IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Eccles, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster,
for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 13th October 1877. and dated the 5th May 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Eccles at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th May 1877.
JOSEPH ECCLES, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster.
LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of what is known
as "Hattersley's dobby" loom, which is an arrangement of mechanism for actuating
the healds for fancy weaving, and is designed principally for the purpose of
weaving "headings" or stripes across the piece at certain intervals or distances in
cloth known as "dooties," so as to make the headings correspond in pattern (or
nearly so) with the longitudinal borders or stripes woven on the sides or selvedges
of the piece; but the same principle may also be employed for weaving handerchiefs
or other similar articles having ornamental borders.
Hitherto the barrel or cylinder carrying the pegged lags (which actuate the
healds) in these machines were caused to work continually by means of a pawl
and ratchet wheel actuated by a crank; but by my improvements I cause this
barrel to be thrown out of gear at intervals, which stops its action upon the healds
and allows the cloth to be woven plain in the middle for any length required, say
(for "dooties") about five yards, and it is then thrown into action when required
for weaving the heading.
The method of throwing the pegged lags in or out of action may be effected in
a variety of ways; but, as an example, I will here describe one method which I
consider the most simple and effective:-I cut the barrel or cylinder in two parts,
both revolving loosely on the same shaft, and cause the back part to actuate the
cords for the pattern on the edges or selvedges of the piece, and the front part to
act upon the healds for the "heading" or stripe across the piece. I attach one end
of a piece of cord or other suitable contrivance to the pawl or catch which drives
the front barrel, and the other end to the upright hooked lever connected to the
front "jack" (being the most convenient); this "jack lever" does not act upon any
LD G71

page_text: heald but is kept specially for pulling the catch out of gear by the cord aforesaid;
the pegs in the lags, which act upon the "feelers," are so arranged that on a certain
number of revolutions of the barrel the catch is pulled out of contact with the
ratchet wheel by the front "jack" falling into the horizontal position, which stops
its revolution, thereby allowing the loom to go on with the plain weaving in the
centre until it is again required to weave another "heading" across the piece.
When it is desired to weave the "heading" the operative pulls the pawl down
in contact with the ratchet wheel (which actuates the shedding of the healds), he
then takes a shuttle with the desired colored weft, places it in the shuttle box, and
after weaving a certain number of picks the pawl is pulled out of gear by the
arrangement aforesaid; he then takes another colored weft, places it in the shuttle
box, pulls down the pawl again into contact, and so goes on repeating the colors
until the desired heading or pattern is completed, when the loom is again allowed
to weave a certain length of plain cloth, and so on.
I would here remark, that with slight modifications, the same arrangement may
be applied to other "dobbies" with either pegged lags, or cards, or other known
indicating apparatus.
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joseph Eccles in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th October
1877.
JOSEPH ECCLES, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster.
LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
"
This Invention relates to looms for fancy weaving, where the healds are actuated
by what is commonly known as dobby mechanism, and applies more especially to
that combination of mechanism known as "Hattersley's dobby or to other
mechanism of like character and mode of action, and the Invention is designed
principally for the purpose of weaving at intervals headings or stripes across the
fabric being woven, and it is particularly applicable for weaving cloths known as
dooties," and for forming an improved pattern by simple means in such and similar
goods by weaving the heading or stripe to correspond in pattern, or nearly so, with
the longitudinal borders or stripes which have been woven on the sides or selvedges
of the piece; but my Invention is also applicable for weaving handkerchiefs or
other similar articles having ornamental borders and other cloths. Thus, by my
Invention cloths formed principally by plain weaving, but with ornamental weaving
at intervals, can be easily and economically woven in a simple loom having "dobby
mechanism, which cloths could not be woven otherwise except by objectionable
jacquard or very extensive chain tappet mechanism.
My Invention consist in combining and arranging Hattersley's dobby, or
mechanism of like character, and in pegging the "lags" of such mechanism, so that
when put in operation to weave a stripe or heading it will be self-stopped when
such stripe or heading has been completed, and when so stopped the dobby will
work the healds to produce plain weaving, and I accomplish this by pegging the
lags, arranging the chain tappets, or punching and arranging the cards which are
employed to operate upon the mechanism for actuating the healds in due order, so
that such pegged lags or their equivalents will through the dobby mechanism be
caused to act upon one lever or "jack," or an equivalent for a "jack lever," so that
such lever (which, if a jack lever is used for this purpose only) will lift the pawl
which acts upon a ratchet that turns the lag or card barrel, so as to prevent it from
moving the lag barrel, or so that the movement given by such means will put a
clutch driving the pattern barrel out of gear. This arrangement does away with
the necessity for attention on the part of the weaver, who has simply to turn the

page_text: "
lag” or “pattern barrel" one tooth to cause the dobby mechanism to again repeat
the pattern.
My Invention also consists in dividing or making the lag or card barrel of dobby
mechanism into two parts, which may be both loose, or one loose and one fast on
the same shaft. One part of this lag or card barrel is made to operate upon those
healds which require to be continuously actuated, the other part acts upon the
healds which work to form the heading or cross stripe coming at intervals and the
plain weaving. The first-named part of the said barrel is rotated continuously by
a pawl and ratchet, and the other part is also rotated by a pawl and ratchet; but
the pawl in this case is arranged, as before explained, so that when the required
stripe or heading has been completed it will stop itself by lifting the pawl out of
its ratchet teeth.
In Hattersley's dobby and mechanism of like character each "lag" acts for two
sheds, and the "lag barrel " is only moved once for every two picks, and the lags can
be so pegged that they will produce the required changes in the healds for the
fancy pattern, and so that when the pegged lags arrive at and remain stationary in
one position the healds will be operated to produce plain weaving, consequently, by
my Invention I cause the dobby mechanism to produce fancy weaving while the
lags are continually moved every two picks, and plain weaving when the "lags"
remain stationary at the required place.
The self-stopping of the barrel for the pegged "lags," or their equivalents, as the
pattern requires, which is one of the essential features of my Invention, may also
be effected by causing a peg in the lags to act directly upon a projection from the
pawl, so as to prevent it when making its back movement to take a fresh tooth,
from descending or passing over the next tooth which would be taken in the
ordinary working of the pawl
"
The accompanying Drawing is a front elevation, and illustrates "Hattersley's
dobby" as applied to a loom. The framing of the dobby is omitted to show the parts
more clearly.
A represents part of a loom framing; a, the front heald, which healds are con-
nected by cords with the bell-crank jack levers, of which there is one for each heald,
placed side by side. These jack levers have their fulcrums at 6 on the framing of the
dobby, and the upright arm of each bell-crank jack lever carries the fulcrum of a lever c,
the two opposite ends of which have each an hook d and d¹ jointed to them. The
upper hook d is connected by a wire d with one feeler lever e, and the lower
look d by a wire with another similar feeler lever, which levers e are carried by a
fulcrum on a dobby framing. Under the feeler levers the barrel or cylinder fis
placed in suitable bearings in the dobby framing, upon which the chain of lags g
works, which lags have holes in them that come opposite the feelers (e), so that by
pegging the holes or leaving them unpegged an action upon the feelers is produced,
according to the pattern required. The feelers lift the hooks d and d' out of or
allow them to come into the way of knives or lifting bars h and h³, which move in
slides in the dobby framing, these bars being actuated by connection with levers
or arms j on a shaft ', baving bearings in the dobby framing, the oscillations im-
parted to this shaft j' causing the lifting bars h and h¹ to move in opposite
directions. The oscillations of the shaft are produced by a crank or tappet on
the tappet shaft of the loom, and conveyed by a rod jointed to an arm on the
oscillating shaft j¹, and the crank or tappet causes the oscillating shaft to make one
complet eoscillation every two "picks,” so that in the upward oscillation of the arm j³
the lower lifting bar h¹ will act upon those lower hooks d' that are allowed to hook
upon it to form one shed, and in the downward oscillation the upper lifting bar h
will act upon the upper hooks d¹ in like manner for the other shed. It will thus
be seen that one "lag" may be pegged, so that when under the feelers both the upper
and lower set of hooks d and dare placed in their required position, so as to be
acted upon alternately so long as the same lag remains stationary under the feelers,
and thus plain weaving can be produced when the lag barrel is allowed to remain
stationary with the proper lag under the feelers.

page_text: When the healds are down, the upper and lower ends of each lever c rests
against the cross bars k and k¹ in the dobby framing; and when the upper hook d
is pulled, the lower bar k¹ forms a fulcrum through which the lever c acts upon the
jack; and when the lower hook dis pulled, the upper bar k forms such fulcrum;
the lag barrelf is rotated to bring one lag of the endless chain of lags under the
feeler e at each movement by a ratchet wheel secured upon the axis of the barrel,
which ratchet is acted upon by a pawll jointed to the end of a lever 1, having its
fulcrum on a stud in the dobby framing; this lever is connected by a rod with
one of the arms jgiving movement to the lifting bars ( and h¹). But the pawl l
may be jointed directly with the last-named arm j, dispensing with the lever l¹ and
connecting rod 18.
The dobby mechanism, above described by letters of reference and illustrated by
the Drawings, is well known, and forms no part of my Invention, and I have only
described it and its mode of action so that the mode in which my Invention is
carried into effect may be more clearly understood.
;
The simplest mode of carrying my Invention into effect is by employing the front
jack lever b¹ to lift the pawl from the teeth of the ratchet when the lag barrel fis
to remain stationary, the front jack lever (6¹) in this case being used only for this
purpose, and not to actuate the front heald, which is actuated by a second jack
lever and the upright arm of the jack lever (6¹) is connected by a cord m with the
pawl; and the endless lags g are pegged to actuate the healds to produce the
required cross stripe; and one lag is pegged to produce plain weaving; and when
this last-named lag comes under the feelers (e) the pawl (1) is lifted from the ratchet,
so that the barrel (f) will remain stationary. When the jack (61) actuating the pawl is
in the position shown, the cord between it and the pawl is short enough to cause the
pawl to be out of the teeth of the ratchet; consequently when the pawl is to nct
upon the ratchet, all the lags are pegged, so that this jack will be lifted every shed,
or during that shed when the pawl is making its back movement to take a fresh
tooth, which lifting keeps the cord slack between the jack and pawl, and allows it
to act upon the ratchet; but when the pegs are absent from one lag, the jack is not
lifted, but is left in the position shown in the Drawing (being pulled back by a
weight or spring after each lifting movement), and the cord, is tightened, and the
pawl lifted, so that the lag barrel remains stationary; but when the lag barrel is
turned one tooth, the barrel will go on again until it comes again to the same lag,
or the next stopping lag, as arranged.
l
Instead of the cord between the arm of the jack (61) and the pawl passing
directly between the two, it may pass round a pulley m¹ (shown in peculiar dotted
line on a stud in the framing), or first to another lever, by which arrangement the
pawl will be lifted when the jack lever is lifted by the lifting bars (h or h¹) acting
upon the hooks, and in this case the jack will remain stationary, and will only be
acted upon when the pawl is to be lifted, and during the time the barrel is to
remain stationary. The lag barrel in this latter case will only have pegs in the
one lag, which is to stop the barrel.
I have spoken of the jack being lifted when the lags have pegs, but the feelers
may be so connected with the hooks that a peg in the lags would cause them
to raise the hooks clear of the lifting bars, and the absence of a peg would cause
the hooks to take hold of the lifting bars, and thus when the feelers are so arranged
there would have to be pegs or an absence of them in the lags accordingly to lift
the pawl, by the methods above described, to stop the lag barrel.
Instead of lifting the pawl by the jack (6) this may be done by connecting a
feeler e with the pawl, so that the lifting of the feeler by a peg in the lag will cause
the pawl to be lifted. This connection between the two may be made by a side
projection from the pawl reaching and coming over a pin or side projection on the
feeler e, so that when this feeler was down it would allow the pawl to rest upon the
ratchet teeth, but when the feeler was lifted up by a peg, the projection from the
feeler would lift the pawl away from the ratchet.
The dobby mechanism may be used for weaving the plain cloth and cross stripes

page_text: or headings, as herein-before described, and the warp threads for the longitudinal
stripes on the sides or selvedges may be worked by chain or other tappets. But
when actuating the healds and harness for the plain weaving_headings or cross
stripes and longitudinal cross stripes by dobby mechanism, then I make the barrels
of the dobby in two parts, or make the dobby with two separate and independent
barrels and driving pawls and ratchets, each with a separate set of endless chain
lags. One of these barrels (the back one by preference) is worked continuously by
the pawl and rachet, as in the ordinary mode of working the dobby, and actuates
the warp threads for the longitudinal stripes. The other lag barrel is arranged, as
herein-before described, so as to be driven by a separate pawl and ratchet, and so
as to be self-stopping. This last-named lag barrel acts upon the healds to produce
plain weaving when the barrel remains stationary with the proper lag, as before
explained, under the feelers, and acts to work the healds for the stripe or heading,
when the lag barrel is moved every two picks until the stopping lag comes round,
when the heading is completed. When a sufficient length of plain cloth, with or
without border or selvedge, as the case may be, has been woven, the weaver stops
the loom; then if the heading is to be woven with colored weft, he places a shuttle
in the shuttle box, with such weft turns the lag barrel one tooth (or moves the jack
connected with the pawl so as to allow it to enter the teeth of the ratchet) and
starts the loom. It then weaves (except in case of breakage or a change of weft is
required) until the heading is completed, when it stops the lag barrel of itself. The
weaver then changes the weft again if required, and starts the loom to weave plain
cloth, and so on for each length of cross stripe or heading and plain cloth.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention and the mode of
carrying it into effect, and claim as my Invention,―
"
Firstly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism known as "Hattersley's
dobby or mechanism, having the like mode of action, so that it will stop the
rotation of its pattern barrel or barrels when a pre-arranged lag comes to its place
of action, such mechanism then actuating the healds to weave plain cloth, sub-
stantially as herein-before described.
Secondly. The combination and arrangement of "Hattersley's dobby mechanism, or
mechanism having the like mode of action, with two independent pattern barrels,
one continually working, as in the ordinary dobby, the other barrel self-stopping,
and when stopped producing plain weaving, and when moving, the ornamental
weaving, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Eccles, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
JOSEPH ECCLES. (L.B.)