the excentrics e, e¹, near its middle, to produce the up and down
motion of the leases or heddles, as also the friction rollers n, n', opposite to
each other for throwing the shuttle, which is done by a single whip or driving
lever. Instead of the toothed wheel d fixed near the middle of the shaft, two
such wheels must be made use of, one being placed at each end of the shaft
either within or without the side framing of the loom, but as near to it as
possible. These two toothed wheels must each of them work at the same
time into a small intermitting toothed wheel with a curved groove piece in
every respect similar to that at V, W, W¹, already described; and these
small wheels will now turn on centre pins which are fixed in the side framing
of the loom. The places of the crank pins t, t, in the crank wheel which is
now left out, are supplied by two similar pins fixed to the grooved arms
W, W, of the grooved curved pieces, and connecting rods proceed as before
from these pins to give motion to the ley and batten. The motion of the
bridle lever A may also be obtained from the shaft or arbor C, by placing two
excentrics in directions opposite to each other upon it, and, as each stroke of
the batten will be produced by a half revolution of that shaft, this will pro-
vide for all the necessary operations, and the advance of the. cloth as woven
will be produced as before by the motion of the cloth beam, brought about by
the intermediate lever J, J. When more complex weaving is required than
what has been before alluded to, and than which can be obtained by the two.
excentrics e, e¹, it must be provided for by placing additional excentrics upon
the shaft C, their number and form corresponding with the number and the
position of the treddles they are intended to work; these excentrics may be
placed at proper distances from each other upon a hollow shaft put, loose upon
the shaft C, or by a separate shaft passing in comnion thro' their proper
centers of motion, and carrying upon it a toothed wheel to work into and be
driven by another toothed wheel to be fixed upon the shaft u, which commands
the motion of the batten, and by means of which they may be made to operate
at such times as will agree with its state of motion and rest.
The wheel upon
this system of excentrics must, however, in all cases be as many times larger
in diameter than the driving wheel upon the shaft u, as is equal to the number
of excentrics to be worked; thus, for example, in weaving a tweel when the cross

page_text: of the shoot requires 3 treddles, the driving wheel must be only one third of the
diameter of the excentric shaft wheel, because three single excentrics will have
to act on the treddles, each in its turn, and the leases or heddles in this case are
made to rise and fall by their supporting lines passing over two pullies, as at
k, k, Fig. 4, instead of over a single pulley, as at k, in Fig. 1. The two
pullies k, l, in Fig. 4, are made to communicate with each other by a fixed
strap or band x, and the central heddle lines are so tied together that they
may be alternately tight and slack, as will be seen in the Figure, so that the
heddles are constantly connected and dependent upon each other. If, again, it
is required to make the cross in the work at every 4th tread or depression the
driving wheel must be only one fourth of the diameter of the wheel carrying
the excentrics, which must be four in number and be of double curves, or
extend to opposite sides of the shaft, because each excentric must, in this
case, operate twice in its turn, and so for other varieties of crossing or changes
in the work. It may be remarked that all the various systems of excentrics
for producing the crossing of the threads in the worp, and the weft being
governed and driven as before stated by the shaft or arbor u, which also
governs the batten and produces its alternate states of motion and rest during
the passage of the shuttle; so, likewise, the leases or heddles will be quite
stationary at the same time that the batten is standing still, which ought to be
the case in every perfect loom; and also, that, on account of the shaft w
occasionally standing still, whether combined with the above-mentioned
excentrics or not, an opportunity is afforded of making the inclined planes of
the excentrics easier or less adrupt than they would otherwise be, which is
not only an advantage to the warp while weaving, but very considerably
diminishes the power necessary to work the loom. The same incans that
have been last described might be also applied to simple weaving; but, the
number of excentrics for this kind of work being confined to two, it is easy
to give a sufficiently gentle motion to the leases without employing this com-
bination, which of necessity requires an additional quantity of wheelwork and
machinery.
Having, as above described, an entire power loom in all its parts for the
purpose of pointing out more particularly the applications and uses of my
said improvements, and the manner in which the same are to be used and
applied, I have of course mentioned and described many things which are
common to all looms, and which therefore form no part of the said Invention
and improvements intended to be secured to me by my aforesaid in part
herein-before recited Patent; and it therefore remains for me to point out
those things which I do claim and consider as parts of my aforesaid Invention
and improvements, and these are as follows:-

page_text: First, I claim the general combination of wheels, pullies, levers, excentrics,
and other well-known mechanical agents, as herein-before described, for
although they are not new in themselves, yet in the manner in which they
are combined, as above described, they enable me to construct wide looms
for weaving.broad woollen cloth of greater dimensions, and which act with
more certainty and precision than any other form of loom I am acquainted
with.
2dly, I claim the bridle and bridle lever, with its appurtenances, as above
described, for holding fast the warp at the time when the batten is making its
stroke; and likewise the manner of afterwards releasing and drawing forward
the cloth as rapidly as it is woven, without the use of the heavy and the
cumbrous weights with which the warp beam has usually been' loaded.
3dly, I claim the improvement of causing the batten to be perfectly stationary
or without motion during the passage of the shuttle thro' the shed, whether
such state of rest is brought about by the reciprocating wheel and curved
grooves, as shown at Fig. 3, or by any other modification of the said
chinery. But I only claim the said reciprocating wheel and curved grooves,
in combination with the other herein-described machinery, as applying to
my power loom for weaving, being well aware that the said form of reci-
procating wheel has been applied and is applicable to other mechanical
purposes.
4thly, I claim the particular modification of machinery, which is herein-
before described, for impelling the whips or drivers of the shuttle; but I make
no claim to the whips themselves or the manner in which they act upon the
shuttle, that being common to other power looms.
And, lastly, I claim the particular form and disposition of the excentrics,
as shown in the Drawings, for the purpose of working the leases or heddles,
tho' I make no claim to the heddles themselves, or the manner in which they
are hung and supported on the levers or treddles which the excentrics act
upon to produce their motion, further than as to the particular position and
arrangement of the parts which is necessary for the construction of a loom
containing my aforesaid improvements, and which is particularly set forth in
the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I the said William Collier, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight.
WILLIAM (L.S.) COLLIER.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1828, the aforesaid William Collier came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid.
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and twenty-eight.