IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Nichols, of Pendleton, in the County of
Lancaster, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 23rd October 1860, and dated the 27th April 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Nichols at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th April
1860.
I, JOHN NICHOLS, of Pendleton, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to various arrangements of mechanism for stopping
the loom when the shuttle is not properly boxed, or when it happens to be on
the wrong side, and consists in having a stop on each side of the loom, inde-
pendent of each other, which will always stop the loom if the shuttle does not
enter its proper box, whether the swell on the opposite side be moved or
not.
In one arrangement the stop rod and frogs are dispensed with, and in their

page_text: stead I employ a lever on each side of the loom, working on a fulcrum on
each lathe sword, or upon the lathe itself. The upper ends of the levers are
in contact with the swells of the shuttle boxes, and their other ends are
connected by straps or other suitable means to lever catches, each of which
works on a stud fixed to a break for acting, when required, upon its corres-
ponding fly wheel, the said lever catches being raised by the swells when the
shuttle is in its proper place, and lowered when the box is empty. The inner
face of the break is mounted with leather, between which and the metal is a
piece of india-rubber or other elastic material which prevents violent concussion
by not allowing the full power of the break to act too suddenly. On the
tappet or other second motion shaft I fix two plain wheels, on each of which
is a hook or catch so placed as to come in contact with one of the lever catches
when the swell in connection with it does not raise it, thereby drawing the
breaks against the fly wheels and stopping the loom. Each plain wheel on
the second motion shaft is furnished with a cam so as to lower one of the
lever catches when the shuttle should be put in on the opposite side, thereby
holding the swell firmly on the box, and thus preventing the shuttle from
being entered on the wrong side. The said cams also bring down the lever
catches to such a position that the hooks on the plain wheels are certain to
come in contact with them and thereby stop the loom if the shuttle did not
enter its proper box.
In other arrangements or modifications I make the stops independent of
each other by employing a stop rod composed of two parts, and acting on each
part at its own side only. Or, when frogs are used, I connect them with the
tappet or second motion shaft in such manner that when the shuttle is at the
right-hand side of the loom the frog will be moved out of the way on the left
side, and vice versa.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Nichols in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
October 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
NICKOLS, of Pendleton, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Nickols, Her special licence that I, the said John Nickols, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Nickols,
my 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," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Nickols,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
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 John Nickols, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to certain arrangements of mechanism for stopping
the loom when the shuttle is not properly boxed, or when it happens to be on
the
wrong side.
In one arrangement the stop rod and frog are dispensed with, and at each
side of the loom a stop is employed independent of each other, so that the loom
may be stopped if the shuttle does not enter its proper box, whether the swell
on the opposite side be moved or not.
In another arrangement I make the stops independent of each other by
employing a stop rod composed of two parts, and acting on each part at its
own side only. And also when frogs are used I connect them with the tappet
or second motion shaft in such a manner that when the shuttle is at the right-
hand side of the loom the frog will be moved out of the way on the left side,.
and vice versa.
The two last arrangements are so simple and evident as to require no
diagrams of illustration, and the first arrangement will be clearly understood
by referring to the figures and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
in which Figs. 1 and 2 are front and end elevations, and Fig. 3. a plan of the
framing and some of the working parts of a loom having the first part of my

page_text: improvements attached, and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, are views of detached
parts.
As before stated, in this arrangement the stop rod and frog are dispensed
with, and in their stead I employ a lever a on each side of the loom, working
on the fulcrum bon each lathe sword. The upper ends of the said levers are
in contact with the swells c of the shuttle boxes, and their other ends are
connected by straps d, or other suitable means, to lever catches e, working on
pins or studs f in the levers g, fixed to the shaft h, which works in bearings
in the end frames of the loom. At one end of the shaft h is fixed the brake i
for acting, when required, upon its corresponding fly wheel, and at the other
end is the lover and spring k, for pulling back the brake. The catch ends of
the lever catches c are raised by the swells c when the shuttle is in its proper
place, and lowered when the shuttle box is empty. The inner face of the
brake is formed of leather, between which and the metal are placed one or
more pieces of india-rubber or other clastic material, which prevent violent
concussion by not allowing the brake to act too suddenly. On the tappet
shaft m, or other second motion shaft, I fix two plain wheels n, on each of
which is a hook o, opposite cach other. The hooks are placed in line with the
lever catches, so that each hook can come in contact with its corresponding
lever catch, when the latter is not raised by the swell in communication with
it. As the tappet shaft revolves the hook pushes back the lever catch with
which it is in contact, and by slightly turning the shaft h forces the brako
against the fly wheel and stops the loom. In order to prevent the shuttle from
being entered on the wrong side or in the wrong box, 1 place on each plain
wheel on the tappet or second motion shaft an internal cam p, Figs. 4 and 6,
and on each lever catch a pin or bowl q. of such diameter as to fit the groove
of the cam, so that as the cam revolves it may lower its corresponding lever
catch, which pulling up the strap d, presses the lever a against the swell, and
holds it in the interior of the box, thus preventing the entrance of the shuttle.
The said cams also bring down the lever catches to such positions that tho
hooks on the plain wheels are certain to come in contact with them and
thereby stop the loom if the shuttle does not enter its proper box.
Having now described the nature of any said Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly understood that
I do not confine myself to the precise details herein set forth, but I claim as
my Invention, and which, to the best of my knowledge and belief, has not
been hitherto used within the realm, a separate stopping motion for each side
of the loom, and arrangements for preventing the shuttle from entering on the

page_text: wrong side, as all such improvements are berein described and illustrated in
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Nickols, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named John Nickols, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.
JOHN NICHOLS. (L.B.)