IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Woollatt, of the Borough of Leeds, in the
County of York, Mechanist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 1st June 1866, and dated the 7th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Woollatt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
December 1865.
I, JOSEPH WOOLLATT, of the Borough of Leeds, in the County of York,
Mechanist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as
follows:-
A number of wire bars having holes, perforations, or slots therein for any
required number of threads to be passed through are placed under a reed and
batten. These bars have a to-and-fro movement given them according to the
pattern required, each bar being attached to a lever at each end of the loom;
such looms may be actuated by cards upon a cylinder at each end of the loom
in lieu of employing a spring or weights. The warp threads intended to form

page_text: part of the fabric pass through the holes, perforations, or slots in the bars,
and also through or between a number of bars which form a reed, sley, or
batten, moved upwards and downwards vertically by spindle bars, levers, and
cams or equivalent contrivances. Each piece of fabric when produced passes
upwards through or between a pair of rollers; each such pair of rollers is
moved by a series of worms on a shaft capable of being governed in its move-
ments by a jacquard. The fabric after having passed through the above
rollers passes through another pair of rollers, from which it falls into a
receptacle placed at each or either end of the loom. The pickers which
propel the weft shuttles form part of or are secured to a bar or bars, which
receive a to-and-fro movement from a series of rocking levers worked by a
cam or cams.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Woollatt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WOOLLATT, of the Borough of Leeds, in the County of York, Mechanist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joseph Woollatt, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph
Woollatt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Joseph Woollatt, 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 make
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that 1, the said Joseph Woollatt, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Joseph Woollatt, do hereby declare the

page_text: nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
In these improvements a number of wire bars having holes, perforations, or
slots therein for any required number of threads to be passed through are placed.
under a reed and batten; these bars have a to-and-fro movement given them.
according to the pattern required by each bar being attached to a lever at
each end of the loom; such levers are actuated by cards upon a cylinder at.
each end of the loom, being so moved by preference in lieu of employing a
spring or weights, though a spring or weights may be used. The warp threads
intended to form part of the fabric to be made pass through the holes, per-
forations, or slots in the bars, and also through or between a number of bars
which form a reed, sley, or batten, moved upwards and downwards vertically
by means of spindle bars, levers, and cams, or equivalent contrivances. Each
piece of fabric when produced passes upwards through or between a pair of
rollers, each such pair of rollers being moved by a series of worms on a shaft
capable of being governed in its movements by a jacquard. The fabric when
it has passed through the above rollers passes also through another pair of
rollers, from which it falls into a receptacle at each or either end of the
loom. The pickers which propel the shuttles carrying the weft to and fro
form part of or are secured to a bar or bars to which a to-and-fro movement
is imparted by a series of rocking levers worked by a cam or cams.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention I proceed more particu-
larly to describe the manner of performing the same with reference to the
accompanying Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in two parts a front view of a weaving machine
in which are included two modifications respectively of my improvements.
Figures 3 and 4 are left and right end views of the machine, and Figure 5 a

page_text: together by three horizontal tie bars B, B, B, each in three lengths at the
back and front of the machine, which together form bearings for and support
the several parts of the machine. To the inner standards are secured four
brackets C, which form bearings for the ends of two bars D to slide in ; one
such bar is at the back of the machine and the other in front of the machine;
to each of these bars D is connected a bar E which slides upon the brackets C,
and these bars D, E, together form the back and front carriages for shuttlė
boxes F, in which the shuttles G slide; each shuttle carriage D, E, has a
to-and-fro horizontal movement imparted to it in the direction of the length of
the frame by a cam H, which rocks a lever H, to which a link is attached, this
link is also attached to the carriage D, E, and forces it to the left end of the frame,
the carriage being returned to the right end of the frame by a spring H2, which
is attached to the lever H and to one of the end standards A; the cam H is
caused to revolve by means of a ratchet wheel at its side moved by a driver at
one end of a rocking lever H³, which has a truck at its other end which is
operated upon by the cam No. 1; the driver is held clear of the ratchet wheel
by a spring passing between the cam H and the horizontal tie bar nearest to
it. When the cam H is to be moved the driver is pressed towards the ratchet
wheel by the projections upon the circumference of the cam H*, which cam is
caused to revolve by means of a pin in a boss (capable of adjustment by
means of a set screw); this boss is upon the shaft I, which shaft may if
required be driven by handles (by hand) or it may be provided with a fast-
and-loose pulley and a belt worked from a steam engine or other prime mover.
"During each revolution of the shaft I the pin in the boss strikes upon one of
the pins in a boss H, so that once in every eight revolutions of the shaft I
the cam will cause the driver to engage with a tooth of the ratchet wheel
and cause the cam H partly to revolve. The carriage D, E, at the back of
the frame is also traversed right and left horizontally by a corresponding set
of cams, levers, springs, and driver, as before described, for the front carriage.
It will be understood that the length of the traverse of both carriages will
depend upon the width to which the sheds K are opened and the number of
boxes required to each shed.
The apparatus previously described is arranged for two boxes to each shed. It
is evident that by the above arrangement I am enabled to take out one or more
shuttles having empty quills in them, and insert full quills therein, and also to
restore such shuttle or shuttles without stopping the full working of the machine,
and according to the length of traverse given to the shuttle box carriages I am
enabled to employ two or more coloured weft threads, and also to change such
colours according to the required pattern without stopping the machine. The

page_text: sheds are formed by the warp or other threads K, which are supplied from the
spools K, and they are each entered through holes in bars K, which may be
made of wire or strips of thin metal, in either case each.end of such bars may
be attached to levers at each end of the machine, such levers being actuated
by cards upon a cylinder at each end according to the pattern required; or
the bars may each be attached as shown to a spring K³ at one end of the
machine, and to strings at the other end of the machine, which strings are
passed over pulleys and attached each one to a jack lever K*, operated upon
by a jacquard apparatus K5 which has its cylinder raised and depressed by
levers and by a connecting link K operated upon by the cam 5, the jack
levers K are depressed a bar K' held by two levers moved by a link K³,
attached to a lever (shewn by dotted lines at the left end of the machine) and
operated upon by the cam 8, the wire or flat bars K' are passed through a sley
at the centre of the machine and also through a sley near each end of the
bars, these sleys are attached to the inner standards A. The warp or other
threads besides being passed through the holes, perforations, or slots in the
wire or flat bars K' are also passed up between a number of bars N, which
form a reed, sley, or batten, which reed, sley, or batten is (in one of my
modifications) moved upwards and downwards vertically by means of a rocking
spindle bar N¹, which has a lever at one end attached to a double jointed
link N, attached at its upper end to a lever operated upon by the cam No. 4,
the reed, sley, or batten is supported by two rods N which slide in bearings
attached to two uprights N. The lower ends of the two rods N³ are secured
to the ends of two struts No which have their upper ends secured to the
ends of the reed, sley, or batten N; a cross bar No unites the two rods N³,
and is attached by a link N' to a lever secured to the spindle bar N¹. When
the reed, sley, or batten N remains stationary (as in one of my modifications)
it is evident that it cannot knock up the weft, in which case I employ combs
or points L which form a separate reed, sley, or batten to each breadth of
work; these reeds, sleys, or battens, are secured to a frame or carriage attached
by links L¹ to rocking levers I connected together by a rod; the reeds, sleys,
or battens, have a vertical movement given them by an adjustable rod or bar
I³ attached to a lever and worked by the cam No. 4, which may be moved
sidewise upon its shaft for the purpose. Each reed, sley, or batten L has an
horizontal motion communicated to it by operating the carriage by an adjust-
able link M and lever M', moved by the cam No. 2. Each piece of fabric
when produced passes upwards through or between a pair of rollers O, each
pair of rollers O is moved by a series of worms on a shaft P, which may be

page_text: governed in its movements by a jacquard, or it may be moved as shewn by a
ratchet wheel P¹ at one end and driven by a driver on the end of a lever
moved by the cam 8. The fabric when it has passed through the above
rollers passes also through another pair of rollers, from which last-mentioned
pair of rollers it falls into a receptacle placed to receive it at each end of the
machine. Two breadths of fabric are passed at one time through each pair
of delivering rollers, each succeeding pair of delivering rollers is driven by a
cross cord or belt passed round one of them and passed also round one of the
rollers of the last pair at each end of the machine, the rollers being driven by
a worm and wheel. The pickers which propel the shuttles carrying the weft
to and fro form part of or are secured firmly to two bars or rollers R, one
at the back and the other at the front of the machine; these rollers have a
to-and-fro movement given them by a rocking lever R¹ on each roller worked
by the cams 6 and 7.
It will be evident from the foregoing description that the whole of the breadths
of fabric made in the machine is operated upon at one and the same time,
the wire bars or flat bars through which the warp or other threads are entered
take a lead from one breadth to the other, in the manner shown, so that a
separate apparatus is not required for each breadth of fabric; the bobbins
or spools which supply the warp or other threads may have the required
tension put on them by cords and weights, or by springs in any of the well
known ways.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, for opening a shed crosswise in the reed, sley, or batten, on the loom,
the shuttle boxes on the carriage frame or frames being also crosswise as
well as stationary for any given period, as shewn at Figure 1, Sheet 1,
whereby I am enabled to make any width of fabric, for example, from one inch
to twenty inches within the space of four inches upon the reed, sley, or
batten, for every breadth of fabric made on the loom, and also for enabling
me to take out empty quills or bobbins and replenish them while the loom is
in full motion.
Second, for the points taking up the weft when the reed, sley, or batten
is not required to do so, and also for the lead given in the bars, whereby from
one breadth to another breadth each bar acts the same when making the
same pattern.
Third, for the construction of the jacquard, its double action materially
reducing the friction in the production of certain patterns or fabrics.

page_text: Fourth, the arrangement and combination of parts of machinery or appa-
ratus substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Woollatt, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
JOSEPH WOOLLATT. (L.s.)