CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ryley, of the Town and County of Nottingham,
Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO
Sealed the 7th August 1866, and dated the 10th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ryley at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
February 1866.
I, JOHN RYLEY, of the Town and County of Nottingham, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OP 'HAIR CLOTH,'"" to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to the weaving or manufacture of the fabric termed
"hair cloth," which is usually made of horse-hair weft and linen or cotton
warp, and the apparatus is designed to single out one hair only at one time
from a number of hairs, and to hold it until the other portion of the apparatus
which acts as a shuttle catches it to take it across the open "shed."
The improved apparatus consists of a shuttle formed in two parts or jaws,
which open and close by the tension of a spring (as a pair of spring pincers),
and within these two jaws a finer, smaller, and shorter pair of jaws or forceps
are arranged, the exterior form of the shuttle is narrow at the point of the
jaws and wider behind (pear-shaped), and as the shuttle is pressed into the

page_text: bench of hair which is held vertically in a moveable holder at the end of the
slay, the wide end of the shuttle becomes compressed between two ribs or
plates, by which means the external and internal jaws are opened, and in such
position they are pushed into the hair, and on being withdrawn the inner pair
of forceps closes first and singles out and holds one hair (the ends or points of
the forceps being only sufficiently wide to receive one hair) and when the
pressure of the plates releases the large jaws of the shuttle, they close and
firmly hold the bair whilst it is passed through the shed. At the other end of
the slay" a similar box or groove or plates are used to cause the jaws to
open by the compression, and so release the hair and leave it in the shed to be
beaten up into the fabric.
6.
I would also remark that this arrangement of shuttle and forceps may be
arranged in duplicate to work from both ends of the slay, and that the hair
holder may be caused to slide to and fro so as to present hair always ready for
the forceps and shuttle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Ryley in the Great Seal Pateut Office on the 10th
August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RYLEY, of the Town and County of Nottingham, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Ryley, Her special license that I, the said John Ryley, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Ryley, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HAIR CLOTH," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Ryley, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under 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

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Ryley, do hereby declare the.
nature of the 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 relates to the weaving or manufacture of the fabric termed
hair cloth, which is usually made of horse-hair weft and linen and cotton
warp, and the apparatus is designed to single one hair only at one time from a
number of hairs, and to hold it until the other portion of the apparatus which
acts as a shuttle catches it to take it across the open "shed."
The improved apparatus consists of a shuttle formed in two parts or jaws,
which open and close by the tension of a spring (as a pair of spring pincers),
and within these two jaws of a finer, smaller, and shorter pair of jaws or foreceps
are arranged, the exterior form of the shuttle is narrow at the point of the
jaws and wider behind (pear-shaped), and as the shuttle is pressed into the
bunch of hair, which is held vertically in a moveable holder at the end of the
slay, the wide end of the shuttle becomes compressed between two ribs or
plates, by which means the external and internal jaws are opened, and in
such position they are pushed into the bair, and on being withdrawn the inner
pair of forceps closes first and singles out and holds one bair (the ends or
points of the forceps being only sufficiently wide to receive one hair) and when
the pressure of the plates releases the larger jaws of the shuttle, they close
and firmly hold the hair whilst it is passed through the shed. At the other
end of the "slay" a similar box or groove or plates are used to cause the
jaws to open by the compression, and so release the hair and leave. it in the
shed to be beaten up into the fabric.
I would also remark that this arrangement of the shuttle and forceps may
be arranged in duplicate to work from both ends of the slay, and that the hair
holder may be caused to slide to and fro, so as to present hair always really
for the forceps and shuttle.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail, I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, Figs. 1, 2, and 3 being
made about two inches to the foot, and Figs. 4, 5, and 6, about full size.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section of the shuttle as it would appear when
closed.
Figs. 2 and 3 represent the shuttle as being acted upon by the interior
inclined surfaces of the fixed box secured to the slay, through which the shuttle
is caused to pass before entering the bunch of hair.

page_text: Fig. 2 represents the shuttle as when entering the box, the inclined surface
of which has the effect of opening the outer or longer jaws of the shuttle, and
as it still further advances to the end of its race, the second incline of the box
acts upon the jaws so as to distend them to their greatest width, and at the
same time opens the inner and smaller pair of jaws or forceps, as seen in
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4 represents a detached view shewn in elevation of the slay, exhibiting
the position and arrangement of the fixed box through which the picker is
caused to pass, and by which it is prepared to take hold and withdraw a single
hair from the bunch.
Fig. 5 represents a plan view of the same, the shuttle being shewn as with-
drawing a hair from the bunch, and as having half completed its race through
the "shed."
Fig. 6 represents a vertical section of the slay, shewing the arrangement
and position of the hair holder.
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, a, a¹, are the two parts or outer jaws of the
shuttle, which embrace and contain the finer, smaller, and shorter pair of jaws
or forceps 6, 61; both pair of jaws a, a', and 6, 61, are connected together and
work on one common fulcrum c, and are kept firmly closed (when not other-
wise acted upon) by the elastic rings d and e. The box is secured to the
slay, the internal construction of which is clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 3; the
hair holder and well known traverse motion 9 are connected to this box, as
seen in Fig. 4, and a box h secured on the opposite end of the slay, which is
employed for the purpose of compressing the back levers of the shuttle, so as
to release the hair when the pick is completed; i is the trough containing the
hair, and is the groove or slide in which the picker stick or holder l
moves.
.
The action of the shuttle will readily be understood on reference to the
foregoing description:-The shuttle as it is forced forward by the stick
preparatory to its taking hold and withdrawing a hair from the bunch has to
pass into the box f upon its first entrance therein (as seen in Fig. 2) the wide
or open ends of the levers a, a¹, are compressed by the inclines m, m, so as
slightly to open the jaws in front, at this time the said jaws of the shuttle are
entering the bunch of hair, and as they are caused further to advance the
second inclines n compress the levers a, a, still more, which brings their inner
surfaces (as seen in the section Fig. 1) into contact with the levers o, o', of
the enclosed second pair of jaws or forceps b, b', so as to compress them,
by which means the jaws of the forceps are opened in the midst of the hair.
Immediately the shuttle commences its backward action, the inner pair of

page_text: forceps b, b', by the action of the elastic ring e closes first and singles out and
holds one hair (the ends or points of such forceps being only sufficiently wide
to receive one bair) as the shuttle is still withdrawn, and upon its leaving the
box f the larger jaws a, a', are released so as to allow the elastic ring d to
close them on to the hair already held by the inner jaws b, b', thereby causing
such hair to be firmly retained by the shuttle during its traverse through the
"shed." The shuttle on completing its race is caused to pass into the box h,
which compresses the lever and opens the jaws of the shuttle, and releasing
the hair, at which time the shuttle is ready to commence another pick.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I claim the novel construction, combination, and arrangement
of apparatus constituting the improved shuttle to be employed in the manu-
facture of hair cloth, as herein-before described, set forth, and fully illustrated
in the Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Riley, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witnessed by
JOHN L. DAVIES,
Office for Patents,
4, St. Ann's Square,
Manchester.
JOHN RYLEY. (L.S.)