Improvements relating to the Attachment of Picking Straps to Picking Sticks in Looms.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1891-Accepted, 27th June, 1891
VUMI LEIE
Improvements relating to the Attachment of Picking Straps to
Picking Sticks in Looms.
A communication to me from KARL GUSTAV HELD, of Zittau, in the Empire of
Germany.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, 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 ascer-
tained in and by the following statement and accompanying drawing, that is
to say :-
This invention relates to further improvements upon the apparatus described and
illustrated in the Specification of Letters Patent applied for by me dated 18th day
of March, 1891, and numbered 4866.
For the preservation of the picking strap described in the said former Specification,
and shewn laid round the cylindrical end of the picking stick, the conical form of
the latter hereinafter described is of great importance.
In the accompanying drawing, Figure 3 is a view of the present invention, and
Figure 4 a view on a smaller scale shewing its application to the picker of a loom.
Figure 1 shews the ordinary method of attachment of the picking strap, Figure 2
shews the guide fork arranged above, instead of at the side as in the former
Specification already referred to.
As shewn in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing, the head of the picking
stick is made conical, and the end of the strap leading to the picker, in consequence
of the conical form of the head of the picking stick forms from the periphery of
the cone an acute angle with the axis of the said picking stick, in such a
manner that owing to the strap being subjected to a downward pull, one of its
edges cannot bear against the arm c¹ of the staple or guide e fixed upon the reduced
end of the cone. The increasing conical periphery of the head 6 prevents the other
edge of the said strap from coming into contact with the other arm c² of the said
staple or guide c.
Furthermore, it is advantageous to drive the staple c into the head 6 from above
as shewn in Figures 2, and 3, instead of fixing it laterally thereto as was illustrated
in the drawing of the former Specification already referred to. By thus altering
the position of the staple or guide, contact of the picking strap with the horizontal
part c of the guide cannot take place.
It may be mentioned in conclusion that owing to the easy motion of the strap
round the picking stick the tension is not applied solely when picking, upon the
short part of the strap running off the head of the picking stick, but is distributed
over several turns of the same.
As soon as the picking stick is drawn back, the strap is loosened automatically,
not being guided in an eye or slot, while experiments have proved that the strap
is no more injured at the exposed part where it leaves the picker than in any
other parts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A picking stick the free end of which has a conical head round which the
picking strap is wound concentrically and loosely being led thereto under a staple
or guide, so that owing to the conical form of such head, the strap runs off the
picker stick at an acute angle to the axis of the latter, thus preventing the edges of

page_text: the strap from rubbing against the arms of the staple or guide, diminishing con-
siderably the friction between the part of the strap leaving the picking stick and
the head of the latter, and equalizing the tension upon all parts of the strap,
substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 4th day of May 1891.
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.