Improvements in Shuttleless Looms.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 26th June, 1897
[Communicated from abroad by CAMILLE BRUN and GUSTAVE BRUN, both of
19 Rue Cambon, Paris, in the French Republic, Engineers.]
Improvements in Shuttleless Looms.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HEYS of 70 Market Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Chartered Patent Agent, 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:―
The object of the present invention is the suppression of the shuttle and cop in
looms for weaving ribbons and other textile fabrics.
According to these improvements, as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondents, the weft is mechanically conveyed through the open shed from one side
to the other side where it forms a fold or loop and back to the starting point.
The loop so formed is caught and engaged by a catch thread which is altogether
independent of the warp and weft threads, in such a manner as to form a selvedge
of that edge of the fabric. When the weft carrier has returned to its starting
point, the warp is crossed so as to open the following shed and the double pick just
inserted is beaten up. The weft thread is derived from a roller or bobbin arranged:
upon the loom or in any convenient position whatever.
In the accompanying drawings the diagram Figure 1 indicates the relative;
positions of the threads at the selvedge where the looped weft is engaged by the
catch thread. Here, a indicates the outside ordinary warp thread, b, the weft;
thread returned, and c, the catch thread. It will be understood that this thread
has been engaged and is held by the preceding picks of weft, and that, as indicated
on an exaggerated scale by Figure 2, it is lightly sunk into the fabric at each
stroke of the reed.
1
The advantage of this suppression of the ordinary shuttle will be readily under-
stood. The bobbin or roller upon which the weft is wound according to these >
improvements, being always in the same position, and not obliged to cross the warp
at each pick, it results that there may be wound upon it any quantity of weft
which may be desired and that the weaver will not be constantly obliged to stop to:
renew the cops. She can thus work continuously for one, two, or even more days
without stoppage for this purpose. Hence arises an economy of time, an increased -
output, and superior work.
My correspondents prefer to carry out their invention by means of the appliances.
and devices illustrated by the accompanying drawings which illustrate them as
applied to a ribbon loom, but it will be understood that they may similarly be:
applied to other types of looms. In a ribbon loom or loom of a similar character,
the parts represented and described will be repeated for each additional piece of
ribbon cr fabric woven therein at the same time.
The breast rail of the loom is shewn at A. In front of each of the pieces of
ribbon woven in the loom, R, there is mounted in the breast rail, a pivot B, upon
which there is fixed a lever G, carrying at its outer end the sector D. This sector
is nearly U-shaped, having a shorter upper limb and a longer lower limb, Figure 4.
The lever G holds it by its upper limb, as indicated. Below the lower limb there
is arranged a small tube d, parallel with it. The weft, t, coming for example from
the back of the loom, enters this small tube at d' and leaves it at d", at the extreme
point of the sector.
All the weft sectors on a single loom are actuated by an oscillatory circular
:

page_text: movement communicated to the pivots B by means well known and understood.
The extent of this motion can be regulated so as to allow for different conditions,
but always there must be a complete to and fro movement for every forward stroke
of the beating up motion. The sector is shewn as moving in a horizontal plane
but it may be arranged to move in any different plane if desired.
The sector deposits a forward and return thread of weft in each opening of the
shed, and it is necessary to provide at the edge of the fabric where the weft thread
returns, some means for engaging the fold or loop there made by it.
This is attained by arranging at the required point upon the breast rail or
framing of the loom, a pedestal E, on which in a suitable open box or receptacle,
there is arranged the small shuttle N, which is similar to a sewing machine shuttle,
but has its point n tapered and raised above its level as indicated by Figures 5, 6,
and 7. This shuttle box is capable of having its position relative to the weft
delivery end of the sector, regulated by any suitable means. When the sector
commences to recede from the point indicated to be occupied by it in Figure 3, the
weft tissuing from d" commences to be engaged by the point n. As this motion
of recession proceeds, the weft encircles and passes under the shuttle and finally
issues from the shuttle box in engagement with the catch thread c, as in Figure. 1.
The catch thread unwinds itself from the bobbin m in the shuttle and is to some
extent taken into the selvedge. The unwinding of this selvedge or catch thread
is best controlled by some extension device such as is used in sewing machine
shuttles.
By this means it is possible to imitate almost any kind of selvedge which is
produced by ordinary weaving.
Figure 5 represents the side shuttle and its box in longitudinal and cross
sections respectively.
Figure 6 shews the weft loop engaged under the point of the shuttle just after
the weft carrier sector has commenced its return.
Figure 7 shews the position of the weft loop when the return of the weft carrier
has gone further, the weft now encircling the shuttle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The hereinbefore described method for weaving textile fabrics which consists
essentially in carrying a continuous weft thread through the open shed, engaging
it at the end of the forward stroke with a catch thread, returning it through
the same shed, beating up and crossing the warp to form the next open shed;
substantially as and by the means hereinbefore described.
2. A weft carrier constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. A weft carrier adapted to insert a forward and return pick of weft in one
open shed and which derives its weft from an external stationary roller or bobbin,
in combination with an auxiliary shuttle containing a catch thread; constructed
arranged and operating substantially as herein before described and as illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.
4. The hereinbefore described apparatus for weaving textile fabrics without a
shuttle traversing the warp; constructed and operating substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of April AD 1007
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.