CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Hall, of Bury, in the County of
Lancaster, Machine Maker, and James Hobson, of the same Place,
Machinist, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 15th November 1872, and dated the 5th June 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Hall and James
Hobson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 5th June 1872.
We, ROBERT HALL, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker, and JAMES HOBSON, of the same Place, Machinist, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the shedding motion, and it consists in
certain improved arrangements of machinery for raising and lowering
the healds, and for producing a long pattern with a comparatively short
pattern chain. The healds are connected by cords and jacks to a set of

page_text: elbow levers mounted on a stud fixed to the loom side; a corresponding
set of elbow levers mounted on a stud fixed in a rail which moves up
and down is placed under the top set of elbow levers. The rail for
moving the bottom elbow levers up and down is actuated by a crank on
the crank shaft, or other equivalent, acting on a horizontal lever, to
which is jointed the catch for turning the pattern cylinder round; the
pattern chain is provided with pegs or holes which act on the horizontal
arms of the bottom elbow levers.
elbow levers are in line, and the
is varied according to the link of
pattern cylinder, thereby bringing some of the wedges of the bottom.
set of elbow levers to one side, and some to the other side of the wedges
of the top set of elbow levers, consequently when the rail with the
bottom elbow levers rises the top wedges are moved so as to lift or
depress the healds required for the next shed. As the rail descends
again a rod passing through a slot in the top wedges brings all the top
elbow levers again in line.
When the shed is closed all the top
position of the bottom elbow levers
the pattern chain passing over the
In order to produce a long pattern with a comparatively short chain
we make two or more sets of holes or pegs in each pattern card, and we
move the pattern cylinder by a cam with lifts acting on a bar connected
to the lever in which the pattern cylinder revolves.
We also apply a spring to the swing frame to which the lever of the
pattern cylinder is jointed below to prevent injury in case the edge of
the pattern cylinder should be caught by the bottom elbow levers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said Robert Hall and James Hobson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 4th December 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
HALL, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and JAMES
HOBSON, of the same Place, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, 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

page_text: grant unto us, the said Robert Hall and James Hobson, Her special
licence that we, the said Robert Hall and James Hobson, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Robert Hall
and James Hobson, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Robert Hall and James Hobson,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their, or one of our or their hands 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 Robert Hall and James Hobson,
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) :—
This Invention relates to the shedding motion, and it consists in
certain improved arrangements of machinery for raising and lowering
the healds, and for producing a long pattern with a comparatively short
pattern chain. The healds are connected by cords and jacks to a set of
elbow levers mounted on a stud fixed to the loom side; a corresponding
set of elbow levers mounted on a stud fixed in a rail or slide which
moves up and down is placed under the top set of elbow levers. The
bottom elbow levers are moved up and down by a crank on the crank
shaft, or other equivalent acting on the horizontal lever, to which is
jointed the catch for turning the pattern cylinder round; the pattern
chain is provided with pegs or holes which act on the horizontal arms
of the bottom elbow levers. When the shed is closed all the top elbow
levers are in line, and the position of the bottom elbow levers is varied
according to the link of the pattern chain passing over the pattern
cylinder, thereby bringing some of the wedges of the bottom set of
elbow levers to one side, and some to the other side of the wedges of the
top set of elbow levers, consequently when the rail or slide with the
bottom elbow levers rises the top wedges are moved so as to lift or

page_text: depress the healds required for the next shed. As the rail or slide
descends again a rod passing through a slot in the top wedges brings all
the top elbow levers again in line.
In order to produce a long pattern with a comparatively short pattern
chain we make two or more sets of holes or pegs in each pattern card,
and we move the pattern cylinder by a bar with retaining notches con-
nected to the lever in which the pattern cylinder revolves.
We also apply a spring to the swing frame to which the lever of the
pattern cylinder is jointed below to prevent injury in case the edge of
the pattern cylinder should be caught by the bottom elbow levers.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying
two Sheets of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters
marked thereon.
Fig. 1 represents an end view of the principal parts of a loom of the
ordinary construction to which our improvements are applied; Fig. 2 is
a front view of the same; and Figs. 3 and 4 are detached views of parts
of the improved machinery.
;
In Figs. 1 and 2 a is the loom side; b, the top jacks; c, the bottom
jacks; and d, the crank shaft; these and the other parts of the loom
which are not particularly referred to hereafter are made as usual;
e, e, is a set of elbow levers which are mounted on the stud f fixed to
the loom side; the peculiar shape of these elbow levers is shewn best in
Figs. 3 and 4 g, g, is a corresponding set of elbow levers placed under
the elbow levers e, and mounted on the stud h, which passes through
and unites the lower ends of the slides i, and these slides are guided in
slots in the standards , which are fixed to the floor near the loom; the
slides i are also united above by the stud 2, which passes through slots
in the elbow levers e, and by the centre stud ³, which passes through
the elbow levers g. The slides i, with the studs h, 2, 3, and elbow
levers g, are all moved up and down at every revolution of the crank
shaft d by means of the crank pin d', to which the upper end of the
link j is connected; the lower end is jointed to the horizontal lever k;
and this lever is connected to the slide i by the link k¹. To the end of
the lever k is jointed the catch which turns the pattern cylinder 13
partly round, the catch taking on projections from the end of the pattern
cylinder in the usual manner, and each motion of the pattern cylinder

page_text: brings forward a fresh link of the pattern chain m; this pattern chain
may either be made with flat perforated plates, as shewn in Figs. 1
and 2, or with lags and pegs, as will be described hereafter, or other-
wise. When perforated plates are used the under side of the horizontal
arms of the elbow levers 9 must be provided with pegs to take into the
holes of, or to rest upon the plates m. The pattern cylinder is
supported in the swing frame 1, which is jointed below to the lever 1;
the swing frame is drawn upwards against a stop by the spring P.
The object of this spring is to allow the swing frame to yield, and
thereby to prevent injury in case the edge of the pattern cylinder
should be caught when turning round by the bottom elbow levers g.
The pendant arms of the elbow levers e, and the upright arms of
the elbow levers 9 are wedge-shaped, as shewn best in Figs. 3 and 4.
When the slide is up, as shewn in Fig. 1, the stud is in the wider
part of the slots in the elbow levers e, and the horizontal arms thereof
are then at liberty to be raised or lowered according to the position of
the bottom elbow levers g. When the tops of the wedges of the levers g
are clear of the bottom of the wedges of the levers e, as shewn in Fig. 4,
all the levers g are a little to the left of the levers e, but when the pegs
projecting from the horizontal arms of the levers 7 come in contact
with the link m of the pattern chain those pegs that come opposite
holes in the link pass through them, but those pegs that come against
the link are partly raised and move the corresponding wedge to the
right of the wedge on the corresponding lever e. The position of the
elbow levers 9 is determined by the holes and blanks of the pattern
chain in such wise that a part of the wedges of the bottom elbow levers
are a little to the left of the wedges of the top elbow levers, and the
others are to the right of them, as shewn in Fig. 4, and when the slide i
rises the wedges of the levers 9 acting either on the right or left sides
of the wedges of the levers e elevate or depress the healds to which they
are connected according to the pattern required. While the slide i is
rising the stud holds the levers 9 rigid, and when the slide descends
the stud sliding down the slots in the levers e brings them all in line
ready for the next shed, as shewn in Fig. 4.
When the loom is at work every revolution of the crank shaft brings
forward a fresh link of the pattern chain, and produces when required
an alteration in the shed. The pattern chain can be of any convenient
length, and in order to produce a long pattern with a comparatively

page_text: short chain we make two or more sets of holes or pegs in each pattern
card or link, as shewn in Fig. 2, and we move the pattern cylinder /
by means of a cam, so as to bring either row in line with the pegs on
the elbow levers g, but the cylinder is only moved partly round at every
third pick, when there are three rows of holes in the jacquard card.
When a border with two or more patterns is required the cylinder is
turned partly round at every pick, and when the plain part of the fabric
is finished the attendant moves the swing frame A by means of the rod /*
which is jointed to the swing frame A, and the outer end of which is
provided with notches taking on to a bracket ³ fixed to the frame side,
as shewn in Fig. 1, to bring either of the rows of holes in the jacquard
card in line with the pegs on the elbow levers g.
On Sheet 2, Fig. 5 is an end view, and Fig. 6 a front view of part
of a loom of the ordinary construction to which a modification of our
Invention is applied, in this case the elbow levers g are selected by
an endless chain of lags and pegs marked m, and the cylinder 1, around
which the pattern chain passes, is driven from the tappet or weft motion
shaft o.
The parts marked a, b, c, d, d, e, f, g, h, i, i', ³, ³, j, and k¹ are
similar to those above described, but in this arrangement the link j is
jointed to the end of the lever k, whereas in the former case it was
jointed to the centre of the lever, and the cylinder is driven by the
disc n on the tappet or weft motion shaft o; the disc n has two studs
which give motion to the intermittent or star wheel p, and the wheel p¹
fixed to it gears into a similar wheel on the axle of the cylinder 7.
By this arrangement the pegs on the pattern chain are stationary when
the levers g come in contact with them. The horizontal arms of the
elbow levers g act on the pegs on the lags m, to move the selected
levers g to the right hand side of the levers e, while the levers g that
are not acted upon by the said pegs remain to the left; the rise of the
levers 9 moves the levers e to raise or lower the jacks in the manner
above described.
The pattern cylinder revolves on a stud fixed in a slide, which
is supported by two slotted brackets fixed to the loom side, and the
slide is acted upon by the spring, to allow the elbow levers g to
change suddenly, as soon as the points of the wedges are clear of the
wedges of the elbow levers e.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, we declare that we claim,―
First. The improved shedding motion as shewn and described, and
particularly the elbows levers with wedge-shaped arms e and g.
Secondly. The improved mode of varying the position of the jacquard
cylinder to produce a long pattern with a comparatively short pattern
chain.
And lastly. The improved modes of supporting the pattern cylinder,
for the purposes described and shewn.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Hall and James Hobson,
have hereto set our hands and seals, this Second day of December,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
ROBERT HALL. (L.S.)
JAMES HOBSON. (L.S.)