improvements in Means and Apparatus for Automatically Counting and Recording the Effective Number of Picks Made in a Loom, and for Automatically Stopping the Loom upon the Breakage or Failure of the Weft.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Mar., 1892-Accepted, 9th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
improvements in Means and Apparatus for Automatically Counting
and Recording the Effective Number of Picks Made in a Loom,
and for Automatically Stopping the Loom upon the Breakage
or Failure of the Weft.
We VICTOR LETELLIER, and LOUIS DUMOND, both of 100 Ruc de Long-
champs, Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
Our said invention relates to improved means and apparatus for effecting the
automatic counting and recording of the effective picks made in a loom, that is to
say the number of picks woven into the cloth, and for stopping the loom upon the
breakage or failure of the weft. Both the recording and stopping mechanism are
actuated from the arrangement in connection with the weft which we will now first
describe. According to our invention we provide a bracket which we secure to the
front of the slay.
Upon this bracket is mounted a rocking stud which carries a finger or fingers
under the tip or tips of which each pick of weft lies as it is shot, thus holding up
the finger or fingers. A spring on the stud tends to press the finger lightly on the
pick of weft. The stud also carries two projections one of which is in contact with
a cam face on the top of a rocking lever pivotted to the bracket while the other
projection lies in contact with another cam face on the side of the rocking lever.
The result of the arrangement is that so long as the finger is supported by the
unbroken weft, the second projection only bears on the cam face on the side of the
rocking lever, the first projection remaining out of contact and upheld so as to
escape a stop on the upper cam face, whereby the rocking lever is suffered to
rock to and fro through its entire path without stop or hindrance. The rocking
motion of the lever is communicated by the vibrating movements of the slay. The
lever is connected at one side by a line or chain to a fixed part of the loom, for
example to the breast beam and at the other side by a spring to the slay. When
the slay vibrates away from the point to which the chain is fixed the chain pulls on
the lever against the spring and rocks the lever.
When the slay returns the chain slackens and the spring resiles sufficiently to
pull the lever back again.
Thus at each vibration of the slay the lever is rocked. So long as the pick of
weft is unbroken or unexhausted the finger on the rocking stud is upheld and the
projection on the stud is kept out of the way of the stop on the rocking lever. But
if the weft should break or fail, the finger drops, and the projection on the stud
being lowered, encounters the stop on the rocking lever and arrests the lever about
half way. The rocking lever carries a nose which acts as a striker to record
the pick or stop the loom in the manner and by the means which we will now
describe. To a suitable fixed part of the loom for example to the breast beam we
attach two brackets which carry two pivotted bell crank levers the free ends looking
towards each other and with a clearing space between. These free ends are
formed with flat faces or flanges upon one or other of which the aforesaid nose on
the rocking lever will strike when the slay approaches the levers. These two bell
crank levers are intended respectively to operate the counter and the stop motion.
The other arm of the counter bell crank lever is connected by a link or rod to the
counter so that when the counter lever is struck the counter will record one pick.
The other arm of the stop motion lever is connected by an adjustable rod to the
stopping mechanism for shifting the belt and stopping the loon.

page_text: The counter lever is so placed that when the weft is unbroken and the rocking
lever has been pulled over to the full extent by the chain on the advance of the
slay, the nose on the rocking lever will strike against the counter lever and so
actuate the counter. On the other hand if by the breakage or failure of the weft,
the rocking lever is arrested by the stop coming against the dropped projection on
the stud, the nose instead of striking the counter lever will strike the stop motion
lever and so stop the loom, while by the non-actuation of the counter lever no
record is made of a pick..
Thus it will be seen that by means of our invention we preserve an absolute record
of every pick woven into the piece and as soon as the weft breaks or fails not only
is the record of picks interrupted but the loom is at once stopped so that the defect
may be remedied without having to turn back the mechanism.
We might incorporate a bell or alarm with the stop motion to give instant notice
of the stoppage to the weaver or overlooker.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1891
· DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means and Apparatus for Automatically Counting
and Recording the Effective Number of Picks Made in a Loom,
and for Automatically Stopping the Loom upon the Breakage
or Failure of the Weft.
We VICTOR LETELLIER and LOUIS DUMOND both of 100 Rue de. Long-
champs, Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this 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:-
Our said invention relates to improved means and apparatus for effecting the
automatic counting and recording of the effective picks made in a loom that is to
say the number of picks woven into the cloth and for stopping the loom upon
breakage or failure of the weft.
To render our said invention properly understood we will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the annexed sheet of drawings: :-
Fig. 1 is a side view of that portion of the apparatus. which is attached to the
slay.
t.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same shown in conjunction with the breast beam
and parts attached thereto.
Fig. 3 is a separate view of the vibrating lever which appears in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2.
We secure a bracket a to the slay by screws as shown. Upon the lower
end of this bracket we pivot a rocking lever c at the point c'. This' lever" c rocks
to and fro behind the cover plate d and the upper end of the lever is formed with
two cam faces and c³. One side of the lever c is connected by a spring e'to the
slay b and this spring being in tension constantly tends to pull the lever c to itself.
The lever is at the 'other side connected by a chain e' to the breast-beam f."
When the slay is at the end of its inward stroke as 'for example as appears in
Fig. 4 the slack of the chain is taken up and it becomes taut and pulls the lever c
over to its own side and against the tension of the spring as clearly shown in Fig. 1.
Thus it will be plain that as the slay moves in and out in beating up, the lever c is
rocked from one side to the other. Just above the lever c we pivot a stud gin
centres supported from the bracket a as shown in Fig. 1. This stud has two
paws g g the paw gl being 'opposite to 'the cani face cand the paw 9 to the cam
face c³. A spring on the stud tends always to press the pawg on the face c².
The stud galso carries two fingers or feelers i i made of thin spring steel. As the

page_text: t
slay and lever c rock to and fro these fingers ii rise and fall also, through the
action of the cam faces on the paws g¹ g. When the fingers fall from, the dotted.
position in Fig. 2 to the position shown in full lines the last pick of
weft has just been shot and when the fingers i descend they rest lightly on
this weft pick and are thus prevented from falling further into the recess
marked 6 which is cut in the slay just opposite to the fingers. It will now be
easily understood that so long as the weft pick is there, beneath the fingers, the
fingers are upheld from falling further and the paw g being held up escapes
being struck by the tooth ct on the top of the lever c. But if by any mischance
such as the breakage or failure of the weft the fingers should encounter no weft.
pick as they fall, then they would continue to fall and would drop into the recess b.
The consequence of this would be that the paw g' would drop right in the path of
the tooth and would then prevent the lever c from moving further in that direction.
Thus the slay in beating up would carry the lever c to the front locked in the
position in which it had been arrested by the paw g'. It will be observed that the
lever e carries a projecting arm . On reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that this.
arm occupies one of two positions; either it is opposite to the end of the bellerank.
lever as in full lines Fig. 4, or it is opposite to the bellcrank lever kas in dotted
lines. We would here remark that at each forward stroke of the slay the arm c³ must
strike either the lever; or the lever k. The lever j communicates with the stopping
mechanism of the loom while the lever operates the counting nechanism. The
said levers are pivotted on brackets and m as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The
lever is connected by a rod n to the lever o which is secured to the shaft which
shaft either carries or communicates with the belt shifting fork of the loom. The
lever communicates by means of the rod q with the counter mechanism, which is
made in any suitable or ordinary manner. At every stroke of the slay while the
weft is intact the arm of the lever c on the forward stroke occupies the position
indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4 and therefore actuates the counter mechanism
registering one for every pick. But if the weft should break or fail the lever is
caught and held in the manner already described so that on the forward or beating
up stroke of the slay the arm is locked in the position shown in full lines in
Fig. 4 and therefore strikes the lever j thereby actuating the stopping mechanism.
of the loom so that the loom is automatically stopped until the damage is repaired.
while no record is made of the broken or absent pick.
P
Thus it will be seen that by means of our invention we preserve an absolute
record of every pick woven into the piece and as soon as the weft breaks or fails,
not only is the record of picks interrupted but the loom is at once stopped so that
the defect may be remedied without having to turn back the mechanism.
might incorporate a bell or alarm with the stop motion to give instant notice of the
stoppage to the weaver or overlooker.
We
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The general arrangement construction and combination of parts constituting
the apparatus for automatically counting and recording the effective number of
picks made in a loom and for automatically stopping the loom upon the breakage.
or failure of the weft substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
2. In looms for weaving the employment in combination with a weft motion of a
counter for counting and recording the number of effective picks of weft put into
the piece substantially as described and shown.
3. The weft motion for use in apparatus of the indicated nature consisting of
a vibrating lever pivotted to a bracket and moved in one direction by a spring and
in the other by a chain or other attachment which is tightened or slackened by the
movements of the slay, in combination with the reciprocating stud and paws.
carrying the fingers or feelers operating in conjunction with the weft for the
purposes and substantially as described and shown.

page_text: 4. The hereinbefore described weft motion in combination with means for
automatically stopping the loom on the breakage or failure of the shuttle weft,
substantially as described and shown.
Dated thin 1st day of Mouch 1000
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.