IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND IN MACHINERY FOR COMMUNICATING MOTION TO LOOMS AND OTHER MACHINES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Hardon, of Stockport, in the County of
Chester, Manufacturer, and Joseph Henry, of the same Place, . Mechanic,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND IN
MACHINERY FOR COMMUNICATING MOTION TO LOOMS AND OTHER MACHINES."
Sealed the 20th March 1857, and dated the 2nd October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Hardon and
Joseph Henry at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 2nd October 1856.
We, EDWIN HARDON, of Stockport, in the County of. Chester, Manufacturer,
and JOSEPH HENRY, of the same Place, Mechanic, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND IN
MACHINERY FOR COMMUNICATING MOTION TO LOOMS AND OTHER MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists, firstly, in the mechanism for working the heddles.
The heddle roller shaft, instead of revolving in fixed bearings, as now
customary, is mounted in bearings acted upon by springs, the object of the
springs being to allow the roller shaft to yield to the unequal action of the
mechanism for moving the heddles, and to compensate. for any irregularity in
the motion imparted to the heddles. The roller shaft may also be supported
in levers acted upon by springs, and by a tapped or excentric fixed on the
tappet shaft or other convenient part of the loom. The straps to which the

page_text: heddles are suspended may be vulcanized india-rubber or other elastic
material, or springs may be applied to the straps for the same purpose.
When more than four heddles are employed, we apply rollers and pulleys to
each end of the strap passing over the roller on the roller shaft, and then
suspend the heddles to cords or straps passing over the said rollers and pulleys,
or we attach a roller or rollers and pulleys to the cords or straps passing over
the first-mentioned pulleys. This mode of suspending the heddles may be
applied to looms working with any number of heddles.
Our Invention also consists in the application of the sun and planet motion
for working the picking motion and the heddles; when the sun and planet
motion is employed for working the improved picking motion, for which
Letters Patent were applied for on the 24th June 1856, by the within-
named Edwin Hardon and Joseph Henry, a crank fixed on the second
motion shaft or other convenient part of the loom gives the requisite
oscillating motion to a lever hinged to a cross shaft, to which one wheel of
the sun and plant motion is fixed; to this shaft are fixed tappets for actuating
the picking motion. This cross shaft is also used for giving motion to the
heddles.
Our Invention further consists in making the skewers of shuttles with a
recess for the spring to lie in when cop is being put on, and in an improved
arrangement of parts for letting the yarn off the warp beam. To the fulcrum
of the vibrator is attached a lever, acted upon by a spring; another lever is
also attached to the fulcrum of the vibrator, to which a link is jointed for
connecting this second lever to the weight lever. When the warp is sufficiently
tight to overcome the spring, the weight lever is raised, thereby slackening
the cord, chain, or band, which is attached to the weight lever and passes
around the friction pulley on the warp beam, thereby allowing a portion of
the warp to be drawn off.
:
.
Our Invention also consists in working the drop box of a loom by the
apparatus described in the second paragraph of the Provisional Specification
of the Patent above referred to, also in giving motion to the taking-up roller
by a vibrating lever, to which a click is jointed, and in regulating the action
of the click according to the increasing diameter of the cloth beam.
Our improvements in machinery for communicating motion to looms and
other machines consist in dispensing with the separate shaft referred to in the
above-mentioned Provisional Specification, and in mounting the driving pulley
on the shaft to be driven.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edwin Hardon and Joseph Henry in the Great Seal Patent.
Office on the 2nd April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWIN
HARDON, of Stockport, in the County of Chester, Manufacturer, and JosErit
HENRY, of the same Place, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Edwin Hardon and Joseph Henry, Her special license that we, the said Edwin
Hardon and Joseph Henry, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Edwin Hardon and Joseph Henry, 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 FOR WEAVING, AND IN
MACHINERY FOR COMMUNICATING MOTION TO LOOMS AND OTHER MACHINES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Edwin Hardon and Joseph
Henry, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of our or their bands and seals, 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 we, the said Edwin Hardon and Joseph Henry,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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):-
The nature of our Invention consists, first, in supporting the heddle roller
shaft of looms in bearings acted upon by springs, to allow the roller shaft to
yield to the unequal action of the mechanism for moving the heddles, and
to compensate for any irregularity in the motion imparted to the heddles.
Secondly, in making the straps to which the heddles are suspended or
attached of vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable elastic material, and in
the application of springs to such straps.
Thirdly, in an improved mode of suspending the heddles when more

page_text: than four heddles are employed, by means of rollers, pulleys, and cords or
straps.
Fourthly, in the application of the sun and planet motion for working the
picking motion and the heddles.
Fifthly, in an improved arrangement of parts in combination with the
vibrator, for allowing the yarn to be drawn 'off' the warp beani.
Sixthly, in working the drop boxes of loomis; in which two or more shuttles
are employed, by an apparatus similar to that described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to us on the Twenty-fourth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-six, and shewn in Fig. 6 of the Drawings attached to
the said Specification.
Seventhly, in regulating the motion of the taking-up roller by a vibrating
lever, the action of which is governed by the increasing diameter of the cloth
beam..
And, lastly, our improvements in machinery for communicating motion to
looms and other machines consists in dispensing with the separate sliaft,
shewn and described in reference to Figs. 13 and 14 of the Specification above
referred to, and in mounting the driving pulley loose on the shaft to be driven.
In order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
reference being bad to the figures and letters marked 'thereon.
Fig. 1 is an end view of a loom to which our improvements are applied;
Fig. 2 is a front view, and Fig. 3 is a plan of parts of the same. a'is the
driving shaft, on which are fixed the fly wheels a'; 'b is the lay, supported by
lay swords, keyed on the fulcrum shaft 6, in the 'usual manner; c is the warp
beam;
d, the vibrátor; e, a cross shaft near the fulcrum shaft ; f, the
heddles; f¹, the breast beam; and g, the taking-up roller. The parts above
enumerated; and all the others not shewn in the Drawing, and not particularly
referred to hereafter, are made in any approved manner.
Our improvements in supporting the heddle roller sliaft in bearings acted
upon by springs is shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. The heddle roller shaft márked h
is supported in the bearings h¹; the shanks of these bearings fit in holes in the
brackets, which are bolted to the bend or arch h³; around the shanks of
the bearings h' are coiled the springs h, which press the bearings h¹ upwards,
and thereby keep the heddles e distended, but allow the roller shaft h to yield
to the unequal action of the mechanism for moving the heddles, and to com-
pensate for any irregularity in the motion imparted to the heddles. It is
evident that the same object may be obtained by supporting the heddle rollér
shaft h in bearings made in levers, and acted upon by springs, and by a tappet

page_text: or excentric fixed on the tappet shaft or other convenient part of the loom; or
the straps to which the heddles are suspended may be made of vulcanized
india-rubber or other elastic material, or springs may be applied to the heddle
straps for the same purpose.
Our improvements in suspending heddles, when more than four heddles are
employed, are also shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. To the heddle roller shaft h are
fixed the rollers i and 2 in. the usual manner; to these rollers are attached
straps and , made of the usual material or of vulcanized india-rubber.
To the straps are connected the roller blocks j, through which pass the cords
or straps j, to which are suspended the roller blocks, and to the cords or
Lands passing through these latter blocks are suspended the four heddles f, f.
To the straps of the rollers & are connected the roller blocks 7, and to the
cords or bands passing through these blocks are suspended, the last pair of
heddles f. We have shewn this part of our improvements as applied to a
loom in which six heddles are employed; it is, however, apparent to any
practical weaver that by dispensing with one pair of the blocks ; or j³ the
same may be adapted to a loom with five heddles, and by increasing the number
of roller blocks this part of our Invention may be extended to looms requiring
more than six heddles..
Our Invention of the application of the sun and planet motion for working
the picking motion and the heddles is shewn in reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
To the driving shaft a is fixed a pinion as gearing into the wheel a*, from
which projects a crank pin a; to this crank pin is jointed one end of the
connecting rod k, the lower end of which fits on a stud in the lever k', which
is loose on the cross shaft e; the spur pinion k³ is fixed to the connecting rod k,
and the spur pinion e¹ is fixed on the shaft e. When the driving shaft a
revolves, the rotary motion of the crank pin a' causes the lever to oscillate,
and as the pinion k² is in gear with the pinion e¹, it is evident.that the requisite
oscillating motion is thus imparted to the cross shaft e. This oscillating of
the shaft e works the picking motion by means of the cams e³, one of which
is shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and at the right-hand side of Fig. 2. Each
cam e acts on a lever c³, which is in communication with the picking stick by
means of the lever c¹. These levers impart the requisite motion to the
picking sticks, in the manner described in the 'Specification of our former
Patent. The sun and planet motion, above described, may also be applied for
giving motion to the shafte when the heddles are worked in the manner
described in our former Patent.
Our improvements in letting the yarn off the warp beam will be fully
understood on reference to Fig. 1. To the axis of the vibrator d is fixed a

page_text: lever'd, to one end of which is connected a spring d2, and to the other a
link d³, the lower end of which is connected to the lever l by a spring 13; this
lever is mounted on the stud 1', and it is furnished with a weight 12. To the
lever is attached one end of the chain or band m, which, after passing round
the friction pulley ct of the warp beam c, is secured to a fixed stud or spring
in the usual manner. The mode of operation is as follows:-As soon as the
tension of the warp is sufficiently great to depress. the end of the vibrator d,
and to overcome the spring d2 and the weight 1, the chain or band m is
slackened, thereby releasing the friction pulley c, and allowing a portion of
the warp to be drawn off the warp beam; the spring ds and the weight l³
then tighten the band or chain m to hold the warp beam until the tension of
the warp again becomes sufficiently great to slacken the band or chain mi, as
before described.
Our improvements in machinery for working the drop boxes of looms in
which two or more shuttles are employed is shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. On
referring to Figs. 2, 3, and 6 of the plans attached to the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to us on the Twenty-fourth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-six, it will be seen that o represents a set of hooks,
acted upon by a jacquard card and guided in the plates o', and these hooks are
raised and lowered by the levers n and n', thereby working the shafts or
.heddles in any required succession. Our present Invention consists in the
application of the. mechanism above referred to for working the drop box..
The drop box, marked .p in Figs. 1 and 2, is in this instance shewn with
three compartments, but a greater or less number of compartments may be
employed if required; the drop box is connected to the lever p', shewn in dots
in. Fig. 1, by the rod p. The lever is connected to the lever på by the
link p, and to the other end of the lever på are attached books p³ and. pª:
These hooks are guided in the plates o¹, and they are acted upon when
required by the. jacquard cards, in the same manner as the hooks o, described
in the Specification above referred to. The Drawing shews the lowest com-
partment of the drop box in a line with the shuttle race. When the shuttle in
the middle compartment is required, tho jacquard card acting on the hook o
causes this hook to be brought into the proper position. for being raised at the
next ascent of the lever n; by this means the drop box is lowered sufficiently
to bring the middle compartment in a line with the shuttle race as required.
In like manner, if the uppermost compartment of the drop box is required to
be in a line with the shuttle race, the hook pis, acted upon, and the hook p
remains inactive.
Our-improved taking-up motion consists of the following parts:---The bar g

page_text: bears upon the cloth wound on the taking-up roller g, and rises in the
grooves g. As the cloth accumulates in the ordinary manner, the levers is
jointed to the fulcrum stud s', and bears on the bar g¹; to the lever is
suspended the link s², which is guided below in the brackets, and to which
is fixed the stuil st. The lever ', which is loose on the cross shaft e, is
furnished with a stud t, see Fig. 3, which acts on the vibrating lever t¹; to
this lever is jointed the click or pall t, taking into the ratchet wheel to,
which is provided with retaining palls of the usual construction; to the
ratchet wheel is fixed the pinion t, gearing in the wheel g³, fixed on the
taking-up roller. These parts act in the following inanner:-Every oscillation
of the cross shaft e causes the stud t to raise the end of the lever t' to the
same height, thereby causing the click or pall t to impart motion to the
ratchet wheel t. As soon as the stud t is removed from the end of the lever t¹
the said lever descends until it bears upon the stud st, and as this stud is
gradually raised as the cloth accumulates on the taking-up roller, it is evident
that the amount of motion imparted to the taking-up roller is diminished
exactly in proportion to the diameter of the cloth wound on the beam or roller g.
Our improvements in machinery for communicating motion to looms and
other machines is shewn in Figs. 3 and 4. According to our present improve-
ments, the separate shaft for the driving pulley, referred to in the Specification
of our former Patent, is dispensed with, and the driving pulley marked n³ in
Fig. 3 is mounted loose on the driving shaft a. A small shaft passes through
the driving pulley, one end of which has a hook v, taking on a stud f³, pro-
jecting from the fly wheel a' or other wheel to be driven, and a finger v², by
which the hook v is connected to or disconnected from the stud in the wheel
to be driven. w is a stud, on which is mounted the starting lever p, and
the lever w with the bowls w² and w³, which act on the finger v¹. The
mode of operation is as follows:-The Drawing represents the hook v in
connection with the stud projecting from the wheel to be driven, and the
bowls w and w³ in the positions to allow the finger v¹ to pass between them,
consequently as long as the machine is required to be kept in motion no
alteration takes place in the relative position of the parts.
lever p is depressed, owing to the action of the weft stopper, or from any
other cause, the lever w¹ is raised, thereby bringing the bowl w³ into position
for acting on the finger v¹, so that when the finger comes against this bowl
the small shaft to which the finger is fixed and the hook v are turned partly
round, thereby disconnecting this hook from the stud f* and stopping the
machine. On raising the lever p³ the parts are brought into position for again
starting the machine.
When the starting

page_text: Having thus particularly described the nature of our Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we wish to observe that in our Provisional
Specification we stated that our Invention consisted "in making the skewers
"of shuttles with a recess for the spring to lie in when the cop is being put
"on;" we wish to remark that since filing the said Provisional Specification we
have found that the said alleged improvements are not new or not beneficial,
we therefore make no claim thereto; but what we do claim, is,-
First, supporting the heddle roller shaft of looms in bearings acted upon by
springs, in the manner and for the purposes shewn and described, or any
modification thereof.
Secondly, making the straps to which the heddles are suspended or attached
of vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable elastic or flexible material.
Thirdly, the improved mode of suspending the heddles, when more than four
are employed to one loom, as shewn and described.
Fourthly, the application of the sun and planet motion for working the
picking.motion.and the heddles of looms, as described.
Fifthly, the improved combination of, parts for allowing the yarn to be
drawn off the warp beam, as described.
Sixthly, the improved combination of parts for working the drop boxes of
looms in which two or more shuttles are employed, as described.
Seventhly, regulating the motion of the taking-up motion in proportion to
the increasing diameter of the cloth on the cloth beam, as shewn and described,
or any modification thereof.
And, lastly, the improvements in communicating motion to looms or other
machines, as shewn and described, and particularly mounting the driving
pulley loose on the shaft, to be driven.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edwin Hardon and Joseph Henry, have
. hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirty-first day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW.
Manchester.
EDWIN HARDON. (L.S.)
JOSEPH HENRY. (L.S.)