IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING VARIOUS SORTS OF CLOTHS, WHICH LOOMS MAY BE SET IN MOTION BY ANY ADEQUATE POWER
Year: 1838

page_text: WOODCROFT'S SPECIFICATION...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENNET
WOODCROFT, of Mumps, in the Township of Oldham, in the County of Lan-
caster, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourth day of January, in the first year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said.
Bennet Woodcroft, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, that
I; the said Bennet Woodcroft, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Bennet Woodcroft, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, 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, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR
WEAVING VARIOUS SORTS OF CLOTHS, WHICH LOOMS MAY BE SET IN MOTION BY ANY
ADEQUATE POWER;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso,
obliging mé; the said Bennet Woodcroft, by an instrument in writing -under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the
same to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said 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
Bennet Woodcroft, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to
Cousist in the following improvements:-

page_text: First, in forming the tappet plate, by which the pattern is determined, of a
series of corresponding sections, cach section having either an elevator or
depressor, or elevators or depressors, or both, or parts of either or both, cast
upon it in such manner that by changing the relative positions and thus form-
ing new combinations of the sections, which when placed together form the
entire tappet plate, the pattern may be varied without the expense and delay of
casting a new tappet plate for each new pattern.
Secondly, in the application of two racks to the treadles worked by one
pinion common to both in such manner as to depress one half of the warp
threads as much as the other half are raised, in order to form the shed, thus
causing a less strain upon the warp threads than when the shed is formed by
drawing up one half of the warp threads high enough to form the shed
without depressing the other half.
Thirdly, in certain vibrating bars connected with the jacks, and in causing
the needles which are acted upon by the cards to bring those bars, which are
furnished with shoulders for the purpose), either over or under the treadles as
the pattern may require, in order to be drawn up or pressed down by them to
form the shed.
Fourthly, in certain adjusting bars, one passing under and one over the
jacks to keep them all level, and hold the shoulders of the before-mentioned
vibrating bars in a position disengaged from the treadles, while the advance of
the card is giving motion to the needles, and thereby arranging the bars in
their proper position to receive the action of the treadles.
And, lastly, in the application of a spring to render the action of the bars
which carry the cards to and fro less rigid when the cards are being brought
up to the loom, and of racks and pinions for keeping the card-board at right
angles with the bars.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Bennet
Woodcroft, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to be
performed by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side view of a tappet plate formed of a series of eight pieces
or sections, but the number of sections may be varied at pleasure), dependent
on the number of changes the headles are to make during one revolution of
the tappet wheel. The necessary portions of the rims and a bolt hole are cast
on and in each separate section, and the series being completed they are
attached to the loom in the ordinary way; by this means, should it be required

page_text: to change the motion of the headles, it is only necessary to transpose or remove
one or more of the sections, and supply the places of those removed with
others.
Figure 2 exhibits an end elevation of an ordinary power loom, with my
improvements attached thereto; some of the known parts being removed in
order the better to shew my Invention. A is a tappet wheel made in sections,
as aforesaid; B, a lever, elevated and depressed by the revolution of the said
tappet wheel, the elevators and depressors of which act against the friction
roller Z; C is a rod leading from the end of the lever B, and forked at its
upper end, where it is attached to the two outer top jacks D, D. These outer
jacks D, D, are connected by the vertical rods E, E, to the treadle F; and as
the action of this treadle F gives motion to all the other parts necessary to be
described, I will now proceed to describe Figure 3, where they are more dis-
tinctly exhibited; it being observed, that for the purpose of easy reference,
similar letters are used to denote similar parts in all the Figures in which they
occur. Figure 3 is a front view of the same loom; F is the treadle beforo
alluded to; and as I make use of two treadles, I will call F, coloured pink, the
front treadle, and G, coloured green, the back treadle. H is an upright bar,
with a rack at its lower end, fixed on to the outer end of the front treadle F;
and I is a similar bar fixed on the outer end of the back treadle G. Now, the
front treadle is here shewn up, and the back treadle down; but it is evident
if the front treadlo were pulled downwards by the jack D and rod E, the rack
at the lower end of the bar H would turn the pinion J, which pinion, acting
upon the rack at the lower end of the bar I, would force up the back treadle G
as much as the front treadle F was depressed, and thus bring them again to a
level with each other.
-
Having thus shewn how the necessary motion is given to the treadles F
and G, and by which it will be seen that F only performs the work of
elevating, and G only that of depressing, it will now be necessary to show how
this motion affects the upper jacks, and determines which of them are to
be elevated and which depressed, (the lower jacks being connected with the
upper jacks in the ordinary manner.) This is effected by means of vibrating
bars, better shewn at Figure 4, which is a section of Figure 3. In Figuro 4,
K, L, represent two of the said vibrating bars, each furnished with an upper
shoulder m, and a lower shoulder n. The shoulders m and n of each vibrating
bar are both acting at the same time. When the shoulders m project over
the treadle F, and are thereby elevated, the shoulders n slide against the
descending treadle G, whereby the shoulders m are kept firmly over the
treadle F, until the treadles and bars arrive at the rest position, for the bars

page_text: again to be acted upon by the jacquard needles. When the shoulders a
project under the treadle G, and the bars are thereby depressed, the shoulders
m slide against the ascending treadle large F, whereby the shoulders n are
kept firmly under the treadle G, until the treadles and bars arrive at the rest
position, for the bars again to be acted upon by the jacquard needles. The
lower ends of the vibrating bars are jointed cach to the ends of one of the
jacks, while their upper ends pass through eyes formed in the jacquard needles
for that purpose; the treadles in this view being stationary, the bars are not
acted upon by either treadle, but the card having been brought up to the
loom the needles have been acted upon, and thus, while the bar L has been
left with its upper shoulder m over the front treadle F, the bark has been
forced back by its neodle, and its lower shoulder" brought 'under the back
treadle G, so that when the treadles are put in motion the front treadle will
elevate the bar L, while the back treadle will depress the bar K, giving a
corresponding action to the top jack connected with each. N is a bar passing
under the jacks, and W is a bar passing over them, to keep them level when
in the rest position; the bar N is suspended from the back treadle G, by the
rod X, and the bar W is fixed to the two outer jacks D. M is a cast iron
frame on which to mount the aforesaid apparatus. Figure 5 is a plan of six
needles, shewing how the upper ends of the vibrating bars pass through the
eyes formed in them for that purpose. Figure 6 is another view or elevation
of the said vibrating bars when the loom is not in action. It will be seen by
reference to Figure 3, that the rising and falling of the upright rack bar H
also effects the bringing to and driving from the loom of the cards by means
of the stud P at its upper end, and the forked crank Q; this crank turns on
a centre at R, the forked end embracing the stud P, so that when the bar H
is raised, the lower end of the crank advances towards the stud S, and pushes
out the bar T. As the rack bar H descends and draws the forked arm of the
crank with it, the lower arm of the crank recedes from the stud S, and the
spring V, acting against it, brings the cards with an elastic force against
the needles, the spring V keeping the card against the needles until the
vibrating bars have adjusted themselves. It is only necessary further to
observe, that by reference to Figures 2, 4, 5, and 6, it will be seen that there
are similar or corresponding cranks, studs, bars, racks, and pinions and springs
at each side of the frame M, so that the motion of the corresponding bars on
each side will be equal; at the end of each of the bars T, it will be seen there
is a toothed rack. These racks are kept in uniform action by the pinions,
one of which is here shewn, and which work on each end of one fixed shaft,.
thereby keeping the card-board always at right angles with the bars T.

page_text: Having now described the manner in which my said Invention is to bo
performed, I hereby claim the following improvements (that is to say) :-
:-
First, forming the tappet plate of a series of corresponding sections, which,
when placed together, form one entire tappet plate, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the bars H and I attach to the treadles, with their racks and
common pinion working, as herein-before described.
Thirdly, the application of vibrating bars, such as those marked K and L to
looms, and their mode of acting, herein-before described.
Fourthly, the adjusting bars N and W, and the rods X and E, for keeping
the jacks level, and as regards the rod E for working also the treadle F.
And, lastly, the springs V attached to the cranks Q, as also the racks upon
the bars T and pinions toothing into the same.
And such my improvements, being to the best of my knowledge and belief
entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion
of Wales, or Town of Berwick upon Tweed, I do hereby declare this to be my
Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specifica-
tion doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve or disguise with the
proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained.
Wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my
said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bennet Woodcroft, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty sight.
BENNET (L.s.) WOODCROFT.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of May, in
the year of our Lord 1898, the aforesaid Bennet Woodcroft came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-third day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.

page_text: Thursday, the 28th day of November, in the 8th year of the reign of
Queen Victoria, 1844.
Exparte BENNET WOODCROFT.
UPON the humble petition of Bennet Woodcroft, of Mumps, in the Town-
ship of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, this day preferred
unto the Right Honorable the Master of the Rolls, it was alleged, that the
Petitioner, on the 23d day of May 1888, left in the Office of Inrolments in
Chancery a Specification of an Invention of "Improvements in the Construc-
tion of Looms for Weaving various Sorts of Cloths, which Looms may be set
in Motion by any Adequate Power, for the purpose of having the same
inrolled; that the said Specification was inrolled upon the Close Rolls of the
1st year of the reign of Her present Majesty, which is still remaining in the
said Office of the Clerk of Inrolments; and the Petitioner, being desirous to
have an Office Copy of the said Inrolment on the Close Rolls aforesaid, has
discovered, upon comparing the same with the said Specification, that there are
several errors and omissions. in the said Record, which were not discovered on
examining such Record with the said Specification at the time the said Record
was so made as aforesaid, and which errors and omissions occurred in the time
that David Drew was one of the Deputy Clerks of Inrolments in the said
Office; that, by an Act passed in the 5th and 6th years of the reign of Her
present Majesty, intituled "An Act for Abolishing certain Offices in the High
Court of Chancery in England, the said David Drew was removed from being
such Deputy Clerk of Inrolments, and appointed the Clerk of Inrolments in
Chancery: It was therefore prayed, and it is accordingly ordered, that the
said David Drew be at liberty to compare the said Record with the said
Specification, and that he may therenpon amend the said Record so as to
make the same exactly conformable to the said Specification. And it is
ordered that a copy of this Order be indorsed on the Roll on which the said
Specification is inrolled.