IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Rider Austin, of Dewsbury, in the County of
York, Iron Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 11th May 1880, and dated the 24th November 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Rider Austin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th November 1879.
ALFRED RIDER AUSTIN, of Dewsbury, in the County of York, Iron Merchant.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
The object of this Invention is to weave two pieces of fabric at the same time in
one loom, and this I accomplish by the use of two warps, one placed above the
other, and the "shed" of each warp being opened by double "mailed" healds or
double" shafts." The upper waip rests upon an additional slay board formed of a
plate of metal or other material which is connected to about the middle of the reed,
thus dividing the reed lengthwise so as to receive the two warps. In order to
enable the weaver to inspect the lower piece of the fabric as it is being woven the
reed is caused to oscillate either at top or bottom, so that in the beat-up the reed
shall assume an oblique position, by which means the top weft will be beat-up or
pushed nearer the breast beam than the bottom weft, thereby enabling the weaver
to inspect both pieces of the cloth as each thread of weft is added. Iustead of
using an oscillatory reed it may be fixed and bent or curved so as to obtain the
same result. Two shuttles are employed, which are sent across the loom together
by a suitably formed picker.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alfred Rider Austin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th May 1880.
ALFRED RIDER AUSTIN, of Dewsbury, in the County of York, Iron Merchant.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
66
The object of this Invention is to weave two pieces of fabric, one above the other,
at the same time in one loom, and this I accomplish by the use of two warps, one
placed above the other, the shed" of each warp being opened by double "mailed"
healds or double "shafts." The upper warp rests upon an additional slay-board
formed of a plate of metal or other material, which is connected to about the middle
of the reed, thus dividing the reed lengthwise so as to receive the two warps. In
order to enable the weaver to inspect the lower piece of the fabric as it is being
woven the reed may be caused to oscillate either at top or bottom, so that in
the beat-up the reed shall assume an oblique position, by which means the top
weft will be beat-up or pushed nearer the breast beam than the bottom weft,
thereby enabling the weaver to inspect both pieces of the cloth as each thread of
weft is added. Instead of using an oscillatory reed it may be fixed and bent or
curved so as to obtain the same result, or a straight reed fixed in the ordinary
manner may be used. Two shuttles are employed, which are sent across the loom
at the same time by a suitable formed picker or pickers.
In order that this Invention may be better understood I will proceed to describe
the annexed Drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a cross section of the parts of a loom as is
necessary to illustrate my Invention. A is the warp beam, and B the cloth or
taking up beams; C is the top or upper warp, and D the bottom or lower warp,
both ends of which are divided or kept apart parallel to each other by the pieces
E and F G are the healds, which may be either double "mailed, as shewn at
Fig. 3, or double shaft, and tied at different heights so as to form the two sheds as
shewn Hare the reeds, which are made longer than usual, and divided length-
wise by the plate I, which serves as the slay-board for the upper shuttle, and which
may be covered with leather, while the ordinary slay-board J serves for the lower
shuttle. In order that the weaver may see the lower piece of fabric as it is being
woven the reed may be hinged at the top or bottom, and caused to oscillate at
each beat-up by assuming an oblique position, or the reed may be bent or curved
at the lower part, as shewn in the Drawings, so that on the beat up of the reed
the bottom piece of cloth shall be longer than the top piece, thereby enabling the
weaver to see both pieces of the cloth at the same time. A straight reed may however
be employed. A small mirror may also be placed against the breast beain in such
a position as to shew the surface of the bottom or lower piece of cloth, whereby the
weaver can see the work progress. Two shuttles are employed, which are sent
across the loom at the same time by the double picker K, the parts a and b being
the parts which come in contact with the point of the shuttles. I also fix two
pieces of thin wood E and F edgewise between the two warps to keep them parallel,
and these are made so that the weaver can turn them flat, thereby letting the
warp slack, which causes the two pieces of cloth to come close together so as
to be better able to pull out any pick or tie up the broken ends in bottom
piece.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of my Invention, and shewn
by Drawings how the same may be performed or carried into practical effect, I
would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein
shewn and described, as many modifications may be adopted without departing
from the essential features thereof, for instance, two warp beams and two cloth
beams may be employed, one for each warp, but what therefore I claim as my
Invention is,―
Firstly. The means or method employed in weaving two pieces of material in

page_text: one loom at the same time, one above the other, substantially as herein shewn and
described.
Secondly. The use and employment of the double reed, for the purpose sub-
stantially as described.
Thirdly. The use and employment of the bent or curved reed when used to
bent up two pieces of weft at the same time, as described.
Fourthly. The use and employment of the double "mailed" threads, as shewn in
Fig. 3, for the purpose substantially as herein described and illustrated.
Fifthly. The use and employment of two slay boards I and J, for the purpose
substantially as herein shewn and described.
Sixthly. The employment of a double picker for throwing two shuttles across a
loom at the same time, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Rider Austin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
ALFRED RIDER AUSTIN. (L.S.)