IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas William Helliwell, of Brighouse, in the
County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
Sealed the 19th November 1867, and dated the 24th May 1867..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas William Helliwell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th May 1867.
..I, THOMAS WILLIAM HELLIWELL, of Brighouse, in the County of York,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as
follows:-
I employ an improved arrangement of mechanism by which the weft stop
motion is used in connection with wheeled shuttles. I cut a groove in the
shuttle board for the fork to work in, as is done for the ordinary fly shuttle,
in which groove I place a plate covered with leather, wood, or other substance,
which plate is fixed to a short rod which goes through or on the back of the
shuttle board, and is worked by means of springs and an inclined plane, or
by an eccentric or tappet on the loom shaft; this plate rises level with the

page_text: top of the shuttle board, and fills up the groove for the shuttle to run easily
over it, and falls to allow the fork to act upon the weft; or I place a metal or
wood block covered with leather or other substance of which the shuttle
board may be made in the said groove, leaving only on each side of the side
block sufficient space for the point of the fork to work in. I work the
hammer from the loom shaft by means of a tappet as on the ordinary weft
motion, but I make the hammer with a joint in its length working upon a
centre, and the lower part of which has an arm to work a throwing-off lever
or a rod with cranked ends or pins. thereon which throw off the strap and
stop the loom. The pile I fix to the breast beam as a fixture, allowing only
motions for setting purposes; I fix the weft motion at either or both ends of
the loom as may be required, the plate being raised by means of levers on
the back of the shuttle board, and the hammers connected together when
worked at both ends of the loom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas William Helliwell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WILLIAM HELLIWELL, of Brighouse, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give. and grant unto me, the said
Thomas William Helliwell, Her special license that I, the said Thomas William
Helliwell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas William Helliwell, my executors, administrators, and assign's,
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 APPARATUS CONNECTED THERE-
WITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas William
Helliwell, 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

page_text: was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Pate: t
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas William Helliwell, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 consists in an improved arrangement of mechanism for
enabling the weft stop motion to be efficiently used in looms having wheeled
shuttles for the purpose of stopping the loom when there is breakage or
absence of weft, which Invention will be clearly understood by the following
particular description thereof, reference being had to the figures and letters
on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation with
part in section, and Fig. 2 a plan of part of a loom provided with.my
improvements; Fig. 3, a detached view of some of the parts, and Figs. 4
and 5 are views of a modification of one of the details.
a represents a portion of one of the end frames of the loom; 6, the lathe
or batten; c, the reed; d, one of the lathe swords; e, the breast beam; f; the
tappet shaft; g, the hammer lever; h, the hammer hook; and i, j, the weft
fork and hook.
'
In the shuttle board at the top of the lathe I cut a groove for the points of
the fork i to pass through when the lathe comes forward for the beat up the
same as for the ordinary fly shuttle, in which groove. I place a metal plate k,
the top of which is covered with a strip of leather, wood, or other suitable
material and the bottom fixed to the rod m jointed to the lever n, o, working
on a stud in a bracket fixed to the lathe b. To the bottom of the lathe is
attached the spiral spring p, which unless prevented holds the arm n close up
to the bottom of the lathe, and causes the plate and strip to fill up the
groove and maintain the top of the strip level with the shuttle board for the
shuttle to run easily over it when the pick is given. To a bracket fixed to
the end frame of the loom near the weft fork or to the breast beam I fix an
arm or projection q, having its front end inclined for acting as the lathe comes
forward on the arm in order to depress the arm n, rod m, and plate and
strip k, l, and thereby open the groove for the passage of the weft fork.
The weft fork and hook are jointed to the rod r fitting a hole in the
head of the pin s fitted to the brackett fixed to the breast beam e, there being
screws for holding the parts firm after the fork has been adjusted to.its proper
position. To the boss of the hammer lever 9 is cast or fixed an arm u and

page_text: the boss jointed to the lever v, w, jointed to the bracket a fixed to the under
side of the breast beam, there being on the arm va stop y, against which the
hammer lever is held by means of the spring 2, and vibrating motion is given
to the lever v, w, and hammer lever g by. the' tappet a¹ on the tappet shaft f.
On the under side of the breast beam there is a lever 6' having its end c
behind the stopping and setting-on rod d', and in the middle of the lever there
is a screw e¹, which can be adjusted and fixed by the nuts f¹.
'
When the loom is working the tappet a¹ gives vibrating motion to the
lever v, w, and hammer lever g, and if there is no breakage or absence of weft
the hook ; is raised by the weft out of reach of the hammer hook h, thereby pre-
venting any stoppage of the loom, but when there is no weft the hook j catches
the hammer hook hand maintains the arm u in a horizontal position opposite
the screw e', the spring z yielding for the purpose, and as the tappet a¹ continues
to raise the arm w of the lever v, w, the arm v moves back to the position
shewn in Fig. 8, and with it the arm u, which then comes in contact with the
end of the screw e¹ and forces back the lever 6', which in its turn forces the
stopping and setting-on rod d' out of its detent and causes the stoppage of
the loom.
I employ the weft motion at either or both ends of the loom as may be
required, the plates and strips being raised by means of levers at the back of
the lathe, and when there is a weft motion at both ends of the loom the
Instead of the single wide
hammers must be worked by opposite tappets.
groove in the top of the lathe I employ, when desired, a metal or wooden
block covered with leather or other material, and leave at each side sufficient
space for a single prong of the fork to pass through, as shewn in Figs. 4 and 5,
in which g¹ represents the block, and h¹ the spaces for the prongs.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed; I desire it to be understood
that I claim,-
First, the metal plate k with its strip of leather, wood, or other material,
and the lever and parts connected with them for filling up the groove in the
shuttle board for the shuttle to run easily over it, and also the arm or projection q
for depressing the plate and strip and opening the groove to make a passage
for the weft fork.
Secondly, the pin and bracket s, t, for enabling the weft fork to be stationary
after its position has been properly adjusted.
1 And, thirdly, the arm u in connection with the hammer lever 9 and the
connection of the said arm and lever to the lever v, w, with its stop and spring

page_text: for enabling the parts when the weft is entire to work as one lever, but when
the weft is broken or absent to yield and bring forward the arm u and cause
the stoppage of the loom, as all such improvements are herein described and
illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas William Helliwell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
THOMAS WILLIAM HELLIWELL. (L.S.)
THOMAS WILLIAM HELLIWELL. (L.S.)