IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR VINA
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Lee Norton, of Belle Sauvage Yard, Ludgate
Hill, in the City of London, and William Ainsworth, of Stockport, in
the County of Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
VINA
"
Sealed the 13th June 1865, and dated the 16th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Leo Norton and
William Ainsworth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 16th December 1864.
We, JAMES LEE NORTON, of Belle Sauvage Yard, Ludgate Hill, in the
City of London, and WILLIAM AINSWORTH, of Stockport, in the County of
Chester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in looms for weaving, and
relates, first, to an arrangement for working the leaves of the healds, and for
changing the order of succession in which the leaves of the healds are to be
moved when producing various patterns of weaving in the same fabric or
otherwise.
For this purpose the top cords of each leaf of the healds are connected to a
wire, and each wire is passed through boles in a plate which projects over the
top of the healds in the middle of the loom, each hole being exactly or nearly
so over the middle of each leaf of the healds to which it is attached. These
wires are connected to hooks, which rest upon the top of the perforated plate

page_text: in such a manner that when springs are attached below the healds for pulling
them down, the hooks are pulled from their perpendicular position by having
their lower or bottom ends bevilled or rounded off in one direction. These
books are kept in their proper places by passing through a grid or guides or
other convenient means, so that projections upon them may come properly
into contact with a pattern surface, by which means these hooks can be
selected so as to bring or leave such of them as correspond with the leaves of
the healds which it is required to lift over a bar or knife on which the hooks
catch, and which is arranged as hereafter described.
The pattern surface may either be cards with holes in or lags with projec-
tions on as commonly used, and which are brought at the proper time by a
suitable vibratory motion into contact with projections on the hooks, which
causes the hooks connected to those leaves of the healds which are to be lifted
to be pressed forward over a knife or bar which has a constant up-and-down
motion given to it, and which takes hold of those hooks which are selected by
the pattern surface and raises the leaves of the healds in the order required.
The knife or bar which takes hold of and lifts the hooks has motion given to
it by a lifting rod working through a guide, which either passes through the
warp at the back of the healds and is acted on by a double tappet on tappet
shaft, or by an eccentric or crank at the end of the crank shaft, or it may be
actuated by other convenient means. The knife or bar can either be firmly
bolted to the top of the lifting rod, or the fore end of the knife or bar can be
Jengthened so as to rest upon a bracket fixed on the loom top, which projects
over the line, to which the batten beats up, the other end being jointed to the
lifting rod. This will have the effect of lifting all the warp threads to the
same angle. Or in place of having the fore end of the knife or bar resting
on the projecting bracket, a projection is fixed upon the other end of the bar
or knife, which projection works in an inclined slot, and is so arranged as to
cause the bar or knife to lift the warp threads to their proper angle, or the
bar may be connected to two lifting rods, one of which rods moves further
than the other, that is to say, has a greater stroke given to it, which will have
the effect of lifting the bar or knife in a slanting position. These arrange-
ments may, however, be varied to produce similar results.
When a double shed is required, another series of hooks and another knife
or bar are employed below the healds, so that those healds which are not
pulled up by the top knife, are pulled down by the bottom knife or bar, which
moves nearly simultaneous with the one above it. In this case suitable
means must be employed for bringing back the healds to their proper posi-
tion. For instance, the hooks and the knives or bars may be so arranged that

page_text: the knives or bars fixed above and below the healds will both lift and bring
back the hooks and healds to their proper position, or the perforated plates
through which the wires that are attached to the healds work may be arranged
to be actuated by levers, so as to bring the hooks and healds to their proper
position, but these arrangements may be varied to suit circumstances.
This Invention also relates to an arrangement for admitting of a change in
the order of succession, in which the leaves of the healds are moved, which is
accomplished by attaching wires or cords to the hooks for lifting the healds
and carrying them to a convenient part about the loom, and by diverging
them allow sufficient room for two or more patterns to be arranged on the
same cards or lags if required. For insuring, in wide looms more especially,
that the healds shall rise and fall truly and parallel, the two cords attached
to each leaf of the healds, which are fixed in the usual manner, are passed
over and under small pulleys or grooved cones fixed to the loom top.
Another part of this Invention also relates to mechanism for actuating
change shuttle boxes. For this purpose a star wheel is mounted on an axis
on the loom frame, (this wheel, which is not in itself new,) is a polygon of
as many sides as are found to be convenient. The sides of the star wheel
are concave, and made so that they will fit to the circumference of a cylinder,
(made double, as herein-after described,) which is also mounted on an axis
on the frame close up to the star wheel, so that the cylinder locks the star
wheel and prevents its revolving. The cylinder is divided midway of its
length into two parts, and the two parts are caused to revolve in opposite
directions. The star wheel is capable of being traversed along this cylinder,
and when it is moved towards either end it meets a recess or hole in the peri-
phery of the cylinder, which allows the star wheel to turn, and at the same
time a pin or tooth on the end flange of the cylinder enters a notch in the
star wheel and turns it. There is a notch formed in the star wheel to receive
the pins or teeth for turning it at each of the angles of the polygon. When
the star wheel is traversed up to the end of the double cylinder in either
direction, in addition to the first pin or tooth which acts to turn it, as already
described, it meets a second shorter pin or tooth, which by entering another
of the notches in the star wheel turns it another, that is, a second step. The
recess or hole in the periphery of the cylinder at this part being sufficiently
long to allow two of the angles of the star wheel to pass. Thus it will be
seen that the star wheel will remain stationary as long as
about the centre of the double cylinder; but that when it is slid to either end
it is moved at each revolution either one or two steps according to the
distance to which it is slid, and these steps will be made forward or backward
it is retained at

page_text: according as it is moved towards one or the other end of the cylinders.
Similarly the apparatus may be arranged to give three steps either forwards
or backwards if desired.
The employing in this manner a double-locking cylinder, the two parts
revolving in opposite directions, and each carrying two or more teeth, is an
important feature in this Invention. Motion is communicated from the star
wheel to the change shuttle box in any convenient or ordinary manner. The
traversing the star wheel along the double cylinder is effected by a pattern
chain, with holes in it, arranged according to the motion to be produced.
This passes around a drum, which vibrates to and from fingers formed on two
rods attached to the two ends of a lever with a central axis, and by the chain
coming against these fingers the lever is rocked when required, and a fork on
its axis gives motion to the star wheel, but the mode of traversing the star
wheel may be varied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Lee Norton and William Ainsworth in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 16th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
LEE NORTON, of Belle Sauvage Yard, Ludgate Hill, in the City of London,
and WILLIAM AINSWORTH, of Stockport, in the County of Chester, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said James Lee Norton and William Ainsworth, Her special
licence that we, the said James Lee Norton and William Ainsworth, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James
Lee Norton and William Ainsworth, our 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS POR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said James Lee Norton and William Ainsworth, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their hands and

page_text: seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 James Lee Norton, on behalf of myself and
the said William Ainsworth, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention;
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in looms for weaving, and
relates, first, to an arrangement for working the leaves of the healds, and for
changing the order of succession in which the leaves of the healds are to be
moved when producing various patterns of weaving in the same fabric or
otherwise.
For this purpose the top cords of each leaf of the healds are connected
to a wire, and each wire is passed through holes in a plate, which projects
over the top of the healds in the middle of the loom, each hole being exactly
or nearly so over the middle of each leaf of the healds to which it is attached.
These wires are connected to hooks which rest upon the top of the perforated
plate in such manner that when springs are attached below the healds for
pulling them down, the hooks are pulled from their perpendicular position,
by having their lower or bottom ends bevilled or rounded off in one direction
or by other equivalent arrangement. These hooks are kept in their proper
places by passing through a grid or guides, or by other convenient means, so
that projections upon them may come properly into contact with a pattera
surface, by which means these books can be selected, so as to bring (or leave)
such of them as correspond with the leaves of the healds which it is required
to lift over a bar or knife on which the hooks catch, and which is arranged as
hereafter described.
The pattern surface may either be cards with holes in or lags with pro-
jections on, as commonly used, and which are brought at the proper time, by
a suitable vibratory motion, into contact with projections on the hooks, which
causes the hooks connected to those leaves of the healds which are to be lifted
to be pressed forward over a knife or bar which has a constant up-and-down-
motion given to it, and which takes hold of those hooks which are selected by
the pattern surface, and raises the leaves of the healds in the order required.,
The knife or bar which takes hold of and lifts the hooks has motion given to
it by a lifting rod working through a guide, which either passes through the
warp at the back of the healds, and is acted on by a double tappet on tappet

page_text: shaft, or by other convenient means. Several methods of giving motion to
the knife bar are herein-after described.
Figures 1 and 2 are frout and side views of part of a loom in which the
healds are worked according to this Invention.
The bealds a are connected by cords 6 to the wires c, which pass through
holes in a perforated plate d that projects over the middle of the healds from
a bracket e fixed on the loom top. The wires c are attached to the hooks f
One end of the bar or stay 9 is bolted to the upright bracket e, the other end
being fastened in a similar manner to the bracket on the loom opposite. To
this bar is fixed the fulcrum, upon which the knife bar h works, the other end
of the knife bar is connected to the rod i, which passes through the middle of
the warp behind the healds a, and is moved up and down every pick of the
loom, it may be by a double tappet on the tappet shaft, or more conveniently
as is shown in the Drawing, by the wheel j, which is geared into the wheel k
on tappet shaft. The pattern surface or roller receives an intermittent
motion from the knife bar h, which actuates the catch m, and so gives motion
to a ratchet wheel fixed at the end of the roller l. When the projections on
the pattern surface 1 come in contact with the swells n on the hooks f, these
hooks are pushed over the knife h, and are lifted by it in its upward motion,
and when the knife bar again descends, the hooks are brought down into their
places by the springs attached to the bottom of the healds. When the
hooks are not pressed forward by the pattern surface, they are pulled clear of
the knife bar by means of the projections p, which rest on the ledge 9 of the
perforated plate d or otherwise. The peg roller shown in the Drawing is
suitable only for a very short pattern; it is usually convenient to employ an
endless chain with lags and projections upon it, is well understood, but this is
not shown in the Drawing, to avoid complication. The knife or bar may be
firmly bolted to the top of the lifting rod, but the arrangement shewn in the
Drawing is preferable, the fore end of the knife or bar being lengthened, so as
to rest upon a bracket fixed on the loom top, which projects over the line, to
which the batten beats up, the other end being jointed to the lifting rod, for
this arrangement has the effect of lifting all the warp threads to the same
angle. Or in place of having the fore end of the knife or bar resting on the
projecting bracket, a projection is fixed upon the other end of the bar or
knife, which projection works in an inclined slot, and is so arranged as to
cause the bar or knife to lift the warp threads to their proper angle. This
arrangement is shewn at Figure 3. a is the rod which moves the knife b; c, is
an inclined slot, through which passes a projection on the arm e as the knife b
is moved up and down by the rod a; its angular position is regulated by the

page_text: inclination of the slot c, or the knife bar may be connected to two lifting rods,
one of which rods moves further than the other; that is to say, has a greater
stroke given to it, which will have the effect of lifting the bar or knife in a
slanting position.
Such an arrangement is shown at Figure 4. a is the knife; b, b, are the
rods connected to the lever c, which is worked by the cam d on the tappet
shaft. The guides e are for supporting the rods, and keeping them parallel.
When the cam d raises the lever c, which works on the centre f, the rods b, b,
communicate a similar motion to the knife a.
Figures 5 and 6 show another plan by which the knife bar can be raised
in a slanting direction. a is a lever, which is worked from an excentric
outside the loom; b is the centre on which the lever a oscillates; c, c, are the
links, jointed to the lever a, and to the rods d, d', which work through the
guides e, and are also jointed to the knife f, which will thus receive an inclined
motion from the lever a, as in Figure 3.
In Figure 7 a is the knife bar, one end of which works on the fixed pin b,
but is furnished with a slot c, to allow of a little lateral movement. The other
end of the knife bar is connected to the rod d, which can be worked from the
lever e. f is a slot, through which the knife bar works, and a perfectly
perpendicular movement is insured by means of the pins g, g', one on each
side of the slot f.
The knife a is
one end of the
Figure 8 shows another arrangement for effecting the saine object. a is
the knife bar; b, the vertical rod, which may either pass through the warp
and be worked direct from the tappet shaft, as in Figure 1, or it may be
worked from the side by a lever, as in Figures 5, 6, and 7.
furnished with an arm c, to the extremity of which is attached
lever d. The other end of the lever d works on the fulcrum e, so that when
the rod b is moved upwards the knife is caused to assume the position
indicated by the dotted lines. These arrangements may, however, be further
varied so long as the hooks are respectively directly over the leaves of healds,
the knife consequently working lengthway of the loom and of the warp.
When a double or equally divided shed is required, another series of hooks
and another knife or bar are employed below the healds, so that those healds
which are not pulled up by the top knife are pulled down by the bottom knife
or bar, which moves nearly simultaneous with the one above it; in this case
suitable means must be employed for bringing back the healds to their proper
position; for instance, the books and the knives or bars may be so arranged
that the knives or bars fixed above and below the healds will both lift and
bring back the hooks and healds to their proper position, thus making what is

page_text: known as a "positive" shed. a and b, Figures 9 and 10, are the knives for
taking hold of the hooks; c and d are the levers for what is called "levelling"
the shed or bringing the hooks to their original places. The knife 6 is con-
nected by the rode to a stud on the wheel f, which makes one revolution for
every pick of the loom. The levers b and c are connected together by the
rod g; the levers d and a are also connected by the rod h; each set of levers
is also connected together by the chains i and j, which pass over the pulleys k
and ; or the perforated plates through which the wires that are attached to
the heald work may be arranged to be actuated by levers, so as to bring the
hooks and healds to their proper position, but these arrangements may be
varied to suit circumstances. In place of using a peg roller (Figure 2) for
actuating the hook an ordinary card cylinder with jacquard cards may be
employed.
Figure 11 shows the form of hook for being worked with cards, and a is the
projection which is actuated by the banks on the pattern surface to throw the
hook over the knife bar h, Figure 2.
This Invention also relates to an arrangement for admitting of a change in
the order of succession in which the leaves of the heals are moved, which is
accomplished by attaching wires or other instruments to the books for lifting
the healds and carrying them to a convenient part about the loom, and by
diverging them, allow suflicient room for two or more patterns to be arranged
on the same cards or lags if required.
For the purpose of using more than one series of holes or pegs on the
pattern surface we actuate the hooks a, Figures 12 and 13, by wires b, which
pass through holes in the frame c, which holes are further apart than the slits
in the grid d, and thus allow of the use of a pattern surface with various sets
of pegs or holes, and the pattern surface has an endway motion given to it to
bring one or others of the several sets of pegs or holes into operation.
For insuring, in wide looms more especially, that the healds shall rise and
fall truly and paralel, the two cords attached to each leaf of the healds, which
are fixed in the usual manner, are passed over and under small pullies or
grooved cones fixed to the. loom top. One of these grooved cones is shown
separately in Figure 14. In Figure 15, a, b, c, and d, are the grooved cones,
which may either be wood or metal. These cones ensure a horizontal position
of the healds when moved up or down. The healds e are attached to cords f
and g at the top, and in the usual manner at the bottom, as shown at k. The
cords pass over the cone a and under the cone b; the cords g pass over the
cone d and under the cone c. The cords and 9 meet at h.
also be attached to the healds, and pass between the cones
A cord i may
and c. The

page_text: cords of the front Dealus, which move the least, are passed over the smaller
diameters of the cones.
Another part of this Invention also relates to mechanism for actuating
change shuttle boxes; for this purpose a star wheel is mounted on an axis on
the loom frame (this wheel, which is not in itself new,) is a polygon of as many
sides as are found to be convenient. The sides of the star wheel are concave,
and made so that they will fit to the circumference of a cylinder (made double,
as herein-after described), which is also mounted on an axis on the frame
close up to the star wheel, so that the cylinder locks the star wheel and
prevents its revolving. The cylinder is divided midway of its length into two
parts, and the two parts are caused to revolve in opposite directions. The
star wheel is capable of being traversed along this cylinder, and when it is
moved towards either end it meets a recess or hole in the periphery of the
cylinder, which allows the star wheel to turn, and at the same time a pin or
tooth on the end flango of the cylinder enters a notch in the star wheel and
turns it; there is a notch formed in the star wheel to receive the pins or
teeth for turning it at each of the angles of the polygon. When the star
wheel is traversed up to the end of the double cylinder in either direction in
addition to the first pin or tooth which acts to turn it as already described, it
meets a second shorter pin or tooth, which by entering another of the notches
in the star wheel turns it another, that is, a second step. The recess or hole
in the periphery of the cylinder at this part being sufficiently long to allow
two of the angles of the star wheel to pass. Thus it will be seen that the star
wheel will remain stationary as long as it
the double cylinder, but that when it is slid to either end it is moved at each
revolution either one or two steps, according to the distance to which it is
slid, and these steps will be made forward or backward, according as it is
moved towards one or the other end of the cylinders. Similarly, the apparatus
may be arranged to give three steps either forwards or backwards if desired,
or it may be made for one step only. The employing in this manner a double
locking cylinder, the two parts revolving in opposite directions, and each
carrying one, two, or more teeth, is an important feature in this Invention.
Motion is communicated from the star wheel to the change shuttle box in any
convenient or ordinary manner.
is retained at about the centre of
Figures 16 and 17 represent side and front views of part of a loom;
Figure 18 is a larger view of the back wheel or double cylinder in section
and otherwise. a and b are the lock wheels, cach having studs of different
lengths, as i, k, to operate on the star wheel g. The lock wheels a and b are
placed upon the tappet shaft c, the lock wheel a being fastened thereto, and

page_text: the lock wheel b being loose on its axis, but fixed to or cast with the wheel d.
It is geared with the crank shaft e by the wheels f and h, the wheel h being
half the diameter of the wheel d. The crank and tappet shafts revolve in
different directions, the crank shaft revolving twice while the tappet shaft
revolves once, therefore the lock wheels a and b will revolve in opposite
directions once for every two picks of the loom; the cylinders a and b, as
,shown in the Drawing, have two sets of pins i, k, because they only revolve
once for two picks of the shuttle. The star wheel g is mounted on a stud,
and may be slid laterally on its axis, so that it may be brought into contact
with one or both of the pins i and k; the lever is for the purpose of
regulating the position of the star wheel, and is acted upon by a pattern
surface at m. The pattern surface may consist conveniently of a series of
cam surfaces with suitable elevations linked together to form an endles chain,
to which is given an intermittent motion by a pawl or catch actuated from
any convenient part of the loom. The elevations of the chain operate on the
lever L, or the pattern surface may actuate the lever L in other ways. The
-star wheel g communicates motion to the shuttle boxes n by means of a chain
wheel and chain o, giving motion to another chain wheel, in connection with
which is a spur wheel working with a rack attached to the shuttle boxes.
Each division of the star wheel is equal to the space of one box. The pattern
.surface m receives an intermittent motion by a pawl or catch p, which is lifted
by the lever q and excentric r fixed to the wheel f.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lee Norton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
J. L. NORTON. (L.S.)