CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Walker, of the City of Manchester, Agent
and Manufacturer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOS
FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Walker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 21st
May 1868.
J, WILLIAM WALKER, of the City of Manchester, Agent and Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the letting-off and taking-up motions of looms, and
it consists of certain improved combinations of machinery for giving a positive
motion to the letting-off and taking-up rollers, or to either of them. When
my improvements are applied to the letting-off motion, a tappet is fixed to the
crank shaft, this tappet gives motion to a ratchet wheel, to which is fixed a
worm gearing into a worm wheel fixed to the letting-off roller, over which the
warp passes; above this roller is one or more rollers, around which the warp
passes. This second roller or rollers are mounted in levers jointed to the axle
of the first roller, and act like a vibrator; the lower ends of the levers are
connected to a friction clip passing around the warp beam, to prevent it
moving when the reed beats up. The taking up is effected by a projection on
the swing shaft or lay sword acting on a weighted rod jointed to the catch
lever, for working the ratchet wheel on the taking-up roller. When the shed
is opened for the shuttle to pass, the weighted rod above referred to is partly
raised by the tension of the cloth, and it drops again when the shel is closeil.

page_text: In applying my improvements to the taking-up motion to render it positive,
a crank with an adjustable crank pin is fixed to the crank shaft or other shaft
of the loom; this crank pin is connected by a link to the lever, with catches
acting on the ratchet wheel, to which is fixed a worm gearing into a worm
wheel which drives a series of rollers and the taking-up roller, around which
the cloth passes previous to being wound on the cloth roller. The take-up is
varied according to the cloth by turning a screw to which the crank pin
abovo referred to is connected.
My Invention may be modified by applying the parts described for letting
off to the taking up, and vice versa, or a positive take-up motion is obtained
by fixing the ratchet wheel driven by the weighted rod above referred to to a
friction roller on which the cloth roller bears.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WALKER, of the City of Manchester, Agent and Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Ierself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Walker, Iler special license that I, the said
William Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Walker, my 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
*"* CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Walker, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their bands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal l'atent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Walker, do hereby declare the
nature of iny said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to the letting-off and taking-up motions of looms, and
it consists of certain improved combinations of machinery for giving a positive
motion to the letting-off and taking-up rollers, or to either of them.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan, of the principal parts of a
loom to which my improvements are applied. a is the crank shaft; b, the
warp beam; c, the lay; c', the lay swords; d, the breast beam; and e, tho
taking-up roller. The foregoing, and all the parts requisite to complete the
loom which are not shewn in the Drawing, and not particularly referred to
hereafter, are made in the usual manner. To the crank shaft a is fixed a
tappet or eccentric a', which, as the shaft revolves, acts on the finger f pro-
jecting from the horizontal bar f'; this bar slides in brackets fixed to the
framing of the loom, and to one bracket is attached one end of a spring, the
other end being connected to the finger f draws it back every time it has been
acted upon by the tappet a'; or the spring may be dispensed with, and two
adjustable fingers employed instead, one at each side of the tappet; near the
other end of the bar f' is a slot fitting on a stud projecting from the boss 9,
which is loose on the shaft g'; to the boss 9 aro fixed five or other convenient
number of pins for the catches g, taking into the crown ratchet wheel g³ fixed
to the shaft g', to this shaft is also fixed the worm g' geering into the wheel h'
on the roller h, above which is the roller i, and below it are the rollers j and k¨;
the rollers hand j are connected by toothed pinions, shewn in Figure 2, but
the rollers i and are carried round by friction, or by the warp, which is
indicated by dotted lines; a spring is applied to the ratchet wheel g³, to
prevent it overrunning. The rollers h, i, j, and k revolve in adjustable
bearings fixed to the cross bar l', and they are weighted by the screws 1³, or
by weighted levers. When the loom is at work, a positive amount of warp is
let or drawn off the warp beam at every revolution of the crank shaft by the
action of the catches on the ratchet wheel g³ and the worm g* on the wheel
h, by which the roller h is driven, and this positive amount of warp let off can
be varied according to the thickness of the weft or to the fabric to be woven
by varying the position of the lock nuts f³ on the left-hand end of the bar f.
in order to increase or diminish the traverse of the said bar. This part of my
Invention may be modified as shewn in Figure 3; in this view, h the letting-
off roller, over which the warp passes. Above this roller is the roller i, which is

page_text: mounted in levers m jointed to the axle of the roller h, thus forming a
vibrator; the lower ends of the levers m are connected to the friction clips m¹
passing around pulleys on the warp beam, which is thus prevented from
moving when the reed beats up, the lower end of the friction clips are secured
to the fixed studs m³ on the cross rail. The warp on leaving the warp beam
is taken over the roller h, which is driven by worm wheel and worm in the
manner described in reference to Figure 1.
Another modification of the letting-off motion is shown in Figure 4. In
this view the worm a³, fixed to the crank shaft a, gears into either of the
wheels n or n¹, both of which are capable of being moved up and down on the
shaft n³ of the driving conc n³, which, by means of the strap o, gives motion to
the cone p, near the lower extremity of which is fixed a worm p¹ gearing into
a worm wheel on tho roller h, to this roller is also connected the large
wheel h³, which can bo brought into gear with the worm p¹ when the wheel
h¹ has been moved out of gear with it. The strap o is guided along the cones
n and p by the screw o¹ and strap guide of, the position of which is altered by
the attendant turning round the hand wheel o³ when required. When the
warp leaves the warp beam 6 it is taken over the guide rod A, then around the
rollers k, j, h, and i, and under another guide rod ³, from whence it rises up
and passes over the roller to the healds. The rollers i, h, j, and k are sup-
ported in segmental bearings, and the upper roller i is weighted by the
weighted levers, or in any other convenient manner. By bringing either of
the wheels n or n¹ into gear with the worm a², and either of the wheels h³ or h³
into gear with the worm p', and by varying the position of the strap o on the
cones, the positive amount of warp drawn off the warp beam can be varied to
any required extent.
Figures 5 and 6 are two views of another modification of my improved
letting-off motion. In these views h is a shaft, placed in the same position
and driven in the same manner as the roller h, shewn in Figure 4; to the
shaft his fixed tho pinion h³, gearing into the wheel y, fixed to the roller y³,
which is covered with card fillet or curved pins, or otherwise roughened on its
surface. The warp beam 6 bears upon the roller y', and the ends of the warp
beam are guided in slots fixed to the loom sides. As the shaft h is turned
slowly round, the roller y¹ imparts motion to the warp beam b, and the warps
are carried under the guide rod and over the back roller to the healds.
Figures 7 and 8 represent two views of an arrangement_of machinery for
letting off the warp somewhat similar to the above. In these views the
wheel h³, fixed to the shaft h, is driven in the manner shown and described in
Figure 1; the wheel h¹ gears into the wheel h, fixed to the shaft, on this

page_text: shaft is also fixed a wheel h³, gearing into the wheel y, fixed to the roller y',
the teeth or roughened surface of which acts upon the warps on the beam b.
The roller y¹ is supported in the arms z', which are loose on the shaft ≈, and
the arms also support the guide bar. As the shaft h revolves, it gives
motion to the wheel y and roller y', thus turning the warp beam slowly round,
and the warp is guided under the rod *, over the rod, and then over the
back roller to the healds.
In Figure 9 the roller y' is turned round by means of an endless chain or
band y passing over a wheel or pulley on the roller y', and over a wheel or
pulley on the shaft h, which is turned round by the wheel h', as shewn and
described in Figure 1. The roller y¹ is supported in arms, which swivel on
the shaft h, and the other ends support the rod ; the warp passes under and
over the rods and roller, 3, and ³, as above described. In all tho let-off
motions described the weights and lovers usually employed for giving the
requisite tension to the warp are dispensed with, and the work produced is
more uniform, owing to the let-off being at all times the same, irrespective of
the diameter of the warp on the beam, whereas, when levers and weights are
employed, the weight has to be moved by the attendant as the diameter of the
warp beam diminishes.
In Figure 1 I have shewn one of my improved taking-up motions. To
one of the lay swords c¹ is fixed a bracket, which, as tho lay c moves back,
comes in contact with and partially raises the rod 9; the upper end of this
rod is jointed to the weighted lever q', which vibrates on the axle of the taking-
up roller e, to the lever q' is also jointed the catch q³, gearing into the ratchet
wheel e', fixed to the taking-up roller. The retaining catches are jointed to
the upper end of the spring piece r', the lower end of which is secured to the
bracket; the spring is also connected to the bracket by an adjustable
bridle, the position of which can bo varied to increase or reduce the tension
of the spring; the object of jointing the retaining catches to a spring piece is
to allow them to yield when tho strain is put on the warp on opening the shed.
When the rod g has been raised by the bracket c³, it lifts the catch q² over one
or more teeth of the ratchet wheel e', and at the return stroke of the lay, to
beat up the weft, the bracket passes from under the rod q, which then drops
to the extent limited by the position of the set shoulder 9', while the rod q
drops the catch, q is taking up the fabric with a force equal to the weight and
length of the lever q¹.
Figure 10 represents a modification of my improvements in the taking-up
motion to render it positive. In this view, a³ is a crank or a slotted lever with
an adjustable crank pin fixed to the crank shaft a; the crank pin projects

page_text: from a nut through which the screw a passes, and it is connected by a
links to the lever s' provided with catches & acting on ratchet wheel s³, to
which is fixed a mitre pinion s' gearing into a similar pinion t fixed on the
shaft t, on which is a worm gearing into a wheel on the axle of the taking-up
roller e. The cloth on leaving the breast beam d passes under the taking-up
roller, around which it passes previous to being wound on the cloth roller u.
The take-up is varied according to the cloth by turning the screw a', to which
the crank pin above referred to is connected.
Another modification of my improved positive taking-up motion is shewn in
Figure 11. This arrangement is particularly applicable to looms for weaving
very heavy cloth. The slotted lover a³ is fixed on the second motion shaft v,
and the links communicates motion to the lever s', catches &, and ratchet
wheels, to which is fixed a worm w, gearing into the worm wheel w' fixed
on the shaft w³, to the upper end of which is fixed a mitre pinion w', gearing
into a similar pinion on the lower roller x, above which are the rollers x', ³,
and, this latter projecting slightly above the breast beam d. At the lower
end of the shaft w³ is a mitre pinion w gearing into a pinion on the taking-up
roller e. The dotted lines represent the cloth as it passes around the rollers
x³, x³, x¹, x, and e, on to which it is pressed while being wound on the cloth
roller u.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described several modes
of carrying the same into operation, I wish to remark that I do not limit
myself to the details, as the same may be varied, and some of the parts
described as applicable to the letting-off motion may be employed for the
taking-up motion, and vice versa. I would also observe that I make no claim
to any of the parts taken separately, but what I do claim, is the various im-
proved combinations and arrangements of mechanism for perforining the
operations of letting off the warp and taking up the cloth as applied to looms
for weaving.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Walker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
WILLIAM WALKER. (L.S.)