IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Southampton Buildings, London, Patent Agents, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."-A com-
munication from abroad by Enoch Provolt Terrel, of West Liberty,
Ohio, United States of America.
Sealed the 28th April 1871, and dated the 31st October 1870..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 31st October 1870.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Southampton Buildings, London, Patent Agents, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING,”
a communication, to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to that class of looms known as power looms,
and it consists, first, in self-supporting pickers which always maintain
an upright position without any aid from a pickerstaff or rod above, and

page_text: which are operated in the shuttle boxes by means of springs, revers, and
other suitable devices.
Second. In grooved cylinders through which motion is imparted by
means of levers or otherwise to the pickers, and which are so con-
structed that the operation of the parts of the loom will continue without
interruption whether these cylinders are revolved in one or the other
direction.
Third. In the construction, combination, and arrangement of the
several parts of the operating mechanism together and relative to each
other, as will be herein-after more fully described.
The frame of the loom carries on cross pieces a crank shaft, while
directly below the same another shaft has its bearings on other cross
pieces. At corresponding ends outside of the frame the shafts are pro-
vided with cog wheels, one being of larger dimensions than the other.
Inside of the frame and near its ends the second shaft carries cylinders
which are provided with double spiral cams, which with projections form
cam grooves, these projections being set at a sufficient distance from
the inner ends of the cylinder to leave a space at the said ends of the
cylinders, while they are also set apart from each other to leave a space
between them. The inner faces of these projections conform in shape to
the curve of the double spiral cams so as to form the cam grooves, while
their outer faces are parallel with the end of the cylinder; their ends
nearest the space are rounded off while their other ends terminate in a
point. At the point of the spiral cams are pivotted wings extending
over the periphery of the cylinders a sufficient distance to overlap the
points of the projections as they swing to either side.
pivotted on projections or lugs extending inwardly from the cross pieces
of the frame a little forward of the bearings of the second shaft. These
levers move laterally, and carry on their rear ends rollers which move
in the cam grooves, and by means of the latter the levers are operated,
while their forward ends bear against the lower ends of vertical levers
without being attached to the same. These vertical levers are pivotted
to uprights of the slayboard, and move with the latter in its recipro-
cating movement produced by the cranks to which it is connected by
other levers. To the upper ends of the vertical levers are secured
springs, their ˜outer ends being fastend to the under side of the shuttle
boxes, while straps or cords connect the upper end of each vertical
lever with the lower end of the picker in the opposite shuttle box.
Levers are

page_text: These pickers move in slots in the shuttle boxes, and always retain a
vertical position; they are provided with downward projections which
pass through the slots, the shoulders of the pickers resting on the bottom
of the shuttle boxes. In the outer ends of these slots of the shuttle
boxes are pivotted small rollers over which pass cords attached with one
end to the pickers and with their other end to the periphery of grooved
wheels pivotted under the cross pieces in a vertical line under the
shuttle boxes when the slayboard is in its forward position. At the
forward side of these grooved wheels are formed smaller wheels, to
the periphery of which are attached cords secured with their other ends
to the lower ends of levers. The relative size of these wheels is pro-
portionate to the extent of the movement of the upper and the lower
ends of the vertical levers respectively. A bell-crank shaped lever is so
arranged at the lower end of one side of the frame that when its outer
arm is moved inwardly its inner arm will bear against the lower end of
the vertical lever, and thus disconnect it from the other lever and stop
the operation of the shuttles. A spring may be so arranged as to catch
the said outer arm and retain it until released to continue the operation
of all parts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th April 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Southampton
Buildings, London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there.
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might

page_text: :
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," a communication to me from
abroad by Enoch Provolt Terrel, of West Liberty, Ohio, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Robert Lake, 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 William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying 1
Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
My Invention relates to that class of looms known as power looms,
and it consists, first, in self-supporting pickers which always maintain
an upright position without any aid from a pickerstaff or rod above, and
which are operated in the shuttle boxes by means of springs, levers, and 2
other suitable devices.
Second. In grooved cylinders through which motion is imparted by
means of levers or otherwise to the pickers, and which are so con-
structed that the operation of the parts of the loom will continue without
interruption, whether these cylinders are revolved in one or the other 2
direction.
Third. In the construction, combination, and arrangement of the
several parts of the operating mechanism together and relative to each
other, as will be herein-after more fully described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1 and 2 are front elevations partly in section of my improved
loom showing the parts in different positions; Figure 3 is a plan or top
view of the said loom; Figures 4 and 5 shew detached portions of the
same.
3
A represents the frame of the loom, which carries on the cross pieces B 3
a crank shaft D, while directly below the same another shaft E has its
bearings on other cross pieces C. At corresponding ends outside of the

page_text: frame the shafts D, E, are provided with cog wheels F, G, the wheel G
being of larger dimensions than the wheel F. Inside the frame and
near each end the shaft E carries a cylinder H. These cylinders are
provided with double spiral cams I, which with projections J form cam
grooves K, the projections J being set at a sufficient distance from the
inner ends of the cylinder to leave a space L at the said ends of
the cylinders, while they are also set apart from each other to leave a
space M between them. The inner faces of these projections J conform
in shape to the curve of the double spiral cams, so as to form the cam
grooves K, while their outer faces are parallel with the end of the
cylinder, and their ends nearest the space M are rounded off, as shown
at m, while their other ends terminate in a point, as shown at n. At
the point of the spiral cams I are pivotted wings N extending over
the periphery of the cylinders H a sufficient distance to overlap the
points n of the projections J as they swing to either side. o, o, are
levers pivotted on projections or lugs P extending inwardly from cross
pieces C of the frame a little forward of the bearings of shaft E. These
levers o move laterally, and carry on their rear ends rollers Q, which
imove in the cam grooves K, by means of which latter the levers are
operated, while their forward ends bear against the lower ends of vertical
levers R without being attached to the same. These levers Rare pivotted
to the uprights S of the slayboard T, and move with the latter in its
reciprocating movement produced by the cranks of shaft D, to which it
is connected by levers U. To the upper ends of levers R are secured
springs V, their outer ends being fastened to the under side of the
shuttle boxes at their ends, while straps or cords W connect the upper
end of each lever R with the lower end of the picker in the opposite
shuttle box. These pickers X move in slots Y in the shuttle boxes, and
always retain a vertical position; they are provided with downward pro-
jections Z, which pass through slots Y, the shoulders of the pickers
resting on the bottom of the shuttle boxes (see Figure 4). In the outer
ends of slots Y of the shuttle boxes are pivotted small rollers a, over
which pass cords b, attached with one end to the pickers X and with
their other end to the periphery of grooved wheels c pivotted under the
cross pieces C in a vertical line under the shuttle boxes when the slay-
board is in its forward position. At the forward side of these grooved
wheels c are formed smaller wheels d, to the periphery of which are
attached cords e, secured with their other ends to the lower ends of
levers R. The relative size of the wheels c and d is proportionate to the

page_text: extent of the movement of the upper and the lower ends of levers R
respectively. f represents a bell-crank shaped lever so arranged at the
lower end of one side of the frame that when its outer arm is moved
inwardly its inner arm will bear against the lower end of lever R, and
thus disconnect it from lever O and stop the operation of the shuttles.
A spring H may be so arranged as to catch the arm g and retain it until
released to continue the operation of all parts.
Having thus described the several parts of my improvements I will
now proceed to describe their operation.
Motion may be imparted to the crank shaft D in any suitable manner.
This motion is transmitted to shaft E. by means of the cog wheels F, G,
and a reciprocating motion is imparted to the slayboard T by means of
the cranks and levers U. As the shaft E with its cylinders H revolves
the rollers Q travel in the cam grooves K; and as the spiral cams I are
formed on their cylinders in opposite directions (that is to say, in such a
way that when the point i of one cam I is in a vertical line above the
shaft E the point i of the other cam I will be in a vertical line under
shaft E) it will be necessary to describe the operation of one cylinder
only, as their alternate operations are alike. The parts being in position,
as shown in Figure 1, and motion being imparted to the said shaft D the
left roller Q is forced inward by means of the cam groove K, thereby
pressing the forward end of its lever O against the lower end of lever R,
moving the latter outward and its upper end inward, through which
motion the left spring V is expanded and the cord W slackened, allowing
the opposite picker to be moved to the outer end of its shuttle box by
means of its cord b, which is wound up on its wheel c, the same being
revolved by the inward motion of its lever R, which unwinds its cord e.
At the same time, by its outward movement, the lower end of the left
lever R releases its cord e, thus leaving the cord 6 free to unwind from
the roller c when the left picker is moved inward. As soon as the
roller Q has reached the point i of cam I its spiral movement ceases, for
it presses the wing N against the point n of the nearest projection J,
and passes over the wing on the space L. In Figure 2 the parts are
shown at this point of operation. At the moment when the roller Q
passes the point i of cam J the right lever R moves the left picker
forward, which carries with it its cord b, revolving the wheel c, and
winding up the slack of cord e on the roller d, the left lever R being
entirely inactive until the roller Q has passed the projection J. As there

page_text: is no wing over the space M between the projection J the roller Q,
which until now has kept the spring V expanded, as soon as it has
passed the projection moves into the space M across the cam groove K
against the narrow part of the cam I, which thereby suddenly releases
the spring V, which at once forces the upper end of the lever R out-
wardly. This movement of the upper end of the lever R by means of
the cord W suddenly draws the right picker inward, thereby sending the
shuttle across the slayboard, and at the same time it throws the lower
end of this lever R inward, winding up cord 6 on the wheel c by un-
winding cord e from the wheel d, and thus drawing the left picker to
the outer end of the shuttle box, this picker being free to move by reason
of the inward movement of the upper end of the right lever R, which
left the cord W slack. It will thus be seen that the inward movement
of one picker and the outward movement of the other picker simul-
taneously are effected by one lever alone at every movement, the other
lever being entirely inoperative during this movement. If it is desired
to instantly stop the motion of the shuttle the operator with his foot
throws the arm g of the lever finto the spring h, thereby retaining the
lower end of the lever R in an outward position, and consequently
arresting the operation of the pickers and the return motion of the
shuttle. Thus it is not necessary to separate the power from the lcom
by shifting belts, for the movement of the levers O will then continue
without operating the levers R, and the shuttle can be stopped instantly.
On releasing the lever R from lever f the operation of parts continnes
from the position they were stopped in.
By my Invention the pickers operate the shuttles at right angles
entirely without a staff, and remain in a vertical position during their
entire movements, whilst the pickerstaffs now in common use being
pivotted at or near their lower ends have a vertically circular movement
in the shuttle boxes. It will be easily understood that as the spiral cam
on each cylinder H is double (that is to say, the same one way as the
other), and as the cylinder H is provided with two projections J, equi-
distant from the point i of the cam I, one extending to one side and
the other to the other, and the wing N being pivotted on the point i
(the centre between the two sides of the cam), it will make no difference
whatever in the operation of the parts in which direction the shaft E is
revolved, nor will any sudden change in the direction of the motion
of said shaft in any way interfere with the continuous operation of all
parts.

page_text: Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim the improvements in looms
for weaving substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)