CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND ALSO THE APPLICATION OF THE SAME IN ORDER TO PRODUCE CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF GOODS OR FABRICS BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
YATES, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Seventh day of November, in the third year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Yates, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said Thomas Yates, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others
as I, the said Thomas Yates, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
agree with, and no other, 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 and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR
WEAVING, AND ALSO THE APPLICATION OF THE SAME IN ORDER TO PRODUCE CERTAIN
DESCRIPTIONS OF GOODS OR FABRICS BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Yates, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's Iligh
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after

page_text: the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Yates, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the Drawing hereto annexed, and the following explana-
tion thereof, that is to say:
My improvements in the construction of looms for weaving, and also the
application of the same in order to produce certain descriptions of goods or
fabrics by steam or other power, consist in a novel and peculiar arrangement
of mechanism or apparatus in combination with the various essential working
parts of the ordinary power loom, namely:-
Firstly, for the purpose of effecting a greater facility of forming a variety of
shedding the warps in connection with the healds or shafts, and working
various descriptions of cloth or fabric, by means of a peculiar arrangement of
revolving tappet plates with bowls, and also a certain provision in such tappet
plates, whereby the pattern, style, or manufacture of the cloth or fabric to be
woven may be varied with the greatest readiness.
Secondly, in a novel and effective arrangement of mechanism for the purpose
of lifting and depressing the shuttle boxes to or from the level of the shuttle
race in the lathe in those looms where two or more qualities, kinds, or colors
of weft are to be employed; and which is also to be used, in combination with
my last named improvement, for the purpose of weaving or producing all such
descriptions of goods or fabrics by steain or other power, capable of being so
produced or woven.
Thirdly, in a certain and effective mode of raising "the griff or grate" of
the jacquard machine in all such looms where this apparatus is or may be
employed.
And, fourthly, in a simple contrivance or arrangement of mechanism for
the purpose of throwing the loom out of gear with the driving power, cither
when the weft thread breaks, or is not "put in, or when the taking "up" of
the cloth upon the cloth or work beam is not equal to its production; such
new motion being governed by the ordinary beat or vibration of the lathe.
As these several improvements in the construction of looms for weaving will
be much more readily explained and better understood by reference to the
Drawings attached to these Presents, and the following description, I will
now explain such particular arrangement in detail, and at the same time shew
the effect of their combination in the whole.

page_text: Figure 1 represents a front elevatation of a power loom of my improved
construction; Figuro 2 is a side elevation, taken at the right-hand side of
Figure 1 and Figure 3 a vertical section, taken through about the middle of
the loom. In all these Figures similar letters of reference are placed upon
corresponding parts of the mechanism. The ordinary framing or standards of
the loom are shewn at a, a, a, a, supporting the several warp rollers b, b, b;
from whence the warp threads (here shewn of three different colors), proceed
through the heddles or healds c, c, also through the reed d, of the vibrating
lathe e, over the breast beam f, to the cloth or work roller g, as usual. This
loom is also provided with an additional framing h, h, for the purpose of
supporting the ordinary jacquard machine or apparatus i, i, with its pattern
card j, j, hooked wires k, k. and its lifting "griff" or grate 1, 1; there are also
provided two shuttle boxes m, m, which have to be raised and lowered to the
level of the shuttle race of the vibrating lathe as occasion may require; and
also peculiarly constructed tappet plates or wheels n, n, n, n, for the purpose
of performing the requisite working of the weft and warp threads, in weaving
or producing certain fabrics by steam or other power, as herein-after
described. The power is to be applied to the driving pulley o by the strap p,
and thus, by means of the crank shaft q, cause the vibrating lathe to beat up
the cloth, and also, by means of the pinion r and wheel s, upon the tappet
shaft t, cause the tappets u, u, to revolve, and thus to perform the alternate
action of the pickers v, v, as in ordinary power looms. There is also upon the
reverse end of the crank shaft q a smaller pinion w, taking into the spur
wheel, which spur wheel is fastened by means of bolts y, y, y, to the tappet
plates or wheels n, n, n, carrying their respective bowls 1, 1, 1, shewn by the
dots in Figure 2, which act upon the inclined treadle plates 2, 2, 2, and which
treadle levers 3, 3, 3, 3, are connected by the stringing to the heddles or
healds c, c.
These treadle levers 3, 3, are all mounted side by side, each upon
a separate axis, but formed as tubes, and placed one within another to save
room, as at 2. This arrangement of mechanism is peculiar to the first part of
iny improvements in the construction of looms, and it will be perceived that the
tappet plates or wheels n, n, n, are provided with concentric slots or mortices
4. 4, 4, 4, in which the studs of the bowls 1, 1, 1, 1, are fixed by nuts, and it
will be very readily understood by any practical weaver, that by loosening the
nut or nuts, and shifting the bowl or bowls or set of bowls 1 in the con-
centric mortices 4, a great variety of shifts, number, or changes to the round"

page_text: may be thus simply and readily accomplished in patterns or figures weaving
without the jacquard machine, and also the description of cloth or fabric may
be easily varied in plain weaving, or in weaving grounds or "quiltings" in com-
bination with the figures produced by or with the jacquard machine, such as a
single or double cloth, satin twill, plain or stitched faces, called quiltings, &c.
The second feature of my improvements, namely, the peculiar arrangement
of machinery for lifting and depressing the shuttle boxes to or from the level
of the shuttle race in the lathe, may now be particularly described. Supposing
the tappet bowls just described to be so arranged or adjusted to weave or
effect the proper shedding for producing a plain double cloth, with the employ-
ment of two shuttle boxes, now comes into operation, in order to produce certain
descriptions of goods or fabrics by power not hitherto so produced, and com-
monly called a three-pick lash, or a figured cloth woven in different colors, and
having a stitched or quilted surface; the upper shuttle 5, in the upper shuttle
box m, containing the first weft, is now just lifted up, as seen in the Drawing,
by means of a concentric tappet plate 6, 6, fastened by bolts to the side of the
outer tappet plate n, n, as it revolves acting upon the bowl or roller 7 in the
carrier 8, attached to one end of the levers 9, 9, upon the cross shaft 10; to the
other end of these levers 9 are attached vertical rods 11, 11, which arc
adjustable by a screw in the middle, which rods enter at the bottom of the
shuttle race in the lathe, and thus project the shuttle boxes with the shuttles
upwards, and the upper shuttle is thus kept out of the shuttle race as long as
the concentric tappet place 6 is acting upon the bowl 7, that is, long, enough for
the lower shuttle containing coarse weft to put in one pick or shute of weft
prior to the jacquard shedding, and one return shute of the same weft after the
jacquard shedding, when the bowl. 7 will immediately ascend and allow the
shuttle boxes m, m, to descend by their own gravity, and thus the upper shuttle
is enabled to put in the shutes or picks of fine or colored weft before the
jacquard machine comes again into operation, and also two return shutes of
fine or colored weft prior to the next ascent of the shuttle boxes.
The third feature of my improvements now comes into operation, in order to
complete the weaving, or put in the quilting or stitching threads by shedding
the colored warps 1 & 2; this is accomplished by an improved method of
lifting and lowering the "griff" or "grate" of the ordinary jacquard machine,
in order to insure a perfect regularity and steadiness of action in moving
either upwards or downwards; for this purpose, I have attached a spur wheel
12, 12, driving the small pinion 13, keyed upon the shaft 14, 14, and upon
the reverse end of this shaft 14, a pair of segments 15, 15, having bevilled

page_text: teeth formed upon one-sixth part of their circumference only, each driving
successively the pinion 16 upon the small cross shaft 17, that is, these seg-
ments of teeth are so arranged that as soon as the one segment of teeth 15
has turned the pinion 16 one-half of a revolution in one direction, the other
segment of teeth instantly turns the pinion 16 one-half of a revolution in the
reverse direction. In order to transfer this reversing motion to the raising and
lowering motion of the "grill" or "grate" of the jacquard machine, there is a
bevel wheel 18 upon the other end of the small shaft 17, taking into a pinion.
19, of half its diameter, at the lower end of the vertical shaft 20, 20, which has
at its upper end a cross head piece 22, 22, having side grooved pieces 23, 23, in
which the pins 24, 24, fast upon the head of the double screw 25, 25, work,
and thus turn the double screw round; this double screw 25, 25, is out for half
its length in reverse directions, and runs in the nut 26, which will have the
effect of lifting the "griff" or "grate" through the required space in half the
time the gearing would otherwise do, and thus save one-half the running speed
of the ordinary working parts of the loom, and consequently produce a given
quantity of work with half the wear and tear.
The fourth part of my improvements in the construction of looms consists in
a simple arrangement of mechanism, designed for the purpose of throwing the
loom out of gear with the driving power, either when the weft breaks or is not
put in, or when the weft on the bobbin is expended, or when the taking up of
the cloth is not equal to its production. This is accomplished by the ordinary
beat or vibration of the lathe itself, and not at all dependant upon the coarse-
ness or fineness of the weft thread. A stud 27, in the sword of the lathe,
usually employed for working the taking-up motion 28, now also operates upon
a small lever 29, to which is attached the click 30, pulling round the ratchet
wheel 31 one tooth at every beat of the lathe; upon this ratchet wheel 31 are
four smail pins 32, 32, (see detached Figure 4, drawn to a larger scale); this
wheel runs loosely upon a small stud 33, which stud also carries a smaller
ratchet wheel 34, keyed fast upon it, and having four small holes in its side,
corresponding with the pins in the ratchet 31; this stud 33 also carries, at its
outer extremity, a small pinion 35, driven by the spur wheel 38, upon the shaft
of the taking-up wheel 28. Thus, it will be evident to persons conversant with
such machinery that as the lathe vibrates and beats up the cloth, and as long
as the weft thread is put in and the cloth sufficiently beat up, the taking-up
motion 28 will cause the pinion 35 to drive the stud and ratchet round, but in
the event of the weft not entering the cloth, and thus the cloth not being pro-
duced, the lathe will not advance sufficiently to beat up, as in ordinary power

page_text: looms, but will advance sufficiently to drive the click 30 and ratchet 31,
which wheel will now overtake the smaller ratchet, and as they are always
held together by a spring behind the pins 32, will immediately enter the holes
in the ratchet wheel 34, and thus vibrate the rod 89, which slides the hori-
zontal bar 40 before the strap spring lever 41, and thus throw the strap from
off the driving pulley. The horizontal sliding bar 40 now returns by means of
the side motion of the setting-off lever 41, and thus releases the pins from the
holes in in the two small ratchet wheels, and there is a catch piece 42 upon
the rod 39; this catch piece as it returns pushes the click lever 43 and
click 44 onwards, and just advances the smaller ratchet wheel one tooth, in
order to set the holes free of the pins, and thus be ready to start the loom
again.
Figure 5 represents a detached and enlarged view of one of my improved
tappet plates, with its tappet or bowl moveable in the concentric mortices; and
Figure 6 represents a sketch of a modification of my improved mode of lifting
the shuttle boxes, and. is here shewn as capable of lifting and sustaining six
boxes by means of the plates, bowls, and racks; and it will be obvious to any
practical weaver that this may be varied and adjusted to suit a greater or less
number of boxes, as circumstances may require, by adding or diminishing the
number of plates and bowls, and arranging the same.
Having now particularly described my improvements in the construction of
looms for weaving, and also the application of the same, I desire it to be
understood that I claim as my Invention the whole of the several improve-
ments therein particularly described, and as shewn also in the Drawing
attached, whether used separately or in combination, or for weaving the
description of cloth as herein referred to, or for producing any other descrip-
tions of plain or figured goods or fabrics, and whether the figures be mado
from white or colored warp alone, or from white or colored weft alone, or these
materials combined; by steam or other part.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Yates, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of May, in the third
year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said Thomas Yates
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the instrument aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of the reign
of Ilis late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Seventh day of New O
Inrolled I the Sovonth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and forty.