IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Illingworth, Manager for the Firm of R. R. Jackson
& Co., Limited, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Spinners and Manu-
facturers, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Illingworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th April 1880.
ROBERT ILLINGWORTH, Manager for the Firm of R. R. Jackson & Co., Limited,
of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Spinners and Manufacturers. "IMPROVE
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
My Invention relates to the " 'swell" used in shuttle boxes of looms for
weaving, and consists in a new arrangement of it which lessens the liability to
accident from the shuttle being thrown out of its race, reduces wear and tear in
the shuttle and pickers, and will simplify the construction and cost of the latter.
In the ordinary arrangement of looms the swell" in each shuttle box is on
what is termed the "backboard," namely, the board with its face in a line with the
face of the "reed," and as the face of the "swell" projects slightly into the shuttle
box it forces the shuttle against the "guard plate," so that the shuttle neither
leaves nor enters the shuttle boxes in a line true or parallel with the face of the
reed, neither is the picker spindle set truly parallel with the face of the reed,
consequently a thread or threads out of place in the "shed" is an obstruction liable
to divert the shuttle in its course through the "shed," and cause it to fly out with
injury to the mechanism or attendants.
My improved arrangement of the "swell" consists in placing it in or combining
it with the shuttle box "guard plate," so that the shuttle will both enter and leave
the boxes in a straight line parallel with the face of the reed, one side of the shuttle
box being thus truly in a line with the face of the reed. With my improved
arrangement the picker need not have any guide at the bottom, and can thus be

page_text: constructed in a more simple and solid manner, and with less material, and will be
more durable.
My improved arrangement of "swell" is used with what is termed the "loose
reed," but it may be also used with the fixed reed by causing it to act upon the
shaft for the "frog fingers" in a manner reverse to that of the shuttle box swell
of the ordinary arrangement.
The "swell" is or may be formed of wood or metal backed by a spring, or of
tempered thin steel plate bent in the loop or other suitable form, and the "swell "
or the guard plate to which it is secured is or may be made adjustable to suit
the wear of the shuttle if desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert Illingworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
October 1880.
ROBERT ILLINGWORTH, Manager for the Firm of R. R. Jackson & Co., Limited,
of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Spinners and Manufacturers. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
My Invention relates to the "swell" used in the shuttle boxes of looms for
weaving, and also to the pickers which are or may be used in combination
therowith; and consists in a new arrangement of the swell which lessens the
liability to accident from the shuttle being thrown out of its race, reduces wear
and tear in the shuttle and pickers, and will simplify the construction and cost of
the latter.
In the ordinary arrangement of looms the swell in each shuttle box is on what
is termed the "back board," namely, the board with its face in a line with the face
of the reed, and as the face of the swell projects slightly into the shuttle box it
forces the shuttle against the "guard plate," so that the shuttle neither leaves nor
enters the shuttle boxes in a line true or parallel with the face of the reed, con-
sequently a thread or threads out of place in the "shed" is an obstruction liable to
divert the shuttle in its course through the "shed," and cause it to fly out with
injury to the mechanism or attendants.
My improved arrangement of the "swell" consists in placing it in or combining
it with the shuttle box "guard plate," so that the shuttle will both enter and leave
the boxes in a straight line parallel with the face of the reed, one side of the shuttle
box being thus truly in a line with the face of the reed.
With my improved arrangement the picker need not have any guide or foot at
the bottom, and can thus be constructed in a more simple and solid manner, and
with less material, and will be more durable.
My improved arrangement of the "swell" is used with what is termed the "loose
reed," but it may be also used with the "fixed reed " by causing it to act upon the
shaft for the "frog" fingers in a manner reverse to that of the shuttle box swell of
the ordinary arrangement. The swell is or may be formed of wood or metal backed
by a spring, or of a tempered flat thin steel plate bent in the loop or other suitable
form, and the "swell" or the "guard plate" to which it is secured is or may be
made adjustable to suit the wear of the shuttle if desired.
My improved arrangement of swell is also used in some cases in combination
with the ordinary swell; but in the latter case the swell combined with the
shuttle guard has a spring of greater pressure than that of the ordinary swell, so
that the shuttle is always kept by the spring of the shuttle guard swell, when in
the shuttle boxes, close to the face of the backboard.
In the ordinary arrangement of the "swell " the reed side of the shuttle is worn
by the frictional action of the swell at the two ends until instead of being straight
it becomes curved, and this increases the tendency of the shuttle, when struck by
the picker, to fly out of the shed.
By my improved arrangement of the swell the reed side of the shuttle wears
straight, the action of the swell being upon the opposite side, whero the curve or
want of straightness is of no consequence, as it does not affect the truth of the
course of the shuttle.
My improved arrangement prevents what is known among weavers as "punching
the twist" and "snigging," which arise from indirectness in the flight of the
shuttle, and as the swell forces the shuttle against the backboard cutting of the weft,
and what are known by weavers as "snicks" in the cloth, are prevented, as a clear
space is left for the weft, which is not liable to rub, and thus get cut or rolled to

page_text: form snarls, between the side of the shuttle and the shuttle guard (which is the
cause of the faults above named), as in the ordinary arrangement of "swell."
The swell by my improved arrangement can be, and is, made to act sooner upon
the shuttle and more gradually, and consequently the shuttle is brought, to rest
with less shock, and this lessens the liability at high speeds of the cops to leave the
shuttle spindle or to become " necked," as weavers terin it, which is caused by one
part of the cop being slided over the other part.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one of the shuttle boxes on one side of a loom, and
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.
Fig. 3 is a face view, and Fig. 4 an end view detached of the swell in the guard
plate.
a is part of the batten or slay, the upper faco of which forms the surface of
the " race "of the shuttle.
b is a plate forming the bottom of the shuttle box, and which in the ordinary
arrangement has a slot in the lengthway as a guide for the "foot" of the picker.
c is the backboard; c' is a part of the backboard hinged to the backboard so ag
to give way when the shuttle is "trapped," being kept in position by a spring c²;
d is the picker spindle.
e is the ordinary swell having its fulcrum at e', being acted upon by a spring c³, and
fis part of the reed.
The parts above referred to by letters of reference are all ordinary parts connected
with the shuttle boxes of looms.
In one modification of my Invention, which I prefer to use, the ordinary swell (e)
and its spring (e) are dispensed with, and in the case of existing looms the space or
hole in the backboard (c) occupied by the swell (e) is closed by a piece of wood or
other material.
The shuttle guard is formed with the swell hinged or secured in it; g is the shuttle
guard; g', the swell hinged on the screw fulcruin at g². The swell has a projection g³
at its free end, which comes into a recess in the casting and prevents the spring g',
centred on a screw g³, and acting between the casting and back of the swell, from
forcing the latter too far into the shuttle box.
The face of the guard (g) and swell (7') which come against the shuttle have a
shallow channel or groove 98 in them, and thus a clear space is left for the weft
passing from the eye of the shuttle along its side (see 9", Fig. 4).
With my improved arrangement of swell I prefer to use a picker / without
foot or part to guide its lower end, as owing to the shuttle moving in a perfectly
straight line it forms a guide for the lower end of the picker, which is made with a
hole for the tip of the shuttle to strike against, or if not so made the tip of the
shuttle in working soon makes a hole in the picker for itself at the proper place.
The picker is shown in Fig. 1 in the middle of the spindle, but in Fig. 2 it is shown
near one end.
According to another modification of my Invention my improved arrangement
of "swell" (g) and shuttle guard (9) is combined with the ordinary "swell" (e)
in the backboard, as illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2, but in this case the spring (e³)
for the ordinary swell is made weak enough to allow the spring g' acting upon
the swell g' in the shuttle guard to keep the shuttle when in the box close against
the backboard (c).
Fig. 5 is a plan and Fig. G a face view of another mode of constructing my improved
shuttle guard and "swell."
The "swell "g¹ in this case is formed entirely of steel plate punched, cut,' and
blocked, and then bent to shape and tempered, and it is secured to the guard plate g
by set screws g*, as shown, or by rivets.
The face of the swell (g') is blocked with a shallow channel (g) similar to that
shown by gº, Fig. 4, and it has a projection g³ from its free end to prevent it from
entering too far into the shuttle box.
Fig. 7 is a side and Fig. 8 an end or edge view of the improved picker h I prefer
to use; * is the hole for the tip of the shuttle.

page_text: Fig. 9 is a side and Fig. 10 an edge view of an ordinary picker, with a
"foot" or part h' to work in a slot in the plate forming the bottom of the shuttlo
box.
Fig. 11 is an edge view of an ordinary picker, with the foot h' on one side, which
can be used either as a right or left. The ordinary pickers, with the foot (h') are
or may be used, if preferred, with my improved combination and arrangement of
the "swell " or " swells."
My improved arrangement of swell or swells is used by preference in com-
bination with looms having what is known as the " loose reed," but it is combined
with fast "reed" looms by making the swell with a projection from its back to
act upon a bell crank lever on a stud in a bracket secured to the batten or slay.
Or the end of the bell crank lever is cranked to come in contact with the back of
the swell.
The horizontal arm of the bell crank lever is connected with an arm on the shaft
carried by the slay, which shaft has upon it the " frog" fingers or catches, so that
when the swell is pushed outwards by the shuttle entering the box the bell crank
lever will cause the frog finger shaft to oscillate and lift the fingers clear of the
frogs," as is well understood.
"
In Figs. 1 and 2 the mode of applying the bell crank lever in the caso of fast
reed looms is shown in peculiar dotted line, i being the bell crank lever; ¹its bent
projection coming against the back of the swell; 1, the fulcrum of the bell crank
lever on the bracket ³ secured to the slay.
The horizontal arm of the bell crank lever comes directly under the arm
from the frog finger shaft, or it is connected with the arm by a connecting rod or
link.
When two swells are used in each shuttle box in combination, as hereinbefore
described, in a fast reed loom, the ordinary swell in the backboard is or may be
made to actuate the frog finger shaft without connection with the swell in the
shuttle guard.
I have now particularly described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode
of carrying it into effect, and claim as my Invention,—
Firstly. The arrangement of the swell in the guard plate of shuttle boxes in
combination with looms with loose reeds, substantially as herein before described.
Secondly. The combination and arrangement of a swell in the guard plate with
the ordinary swell in the backboard, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by the Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination of two swells, one on the guard plate and one in the
backboard in each shuttle box, in fast reed looms when the frog finger shaft is
actuated by the swell in the backboard in the ordinary manner.
Fourthly. The construction of the swells entirely of spring steel plate when
combined with the guard plate, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by Figs. 5 and 6 of the Drawings.
Fifthly. The construction of pickers for looms without tho "foot" (as illustrated
by Figs. 7 and 8) when used in combination with swells arranged in the guard
plate, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Illingworth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
ROBERT ILLINGWORTH. (LS.)