Improvements in and relating to Change Box Motions of Looms for Weaving.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 27th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 27th Feb.,
1896
TROYIDIONAL DIUITIATION.
[Communicated from abroad by DIEGO MATTEI, Manager to The Cotonificio
Ligure, Figari & Co., Genoa, in the Kingdom of Italy, Mechanical
Engineer.]
Improvements in and relating to Change Box Motions of Looms
for Weaving.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent agents,
45 Sonthampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to improvements in looms, and comprises apparatus to
changing the shuttles in the same.
03
These improvements are more specially applicable to the Honegger loom
described in "The Mechanism of Weaving" by T. W. Fox, London, page 400 and
have for their object to provide for a positive downward movement of the boxes
for the purpose of preventing shocks and enabling the speed of the motion of looms
to be increased.
In the apparatus which I usually employ the vertical movement of the boxes is
effected by a guide with which engages the pin or button of a lever to which is
pivoted the rod for carrying the boxes.
In the case of a loom having four shuttles the button occupies four different
positions in space and relatively to the guide.
By turning the guide about its pivot the button is raised or lowered and
consequently the said lever with the boxes. The turning movement of the guide
is obtained by levers equal in number to that of the boxes, that is to say four in
the before-stated example. These levers turning about a pivot near one extremity
carry at their other extremity plates provided with inclined surfaces for.ning
certain angles between them. In each of the triangular spaces comprised
between these convergent inclined planes and equal in number to that of the
boxes and the lower faces of the said levers is situated a small shaft. This
shaft is connected by a rod to the guide and carried by two levers which are
pivoted below and arranged one on one side and the other on the other side at the
two extremities of the said shaft.
Accordingly if one of the levers is turned the corresponding shaft, irrespective
of the position which it may occupy in the triangular space, is displaced under the
action of one of the surfaces until it takes the position corresponding to the apex
of the angle comprised between two of the levers. To this position of the sail
shaft corresponds a definite position of the guide and therefore one of the boxes
(for instance the first) will be ready to operate. It will thus be seen that a
suitable turning movement of the said lever causes the rod for carrying the box
to present the first box to the action of the picker. The upward movement of
each of the plates is obtained by hooks actuated as usual by a chain of carls.
The other levers of the series act altogether in the same manner.
For preventing the guide from being displaced when it has once ceased to obey
the action of the plates use may be made of fixed or escape stops. The fixed
stop consists of four levers alternating in the direction of the width of the loom
with four main levers similar to the first mentioned levers. Each of this second
series of levers may engage with a corresponding notch provided in a sector
secured to the guide. It has a nose upon which is fixed a transverse piece
arranged over the entire width of the loom occupied by levers similar to the
levers of the first series. Each of the latter levers carries in its turn four

page_text: projections of appropriate form. The projections enable each lever of the first
series to raise three of the before-mentioned levers at the same time by means of
corresponding transverse pieces, but the projections leave free the transverse piece
of the fourth lever of the second series, that which corresponds to the box raised
by the lever of the first series under consideration. The said guide and sector
turning it follows that as soon as the notch is presented below the said lever of
the second series the latter will engage therewith by its finger and stop the guide
in the desired position.
If another of the levers of the first series be raised it will in the first place
move a lever of the second series, then it will turn the guide and sector rendered
free until in front of the last-mentioned sector the corresponding notch is
presented. In order that the sector shall before all be set at liberty, the inclined
planes are placed a little below the before-mentioned small shaft so that before the
encounter shall take place, namely before they tend to turn the guide, the levers
of the second series may be completely disengaged from the corresponding notches.
The plates hereinbefore referred to, in lieu of being carried by levers may be
raised directly by the said hooks. The fixed stop above described may be
replaced by escape stops applied either to the guide or to the rod for carrying the
boxes.
The connection of the before-mentioned two levers with the small shaft is such
that when a breakage is liable to take place for any reason the springs will open
and enable the shaft to be disengaged.
The stops for the guide, and for the rod carrying the boxes in one of the
arrangements consists of notches with which engage buttons under the action of
springs. The form of these notches must permit the button to be engaged by a
definite force. This force may be rendered very small and the stop may be
transformed into a fixed stop by the employment of the special device.
In this arrangement plates are raised vertically by the action of the cards, a
stop is provided with notches which must be deep in the case of a fixed stop; a
lever is mounted upon an axis carrying a pawl. A lever turns about a pin fixed
to one of the guides for the plates and carrying a small shaft extending over the
entire width of the plates so that the upward movement of any one of them causes
the said lever to turn. A. tail piece of the lever will at the same time describe an
arc, acting upon a pawl, and will tend to turn it. But as this movement is
prevented by a stop button the tail piece will compel the aforesaid lever to turn,
putting a spring under tension and disengaging a button from the rod which
carries the boxes. But as soon as the extremity of the tail piece reaches a certain
point the pawl and consequently the lever carrying the same will remain under
the action of the said spring, and the button which in the meantime will have
arrived in its fresh position will enter the corresponding notch. When the plates
move downwards one of the said levers will descend by its own weight and raise
the pawl.
In another device for obtaining the displacement of the guide the latter by
means of a button actuates the rod carrying the box and receives in its turn the
motion of a small shaft by means of a connecting rod.
A lever carries the shaft
adapted to occupy four positions corresponding to the four boxes. Another lever is
pivoted at one of its ends and actuated by the cards by means of a rod. The guide
with which engages the said shaft is pivoted at its lower end and its outlines are
confined by arcs of circles having for their centre the pin upon which the second
lever is pivoted. This lever carries two rollers whose distance is equal to the
width of the guide. When the second lever is raised whatever may be the
position occupied by the guide, the two rollers will compel the latter to pass to
another position, moving the shaft and sector and causing the same to change
position. The same is the case with regard to the other levers.
As regards the stop mechanism use may be made of either the fixed stop or the
escape stop herein before described. The said guide may be replaced by inclined
guides to which rectilineal movement is imparted.

page_text: A spring serves to balance the second lever and the boxes for the purpose of
facilitating the movement.
The movement of the guide, instead of by the triangular plates, may be effected by
hooks with notches as in Honegger looms. The said lever is attached to the rod
for carrying the box, and the guide is pivoted below and provided with two arms.
Two bolts by which these arms terminate extend over the entire width of four
hooks. These hooks, being operated by cards and guided by notches with which
each of them is provided, carry projections on their two sides. When the hooks
are raised the projections on the right hand side turn the guide in a suitable
direction for raising the boxes; the projections on the left produce a turning
movement in the opposite direction, that is to say they lower the boxes.
stop system use may be made of any one of those previously indicated, or even
the notched part ordinarily employed by Honegger and actuated by projections
of suitable form. In this case it is necessary to regulate the spring applied to the
second lever so that it may have a slight tendency to move downwards.
As a
When this improved system is to be applied to Honegger looms the guide inay
also be dispensed with, use being then made of Honegger's notched hooks, the
notches being made of different lengths and the bottom of these notches caused to
act upon the button which is applied to the lever of the rod for carrying the
boxes and traverses these notches. The descent of the boxes is obtained by a
lever and a connecting rod which may be formed of a very strong spring if it is
desired to obviate any cause of breakage, these parts being operated by projections
similar to those herein before referred to.
The projections may be replaced by a casing embracing all the hooks and
guided by the latter through the medium of a pin sliding in the slots provided in
the sides of the said casing.
The casing carries laterally in the plane coinciding with the vertical plane of
the said lever a button which when the casing is raised encounters this lever and
compels it to turn, thereby lowering the boxes. The boxes descend more or less
according as the casing is raised more or less. For effecting this upward
movement of the casing the aforesaid hooks are provided with heel pieces placed
below all on the same level and adapted to slide in slots of different lengths in the
front side of the casing. The shortest slot is that which raises the casing most
and vice versa.
To the shortest notch in the hooks for raising the box should
correspond in the casing the longest slot for determining the descent of the same,
for the movements of the before-mentioned pin and of the extremity of the said
lever actuated by the casing are inverse.
Honegger's notched part or any other stop system must of course be completely
out of action before the mechanism designed to cause the downward movement of
the boxes begins to operate.
Dated this 27th day of Vol 1805
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Change Box Motions of Looms
for Weaving.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :--
This invention relates to improvements in looms, and comprises apparatus for
changing the shuttles in the same.

page_text: These improvements are more especially applicable to Honegger looms as
described in "The Mechanism of Weaving" page 400 by T. W. Fox 1894 and
have for their object to provide for a positive downward movement of the boxes for
the purpose of preventing shocks and enabling the speed of the motion of looms
to be increased.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, the figures of the said
drawing being hereinafter referred to.
In the apparatus shown in Figure 1 which I usually employ the vertical move-
ment of the boxes is effected by a guide G with which engages the pin or button B
of a lever L to which is pivoted at A the rod for carrying the boxes.
1
The letters B, B, B, and B₁ B B designates the case of a loom having four
shuttles the different positions which the button assumes (1) in space, and
(2) relatively to the guide.
By turning the guide about its pivot O the button B is raised or lowered and
consequently the said lever L with the boxes. The turning movement of the
guide G is obtained by levers equal in number to that of the boxes, that is
to say four in the example shown in Figure 1. These levers (one of which only
is shown in the drawing in the two extreme positions and 1) turning about
a pivot near one extremity carry at their other extremity plates P provided
with inclined surfaces 111, 221, 3 31, 44' forming certain angles between them.
The plate P passes to the position P₁ when the lever / passes to . In each of
the triangular spaces comprised between these convergent inclined planes and the
lower faces of the levers such as land equal in number to that of the boxes
is situated a small shaft n. n² ² n³ represent three positions corresponding
respectively to the positions B' B2 B3 of the button B. The shaft n is connected
by a rod to the guide G and carried by two levers which are pivoted at i and
arranged one on one side and the other on the other side at the two extremities of
the said shaft n.
Accordingly if one of the levers 7 is turned the corresponding shaft n irrespective
of the position n n' n² n³ which it may occupy in the triangular space, is displaced
under the action of one of the surfaces 1 or 1' until it takes the position corre-
sponding to the apex of the angle comprised between 1 and 1', namely the
position . To this position of the said shaft a corresponds a definite position of
the guide G and therefore one of the boxes (for instance the first) will be ready
to operate. It will thus be seen that a suitable turning movement of the said
lever represented at causes the rod for carrying the box to present the first
box to the action of the picker. The upward movement of each of the plates P
is obtained by hooks w actuated as usual by a chain of cards. The other levers
of the series act altogether in the same manner.
For preventing the guide G from being displaced when it has once ceased to
obey the action of the plates use may be made of fixed or escape stops. The
fixed stop consists as shown in Figure 1 of four levers p only one of which is
shown in the drawing alternating in the direction of the width of the loom with
four main levers similar to l. Each of the levers p may engage by a projection o̟
with a corresponding notch cc 2 or 3 provided in a sector S secured to the
guide G. Each lever also has a nose upon which is fixed a transverse piece u u¹ u²
or u³ arranged over the entire width of the loom occupied by levers similar to l.
Each lever carries in its turn a projection v2 or the form of which for
each of the levers is represented separately in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5. The
projections enable each lever to raise three of the levers p at the same time
by means of corresponding transverse pieces such as u but the projections leave free
the transverse piece z of the fourth lever p which is that which corresponds to the
box raised by the lever about to be considered. It follows that when the
guide G and the sector S turns a notch is presented below the lever p and
engages with the projection g of the lever p and stops the guide in the desired
position.

page_text: If one of the levers be raised it will in the first place move a lever then it
will turn the guide and sector rendered free until in front of the last-mentioned
lever p and the corresponding notch is presented. In order that the sector shall
before all be set at liberty, the inclined planes 1 1, 2 2¹ are placed a little below
the before-mentioned small shaft n so that before the encounter shall take place,
namely before they tend to turn the guide, the levers p may be completely
disengaged from the corresponding notches. The plates P in lieu of being carried
by levers may be raised directly by the said hooks w. The fixed stop above
described may be replaced by escape stops applied either to the guide or to the
rod M for carrying the boxes. These two modifications are applied in the
arrangement shown in Figure 6.
An elastic connection produced by means of the springs which yield under a
given force, and applied preferably to the mechanism which lifts the hooks to,
prevents the pieces from breaking in case an irregularity in the action gives rise to
an abnormal resistance.
The stops Q of the guide, and R of the rod carrying the boxes in the arrange-
ment Figure 6 consist of notches with which engage a button actuated respectively
by springs Q' and R'. The form of these notches must permit the button to be
engaged by a definite force. This force may be rendered very small and the stop
may be transformed into a fixed stop by the employment of the device represented
in Figure 8.
In this arrangement P are the plates to be raised vertically by the action of the
cards, R is a stop provided with notches which must be deep in the case of a fixed
stop; T is a lever mounted upon the same axis Q carrying a pawl H which is
pivoted at .. U is a lever which turns about a pin U¹ fixed to one of the guides
for the plates and carrying a small shaft " extending over the entire width of the
plates so that the upward movement of any one of them causes the said lever U
to turn from u to the position u as indicated by dotted lines. A tail piece v of
the lever will at the same time describe an are acting upon the pawl H and
will tend to turn it in the direction v, 11. But as this movement is prevented by a
stop button y the tail piece will compel the aforesaid lever T to turn, in the
direction indicated by the arrow putting a spring Z under tension and disengaging
a button A from the rod which carries the boxes. But as soon as the extremity of
the tail piece » arrives in correspondence with the points the pawl and consequently
the lever T will remain under the action of the said spring Z and the button A
which in the meantime will have arrived in its fresh position will enter the
corresponding notch. When the plates descend the lever U will descend by its
own weight and raise the pawl from v¹ to v returning to the position indicated in
the drawing.
Referring to Figure 9 which shows a modification of the means for fixing the
boxes A is a lever turning around a pivot O; b is a projection, on the said lever
arranged above all of the four plates P. c is a button actuated by the plate
spring m and adapted to be displaced along its axis in direction perpendicular to
the lever A which carries the same. L is a lever arranged loosely upon the
shatt of the guide G provided with four notches at all all a¹ in which engages a
pin a carried by the button of the lever R. The upper part of the lever Lis
provided with a notch in which the button or pin c is adapted to engage the
said lever having its interior edge m¹ m² made curved the centre of the curve
being at O.
S is a spring which forces the lever L against the pin a.
The operation is as follows:-
:-
When a plate P is lifted, the same will strike against the arm b and cause the
lever A to turn. The button c is disengaged from the corresponding notch of the
jever Land turns back this lever in such a manner that the pin a remains free to
follow the action of the guide G. When the movement continues, the button_c
slides along the circular surface m¹ m³, which at the same time keeps the lever L
continuously away until the button or pin c has descended to c below the circular

page_text: surface m² m². At this moment the spring S again approaches the lever L, and
a remains engaged with one of the four notches a a aш a¹ in a position
corresponding to one of the four positions of the shuttle boxes. When the plate P
which has produced the change of the shuttle, descends and turns in the opposite
direction the button c rises along the inclined plane n (Figure 9A) which is a section
on the longitudinal axis of L and leaves the lever L in place until e arrives at the
top of the notch provided at the upper extremity of L, then the spring m
pushes e inside this notch and everything is ready for commencing a fresh series
of movements.
C
I reserve to myself the right of replacing the devices shown in Figures 8 and 9
by any other equivalent device, of the kind in which the movement of the pivoting
lever actuated by the plates P, is free when the plates P descend, while at the
same time presenting a fixed stop for the plates P and consequently for the shuttle
boxes, when they are ready to rise.
Figure 7 represents another device for obtaining the displacement of the guide.
In Figure 7 I have represented only the movement with respect to a single box,
the others being altogether similar.
S is the guide which actuates by the button B the rod carrying the box and
receives in its turn the motion of a small shaft A by means of a connecting rod N.
M is the lever which carries the shaft A; A A, A, A, are the positions of this
shaft corresponding to the four boxes. L is a lever which is pivoted at 1) and
actuated by the cards by means of a rod T. G is the guide with which engages
the said shaft A and which is pivoted at O, the outlines of the guide G are
confined by arcs of circles having for their centre the point D which is the pin
upon which the lever L is pivoted. This lever carries two rollers r the distance
apart of which is equal to the width of the guide G. When the lever L is raised,
whatever may be the position (G₁ for example) occupied by the guide, the two
rollers will compel the latter to pass to another position, moving the shaft and
sector S and causing the same to pass to the position G. This particular position G
corresponds only to one position of sector S and therefore only one position of
the shuttle boxes. The same is the case with regard to the other levers, the
position of the rollers and guide G being such as to bring the shaft A
respectively in the positions A, A, A, corresponding to three other positions of the
shuttle boxes in the same manner as the lever L causes its guide G to bring the
shaft in A.
gr
As regards the stop mechanism use may be made of either the fixed stop or the
escape stop herein before described. The said guide S may be replaced by inclined
guides to which rectilineal movement is imparted.
A spring serves to balance the second lever L and the boxes for the purpose
of facilitating the movement (Figures 1 and 6).
The movement of the guide G, instead of by the triangular plates, Figures 1
and 6, may be effected by hooks with notches as in the Honegger looms (see
Figure 10). L is the lever attached to the rod for carrying the box, G is the guide
which is pivoted at O and provided with two arms m and n. Two bolts by which
these arms terminate extend over the entire width of four hooks, B' of which the
first only is shown in the drawing. These hooks, being operated by cards and
guided at O by the slot with which each of them is provided, carrying projections
on their two sides, 1' 21 3 and 4 of which 1' is attached to B¹, 2¹ to B2, 3' to B³
and 4 to B. When the hooks are raised the projections on the right hand side
turn the guide in a suitable direction for raising the boxes; the projections on the
left produce a turning movement in the opposite direction, that is to say they lower
the boxes. As a stop system use may be made of any one of those previously
indicated, or even the notched part ordinarily employed by Honegger and actuated
by projections 1, 2, 3, 4 of suitable form. In this case it is necessary to regulate
the spring applied to the lever L so that it may have a slight tendency to move
downwards.
When this improved system is to be applied to Honegger looms 1 may also

page_text: dispense with the guide and use the arrangement represented in Figures 11 to 13.
Use is then made of Honegger's notched hooks, the notches being made of different
lengths and the bottom of these notches caused to act upon the button or pin O
which is applied to the said lever L of the rot for carrying the boxes and traverses
these notches. The descent of the boxes is obtained by a lever m.
The connection between the levers L and m is obtained as shown in Figs. 11ª, 11
by the aid of a small connecting rod B carrying at its upper extremity a groove
with which engages the button o of the lever L. A spring M forces this button o
against. the lower side of the groove of the connecting rol B. The spring Meau
be more or less stretched by the aid of the nut v. By this device it is possible to
stretch the spring M more or less without exerting a pull upon the lever m and
therefore upon the casing D. In other words the spring M only acts at the mome it
when the lever L bears, with the button o, against the notch. At this moment
the casing will force the lever m to descend below the position determined by the
step of the notch '; thereupon the button o slides in the groove of B and stretches
the spring M, taking away any possible vibration of the lever L as well as of the
shuttle boxes.
The projections 1' 2' 3' 4' may be replaced as represented in Figures 11 to 13
by a casing D embracing all the hooks B' B2 B3 B and guided by the latter
through the medium of a pin O sliding in the slots provided in the sides pp'q'
(see Figure 12 which is a horizontal section of Figure 13 at the height of the
pin ()).
As shown in Figure 13, which is a front elevation of the casing parallel to the
width of the loom the latter carries laterally in the plane coinciding with the
vertical plane of the said lever m a button C on the casing D which when the said
casing is raised encounters this lever m and compels it to turn, thereby lowering
the boxes. The boxes descend more or less according as the casing D is raised
more or less. For effecting this upward movement of the casing D the aforesaid
hooks B B B B are provided with heel pieces s' s² 3 4 placed below all on the
same level and adapted to slide in slots t¹³ ³ of different lengths in the front side
of the casing. The shortest slot is that which raises the casing D most and
To the shortest notch in the hooks for raising the box should correspond
in the casing the longest slot for determining the descent of the same, for the
movements of the before-mentioned pių O and of the extremity of the said lever in
actuated by the casing are inverse.
vice versa.
As to the stops the remark made with reference to Figure 10 applies also to
this case.
Houegger's notched part or any other stop system must of course be completely
out of action before the mechanism designed to cause the downward movement of
the boxes begins to operate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to.
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A shuttle changing device in looms, with superposed shuttle boxes, the
characteristic feature being that the displacement of the boxes is obtained by a
guide in rotary movement (or by straight notches with rectilinear movement) and
that the adjustment of the guide in the positions corresponding to each of the
boxes is effected by means of a connecting rod and a shaft, which is moved by
triangular plate notches directed downwardly with their apex this movement
being such that the said notches, when lifted (by cards in rectilinear or circular
motion) will place the said shaft into certain positions corresponding to the apex
of the triangles of the plates, to which positions correspond as many positions of
the boxes (Figures 1 to 6).
2. A constructional form of the shuttle changing device described in the first
claim, according to which the respective adjustment of the guide (G) is so effected
by small rollers (r) upon the lever (L) moved by the cards that the rollers,.

page_text: arranged apart from one another at distances equal to the width of the guide, will
pass the latter, while carried along the same, into the respective position required.
(Figure 7).
3. A constructional form of the shuttle changing device, described in the first
claim, the characteristic feature being that on using "Honeggers" slot boards the
descending motion of the boxes produced by a lever reversing the notion, is by
the aid of exterior angles or projections (1, 1, 2, 21) as well rendered compulsory
as the ascending motion (Figure 10).
4. The replacement of the angles or projections described in the third claim, by
a casing (D) which embraces all boards (B B²) provided with slots of different
lengths, which casing is lifted by projections (2) arranged on the latter and
further acts by a laterally arranged button C upon the reversing lever (Figures 11
to 13).
5. A constructional form of the shuttle changing device described in the first
claim, the characteristic feature being that the fixing of the guide (G) after its
having been withdrawn from the action of the plates, is effected by a lever (p)
with tooth (9) and an adjusting arc (cc) upon the guide (Figure 1).
6. The replacement of the fixing device, described in the fifth claim, by notches
provided in the guide-arc (Q) and in the continuation (R) of the box carrying
rod (M) in alternate action with bolts actuated by springs (') and (R').
7. A fixing means for shuttle changing devices, in replacement of the fixing
device described in the sixth claim, which permits of being released under the least
possible effort by the aid of a lever (T) which latter is dependent upon the action
of a lever Uu" actuated by the plates P in such a manner that during the
lifting motion of the plates the lever T forced back by the fixed latch or pawl H,
releases the pin A from the notches of the arresting medium R (Figure 8).
Dated this 27th day of November 1895
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.