IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR CHANGING THE SHUTTLES IN LOOMS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR CHANGING THE SHUTTLES IN LOOMS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Paul Heilmann, of 13, Boulevart St.
Martin, Paris.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th March 1872.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR CHANGING THE SHUTTLES
IN LOOMS," to be as follows:-

page_text: The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1
of which is a longitudinal vertical elevation of the mechanism, Figure 2
a transverse section, and Figure 3 a plan of same. The reference letters
apply to all three Figures.
a, frame secured to the shuttle race by means of screws a¹, a¹; b, plate
pivoted on axis c of the switch k; b, projection formed on the frame to
aid the plate in supporting the weight of the shuttles; d, spring bearing
against plate b, which latter is thus free to recede if it should meet with any
obstacle; e, holder oscillating on a centre at e¹, on which the shuttle is
first received to be thence transferred to plate b; e", e¹¹, springs which
produce an oscillating motion of holder e, when a change of shuttles
takes place; e, arm fixed to holder e and operated by the tail k¹ of the
switch k; f, finger fixed on the end of the latter; g, lever mounted on
an axis at g¹ and operated by finger f, or the switch may be connected
with the rod g by means of a rod instead of being operated by a finger f
as shown; h, swell which grips the shuttle when it reaches the end of
its course, being mounted on axis g¹; h¹, spring bearing on swell h;
i, stud on rod ġ for displacing swell h at the moment of descent of the
shuttle; k, switch arm for deflecting the shuttle mounted on axis c and
having a tail piece k¹; 1, catch lever for holding the tail in position,
it being raised when the tail is released for producing a change of
shuttles; P, spring of catch lever 1. The plate 6 being moved by the
switch and pivoted on its axis c, and being further held in position by
spring d, it results that when the switch and plate return to position
after changing a shuttle, the plate is free to recede should it meet with
any impediment, but will be returned to its normal position by the
spring d immediately the obstacle is removed. The holder e first
receives the shuttle at the moment the switch is operated, and then
transfers it to plate b.
g
It should here be observed that the action of parts e and 6 are pro-
duced by two motions. By this means the last shuttle may be held
for a much longer period before it escapes.
The whole of the mechanism is mounted on one frame, and owing to
the distribution of the shuttles being effected by two movements, the
position of the frame in the race is readily adjustable.
At the moment the switch acts for diverting a shuttle the finger f
fixed on the end of switch k describes an arc of a circle on its centre c,

page_text: and bears against lever g, thereby forcing swell h to move back to allow
of the shuttle passing down.
Instead of having a rod 9, the swell h may be simply prolonged and
operated by finger for by a connecting rod as before mentioned.
When the switch returns to position the part acting on h rises and
regains its liberty of action.
In looms having a movable reed the rod operating the same is replaced
by a hollow tube, with a view to render the batten as light as possible.
b
The plate 6 may be made to move in a direction at right angles to the
longitudinal axis of the shuttles instead of on the switch axis as before
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th September 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the.
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the.
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark,
Her special licence that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my.
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said.
Alexander Melville Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times 'thereafter during the term therein expressed, should.
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR CHANGING THE SHUTTLES.
IN LOOMS," a communication to me from abroad by Paul Heilmann,
of 13, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, upon the condition (amongst.

page_text: others) that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the three
Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures.
marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to improvements in looms on the principle of
those patented by John Bullough, of Accrington, and Joshua Heilmann,
of Mulhouse, in which the shuttle is automatically expelled when the
thread is broken or exhausted, and replaced by another shuttle without
stopping the loom.
In order to render the Invention the better understood, I have in the
first place illustrated the principal features of the Bullough arrangement 2
in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 shows a plan of one end of the batten and breast beam with
weft motion. A, box receiving the shuttle at the end at which the
shuttle is discharged and a fresh one introduced; C, swell against which
the shuttle bears; D, picker on which the picking stick acts for throwing 2
the shuttle; E, E, uprights fixed to E¹ which forms part of the slay.
The two uprights E are grooved to receive the points of the shuttles for
the
purpose of guiding the same. F, holder pivoted at F¹, F¹, Figures 1
and 3, and serving to retain the supply of shuttles, or to allow one only
to pass down into the box; G, switch pivoted at G', and serving to dis- 3
charge the shuttle (coming from the opposite shuttle box) into the
receptacle Z, when the weft in said shuttle is either broken or
exhausted. The switch G acts on holder F by projections F³, G³, on
F and G respectively. H, spring by which the holder F is oscillated
to allow a shuttle to escape and pass down into the box; I, bent catch 3
lever pivoted at K for holding the switch in the position shown; I',
spring of catch lever I; L, part fixed on rod O, and operated by the

page_text: weft motion. The rod O carries at its extremity a part P, Figure 2, on
which is fixed a rod R carrying the weft fork S; S¹, catch lever having
a to-and-fro motion, and engaging with the weft fork when the latter is
not raised; M, Figures 1 and 3, part fixed to the breast beam, and
weft motion. The rod O carries at its extremity a part P, Figure 2, on
which is fixed a rod R carrying the weft fork S; S¹, catch lever having
a to-and-fro motion, and engaging with the weft fork when the latter is
not raised; M, Figures 1 and 3, part fixed to the breast beam, and
serving to retain switch G to the position shown in the Drawing.
Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on line 1-2, Figure 1; G,
section of the straight arm of switch.
In Figure 4, C is the swell acting against the shuttle, and provided
with a pin C operating a lever C³ pivoted at C*.
The following is the action of the Bullough arrangement:-When the
shuttle is exhausted the weft fork, being no longer tilted or raised, is
operated in the ordinary manner by the lever whose end is represented
at S¹. The fork on being pushed back acts on shaft O and part L by
the oscillation of the slay comes in contact with lever I, and oscillates it
slightly on its pivot K, so as to disengage switch G, which is then
caused by its spring G³ to assume the position shewn in dotted lines in
Figure 1. This movement takes place while the shuttle is in the
opposite box, and when thrown towards box A it meets with the switch
which causes it to deviate from its course, and pass into receptacle Z.
On the slay completing its movement the part M comes in contact with
the end of the switch, and returns it to its original position. During
the first movement of the switch the holder F is released and oscillated
slightly by the action of its spring H, so as to allow one shuttle to
escape, but at same time to retain the next shuttle at its upper part.
On the second movement of the switch taking place the holder F returns
to position, and the reserve shuttles all pass down one step. Thus the
weft motion by the aid of the switch has discharged the exhausted
shuttle into the receptacle Z, the first reserve shuttle has taken its place
in box A, and the rest of the reserve shuttles have descended one stage
as described.
The foregoing arrangements although very ingenious, after having
been practically tested, suggest the following remarks:—
1st. As has been seen the swell is placed at the front of the batten,
that is, it strikes the shuttle on the side the weft is placed, so that
owing to the consequent wear of the face of said shuttle the thread is no
longer protected by the groove reserved for the same.

page_text: 2ndly. The holder F, which distributes the shuttles, is caused by the
action of the spring H to withdraw the swell C placed beneath the same
at the moment a fresh shuttle descends. This arrangement does not
however allow facility for regulating the pressure of the swell, besides
which any failure in the action of the mechanism causes irregularity in
the supply of the shuttles.
3rdly. The distributor F, Figures 5 and 6, is only provided with very
small ledges for the support of the shuttles; f,ƒ¹,ƒ³, ƒ³, represent these
surfaces which serve to support the shuttles, or from which they are
allowed to pass downward by oscillating the part F.
4thly. When shuttle 1 is to be delivered the holder F is oscillated on
its pivots F¹, F¹, and ledge f, f¹, receives the shuttle 2, while shuttle 1
on the backward motion is allowed to fall off ledge f³, f³; the release of
shuttle 1 and the reception of shuttle 2 is thus effected in one movement
by simply oscillating holder F; hence it follows that at the mid point of
the motion of said distributor F only one-half of the very small sup-
porting surfaces are available, as represented full size in Figure 7.
.
The above arrangement is consequently only suitable for accurately
fitting shuttles; and should they become worn by use, or if from any
cause the pile of shuttles be in the least degree irregular, so that they
fail to touch the ledges of the distributor, or further should the distri-
butor work at all imperfectly, the result would be that instead of
delivering a single shuttle the whole pile would descend at once, and
when the switch, in resuming its original position, causes the distri-
butor F to return to position the face f*, f', would strike against the
shuttle 2, as shown in Figure 8, and probably break some part of the
loom. This objection may be remedied by making the lower portion of
the distributor movable, as shown in Figure 12, but it is preferable to
adopt the distributing apparatus of this Invention, which I will now
proceed to describe.
The following is a description of improved mechanism of this Inven-
tion, applicable to looms for effecting a self-acting change of shuttles.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, Figure 9
of which is a longitudinal vertical elevation of the mechanism, Figure 10
a transverse section, and Figure 11 a plan of same, while Figures 12
and 13 show details of parts. The reference letters apply to all these
Figures.

page_text: A, frame secured to the slay by means of screws A¹, A¹; B, plate
pivoted on axis C of the switch K; B', projection formed on the frame
to aid the plate in supporting the weight of the reserve shuttles;
D, spring bearing against plate B, which latter is thus free to recede
if it should meet with any obstacle. E, holder oscillating on a centre
at E', on which the shuttle is first received to be thence transferred to
plate B. E, E, springs which produce an oscillating motion of holder
E, when a change of shuttles takes place; E, arm fixed to holder E
and operated by the tail K¹ of the switch K%; F, finger fixed on the
point of the latter; G, lever mounted on an axis at G¹, and operated
by finger F, or the switch may be connected with the rod G by means
of a rod instead of being operated by a finger F as shown; H, swell
which grips and checks the shuttle when it reaches the end of its
course, being mounted on axis G'; H³, spring bearing on swell H;
I, stud on rod G for displacing swell H at the moment of descent
of the shuttle; K, switch arm for deflecting the shuttle, mounted on
axis C and having a tail piece K¹; L, catch lever for holding the
tail K in position, it being raised to release the tail for producing
a change of shuttles; L', spring of catch lever L. The plate B being
moved by the switch and pivoted on its axis C, and being further
held in position by spring D, it results that when the switch and
plate return to position after changing a shuttle the plate is free to
recede, should it meet with any impediment, but will be returned to
its normal position by the spring D immediately the obstacle is re-
5 moved. The holder E first receives the shuttle at the moment the
switch is operated, and then transfers it to plate B.
It should here be observed that the action of parts E and B is
produced by two motions instead of one as in the Bullough arrange-
ment, in which the distributor F, oscillating on its pivots F¹, F³, effects
the release of the shuttle 1 and the taking on of the shuttle 2 in
a single movement, while in the distributor of this Invention the
frame E oscillates on its pivot, and then remains stationary while
supporting the whole pile of shuttles (constituting the first movement),
and the pallet B then recedes (constituting the second movement),
5 which only allows the shuttle 1 to fall some time after the frame E
has moved into position to support the whole pile of shuttles.
The whole of the mechanism is mounted on one frame, and owing
to the distribution of the shuttles being effected by two movements and

page_text: to the wide ledges or shelves for the shuttles to rest upon, the position
of the frame in the slay is readily adjusted. The distributor works
equally well with shuttles which do not fit well or have been sub-
jected to wear.
At the moment the switch acts for diverting a shuttle the finger F 5
fixed on the end of switch K describes an arc of a circle on its centre O
and bears against lever G, thereby forcing swell H to move back to
allow of the next shuttle passing down into the shuttle box.
Instead of having a rod G the swell H may be simply prolonged
and operated by finger F or by a connecting rod as before mentioned.
When the switch returns to position the part acting on H returns
also to position, and the swell regains its liberty of action.
1
It will be readily seen that by placing the swell behind the slay a
much larger surface is obtained to receive the shuttle, and the pressure
of the spring is more easily applied and regulated than if the swell were 1
in front of the slay.
Figure 12 shows an arrangement of shuttle driver having a groove on
either side in which the metallic fly plate on the slay is received to form
a guide for the same.
In looms having a loose reed, the rod operating the same is replaced 20
by a hollow tube, with a view to render the batten as light as possible.
It may happen while working a loom of the above description that the
shuttle at the moment of being changed will fail to complete its course
or become lodged between the temple, the empty shuttle receiver, and
the switch.
An arrangement of gearing for stopping the loom in such cases may
be provided, or one side of the shuttle receiver may be made movable,
but I prefer to employ the following arrangement, shown in side view
and plan in Figures 14 and 15, viz., instead of making the switch in one
with its tail piece I divide it into two parts and pivot them at C.
The arrangement will be readily understood on reference to the
Drawing. K, K°, is the part for diverting the shuttle pivoted at C. K',
switch arm also pivoted at C and acted on at the opposite end by a
rod G; K" is a stop for limiting the motion of K, K°, and K'; X, spring
for maintaining parts K, K°, in position.
2
30
35

page_text: Supposing a shuttle to have become lodged as above explained,
the part K, K°, at once recedes, and is returned to position by the
spring X on the removal of the obstacle. The Drawing shows the mode
in which the rod G operates the switch for changing the course of the
shuttle, as also the position of the spring G₁ for producing this motion.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. Dividing the shuttle distributing mechanism of the Bullough
loom into two movements, substantially as described and illustrated
in Figures 9, 10, and 11.
2ndly. The application of a spring plate for receiving the shuttles
which is made movable in case it meets with any obstacle being
pivoted on the axis of the switch, or made to move in a direction at right
angles to the longitudinal axis of the shuttles instead of oscillating on
the switch axis, substantially as shown and described.
3rdly. The separation of the distributor from the swell, the latter
being placed in rear of the slay, so that the distributor and switch
form an independent portion of the loom, the play of the swell being
also independent of the shuttle distributing apparatus, substantially as
described.
4thly. Forcing back the swell by the movement of the switch acting
through a finger or tappet, connecting rod, or their equivalent to allow
a fresh shuttle to pass down into the box, substantially as shown and
described.
5thly. The application in lieu of a solid rod of a hollow rod or tube for
operating the loose reed by means of claws in order to reduce as much
as possible the additional weight on the batten caused by the distributor
as described.
6thly. A grooved picker or shuttle driver engaging in the fly plate on
the slay, as described.
7thly. Making the blade K, K°, Figures 14 and 15, of the switch
movable and independent of the tail of the switch in case of any
obstacle being met with, as described.

page_text: 8thly. The method of operating the switch by rod G, substantially as
set forth and shown in Figures 14 and 15.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.