CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HALL, of Geecross, near Stockport, in the County of Chester, Machine Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of February,
in the thirteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Hall, my exors, admors, and assigns,
Her especial license that I, the said James Hall, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Hall, my exors, admors, 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 that part of Her Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said James Hall, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be enrolled in Her said 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 said Letters Patent, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: screw and screw nut at the end of each of the wedges, as seen in Fig. 4.
d are the lay swords, made in this instance of wrought iron, bolted below to
the cast iron pieces d', which are keyed on the shaft a. e is the lay bottom,
which may be made of wood, as shewn in the Drawing, or of iron if found
more convenient; and e' is the reed top. f, f, are the picking sticks, the
upper ends of which are furnished with the bridles fs, by which a piece of
leather or other yielding material is held; this leather or other material comes
in contact with the end of the shuttle, and is used as a substitute for the
ordinary picker. The lower ends of the picking sticks are let into forked
sockets, which are pointed to the pieces f* fixed on the ends of the shaft d².
By this arrangement the action of the picking stick is more direct than in the
ordinary mode of construction. The motion is given to the picking sticks by
the rollers b' revolving on studs fixed in the disks 6 on the tappet shaft b
which act upon projections fixed to the levers 6%, as seen in Figures 1 and 6.
The picking levers 6* are bolted to the levers 6, and to the end of each of the
lovers 6' is fixed an angle piece, seen best in Figure 6, to which is bolted one
end of a piece of hoop iron 7, the other end of which is bolted to a leather
link passing round the picking stick. The levers are fixed on short
upright shafts supported in bearings bolted to the back stay, as shewn in the
Drawings. The distance between the end of the picking levers and the
picking sticks may be varied by the slot near one end of the hoop iron pieces
65, but when once the requisite distance is determined, there will be no
subsequent variation, as is the case when straps of leather are used for com-
municating the motion to the picking sticks. At each end of the lay bottom is
fixed a piece of vulcanized india rubber or other suitable elastic material against
which the picking sticks strike, and the picking sticks are brought back after
every pick into the positions shewn in Fig. 1 by the spring 6, which passes
through holes in the continuations of the levers 6s, as seen in Fig. 6. The warp
beam g is supported iu bearings attached to the loom sides, and it is prevented
from being turned round too freely by the friction clips 9', seen best in Figs. 2,
3, and 5. To the shaft of the warp beam is fixed the ratchet wheel g³, and
beyond this wheel the end of the shaft supports the elbow lever g, see Fig. 2,
which is put in motion by the tappet g fixed in any convenient way on the
tappet shaft b. The click is fitted on a stud in the lever g, and takes into
the teeth of the ratchet wheel g; and I wish to remark here that the amount
of motion given to the lever g³ by the tappet 9' is governed by the quantity of
yarn let off, as will be explained hereafter. h is a weight roller supported
at each end between the slots in the brackets h', to which are affixed the
short racks h; the pinions h³ fixed to the roller h take into the said racks

page_text: and retain the weight roller parallel to the warp beam. One end of the
roller projects beyond the loom side, as seen in Fig. 3, and limits the range
of the elbow lever gs in the following manner:-If the warp beam is giving
off more yarn than is required, the roller h descends in the guide brackets h¹,
and consequently the projecting end of the said roller, by depressing the bent
arm of the elbow lever g³, raises the horizontal arm of the same, and on the
next revolution of the tappet shaft the tappet'g' will have less effect on the
lever g', and consequently the click g will give less move to the ratchet
wheel g². As soon, however, as the roller k gives off more yarn than is delivered
by the warp beam, the roller h rises, and the bent end of the elbow lever g
being thus at liberty to rise, allows the horizontal arm of the same to be acted
upon with greater effect by the tappet g'. The warp, which is represented by
blue lines, on being unwound off the beam g is carried under the roller h, then
over the roller j, under the roller k, and over the roller l, from whence it goes
to the healds. The rollers; and bear upon the warp as it passes between
them and the roller k, and impart the requisite friction for drawing the warp
from under the roller h, and a uniform and positive quantity of warp is given
off at every stroke of the lay or batten by the roller k in the following
manner: To the cross shaft d is fixed a bent lever d³, see Figs. 1, 2, and 4;
this lever acts upon the catch m fixed to the lower end of the sliding bar m',
to the upper end of which is jointed the click m³ taking into the teeth of the
ratchet wheel m³; this ratchet wheel is fixed to the end of the diagonal shaft
m², and must be changed to suit the number of picks in an inch of the fabric
that is to be woven. To the other end of the shaft m is fixed a worm m
gearing into the worm wheel ' on the shaft of the roller k, consequently at
every return stroke of the batten the lever d³ raises the sliding bar m³, as shown
in red in Figs. 1 and 4, and causes the click m² to move the ratchet wheel m
partly round, thereby imparting motion to the shaft m' and roller k, as before
mentioned. The catch m when down is supported by the end of the set
screw m, by this means the amount of up-and-down motion is regulated to
suit the length of teeth in the ratchet wheel m³. The shaft of the roller k
revolves in bearings which can be raised or lowered by the screws k to suit
the angle or fall of the warp. The taking up of the cloth is performed by
the lever n³, seen best in Figs. 1 and 5. On referring to these views it
will be seen that the shaft of the cloth beam is furnished with a spur wheel n
which gears into and receives motion from the pinion n' fixed on the shaft n
revolving in bearings fixed to the loom sides in the ordinary manner. On
this shaft is also fixed the ratchet wheel nº, and it serves as a fulcrum from the
lever n³ above referred to. The weight n¹ is fixed to the boss of the lever n² by

page_text: a set screw, and admits of being set to different angles with respect to the lever
so as as to give more or less tension to the fabric that is being wound on the
cloth beam. The upper end of the lever n² is provided with a stud for the taking-
up click n', and the lower end is acted upon at every move of the batten by
the pin d' fixed to one of the lay swords. The retaining clicks n' are loose
on the shaft of the cloth beam. From the above description it is evident
that the taking up of the cloth or fabric is effected at a uniforın degree of
tension, the amount of which can be varied according to circumstances by
varying the position of the weight n¹ on the boss of the lever n².
1
"
I will now proceed to describe the improved apparatus for stopping the
loom in the absence of the weft or when the shuttle fails to box. The parts
belonging to the weft stopper are scen best in Figures 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10,
and those parts relating to the stopping of the loom when the shuttle "traps'
or remains in the shed are seen best in Figure 5. s is the stop rod supported
in bearings fixed to the lay swords d; at each end of the stop rod s is an
upright lever s¹ acted upon by the pieces, which answer the same purpose
as the swells in the ordinary shuttle boxes. The swell pieces are jointed to
the lay, as seen in Figure 6, in which view the shuttle is at the left-hand side
of the loom, and the upright lever s¹ having been acted upon by the swell e³
has turned the stop rods as much round as is sufficient to raise the stop
fingers over the catch which projects from the sliding bar ; this catch
answers the purpose of a frog, and is seen best in Figures 5 and 7.
The sliding bar 83 is supported near one end by bearing, shewn by
dotted lines in Figure 5 and in Figure 7, and at the other end it is jointed
to the levers, hinged below on a strong steel springs, and furnished
above with a hook, the object of which will be explained presently.
It is the ordinary spring starting lever, from which projects the piece t',
which is acted upon by the end of the sliding bars pushing against the
filling-up piece us, which will be explained hereafter. When the shuttle
does not complete its traverse from one box to the other the stop finger s²
does not get lifted over the catch projecting from the bar s³, but comes in
contact with it, and pushes it so much forward that the spring starting
lever is moved out of its retaining notch, thereby moving the driving strap
from the fast to the loose pulley, and at the same time drawing the
levers' towards the fly-wheel, so that the stud so, projecting from the fly-wheel,
comes into the hook at the upper end of the said lever, thereby suddenly
arresting the motion of the loom before the lay can complete its advance
towards the cloth. The spring s", to which the levers is hinged, is to reduce
the shock when the stud 80 strikes into the hook of the lever s', and to prevent

page_text: the injurious effects of the sudden stopping of the parts. The springs, seo
Figure 5, acts upon the lever st, and brings it back against the end of the
guide slot in the bracket 80 whenever it has been drawn towards the fly-wheel.
The levers are held in contact with the swells & by the spring e', see
Figure 1, acting upon the bent lever s fixed on the stop rod s. By this
arrangement one spring answers for both ends of the lay. The spring may
also be made to act on the stop finger. The counterweights is keyed on the
rods, and is to balance the stop fingers. The various parts constituting the
weft stopper which I am now going to describe, are put in motion partly by
the weft itself and partly by the cam 68 fixed near the driving end of the
tappet shaft b, seen best in Figure 5. This cam actuates the lever u, to the
extremity of which is attached a slender rod w, guided above in a hole in one
of the brackets p³. The roller or stud at the end of the lever u is held in
contact with the tappet 6s by a spring 6º. The pin u³ projects from the rod
u, and comes against the short arm of the double-elbow lever u³ at every
down stroke of the said rod, thereby bringing it into the position shewn in
red in Figure 1. The double-elbow lever u³, seen detached in Figure 10, has
a pin projecting from it; and this pin acts upon the balance lever us, the
lower limb of which terminates in a filling-up piece, the object of which
will be explained presently. When the double-elbow lever u assumes the
position shewn in red in Fig. 1 & 10 the balance lever u also takes the
position shewn in red, thereby bringing the above-named filling-up piece
between the end of the sliding bars and the piece t¹, as seen in Fig. 7.
After the rod u¹ rises the upper part of the double-elbow lever u³ is at liberty
to be drawn down again by the action of the weft, and the balance lever u
takes its former position, being brought back to it by the counterweight pro-
jecting from it, as clearly shewn in Fig. 1. The sliding bar & has a backward
and forward motion imparted to it at every stroke of the batten, or at every
revolution of the tappet shaft, by the following means:-The amount of
traverse given to this sliding bar is about equal to the thickness of the filling-
up piece at the end of the lower limb of the balance lever us, which is also
equal to about the depth of the retaining notch of the spring starting levert,
in the plate p. In the counterweight s³, see Figs. 5, 6, and 8, is fixed a stud
u, which comes against and alters the position of the lever u' at every back
stroke of the lay or batten. The lever u' is on a stud fixed to the loom side,
and the lower end is forked and takes on a stud projecting from the sliding
bar s, as seen best in Figure 9; consequently every back stroke of the lay
brings the end of the bar s³ close up to the piece t¹; and as this bar is hinged
to the lever s, it is evident that the spring s before mentioned will draw the

page_text: bar back again to its original position as soon as the advancing of the lay
brings the stud u out of contact with the lever u'. The sliding bars may
also be made to traverse once for every revolution of the tappet shaft by a cam
on the tappet shaft acting on a lever, the upper end of which is forked, and
takes on a stud projecting from the said sliding bar. In this case the lever
u and stud u would be dispensed with. I have already stated that the
filling-up piece at the end of the lower limb of the balance lever is brought
at every down stroke of the rod u between the end of the sliding bar s³ and
the piece t, and that it is withdrawn again when at liberty to do so by the
depression of the upper end of the double-elbow lever u. This action takes
place at every alternate move of the lay. I have also explained how the end
of the sliding bar & is brought near to and recedes from the piece t. These
actions continue uninterruptedly as long as the weft continues to traverse the
shed, but if the weft breaks or is expanded the upper end of the double-elbow
lever u would remain elevated, and the filling-up piece at the end of the
lower limb of the balance lever u would remain between the end of the bar
and piece t, as seen in Figure 7; consequently, as soon as the lay got near
to the end of its back stroke, the stud u, by acting on the lever u', would
move the sliding bar s, and the end of this bar, by coming against the filling-
up picce before mentioned, would act on the piece t¹, and liberate the spring
starting levert from its retaining notch, thereby moving the driving strap from
the fast to the loose pulley. During the back stroke of the lay the front of
the catch t³, which is fixed to a projection from the piece t¹, is acted upon by
the stop fingers when the spring starting lever t has been moved out of the
retaining notch; and the back of the said catch, by coming against the pro-
jecting end of the sliding bars, draws the lever s* toward the fly-wheel, so
that the hook at its upper end is in a position to catch the stud se projecting
from the fly-wheel. By these means the motion of the crank shaft is arrested,
as before described. In Figure 6 the lay is nearly up to the cloth, and the
shuttle is in the left-hand box. The upper arm of the double-elbow lever us
is down, as shewn in black in Figure 1, having been pulled down by the weft
thread when the shuttle was passing from the right-hand to the left-hand shuttle
box, and it remains down until the shuttle is again in the right-hand box.
When the reed then comes up to the cloth, the weft reaching from the
selvage to the shuttle passes over the end of the double-elbow lever u³, and
immediately afterwards the downward stroke of the rod u' elevates the upper
arm of the said elbow lever, which thereby catches the weft, and retains it in
such a position that at the next pick the weft draws down the upper arm of
the double-elbow lever, and brings it from the position shown in red to the
position shown in black.

page_text: The improved apparatus for regulating the tension of the healds is shown
best in the transverse section, Fig. 4. In this view 67 are the ordinary
shedding tappets acting on the treadles o, which are each furnished with
screws o' having wing heads, so as to be easily turned round by hand. The
cords from the healds are taken under the studs or rollers o³, which are
attached to the treadles o, and are then made fast to the screw nuts o³, which
are moved to and fro by the screws o¹; and as the wing heads of these screws
are brought to a convenient position under the cloth beam, it is evident that
the attendant, by turning the screws round, can increase or diminish the
tension of the healds without the inconvenience now experienced in performing
that operation.
My improvements in "temples" relate to those generally known as the
roller temples, and they consist in dispensing with the trough in which such
temples usually revolve, and instead of carrying the cloth under, it is conveyed
over the temple, as seen in Fig. 4, and thence direct to the cloth beam. By
this arrangement I am enabled to bring the temple close to the reed when the
same is laying the shoot or striking the weft home, and consequently the cloth
is held by the temple to the full width of the reed, or nearly so. Another
advantage of this arrangement is, that any defect in the cloth is easily detected,
because it remains in sight; whereas in the ordinary roller temples the cloth,
by being conveyed into the trough, is very soon concealed, and the defects are
sometimes not discovered until it is too late to correct them. In Figs. 1, 4,
and 6 I have shown the temple, which is marked p, as being made. of a piece
of round iron, with a portion of each end made rough like a file, to retain the
cloth to the requisite width; but I would wish it to be understood that the
same effect may be obtained by card fillets, or adjustable pieces, made of brass,
can be employed, which may be set to suit the width of fabric that is being
woven. The temple revolves in the adjustable bearings p¹, bolted to the
brackets p, one of which has the retaining notch for the spring starting lever.
The cross bar p³ answers the purpose of the front part of the breast beam, but
as it is placed nearer to the batten than usual, the attendant will have greater
facility in reaching to the harness of the loom.
Having now fully described the nature and particulars of my said Invention
of "Certain Improvements in Looms for Weaving," I wish it to be understood
that I do not confine myself to any of the mechanical details herein set forth,
so long as the peculiar character of my Invention, or any part thereof, be
retained. But what I claim as of my Invention is,-
First, the improvements in machinery for giving motion to the shuttles, and
the application of metallic bands for transmitting motion to the picking sticks,
as herein-before described and shewn in the Drawings.

page_text: Secondly, the improvements in unwinding the yarn from the warp beam,
and for retaining the warp at a uniform degree of tension.
Thirdly, the improvements in stopping the loom in the absence of the weft,
or when the shuttle fails to box.
Fourthly, the improvements in the apparatus for regulating the tension of
the healds. And,
Lastly, the improvement in the roller temples, as herein-before described
and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
And this my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I hereby declare this to be ny
Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specifica-
tion doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with
the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained,
wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to the
said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of August, One thousand eight