CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Tuer, William Hodgson, and Robert Hall,
Machine Makers, and Samuel Hall, Foreman, all of Bury, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Tuer, William
Hodgson, Robert Hall, and Samuel Hall at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 9th April 1855.
We, WILLIAM TUER, WILLIAM HODGSON, and ROBERT HALL, Machine
Makers, and SAMUEL HALL, Foreman, all of Bury, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING" to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in an improved combination of parts for working
the drop boxes of looms in which two or more shuttles are used. The drop
box is connected to a lever which is furnished with an anti-friction roller,
bearing on tappets having as many rises or elevations as there are compart-
ments in the drop box, and with divisions in which levers or catches drop to
hold the tappets in their positions; these tappets are turned round by inter-
mittent wheels actuated by studs projecting from an endless chain, which is
carried over a drum of the ordinary construction; this drum is also worked by

page_text: an intermittent wheel, to which motion is communicated from the crank shaft
or other convenient part of the loom. The studs projecting from the chain
can be changed in their positions, so as to influence the tappets and con-
sequently the drop box in any required succession, according to the order in
which the shuttles are worked.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Tuer, William Hodgson, Robert Hall, and Samuel
Hall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
TUER, WILLIAM HODGSON, and ROBERT HALL, Machine Makers, and SAMUEL
HALL, Foreman, all of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Tuer, William Hodgson, Robert Hall, and Samuel Hall, Her
special license that we, the said William Tuer, William Hodgson, Robert
Hall, and Samuel Hall, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said William Tuer, William Hodgson, Robert Hall, and
Samuel Hall, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said William Tuer, William Hodgsou, Robert Hall, and Samuel Hall, by an
instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal
of either of us, 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 William Tuer, William Hodgson,
Robert Hall, and Samuel Hall, do hereby declare the nature of our said

page_text: Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following Specification thereof,
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in the several
Figures of which similar letters of reference are put upon corresponding parts
(that is to say):
Our Invention consists in an improved combination of parts for giving
motion to the drop box of a loom in which two or three shuttles are employed,
and for regulating the number of picks to be thrown across the shed by each
shuttle. Fig. 1 is an end elevation, and Fig. 2 a front elevation, of a loom
to which our Invention is applied. a is the crank shaft; b, the lay bottom;
c, the drop box, containing in this instance three compartments; d, the rod
connecting the drop box to the lever e, to which motion is communicated for
raising or lowering the drop box in the following manner:-To the crank
shaft a is fixed a pinion f, gearing into the wheel g, from the face of which
project two pins h; these pins as the wheel revolves give motion to the inter-
mittent wheel i, revolving on a stud fixed to the framing. To the intermittent
wheel is fixed the chain drum over which passes the endless chain k, the
construction of which is seen best in Figures 3 and 4.
long is carried over the drum l, but when short the drum
The projecting ends of the joint pins of the chain
required to the star or spur wheels m and n, both of which are loose on the
stud that supports them, but prevented from revolving too freely by means of
the friction washers, shewn in Fig. 5. To the star or spur wheel m is fixed
the tappet o, and to the star or spur wheel n is fixed the tappet p; both these
tappets act on the bowls q of the lever r, whose fulcrum is at s, and to the
outer end of which is jointed the link t, by which the levers r and e are
united; to the lever e is fixed a weight y, to counterbalance the drop box.
This chain when
is not required.
give motion when
The mode of operation is as follows:-The Drawing represents the lowest
compartment of the shuttle box c, in a line with the shuttle race, the drop
box being held up by the tappet o; if it be requisite to give several picks
with the shuttle in this compartment of the drop box, the pins of the chain k,
that are brought forward by the intermittent wheel i, and chain drum j, must
be short, as shewn at u, in Fig. 4; if it should be requisite to bring the top
compartment of the drop box in a line with the shuttle race, the next link
must project to the right hand, as shewn at v, in Fig. 4. This prolongation of
the chain pin acting on the star or spur wheel m, causes it to revolve the
eighth of a revolution, thereby allowing the bowl 9 on the level r to drop into
the space between the two elevations, and the levers r and e to assume the
positions shewn by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. If the centre compartment of

page_text: as shewn
the drop box be next required in a line with. the shuttle race, the joint pin
of the chain projecting in the contrary direction, as shewn at w, in Figures 2
and 4, acts on the star or spur wheel n, and causes the tappet p to raise the
lever r, and with it the drop box. In some cases it is requisite to move both
the star or spur wheels m and n at the same time; this may be accomplished
by introducing a joint pin projecting from both sides of the chain,
at, in Fig. 4. The pins of the chain can be changed so as to bring the
projecting ends in the order required to produce the pattern to be woven, each
joint pin being held to one of the links of the chain by a split cottar, as shewn
in Fig. 3; consequently the order of succession in which the shuttles in the
different, compartments of the drop box are brought in a line with the shuttle
race, and the number of picks given with each shuttle, can be varied with
facility. The fly wheel is attached to the boss of the chain drum j, and by
it the attendant is enabled to change the position of the chain if required.
We have shewn our improvements as applied to a loom in which three shuttles
are employed; if only two, shuttles are required, the tappet o and star or spur
wheel m may be dispensed with.
414
F
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit our-
selves to the details herein set forth, as the same may be varied to suit the
peculiar construction of loom to which our improvements are applied; but
what we do claim is, giving motion to the tappets by which the drop boxes of
looms are raised or lowered by means of a chain and star or spur wheels, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Tuer, William Hodgson,
Robert Hall, and Samuel Hall, have hereunto set our hands and seals,
the Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
197
WILLIAM TUER.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM HODGSON. (L.S.)
ROBERT HALL.
SAMUEL HALL.
(L.S.)
(L.S.).