IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVINGARATUS CONNECTEDREWI
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Bullough, Manufacturer, and John Bullough,
Machinist, both of Baxenden, near Accrington, in the County of Lan-
caster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING, AND
Sealed the 5th November 1861, and dated the 14th May 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bullough and
John Bullough at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 14th May 1861.
We, JAMES BULLOUGH, Manufacturer, and JOHN BULLOUGH, Machinist, both
of Baxenden, near Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
The said improvements relate to the weft stopping motion and the self-
acting temples, being especially though not exclusively adapted to looms for
weaving woollen goods.
To work the weft stopping motion we introduce an agent or suitable
apparatus to act on the weft at any intermediate point in the length of the reed
space, but more particularly in the unoccupied dents of the reed between the
lists where more than one piece is being woven at the same time. Or we
work the apparatus, technically called the fork, by making one of its prongs
longer than the others, and thus allow the shuttle to run with more ease

page_text: and certainty without impairing the rest board to the detriment of the running
of the shuttle.
Our improvements in the temple consist of the addition of an extra pointer
at each side of it, and also in working the said temple or pointers where there
is no ta pet shaft, by means of the treddle motion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Bullough and John Bullough in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
BULLOUGH, Manufacturer, and JOHN BULLOUGH, Machinist, both of Baxenden,
near Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said James Bullough and John Bullough, Her special licence that we, the
said James Bullough and John Bullough, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said James Bullough and John Bullough, 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 APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said James Bullough and John Bullough, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 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 James Bullough and John Bullough, 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 said improvements relate to the weft stopping motion and the self-acting

page_text: temples, being especially though not exclusively adapted to looms for weaving
woollen goods.
To work the weft stopping motion we employ as a substitute for the weft
fork one or more agents or instruments which we call weft feelers to act on
the weft at any intermediate part in the length of the reed space within the
warp, one of which feelers is more particularly adapted to work in the
unoccupied dents of the reed between the lists where more than one piece is
being woven at the same time. Each of the said weft feelers is moved up to
allow the traverse of the shuttle, and then allowed to descend upon the weft
and so long as there is a pick of weft or no breakage these movements con-
tinue, but if there is a breakage or no weft, the weft feeler descends lower and
acts upon a small finger attached to the slay or lathe, which finger, as it comes
forward, operates by means of levers and suitable connections on the setting-on
rod and stops the loom. Or we vary the arrangement by causing the
weft feeler to act upon a hooked finger, the hooked part of which
rises when there is a breakage or no weft so as to catch a hooked
lever and cause the stoppage of the loom as the finger and slay move
backwards.
We also work the apparatus technically called the "weft fork" by making
one of its prongs longer than the others and causing the long prong only to
traverso a narrow groove in the rest board; or wo make the fork so that none
of its prongs enter the rest board, and employ a conducting wire to conduct
the weft on to the fork when the slay comes forwards. The said wire is
placed at an angle and passes through a narrow groove in the rest board for
allowing the shuttle to pass when the pick is given. With our improved.
feelers the rest board is perfectly plain and even, and with our improved
weft forks there is simply a narrow groove in the rest board, and thus
the shuttle, whether plain or with wheels, is enabled to run with ease and
certainty.
We place the aforesaid feelers and forks in any desired position, but in wide
looms having no weft break we place them on the side opposite to the setting-
on rod so that when the loom is stopped the shuttle may return to the box on
the setting-on side.
. Our improvements in the temple consist in the addition of an extra pointer
or comb at each side, and also in improved modes of working the said temple
and pointers.
The manner in which our said Invention is to be performed will be clearly
understood by referring to the figures and letters on the accompanying two
Sheets of Drawings.

page_text: .
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a transverse section of the framework
and other parts of a loom having one of our improved weft motions; Fig. 3, a
plan of the weft motion and parts immediately connected with it ;. and Fig. 4,
a plan of a modification of some of the movements.
At the back of the slay and guided by slots or eyes at any part of the reed
space within the warp are one or more agents or weft feelers a, two different.
sizes of which are shewn about full size in Figs. 5 and 6. Each feeler is:
composed of a thin strip of metal or other suitable material and formed with
a projection b, which projects through one of the spaces of the reed c, Figs. 1;.
2, and 3, from back to front. The upper part of the fecler is. connected by.
the wire, rod, chain, or cord d, to the arm or lever e, working on the centre f.
To the lever e is jointed the rod g, connected. at the other end to the. leyer h,
which has an up and down motion imparted to it by the cam or tappet i on:
the tappet shaft k, so as to raise the feeler a to allow the shuttle. to pass from.
one box to the other, and also to allow the feeler to descend upon the weft at
every other pick and still lower when there is no weft or when the weft is:
broken. At the under side of the slay there is a finger working on a pin
or between centres, and on a stud connected to the end frame of the loom.
there is a bent or L lever n, having opposite the finger a projection or notch o;
the other arm of the lever n is connected by a wire chain or rod P' to one
arm of another L lever q, the other arm of which is in contact with the back:
of tlie setting-on rod r. When the projection 6 of the feeler a rests upon the
weft the finger is left to its natural position, and its front part when the slay:
comes forward passes below the projection o, and no stoppage takes place, but
when tho weft is broken, or there is no weft, the feeler descends and pressés.
upon the finger so as to raise the front part sufficiently high to come in contact:
with the projection o, and as the slay comes forward the said finger prishes.the
lever n, which pulls the wire-rod or chain 'p so as to act upon the lever q
which forces the setting-on rod out of its detent, and thereby stops the loom.
at or slightly previous to the terminus of the beat up of the slay..
3
In Fig. 4 we shew another mode of communication between the finger.
and setting-on rod. Opposite the finger there is a lever 'n' working on a stud
connected to the breast beam or other part of the framework, having á
notch or projection o' for the finger to act against. The. other end of the lever
is connected to a chain p¹, which is guided by the small pulley q', and attached 3
to one end of the wire or rod, which is fastened at the other end to à bént:
levers, one arm being in contact with the setting-on rod, which rod is forced
out of its detent when the lever is operated upon by the finger l
In Figs. 7, 8, and 9, we represent a modification of the foregoing arrange-

page_text: ment. The feeler is of the same form, and motion given to it in the same
manner as that before described, but the finger is hooked at the front instead
of being plain. The finger is shewn at u and the hook at v. Opposite to the
hooked part of the finger there is a hooked lever w fixed to the shaft a, which
extends along the front of the loom, and carries behind the setting-on rod y
a bent lever . The hooked lever w is of such length, and placed in such a
position in relation to the hooked finger, that when the said hooked finger is
not acted upon by the feeler it passes below the hooked lever, and no stoppage
of the loom takes place, but when the feeler presses upon the back of the
finger the hooked part rises sufficiently high to catch the hooked lever, and
give motion to the shaft æ, when the slay and finger.move backwards, and
thereby cause the beut lever z to force the setting-on rod y out of its detent,
and stop the loom."
In some cases it may be advisable to raise the projection of the feeler above
the verge of the cloth or fabric when the reed is beating up the pick of weft.
In Figs. 10, 11, and 12 we represent a mode of accomplishing this object.
The top of the feeler a is formed with an inclined projection c, and working
on a pivot in the reed cap d there is a lever e formed at the end f, so as to
leave a space between that end of the lever and the reed cap. At the end f
of the lever there is a spring 9 for the purpose of keoping the space open
sufficiently for the inclined projection c to pass through and allow the feeler
to descend upon the finger when there is no weft. The other end of the lever e
is attached by a chain or band h to a strong spring i, connected to the frame-
work for the purpose of pulling that end of the lever, and forcing in-the other
when the reed has nearly arrived at the beat up. If there is no deficiency of
weft the feeler does not descend upon the finger, and part of the incline of the
projection at the top is above the end of the lover e, so that when that end
advances to the reed cap it shall act upon the incline, and raise the feeler
above the verge of the cloth or fabric at the time of beating up.
In Figs. 13 and 14 we represent a modified arrangement of our improved
weft feeler. That part of the said feeler which passes from back to front
between the dents of the reed, and rests on the pick of weft is shewn at le; it
has a leg , having at the bottom the foot or projection-m. The top part of
the feeler is jointed to one or two strips n of metal or other inaterial in
such manner that when the part & rests on the weft the leg is broughǝ
forward so that its foot may come in contact with a support fixed to the slay,
and thus prevent any undue strain upon the weft; but if the weft thread has
broken, or there is no weft, the leg moves baek by its own gravity, as shewn
by the dotted lines, and places the foot out of reach of the support, and thereby

page_text: allows the strip or strips n to descend upon one end of a plain or hooked
finger, as shewn in Figs. 2 and 7, which finger is made the means of stopping
the loom, as before described.
We may here remark, that in all the feelers the projection which passes
through the reed space has on the under side a small notch or recess as at o
Figs. 5, 6, and 13, to allow the weft thread to be held without-the possibility
of escape.
The aforesaid weft feelers are made of any size or strength according to the
fabric to be woven; and although we have described only a few modes of
transmitting their action to the setting-on rod, it is evident that a great
variety of combinations of levers and rods may be employed for the same
purpose..
As before stated, the weft feelers may be placed in any part of the reed
space within the warp, but in woollen or other looms where there is no weft
break the feeler should be placed at the opposite end to the setting-on rod or
strap fork, in order that when the loom is stopped the shuttle may return to
the setting on side. Thus it will be perceived that the feeler is to stop the
loom instead of the ordinary weft fork, but it has over it the advantage of
requiring no space cut out of the rest board, taking no space on the width of
the slay, and not being in the way when the shuttle is taken out or, put into
the box.
Our improvements in the apparatus technically called the "weft fork"
consist in making one of the prongs of the fork longer than the others, and
causing the long prong only to pass through a narrow groove in the rest
board of the slay; or we make the fork so that its prongs clear the rest board,
and employ a conducting wire to conduct the weft to the fork when the slay
comes forward. These improved forks are placed at either end outside the
reed space, but for woollen. or other looms having no. weft break we place
them at the opposite end to the setting-on rod. or strap fork..
Figs. 15 and 16, Sheet 2, represent full-sized views of our improved weft
fork, with one long prong; Figs. 17 and 18, Sheet 2, are end and front
views of part of a loom, having the fork at the opposite end to the setting-on.
rod, and also one of the, modes of causing the loom to stop when the weft.
thread breaks, or..when there is no weft; and Fig. 19 is a plan of part of the
same. The fork forins one end of a lever, having the other end hooked, and
works on a centre pin in a rod exactly in the same manner as at present in.
use. And we also employ the same kind of catch lever and tappet on the
tappet shaft, but we vary the mode of communicating the movement to the
setting-on rod when it is a great distance from the fork. In Figs. 17 and 18.

page_text: he fork is shewn at a; it vibrates on a pin in the ordinary rod b, which is
adjusted and fixed in the lever c, working on a stud or bearing fixed to the
cross beam d, which lever supplies the place of the ordinary weft lever, and is
acted upon in the same manner. In front of the lever c there is a bent
lever e, also shewn in Fig. 19 which lever is connected by the wire or rod f
to another bent lever g, one of the arms of which is behind the setting-on
rod h. When the weft breaks, or there is no weft, the hook is caught as the
slay comes forward by the catch lever, and brings forward the lever c, which
presses against one arm of the lever é, and causes the other arm to pull the
wire or rod f and lever g, which forces the setting-on rod out of its detent,
and stops the loom.
In Figs. 20 and 21 we represent full-sized views of our improved weft fork,
the prongs of which are not intended to enter the rest board of the slay; and
in Fig. 22 an end elevation of part of a loom having the said fork at the side
of the loom opposite to the setting-on rod, and also the conducting wire for
conducting: the weft 'on to the prongs of the fork. In Fig. 22 the fork is
shewn at i; it forms part of a hooked lever, and operates upon the setting-on
rod precisely in the same manner as that described for Figs. 17, 18, and 19;
but as the prongs of the fork do not enter the rest board, it is necessary that
the weft should be conducted so as to come in contact with them when the
slay comes forward. For this purpose we employ a conducting wire k fixed
to a standard on the breast beam, and also to the framework of the loom,
there being narrow groove in the rest board through which the wire passes.:
The said wire is placed at such an angle that when the pick is given it is
below the rest board, and offers no obstruction to the shuttle, and when the
slay comes forward it conducts the weft by its inclined position to the prongs:
of the fork, which acts in the usual manner. In the Figure the conducting
wire is shewn adapted to a loom having the sword arms worked from below;
when they are worked from above the angle of the wire must be different, but
in all cases the position and angle of the wire is made to suit the rest board
whatever way it may be worked. When the weft forks as well as the weft
feelers are placed at the opposite side of the loom to that of the setting-on rod,
the shuttle will stop at the setting-on end in the generality of woollen looms,
in consequence of their great width and slow speed, without, the necessity of a
break, and thereby make the loom more easy to handle, and avoid the
necessity of placing the thread of weft at the front of the weft fork, to prevent
its being pulled off in the act of setting the loom on.
Our improvements in the temple consist in employing two pointers at each
end instead of one, which double pointers are made to act in such a manner that

page_text: both have sometimes hold of the cloth or fabric, but are never both out of the
cloth at the same time, and also in working the rollers of the temple by means
of the healds, staves, or treddles. In Fig. 23 the two combs or pointers at
one end are shewn at a, b; .they work on a.pin as a centre, and. are connected
by rods c, d, to levers e, f, the ends of which have bowls g in contact with: the
tappets h on the tappet shaft i, which tappets are so formed as to give move-
ment to the combs or pointers either one .immediately after the other, or to
allow.a dwell as desired. The outside pointer is shewn enlarged in Fig. 24;
the toothed end k is jointed to the lever f, and at the top there is a spring l
which enables the comb or pointer to yield either way, and adapt itself to the
oscillations or vibrations of the cloth very common in woollen looms, and the
teeth of the pointer or comb are inclined laterally towards the side of the
cloth, thereby causing a slight distension on entering it. The inside comb or
pointer may, when desired, be made to swivel in the same manner. In order
to turn the rollers of the temple we pass a band round the ends of the rollers
and over a pulley m,. Fig. 23, working on a pin in the lever n, which is
supported: on a pin in the bearing o, which lever has a weight p' to keep the
band in proper tension. On the pin 7, as a centre, works another lever r,
having a catch or ratchet.s gearing into the ratchet wheel t fixed to the
pulley m. The lever r is attached to the healds or staves, and rises up and
down with them, thereby. moving the catch forwards and backwards, and
turning the ratchet wheel and pulley at the speed required to give a proper
motion to the rollers of the temple. Or, instead of working the catch of the
ratchet wheel by means of the healds or staves, we vary the arrangement, as
shewn in Fig. 25, in which the lever u carrying the catch vis acted upon by
a tappet 'on the tappet shaft x.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be understood
that we claim as our Invention, and which to the best of our knowledge and
belief has not been hitherto used within the realm,―
First, the employment to each loom of one or more thin strips of metal or
other material, each having a projection, which passes through the spaces of
the reed for the purpose of causing the stoppage of the loom when there is no
weft; or when the weft is broken.
Secondly, the employment in weft stopping motions of an improved weft
fork with one-prong longer than the others, and also the short fork with the
conducting wire.
Thirdly, the employment in temples for looms of an extra comb or pointer
at each side of the cloth, the mode of giving them motion by means of levers

page_text: and tappets, and also the inclined positions of the teeth of the combs or
pointers.
Fourthly, the improved modes of giving motion to the rollers of the temple.
And, fifthly, the several combinations of parts in connection with the weft
motions and temples, as all such improvements are herein described and
illustrated in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Bullough and John Bullough,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named James Bullough and
John Bullough, in the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS Huones,
17, Cross Street,
Manchester.
JAMES BULLOUGH. (L.S.)
JOHN BULLOUGH.
(L.S.)