Abstract:
A supplementary beater used with a handloom for constructing a fabric weave, and an associated method of use thereof. The handloom includes a warp beam, a harness for supporting and controlling warp threads, a reed defining a shed and disposed adjacent to the harness for supporting warp threads, and a shuttle for passing weft threads, one at a time, into the shed. The supplementary beater is adapted for manual insertion into the shed and for the purpose of providing an undulating weft pattern in the fabric weave.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates in general to a handloom and pertains, more particularly, to the use of a supplementary beater that is manipulated in association with the weaving procedure. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     By way of example, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,670 to Orr et al. for the description of a handloom that is of a type usable with a reed device. As will be described in further detail hereinafter, a reed is a comb-like device through which the warp threads are threaded to maintain the warp threads in a spaced apart relationship. A beater is used for holding the reed and is in the form of a movable frame (beater) which regulates the density of weft. The typical handloom is for creating woven fabrics. For this purpose, the beater is transitioned so as to firmly engage a weft yarn with the warp yarns. However, this normal loom function does not enable any variance in the weft yarn patterns. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a supplementary beater that is adapted for manual insertion into the shed and for the purpose of providing an undulating weft pattern in the fabric weave. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention there is provided a handloom for constructing a fabric weave and that includes a warp beam, a harness for supporting and controlling warp threads, a reed defining a shed and disposed adjacent to the harness for supporting warp threads, and a shuttle for passing weft threads, one at a time, into the shed. The improvement in accordance with the present invention is comprised of a supplementary beater adapted for manual insertion into the shed and for the purpose of providing an undulating weft pattern in the fabric weave. 
     In accordance with other aspects of the present invention the supplementary beater is elongated, having opposed elongated side edges; one of the side edges has an undulating surface edge; the opposed side edge is straight; the undulating surface extends along a center section of the supplementary beater; the undulating surface edge has straight edges on either side thereof; both edges of the supplementary beater have a pointed cross-section; one of the side edges has a saw tooth shape; one of the side edges has a square tooth shape. 
     In another version of the present invention there is provided a method of using a handloom for constructing a fabric weave and that includes a warp beam, a harness for supporting and controlling warp threads, a reed defining a shed and disposed adjacent to the harness for supporting warp threads, and a shuttle for passing weft threads, one at a time, into the shed, The method comprises providing a supplementary beater and manually inserting the supplementary beater into the shed and for the purpose of providing an undulating weft pattern in the fabric weave. This method may also include moving the supplementary beater in a direction transverse to the warp thread direction to alter the undulating weft pattern. This method may also include the supplementary beater being automatically controlled to control the undulating weft pattern. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       It should be understood that the drawings are provided for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to define the limits of the disclosure. In the drawings depicting the present invention, all dimensions are to scale. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the embodiments described herein will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a supplementary beater construction in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary perspective view showing the undulating surface of the supplementary beater; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the supplementary beater; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the supplementary beater; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a handloom and depicting various components thereof; 
         FIG. 7  is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the handloom showing the step of inserting the shuttle; 
         FIG. 8  is a fragmentary perspective view showing a reinsertion of the shuttle; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic side view of a portion of the handloom illustrating the weft thread being inserted into the shed; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a single one of the warp yarns positioned relative to the weft yarns; 
         FIG. 11  is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the use of the supplementary beater of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a side view similar to that illustrated in  FIG. 9  but also illustrating the supplementary beater in position within the shed; 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic diagram illustrating the supplementary beater in the manner in which it is altering the position of the weft yarn; 
         FIG. 14  is a plan view of further steps taken by the supplementary beater to vary the weft yarn patterns; 
         FIG. 15  is a photograph of the weft yarn configuration; and 
         FIGS. 16 and 17  illustrate alternate embodiments of the supplementary beater. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference is now made to  FIGS. 1-5  of the present application for an illustration of the supplementary beater that is used in the procedure with a handloom such as the one illustrated in  FIG. 6  herein. Thus, in  FIGS. 1-5  there is illustrated a supplementary beater  10  that is elongated in shape having opposed elongated sides  10 A and  10 B. The side  10 A is substantially straight as illustrated in the drawings while the side  10 B has an undulating surface as noted in the drawings. Also, each of these opposed sides are illustrated in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 5  as being somewhat pointed. In addition to the supplementary beater being elongated, it is substantially flat with flat opposed sides  10 C and  10 D as illustrated in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 5 . The supplementary beater illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5  may be used to create the weft yarn pattern such as illustrated in  FIG. 15  herein. 
     Reference may also be made to alternate supplementary beater configurations as illustrated in  FIGS. 16 and 17 .  FIG. 16  illustrates more of a sawtooth-type undulating pattern. The supplementary beaters illustrated in  FIGS. 16 and 17  may be of basically the same constructions as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5  with the exception of the configuration of the undulating surface. In  FIG. 17  the undulating surface has a trapezoidal configuration. 
     Reference is now made to the perspective view of  FIG. 6  for an illustration of a handloom. Because the various components of the handloom are well known, the components are not described in great detail herein. The handloom  20  includes, for example, a breast beam  22  at one end and a back beam  24  at the other end; a beater  26  that supports the reed  28 ; and the harness  30 . Associated with the beater  26  is the shuttle race  32 . In  FIG. 6 , for the sake of simplicity, none of the yarns are illustrated. However, reference may now be made to, for example,  FIGS. 7 and 8  for an illustration of a portion of the handloom particularly at the beater  26 . 
     The handloom holds the threads, known as warp threads or ends in a taut condition. These warp threads are raised or lowered to form a shed  25 , or opening through which the weft, or filler threads is inserted to create an interlacement or fabric. The warp threads are controlled by means of heddles at the harness  30 . Thus, the handloom is comprised of a framework to hold warp threads rigid while the weft thread is interlaced. 
     The beater is a movable frame that holds the reed, which orders the warp yarns and regulates the density of the weft yarns. By pulling the beater forward, it pushes the weft into place against the warp yarns. The beater is attached to either the top or bottom of the loom by a pair of upright battens which allow it to swing freely. After each new pick of weft has been passed through the shed, the beater is normally pulled against the web in such a way that the reed packs the new weft against the previous weft. 
     The reed  28  is a comb-like device that is parallel to the harnesses and through which the warp ends are threaded after they leave the heddles. The reed is supported by the beater to space the warp ends according to the desired weave. The reed may be provided in a variety of spacings, lengths and heights depending upon the construction of the particular hand loom. The shed is an opening through which the weft is inserted to create interlacement or fabric. The shed is formed by lowering or raising the warp threads. 
     Reference is now made to the fragmentary perspective view of  FIG. 7  which shows the sets of warp threads  40 .  FIG. 7  also illustrates the beater  26  and the shuttle  34  being held in the hand of the user and supporting a single weft thread  36 .  FIG. 7  illustrates the shuttle  34  about to be placed into the shed  25  between warp threads.  FIG. 8  illustrates the shuttle  34  emerging from the shed  25 . 
     Reference is now made to the schematic side view of  FIG. 9  which illustrates a portion of the handloom. This illustrates the weft thread  36  disposed within the shed  25  as previously illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 .  FIG. 9  also shows the harness  30  and its supported heddles. Reference may also be made to the plan view of  FIG. 10  showing the warp threads at  40  and the interlaced weft thread  36 . 
     Reference is now made to the fragmentary perspective view of  FIG. 11  for an illustration of the use of the supplementary beater  10  previously illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 . In  FIG. 11 , the supplementary beater  10  is illustrated as inserted into the shed  25  between sets of warp threads  40 . It is positioned so that the undulating surface  10 B faces the previously inserted weft thread  36 .  FIG. 11  illustrates the supplementary beater  10  about to be moved in the direction of arrow A to engage and position the illustrated weft thread  36 . Thus, the supplementary beater  10  can be moved in the direction of arrow A as well as in a transverse manner to the threads  40  such as in the direction of arrow B in order to alter the configuration of the weft thread  36 . In this regard refer also to the side schematic view of  FIG. 12  that illustrates a position of the supplementary beater  10  relative to the weft thread  36 . 
     Reference is now also made to the plan view of  FIG. 13  for an illustration of the supplementary beater  10  as moved in the direction of arrow A within the shed  25 .  FIG. 13  illustrates the undulating surface  10 B of the supplementary beater forming an undulation in the thread  36  so that the placement of the thread  36  essentially matches in contour the contour of the undulating surface  10 B of the supplementary beater  10 . In this regard refer also to the plan view of  FIG. 14  that shows the supplementary beater  10  engaging with a weft thread  36 . The diagram of  FIG. 14  illustrates the manner in which the supplementary beater  10  may be moved both in the direction of arrow A but also possibly transversely in the direction of arrow B so as to alter the undulating pattern.  FIG. 14  illustrates a series of weft threads at  36 A. It can be seen there that these threads have different undulating configurations which are a function of the particular placement and movement of the supplementary beater  10  as each weft thread is engaged thereby. Refer also to the diagram of  FIG. 15  which is a photograph illustrating the various weft threads at  36  and the corresponding warp threads  40 . It can be seen from  FIG. 15  that the weft threads, as controlled from the manipulation of the supplementary beater, become disposed in different undulating patterns. This provides a totally unique fabric configuration. 
     Having now described a limited number of embodiments of the present invention, it should now be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous other embodiments and modifications thereof are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.