IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bullough, of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 28th June 1861, and dated the 12th January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bullough, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th January 1861.
I, WILLIAM BULLOUGH, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in an improved arrangement of parts for
working index machines, the hooks that are selected by the two chains of
lags or other usual apparatus, are raised alternately by a vibrating lever to
which are connected the catches for working the barrels around which the
chains are taken.
Secondly, in an improved mode of depressing the healds after they have
been raised by the ordinary index machine or other apparatus; the tappet for
working the treadle is connected by rods to two levers, one at each side of the
loom; these levers acting on the healds pull them positively down after they
have been partly drawn down by the usual springs.

page_text: Thirdly, in an improved letting-off motion which consists of a tappet on the
crank shaft acting on a lever connected to a break acting on the warp beam;
by this means the warp beam is held rigid during the crossing of the shed and
the beating up; the above parts are used in combination with a moveable
breast beam. When the shed is crossed the breast beam yields to allow the
shed to open, and when the shed is closed the breast beam is drawn back by
a spring or weight, the force of which is regulated according to the tension
given to the warps.
Fourthly, in another improved letting-off motion; in this case the warp
beam is unwound by a worm and worm wheel of the usual construction, but
the worm is driven by a pair of friction discs which are held in contact with
and separated from each other by a rod in connection with the moveable breast
beam above referred to.
And, fifthly, in an improved arrangement of parts for giving motion to the
lay or batten; the crank arms are jointed to levers vibrating on fixed studs,
and these levers and crank arms are acted upon by a connecting rod jointed
to a crank on the tappet shaft, each revolution of which gives two strokes to
the lay and two picks to the shuttle.
-SPECIFICATION-in-pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Bullough in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BULLOUGH, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Bullough, Her special licence that I, the said William
Bullough, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Bullough, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,

page_text: the said William Bullough, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly. 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Bullough, 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 (that is to say):-
My Invention consists, firstly, in an improved arrangement of parts for
working index machines; the hooks that are selected by the two chains of
lags or other usual apparatus, are raised alternately by a vibrating lever, to
which are connected the catches for working the barrels, around which the
chains of lags are taken.
And, secondly, in an improved letting-off motion, which consists of a tappet
on the crank shaft acting on a lever connected to a break acting on the warp
beam, by this means the warp beam is held rigid during the beating up; the
above parts are used in combination with a moveable breast beam. When
the shed is crossed the breast beam yields to allow the shed to open, and when
the shed is closed the breast beam is drawn back by a spring or weight, the
force of which is regulated according to the tension given to the warps.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me, reference
being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Fig. 1 is a front view, and Fig. 2 an elevation partly in section of the
principal parts of a loom to which my improvements are applied.
a is the crank shaft; b, the tappet shaft; c, the warp beam; d, the breast
beam, and e, the taking up roller; these parts, and the others requisite to
complete the loom which are not particularly referred to hereafter, are made
in the usual manner.
My improved arrangement of parts for working index machines is made in
the following manner :-f is the framing of the index machine, which is pro-
vided with two barrels or cylinders g and h; the axles of both cylinders are
supported in slots in the frames f, and the axle of the former passes through
slots in the levers i fixed to the shaft j; to this shaft is fixed the lever k, to
which a vibrating motion is given by the crank b¹ on the tappet shaft b,
or in any other convenient manner; the axles of the cylinders g and h are
connected by the side bars l, consequently when one of the cylinders is

page_text: approaching the hooks m, the other is receding from them; to one of the side
bars is attached a spring for holding the cylinders 9 and h after they have
been turned partly round by the catches g¹ and h', both of which are jointed
to a stud fixed to the frame f; these catches bear on pins projecting from discs
fixed to the axles of the cylinders 9 and h, around which pass the chains of
lags g² and 2 for selecting the hooks; these lags are made in the ordinary
manner, and any other usual apparatus for selecting the hooks may be used
instead. The selected hooks m are raised to form the shed by the slides or
lifters n fixed to the vibrating levers n', whose fulcrum is the shaft n², and
these levers are worked by the tappet on the tappet shaft b, acting on a
bowl fitting on a stud in the link o, the upper end of which is connected to
one of the levers n¹. The hooks m are connected by the quadrants p to the
shafts or healds p¹, which are drawn down by the levers and springs p² in the
ordinary manner. By means of these improvements the various parts of
the index machine receive their motion in the most direct and convenient
manner, and the loom can be worked advantageously at a greater speed than
is now attainable.
My improved letting-off motion is shewn in Fig. 2; the warp beam c is
connected to the friction pulley c¹ in the usual manner, and this pulley is
surrounded by a friction clip c², which is held fast and released by the lever q
acted-upon_by_the_tappet_al_fixed to the crank shaft a; this friction clip, and
the mode in which it acts, forms no part of my present Invention, except when
used in combination with the moveable breast beam, consisting of the vibrating
rail r, which is connected to arms projecting from the shaft ; to one end of
this shaft is fixed a rod 2, which is acted upon, when required, by the tappet 6³
fixed to the tappet shaft 6; a spring ³, or a weight, is connected to an arm
on the shaft r¹, to give the requisite tension to the cloth, which, on leaving the
fixed breast beam d, passes over the rail'r, then under the shaft r¹, and thence
passes to the taking-up roller e.
The mode of operation of this improved letting-off motion is as follows:-
During the beating up of the weft, and the opening of the shed, the warp
beam is held rigid by the tappet a' raising the lever q, and while the shed is
opening, the warp
beam being rigid, the extra tension of the fabric causes the
moveable breast beam to vibrate, thereby easing the warps and the healds.
When the tappet 63 comes against the bowl on the rod 13, the warp beam being
then free allows the requisite quantity of warp to be drawn off by the action of
the moveable breast beam.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of my Invention, I declare
that I claim,

page_text: First, the improved arrangement of parts for working index machines, as
shewn and described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
And, secondly, the improved letting-off motion, shewn and described in
reference to Fig. 2, and particularly the moveable breast beam marked r.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bullough, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
WILLIAM BULLOUGH. (L.S.)