IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF POWER LOOMS, AND IN THE TRANSMISSION OF MOTION TO POWER LOOMS AND OTHER MACHINES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Combe,, of Leeds, Engineer, and John Henry
Smalpage, also of Leeds, Woollen Draper and Tailor, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF POWER LOOMS, AND
IN THE TRANSMISSION OF MOTION TO POWER LOOMS AND OTHER MACHINES."
Sealed the 19th July 1864, and dated the 26th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Combe and John
Henry Smalpage at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 26th January 1864. :
We, JOHN COMBE, of Leeds, Engineer, and JOHN HENRY SMALPAGE, also of
Leeds, Woollen Draper and Tailor, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF POWER
LOOMS, AND IN THE TRANSMISSION OF MOTION TO POWER LOOMS AND OTHER MACHINES,"
to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists, firstly, in carrying the stop rod of power looms in
two bearings attached to the frame sides, so that two fingers projecting from
the stop rod are acted upon and raised by the shuttle going home in the box,
and so that when the shuttle is interrupted in its passage the fingers projecting
from the stop rod will descend so far as to cause a pair of hook catches, also
attached to the stop rod, to drop on to a pair of steel edges projecting from
the fly wheels, by which the hook catches being jerked forward will simul-
taneously brake the fly wheels and throw the loom out of gear.

page_text: Secondly, in throwing the shuttle by means of a short picking stick
vibrating on a stud carried by the sword, the top end of the picking stick
being fastened to a strap of stiff leather, to the other end of which strap three
or four thicknesses of untanned hide are securely rivetted to form the picker"
which slides freely between two slips of iron or brass which form the bottom
of the shuttle box, motion being communicated to the picking stick by means
of a strap attached to a cross arm projecting at right angles from the picking
stick, and vibrating on the stud carried by the sword, the lower end of such
strap being connected to a bell crank carrying a conical runner acted on by a
wiper, so that by varying the point of action of the wiper on the conical
runner the power of the pick may be increased or diminished.
Thirdly, in actuating the shafts or heddles of power looms by means of two
revolving runners carried by two arms fixed on the lower shaft of the loom,
acting alternately on the upper and lower portion of circular rims cast on two
rocking shafts placed one at each end of the loom, each rocking shaft having
two arms projecting from it in opposite directions in the plane of the shafts or
heddles, the ends of which projecting arms are linked respectively to two
cross bars, which are thus caused to rise and fall alternately by the continuous
rotation of the revolving runners, the ends of these cross bars being connected
respectively with pairs of upright rods or tubes which slide in sockets fixed to
the frame side of the loom, and the top ends of which rods or tubes are bent
over and inwards in a horizontal direction, so that each shaft or heddle is
carried and actuated independently by being stretched by adjusting screws
'between the cross bar and the horizontal ends of the two bent rods or tubes to
which it respectively belongs.
:
Fourthly, in stretching the warp in power looms between two rocking frames
extended at the top by two spiral springs or two weights, and so connected
with the warp bean and the cloth beam respectively that the pulling in of the
rocking frame carrying the warp beam or the letting out of the rocking frame
carrying the cloth beam by the action of the loom in weaving, and against and
in compliance with the pull of their respective spiral springs or weights,
causes a worm and worm wheel by which the warp beam and cloth beam are
respectively retained to let off the warp and to take up the cloth by bringing
the ratchet wheels which actuate the respective worms under the action of two
spring catches projecting from the two ends of a cross shaft carried in two
sockets within the frame side of the loom, to which cross shaft an alternate
rocking motion is given by the rising and falling of one of the connecting rods
of the loom by means of a link with two universal joints communicating motion
from the connecting rod to an arm projecting from the cross shaft.

page_text: Fifthly, in stretching the cloth in power looms immediately in front of the
reed to the proper width by nipping the selvages between thumb plates
extending a little under the cloth and elastic rollers extending a little over the
cloth, set at an angle and retained by ratchet wheels so as to maintain the
cloth at the stretch laterally by leading out the selvages, and longitudinally by
retaining what the forward movement of the reed delivers.
Sixthly, in transmitting motion to power looms and other machines by
means of two compressible leather-covered rollers confined between two discs
fixed on the crank shaft of the loom, so that motion communicated to one of
these rollers will be transmitted by the reversing effect of the second roller in
the same direction to the rims of the two discs, between which the driving
roller and the intermediate roller are confined, and the intermediate roller
being mounted on a stud carried by a moveable lever acted on by a spring or
weight and retained by a catch, the stopping of the loom by the shuttle failing
to get home in the box is made to throw out the catch, so that the reaction
of the spring or weight on the moveable lever will cause it to throw the inter-
mediate roller out of contact with the driving roller, and the driving rollers
for two looms being mounted in pairs; one on each end of a cross shaft placed
at right angles to the crank shafts of the looms, and the sockets by which the
cross shaft is carried having a little play in their bearings, immediately on the
withdrawal of the intermediate roller the driving roller will recede from
contact with the disc on which it pressed, and the motive force transmitted
to the loom by the double discs and rollers will cease simultaneously with the
stopping of the loom.
In the arrangement above described a pair of looms or other machines are
supposed to be actuated by a single strap driving a pulley on the cross shaft,
but by having a pair of double discs and rollers on the main shaft actuating an
intermediate shaft carrying the driving roller of the loom or other machine as
above described, the usual arrangement of driving straps as a part of mill
gearing may be entirely dispensed with.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Combe and John Henry Smalpage in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 26th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
5. COMBE, of Leeds, Engineer, and JOHN HENRY SMALPAGE, also of Leeds,
Woollen Draper and Tailor, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hér Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said John Combe and John Henry Smalpage, Her special licence that
we, the said John Combe and John Henry Smalpage, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Combe and John Henry
Smalpage, 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 ACTION AND
ARRANGEMENT OF POWER LOOMS, AND IN THE TRANSMISSION OF MOTION TO POWER
LOOKS AND OTHER MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said John Combe and John Henry Smalpage, our executors or adininis-
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.
t
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Combe and John Henry
Smalpage, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:
Our Invention consists, firstly, in carrying the stop rod of power looms in
two bearings attached to the frame sides, so that two fingers projecting from
the stop rod are acted upon and raised by the shuttle going home in the box,
and so that when the shuttle is interrupted in. its passage the fingers pro-
jecting from the stop rod will descend so far as to cause a pair of hook catches,
also attached to the stop rod, to drop on to a pair of steel edges projecting
from the fly wheels, by which the hook catches being jerked forward will
simultaneously brake the fly wheels and throw the loom out of
Secondly, in throwing the shuttle by means of a short picking stick vibrating
on a stud carried by the sword, the top end of the picking stick being fastened
to a strap of stiff leather, to the other end of which strap three or four thick-
nesses of untanned hide are securely rivetted to form the picker, which slides
'freely between two slips of iron or brass which form the bottom of the shuttle
box, motion being communicated to the picking stick by means of a strap
gear.

page_text: attached to a cross arm projecting at right angles from the picking stick, and
vibrating on the stud carried by the sword, the lower end of such strap being.
connected to a bell crank carrying a conical runner acted on by a wiper, so
that by varying the point of action of the wiper on the conical runner the
power of the pick may be increased or diminished.
.
Thirdly, in actuating the shafts or heddles of power looms by means of two
revolving runners carried by two arms fixed on the lower-shaft of the loom,
acting alternately on the upper and lower portion of circular rims cast on two
rocking shafts placed one at each end of the loom, each rocking shaft having
two arms projecting from it in opposite directions in the plane of the shafts or,
heddles, the ends of which projecting arms are linked respectively to two cross
bars, which are thus caused to rise and fall alternately by the continuous
rotation of the revolving runners, the ends of these cross bars being connected
respectively with pairs of upright rods or tubes, which slide in sockets fixed to
the frame side of the loom, and the top ends of which rods or tubes are bent
over and inwards in a horizontal direction, so that each shaft or heddle is
carried and actuated independently by being stretched by adjusting screws
between the cross bar and the horizontal ends of the two bent rods or tubes
to which it respectively belongs.
Fourthly, in stretching the warp in power looms between two rocking frames
extended at the top by two spiral springs or two weights, and so connected
with the warp beam and the cloth beam respectively that the pulling in of the
rocking frame carrying the warp beam or the letting out of the rocking frame
carrying the cloth beam by the action of the loom in weaving, and against and
in compliance with the pull of their respective spiral springs or weights, causes
a worm and worm. wheel by which the warp beam and cloth beam are
respectively retained to let off the warp, and to take up the cloth by bringing
the ratchet wheels which actuate the respective worms under the action of two
spring catches projecting from the-two ends of a cross shaft carried in two
sockets within the frame side of the loom, to which cross shaft an alternate
rocking motion is given by the rising and falling of one of the connecting,
rods of the loom by means of a link with two universal joints communicating
motion from the connecting rod to an arm projecting from the cross'shaft.
Fifthly, in stretching the cloth in power looms immediately in front of the
reed to the proper width by nipping. the selvages between thumb plates
extending a little under the cloth and. elastic rollers extending a little over
the cloth, set at an angle and retained by ratchet wheels so as to maintain the
cloth at the stretch laterally by leading out the selvages, and longitudinally by
retaining what the forward movement of the reed delivers.

page_text: Sixthly, in transmitting motion to power looms and other machines by
means of two compressible leather-covered rollers confined between two discs
fixed on the crank shaft of the loom, so that motion communicated to one of
these rollers will be transmitted by the reversing effect of the second roller in
the same direction to the rims of the two discs between which the. driving
roller and the intermediate roller are confined, and the intermediate.roller
being mounted on a stud carried by a moveable lever acted on by a spring or
weight and retained by a catch, the stopping of the loom by the shuttle failing,
to get home in the box is made to throw out the catch, so that the reaction
of the spring or weight on the moveable lever will cause it to throw the inter-
mediate roller out of contact with the driving roller; and the driving rollers'
for two looms being mounted-in pairs, one on each end of a cross shaft placed
at right angles to the crank shafts of the looms, and the sockets by which the
cross shaft is carried having a little play in their bearings, immediately' on the.
withdrawal of the intermediate roller the driving roller will recede from con-
tact with the disc on which it pressed, and the motive force transmitted to
the loom by the double discs and rollers will cease simultaneously with the
stopping of the loom.
.
In the arrangement above described a pair of looms or other machines are
supposed to be actuated by a single strap driving a pulley on the cross shaft,
but by having a pair of double discs and rollers on the main shaft actuating.
an intermediate shaft carrying the driving roller of the loom or other machine
as above described, the usual arrangement of driving straps. as a part of mill
gearing may be entirely dispensed with.
And in order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation of our power loom; Figure 3 a plan
of a portion, and Figure 2 a front elevation of a portion of the same drawn
to a scale of three inches to the foot. In Figures 1 and 2, a, a, shew the
hook catches carried in bearings d, one on each side of the loom, so that the
hook ends of these catches drop over two steel edges c, which are fastened on
the outer sides of each fly wheel e, e. Two fingers of wood a, a, fastened

page_text: descends so far as to cause the hook catch a, a, to drop over the steel edge c,.
so that the continued rotation of the fly wheel e, e, pulling forward the top
end, the bearing d causes the upper portion of it which is faced with leather to
act as a brake on the fly wheel, such bearing & being so fixed at the lower end
to a projecting bar f that the pull of the hook catch a is able to spring the
top end of d forward into contact with the fly wheel e, e. The top end of the
bearing d is connected by a rod 9, 9, Figures 1 and 3, with the spring catch
h, h. so that the jerking forward of the bearing d will act through the rod g, g,
on the spring catch h, h, so as to throw the loom out of gear, as will be herein-
after described. In Figures 1 and 2, 1, 1, shews the picking stick vibrating
freely on a stud fastened to a projecting arm of the sword o, o, the top end
of 1, 1, playing freely in a slot cut in the lower side of the lathe p, p; a short
strap connecting the top end of 1, 1, with the picker m, which slides freely on
two slips of iron or brass, which form the bottom of the shuttle box, as shown
in Figures 1 and 2; i, i, is a bent lever of wrought iron, the turned portion
of which, shewn in Figure 1, oscillates freely in bearings n, n, cast on the
connecting girder t, t, of the loom, Figures 1 and 2, and carries a stud' at
right angles to its cranked arm, on which stud the conical runner k revolves
freely, acted on by an adjustable wiper r, r, connected with the casting q, q,
which is keyed fast on the picking shaft u, u. In Figure 1 the view given
of the casting 9, 9, and adjustable wiper r, r*, shews the parts belonging
to the opposite end of the loom from that shewn in Figure 2; and the
adjustable wiper is retained by a screw at r*, from which at a centre the slot
hole, at r', shewn in dotted lines in 9, 9, is described, by which means the ridge
or highest part of the wiper r, r*, may be made to approach or recede from
the centre of the shaft n, n, by means of the screw s, s; and by acting on the
conical runner k, nearer or further from the root of the stud on which it
revolves, the picking effect of the wiper r, r*, may be made stronger or
weaker as required. .
In Figures 1 and 2, v, v, show the rocking shaft cast with two circular rims
and two projecting arms, which is, also shewn in three views detached at
Figure 5. The two circular rims of v, v, being alternately acted upon-by the
revolution of the barrel roller around the shaft u, on which the short arm
carrying w is keyed fast, v, v, will oscillate in the line of its axis on the pin a,
Figures 1 and 3, and on the neck formed between its. two projecting arms
carried in a socket z, Figures 1 and 2, fixed to the loom side. By the oscil-
lation of v, v, the ends of its projecting arms, carrying the links a* and 6*, will
be alternately raised and lowered, carrying with them the cross bars.c*, d*, to
which the links a* and 6*. are connected. The ends of the links c* and d×

page_text: are connected respectively with two upright rods or tubes e* and f*, which.
slide in the sockets 9*, 9*, which are fixed to the frame side, and the top ends
of the rods or tubes e* and f* are turned over in a horizontal direction, as
shewn in Figure 2, and the shafts or heddles through which the warp threads
are passed are stretched in their proper position between the inner ends of the
rods or tubes ex and f* and the cross bars c* and d*, by which apparatus
each shaft or heddle will be actuated in the opening of the shed independently
of, the other by the revolution of the shaft u. In Figures 1, 3, and 4, i*, i*,&c.
show a rocking frame of cast iron, two projecting wings cast on which drop
into two half sockets cast on the frame sides to receive them, so as to allow.
the rocking frame i*, i*, &c. to oscillate backwards and forwards to a mode-
rate extent in the line of the axis of the warp beam k*, *. The rocking
frame *, *, &c. is made to receive the gudgeons of the warp beam k*; k*,
as shewn in Figure 8, by half sockets cast on the inner sides of the two side
bars of the rocking frame i*, i*, &c. From the middle of the lower cross bar
of the rocking frame i*, i*, an arm provided with notches extends downwards,
which notches receive a link 2*, 1*, Figures 1, 4, and 8, so arranged with a
hook bolt and spiral spring that the effort of the spiral spring to extend itself
will draw the depending notched arm of the rocking frame i*, i*, towards the
connecting girder t, t, into a projecting part of which the hook of the hook
bolt connected with the link *, *, catches. The warp beam k* carries a
worm wheel h*, acted on by a worm m*, Figures 1 and 4, keyed fast on a
short shaft which revolves freely in two sockets, one of which is cast on and
the other fixed with screws to the lower bar of the rocking frame i*, i*,
the
inner end of which shaft carries a ratchet wheel n*, n*. In Figures 1, 2,
and 4, ox, ox is a shaft working freely in two sockets connected with the frame
side of the loom, and carrying a projecting spring catch r*, which acts on the
teeth of the ratchet wheel n*, the axis of which in the position of the. rocking
frame i*,*, represented in Figure 1, is coincident with the axis of the shaft o*;
o*. A projecting arm q* is keyed fast on the shaft o*, o*, and q* is boredand
tapped to receive a wrought-iron eye s*, which is made with an end which
screws into the projecting arm q*. Into the wrought-iron eye s* the lower
end of an S-link p* is screwed so as to be retained in its place, but allowed to
twist freely in connection with s*. A similar wrought-iron eye screws on to
the upper end of the S-link p*, and is screwed into the connecting rod t*,
Figures 1 and 3. By this arrangement two universal joints are formed, by
which motion is communicated from the connecting rod t through the
S-link p to the arm q* projecting from the shaft o*, o*, by which cachi
rotation of the crank shaft of the loom will cause the catch i* to play to and

page_text: fro on the teeth of the ratchet wheel. n*. A similar rocking frame of lighter
proportions carries the cloth beam u*, u*, provided with worm wheel, worm
and ratchet wheel, acted on by a similar spring catch v*, Figure 1, in which
Figure it will be seen that the action of the two spiral springs will be to draw
the two depending arms of the two rocking 'frames towards each other, and
consequently to extend the warp and cloth over the two bars which correspond
with the whip roller and breast beam of the ordinary power loom. It will
also be seen that the pulling forward of the warp as cloth is woven will cause
the ratchet wheel n* to come within the reach of the spring catch r*, and by
the action of the worm m* and worm wheel h* will cause the warp to be let
off as fast as it is wanted, while conversely the production of cloth in front
of the loom by liberating the rocking frame which carries the cloth beam
*, u*, will cause the ratchet wheel with which it is provided to come within
reach of the catch v*, and so the cloth will be taken up as. fast as it is
woven.
In Figure 6, a, a, is a cast-iron cramp provided with a pinching screw by
which it is made fast to the breast beam just beyond the selvage of the cloth';
to a, a, thumb plate b, b, is jointed, the thumb of which projects in ward under
the cloth. Above the cloth and over the hollow of the thumb plate an' elastic
roller c is placed, the pin of which works freely in two sockets cast on the
thumb plate, and carries a ratchet wheel which is acted on by a spring catch
screwed to the thumb plate 6, 6, in such a manner that the forward motion of
the cloth will carry the roller c with it, while the spring and ratchet wheel, by
preventing the return of the roller c, will retain the warp threads at the
selvages at the stretch in a longitudinal direction, at the same time that the
cloth will be stretched in a lateral direction by the roller c being placed
somewhat obliquely so as to lead outward, as represented in Figure 6. In
Figures 1 and 3, w* and * are two compressible leather-covered rollers,
which are tightly confined between the rim of the fly wheel e, e, of the loom
and a circular bell-shaped disc fixed on the end of the crank shaft. The
roller * is carried on a pin in the forked end of a diagonal hand lever y*, y*,
the other end of which is retained by a notch cut 'in the side of the spring
stop lever h, h. A spiral spring, not shewn in the Figure, is attached to the
forked end of the diagonal lever y*, y*, and to a pin projecting from the lower
part of the frame side of the loom, which pulls down the forked end of y*, y*,
with its roller a*, when the diagonal lever y*, y*, is liberated by the throwing
forward of the spring bar h, h. The roller w*, w*, is keyed fast on the end
of the shaft 2*, *, which is carried in two bearings, one of which is seen in
Figures 2 and 3, marked a**, which rocks on a pin between two jaws a little

page_text: wider than itself, so that when the roller a* drops down from between the fly
wheel and the bell-shaped disc the roller w* will move out of contact with
the fly wheel rim, and may continue in motion while the fly wheel stops. A
driving pulley is keyed fast on the middle of the shaft, and impelled by a
powerful strap gives motion to the power loom, partly shown in Figure 3, and
to another power loom placed opposite to it back to back, to the frame side of
which the other end of the cast-iron bearer f, f, is made fast. In Figures 1,
*2, and 3, 6**, **, shew a sliding bar which receives an up-and-down move-
ment from the connecting rod, into which it is jointed at the lower end, and
causes a protecting plate c**, c**, which forms the front part of the hand rail
to descend when the shuttle is crossing the loom, so as to prevent it from
flying out while at that point of the crank's motion at which the gears are
crossing; and when a broken end is replaced the protecting plate c**, c**,
will be elevated so as to allow of the reed being seen and the end put through
by the minder of the loom.
This arrangement for preventing the shuttle flying out not being referred
to in the Provisional Specification is not claimed, but is now specified in
order to its being adopted as a public benefit to the workers in power loom
⚫factories.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Combe and John Henry Smalpage,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-third day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JOHN COMBE
(L.B.)