IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER Looms
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Walter Norton at the Office of
.the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th February
1864.
I, WALTER NORTON, of Clayton, West Huddersfield, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER Looms," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in power looms, whereby
varieties of patterns and changes of fabric may be woven in the same piece
without the aid of a jacquard or engine such as have hitherto been used for
producing similar results, and the weaver has the means of altering and
varying his pattern at pleasure, as hereafter explained. For example, sup-
posing it is required to weave a piece of fabric for any desired number of
picks of weft of plain or tabby weaving, that is, with every alternate warp up
and other alternate warp down, and then to weave a twill during any desired
number of picks of the weft, say, with three warps down and one warp up,
then, to enable a power loom to produce these results when two kinds of
weaving (say plain and twill) are required, as many leaves of heddles (say 4)
are required as if for weaving the twill only; and if three kinds of weaving
are desired to be produced in succession, say, plain, twill, and satin, or other
kinds of weaving, more leaves of heddles would be used, according to the

page_text: number required for the satin or other kinds of weaving. The healds or harness
required to work one class of weaving will in all cases contribute in the
weaving the other class or classes of weaving. When only two kinds of
weaving are required there are attached to each heald two sets of cords in
place of one, so arranged that when one cord is at work the other is slack or
dormant; and if three different kinds of weaving are to be produced three
cords are attached to each leaf of healds, and two of them will remain dormant
whilst one is at work, and so on, as the case may be. When weaving plain
and twill six tappets are used, and are so arranged that when two of the
tappets, are in work for producing plain or tabby weaving, the four tappets
for weaving twill, although rotating, do not act on the harness, because they
are disconnected with the jacks that lift the leaves of heddles, and vice
versa. The changes of weaving are effected from time to time by means of a
vertical rod worked by a cam or other movement, which causes the rod to
move up and down each time the weft is thrown across the piece, and the rod
is so fixed at the top that it can be moved horizontally at the same time that
it is moving vertically at the pleasure of the weaver. On this vertical rod
are attached two projections or catches, and when the rod is moved horizon-
tally by the weaver it acts, by its vertical motion, either going up or down, on
a drum by the catches on the rod coming in contact with the drum, causing it
to turn one way or other, as may be required. The drum has six projections
upon it, but this may be varied. If plain and twill are required, three pro-
jections or wings are fixed on the drum of one form and three of another
alternately; and if three kinds of weaving are required the projections are
arranged accordingly, so that the weaver has the means, according as he
moves the rod, of weaving any one of the three or more kinds of weaving at
pleasure, and during any number of picks of the weft. The connecting rods
attached to the tappets, and which work the jacks, are thrown in or out of
gear as required by turning the drum. The vertical rod (with the projections
or catches) is held by a spring or otherwise at the top, so that when it is
moved forward by the weaver in order to cause it to turn the drum, by the
catches coming in contact with it, the spring draws the rod back to its position,
where it is free to move up and down without coming in contact with the
drum until it is pressed forward by the weaver to turn the drum, and thus
cause the loom to change the kind of weaving, as may be arranged.
Although generally the changes of patterns may advantageously be produced
by hand without stopping the loom, it will be evident that arrangements may
also be made for producing the said changes by the action of the loom. For
instance, if small repeats of pattern are wanted, then the self-acting arrange-

page_text: ment will be most advantageous; but when, say, in the case of weaving
flounced dresses or skirts, where there is the greatest quantity of one class of
weaving, then the hand changes will be most applicable.