CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SELLERS, Junior, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Seventeenth day of March, in the eighth year of Her reign, and
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto me, the said
John Sellers, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Sellers, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said John Sellers, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, 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 and Wales and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
the said John Sellers, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in 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, I, the said
John Sellers, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following explana-
tion thereof, that is to say:-
"
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My improvements in looms for weaving apply to that class of such
machinery now commonly called or known as "power looms," and consist in
a novel arrangement of mechanism designed for the purpose of instantly
stopping the whole of the working parts of the loom whenever the shuttle
stops in the shed;" that is to say, whenever it does not complète its course
from one shuttle box to the other. In ordinary power looms this object is
effected in the following manner :-Each shuttle box is provided with what
is called a "swell" (which projects from the outside of the shuttle box when-
ever the shuttle is in the box), against which a small lever, fixed upon the
stop rod," bears; upon the "stop rod" is also fixed another small lever or
finger, which (whenever the shuttle is absent from both boxes at once, and
consequently the "swell" does not project) falls down and comes in contact
with a stop piece called "the frog," which is fixed to the framing, thus prevent-
ing the lathe or slay from beating up any further and injuring the cloth; at
the same time a small apparatus fixed to the slay strikes against the "spring.
handle" of the loom and causes it to shift the driving strap from the fast
pulley on to the loose one, and thus stop the action of the loom. The principal
defect in this arrangement, and which my improvement is intended to obviate,
is the frequent breakage of the different parts of the loom, occasioned by the
shock of the lathe or slay striking against the "frog" (which is fixed to the
framing), especially if the loom is working rather fast.
.
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In my improved arrangement the loom is stopped in the following manner:
-I make use of the "swell" and the "stop rod finger" as usual; the construc-
tion of the latter, however, is somewhat modified, being of one piece with the
small lever which bears against the "swell;" but, instead of its striking against
a stop or frog" fixed to the framing of the loom, it strikes against a stop or
notch upon the upper end of a vertical lever vibrating upon a pin or stud.
This lever is furnished with a small roller or bowl, which acts against a projec-
tion on a horizontal lever, causing it to vibrate upon its centre and throw a
clutch box (which connects the main driving pulley to the driving shaft) out
of gear, and allows the main driving pulley to revolve loosely upon the driving
shaft, at the same time that a projection on the lever strikes against the
66
spring handle" and shifts the strap. Simultaneously with these two move-
ments the lower end of the vertical lever causes a break to be brought in
contact with the fly wheel of the loom, thus instantaneously stopping every
-motion of the loom without the slightest shock, at whatever speed the loom
may be working.

page_text: But in order that my improvements in looms for weaving may be perfectly
understood, I have attached to these Presents a Drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a
plan view (as seen from above) of part of a power. loom with my improved
arrangement applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a side or end view of the same.
These Figures are drawn. to. a scale of about four inches to the foot; and in
order more clearly to illustrate my Invention the new parts are represented
as shaded with color, the ordinary parts of the loom being drawn in outline
only.
a, a, is the main or side framing of the loom; 6 is the yarn roller or beam;
c, the crank shaft; d, one of the shuttle boxes; e, the breast beam; and f.
the cloth roller. Upon the crank shaft c the pullies g and h are mounted as
usual, except that the pulley. g, which in ordinary power looms is keyed fast,
upon the crank shaft, is in this instance placed loose upon the same, and is,
connected with it by means of a. clutch box, one half i of which is cast into
the pulley 9, and the other half k slides upon a feather or key upon the crank
shaft c. This clutch box is thrown out of for the
gear
purpose of stopping the
loom in the following manner:-Upon the stop rod m (see Fig. 2) are fixed:
the stop rod fingers n (of which only one is shewn in the Drawing, the other
being at the end of the loom), which, whenever the shuttle is absent from both
boxes at once, and consequently neither "swell" projects, falls down and comes
in contact with a stop or notch o at the upper end of the vertical lever p; this
lever pis mounted upon a pin or stud at q, and is furnished with a small
roller or bowl, which, acting against the projection upon the end of the
levers, will cause this lever to vibrate upon its centre and draw the clutch i
out of contact with the clutch k, thus allowing the pulley 9 to revolve loosely
upon the crank shaft; at the same time the projection t, at the top of the
lever p, will strike against the " spring handle," and shift the driving strap on
to the loose pulley h as usual. Simultaneously with these movements the
break u is brought into contact with the fly wheel v, in consequence of its
being fixed to the bell-crank lever w, mounted upon a fulcrum at æ, the lower
end of which lever is connected to the lever p by the link y. z is a spring for
the purpose
of keeping the two halves i and k of the clutch box in gear, except
when thrown out as above described.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together
5 with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would observe
that I claim as my Invention the above-described novel arrangement of
mechanism for stopping the loom, whenever the shuttle does not completé
its course from one shuttle box to the other, by disconnecting the main driving
pulley from the driving shaft; and also the method of bringing a break into

page_text: Inrolled the Seventeenth day of September, in the year above written.