CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Berrisford, of Stockport, in the County of
Chester, Machinist, and William Ainsworth, of the same Place, Over-
looker, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 28th April 1863, and dated the 10th November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Berrisford and
William Ainsworth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 10th November 1862.
We, SAMUEL BERRISFORD, of Stockport, in the County of Chester,
Machinist, and WILLIAM AINSWORTH, of the same Place, Overlooker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
Our improvement is applicable, first, to looms in which moveable shuttle
boxes are employed, and it consists in the following improved combination of
machinery for actuating the shuttle boxes:-A pulley is mounted on a stud fixed
at the bottom part of the framing of the loom, and under the shuttle boxes; this
pulley is connected to the shuttle boxes by means of a chain, or in any other
convenient manner. This pulley has a backward and forward intermittent
motion given to it (for the purpose of raising or lowering the shuttle boxes)
by means of steps or projections placed on the sides of the pulley, which is
actuated by means of a double-pronged fork, suspended above the pulley at

page_text: the extreme end of the horizontal arm of a bell-crank lever, which lever
causes the fork to rise and fall every alternate pick of the loom by means of
an eccentric on the tappet shaft. This vertical motion of the double-pronged
fork is for the purpose of taking hold of steps on each side of the pulley, and
causing it to revolve (when permitted to do so by the pattern chain and levers
connected therewith) as far backward or forward as will be required to bring
any particular, shuttle into use. The double-pronged fork has also a lateral
motion given to it, which motion is governed by a. pattern chain working in
connection with a horizontal lever (placed parallel with the horizontal arm of
the bell-crank lever); one end of this lever is connected to the double-pronged
fork; and it is caused to move laterally as far as there are steps on the
pulley by means of a swell fixed on the eccentric, which swell comes into
contact with the lever just as the fork is beginning to fall, and leaves it just as
the fork is beginning to rise.. The other end of this lever is attached to a
vertical rod in such a manner as to impart an up-and-down motion to it. The
top part of this rod moves in front of a fixed bracket, placed at the back end
and near the top of the frame of the loom. In this bracket are placed as
many square headed needles as there are shuttles to be used. The square
parts of these needles rest on a ledge, and the round parts pass through holes
made for them in their frame; they project as far through as will admit of
spiral or other springs to be attached to them, for the purpose of causing them
to recover their position when a change of shuttle takes place. In front, and
opposite the points of the needles, is a cylinder which is mounted on the
vertical arm of the bell-crank lever; round this cylinder is carried backward
or forward an endless chain, composed of strips of any suitable material,
connected together by rings or in any other convenient way. In these strips
or cards, and lengthways thereof, are cut slots as long as will admit all the
points of the needles in the frame to pass freely through when no change of
shuttle is required; on the outside of these cards are cut indentations for the
purpose of keeping in their place when wrapt round small strips of tin or any
other suitable material, which strips of tin will intercept any of the needles
that may be selected, and prevent them passing into the cylinder. The
needles so prevented from entering the cylinder will be pressed forward; and
the square part will enter a diagonal' groove in the vertical-rod during the
time the rod is lifted up, and will. prevent the vertical rod from falling to its
lowest point at any elevation indicated by the needles last-brought into use.
The vertical rod being thus intercepted, will cause the double-pronged fork to
fall opposite the step that will bring the required shuttle into use by the needle
so pressed forward. The needle last pressed forward will remain in its place

page_text: and continue to prevent the vertical rod from falling so long as the pattern
that is being woven may require that particular shuttle. The needles are
retained in their places till another change is required by means of a retaining
catch, which falls into a V-shaped groove when the needle is pressed forward.
On the top of the square end of the needles are provided small shoulders,
which left the retaining catch as the needle is being pressed forward, and
allows the one last retained to escape, and takes hold of the one last pressed
forward.
Our second improvement consists in connecting the machinery by which
the healds are worked to the machinery above described for working the
shuttle boxes. In performing this part of our Invention we apply adjustable
studs to the step pulley above referred to, and these studs act upon a lever or
levers connected to the pattern chain or other mechanism employed for
working the healds, and move it so as to produce the pattern required.
The third part of our Invention consists in an improved combination of
machinery for letting the yarn off the warp beam. Above the warp beam is a
rod supported in elbow levers, and a second rod bears on these levers; the
warp passes over the first rod, and to the second rod the chain for weighting
the warp beam is connected. When the warp is too tight, the friction chain
is slackened to let off the requisite quantity of warp.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Berrisford and William Ainsworth in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
BERRISEORD, of Stockport, in the County of Chester, Machinist, and WILLIAM
AINSWORTH, of the same Place, Overlooker, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, 'Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Samuel Berrisford and William Ainsworth, Her special license that
we, the said Samuel Berrisford and William Ainsworth, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Samuel Berrisford
and William Ainsworth, 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,

page_text: 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 POR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Samuel Berrisford and William Ainsworth, 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 Samuel Berrisford and William
Ainsworth, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say):-
The nature of our Invention consists in certain improved combinations of
machinery for actuating the shuttle box of looms in which two or more
shuttles are employed, and for working the healds.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an end view of a loom to which our improvements are applied;
Figure 2 is a plan; Figures 3 and 4 are elevations of parts of the same.
a is the crank shaft; b, the tappet shaft; c, the lay; c', the lay swords; c³,
the swing shaft, to which the lay swords are connected; d is the drop box, con-
taining in this instance four compartments for shuttles, but a greater or less
number may be used; these and all the other parts of the loom, which are not
shewn in the Drawing or not particularly referred to hereafter, are made in the
usual manner. A pulley e is mounted on a stud fixed at the bottom part of
the framing of the loom and under the drop shuttle box d; this pulley is
connected to the drop box by means of the chains e¹ and e, and the rod d¹,
or in any other convenient manner. The pulley e has a backward and for-
ward intermittent motion given to it for the purpose of raising or lowering
the shuttle box d,. by means of steps or projections f and f' placed on the
sides of the pulley e; these projections are acted upon by means of a double-
pronged fork g suspended above the pulley e, and jointed to the extreme end
of the horizontal arm of the bell-crank lever h, which lever causes the fork 9
to rise and fall at every alternate pick of the loom by means of the eccen-
tric b' on the tappet shaft b. The double-pronged fork g in rising takes hold
of the steps ff, on each side of the pulley e, and causes it to revolve (when

page_text: permitted to do so by the pattern chain i passing around the cylinder i at the
end of the vertical arm of the elbow lever h, and levers connected there-
with), as for backward or forward as will be required to bring any particular
shuttle into use. The double-pronged fork 9 has also a lateral motion given
to it, which motion is governed by the pattern chain i, acting, when required,
on the horizontal lever k placed parallel with the horizontal arm of the bell-
crank lever h; one end of this lever- k is connected to the double-pronged
fork g, by the stud k¹, fixed in the lever k, taking into a projection from the
fork g, which is caused to move laterally, as far as there are steps on the
pulley e, by means of the swell be fixed on the eccentric 6', which swell comes
into contact with the bowl of the lever k, just as the fork g is beginning to
fall, and leaves it just as the fork is beginning to rise. The other end of the
lever gives motion to the small elbow lever 1, to one arm of which is
attached a vertical rod m, which has thus an up-and-down motion imparted
to it. The top part of this rod moves in front of a fixed bracket n, placed
at the back and near the top of the frame of the loom. In this bracket are
placed as many square-headed needles as there are compartments in the
drop box d. The square parts of these needles rest on a ledge of the
bracket n, and the round parts pass through holes made for them in the same;
they project as far through as will admit of spiral or other springs to be
attached to them, for the purpose of causing them to recover their position
when they have been pushed forward by the chain i to produce a change in
the position of the shuttle box. In front and opposite the points of the
needles o is the cylinder i', which (as above stated) is mounted in the vertical
arm of the bell-crank lever h; around this cylinder is carried backward or
forward the endless chain i, composed of strips of metal or any suitable
material, connected together by rings or in any other convenient. way, as
shewn in Figure 5. In these strips or cards, and lengthways thereof, are
cut slots sufficiently long to admit all the points of the needles o, as shewn
in the top link of Figure 5, when no change of shuttle is required; on
the outside of these cards are cut indentations for the purpose of keeping
in their places, when wrapt around them, small strips of tin, or any other
suitable material, as shewn at i, which strips of tin will intercept any
of the needles that may be selected, and prevent them passing into the
cylinder. The needles so prevented from entering the cylinder will be pressed
forward, and the square part will enter a diagonal groove in the vertical
rod m, during the time the rod is lifted up, and will prevent the vertical rod
from falling to its lowest point, the elevation at which it is held up depending

page_text: upon the needle last brought into operation. The vertical rod m being thus
intercepted in its descent will cause the double-pronged fork g to fall opposite
the steps ff, that will bring the required shuttle into use at the next rise of
the fork g, by the needle so pressed forward. The needle last pressed forward
will remain in its place, and continue to prevent the vertical rod m from
falling, so long as the pattern that is being woven may require that particular
shuttle. The needles are retained in their places till another change is
required by means of the retaining catch o², which falls into a V-shaped
groove when the needle is pressed forward. On the top of the square end
of the needles are small shoulders, which lift the retaining catch as the needle
is being pressed forward, and allows the one last retained to escape, and takes
hold of the one last pressed forward. The chain i may either pass round the
cylinder in the same direction, as now customary, or in order to reduce
the length of the chain it may be moved to and fro in the following manner:
-The chain is taken under the stud t projecting from the cam t, which is
loose on the fulcrum stud of the bell-cranked lever h. Both ends of the
chain are fixed to the stud t; the barrel i¹ is now supposed to be acted upon
by the top catch t*, when the left-hand side of the chain i has been tightened
by the rotation of the barrel i¹, the stud t and cam t¹ are turned partly round,
thus bringing the cam t¹ against the lower end of the spring link t³, the upper
end of which is jointed to the lower catch t³. When this catch is pushed
upwards by the action of the cam t¹, the cylinder i¹ is moved in the reverse
direction, and draws back the chain i, by this means a pattern chain of half
the usual length is sufficient for producing most designs. At every revolution
of the tappet shaft 6 the cam 63 acts on the break lever p, which raises the
break p¹ off the pulley e³, thereby setting the pulley e at liberty to be moved
round by the fork g, when it is requisite to change the position of the drop
box d; the drop box is counterbalanced by the weight q.
Our second improvement consists in connecting the machinery by which
the healds are worked to the machinery, above described, for working the
shuttle boxes. In performing this part of our Invention we apply adjustable
studs to the step pulley e above referred to, and these studs act upon a lever
connected to the barrel of the pattern chain, or other mechanism employed for
working the healds, and moves it into a different position, for bringing other
rows of pegs, tappets, or other equivalents into operation to produce the
pattern required.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention and described the manner
of performing the same, we declare that we claim,—

page_text: First, the improved combination of machinery shewn and described, for
actuating the shuttle boxes of looms, in which two or more shuttles are
employed, and particularly the step pulley e.
Secondly, we claim the arrangement of parts for reversing the direction of
motion of the cylinder i¹ and pattern chain i.
Thirdly, the retaining catch o¹ for holding the needles, as shewn and
described.
Fourthly, the improved mode of constructing the pattern chains, as shewn
in Figure 5.
And, lastly, the combination of the step pulley e, and parts acting in
combination therewith, for working the healds of looms.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel Berrisford and William
Ainsworth, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of
May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three.
SAM. BERRISFORD. (L.S.)
WM. AINSWORTH.
(L.S.)
SAM. BERRISFORD. (L.S.)
WM. AINSWORTH.
(L.S.)