IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hunter, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS."
Sealed the 15th July 1870, and dated the 25th January 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hunter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th January 1870.
I, WILLIAM HUNTER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of “Im-
PROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS," to be as follows,
that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in looms specially adapted
for weaving "tarlatans" or plaids, and in the first place consists of
mechanism for actuating circular or revolving shuttle boxes for weaving
such patterns in place of using vertically acting shuttle boxes as
hitherto, and so that any one of the shuttles in the range may be
brought into action in any order of succession. The mechanism is
comprised of a rod furnished with a rack which gears into a pinion on

page_text: the axis of the shuttle box. This rod and rack have a parallel move-
ment, being actuated by a link motion connected to its lower end, the
said link motion being driven by means of fingers raised up and down
by the action of the loom, and the relative positions of which are
regulated by a stop or pattern chain and barrel somewhat similar to 5
that set forth in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to the said
William Hunter, No. 1358, 1861. In place however of forming the
stops on the chain of such great length as becomes necessary when
the stops are all formed solid, under the present Invention some of the
stops of the chain are made tubular according to the nature and pattern. 1
of the cloth to be woven, so as to allow one of the fingers to pass down
through it, whilst the other finger is acted upon by the adjacent solid
stop on the chain. The extent to which the fingers descend into the
tubular stops is regulated by means of set nuts or their equivalent.
The second part of this Invention relates to a measuring apparatus 1
employed or to be employed in connection with the tarlatan wheel, and
it is applicable in cases where the pattern is repeated in squares or
rectangles, for instance, in weaving pocket handkerchiefs. This ap-
paratus consists of a disc carrying shifting plates or stops which are
adjusted to the position required, the distance between these measuring 20
the length of the cloth on which the pattern is repeated. On the axis of
the disc but not connected with it a worm wheel is carried geared into a
tangent screw, and which may be driven from the up-take or other
suitable motion of the loom by a ratchet wheel and pall. The aforesaid
worm wheel also carries a ratchet wheel concentrically with it. This 25
ratchet acts upon palls carefully adjusted on the face of the disc, and
the disc is also provided with a friction pulley for holding it with
sufficient retarding power. The worm wheel herein-before referred to
is a change wheel, of whch several of various diameters are provided
according to the length and thickness of the fabric on which the repeat 30
takes place. The disc is also provided with adjustable stops or studs for
lifting the pall of the tarlatan wheel at the time required according to
the pattern.
It is further to he understood that this second part of the Invention
may be used in connection with the first, so as to extend the pattern 35
when the latter is reculated by a chain instead of a terlaten wal

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Hunter in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HUNTER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send
greeting.
'
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the
33rd year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Hunter, Her special
license that I, the said William Hunter, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Hunter, my executors,
administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that J. the said William Hunter, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 Hunter, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,.
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to improvements in looms specially adapted
for weaving "tarlatans" or plaids, and in the first place consists of
mechanism for actuating circular or revolving shuttle boxes for weaving
such patterns in place of using vertically acting shuttle boxes as hitherto
and so that any one of the shuttles in the range may be brought into
action in any order of succession. The mechanism is composed of a rod

page_text: furnished with a rack which gears into a pinion on the axis of the
shuttle box. This rod and rack have a parallel movement, being actuated
by a link motion connected to the lower end thereof, the said link motion
being driven by means of fingers raised up and down by the action of
the loom, and the relative positions of which are regulated by a stop or
pattern chain and barrel somewhat similar to that set forth in the
Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, No. 1358-1861. In place
however of forming the stops on the chain of such great length as
becomes necessary when the stops are all formed solid, under the present
Invention some of the stops of the chain are made tubular according to
the nature and pattern of the cloth to be woven, so as to allow one of
the fingers to pass down through it whilst the other finger is acted upon
by the adjacent solid stop on the chain. The extent to which the
fingers descend into the tubular stops is regulated by means of set nuts
or their equivalent.
The second part of this Invention relates to a measuring apparatus
'employed or to be employed in connection with the tarlatan wheel and
it is applicable in cases where the pattern is repeated in squares or
rectangles, for instance in weaving pocket hankerchiefs. This aparatus
consists of a disc carrying shifting plates or stops, which are adjusted to
the position required, the distance between theso measuring the length
of the cloth on which the pattern is repeated. On the axis of the disc
but not connected with it a worm wheel is carried geared into a tangent
screw, and which may be driven from the up-take or other suitable
motion of the loom by a ratchet wheel and pall. The aforesaid worm
wheel also carries a ratchet wheel concentrically with it. This ratchet
acts upon palls carefully adjusted on the face of the disc, and the disc
is also provided with a friction pulley for holding it with sufficient re-
tarding power. The worm wheel herein-before referred to is a change
wheel, of which several of various diameters are provided according to
the length and thickness of the fabric in which the repeat takes place.
The disc is also provided with adjustable stops or studs for lifting
the pall of the tarlatan wheel at the time required according to the
pattern.
It is further to be understood that this second part of the Invention
may be used in connection with the first so as to extend the pattern
when the latter is regulated by a chain instead of a tarlatan wheel.
And in onday that

page_text: now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the sames is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say,―
With reference to the first part of my Invention, Figure 1 is a side
elevation, Figures 2 and 3 are part front elevations showing an arrange-
ment of revolving shuttle box with the necessary mechanism for actuating
the same, whilst Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a transverse section
on the line a, a, and part plan of the shuttle box. The same letters of
reference mark corresponding parts in all the Figures in which they
occur, but in all the Figures there are omitted certain details of the loom
which are not necessary in elucidating the said Invention.
The said shuttle box, which in the example shown is constructed with
cells for seven shuttles, has secured upon its axis B a pinion C, into which
is geared a rack D the lower end of which is formed into a rod and
jointed to a link E connecting it to a lever F centred on a stud pro-
jecting from the side frame G. The lever F is actuated by means of the
fingers II, Figures 1 and 3, which are moved up and down by the action
of the loom, as herein-after set forth. The lever I has a reciprocating
motion consequent upon the action of the wyper or revolving tappet J
(which is fixed upon the second motion shaft Ji of the loom) upon an
antifriction roller K which is attached to the end of the lever I. To the
opposite end of this lever a rod Ĺ is connected having fixed to its upper
end a light frame M which carries the pattern barrel with the pattern
or stop chain N. Upon this chain a series of stops O are fixed, some of
which are made solid whilst others are made tubular. When the
lever I is moved upwards carrying with it the frame M, and consequently
the pattern barrel and stop chain N, the stops O are brought into
contact with the herein-before mentioned fingers II, one of which is moved
upwards by a solid stop, whilst the opposite finger remains unmoved in
consequence of its corresponding stop being tubular, the said finger
entering the tube. This movement on account of the fingers being
connected to rods P which are jointed to the lever I causes the said
lever to reciprocate in a vertical direction, and through the medium of
the rack D and pinion C causes the shuttle box to revolve and that in
the direction corresponding to the relative sides of the pattern chain
upon which the solid and tubular stops are placed, these being arranged
to suit the pattern of the article to be woven.

page_text: In order to provide for the shuttle box being turned to any extent
from a full revolution to any part of a revolution corresponding to the
spaces between the cells for the shuttles; in other words that the shuttle
box may be turned so as to bring any of the shuttles in the series into
action in any order of succession, the fingers H are provided with set
nuts Q, which can be adjusted to any position, thus regulating the extent
to which the tubular stops can rise upon the finger, and consequently
the degree of travel communicated to the shuttle box through the
medium of the mechanism herein-before described..
In order to secure a safe and certain action when a change of shuttles 1
takes place, or when the shuttle box is turned round from one position to
another, a lock is provided, which acts in the manner now about to be
described. Upon the axis B of the shuttle box a ratchet wlicel R is
fixed, upon the teeth of which a catch formed upon the end of a lever T
acts; this lever is of a bell-crank form and secured to a rocking shaft W, ]
which is carried by brackets V conveniently fixed to the framing of the
shuttle box. To the lower end of the lever T a spring is attached at W¹
in the manner shown, the tension of which keeps the catch firmly.
pressed into the spaces between the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and thus
prevents the shuttle box from being turned by accident or otherwise. 2
until a change of shuttles is desired; it being further explained that
whilst the catch on the lever T holds the shuttle box in any position to
which it is moved by means of the fingers H, H, still the fingers H, H,
by means of the upward pressure upon them of the pattern chain N
continually follows up the motion of the shuttle box A, and prevents it
from departing out of the position whereunto they adjust it until it
is locked therein by means of the catch on the lever T. When the
revolving of the pattern barrel effected by the vertical action of the
rod L takes place as hercin-before described, and combined with the
action of the catch X, the united actions bring the studs Y secured to
the pattern chain into contact with and raise the end of the lever Z,
which is centred upon a stud or bracket a conveniently fixed to the
frame M. This end of the lever being raised causes a rod b which is
attached to the opposite end to be depressed. This rod has a knee
formed upon it at c, which in its downward motion is brought into
contact with and forces the catch a into a recess formed for its reception
upon the end of the lever e centred upon a stud projecting from the side
frame G. This lever e has a reciprocating motion given to it by the

page_text: action upon it of a pin ffixed to the wyper or tappet J. In its
downward reciprocating movement the end of the lever e carries with it
the catch &, also a sliding frame g upon which a flat palm h is formed,
and this in its downward movement forces with it the end of the lever i
fixed upon the wyper shaft W. This movement' is also conveyed to the
lever T by means of it being secured to the wyper shaft W, which
has the effect of withdrawing the catch upon the end of the lever T
from its connection with the ratchet wheel R, and thus leaves the
shuttle box free to revolve upon its axis until it has been turned to a
position to effect the change of shuttles. When that is accomplished the
catch d is relieved through the upward movement of the end of the
lever e in its reciprocating action. The sliding frame g is now forced
upwards by the reaction of a spring; provided for that purpose. The
lever i is now left free to rise by the reaction of the spring attached to
the bell-crank lever at W, and the catch is firmly pressed into the
ratchet wheel R, thus keeping the shuttle box securely locked as herein-
befor set forth, until another change of shuttles is required, when the
operation is repeated and that as often as there are changes required in
the pattern. The shuttle box is furnished with a brake, as shown in
Figure 5, which is designed to act with sufficient retarding power to
counteract any sudden or jerking shocks occasioned by the action of the
teeth of the rack and pinion, or any of the working parts throughout the
apparatus. It consists of a steel spring &, which is attached to the latho
of the loom, and is furnished with a piece of leather or similar substance
which acts upon a ring of metal upon the end of the shuttle box.
Figure 6 represents another modification of the change apparatus
whereby a very simple and convenient arrangement is employed for
repeating different parts of the pattern. It consists of a series of catches,
the action of which is as follows:-The pattern barrel A³ is moved in a
vertical direction in a manner similar to that herein-before described
with reference to the foregoing modification, and upon the ends of the
links forming the pattern chain studs m are fixed at the required
distances apart. When it is desired to repeat the pattern a stud m
carried upward by the movement referred to is pressed against a pin
fixed to a lever n centred upon a branch o conveniently fixed to the
framing M, the end of the lever n is in consequence raised, and having
a rod p attached to it in moving upwards draws with it the lower end of
the lever q, which has the effect of throwing the pall backward and out

page_text: 8
This
of working contact with the ratchet which is fixed upon the axis of the
pattern barrel, and the lever s is drawn forward by means of the spring t
until the pall is in working contact with the ratchet r, the teeth of
which in descending catch upon it, and thus force the pattern wheel to
revolve upon its axis. The part of the. chain carried round by this
revolution of the pattern wheel contains the number of stops, and these
in the order requisite for the part of the pattern to be woven.
having been accomplished and it is desired again to repeat this part of
the pattern, a stud corresponding to that marked m, Figure 6, but placed
at the opposite side of the links forming the pattern chain in being
carried upward as in the previous case acts upon a pin fixed to a lever
corresponding to the lever n, but placed immediately behind it. To this
lever a rod u¹ is attached, which in moving upwards draws backwards
the balanced catch o out of contact with the end of the lever q which it
supports. This end of the lever which is weighted at falls, conse-
quently bringing forward the pall end thereof until it is in working
contact with the ratchet r, and forcing backward the lever s by means of
the leg to until the pall u is clear, when the teeth of the ratchet in
descending are caught by the pall upon the lever q, and thus the pattern
barrel is caused to revolve in a reverse direction and return to its former
position, thus effecting a repetition of the stops.
Figure 7 is another modification of the change apparatus substantially
similar to that herein-before described in reference to Figure 6, and
differing therefrom only in so far as the centring of the levers marked n
is concerned, that being reversed and the distance from the fulcrum Y to 2
the studs marked m is much less than in Figure 6.
With reference to the second part of my Invention, Figure 8 is a sido
elevation, and Figure 9 is a front. clevation of the measuring apparatus
with the necessary appliances for actuating the same, whilst Figure 10 is
a sectional elevation through the axis of the measuring disc with the a
gearing connected, and Figure 11 is a half sectional plan of the same.
In this example the apparatus is fixed to a bracket A which is attached
to the side frame B; this bracket supports the axle C upon which the
disc D is centred. Upon this axle a worm wheel E is fixed geared into
a tangent screw F upon a shaft G, which is carried along and supported 3
by means of a bracket attached to the side frame B. Upon the end of
this shaft a ratchet II is fixed, into which a pall I is geared, which is
hung upon a stud J fixed to a spear K connected at its lower end to

page_text: the lathe of the loom by means of the coupling L. Through the medium
of this connection the reciprocating movement of the lathe is com-
municated to the spear K, which is thereby caused to move in a vertical
direction, and kept in position by means of the guide bracket M. The
pall I in its downward motion with the spear catches upon the teeth of
the ratchet H, and causes it to turn and with it the tangent screw F,
which, as herein-before stated, is geared into the worm ivlicel E.con-
centrically with which a ratchet O is fixed, and in being carried around
with it acts upon palls P adjusted upon the face of the disc D, which is
also by this means carried round until the stop pin Q is placed in the
position to suit the pattern to be woven. The disc being perforated
all round for this purpose is brought into contact with a corresponding
catch R placed upon the edge of the tarlatan wheel S, when the disc D
being free to turn upon its axis is carried backward by the motion of the
tarlatan wheel until the shifting plate S¹ fixed at the required position
upon its edge lifts the driving palls T clear of the teeth of the tarlatan
wheel for the length of time required for the pattern, when the plato
having passed the driving palls drop into their position, and the action
of the wheel is repeated.
174
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The arrangement and construction of mechanism for actuating
by positive movements circular or revolving shuttle boxes, so that any
one of the shuttles in the range may be brought into action in any order
of succession, and the means whereby the said shuttle boxes are locked
in any required position, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated at Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Second. The construction of the pattern chain with tubular stops, as
herein-before set forth.
Third. The arrangement and construction of that part of the
mechanism for reversing the pattern chain and barrel, substantially as
herein-before described and shown at Figures 6 and 7 of the accom-
panying Drawings.
Fourth. The arrangement and construction of the measuring apparatus
for tarlatan looms, or looms wherein the pattern is repeated in rectangles

page_text: or squares, as in the weaving of pocket. handkerchiefs, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 8 to 11 of the.
accompanying Drawings. -
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hunter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of July One thousand t
cight hundred and seventy.