IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Slimon, of Kirkintilloch, in the County of
Dumbarton, and John Whyte, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED
LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
WITH
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Slimon and John
Whyte at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th March
1881.
JAMES SLIMON, of Kirkintilloch, in the County of Dumbarton, and JOHN WHYTE,
of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR
CONNECTED WITH LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
This Invention, which relates to looms for weaving, has mainly for its object to
simplify the construction of the shedding mechanism or apparatus for operating the
healds or heddles, thereby lessening the first cost and subsequent expense of
maintaining or repairing such apparatus, while also admitting of a better finish being
imparted to the cloth than is usual when ordinary dobbys or shedding appliances
are employed.
In carrying out the Invention the healds or heddles are raised or kept in their
upper position by means of springs acting either direct or through levers, and they
are pulled down or depressed by ordinary beam levers underneath actuated by the
improved shedding mechanism. The shedding mechanism comprises a series of
bell-crank levers, one arm of each of which is connected to the lower heddle levers,
and the other arms to centre studs or pins on a series of oscillating levers. To the
ends of these oscillating levers there are attached a series of upper and lower
horizontal draw-hooks or catches which engage into a novel construction of
oscillating double knife actuated by means of a lever on its central spindle, with a
connecting rod attached to it and to a crank on the low revolving shaft of the
loom. The same lever, which may be a bell crank, has a pawl or hook connected
to its other arm catching into a ratchet or other toothed wheel on the end of the
pattern barrel which may be turned by a pushing or pulling action. The improved

page_text: oscillating double knife consists of an upper and lower transverse horizontal knife
blade connected together by vertical side bars on which the oscillating central
spindle is cast or fitted. The upper and lower knife blades of this double knife
catch the respective upper and lower draw hooks when these are not lifted out of
the way by the action of the usual pattern card or pegs, and by pulling the draw- &
hooks the oscillating lever to which they are attached acts through the bell cranks
and.lower heddle levers to depress the healds or heddles in the desired order or
succession.
The upper
and lower draw-hooks are raised out of the way or fall on to their
respective knife blades according as they are raised or not by small collars or
buttons on vertical "button wires", which are carried at the inner ends of "heavy
end" levers whose outer ends bear on the pattern card, and are raised by the pegs
thereon, to depress the buttons and lower the hooks so that they catch on to their
respective knife blades.
Strong side frames bolted to the upper framing of the loom carry the centres of 1
the levers, the pattern barrel spindle, and other moving parts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Slimon and John Whyte in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th September 1881.
JAMES SLIMON, of Kirkintilloch, in the County of Dumbarton, and JOHN WHYTE,
of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR
CONNECTED WITH LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Our said Invention, which relates to looms for weaving, has mainly for its object
to simplify the construction of the shedding mechanism or apparatus for operating
the healds or heddles, and thereby lessening the first cost and subsequent expense
of maintaining or repairing such apparatus, while also admitting of a better finish
being imparted to the cloth than is usual when ordinary dobbys or shedding
appliances are employed.
And in order that our said Invention, and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended for that purpose a Sheet
of explanatory Drawings to be hereinafter referred to, and representing our
improved dobby or shedding apparatus as applied to a loom. In the Drawings
the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like parts where repeated
in the several Figures.
Figure 1 of these Drawings is a front elevation of the framing A of a loom with
a modification of our improved dobby or shedding mechanism fitted thereto, and
shown as operating the healds or heddles B¹ positively downwards. Figure 2 is a
side elevation, and Figure 3 is a plan of the same, while Figures 4 and 5 are.
detailed views of parts of the dobby to a larger scale.

page_text: In carrying out the Invention the healds or heddles B, B¹, are raised or kept in
their upper normal position by means of springs C attached at an angle to an
upward extension of the loom framing A¹ and to levers C₁ to which the heddle
cords c are connected, the levers C₁ being fitted on each side and formed with
teeth c¹ on their inner ends to gear together and ensure the heddles being evenly
raised. These springs C may however be arranged to act direct on the heddles if
desired. The heddles B, B¹, are pulled down or depressed to form the shed by the
action of the dobby through beam levers or "jacks" D underneath the loom, and
the opposite ends of which are connected by cords or wires d and d¹ to the heddles
and to the arms E of a series of bell-crank levers E, E¹, forming part of the dobby
or shedding mechanism. These bell-cranks E, E, which are in number equal to the
leaves of heddles B, B¹, employed, are centred on a transverse shaft or pin e fitted
in the side frames F, F, of the dobby, which are fixed to the upper framing A of
the loom, and also carry the pattern barrel and centres of the other moving parts.
The other arms E' of the bell cranks E, E¹, are forked and notched at e' to receive
centre studs or pins g formed on a series of oscillating levers G, which are thus
carried by the bell cranks E, E, and in their normal position of rest these oscillating
levers Glie vertically, and bear at or near each end against cross bars or stops Fl
cast or formed on the dobby framing F. To the ends of these oscillating levers G
are jointed a series of upper and lower horizontal draw-hooks or catches H and H³,
the hooked ends h, h¹, of which engage into or catch on to the corresponding knife-
'like cross bars i, , of a novel construction of oscillating double knife frame I
when these draw-hooks H or H³ are not raised out of action or contact with this
double knife I, i, ¹. The double knife frame is formed with vertical side bars I to
which the horizontal knife blades i, i, are fitted or cast to pass transversely across
the whole row of draw hooks H, H. The frame I is fitted on a central rocking
spindle I carried in bearings in the dobby frame F, and is actuated by means of a
lever I fixed on the spindle I with a connecting rod J attached to the lever I³,
and to a crank J on the second motion shaft J' or other low revolving shaft of the
loom, the connecting-rod J being provided with a universal joint at j to facilitate
the transmission of motion, and the lever I being formed with a slot i for adjust-
ment of the connection of the rod J to obtain a greater or less degree of oscillating
movement of the double knife I. On the spindle I¹ of the knife frame I to which
the lever I' is fixed there is fitted a second lever arm I³ (forming with the former a
bell-crank), and to this arm Is is jointed a novel form of safety draw-hook K with
a jointed hooked end K¹ which catches on to pins or teeth on the end of the
pattern barrel L to turn it by a pulling action. A pawl and ratchet or other
equivalent arrangement may however bo used to work the barrel L either by a
pulling or pushing action. The barrel L carries a chain of ordinary peg lags L'
with pins arranged to form the desired shed for the pattern to be woven.
D
The outer ends M of "heavy-end" levers which are carried on a centre pin or
shaft m fitted in the side frames F bear on the peg lags L', and when raised,
according to the pattern, by the pegs the opposite ends M¹ of the levers are
depressed to lower the corresponding members of a series of vertical "button
wires" N which rest or are carried by the inner ends M¹ of these levers M, M².
A heavy end lever M, M', and button wire N are provided for each of the draw
hooks H or H, which are kept up out of action by buttons n on the wires N when
the levers M, M¹, are in their normal position of rest on the peg lags L'. But
when any of the wires N are lowered by the action of the pattern pegs "the
corresponding draw hooks H or H¹ are also lowered, and their hooked ends h or h¹
engage on to the knife blades i or ¹, and are drawn by the oscillation of the knife
frame I in the position indicated for the upper set H in Figure 1, and into a
corresponding outward position for the lower set H¹. The upper and lower set of
draw hooks H, H', are acted on alternately during the complete swing or oscillation
of the knife frame I, and acting through the oscillating lever G, bell-cranks E, E',
and "jacks" D depress the heddles to shed the warp for each pick or shot as
required by the pattern.

page_text: As will be more clearly seen in Figure 4 the button wires N of the upper set of
draw-hooks H pass between those of the lower set and do not interfere with the
action of the latter. The one turn of the pattern barrel and movement of the
heavy-end levers M, M², lowers both sets of the button wires N and upper and
lower draw hooks H, H', corresponding to the pattern by their double row or set
of pins at one operation, although these draw hooks H, H³, are only acted on
alternately by the knife blades i, i¹.
The jointed hook draw bar K actuating the pattern barrel L, and shown detached
in Figure 5, is fitted with a blade spring K' on one side to bear on and retain the
hook-end K¹ in position for gripping the pins or teeth on the end of the barrel, but
gives way and allows the jointed hook end K¹ to turn and release the pin or tooth
it is gripping in the event of the barrel being kept from turning, and thus avoids
breakage of the draw-bar or pins which commonly occurs with ordinary draw
hooks. This construction of draw bar or hook K, K³, K³, is also specially applicable
for gripping the pins to rotate the wheels and pinions or eccentrics of shuttle box ]
check motions for looms.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but what I believe to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part 2
recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The construction and general arrangement or combination of the parts of
& "dobby"
or shedding apparatus for actuating the heddles of looms for weaving,
substantially as herein described, and as shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The combination in dobbies or shedding apparatus for looms of the bell- 2
cranks E, E, oscillating levers G, and draw-hooks H, H¹, acted on to work the
heddles by the oscillating double knife I, i, i, when by the action of the pattern
mechanism L, M, N, these draw-hooks engage on the knife blades i, i¹, all
substantially as herein described in reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The construction and application, substantially as herein described and 3
shown in the accompanying Drawings, of the double oscillating knife I, i, i', to
engage the draw hooks of dobbies or shedding apparatus for operating the heddles
of looms for weaving.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Slimon and the said John Whyte,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.
Witness,
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER, C.E.,
Of W. R. M. Thomson & Co.,
Patent Agents,
Glasgow.
JAMES SLIMON. (L.S.)
JOHN WHYTE. (L.S.)