CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS, AND IN HAND LOOMB FOR WEAVING PLAIN AND FIGURED FABRICS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
WELLS, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and
SAMUEL ECCLES, of the same place, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifth day of January, in the first year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Wells and Samuel Eccles, Her especial license, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said William Wells and Samuel Eccles,
our exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as we, the said William
Wells and Samuel Eccles, our exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time.
agree with, and no other, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS, AND IN HAND LOOMB
FOR WEAVING PLAIN AND FIGURED FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that we, the said William Wells and Samuel Eccles, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention, and in

page_text: what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
William Wells and Samuel Eccles, do hereby declare that the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is
particularly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed,
and the following explanation thereof, that is to say:-
Figure 1 is a front view of the loom, with the Jaquard in section.
Figure 2, a side view of the loom.-N.B. The same marks of reference lead
to the same parts in each view of the Drawings.-A, the cast-iron framework
of a common power loom, such as are in use for weaving light fabrics. B, the
first motion crank shaft and crank wheel; C, the tappett shaft; D, the lay;
E, the Jaquard or mounting. F, beams fixed in the building (or they may
be attached to the loom) for the purpose of supporting the Jaquard. G, the
grife or knifeboard of the Jaquard; H, the cumber board; I, the lingers or
leads; K, the strap and spring lever which puts the loom in and out of
motion; L, the taking-up motion, cloth beam, &c.
Be it understood that the Jacquard and the ordinary methods of making
the above machinery forms no part of our Invention; but we have here shewn
them in order to enable us to explain the various mechanical arrangements
(hereafter described) which forms the principle of our improvements, that is
to say:-
crank wheel B; M, an adjustable s
The centre of the lever N is at B;
(a) is a stud placed in the arm of the
connecting rod, rising to the main lever N.
the short end of the said lever has two arms, which take hold of the rod c at
the points 1 and 2, Figure 2nd. At the same points are also two iron links d;
the lower ends of these links take hold of the studs (e), which are fixed in the
grife or knifeboard G, thus causing the said grife or knifeboard to be raised 8
and depressed alternately at every revolution of the crank shaft B. In order to
compensate for the weight of the knifeboard and the weight of the lingers or
leads, we use what we term the balance weights O. These balance weights
are adjustable on the levers P; the said levers hang loose on studs at e, e.
The cords are then attached to the ends of the levers P, and passing nearly 3
once round the serowl or excentric pulleys Q, which are fixed to each end of
the tumbling shaft R), are then made fast. Two small pulleys 9 are also placed
upon the tumbling shaft R; to these pullies are fastened two straps h, which
tako hold of the rod c at the points 1 and 2. By these means the balance

page_text: weights O are enabled to assist the lever N in raising the knifeboard G, and
the lingers or leads I. It will be observed that the said balance weights will
operate with an increasing power as the cords f recede from the centre of the
tumbling shaft on the excentrics Q, the said cords being close to the centre of
the shaft (as seen by the dotted lines at 3, Figure 4, when the warp and leads
are at rest. Another advantage gained by the balance wieghts is their acting
with the extreme of their power at the same instant of time at which the shuttle
is thrown, consequently distributing the power (required to propel the loom)
in the most beneficial manner.-N.B. There are various modes of lifting the
grife, which might be here explained, but we consider that the one described
is sufficient to shew the operation of our improved method of balancing the
said grife and the lingers or leads.
The second part of our Invention consists in the following method of
stopping the loom when the shoot or weft breaks, and when the bobbin is
empty, that is to say:-.
i is a small excentric or cam fixed on the tappett shaft c; k is a lever on
which the said excentric operates; to the long end of the lever k is made fast
the small strap 7, one end of which proceeds upwards and over the pulley m,
and the other downwards and under the pulley at n, forming, as it were, an
endless line, but the strap being cut away at 4, 5, Figure 1, a number of
strong threads (say 5 or 6) are there introduced and tyed to the ends of the
straps, still forming an enless line; the said threads have eyelet holes, or
males o, which operate in a similar manner to healds. Through the said
healds are passed a small warp, consisting of about ten threads, i. e. five threads
up and five threads down, when opened as at P, q, Figure 2; this we call the
detecting warp. The detecting warp is then made fast to the breast beam
passed through the end of the reed, through the males or healds, and over the
small pulley r; the weights is thus suspended to the end of the warp. In order
to keep it at the required tention two small brass levers t, u, are balanced in
› a delicate manner, as on the side of the loom at 6.
is tyed to the upper part of the detecting warp by a corresponding number of
small loose threads v; the short end of the lover t is connected to the lever u
by a small wire. The curved end of the lever u has a steel stud w fixed in it.
The other end of the said lever is weighted merely to balance itself. X is a
stopping plate fixed by a set screw on the strap or spring lever K, which, when
the loom is in operation, stands directly opposite the small plate skrewed to
the front of the lay at y.
The long end of the lever t
The operation of the above is as follows, namely, the moment the shuttle has
entered the box, where (the detecting warp is placed, the said warp P,q, endeavour

page_text: to cross each other, but cannot do so because of the weft thread being between
them, consequently the stopping levers t, u, not being at all acted upon, remain
stationary, the stud w continuing to enter the cavity in the front of the lay at
every stroke made by the lay; but when there is no weft in the shed the
detecting warp threads immediately cross and change places with each other,
the upper threads pulling along with them the end of the lever z, causing the
stud w to become depressed (as shewn by dotted lines Figure 3), and brought
in between the plate y in front of the lay and the stopping plate X on the
strap lever, by which means the strap lever is dislodged by the force of the
lay, and consequently the loom stops.
The third part of our Invention consists in disengaging the taking-up weight
from the cloth beam by the stopping of the loom. This is accomplished by
means of rods, which is fixed at one end to the strap lever k, and passing
across the loom, takes hold of the string (7) by a hole in the end of the rod.
One end of the string is made fast to the loom side, and the other to the
catch (8). It will be easily perceived that when the strap lever is in the
direction of the dotted line the catch will be allowed to rest upon the catch
wheel L, and consequently in action; but when the strap is dislodged the catch 8
will be lifted from off the wheel and the weight thrown out of action. These
our improvements are applicable to all looms worked by either hand or power
for the purpose of weaving plain and figured fabrics.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Wells and Samuel Eccles,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1888, the aforesaid William Wells and Samuel Eccles
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-eight.