IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THE BOX TAPPITS EMPLOYED IN BOX LOOMS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR GRADUALLY LOWERING THE SHUTTLE BOXES to be as follows
Year: 1885

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We, HENRY RELPH MIDDLEMOST, Manufacturer CHARLES HENRY CROWTHER,
Mill Manager and ROBERT RAMSDEN, Tuner, all of Commercial Mills, Milnsbridge,
near Huddersfield, Yorkshire do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THE BOX TAPPITS EMPLOYED IN BOX
LOOMS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR GRADUALLY LOWERING THE SHUTTLE BOXES to
be as follows:-
"
Our Invention has reference to looms having rising and falling shuttle boxes, and
consists in the employment of means for actuating the box-tappit so as to determine
which of the shuttle boxes shall next be operated.
Hitherto the box tappit has been slided on its shaft by means of a long lever
hinged to the frame of the loom such lever being operated by a rod from bell crank
levers actuated by peg-lags or pattern chains.
Our invention is intended to dispense with such bell crank levers and rods and
to operate the box tappit in a different manner.
"
For the purpose of carrying out our invention we employ at one end of the
loom one or more grates or plates having cam grooves formed therein. These
grates" are connected by a vertical rod to a lever placed horizontally and resting
upon the pattern chains. A lever is employed under the loom, one end of which
is connected to the box tappit whilst the other end is connected to the cain grooves
in the "grates" so that as the pattern chains operate the horizontal levers in such
manner as to raise and lower the "grates" the lever connected thereto is caused to
operate the box tappit, and so determine which shuttle box shall be raised or
lowered, and when it is required to lag back the pressure of the levers is removed
from the pattern chains by means of a cam operated by a lever in front of the
loom by which means the shuttle boxes are thrown out of motion and caused to
rest in the bottom of the cam groove in the "grates" and there remain until
removed by the weaver. This arrangement of mechanism allows new and old
links in the pattern chain to work together without effecting the box tappits.

page_text: Secondly. Our invention relates to means to be employed for allowing the shuttle
boxes to drop gradually, and so prevent the noise and concussion which takes place
when the shuttle boxes drop as at present.
According to our invention we make use of the bottom box lever and attach
thereto a pulley. We also attach to the said lever one end of a leather strap, the
other end thereof carrying a weight, the strap passes over the pulley and on
another pulley connected to the frame of the loom.
As the boxes move up and down, the friction of the strap upon the pulleys is
sufficient to balance the boxes as they descend.

page_text: in Box Looms, and in Apparatus for Gradually Lowering the
Shuttle Boxes.
We, HENRY RELPH MIDDLEMOST, Manufacturer, CHARLES HENRY CROWTHER,
Mill Manager, and ROBERT RAMSDEN, Tuner, all of Commercial Mills, Milnsbridge,
near Huddersfield, Yorkshire do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THE BOX TAPPITS EMPLOYED IN BOX
LOOMS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR GRADUALLY LOWERING THE SHUTTLE BOXES," and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention has reference to looms having rising and falling shuttle boxes, and
consists in the employment of means for actuating the box tappit so as to determine
which of the shuttle boxes shall next be operated..
"
Hitherto the box tappit has been slided on its shaft by means of a long lever,
hinged to the frame of the loom, such lever being operated by a rod from bell-
crank levers actuated by peg-lags or pattern chains.
Our invention is intended to dispense with such bell-crank levers and rods and
to operate the box tappit in a different manner.
"
For the purpose of carrying out our invention we employ at one end of the
loom one or more "
grates or plates having cam grooves formed therein. These
grates" are connected by a vertical rod to a lever placed horizontally and resting
upon the pattern chains. A lever is employed under the loom, one end of which
is connected to the box tappit, whilst the other end is connected to the cam grooves
in the "grates," so that as the pattern chains operate the horizontal levers in such
manner as to raise and lower the "grates," the lever connected thereto is caused to
operate the box tappit, and so determine which shuttle box shall be raised or
lowered; and when it is required to lag-back, the pressure of the levers is removed
from the pattern chains by means of a cam operated by a lever in front of the
loom, by which means the shuttle boxes are thrown out of motion and caused to
rest in the bottom of the cam groove in the grates, and there remain until removed
by the weaver.
In order that our invention may be more fully understood we herein give
reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings illustrative thereof.
Fig. 1, shews part back elevation of a loom having our improvements applied
thereto. A is the loom frame, B the crank shaft having the box tappits C. mounted
thereon. These box tappits are slided horizontally on the shaft B, for the purpose
of being placed into position for raising and lowering the shuttle boxes, by means
of the lever D, which is connected by rod E to a bowl working in the cam
groove a of the "grate" F, such "grate" being supported by and slided up and
down in the bracket bas hereinafter explained. To the "grate" F is connected
one end of a vertical rod G, the opposite end of which is attached to the horizontal

page_text: lever H, which is raised and lowered by the peg-lags or other pattern surface c
caused to travel over the roller I in the ordinary manner.
The operation of the parts is as follows.
If the peg-lags or pattern chain c raises the lever H, such lever by means of the
connecting rod G, raises the grate F, the cam groove therein forcing the rod E in
the direction of the arrow, thereby operating the lever D in such manner as to
slide the box tappits C on the shaft B, and so determining which shuttle box shall
be raised. The lowering of the lever H, by the peg-lags or pattern chain c reverses
the positions of the parts. The shuttle boxes at the opposite side of the loom to
that described are raised and lowered in the same manner by a second "grate in
the bracket b, the cam groove therein being in reverse position to the cam groove
in the " grate"
F.
"
When it is required to "lag back," the pressure of the levers H is removed from
the pattern chain c, by means of cam K, operated by the hand lever L, in front of
the loom, the swell d on the cam K, being employed to remove the pressure of the
lever for operating the picking stick, by which means the shuttle boxes are thrown
out of motion and caused to rest in the bottom of the cam groove a, and there
remain until removed by the weaver. This arrangement of mechanism allows new
and old links in the pattern chain to work together without effecting the box
tappits.
Fig. 2, illustrates the means we employ for allowing the shuttle boxes to drop
gradually and so prevent the noise and concussion which, takes place when the
shuttle boxes drop as at present. M is the ordinary bottom box lever having a
pulley N attached thereto. To the said lever is also connected one end of a strap 6,
which passes under the pulley N, and over another pulley O, attached to the frame
of the loom, the opposite end of such strap carrying a weight f. As the boxes
move up and down, the friction of the strap upon the pulleys is sufficient to balance
the boxes as they descend.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
:-
Firstly The "grates" F; having cam grooves a therein in combination with
the levers D and H, for raising and lowering the boxes substantially as shewn and
described.
Secondly-The lever K in combination with the lever H and grate E, for
removing the pressure of the said. levers H from the pattern chain when "lagging
back," substantially as described.