IMPROVEMENTS IN JACQUARD. ENGINES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Leeming, of Bradford, in the County of York,.
Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN JACQUARD.
ENGINES."
Sealed the 22nd August 1861, and dated the 25th February 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Leeming at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition; on the 25th
February 1861.
I, JAMES LEEMING, of Bradford, in the County of York, Machine Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
JACQUARD ENGINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the saving of the cards required in the
ordinary jacquard engine or index machine; that is, I make one card answer
for two or more picks instead of one, and I accomplish this in the following
manner :-There are two or more rows of holes in the cylinder, parallel and
at right angles with each other, and corresponding holes in the cards, where
required, and I traverse vertically the breast-plate or face-plate which holds
the ends of the wires, first opposite one row of holes, and then opposite another
row ready to be operated. upon by the said cards, during which time the
cylinder remains stationary by reason of the catch, which operates or turns the.
same being raised out of contact therewith. The breast-plate or face-plate is
caused to operate, as described, in the following manner :-On the tappet shaft
or other shaft in connection, I fix a cam or tappet of suitable form and size,
which comes in contact with a friction pulley fixed in the end of a lever
hinged on a stud fixed to the framing of the loom; the said lever is connected
by a rod to another lever placed parallel with the breast plate, which oscillates
upon two necks or bearers, from this lever projects two fingers, which are

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Leeming in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
August 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LEEMING, of Bradford, in the County of York, Machine Maker, send
greeting.
.. WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Leeming, Her special license that I, the said James
Leeming, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Leeming, my executors, administrators, 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
JACQUARD ENGINES," upon the condition; amongst others, that I, the said
James Leeming, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
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.
under
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Leeming, 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 (that is to say)
This Invention has for its object the saving of the cards required in the
ordinary jacquard engine or index machine; that is, I make one card answer
for two or more picks instead of one, and I accomplish this in the following
manner: There are two or more rows of holes in the cylinder, parallel and
at right angles with each other, and corresponding holes in the cards, where
required, and I traverse vertically the breast-plate, or face-plate, which holds:

page_text: the ends of the wires first opposite one row of holes and then opposite another
row ready to be operated upon by the said cards, during which time the
cylinder remains stationary by reason of the catch, which operates or turns the
same being raised out of contact therewith. The breast-plate or face-plate is
caused to operate, as described, in the following manner:-On the tappet shaft
or other shaft in connection, I fix a cam or tappet of suitable form and size,
which comes in contact with a friction pulley fixed in the end of a lever
hinged on a stud fixed to the framing of the loom. The said lever is con-
nected by a rod to another lever attached to a bar or shaft placed parallel with
the breast-plate, and which oscillates upon two neck or bearers. From this
lever bar projects two fingers, which are inserted into the breast-plate, and
which when operated upon in the manner herein-before described produce the
required result.
This Invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, wherein the same letters refer to the same parts in
different views.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a jacquard engine, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the
same, with my improvements applied thereto.
A is the ordinary lever, for working the engine or communicating motion
thereto from the loom; and B is a connecting rod, attached to the lifting bar.C
and to a lever D, for giving oscillatory motion to the arms D², which carry
the cylinder E, all of which parts work or are operated in the usual manner;
F is the breast-plate or face-plate, through which the wires f pass, and project
to be operated by the cards on the cylinder, being supported thereby, and
which plate is usually made fast to the framing of the engine, but which I
make capable of sliding in slots of the said framing; G is a lever, attached to
a bar or shaft G³, which is placed parallel with the breast-plate, being sup-
ported upon necks g in bearings of the framing, in which it is capable of
oscillating or rocking, and from this shaft projects two fingers G², which enter
holes h in the breast-plate, as shewn in the elevation at Fig. 3, shewing also
the holes for the wires f to pass through; H is a rod, connecting the lever G
to a lever I (shewn full size in elevation at Fig. 4), which is hinged at one
end to a stud-plate or fixing J attached to the back rail of the loom. In the
other end of this lever is a friction pulley J¹, which rests upon a cam or
tappet K, fixed on the low shaft of the loom, by the action of which motion
is given to the breast-plate, causing it to rise and fall at each revolution of the
said tappet K, and thus alternately present the ends of the wires f in line or
position opposite to each of the two rows of holes e, e', in the cylinder. The
cylinder remains stationary on its axis alternately, or is only turned at each

page_text: alternate oscillation of the arms D¹ by reason of the catch L, which operates
or turns it, being lifted out of contact therewith by means of a lever M, which
is fixed on the rocking shaft G¹ acting on a pin N fixed in the other end of
the said catch L. The cards employed in conjunction with this improved
apparatus have two lines or rows of holes corresponding with the holes in the
cylinder, consequently one of these cards will answer the purpose of two
having only a single row of holes. And it will be evident that three or more
rows of holes may be made in the cylinder with corresponding rows of holes
in the cards where holes are required, and by having the cam or tappet made
of suitable form, and placed upon a counter shaft with suitable gear for driving
it at proper speed or to rotate in suitable times, and thereby the number of
cards required may be reduced proportionally, thus saving the expense thereof,
and rendering the working of cards more convenient.
Having thus fully described the nature of this my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be performed or carried into practice, I
would have it distinctly understood that I do not claim any of the parts or
apparatus herein referred to separately, nor do I confine myself to the precise
details of arrangement or mode of working them as herein set forth, as such.
may be varied or modified without departing from the main features of my
Invention but what I do claim as of my Invention, and which I believe has
not hitherto been adopted within the realm is, the traversing or moving of the
breast-plate or face-plate of jacquard engines or index machines, so as to enable
or admit of the use of cards with two or more rows of holes or patterns therein,
and thereby to diminish the number of cards required to be used.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Leeming, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named James Leeming in
the presence of
WN. TASKER,
Patent Agent,
Halifax.
JAMES LEEMING. (L.S.)