CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mark Smith, of the Firm of Messieurs William
Smith and Brothers, of Heywood, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 6th October 1865, and dated the 17th April 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mark Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th April 1865.
I, MARK SMITH, of the Firm of Messieurs William Smith and Brothers,
of Heywood, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING," to be as follows:-
In looms for weaving woollen goods working in combination with a
jacquard and in other heavy looms, great inconvenience is occasioned by the
overrunning of the crank shaft and other working parts of the loom after
the weft fork has acted (owing to the absence of the weft) on the knocking-
off lever. In looms of the present construction it frequently happens that
two or more picks are given after the action of the weft fork, and previous to

page_text: starting the loom again the weaver has to turn back the jacquard cylinder
and the other parts of the loom so as to bring the various parts in their
relative positions for continuing the fabric from the point at which the stop
motion came into operation.
Now the object of my Invention is to render the stoppage of the loom
simultaneous with the action of the weft motion, thus economising time and
labor. In performing my Invention I employ a hook or hooks which are
made to rise through the shed in front of the shuttle race, at about the
middle thereof; these hooks are attached to a lever connected to a light shaft
passing under the lay, to the other end of this light shaft is fixed another
lever which is raised and lowered by a tappet on the crank shaft or other
suitable driving part of the loom, another tappet is also employed to work
the lever which passes to and fro under the feeler. When the weft has
crossed the shed the hooks in descending bear on the weft and hold the
feeler clear of the lever passing to and fro under it, but when the weft fails
the hooks, lever, and feeler descend, and the loom is instantly stopped by the
action of the feeler on the usual knocking-off lever.
Another part of my Invention consists in combining with the above weft
motion a driving pulley loose on the driving shaft and connecting it thereto
by a clutch box, the lever which gives the lateral motion to the driving
pulley applies a break to the crank shaft, thereby suddenly stopping the loom
when the weft breaks..
Another part of my Invention consists in making the jacks with an open
slot fitting on the fulcrum stud, and in holding the jacks by a pin acting on
the top part thereof, by this means the jacks can be removed from the loom
when requisite without taking the whole set of jacks down.
Another part of my Invention is applicable to weaving figured or plain leno
and other crossed fabrics, and it consists in furnishing the loom with a double
drop box at each end of the lay, and a moveablo reed or comb acted upon
by a tappet; also in connecting the back bar by radius rods to the reed or
comb and connecting the reed or comb by radius rods to fulcrum studs attached
to the breast beam, to prevent the abrasion of the warps in the eyes of the
needles or dents of the reed or comb; also in holding the lower warp by a cross
bar covered with plush or other suitable material.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuanco of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Mark Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARK
SMITH, of the Firm of Messieurs William Smith and Brothers, of Heywood,
in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Mark Smith, Her special license that I, the said Mark Smith,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Mark
Smith, my 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 muke, 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 FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Mark Smith, 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 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 I, the said Mark Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
In looms for weaving woollen goods working in combination with a jacquard.
and in other heavy looms, great inconvenience is occasioned by the over-
running of the crank shaft and other working parts of the loom after the weft
fork has acted (owing to the absence of the weft) on the knocking-off lever..
In looms of the present construction it frequently happens that two or
more picks are given after the action of the weft fork, and previous to
starting the loom again the weaver has to turn back the jacquard cylinder
and the other parts of the loom so as to bring the various parts in their
elative positions for continuing the fabric from the point at which the stop
motion came into operation.

page_text: Now the object of the first part of my Invention is to render the stoppage
of the loom simultaneous with the action of the weft motion, thus economising
time and labour.
The second part of my Invention consists in combining with the weft
motion above referred to a driving pulley loose on the driving shaft, and con-
necting it thereto by a clutch box; the lever which gives the lateral motion
to the driving pulley applies a break to the crank shaft, thereby suddenly
stopping the loom when the weft breaks.
The third part of my Invention consists in making the jacks with an open
slot fitting on the fulcrum stud, and in holding the jacks by a pin acting on
the top part thereof; by this means the jacks can be removed from the loom
when requisite without taking the whole set of jacks down.
The last part of my Invention is applicable to weaving figured or plain leno
and other crossed fabrics, and it consists in furnishing the loom with a double
drop box at each end of the lay, and a moveable reed or comb acted upon by
tappets; also in connecting the back bar by radius rods to the reed or comb,
and connecting the reed or comb by radius rods to fulcrum studs attached to
the breast beam to prevent the abrasion of the warps in the eyes of the
needles or dents of the reed or comb; also in bolding the lower warp by a
cross bar covered with plush or other suitable material.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the two accompanying Sheets
of Drawings, reference being bad to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a loom to which parts of my
improvements are applied; Figure 2 is a front view, and Figure 3 a plan, of
part of the same; Figure 4 is a section through the lay shewing my improved
weft stop motion, and Figure 5 a plan of the same.
a is the shaft for working the lay b, by means of tappets cast with the fly
wheels a¹; c is the breast beam, and d the spring knocking-off lever. The
parts above enumerated and the others requisite to complete the loom which
are not particularly described hereafter are made in the usual manner.
The improved weft stop motion forming the first part of my Invention
consists of the following parts:-To the shaft a is fixed the tappet plate a²,
which is made with two grooves, as shewn best in Figure 4; the inner groove
marked a³ actuates the elbow lover e, the horizontal arm of which elevates
and allows to drop the lever which projects from a light shaft b, supported
in bearings fixed to the lay bottom b. The outer groove marked a actuates
the long lever f, which vibrates on a stud coinciding about with the rocking
shaft of the lay swords, this lever has a projecting arm with a notch
at the

page_text: end for acting against the balanced catch g when the weft fails, as will
be described hereafter. The catch g is provided with a stud g', and it is
jointed to the arm g² of the short shaft g³, to which is also cast or fixed the
arm g; this arm is acted upon by the frog h; and to the shaft g' is also fixed or
cast the arm g, which liberates when required the spring knocking-off lever d.
To the front of the lay bottom b, and at about the middle of the length thereof,
is fixed a plate which serves as a guide for the hooks ; and these hooks
when up pass through the shed in front of the shuttle race; when down they
enter into a recess in the lay bottoni, the hooks are moved up by the lever b',
projecting from the shaft ; this lever is connected by the link 6 to a stud
projecting from the books. To the inside of the breast beam c is fixed a
bracket. When the lay is approaching the breast beam if the hooks do not
descend by their own gravity the stud of the link 6 comes against the incline on
the bracket c', and thus forces down the hooks to prevent injury to the cloth.
The Drawing represents the parts in the positions they occupy. When the
lay is back, and when the shuttle has been thrown across the open shed, the
weft in crossing the shed is deposited within reach of the hooks 65, as shewn
in Figure 5, consequently the descent of the hooks is arrested by the weft
lying over the grid through which the hooks pass; the lever is thus held
a little above the level of the notch f', and the balanced catch g assumes a
diagonal position (the stud g¹ coming against the under side of the lever ²)
to allow the notch f¹ to pass under the catch 9; but if owing to the absence
of the weft the hooks are allowed to drop through the grid the lever b
holds down the balanced catch g, consequently when the lever f is moved
forward by its tappet the notch f¹ forces back the catch g, and causes the
shaft g³ to oscillate sufficiently to bring the arm g' against and liberate the
spring knocking-off lever d from its retaining notch. By this arrangement
the instant stoppage of the loom is insured whenever the weft breaks or
fails, and before the lay begins to approach the breast beam. The loom is
also provided with the ordinary stop finger h' projecting from the stop rod h³,
which is raised by the shuttle swell. When the stop finger acts upon the
frog h the arm g* causes the shaft g³ to swivel partly round, and liberates the
spring knocking-off lever d to throw the driving strap from the fast to the
loose pulley, as usual, or to disconnect the clutch box hereafter described.
This improved weft stop motion is particularly beneficial when applied to looms
having a drop box at each end of the lay.
The second part of my Invention relates to the mode of driving heavy looms
to which the above described weft stop motion is applied. To the shaft a is
fixed tho bevel wheel a³, which is driven by the pinion j keyed on the

page_text: driving shaft to this shaft is also keyed one half of a clutch box, the
other half of which is cast to the face of the pulley loose on the driving
shaft. The pulley is also provided with a grooved boss in which takes the
fork projecting from the strap guide ; this fork and strap guide are fixed
to the starting rod which is moved to and fro by the elbow lever 1, onc
arm of which is connected to the knocking-off leyer d by the link 1. m is a
long lever mounted on the fulcrum stud m¹; the front end of this lever is
supported by the hook c jointed to the breast beam c; and to the opposite
side of the fulcrum stud m' is jointed the lower end of the link m, the upper
end of which is connected to the lever m³, which is cast with or fixed to the
break m, acting when required on the circumference of one of the fly
wheels a¹.
The mode of operation is as follows, and the Drawing represents the parts
in the positions they occupy-When the loom is at work the knocking-off
leverd being held by the retaining notch in the breast beam, as shewn best
in Figure 3; as soon as the weft breaks, the lever g³, above described, liberates
the koocking-off lever d from its retaining notch, the knocking-off lever
then springs back in the usual manner, thus moving the elbow lever l into
the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3, and drawing the clutch box
on the pulley j³ out of gear with the fast clutch box ; at the same time,
the catch c, which had been held in the position shewn in Figure 2 by the
knocking-off lever d acting on the stud c³ drops sufficiently to allow the long
end of the lever m to descend, thereby causing the shorter end thereof to rise,
thus applying the break m' to the fly wheel, the action of the break is
increased by the spring m³; by this means the loom is stopped suddenly
whenever the weft breaks.
On Sheet 2, Figures 6 and 7 represent my improved jacks with part of an
ordinary jacquard engine or dobby for working them. o is an open slot
formed at the under side of the jack; this slot fits on the usual fulcrum
stud o¹. When the jacks are in their place they are secured by the
pin o, which bears on the upper part of the jacks; by this means the
number of jacks can easily be varied, or the jacks can be removed from the
loom without taking down the whole set. As it is often necessary in weaving
different patterns to vary the number of healds, and consequently the number
of jacks for working them, I make the bottom leveller p with a slot, as shewn
in Figure 7; the bolt for connecting the bottom leveller to the lifter p¹ passes
through the said slot. By this means the leveller can be moved laterally so
as to vary its position according to the number of jacks required, and therefore
only the jacks required are lifted.

page_text: Figures 8 and 9 illustrate my improvements in weaving crossed fabrics.
The loom I employ may be of the ordinary construction in most respects,-
and when two qualities of weft are required it must be provided with a double
drop box at each end of the lay.
a is the crank shaft; b, the lay; c, the breast beam; v, the tappet shaft ;
and r the back bar; s is the harness, and a cross rail to which the reed or
comb u is connected by the bracket u. This reed or comb is made in the
manner described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Frederick
William Mowbray on the Eighth day of April One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-eight, number 758. To the tail t is also connected the lower rail,
which is covered with plush or other suitable material. The brackets u' are
connected by the radius rods to the back bar r and to the breast beam c
by the radius rods u. The requisite up-and-down motion is given to the
reed or comb by the tappet v' acting on the treadle w connected by rods
and levers to the bracket ; and the lateral motion for crossing the warps
is given by the tappet v acting on the treadle w connected by links, and the
elbow lever w to the reed or comb, as shewn in Figure 9. By means of the
radius rods the abrasion of the warps in the eyes of the needles or dents of
the reed or comb is prevented; and by means of the plush covered rod t the
warps that are not passed through the eyes of the needles or dents are held
during the crossing of the warps in the needles or dents.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, 1 declare that I claim,-
First, the improved weft stop motion shewn and described, and placing the
same, or any equivalent apparatus, in front of the lay as described.
Secondly, the improved machinery for driving looms when combined with
the weft stop motion above described.
Thirdly, the improvements applicable to the jacks of looms as described.
And, lastly, the improvements applicable to weaving crossed fabrics as
shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mark Smith, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Thirteenth day of October One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
MARK SMITH. (L.S.)