IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Whitehurst, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Mechanic, and Thomas Walsh, of Salford, in the same
County, Overlooker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
Sealed the 2nd July 1867, and dated the 3rd April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Whitehurst and
Thomas Walsh at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 3rd April 1867.
We, JAMES WHITEHURST, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanic, and THOMAS WALSH, of Salford, in the same County, Overlooker, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates, first, to that portion of the loom termed the "warp
beam," and consists in a novel arrangement and application of a break to the
same, whereby any degree of tension can be given to the warp, and at the same
time effecting upon the same an even and regular tension during the operation
of wearing; this portion of our Invention may be thus described :-The ends of
the "warp beam" are supported by brackets secured to the loom frame; that
portion of the bracket supporting the beam is constructed in the form of a

page_text: trough or angular box, thus ' ; the back of this supporting box is supplied
with a hinged clip or semicircular strip of metal, which is caused to bear and
press upon the beam, the amount of pressure so exerted being regulated as
follows: A stud projecting from the upper clip is connected by a helical spring
and chain after passing round guide pulleys with the boss of a ratchet wheel
which is firmly secured in front of the loom; the chains connecting the spring
and break clip with the ratchet wheel are secured one above and the other
below the boss of such ratchet, the centre pin or stud of which is supplied
with a pinion gearing into a wheel which is actuated by a key for winding up
the ratchet, which is prevented going in a reverse direction by means of a catch
secured to the bracket supporting such wheel; thus when the wheel is turned
the chains connected to the springs and break clips are caused to encircle the
boss of the ratchet, which has the effect of producing a greater tension upon
the warp.
When heavy goods are being manufactured, such as fustians or
articles of a similar nature in which a greater tension is required to be given
to the warp, we dispense with the break and clip and we employ a chain, one
end of which is secured to the loom frame, and the opposite end after passing
round the end of the warp beam is secured to the helical spring in a similar
manner and for the purpose before described.
Secondly, our Invention relates to a novel arrangement and adaptation of
mechanism in connection with the weft fork for actuating the same in place of
the tappet and lever now employed, and in which the "hammer" may be
connected to the "lathe" or breast beam, the two arrangements being described
as follows: In the former arrangement the improvement consists in supporting
the "hammer" catch upon a stud projecting at right angles from a short
shaft supported in brackets secured underneath the "lathe;" to the opposite
end of this shaft from the finger supporting the hammer a finger projects
upwards, the extremity of which is caused by the weight of the hammer to
press against the loom swell; thus when the loom is in action and the weft
continuous the weft fork passes the catch of the hammer; but should the weft
break, the shuttle in the box having depressed the swell will bave raised the
hammer, which will cause it during the backward motion of the lathe to catch
the weft fork, thereby stopping the loom in the ordinary manner. In order to
ensure greater accuracy of action we prefer the second following arrangement:-
The hammer catch is connected with the breast beam by means of a bracket
and sliding adjustable stud; this stud supporting the hammer is capable of
being moved in or out of a boss formed in the bracket, and when adjusted
secured by means of a set screw; the lower end or fulcrum of the weft hammer
lever is secured to this sliding stud, and is provided with a shoulder or collar

page_text: which rests upon a flat side of the adjustable stud; from the under side of this
shoulder a recess is formed in the lever in which a coiled or helical spring is
placed, the said spring being caused when the "hammer" is in its place to
press upon the adjustable stud in such a manner as to keep the "hammer"
in a vertical position when not moved or forced therefrom. This "hammer" is
acted upon by a projecting finger in connection with the "swell" of the loom
in the following manner :-When the shuttle enters the box the swell is
depressed, which raises the projecting finger into position for acting upon a
projecting stud fixed to the weft hammer, thereby forcing such hammer slightly
forward, but when the shuttle enters the opposite box, the projecting finger
from the lathe not being raised passes under the stud on the hammer, leaving
it undisturbed; but should the weft break and the shuttle enter the box, the
weft fork not being raised is caught in the usual manner by the hammer,
which as the lathe beats forward cause the projecting finger to force forward
the weft hammer, which effects the stoppage of the loom in the ordinary
manner.
Thirdly, our Invention relates to a novel arrangement of rollers to be
employed for taking up the woven cloth, and consists in the application of two
rollers and a bar of metal. The cloth when passing from the breast beam is
caused to pass under a lower wooden roller, after which it passes behind a bar
of metal placed just above the under roller; from this bar the cloth passes on
to the cloth roller, which is caused as the cloth accumulates upon it to ascend
two inclined supporting slots formed in the loom framing.
And, lastly, we employ adjustable fronts to the boxes of looms, termed
shuttle looms. We construct the adjustable front of angle plates, the base of
which is supplied with slots, through which bolts are inserted for the purpose
of securing such fronts to the floor of the shuttle box; or the fronts may
be secured by means of set screw and spring, which will allow the front of
the box to yield if any undue or over pressure should be brought to bear
against it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Whitehurst and Thomas Walsh in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 1st October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
WHITEHURST, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic, and THOMAS
WALSH, of Salford, in the same County, Overlooker, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said James
Whitehurst and Thomas Walsh, Her special license that we, the said James
Whitehurst and Thomas Walsh, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said James Whitehurst and Thomas Walsh, 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 LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Whitehurst and
Thomas Walsh, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be prepared, 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 we, the said James Whitehurst and Thomas Walsh,
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 and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
Our Invention relates, first, to that portion of the loom termed the " warp
beam," and consists in a novel arrangement and application of a break to the
same, whereby any degree of tension can be given to the warps for effecting
an even and regular tension during the operation of weaving; this portion of
our Invention may be thus described:-The ends of the "
warp beam" are
supported by brackets secured to the loom frame; that portion of the bracket
supporting the beam is constructed in the form of a trough or angular box,
thus
; the back of this supporting box is supplied with a hinged clip
or semicircular strip of metal, which is caused to bear and press upon the beam,
the amount of pressure so exerted being regulated as follows:-A stud pro-
jecting from the upper clip is connected by a helical spring and chain after
passing round guide pulleys with the boss of a ratchet wheel which is firmly
secured in front of the loom; the chains connecting the spring and break
clip with the ratchet wheel are secured one above and the other below the
boss of such ratchet, the centre pin or stud of which is supplied with a pinion
gearing into a wheel which is actuated by a key for winding up the ratchet,
which is prevented going in a reverse direction by means of a catch secured to

page_text: the bracket supporting such wheel; thus when the wheel is turned the chains
connected to the springs and break clips are caused to encircle the boss of the
ratchet, which has the effect of producing a greater tension upon the warp.
When heavy goods are being manufactured, such as fustians or articles of a
similar nature in which a greater tension is required to be given to the warp,
we dispense with the break and clip and employ a chain, one end of which is
secured to the loom frame, and the opposite end after passing round the end
of the warp beam is secured to the helical spring in a similar manner and for
the purpose before described.
Secondly, our Invention relates to a novel arrangement and adaptation of
mechanism to the weft fork for actuating the same in place of the tappet and
lever now employed. The improvement consists in supporting the hammer
upon a stud projecting at right angles from a short shaft supported in brackets
secured underneath the "lathe;" to the opposite end of this shaft from the
finger supporting the "hammer" a finger projects upwards, the extremity of
which is caused by the weight of the hammer to press against the loom swell;
thus when the loom is in action and the weft continuous the weft fork passes
the catch of the hammer, but should the weft break, the shuttle in the box
having depressed the swell will have raised the hammer, which will cause it
during the forward motion of the "lathe" to catch the weft fork, thereby
stopping the loom in the ordinary manner. In order to insure greater accuracy
of action we prefer the following arrangement:-The hammer catch is con-
nected with the breast beam by means of a bracket and sliding adjustable
stud; this stud supporting the "hammer" is capable of being moved in or
out of a boss formed in the bracket, and when adjusted secured by means of a
set screw; the lower end or fulcrum of the weft "hammer" lever is secured
to this sliding stud, and is provided with a shoulder or collar which rests upon
a flat side of the adjustable stud; from the under side of this shoulder a recess
is formed in the lever, in which a coiled or helical spring is placed, the said
spring being caused when the "hammer" is in its place to press upon the
adjustable stud in such a manner as to keep the "hammer" in a vertical
position when not moved or forced therefrom. The "hammer is acted upon
by a projecting finger which is in connection with the "swell" of the loom in
the following manner :-When the shuttle enters the box the "swell" is
depressed, which raises the projecting finger into position for acting upon and
forcing the weft "hammer," but when the shuttle enters the opposite box, the
projecting finger from the "lathe" not being raised passes under the stud on
the "hammer," leaving it undisturbed; but should the weft break and the
shuttle enter the box, the wcft fork not being raised is caught in the usual

page_text: manner by the "hammer," which as the "lathe beats forward causes the
projecting finger to force the weft "hammer," which effects the stoppage of
the loom.
Thirdly, our Invention relates to a novel arrangement of rollers to be
employed for taking up the woven cloth, and consists in the application of two
rollers and a bar of metal. The cloth when passing from the breast beam is
caused to pass under a lower wooden roller, after which it passes behind a bar
of metal placed just above the under roller; from this bar the cloth passes on
to the cloth roller, which is caused as the cloth accumulates upon it to ascend
two inclined supporting slots formed in the loom framing.
And, lastly, we employ adjustable fronts to the boxes of looms, termed shuttle
looms. We construct such adjustable front of angle plates, the base of which
is supplied with slots, through which bolts are inserted for the purpose of
securing such fronts to the floor of the shuttle box.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail we have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawing, made upon a scale of
about three inch to the. foot; similar letters of reference being marked up
corresponding parts.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent the adaption of our improved letting-off motion
as applied to the warp beam. In Figure 1 an arrangement of break clip is
shewn which is more particularly applicable to looms weaving medium or light
goods, and in which a is the ordinary loom framing supporting the warp
beam 6; the ends of the beam are encircled by the break clip c, which is con-
nected by the stud d with one end of the helical spring e, the said spring
being connected by means of the screw f with the small screw handle or wheel g
in front of the loom; thus when more or less pressure is required to be exerted
upon the warp beam by the break clips c the wheel or handle g is screwed or
unscrewed, thereby facilitating the operation of regulating the tension upon
the warps. Figure 2 represents a similar view to the last, but having sub-
stituted in lieu of the break clip c a chain c, which is connected with the frout
of the loom in a similar manner to the last, or the connecting chain may if
desired pass round guide pulleys h, h, seen in Figures 3 and 4, the ends of
which are secured to the boss of the ratchet wheel i supported on the bracket j
secured to the front of the loom; thus when it is required to regulate the
tension of the warps the ratchet i is turned by means of a key so as to wind the
chain upon the boss.
The second portion of our improvements in connection with the weft motion
are shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, in which Figure 5 represents a side view
of a detached portion of a loom having the improved weft motion applied;

page_text: Figure 6 represents a plan view of the same, and Figure 7 represents a back
view. In Figures 5, 6, and 7 the "hammer" catch k is connected with the
breast beam by means of a bracket m and sliding adjustable stud n; this
stud supporting the hammer k is capable of being moved in or out of a boss o
formed in the bracket m, and when adjusted secured by means of a set screw;
the lower end or fulcrum of the hammer k is secured to this sliding stud, and
is provided with a shoulder or collar which rests upon a flat side of the adjust-
able stud n. From the under side of this shoulder a recess is formed in the
lever in which a coiled or helical spring is placed, the said spring being caused
when the hammer is in its place to press upon the adjustable stud in such a
manner as to keep the "hammer" in a vertical position when not moved or
forced therefrom; this hammer k is acted upon by the projecting finger f, which
is in connection with the "swell" of the loom by means of the shaft b¹ and
finger c¹, seen in Figure 7, the action of the weft motion being as follows:-
When the shuttle enters the box the swell is depressed, which raises through
the medium of the finger c¹ and shaft the projecting finger f into position
for acting upon a projecting stud h fixed to the weft "hammer," thereby
forcing such "hammer" slightly forward; but when the shuttle enters the
opposite box, the projecting finger ƒ from the "lathe "not being raised passes
under the stud h on the hammer leaving it undisturbed; but should the weft
break and the shuttle enter the box, the weft fork not being raised is caught
in the usual manner by the "hammer," which as the "lathe" beats forward
causes the projecting finger f to force forward the weft "hammer," which
effects the stoppage of the loom in the ordinary manner.
Thirdly, our improved taking-up motion is shewn in Figures 8, 9, and 10,
and in which Figure 8 represents a plan view of the same, Fig. 9 a transverse
section of the "taking-up" rollers, and Figure 10 a similar view to Figure 9,
with the exception that the centres and bearings only of the rollers and fluted
tension bars are shewn, also the manner of weighting the cloth roller and
tension bar by means of springs; the cloth roller may be employed with or
without the pressure spring and hook.
In these Figures, constituting our improved "taking-up" motion, a is the
loom frame; b, the cloth roller; c, the under roller; and d, the fluted
tension bar; the cloth as manufactured is caused to pass on to the cloth roller,
as indicated by the arrows.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, we wish it to be distinctly
understood that we claim,-
First, the novel application and employment of a break clip or chain, as

page_text: shewn in Figures 1 and 2, in connection with a helical or other shape spring,
as described, which can be acted upon from the front of the loom for the
purpose of effecting upon the warp beam any desired or required tension upon
the warps.
Secondly, we claim the novel construction, adaptation, employment, and use
of the weft motion as described, or any slight modification thereof, whereby
the "hammer" of such weft motion is actuated direct from the "swell" of the
loom for the purpose of "knocking off" or stopping the loom when the cop
is spent or the weft broken.
Thirdly, we claim the novel arrangement and construction of rollers and
flute tension bar as shewn and described in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, or any slight
modification of the same.
And, lastly, we claim the general construction, arrangement, and adaptation
of the several parts composing the "letting-off," "weft," and "taking-up"
motions, or any slight modification of the same, so long as the essential
features of the Invention are retained, as herein-before described, set forth,
and fully illustrated in the Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Whitehurst and Thomas Walsh,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JAMES WHITEHURST. (L.S.)
THOMAS WALSH.
(L.B.)
JAMES WHITEHURST. (L.S.)
THOMAS WALSH.
(L.B.)