Improvements in Jacquard Machines Connected with Looms for Weaving.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 5th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Jan., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Jacquard Machines Connected with Looms
for Weaving.
I ABRAHAM FLATHER of 6 Richmond Road, Bradford in the West Riding of the
County of York, Jacquard Machine Maker do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :—
Hitherto in what are commonly known as Double-lift, Double-action or Counter-
poise Jacquards where two Card-cylinders, Barrels or Bars are employed a double
hook, or two separate hooks have been employed for the purpose of lifting the same
portion of the Harness which carries the warp threads. When two separate hooks are
employed there must be two neck cords connecting the Hook with the Harness so
carrying or raising the warp threads. In the same manner when only one card-
cylinder is employed there must be two hooks and two neck cords. This arrange-
ment causes considerable wear and tear: first, by the excessive wearing of the neck
cords, due to their arrangement, and second, due to the great pressure upon the cards
from the needles, or crosswires, which actuate the lifting hooks.
I
This invention has for its object the removal of these difficulties. To accomplish
this I employ a double lifting hook having in addition to the ordinary hook, at the
top of each extremity a second hook or loop formed at a convenient distance
from the top. I employ the ordinary lifting bars or griffe, and these lifting bars act
upon the second or lower hooks in the same manner as in the ordinary Machine-
they act upon the hook at the top. I employ also a second griffe which moves
horizontally in a frame or upon slides placed at or near the top of the Machine.
employ two card cylinders placed at opposite sides of the Machine in the usual
manner, and actuated in such manner as to meet the requirements of the other
parts, and a needle or cross-wire of special form to suit the form of my lifting hooks
and the arrangements of the other parts of the Machine connected therewith. By
this arrangement when a hook is through the manner in which the cards are
cut caught upon the lifting knives it is carried to the upper griffe and by a hori-
zontal motion being imparted to the latter is caught upon it and held by it. By a
suitable arrangement and timing of the card cylinder these hooks may remain upon

page_text: the upper griffe as long as the warp threads which they carry are required to remain
up for the formation of the pattern being woven by merely transferring them from
one side of the space between the knives of the upper griffe to the other, or in other
words, one portion of the double hook is removed from the knife upon which it has
been resting and its corresponding portion is carried to another knife upon which it
will then rest.
By these means I claim that I obtain easier working, I relieve the pressure upon
the cards. I dispense with the usual spring boxes. I employ one set of needles or
crosswires only, and I employ one set of neck-cords only and consequently there is
less wear and tear and less complication thus making it easier for the weaver to
manage.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Jacquard Machines Connected with Looms
for Weaving.
I ABRAHAM FLATHER of 6 Richmond Road Bradford in the West Riding of the
County of York, Jacquard Machine Maker, 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:-
In
Hitherto in what are commonly known as Double-lift, Double-action or Counter-
poise Jacquards when two card cylinders barrels or bars are employed a double hook
or two separate hooks have heen employed for the purpose of lifting the same portion
of the harness which carries the warp threads. When two separate hooks are
employed there must be two neck-cords connecting the hooks with the harness.
the same manner when only one card-cylinder is employed there must be two hooks
and two neck-cords. This arrangement causes considerable wear and tear, first by
the excessive wearing of the neck-cords, due to their arrangement, and second, due
to great pressure upon the cards from the needles or crosswires which actuate the
lifting hooks.
This invention has for its object the removal of these difficulties. To accomplish
this, I employ a double lifting hook, having in addition to the ordinary hook at the
top of each extremity a second hook or loop formed at a convenient distance from the
top. I employ the ordinary lifting bars or griffe, and these lifting bars act upon
the second, or lower, hooks in the same manner as in the ordinary Machines they act
upon the hook at the top. I employ a second griffe which moves horizontally in a
frame or upon slides placed at or near the top of the Machine. I employ two card
cylinders placed at opposite sides of the Machine in the usual manner, and actuated
in such manner as to meet the requirements of the other parts, and a needle or cross-
wire of special form to suit the form of my lifting hooks and the arrangement of the
Machine connected therewith. By this arrangement when a hook is through the
manner in which the cards are cut caught upon the lifting knives, or bars, it is
carried to the upper griffe and by a horizontal motion being imparted to the latter, is
caught upon it and held by it. By a suitable arrangement and timing of the card-
cylinder these hooks may remain upon the upper griffe as long as the warp threads
which they carry are required to remain up for the formation of the pattern-being
woven by merely transferring them from one side of the space between the knives
of the upper griffe to the other, or in other words, one portion of the double hook is
removed from the knife upon which it has been resting and its corresponding portion
is carried to another knife upon which it will then rest.
And in order that my invention may be understood I proceed to describe the
accompanying diagrams as follows:-Fig. 1 is an end elevation of my Machine
showing the connection of the card-cylinders and the mode of actuating them.
A A are the card cylinders connected with each other by the bar B which is made
fast to the arm carrying each so that as one is brought in contact with the
needles of the Machine the other is taken away from them, and they are made to act
upon each end of the needle alternately. C is a connecting rod brought from the

page_text: Llever at the Machine to the lever D made fast to the shaft E. F is another lever
arm made fast to the same shaft E and acted upon by the eccentric cam G. driven by
the shaft of the loom. This eccentric cam is formed so as to actuate the arms carrying
the card-cylinder in the manner desired and to cause each alternately to remain a
short time in contact with the needles of the Machine so as to give time to the lifting
hooks to change from one griffe or lifting knife to the other as hereinafter
described.
Fig. 2 is a section of the Machine, showing the lifting knives or griffe H and
Fig. 3 is a plan showing the grate or griffe I. I. I. I. which is placed at or near the
top of the Machine. Fig. 4 is an elevation showing the form of hook I employ, and
Fig. 5 the needle or crosswire formed simply with a bend, within which the upright
hook is placed, and Fig. 6 another form of needle or crosswire which I may employ,
with a long loop instead of a bend as shewn in Fig. 5. The card-cylinders act upon
the hooks in the ordinary manner, but the griffes or lifting knives instead of lifting
the hook by the top in the usual manner take hold of the lower hook in their ascent
and carry them up to the upper griffe I. This upper griffe is made to move, by
suitable means, slightly in a horizontally direction in such a manner as to bring its
knives under the hooks-carried up by the lifting knives, and all such hooks as are
not acted upon by the cards are deposited upon those upper knives.
The two sets of lifting knives in their ascent carry the hooks slightly above the
upper knives; sufficiently to lift them quite clear so that the upper griffe can be
moved in the horizontal direction hereinbefore described, and remove its knife from
under one side of the hook and place a corresponding knife under the other side. The
card cylinder is brought in contact with the needles at the moment when the two
griffes are passing each other, and consequently any hook not pressed back by the
card transfers itself from one lifting knife to the other, and is again deposited upon
the upper griffe by the hook at its top extremity.
Thus it practically remains upon this upper griffe as long as required for the
formation of the desired pattern.
The hook being of the form shown at Fig. 4 only one neck-cord is required.
For the purpose of ensuring the certain passage of the hook from one lifting griffe
to the other, the card is kept in contact with the needle for a sufficient length
of time by means of the cam G. being of a suitable eccentric form, or other suitable
means.
I may employ grates or guide-bars in the usual manner for the purpose of keeping
the upright hooks in their proper position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1st. The use of the upper griffe actuated in the manner and for the purpose
described.
2nd. The special form of hook employed.
3rd. I dispense with the necessity for the usual spring box or I may employ it.
4th. I employ one set of neck-cords only.
5th. The use of the several parts herein described in conjunction with each other
as set forth, and by these means I obtain easier working, less wear and tear, and
increased efficiency.
Dated this 3rd day of December 1887