CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Sumner, of Droylesden, in the County of
Lancaster, Overlooker, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 14th April 1857, and dated the 14th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Sumner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th October 1856.
I, RICHARD SUNNER, of Droylesden, in the County of Lancaster, Overlooker,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS. IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention is designed for the purpose of producing or forming patterns,
figures; or devices upon a fabric during the process of weaving, and.consists
in a novel arrangement and application of mechanism for effecting the same
by self-acting means. At any convenient part of the loom near the "roller
beamis situated a pawl and ratchet wheel, carrying a "change wheel,"
which is capable of alteration according to the pattern required or quantity of
fabric to be taken up" at each movement of the pawl; this wheel imparts
motion through a train of wheels to the "roller beam," by which means the
fabric is wound thereon or "taken up;" the pawl-working the ratchet wheel-
reccives motion from the vibration of the ordinary "slay," and is also in con-

page_text: nection with a similar train of wheels and arrangment of mechanism at the
opposite end of the loom, though of a coarser or finer quality of pitch of
wheels, &c., and so applied that when the apparatus at one side of the loom is
moving the beam to "take up," the pawl at the opposite side is lifted from the
ratchet wheel, and consequently ceases to work. The two sides having been
regulated as to the size of "change" and other wheels, and the "slay" set in
motion, the ratchet and other wheels all commence to "take up" the cloth at
a rate varying with the size of the "change. wheel" and throw-of the pawl of
the ratchet wheel, and the required number of picks of the shuttle will be
made at the various distances apart to produce or form the pattern. When
the design requires fewer or greater number of picks to be made, the apparatus
on the opposite side of the loom is brought into operation, either by an
arrangement of jacquard apparatus, moveable shuttle boxes, or pattern wheel,
by which means a greater or fewer number of "picks" constituting the figure
or design will be made to form any pattern upon the fabric for which the
apparatus may have been previously arranged.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Sumner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
SUMNER, of Droylsden, in the County of Lancaster, Overlooker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Sumner, Her especial license that I, the said Richard Sumner, my.
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard
Sumner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN POWER LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the
said Richard Sumner, 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

page_text: 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 Richard Sumner, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
My Invention is designed for the purpose of producing or forming patterns,
figures, or devices upon a fabric during the process of weaving, and consists in a
novel arrangement and application of mechanism for effecting the same by self-
acting means. At any convenient part of the loom near the cloth "roller or
beam" is situated a pawl and ratchet wheel, carrying a "change" wheel, which
is capable of alteration according to the pattern required or quantity of fabric
to be "taken up" at each movement of the pawl; this wheel imparts motion
through a train of wheels to the cloth roller or beam, by which means the
fabric is wound thereon or "taken up." The pawl working the ratchet wheel
receives motion from the vibration of the ordinary "slay," and is also in con-
nection with a similar train of wheels and arrangement of mechanism at the
opposite end of the loom through a coarser or finer quality of pitch of
wheels, &c., and so applied that when the apparatus at one side of the loom is
moving the beam to "take up," the pawl at the opposite side is lifted from the
ratchet wheel, and consequently ceased to operate. The two sides having been
regulated as to the size of "change" and other wheels, and the slay set in
motion, the ratchet and other wheels will commence to take up the fabric at a
rate varying according to the size of the change wheel and throw of the pawl
of the ratchet wheel, and the required number of "picks" will be made at the
various distances apart to produce or form the pattern. When the design
requires fewer or greater number of picks to be made, the apparatus on the
opposite side of the loom is brought into operation, either by an arrangement
of jacquard apparatus, moveable shuttle boxes, or pattern wheel, by which
means a greater or fewer number of picks constituting the figure or design will
be made to form any pattern upon the fabric for which the apparatus inay
have been previously arranged. In order that this Invention may be more
readily understood, I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, made upon
a scale of about two inches to a foot, and having similar letters of reference
marked upon corresponding parts of the machinery through all the Figures
shewn.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a power loom, showing the application of a now
well-known apparatus called "Diggle's chain," for which a Patent was granted,
dated Eleventh January, One thousand eight hundred and forty-five, for

page_text: moving the tappets, being one of the methods of forming the devices upon the
fabric, and also the "taking-up motion" for the same purpose. Fig. 2 is a
front view of one side of the loom, having the improvements shewn as attached;
Fig. 3 is a detached view, showing the pawls and ratchet wheel for a "single"
taking-up motion; Figs., 4, 5; and 6, are also detached views of the "double"
taking-up motion, by which the pattern in the fabric may be woven or formed
more accurately...
-
In Fig. 1, A, A, is the framing of the loom, and B the apparatus known as
"Diggle's chain," employed to move the, pawls c, c, which; are attached to the
slotted lever d; e is the ratchet wheel, moved by the pawls; and fis, a pinion
attached thereto, which may be changed according to the pattern required.;
this pinion, through suitable gearing, imparts the "taking-up motion" to; the
cloth beam g. The connecting rod h moves the finger i, which lifts the pawl.c
from the ratchet wheel when the chain. 6 moves the rod. This chain also
causes; the tappet k to change their position when an alteration in the healds
is required, such change being effected by means of the fork or "clutch box"
and system of levers and rods colored blue and .marked 1. In Fig. 1 the
"single taking-up" motion is shewn as applied to the loom, and employed on
one side of the loom only. The lever d, to which the pawls are attached, is
secured to and receives motion from, the "slay" C, and the pawl c' is, raised
from or,,allowed to act upon the ratchet wheel by means of the rod and
apparatus. colored red and marked 2. The double taking-up motion," shown
in Figs. 4, 5, 6, consists in an arrangement of levers marked 3, which transfer
the action of the pawls from the, fine-toothed ratchet wheel to the coarser
wheel m when, a fewer number. of "picks" are required, or vice versa, by
_means of the rods n; such action being obtained from and regulated by the
chain B. The action of this part of the improvements will be more easily
understood by the following description thereof:-Supposing the loom to be
weaving a plain part of the fabric, having an even number of "picks," which is
regulated by the, finer, ratchet wheel.l; if it be required to weave a looser
quality, having less" picks" in the same space (so as to form the pattern for
which the chain, is arranged or designed), the chain B will lift the rod and
bring into motion the levers, marked 3, by the action of which the top; pawl
will be taken from the ratchet wheel 1, and the pawl will be brought: into
action upon the coarser wheel m, and so on until the pattern formed by, the
closeness or looseness of the weaving is completed. I would here remark,
that although the Drawing exhibits, the application of the chain. B to this
purpose, any of the well-known figuring motion are equally applicable.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together

page_text: with the manner of performing the same, I wish it to be distinctly understood
that I claim,-
First, the producing of patterns or devices by means of the arrangement of
apparatus for taking up the fabric at certain intervals and distances, so as to
form such patterns, designs, or devices by close and loose weaving, which may
be actuated by the chain aforesaid or otherwise.
And, secondly, in the novel application of moveable tappets for the purposes
before mentioned, together with the general arrangement, and combination of
the apparatus as herein-before described, set forth, and fully exhibited in the
accompanying Drawings, or any slight modification or variation thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Sumner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of April, One thousand eight hun-
dred and fifty-seven.