IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF WOVEN FABRICS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Rodgers Samuels and John Birks, both
of Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF WOVEN FABRICS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 5th February 1869, and dated the 26th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Rodgers
Samuels and John Birks at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 26th August 1868.
We, SAMUEL RODGERS SAMUELS and JOHN BIRKS, both of Notting-
ham, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WOVEN FABRICS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture
of woven fabrics and in apparatus employed therein. For this purpose
the warp threads of the fabric are arranged to pass from warp beams
through eyes in a series of warp bars like those of a bobbin net machine.
A number of widths of fabric are produced simultaneously in the
machine, and each warp bar carries one warp thread of each width.

page_text: The warp bars are actuated by means of cams or jacquard as in a
bobbin net machine, and by means of them the warp threads of each
width are divided so as to form a shed. A shed being thus produced
a loop of the thread which is to form the weft of the fabric is carried
through it by a weft carrier, and then on the further side of the shed
a bobbin or shuttle having a thread in it is thrown through the loop
and the thread carrier returns. The bobbin or shuttle thread retains
and holds the loop of the weft thread, so that on the return of the
weft carrier a double weft is left in the shed. When the weft carrier
is clear of the shed the warp threads are again shedded by the warp
bars, and then, as before, weft is laid into the new shed and so the work
goes on. The weft carriers (of which there is one to each width of
fabric) may be needles fixed on a bar extending the whole length of
the machine and moved to and from the edges of the fabrics so as to
insert the weft carriers into and withdraw them from the sheds as
above described. The weft for each width is drawn from a stationary
spool and is threaded through an eye at the extremity of the weft
carrier. Where the width of fabric to be produced is considerable the
weft carrier may advantageously be a shuttle-like instrument thrown
to and fro through the shed on a slay or guide, the weft being drawn
from a spool and passed through an eye in the weft carrier as before;
also as in the former case the loop carried through the shed by the
weft carrier is secured and held by passing a bobbin carrying a thread
through the loop. The bobbin which carries the securing thread, and
of which there is one to each width of fabric, may be like an ordinary
lace bobbin and be mounted in guides beyond the selvage of the fabric,
so as to move parallel to the warp bars. When a shuttle-like weft
carrier is used we cause it to be thrown to and fro through the sheds by
means of springs, one at each end of its course. The weft carrier as it
comes out of the shed is caught by an instrument which carries it away
from the selvage of the fabric, thereby compressing the spring, and
when the shuttle is to be thrown the holding instrument releases it,
and the reaction of the spring propels the shuttle through the shed.
A similar arrangement is applicable to other looms where in weaving
a shuttle or weft carrier is thrown through a shed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Rodgers Samuels and John Birks in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
RODGERS SAMUELS and JOHN BIRKS, both of Nottingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Samuel Rodgers Samuels and John Birks,
Her special licence that we, the said Samuel Rodgers Samuels
and John Birks, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Samuel Rodgers Samuels and John Birks,
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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WOVEN FABRICS AND IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Samuel Rodgers Samuels and John Birks, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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.
2
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Samuel Rodgers Samuels and John
Birks, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
woven fabrics and in apparatus employed therein. For this purpose the
warp threads of the fabric are arranged to pass from warp beams through
eyes in a series of warp bars like those of a bobbin net machine. A.
number of widths of fabric are produced simultaneously in the machine,

page_text: and each warp bar carries one warp thread of each width. The warp bars
are actuated by means of cams or jacquard as in a bobbin net machine,
and by means of them the warp threads of each width are divided so as
to form a shed. A shed being. thus produced a loop of the thread which
is to form the weft of the fabric is carried through it by a weft carrier,
and then on the further side of the shed a bobbin or shuttle having a
thread in it is thrown through the loop and the thread carrier returns.
The bobbin or shuttle thread retains and holds the loop of the weft
thread, so that on the return of the weft carrier a double weft is left in
the shed. When the weft carrier is clear of the shed the warp threads
are again shedded by the warp bars, and then, as before, weft is laid into
the new shed and so the work goes on. The weft carriers (of which
there is one to each width of fabric) may be needles fixed on a bar
extending the whole length of the machine and moved to and from the
edges of the fabrics so as to insert the weft carriers into and withdraw
them from the sheds as above described. The weft for each width is
drawn from a stationary spool and is threaded through an eye at the
extremity of the weft carrier. Where the width of fabric to be produced
is considerable, the weft carrier may advantageously be a shuttle-like
instrument thrown to and fro through the shed on a slay or guide, the
weft being drawn from a spool and passed through an eye in the weft
carrier as before; also as in the former case the loop carried through the
shed by the weft carrier is secured and held by passing a bobbin carrying
a thread through the loop. The bobbin which carries the securing
thread, and of which there is one to each width of fabric, may be like an
ordinary lace bobbin and be mounted in guides beyond the selvage of
the fabric so as to move parallel to the warp bars. When a shuttle-like
weft carrier is used we cause it to be thrown to and fro through the
sheds by means of springs, one at each end of its course. The weft carrier
as it comes out of the shed is caught by an instrument which carries it
away from the selvage of the fabric thereby putting tension on the
spring, and when the shuttle is to be thrown the holding instrument
releases it, and the reaction of the spring propels the shuttle through
the shed. A similar arrangement is applicable to other looms where in
weaving a shuttle or weft carrier is thrown through a shed.
And in order that our said Invention may be most fully understood

page_text: Figure 1 is a portion of a front view of a machine constructed
according to our Invention, and Figure 2 is a transverse section of the
same.
a, a, is the frame of the machine, at the lower part of which the beams
to carry the warps of the several fabrics to be produced are placed, one
of these beams is shown at b; there is one for each fabric which the
machine is to produce, and this will be dependent on the width of the
machine, as shown in the Drawing; the machine is adapted to make a
fabric of a foot in width, and twelve or more such fabrics may con-
veniently be produced simultaneously. The warp threads b' from the
beam & pass up through a perforated guide plate 62 to the warp bars c
which are similar to the warp bars of a twist lace machine, and are
actuated at one end by a jacquard in the usual manner; the jacquard
is not shewn in the Drawing, and is of ordinary construction. care
combs or racks in which the warp bars are supported; cach of the warp
threads has a corresponding warp bar through an eye in which it
passes, and the same bar receives the corresponding threads of all the
fabrics which are simultaneously produced. Immediately above the warp
bars the weft is introduced, and the fabric so produced passes up
and over a roller d which slowly revolves and against the surface of
which it is pressed by another roller ; in this way the fabric is drawn
up as fast as it is produced, and it is afterwards wound up upon the work
roller f. It will be understood that there are separate rollers d, e, and f
for each fabric which the machine produces. The motions which the
guide bars receive from the jacquard open the sheds in the warp for the
reception of the weft, which is inserted by an instrument g having an
eye at g' through which the weft thread is passed; this instrument when
the shed is opened passes through it carrying with it a loop of the
weft. The instruments g of the several fabrics are all bolted to a bar 4,
which is able to slide to and fro horizontally in suitable guides in the
frame; are links connecting this bar with the rocking levers / which
are themselves actuated by connecting rods h³ passing to cranks on the
main axis which is driven in any convenient manner. After the
instrument has passed through the shed carrying a loop of the weft
thread with it, as already explained, a thread at the further. or front'
selvage of the fabric is passed through this loop so as to secure it and

page_text: make a perfect edge to the fabric; this is done by means of a bobbin k
mounted on guides k¹ fixed to the frame of the machine; the construction
of these parts is herein-after fully described. The several bobbins k, one
for each of the fabrics which the machine produces receive their motions
from pushers and m which are fixed respectively upon bars and m'
receiving a longitudinal motion in guides on the frame; the bar is con-
nected by a link with the lever which turns on a centre at its lower end
and is actuated by a cam on the transverse horizontal shaft n which by
bevilled gear is driven from the main shaft i, a spring keeps the lever
constantly up to the cam ; the bar m' on which the pusher m is mounted
is connected by a long link m² with a slide m³ jointed to a lever m* taking
its motion from a crown cam m³ at the end of the main shaft i. m is
a spring to keep the lever m' up to its cam. After the bobbins k
have thus been passed through the loops of the weft threads the
instruments g return, and the position of the warp bars is then changed
so as to open new sheds, through which the instruments g again pass
as before.
The work as it is thus produced is held and the weft is
beaten up by point bars o and p; the point bar o has a horizontal
motion only in and out of the shed, whilst the point bar p has in
addition a vertical motion to carry up the weft to the line of work.
The several point bars o are fixed at one end to a bar o', and at the
other end they are supported upon a bar a¹ fixed to the frame of the
machine. The bar o' is jointed at its end to a lever o' turning on a
centre at o*, and this lever at its further end is actuated by a cam o³
upon the vertical axis o', which is driven by bevilled wheels from the
transverse horizontal shaft n. The point bars p are fixed to the bar p',
and they are guided in their movements by the two bars a¹ and a
fixed to the frame, in between which they fit, but so as to be able to
move freely. The vertical motion, which causes the points of these
bars after having entered the shed underneath the weft thread to
rise and carry up the weft to the line of work, is given by rods q
jointed at one end to the point bars p and at the other to levers r
turning on centres on the frame at r*, and acted upon at their
further ends by eccentrics on a horizontal axis 8, which by bevilled
gear, as is shown, is driven from the vertical shaft o'. The horizontal
motion of the point bars p is given by a link p² connected with the
bar p and attached at its other end to the end lever t, which at its
further end is operated upon by a cam o³ on the axis o'. The con-
nections between the point bars p and the levers q, and also between

page_text: the link p and the lever t, are made by universal joints to admit of
the compound vertical and horizontal movement. We would here
remark that in place of the point bars ordinary reeds may be used;
they would be suspended in the same way as the point bars p, but would
require a vertical movement only, and this of such a length and so
timed that they should stand just over the warp bars and below the
wefting instruments g at the time these latter enter and whilst they
remain in the shed. The winding up of the fabric is obtained by means
of the horizontal axis u at the top of the machine; this axis is driven
in the same way as the work roller of an ordinary lace machine by
means of a ratchet wheel and pawl, not shown in the Drawings.
This axis has upon it worms u¹, one for each fabric, and these gear with
and drive worm wheels d' on the axes of the rollers d. e' are levers
carrying the axes of the rollers e, and springs e in connection with these
levers cause the fabrics to be nipped firmly against the rollers d, so that
they may be drawn forward as they revolve. The levers el are made
with handles, by which they can be raised when it is desired to release
the fabric from the nip of the rollers. The work rollers are driven by
bands f passing around pulleys at their ends, and also around corre-
sponding pulleys upon the rollers d; these pulleys are so proportioned
as to wind up the fabric sufficiently fast when the work beam is empty,
as it fills the band slips on the pulley as soon as the slack of the fabric
has been taken up. The weft threads.are supplied to the weft carriers g
from spools v, from which the threads pass over a moving bar v¹ and
under and over fixed bars v², v³, and v to the carriers g. Between the
bars and a weight o' is hung on each of the threads; it is able
to rise and fall between guides. The moving bar rests against the
face of the standards w, and is connected by cords x, x, passing over
pulleys with the levers h², to which the cords are tied in such positions
that each time the bar v¹ ascends it may draw off from the spool
the length of weft required for the next passage of the weft carrier g,
and this length it then delivers by descending simultaneously with the
passage of the weft carrier. The riding weights 5 compensate for any
inequalities in the action.
Figure 3 of the Drawings is a Diagram, showing full size one of
the bobbins with its comb or guide ; in the same Figure also the
bars c, the weft carriers g, and
pushers and m are shown; the warp
the point bars and p also appear. y and z are guides, fixed to the

page_text: frame of the machine. and between which the work passes. The edge of
the blade y serves as a stop for the points of the bar p, which in rising
carry the weft just up to the edge of this blade.
In Figure 3 the parts are in the position which they occupy when
the weft carrier g begins to move towards the front.
Figure 4 shows the same parts in the positions they occupy at the end
of the forward motion of the weft carrier.
In Figure 5 the parts are shown as they appear after the bobbin k
has passed through the loop of the weft, and before the weft carrier
commences to return.
In Figure 6 the weft carrier has returned.
Figure 7 is an edge view of the comb or guide of the bobbin.
The bobbin is held between a front and back plate, which are held
together with screws, and the back plate tends always to spring slightly
inwards, so that it nips the bobbin and keeps it steadily in the position
into which the pushers and m drive it, otherwise the bobbin might be
struck by the weft carrier f.
Figure 8 shows, full size, the cam 1, which gives motion to the
pushers 1.
Figure 9 shows the crown cam m³, which actuates the pushers m.
Figure 10 shows the cam o³, which gives motion to the point bars o.
And Figure 11 shows the cam o³, which gives the horizontal motion to
the point bars p.
Figure 12 is a plan of a portion of a machine, showing the means
which we adopt when using a shuttle-like instrument in place of a
fixed weft carrier; Figure 13 is a transverse section of the same.
Figures 14 show the shuttle-like instrument adapted to carry a loop
of the weft through the warp to be caught and held by the selvage
bobbin.
a, a, are two horizontal bars running from end to end of the
machine; between these bars stand the several fabrics, which are simul-
taneously produced in a manner similar to that already described, except
that the shuttle-like instrument (or shuttle as we will call it) is, as
already mentioned, substituted for the weft carrier before employed, and
a reed is substituted for the point bars. The reed is made to beat up
after each return of the shuttle to the back. c, c, are the shuttle

page_text: The
boxes or receiving guides, and d is the shuttle; it is shown separately
at Figures 14, which are respectively side and end views. The weft
thread passes to it at the lower part from spools at the back of the
machine, and from the top of the shuttle the weft passes up to the
fabric. d, d, are light coiled springs to aid in regulating the tension
of the weft. If the width of the reed be considerable we form some of
the dents in the manner shown at Figure 15 to guide the shuttle in its
travel. When the shuttle is thrown from the back box c into the front
box c it is stopped by coming against the stop plate e, which is carried
by two spring boxes e, e', supported on the fixed rods e³, es.
stop plate yields to the blow sufficiently to lessen the concussion, and
the shuttle is then caught so as to prevent its return by a catch f
turning on a centre at f'. The catch yields to allow the shuttle to enter
the box, but immediately rises by the action of a spring in connection
with it, and its end then enters into a notch d on the under side of the
shuttle. The return of the shuttle through the warp threads to the back
shuttle box is caused by a pushing instrument g, which is fixed upon a
rod g sliding in a fork upon the guide piece h. This guide piece is
made to slide to and fro longitudinally along the bar a by means
of the connecting rod h¹ coupling it with a lever h³, which is actuated
by a cam . The friction pulley on the lever and against which. the
cam acts is kept up to the cam by a spring not shown in the Drawing;
in other cases also similar springs are omitted from the Drawing to avoid
unnecessary complication. As soon as the shuttle has arrived in the
front box the pusher g is moved forward in front of it by the cam h³, and
then the pusher is made to advance or travel out or away from the
selvage of the fabric by the action of the cam i upon the lever k,
to which the bar g' is attached. The pusher by bearing upon the
shuttle forces it against the stop plate c¹, which recedes, its springs
yielding to let it do so; then when the shuttle has been pushed far
enough back the pusher is drawn out by the cam ³, and the shuttle
escapes past it and traverses the shed. The catch fis prevented from
interfering with the escape of the shuttle by a finger g* on the bar g',
which when the bar g' advances depresses the upper end of the catch.
There are similar parts in connection with the back shuttle box, and
they act in a similar manner. The form of the parts is somewhat
different, but this the Drawing clearly shows, so that no further detailed
description of them will be necessary; they are lettered to correspond
with the description already given, but the more clearly to distinguish

page_text: them with capital letters in place of small letters. The axis of the
cam his driven by bevilled gear from the main axis 1, which also
similarly drives an inclined shaft m, and this again by bevilled gear
drives the axis of the cam i. The cams and H³ are shown at
Figure 16 together with the friction pulleys on which they act.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the
manner of performing the same, the methods of giving the motions
described to the various parts of the machine may be much varied
without departing from our Invention; but we would have it under-
stood that what we claim in the manufacture of the woven fabrics is,
the carrying the weft double or as a loop through the warp, and
securing it by passing a bobbin or instrument carrying a selvage thread
through the loop, in the manner above described.
We also claim the arranging apparatus for the manufacture of woven
fabrics, substantially in the manner above described.
We also claim in the manufacture of woven fabrics the propelling a
shuttle or shuttle-like instrument through between the warp threads by
first drawing it away from the selvage of the fabric against the resistance
of a spring and then liberating it, as above described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel Rodgers Samuels and John
Birks, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-second
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-nine.
SAMUEL RODGERS SAMUELS. (L.S.)
JOHN BIRKS.
(L.S.)