IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS USED IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1872

page_text: In the Matter of the Letters Patent granted to RICHARD DIXON, of Newton
Heath, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Picker Manufacturer,
for IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS USED IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING, bearing
date the Eighteenth day of May, in the year One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-two.
H1140 Xrn A
In the Matter of the Letters Patent granted to RICHARD DIXON, of Newton
Heath, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Picker Manufacturer,
for IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS USED IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING, bearing
date the Eighteenth day of May, in the year One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-two.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to be filed
Great Seal l'atent Office
A
in the Office for Filing Specifications in Chancery by the said Richard Dixon,
pursuant to the Statutes in that case made and provided.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD DIXON,
send greeting:
WHEREAS the object of the Invention for which the said Letters Patent have
been granted to me is to enable pickers to be manufactured without making the
feet of separate parts, and without having rubbing surfaces crossways with the grain
of the hide, that is to say, without having cut edges of the hide to constitute the
rubbing surfaces of the said feet:
And whereas the Specification filed in fulfilment of one of the conditions con-
tained in the said Letters Patent described three methods of accomplishing the said
object:
And whereas when carrying my Invention into effect I only make use of one of
the said three methods, and do not consider the other two methods to be as efficient
nor as novel as the method which I do use:
I desire, in order to render my claims more distinct and to prevent disputes in
respect thereof, to confine my claim to the method I use, that is to say, to the
method described when referring to Figs. 15 to 18, both inclusive, of the Sheet of
Drawings accompanying my said Specification. To this end I propose to strike out
and disclaim certain parts of my said Specification and of the Sheet of Drawings
which accompanied such Specification, and to make the herein-after indicated
alterations therein, reference being made to the Queen's Printers' printed copies
thereof, published at the Great Seal Patent Office, in the year One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two.

page_text: are lapped at their sides, and the part n bent crossways, after which the piece is
bent or coiled, so as to place the part n in the proper position for the foot; and,
after one end of the piece is encased in the other and the piece is blocked, stapled,
and finished.
It will be seen that in this picker the foot is formed between the ends of the
piece of hide, and is therefore closed at the bottom, and requires no staple; and the
foot is not only advantageously curved, as seen at o, Figs. 1 and 3, but the grain is
parallel with the slot in the shuttle box, and as the edges of the laps are covered
the picker is of great strength and durability.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, I desire
it to be understood that I claim, the formation of the part for forming the foot of
the picker between the ends of the piece of hide, as shewn at n, Fig. 4, so that,
when the piece is bent as described, and afterwards coiled, blocked, and finished,
the picker will resemble that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the foot being closed at the
bottom, and perfectly secure without any staple.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Dixon, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Signed and sealed by the
said Richard Dixon in
the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Patentec,
3, Princess Street,
Manchester.
RICHARD DIXON. (L.S.)
I hereby grant my Fiat, giving leave to the above-named Richard Dixon to
file in the Great Seal Patent Office, with the Specification to which the same
relates, the above-written Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alteration.
Dated this 6th day of April, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
TT

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Dixon, of Newton Heath, near Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Picker Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS USED IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING.”
Invention of “Improvements in PickERS USED IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING.'
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Dixon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th May 1872.
I, RICHARD DIXON, of Newton Heath, near Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Picker Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS USED IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to make pickers without making the
feet of separate parts, and without having any rubbing surfaces cross-
ways with the grain of the hide.
In the first place there is sufficient length of hide to make the picker
complete, but the hide for the body of the picker is bent in the usual
direction, and the part for the foot is bent at right angles to the body

page_text: part, and both the body and foot are held together by hammered staples,
there being in the foot and body a thickening piece if the hide should
be thin, and as the hide for the foot is turned crossways there are no
edges transverse with the grain, the grain being parallel with the picker
slot in the shuttle box.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Dixon in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th November 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
DIXON, of Newton Heath, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Picker Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Richard Dixon, Her special licence that
I, the said Richard Dixon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Richard Dixon, 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 Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS USED IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING," upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said
Richard Dixon, 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 Richard Dixon, 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 Sheet

page_text: of Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
The object of this Invention is to enable pickers to be manufactured
without making the feet of separate parts and without having rubbing
surfaces crossways with the grain of the hide.
For each picker the length and breadth or surface of the piece of hide
is sufficient to make the picker complete with the exception of thickening
pieces when required, there being a part of the hide cut away at one or
both ends or between the ends for enabling the foot to be formed at
right angles to the body, which is bent or coiled in the required direction
and kept firm by a hammered staple, there being also a staple in the
foot when necessary, and as the part of the hide for the foot is turned
crossways the grain is parallel with the picker slot in the shuttle box
without any transverse edges whatever.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figs. 1 and 2 are side and
bottom views of one of my improved pickers formed from a piece of hide
cut to the shape shewn in Fig. 3, the part a being for the body, and the
parts 6 for the foot, and after thickening pieces are placed on the body
if required it is bent as shewn in Figs. 4, 5, and 6; c, Fig. 4, being a
thickening piece. The parts for the foot have in addition to the first
bend a second bend crossways, as shewn at d, Figs. 5 and 6, and when
the body and foot are blocked, stapled, and finished the grain of the
foot e, Fig. 2, is parallel with the slot in the shuttle box, and when
required the foot may have a thickening piece, as shewn at f, Fig. 7.
Figs. 8 and 9 are side and bottom views of another of my improved
pickers formed of two pieces of hide cut to the shapes Figs. 10 and 11,
the parts g, h, for forming the body, and the parts i the foot. The
pieces are first bent as shewn in Figs. 12 and 13, then enclosed one
within the other as in Fig. 14, and after the ends for the foot have had
an additional bend crossways and the body and foot blocked, stapled,
and finished the grain of the foot is also parallel with the slot in the
shuttle box.
Figs. 15 and 16 are side and end views, and Fig. 17 a section of a
picker formed from a piece of hide shaped as in Fig. 18, the parts m for
forming the body and the part n the foot. The parts m having on them
one or more thickening pieces, if required, are lapped at their sides, and
the part n bent crossways, after which the piece is bent or coiled so as

page_text: to place the part n in the proper position for the foot, and after one end
of the piece is encased in the other end the piece is blocked, stapled, and
finished. It will be seen that in this picker the foot is formed between
the ends of the piece of hide and is therefore closed at the bottom and
requires no staple, and the foot is not only advantageously curved as
seen at o, Figs. 15 and 17, but the grain is parallel with the slot in the
shuttle box, and as the edges of the laps are covered with the picker is of
great strength and durability.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
I desire it to be understood that I claim,―
First. The formation of the foot of the picker from parts at the ends
of the piece of hide, represented in Fig. 3, and the bending of the piece.
as shewn and described, so that after coiling, blocking, and finishing a
picker is made resembling that shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
Secondly. The formation of the foot of the picker from parts at the
ends of the piece of hide represented in Fig. 10, and used in conjunction
with another piece Fig. 11, and also the interlocking and bending shewn
and described.
And, thirdly. The formation of the part for forming the foot of the
picker between the ends of the piece of hide, as shewn at n, Fig. 18, so
that when the piece is bent as described and afterwards coiled, blocked,
and finished the picker will resemble that shewn in Figs. 15 and 16,
the foot being closed at the bottom and perfectly secure without any
staple.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Dixon, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Richard Dixon, in
the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
RICHARD DIXON. (L.S.)