Improvements in Dobby Mechanism and Shuttle-box Mechanism for Looms for Weaving.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 8th July, 1898—Accepted, 8th Oct., 1898
Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 8th July, 1898-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1898
Improvements in Dobby Mechanism and Shuttle-box Mechanism for
Looms for Weaving.
We, WILLIAM BELL WHITE, Junior, of Red Scar Spring Works, Colne, in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist, JOHN BAILEY, of 36, Rowland Street, Skipton,
in the County of York, Overlooker, and JAMES MORRISON, of 61, Knott's Lane,
Colne aforesaid, Overlooker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
"
This invention of improvements in or connected with looms for weaving consists
firstly in a novel arrangement of dobby mechanism and secondly in a novel
arrangement of pattern card mechanism applicable to circular box looms.
Our improved dobby mechanism is of the double type and consists of a suitable
framing with grates on each side for guiding the heald lifters or "jacks" which
according to our invention, although in double form are in one piece with a
central formed piece which slides up and down within suitable side and
lower guide grooves or gratings. On each side of the several H pieces and
embedded but so as to be capable of sliding up and down therein is a thin
flat shaped lever the vertical arm of which terminates in a hook and the
horizontal or overbalancing arm resting on a feeler" or thin pivoted plate the
series of feelers being actuated by an ordinary pegged lattice and so causing
the levers to be brought over one or other of two lifting knives at the
required times and thereby causing the jacks and healds to be lifted or raised
as will be readily understood. The alternate up and down, movement of the two
lifting knives is effected by two radial arms projecting from two horizontal
shafts preferably square in cross section excepting at the bearings-carried
beyond the end framing of the loom and receiving the required reciprocatory.
movement through suitable tappets or treadles from the ordinary tappet shaft.
The underside of the corners of the several L levers is formed with a semi-
circular projection or bearing which when the said levers are at rest that is to
say disengaged from the lifting knives rest in a channel or trough-like groove
formed on a cross bar or bars running from side to side of the framing-the
relation of each of the two L levers to their supporting pieces
carrying the projecting arms or jacks being such that the lifting of
either of the L levers by either of the knives causes the lifting of
the jacks to which they are connected. As before stated each H piece carries
two levers-one on each side-one of the said levers being arranged to engage
with one of the lifting knives, and the other lever with the other lifting knife.
The outer extremities of the two radial arms for actuating the lifting knives
are preferably provided with anti-friction bowls or rollers which work within
horizontally slotted arms to whose upper extremities the knives are connected.
Our improved pattern card mechanism has for its object to minimise the
number of pattern cards to be employed in the weaving of cross bordered goods
and to this end we employ two separate card cylinders one for operating the

page_text: In
shuttle box for the body of the cloth and the other for the cross borders. These
two cylinders are operated by the two ordinary catch or feeler levers in the novel
manner hereinafter described. The two card cylinders are arranged end to end
on one horizontally disposed spindle or axis one of the said cylinders being fast
thereon and the other rotatably loose. The cylinders are. rotated by means of
peg wheels and catches of the ordinary kind and the cards are brought round in
turn to cause the rotation of the rotary shuttle box through the ordinary
mechanism of the usual kind. The operating or catch levers are provided with
"feelers" that is to say downwardly projecting fingers or pins which drop into
holes in the pattern cards in the usual way. To adapt the two ordinary catch
levers to the purpose of our invention--that is to act in co-operation with two
card cylinders instead of one-we provide each of them with a suitably bent arm
whose extremities carry feelers standing over the additional card cylinder.
order to put one cylinder in action and the other cylinder out of action at the
required times we provide each of the catches which pull round the cylinders
with a horizontally projecting arm or finger carrying a depending pin or additional
feeler swinging from its upper end and passing down through a suitable guide
hole in its catch lever or bent arm as the case may be. The two swing or
additional feelers stand over the central part of the pattern cards on the respective
cylinders and whilst the said cards are plain or unperforated the catches are
held up out of gear with the peg wheels. The card barrels of the cylinders are
made with a central groove to accommodate the additional central feelers. By
the above described arrangement the one cylinder and its series of cards may be
allowed to go round and round in a repeating pattern as often as may be required
for the body part of the cloth whilst the other cylinder remains stationary the
latter carrying the required number of pattern cards to produce the cross border
a considerable saving in the number of cards as compared with previous systems
being thus effected.
Improvements in Dobby Mechanism and Shuttle-box Mechanism for
Looms for Weaving.
We, WILLIAM BELL WHITE, Junior, of Red Scar Spring Works, Colne, in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist, JOHN BAILEY, of 36, Rowland Street, Skipton,
in the County of York, Overlooker, and JAMES MORRISON, of 61, Knott's Lane,
Colne aforesaid, Overlooker, 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 of improvements in or connected with looms for weaving consists
firstly in. a novel arrangement of dobby mechanism, and secondly in a novel
arrangement of pattern card mechanism applicable to circular box "looms.
Our improved dobby mechanism is of the double type, and consists of a suitable
framing with grates on each side for guiding the heald lifters or jacks, which
according to our invention, although in double form, are in one piece with a
central formed piece which slides up and down within suitable side and

page_text: lower guide grooves or gratings. On each side of the several H pieces and
embedded, but so as to be capable of sliding up and down therewith is a thin
flat shaped lever, the vertical arm of which terminates in a hook and the
horizontal or overbalancing arm resting on a feeler or thin pivotted plate, the
series of feelers being actuated by an ordinary pegged lattice, and so causing
the levers to be brought over one or other of two lifting knives at the
required times, and thereby causing the jacks and healds to be lifted or raised
as will be readily understood. The alternate up and down movement of the two
lifting knives is effected by two radial arms projecting from two horizontal
shafts preferably square in cross section excepting at the bearings-carried
beyond the end framing of the loom, and receiving the required reciprocating
movement through suitable tappets or treadles from the ordinary tappet shaft.
The underside of the corners of the several ✓ levers is formed with a semi-
circular projection or bearing which when the said levers are at rest that is to
say disengaged from the lifting knives rest in a channel or trough-like groove
formed on a cross bar or bars running from side to side of the framing-the
relation of each of the two L levers to their supporting pieces
carrying the projecting arms or jacks being such that the lifting of
either of the L levers by either of the knives causes the lifting of
the jacks to which they are connected. As before stated, each H piece carries
two levers one on each side one of the said levers being arranged to engage
with one of the lifting knives, and the other lever with the other lifting knife.
The outer extremities of the two radial arms for actuating the lifting knives
are preferably provided with anti-friction bowls or rollers which work within
horizontally slotted arms to whose upper extremities the knives are connected.
Our improved pattern card mechanism has for its object to minimise the
number of pattern cards to be employed in the weaving of cross bordered goods
and to this end we employ two separate card cylinders one for operating the
shuttle box for the body of the cloth, and the other for the cross borders. These
two cylinders are operated by the two ordinary catch levers, in the novel
manner hereinafter explained. The two card cylinders are arranged end to end
on one horizontally disposed spindle or axis, one of the said cylinders being fast
thereon and the other rotatably loose. The cylinders are rotated by means of
peg wheels and catches of the ordinary kind, and the cards are brought round in
turn to cause the rotation of the rotary shuttle box through the ordinary
mechanism of the usual kind. The operating or catch levers are provided with
feelers" that is to say, downwardly projecting fingers or pins which drop into
holes in the pattern cards in the usual way. To adapt the two ordinary catch
levers to the purpose of our invention that is to act in co-operation with two
card cylinders instead of one-we provide each of them with a suitably bent arm
whose extremities carry feelers standing over the additional card cylinder. In
order to put one cylinder in action and the other cylinder out of action at the
required times, we provide each of the catches which pull round the cylinders
with a horizontally projecting arm or finger carrying a depending pin or additional
feeler swinging from its upper end, and passing down through a suitable guide
hole in its catch lever or bent arm as the case may be. The two swing or
additional feelers stand over the central part of the pattern cards on the respective
cylinders, and whilst the said cards are plain or unperforated, either catch is
held up out of gear with its peg wheel. The card barrels of the cylinders are
made with a central groove to accommodate the additional central feelers. By
the above described arrangement, the one cylinder and its series of cards may be
allowed to go round and round in a repeating pattern as often as may be required
for the body part of the cloth, whilst the other cylinder remains stationary, the
latter carrying the required number of pattern cards to produce the cross border,
a considerable saving in the number of cards as compared with previous systems
being thus effected.
In order that our invention may be fully understood, we have hereunto attached

page_text: the accompanying sheet of drawings, with reference figures and letters matter
thereon.
Fig. 1 (Sheet 1) is a sectional side elevation, shewing the working parts of our
improved dobby mechanism, and Fig. 2 is also a side elevation, shewing the
method of operating the dobby. Fig. 3 (Sheet 2) is a plan of the dobby frame,
and Fig. 4 detached plan view of the working parts.
A A are the jacks cast in one piece with the central portion C, and sliding
in grates 1) on each side of the dobby. When the part C is lifted as hereinafter
explained, the whole casting will be lifted vertically, and we are thereby enabled
to get a direct horizontal lift, the steadying piece Q being also cast with the
H piece C, and projecting through slot Q', so that when the casting is raised
bodily in the manner hereinafter described, the jacks maintain a horizontal
position, tilting of the casting being thereby prevented.
On each side of the several H pieces, and embedded or otherwise arranged to
raise the pieces C, and consequently the jacks A A, simultaneously as they
are themselves raised are L levers E. These Ĺ levers are formed at their vertical
extremities with hooks F, and are weighted at their horizontal extremities, so as
to come against or rest upon feelers or pivotted plates G, the series of feelers
being actuated by the ordinary pegged lags of the pattern surface, and so causing
the levers to be brought over one or other of two lifting knives H and J (see
Fig. 2). The levers are formed at their under corners with semicircular
bearings K, which rest in grooves K¹ formed in cross bars L, running from side
to side of the dobby framing.
The levers E are not directly connected to the pieces C, but they are so
embedded that on the lifting of either lever E, the H piece C will be lifted with
it. The piece has an overhanging flange or lip C₁ (Fig. 1) to bear upon the
top edge of the horizontal portion of each lever E, or the H piece C is otherwise
formed, so that on the raising of either lever E, the H piece C will be raised
with it, and yet either lever, E may be allowed to fall independently of the piece,
which may be held up by the neighbouring lever E. To prevent displacement,
both levers E are sunk in a recess E on each side respectively of the H piece (see
Figs. 1 and 4), and it will be obvious that when either lever is lifted, the
H piece C will be raised with it, and yet the movement of the levers E will
be individual or independent of each other, that is to say, that the levers E are
capable of falling into position on the absence of a peg in the pattern surface,
so that a dwell of each particular jack lever may be effected, i.e. each jack lever
may be held up any length of time according to the pegging of the pattern
surface. This is ensured by each lever E being free to fall independently of the
H piece C, and yet, when either one or the other is raised, the H piece C will be
raised with it. From the above explanation, it is quite clear, that should the
pegging of the pattern surface be such that any particular jack is required to
be held up during two or more picks in the shed, it is simply necessary to peg the
pattern surface, so that the levers E of each particular jack may be alternately
raised by the movement of the lifting knives H and J.
When relieved from the feelers G, the L levers fall and the hooked ends of
the said levers come in position to be acted upon by the lifting knives H and J
of the dobby.
The H pieces C and levers E are arranged to slide in the rack grating Bl
of the dobby frame B2 shewn in plan view Fig. 5 (Sheet 2) the number of
recesses of such grating being according to the number of lifts of the dobby.
The lifting knives H and J are connected to vertical rods M, arranged to
slide in channels or grooves M in the dobby framing. The vertical rods M
receive the required reciprocating movement through radial arms N mounted on
horizontal shafts N¹, the latter having imparted to them a rocking movement by
the rods O, which extend downwards, and are acted upon by tappets on the
tappet shaft in the usual manner.

page_text: The means which we employ for actuating the pattern cylinder is well known,
and is an old feature in dobby mechanism. It consists of rock lever a pivotted
on the shaft 6 of the pattern cylinder, and operated at one end by the vertical
rod M, its other end carrying a catch d, which actuates the ratchet wheel c.
We will now proceed to describe our improved pattern card mechanism. for
operating circular shuttle boxes of looms. Fig. 3 is an end elevation, and Fig. 4
a plan of the arrangement, while Fig. 7 (Sheet 2) is a side elevation of the
arrangement.
Two pattern cylinders R and S are employed, one for operating the shuttle-
box for the body of the cloth, and the other for the cross borders:
Instead of employing four indicating levers, two for each barrel as is usual for
pattern card mechanism of this class, we only employ two main indicating
levers X and Y, whose indicating pins, when in action, drop into the holes of
the cards on the pattern cylinder R.
To these two main indicating levers X and Y, we fix branch arms V and V₁,
to which are attached by means of set screws short indicating levers W and W
which indicate the cylinder S in the usual manner by indicating pins dropping
into perforated cards. By this arrangement a simplification of mechanism is
effected.
We are perfectly aware that these branch arms have been used for indicating
a single pattern cylinder, but the combination of two pattern card cylinders, and
the method of governing the same are entirely novel.
The essential feature of this part of our invention consists in the improved
method of governing the cylinders, i.e., to put one into and the other out of action
at the required times. In order to do this, we provide each of the catches T
and T, which pull round the respective cylinders, with a projecting arm or
finger U, which carries a depending pin U¹, which is arranged to swivel on the
said arm,
and which passes through a suitable guide hole in the indicating
levers X and Y, the passage of the depending pins U through the indicating
levers X and Y serving no other purpose than to steady the said pins, so as to
render them capable of being acted upon by the cards, specially prepared in the
centre, either plain or perforated as the case may be, of the respective cylinders.
The pattern cylinder R, which is for the ground or body of the cloth, is loose on
the shaft R', whilst the pattern cylinder S, which is for producing the cross
border, is fast or a fixture thereon.
These said depending pins stand over the central part of the pattern cards of
the respective cylinders, and whilst the said cards are plain or unperforated in
the centre on one cylinder, one or more of them are perforated on the other
cylinder. Consequently, when the catch T is raised out of action by a plain
card on the cylinder S, the catch T actuates the cylinder S, because the depending
pin U of the latter catch has just fallen into a central perforation in the pattern
barrel R, and when a central perforation has been presented on such barrel, a
blank has been presented on the opposite cylinder, and vice versa. Thus, the
moment a perforation presents itself in a card on either cylinder in the centre,
the depending pin U₁, standing over the central portion of that particular
cylinder falls, and the catch to which it is connected by the projecting arm or
finger. U comes into gear with the ratchet for actuating the other cylinder. A
central groove is provided in each barrel to allow the fall of the central indicating
pins U There is then a continual succession of centrally unperforated cards
presented on the particular cylinder in motion, which keep the catch for operating
the other cylinder out of action, and this goes on until a central perforation
presents itself, and the catch set in motion for operating the other cylinder.
The cylinder previously in motion now becomes stationary, owing to the pre-
sentation of a series of centrally unperforated cards on the other cylinder. The
governing of the cylinders as described is entirely independent of the method
of indicating the cylinders.

page_text: In this way, the cylinder R and its series of cards may be allowed to gro round
and round in a repeating pattern as often as may be required for the body part
of the cloth, whilst the other cylinder remains stationary, the latter carrying the
required number of pattern cards to produce the cross border. A considerable
saving in the number of cards is thus effected as compared with previous systems.
This explains fully how we govern the cylinders S and R, but does not shew
how the change in the boxes is effected. To do this a card on either cylinder at
intervals of the pattern surface has two holes in it, which would allow both
indicating devers to fall in that particular cylinder. Now, only the latter take
the form of levers down to the bottom catches 3 of the rotary box mechan-
ism, see Fig. 7 (Sheet 2).
When a card has presented itself with two side holes in it on either cylinder,
the said card has a central hole, which causes that cylinder at that moment to
become stationary, owing to its operating catch T or T as the case may be
having been raised by a blank being presented on the opposite cylinder to the
depending pin U₁ of that particular cylinder, as already described. We provide
two of such cards in succession, provided also with the central holes as described,
in order to allow the change in the catches T and T to be effected, because it is
quite obvious that when one catch has fallen into action the other will not have
got out of action, and will not do so until the presentation of the second centrally
perforated card.
The provision of the side holes in the card of the stationary cylinder is to allow
the two shuttle-box indicating levers of that particular cylinder to participate in
the movement of the two shuttle-box indicating levers, which are being acted
upon by the pattern cards of the cylinder in motion. Assuming that for the
time being, the cylinder S be stationary, it will be seen that the cylinder R
will affect both the indicating levers X and Y and the indicating levers W
and W simultaneously, but since the latter enter holes in a stationary cylinder,
no indication can possibly take place of that particular cylinder, and the indica-
tion of the levers X and Y, which are affected by the movement of the cylinder R,
is only transmitted to the change box mechanism, because it is perfectly clear
that only one pattern barrel is being indicated at one time, and the indicating
levers of the other barrel being clear of any obstruction, they will merely partici-
pate in the movement of the other levers, to which they are connected without
any indication, except of the other levers.
This is also the case when a reversal of motion takes place, and the cylinder R
is brought to a stand, and the cylinder S is put in motion.
Though only one of the said catches T and T¹ is in motion at one time as
previously described, both of them are pivotted to a bridge Z carried by the
actuating lever 7. Thus while both catches T and T¹ receive the motion of the
actuating lever Z', the catch which is in gear with its ratchet wheel only puts in
motion its particular cylinder as the case may be.
As will be seen in Fig. 7, the lever Z for operating catches T and T¹ derives
its motion from the usual lifter rod I, which is worked from an eccentric 2 in
the usual way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:.
1. The improved arrangement and construction of dobby mechanism, substan
tially as described and illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6.
2. The H pieces C formed in one piece with the jacks A A sliding in grates D
and B, and arranged to get a horizontal lift in combination with levers E,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The improved pattern card mechanism for operating shuttle boxes of looms,
substantially as described and illustrated.
4. Providing the catches T and T¹, which pull round the pattern cylinders,

page_text: with a projecting arm or finger U carrying central depending pin U¹ to govern
or control the movement of each particular cylinder, substantially as described
and illustrated.
. ..
T
1000
RICHMOND & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 12, Standish Street, Burnley.