IMPROVE- MENTS IN WEFT FORKS FOR POWER LOOMS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Gray, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WEFT FORKS FOR POWER LOOMS."
Sealed the 6th January 1854, and dated the 14th November 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Gray at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th November 1853.
I, MATTHEW GRAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the particulars of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEPT FORKS FOR POWER LOOMS" to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a modification of the ordinary solid weft
fork or protector, as used in power looms for stopping the loom action
when the weft thread breaks, wherein provision is made for the preven-
tion of injury or fracture of the fork from the accidental catching of
the shuttle against it. In such improved fork the front pronged por-
tion, or that part or end on which the weft thread acts during weaving,
is made exactly as heretofore, and turns or works upon a stud centre
like the common fork. But the back lever part communicating with the
stop rod action of the loom is made and arranged to work in one direc-
tion independently of the pronged portion, either on the same or on

page_text: another stud centre. In a fork so made the pronged portion may rise
independently, as required in case of accident, whilst it acts in ordinary
working just like the common fork by means of a stop piece connect-
ing the two parts of the fork; various mechanical modifications may be
adopted for attaining this special action, the essential object of the plan
being the so forming the wéft fork that whilst the front pronged portion
may freely oscillate to avoid injury or fracture, the prongs themselves
shall yet be in one solid piece, or shall be so contrived as to oscillate
simultaneously, like the corresponding portion of the common solid fork,
and maintain a suitable distance asunder during working.
SPECIFICATION-in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Matthew Gray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th May 1854...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
MATTHEW GRAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, send greeting."
:: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
Seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
:sors, give and grant unto me, the said Matthew Gray, Her special
license that I, the said Matthew Gray, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Matthew Gray, 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 WEFT FORKS FOR POWER LOOMS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Matthew Gray, by air 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 per-

page_text: formed, 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 Matthew Gray, 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 a modification of the ordinary solid
weft fork or protector, as used in power looms for stopping the loom,
action when the weft thread breaks, wherein provision is made for the
prevention of injury or fracture of the fork from the accidental catching.
of the shuttle against it. In such improved fork the front pronged
portion or that part or end on which the weft thread acts during
weaving is made exactly as heretofore, and turns or works upon a stud
centre like the common fork. But the back lever part communicating
with the stop rod action of the loom is made and arranged to work in one
direction independently of the pronged portion, either on the same or on
another stud centre. In a fork so made, the pronged portion may rise
independently, as required in case of accident, whilst it acts in ordinary,
working just like the common fork by means of a stop piece connecting,
the two parts of the forks; various mechanical modifications may be
adopted for attaining this special action, the essential object of the plan
being the so forming the weft fork that, whilst the front pronged portion
may freely oscillate to avoid injury or fracture, the prongs themselves
themselves shall yet be in one solid piece, or shall be so connected to each.
other as to oscillate simultaneously, like the corresponding portion of the
common solid fork, and maintain a suitable distance asunder during work->
ing. I am well aware that weft forks have already been made with their
prongs individually or separately jointed or hinged, but such forks are
found in practice to be liable to derangement, or to get out of proper.
working guage; but in my arrangement of fork this derangement is
entirely prevented.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly under-
stood I shall now proceed to describe the several Figures on the
Sheet of Drawings hereunto attached. Figure 1, on my Sheet of

page_text: cye
Drawings is a side or longitudinal elevation of one form or modifi-
cation of my improved weft fork or protector as in working action.
Figure 2, is a plan of the same, corresponding; Figure 3, is a
front end elevation of the weft fork as looking upon the pronged
portion thereof. Figure 4, is a plan of the pronged portion as de-
tached from the rest of the apparatus; and Figure 5, is a reversed
plan of the back lever part, which works in direct connection with the
stop motion of the loom. In this arrangement the three prongs A, on
which the weft thread acts during the regular working of the loom, are
forged or otherwise formed in one single solid piece with the joint stud
centre eye B. This eye is drilled out in the usual way to receive the
rivet joint pin C, on which pin the pronged piece has liberty to oscillate
in the usual way. The fixed holding stay carrying the entire fork
movement is formed with a wide double eye C, for the reception of the.
eye B, of the pronged portion A, the stud pin C, being passed through
the C¹ and B, and riveted at each end into the eye C'.
The eye
B, has formed upon or attached to it a loom back stop or lever
piece D, with its end bent up for the purpose of bearing against the
under side of the back lever E. This lever E, has a flat expanded
end F, formed as a double eye piece G, to fit accurately to the eye C',
of the fixed holding stay. Thus whilst the external faces of the double
eye G, fit to the inside of the eye on the holding stay the opening of
the eye G, is also made to receive the solid eye B, in a similar
In this way the stud pin C, holds both the front pronged and
back lever portions of the fork in working position, each section of the
fork A, E, having liberty to vibrate by itself. But it is obvious that,
instead of this arrangement, a separate stud centre may be used for
each piece. In weaving with this fork the weft action upon the
prongs A, so long as the weft thread remains in its unbroken working
condition, causes the front pronged portion to oscillate upon its centre C,
at each stroke of the lathe, just like the common fork, and this oscilla-
tory action causes the corresponding lift of the back lever E, through
the agency of the back stop or lever piece D. In this
way the presence
of the weft thread causes the lever E to be lifted at each movement so
as to clear the stop action, whilst on ther hand, the breaking of the
weft thread permits the leyer E,. to remain down.and puts the stop move-
manner.

page_text: ment into action. But in case of the catching of the shuttle upon the
inner or wrong side of the prongs the sole result is the elevation of the
pronged portion A, by rising or turning on its centre independent of the
back lever E. By this means the obstacle escapes, and the bending or
fracture and derangement of the fork is avoided. After the obstacle is
removed the fork regains the position delineated in Figure 1 of my
Drawings, and the regular action of the movement goes on as at first.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or
restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
had occoasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made
therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of my
Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of weft forks or
protectors for power looms for the prevention of fracture and derange-
ment, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of arranging and constructing the weft
forks or protectors of power looms wherein the front or pronged por-
tion of such forks is in one solid piece, or has the whole of the prongs
connected to each other so as to maintain a suitable distance asunder,
having at the same time liberty to work independently of the back or
plain lever portion.
Third, the application and use of weft forks with solid prongs or
prongs connected to each other, and separate or detached back levers.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Gray, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
MATTHEW GRAY. (L.S.)