IMPROVEMENTS IN JACQUARD LOOMS OR MACHINERY FOR WEAVING
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Shields, of the City and County of Perth, North
Britain, Power Loom Manufacturer, Perth and Cromwell Park, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN JACQUARD LOOMS OR MACHINERY FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 23rd March 1860, and dated the 5th October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Shields at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th October
1859.
I, JOHN SHIELDS, of the City and County of Perth, North Britain, Power.
Loom Manufacturer, Perth and Cromwell Park, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN JACQUARD LOOMS OR MACHINERY FOR
WEAVING," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to various arrangements of jacquard looms or
machinery so as to secure a more effective system of operation in weaving,
and it embraces four several leading heads of improvements; these are, first,
an arrangement of apparatus for working or actuating a greater number of
upright wires or needles than has hitherto been the case by one horizontal
needle, without the necessity of the latter being in parts or sectional portions.
In this way the improved jacquard accomplishes, by the aid of a harness only,
all that is at present done by a harness and a comb, or what is ordinarily known

page_text: as a pressure harness. In this way the comb is done away with, and all the
cross strain
upon the yarn is got rid of, and the apparatus is rendered more
manageable for power-loom weaving. In the ordinary pressure harness loom
every mail or working eye of the harness has from two up to four or five
threads passed through it, each horizontal needle working only one vertical
needle, and the harness only makes the pattern, and the comb, by having a leaf
up and a leaf down, twills both the flower or ornamental device and the ground.
But according to the present improvements each horizontal needle actuates
from two to five vertical needles, and a single thread only is passed through
each mail. The latter, where the twill is to be of a five leaf on, run in five,
ten, or fifteen rows, according to the number of upright wires or needles which
the cross needles have to work, to make the pattern large or small. The
cards only work the pattern in the same manner as the pressure harness, and
by throwing off every fifth row the pattern is twilled just as in a pressure
harness loom; thus the essential feature of the arrangement is, that instead of
having several threads in each mail, there is but one thread in each mail,
whilst there are several vertical wires to each horizontal needle, whilst the
twilling is accomplished by putting on and letting off a row as may be.
required.
Second, an arrangement wherein the vertical wires or needles are rested
upon horizontal rods carried in cross slides. A cam traverse movement is
employed to actuate these slides, so as to cause the horizontal rods between the
needle wires to move backwards and forwards, and thus move the needles
themselves into contact with or clear of the "brander," as the twilling. may
require, irrespective of the jacquard cards.
Third, an apparatus for turning the jacquard barrel every second, third,
fourth, or fifth shot, as the pattern being woven may require; this is done in
the usual manner by a pair of snecks, latches, or shears lying on the top of the
barrel, but only allowed to come into positive gear with the jacquard barrel at
the proper intervals, that is, at every three or four shots, thereby increasing the
size of the pattern..
Fourth, the application of horizontal stop rods for the purpose of preventing
the tops of the vertical wires or. needles from getting too far beneath the
branders. These stop rods are fixtures, being made fast to the framing as near
the top of the vertical needle as the branders or lifters will permit.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Shields in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th:
April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN:
SHIELDS, of the City and County of Perth, North Britain, Power Loom..
Manufacturer, Perth, and Cromwell Park, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight, hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her..
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me,
the said John Shields, Her special license that. I, the said John Shields,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as. I, the said John
Shields, my executors, administrators, or 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 JACQUARD LOOMS
OR MACHINERY. FOR. WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Shields, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,.
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 John. Shields, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked tliereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to various arrangements of jacquard looms or
machinery, so as to secure a more effective system of operation in weaving,..
and it embraces four several heads of improvements. These are, first,.
an arrangement of apparatus for working or actuating a greater number
of upright wires. or needles than has hitherto been the case by one horizontal
needle, without the necessity of the latter being in parts or sectional
portions. In this way the improved jacquard accomplishes,, by the aid of
a harness only, all that is at present done by a harness and a comb, or what is
ordinarily known as a pressure harness. In this way the comb is done away
with, and all the cross strain. upon the yarn is got rid of, and the apparatus is

page_text: rendered more manageable for power-loom weaving. In the ordinary pressure
harness loom, every mail or working eye of the harness has from two up to
four or five threads passed through it, each horizontal needle working only one
vertical needle, and the harness only makes the pattern, and the comb, by
having a leaf up and a leaf down, twills both the flower or ornamental device
and the ground. But according to the present improvements each horizontal
needle actuates from two to five vertical needles, and a single thread only is
passed through each mail. The latter, where the twill is to be a five leaf on,
run in five, ten, or fifteen rows, according to the number of upright wires or
needles which the cross needles have to work to make the pattern large or
small. The cards only work the pattern in the same manner as the pressure
harness, and by throwing off every fifth row the pattern is twilled just as in á
pressure harness loom. Thus the essential feature of the arrangement is, that
instead of having several threads in each mail, there is but one thread in each
mail, whilst there are several vertical wires to each horizontal needle, whilst
the twilling is accomplished by putting on and letting off a row, as may be
required.
Second, an arrangement wherein the vertical wires or needles are rested upon
horizontal röds carried in cross slides. A cam traverse movement is employed
to actuate these slides, so as to cause the horizontal rods between the needle
wires to move backwards and forwards, and thus move the needles themselves
into contact with, or clear of the "brander," as the twilling may require,
irrespective of the jacquard cards.
Third, an apparatus for turning the jacquard barrel every second, third,
fourth, or fifth shot, as the pattern being woven may require. This is done in
the usual manner by a pair of snecks, latches, or shears lying on the top of the
barrel, but only allowed to come into proper gear with the jacquard barrel at
the proper intervals, that is, at every three or four shots, thereby increasing
the size of the pattern.
Fourth, the application of horizontal stop rods for the purpose of preventing
the tops of the vertical wires or needles from getting too far beneath the
branders. These stop rods are fixtures, being made fast to the framing as near
the top of the vertical needle as the branders or lifters will permit.
And in order that my said Invention of improvements in jacquard looms or
machinery for weaving may be properly understood, I shall now proceed
to describe the several Figures on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
for the purpose of showing certain modifications under which my improve-
ments may be judiciously carried out in practice, that is to say :-
Figure 1; on the accompanying Sheet of illustrative Drawings, is a partially

page_text: sectional elevation of one modification or arrangement of my improvements in
jacquard apparatus; Figure 2 is a plan showing a part of one row of the
needles; and Figure 3 is a plan of the mechanical arrangement for throwing
the vertical wires on and off the brander. The jacquard cylinder A is ar-
ranged to actuate, by means of the endless chain of perforated cards B, four or
other number of rows of pattern needles. As delineated in the accompanying
Drawing there are four rows C, D, E, and F, of these needles, the action of
which form the pattern in the fabric to be woven. The front ends of the
pattern needles project out through the guide G, so as to be either pushed
back by the card, or allowed to pass through the holes made therein, for the
purpose of raising the yarn in the required order to form the predetermined
pattern or figure. The backward end of each pattern needle is formed into a
loop or elongated eye, which part passes between the horizontal wires extend-
ing across the box H, and through the several loops of each vertical row of
needles is passed a retaining wire I. Each of the pattern needles is caused to
actuate two or more of the vertical hooked wires or "cleeks" J, by forming
in each pattern needle two or other convenient number of loops or elongated
eyes K, as delineated in the plan of four of the pattern needles shown in
Figure 2 on the accompanying Drawing. In the position in which the pattern
needles are shown in Figure 1, the needles C and E are in their normal posi-
tion, the ends passing through corresponding perforations in the card 'B, which
is at the time in contact with the inner face of the jacquard cylinder Ai
But the needles D and F being kept back by the solid parts of the card, prevent
a certain number of the vertical wires J from being hooked on to the
horizontal bars of the "brander' or lifting board L. Thus the needle D
moves back the fourth, fifth, and sixth verticles wires J out of the way
of the brander, and the yarns which are passed through the "mails," or eyes of
the harness connected to these wires, remain unaffected by the upward motion
of the brander L. So also with the pattern needle F, which has only two
loops or eyes K formed in it, and through which the ninth and tenth wires J
pass; these wires are consequently kept back clear of the brander L, by the
position in which the card B keeps the needle F. Each of the vertical wires
or needles J are kept up to the front part of the loops K, in the 'pattern
needles C, D, E, and F, by causing them to pass through the eyes of the lower
series of horizontal needles M. These needles correspond in number to those
of the vertical wires, and each one is made with an eye N, through which the
wire J passes. The front ends of the needles M pass through the guide O, the
backward extremities being carried between the bars of the box H; these ends

page_text: are looped as shown in the plan, Figure 2, and there is attached to each one
one end of a helical spring P, which serves to press the needle M. forward
when not otherwise acted upon. The other extremity of each helical spring P is
fastened to the back part of the box H, the gentle pressure of the spring on the
end of the needle M causing it to carry the wire J, to which it is attached, for-
ward to the front part of the loop K of the pattern needles C, D, E, and F. The
twilling of the fabric is effected by means of the mechanical arrangement which is
fitted below the needles M. This consists of a series of cams Q, which form
the twilling barrel; these cams are arranged contiguous to each other on the
shaft R, so as to act in concert on the rods S. These rods are supported on
the end standards T ; they are flat metal bars, cach of which has upon its upper
face two bosses U, in which are fixed the laterally extending rods V.. The
vertical wires J are continued downwards so as to form long loops W, the
upper parts of which rest upon the rods V, as shown in Figure 1 of the accom-
panying Drawings. As the cams Q come round, the projecting parts of the
peripheries push the rods S-forward, which causes the wires J that are con-
nected with the rods so actuated to turn slightly upon their centres, the fulcra
of the several wires being the eyes N in the needles M. This motion of the
wires J throws back their upper hooked ends clear of the brander; meanwhile
those wires J which are required to be brought into action to effect the
twilling, are done so by the rods S being moved in a contrary direction. This
is effected by the receding or concave part of the cam or cams Q, coming
opposite to the end or ends of the rods S, the rods being moved backwards by
the springs X, which keep the rods continually in contact with the peripheries
of the actuating cams Q. In this manner the sequence of the movements. of
the harness which is attached to the operating wires J is effectively provided
for, to obtain the twilling of the fabric irrespective of the pattern mechanism.
The position of the vertical wires for twilling the fabric as they are moved
to and fro by the action of the twilling barrel Q and springs X, is indicated
by dotted outline figures in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings.. In these
outlines, the second and sixth of the wires J are clear of the brander, whilst
the fourth and ninth wires are pushed forward, so that the yarns which they
are designed to lift will be raised with the upward movement of the brander.
The jacquard barrel is caused to be actuated at regularly recurring intervals of
time according to the number of shots of weft desired to be thrown in between
each movement of the barrel. This is effected by means of latches or snecks
lying across the upper part of the barrel, which are brought into gear with.
the jacquard at the proper intervals so as to suit the design or pattern, and

page_text: produce it according to the predetermined size. These improvements not only
simplify the arrangement of the jacquard mechanism, but render it better
adapted for application to looms which are actuated by steam power.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for weaving twilled or figured fabrics, as herein-before described and shown in
the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the system or mode of 'making the pattern forming needles of jac-
quard machinery with long loops or eyes, so as to allow the vertical wires or
"cleeks" to be acted upon by a motion independent of the jacquard barrel or
card, or by means of a second jacquard barrel instead of the cams Q, as herein-
before described and delineated in the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the application to and use in weaving machinery of the series of
needles marked M in the accompanying Drawings, which needles act as springs
on the vertical wires or "cleeks," as herein-before described and delineated in
the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth, the arrangement of the vertical wires or "cleeks" marked J, in
connection with the horizontal needles C, D, E, F, and M, in the Drawings
referred to, together with the mode of actuating two or other number of these
wires by means of a single pattern needle as herein-before described and shown
in the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth, the application to and use in weaving machinery of the arrangement
of moveable rods or slides S in the Drawings referred to, for the purpose of
actuating the wires or cleeks in the proper sequential order to produce the
twilling of the fabric, as herein-before described and shown in the accom-
panying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Shields, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of April, One thousand eight hundred
JOHN SHIELDS. (L.s.)