IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John Gedge
and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING." A communication from abroad by Eugène Besge, of
J Chambarand France Manufacturer.
Sealed the 24th April 1863, and dated the 29th October 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
. at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th October 1862.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of
No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," (a communication to me from abroad by Eugène Besge,
of Côte de Chamborand, France, Manufacturer,) to be as follows:-
By this Invention an arrangement of continuous shuttle boxes is used,
which consists in occupying as many shuttles as there are different colours to
be used in the manufacture of a fabric; this cylindrical box turns by toothed
gearing. each time a change of shuttles is required, that is to say, when the
colour of the shoots should vary. This movement is produced by a counter
or indicator set beforehand, according to the design of the fabric; this
counter indicator or meter may be placed right or left, or even be double.

page_text: The batten or lay is furnished with a cylinder; this cylinder is composed o
the boxes in which are the shuttles, and it turns on a shaft fixed at its centre
on swords. The swords of the batten are united by a pin, which permits free
oscillation. The upper part of the batten comprises the reed or comb, the
boxes, and the platform on which rolls the shuttle. The endless chain, with
eccentrics of different heights for the movement of the healds, receives motion
from gearing fixed on the driving shaft of the loom. Several of these chains
may be adapted to a single machine. The two eccentrics of different heights
are furnished with a gorge or groove, which becomes continuous by the
coming together of the two pieces. In lieu of a ratchet wheel an endless
chain may be used composed of rings united by pins, by this means it is only
necessary to add rings or links to lengthen the chain to the requirement of
any design. A blade or thread cutter, in form of scythe, oscillating against
another fixed cutting piece forms a shears, and cuts the thread after each ply
or passage of the shuttle; this thread cutter is fixed at the back of the
batten or lay. A metallic brush fitted outside the lists acts so that at each
change of shuttle the end of the cut thread is out of the passage of the
following or succeeding shuttle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of Number 11, Wellington
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Gedge, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Gedge, 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 3
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," a

page_text: communication to me from abroad by Eugène Besge, of Côte de Chamborand,
France, Manufacturer, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edward Gedge, 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 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 William Edward Gedge, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Sheets of Drawing here-
unto annexed and forming part of this my Specification, and to the figures and
letters of reference placed thereon :-
These improvements in looms consist in a continuous shuttle box and an
endless chain with eccentrics. The system of continuous shuttle boxes consists
in employing as many shuttles as there are different colors to be used in
the manufacture of a fabric; a cylindrical box turning each time that the color
of the shoots must vary, this movement being produced by means of a counter
or meter, which is regulated beforehand according to the pattern of the fabric.
The object of the chain with the eccentrics is to make simultaneously all sorts
of fabrics as promptly as glossy or glazed stuffs.
Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings shews the endless chain with
eccentrics for moving the healds. A, front of framing; B; bearings carrying
four square shafts; C and C, E, square shafts; D', moveable cross piece
supporting the square shaft C, E'; N, endless chain supported by the square
shaft C, E, and held below by the shaft C; D and K, eccentrics of different
heights; O, slide, in which passes the chain of the eccentric flats or plates,
and which keeps the chain in the proper direction; I, arm or connecting lever
for transmission of motion meeting the endless chain, a friction roller F
running in the groove of the eccentric; M, slide, into which the arm I passes,.
and which secures it in its come-and-go. motion; J, treadle fixed by its
centre R to the weaving loom; 0, 'point at which the arm I is fixed; Y,
toothed driving gear of the mechanism fixed to the driving shaft of the power
loom; G, toothed wheel for transmitting motion; H, toothed wheel fixed on
the square shaft C; X, small chains coming from the ends of the treadle J,
and in connection with the slay or reed S; T, pullies, which support the small
chains of the slay or reed; S, reed or slay composed of several healds.
I will now describe the action of the endless chain shewn, Sheet I. The

page_text: toothed wheel S fixed on the driving shaft of the power loom being one
quarter of the diameter of the toothed wheel H; at each turn one ply.or
course of the shuttle takes place, and the square shaft of the wheel H makes
a quarter turn equal to one eccentric; the chain travelling in the direction
indicated by the arrows, the friction roller F following the throat of the
eccentric causes the arm I attached at U to the treadle J to advance regularly
and at equal intervals, and in consequence of this movement the ends of the
treadle J go from P to Q and from Q to P. This come-and-go motion of
the treadle obeying the arm I causes the slay or reed S by means of the small
chains X and the pullies T to execute a regular up-and-down motion. The
action being shewn it will be readily understood that if on the same shaft R
fifty treadles J are fitted, and that each has its slay, each treadle corresponds
with fifty eccentrics on each plate or flat. Now the. eccentrics being of
different height or projection, and placed according to the requirements of the
pattern, it results that as the chain travels one part of the treadles has a
regular motion corresponding with the slays or reeds, and causes those
necessary to the pattern to rise and fall. The lifter must therefore, according
to the pattern to be produced on the fabric, form its chain of plates or flats;
and place its eccentrics K and D in correspondence with the slays or reeds,
which must rise and fall. It will lengthen the chain of the eccentrics either
by lifting the moveable cross piece D', D', at will, or by carrying it to C, C,
on the roller V set in the upper part of the frame, so as to cause the chain to
follow the direction of the red line, Sheet 1.
I will now describe the continuous shuttle box shewn in Sheet 3. Figure 1,
chain, drawn full size. A, links; D, pins or bolts; B, other longer pinion
bolts forming touches or detents. This chain may be lengthened at pleasure.
Figure 2, A, endless chain; b, cylinder furnished with shuttle boxes; c, shuttle
boxes; D, batten lay or comb tray; E, plate curved at one end; P, piece
fixed to the batten by a hinge; I, catch; J, piece in form of square fixed
at N by an axle on which it may turn; L, friction roller; M, square, fixed
and turning on the shaft of the cylinder; one of its arms carries the friction
roller L, the other a finger or detent P¹; Q, catch; S; piece sliding in a slot
by means of a spiral spring; this piece when it has been moved returns to the
same place R, touches or detents fixed to the cylinder 6; y, metallic brush
with bent or curved teeth held by an iron rod u passing into the slides or
slots Z, Z, and there held by a spiral spring; Z, slide fixed on a hinge;
a, junction of the rod supporting the brush and the balance arm or lever f;
e, pivot of the balance lever; f, balance lever; g, catch communicating with
the touches or detent V of the cylinder; n, catch on the batten; m, top of

page_text: brush y..
its place.
. .
.[
the rod of the brush. Figure 3, x, thread cutter,; scythe-shaped, 'which in
balancing or oscillating against a fixed cutting piece forms shears; and cuts
the thread after each passage or ply of the shuttle. The touches or detents V
of the cylinder cause the thread cutter to balance and act. The end or piece
of thread which is left is drawn out of the course of the shuttle by the
The weight of the handle. of the thread cutter brings it back to
: blenz
I will now describe the action of the apparatus, Sheet 3. The batten D
advancing to full the fabric, the point F of the piece P slides on the plate E,
and arrived at G falls upon the chain A and pushes one link of, it, and the
chain turning in the direction indicated by the arrows H the touches or
detents Brise, and arriving at the catch I, fixed at J, push it in order to pass.
At this moment the extremity K of the square J lifts the friction roller L;
and the square M turns on its axle, then the touch or detent P₁, placed at the
other arm of the square M, passes under the catch g, lifting it and imme-
diately freeing the touch or detent R of the cylinder, which was arrested by
the catch 9. The touch or detent R being let go, and the batten having
advanced a touch or detent R has encountered the piece S and has pushed it,
but as soon as the catch 9 has released R the piece S comes back to its place,
pushes the cylinder 6 and causes it to make an evolution of 'one box, and no
more, because the catch has again become free; and in falling on another
touch or detent R instantly arrests the cylinder until it is again uplifted by P';
when the batten advances the friction roller L rolls from K.to K on J. It
has been seen that each time the pins B arrive at the catch I they cause a
rotation of the cylinder equal to one shuttle box, thus, if two cylinders b were
placed at each extremity of the batten, and arranged in a similar manner, and
presuming that their chains were arranged to change shuttle at each two
strokes, and that this change took place alternately a change of shuttle would
be obtained at each stroke of the batten. Now, if each cylinder has twenty
boxes there will be thirty-nine shuttles, which may change simultaneously. I
say thirty-nine shuttles and one empty box, because of the shuttle which is
travelling. The action of the thread cutter a will have been sufficiently com-
prehended by the description already given of Figure 3. And I will now
describe the action of the brush y. When a change of shuttle takes place.the
touches or detents V of the cylinder rise a distance equal to one box and lift
the balance lever f, which causes the brush y to lower, and the rod m is
caught by the hook n of the batten. At this movement, as the batten
recoils it draws the brush with it, and the touch or detent V to pass under the
catch of the balance lever still further towards the brush, which at this

page_text: moment hooks or seizes the shoot. As soon as the touch V has let go the
balance lever the brush frees itself, and comes back to its place holding the
end of the thread.
In Sheet 2 is shewn a large power loom with several endless chains with
eccentrics. Figure 1; eccentric K; Figure 2, eccentric D, both drawn usual
size; Figure 3, loom with ten eccentric chains mounted horizontally: Each
chain is on the model of that shewn, Sheet 1, but of smaller dimensions.
The toothed" wheel A' is fixed on the driving shaft of the loom, and transmits
motion by B to the toothed wheel C, which is fixed on the shaft of one of the
cylinders of an endless chain. On this same shaft is placed another toothed
wheel D common to all the chains. These toothed wheels D are in com-
munication by the toothed wheels or cogs E. F, cylinder with eight sides or
facets, each side being equal in size to one flat or hinge plate; I, drawing
rod; J, friction roller, rolling in the throat of the eccentrics; G, treadles;
H, axle of treadles; M, warp thread; q, pullies; V, eyes, through which pass
the warp threads. The description of Sheet 1 renders a simple inspection of
Sheet 2 all that is necessary to make the action of this loom thoroughly
understood, each chain being the same.
The use of the improvements above described and shewn in the several
Sheets of Drawing hereunto annexed does away with the disadvantage now
existing in power looms for manufacturing twilled and satin fabrics of having
the warp or ground of the fabric open at the moment the work is fulled by
the batten, which is a great cause of broken threads; further, there is not, as
in the jacquard loom, a weight to each heald; this weight is a great obstacle
to a rapid motion, and necessitates always having the warp very low; again,
no cards are required. In conclusion, my improvements do not interfere in
any way with the rapid action of the loom, as whatever speed it is possible to
give it it always works well.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight bundred and sixty-three.
W. E. GEDGE. (L.S.)