IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
Year: 1854

page_text: 13
LETTERS PATENT to Robert Willan and Daniel Mills, of Blackburn;
in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers; for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS."
.5
Sealed 'the 22nd May 1855, and dated the 24th November 1854!
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Willan and
Daniel Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 24th November 1854.
We, ROBERT WILLAN and DANIEL. MILLS, of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby declare, the nature, of the said. Inven-
tion for." IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS" to be as follows:-
"
Our Invention relates to that part of the loom called the shuttle box, and,
consists of making it of any suitable metal instead of wood, as heretofore, and
of making a slide or groove in each side of the box, so that a small carriage
will slide in the said grooves to and fro as each pick is made., Through the,
said carriage. we pass a piece of leather thong, or similar substance, so as to
form a loop underneath it.. This carriage slides in the said grooves above the
shuttle, and when the shuttle enters the box under the carriage, the point of it
will enter the said loop, which will act as a partial stopper, and prevent the
shuttle rebounding. By this contrivance it will be evident that we shall
dispense with the spindle, spindle stud, slay end, slay end spring, bolts, and

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Willan and Daniel Mills in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
WILLAN and DANIEL MILLS, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Machine Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent; bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Robert Willan and Daniel Mills, Her special licence that we, the said
Robert Willan and Daniel Mills, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Robert Willan and Daniel Mills, our execu-
tors, 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," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Robert Willan and Daniel Mills, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
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 Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Robert Willan and Daniel Mills,
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 (that is to say):-
Our Invention relates,. firstly, to that part of the loom. called the shuttle
box, and consists of making it of any suitable metal instead of wood, as here-
tofore, and of making a slide or groove in each side of the box, so that a
small carriage will slide in the said grooves to and fro as each pick is made.
Through the said carriage we pass a piece of leather thong, or similar substance,
so as to form a loop underneath it. As the said carriage slides in the grooves
above the shuttle,' when the shuttle enters the box, the point of it will pass
through the loop, which will then press against the shoulder or thick part of
the shuttle, and act as a partial stopper to prevent the shuttle rebounding. It

page_text: is evident that by this contrivance the shuttle and picker will last much
longer than they can do by the present plan, because the point of the shuttle
does not strike against any hard substance to wear out, and we are also
enabled to dispense with the spindle, spindle stud, slay end, slay end spring,
bolts, and check straps. In the ordinary pickers, oil is also employed to lubri-
cate the spindle upon which the picker works, but with our improved arrange-
ment none is required; therefore we prevent the cloth from being soiled or
greased, as is usually the case. There is also great economy in the first cost
of the pickers, as well as requiring less power to work them..
Secondly, in the employment of a lug or.projection on the fly wheel, and
also on the break, so placed that they come in contact when the break is in
action, in order to cause a positive stop, and oblige the shuttle always to be
in one of the boxes when the loom is at rest. These our improvements will be
clearly understood by reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and
the letters of reference thereon. Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the principal
part of a loom with our improvements attached; Fig. 2, an end elevation of
the same; Fig. 3, the fly wheel detached, shewing the lug or projection;
Fig. 4, part of the break detached, also shewing the lug or projection; Figs. 5
and 6 are views of our improvements on an enlarged scale. Figs. 1 and 2
shew that we require no alteration of the general arrangement or working
parts of an ordinary loom except in the shuttle boxes and pickers. a represents
the picker stick; b, the thong, connecting it with our improved picker c, made
of hard wood, or other suitable material; the pickers slide in the grooves
d, forming part of the frames e, attached to the slay f. In or through the
picker we place the loop g, which acts upon the shuttle. h is a buffer, made
of leather or other suitable material, fixed to the end of the shuttle guide,
against which the picker strikes. In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the lug or projection
on the break and fly wheel is shewn at k.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of our said improve-
ments, and the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, we desire it
to be distinctly understood that we do not confine ourselves to the exact
details herein set forth, as such may be varied or modified without departing
from the principle thereof; but we claim as our Invention, and which, to the
-best-of-our-knowledge-and-belief,-has-not-been-hitherto-used-within-this-
realm,―
Firstly, the mode or method of working the pickers of looms.
And, secondly, the mode or method of stopping the loom, and causing the
shuttle to be always in the box at the time of stoppage, as such improve-

page_text: ments are herein described, and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Willan and Daniel Mills, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first day of May, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
ROBERT WILLAN. (L.S.)
DANIEL MILLS. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named Robert Willan and Daniel Mills, in
the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.