IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Herbert Hodgson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th March 1883.
GEORGE HERBERT HODGSON of Bradford in the County of York Machine Maker
IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
The object of this Invention is firstly to improve the means employed for turning
the eccentrics for raising and lowering the boxes in Box Looms and locking them
in position until a change of position is required.
I accomplish this first part of my invention by a series of racks which gear into
pinions, one pinion between two racks. The pinions are secured to a shaft on
which is keyed an eccentric that is connected by a rod to a lever working on a
stud: one end of this lever is attached to the drop boxes, the other end fitted
with a weight for the purpose of balancing the boxes: this apparatus is fitted to
both ends of the loom.
Each rack is fitted with a short bell crank lever, one end of the lever being
provided with a projection which is made to pass into a hole formed in the upper
part of the rack. To the short end of each of these levers is jointed a vertical
catch rod: these are of various lengths and the upper ends are near to a recipro-
cating plate having two projections on the same. In each hole formed in the
upper part of the rack is the end of a catch which is kept therein by means of
a spring: so long as these catches are in the holes the racks and drop boxes are
locked.
In order to change the position of the drop boxes, one of the vertical catch
rods is moved by a series of rods and levers in connection with the heald machine
cylinder, so that one of the projections on the reciprocating plate hooks hold of the
catch, thereby raising the rod causing the projection on end of bell crank lever to
force the locking catch out of the hole in the rack thereby liberating the same and
allowing it to be raised and turn the pinion gearing into the same, raising or

page_text: lowering the drop boxes according to the direction in which the pinions and
eccentrics are turned
The second part of my invention is to cause the Stop rod to act upon the brake
in such a manner as to first stop the driving of the loom and in the same instant to
brake the loom, that is, to bring the loom to an immediate stand. Hitherto when
a shuttle has not gone properly home into the box, the loom has been stopped by
the action of the stop rod on the frog and the strap guide is made to traverse the
strap on to the loose pulley and at the same time applying the brake, that is to say,
the brake is applied whist the power is, to a certain extent still driving the loom,
seeing that the strap pulley has to make half a revolution before the strap is
traversed on to the loose pulley. In my improvement the break, when the loom is
running is mechanically combined with the driving pulley which latter runs loose
whilst the break is fast, upon the main shaft when the brake is applied: such
application disconnects the brake from the loose driving pulley and effectually
breaks the loom the driving power having in the same instant ceased to act upon
the loom by this means I am enabled to bring the loom to a stand with less strain
upon the parts of the loom and in less time than hitherto.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Herbert Hodgson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th September 1883.
GEORGE HERBERT HODGSON of Bradford in the County of York, Machine
Maker. IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
The object of this invention is to improve the means employed for turning the
eccentrics for raising and lowering the shuttle boxes in looms, and locking them in
position until a change of position is required, and to brake the loom in the same
instant as the driving power is disconnected, in order to reduce the liability of
breakage to the immediate connections of the drop boxes, so often caused by the
sudden stoppage of the loom when braked in the ordinary manner.
The invention consists in mounting at each end of the loom a series of racks,
which gear into pinions, one pinion being between two racks and a description of
one end of the loom equally applies to the other.
The pinions are connected to a double eccentric coupled to a lever which is
attached to the drop boxes, each rack being fitted with a short bell crank lever, to
the short end of which is jointed a catch rod, which when brought into contact
with a reciprocating plate, unlocks the rack and moves the drop boxes in the
direction and distance corresponding to the catch rod actuated.
The loom is braked through the action of an ordinary stop rod fitted with a
catch lever: when this rod is not actuated by the shuttle, the catch lever hooks
hold of the brake lever, and applies the brake at the same time the catch in brake
pulley which drives the loom is liberated from the loose driving pulley in the
manner as more fully hereafter described.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents the end elevation of a loom
and general arrangement of my improvements. Figure 2 is a sectional elevation
of the pinions and racks, two of the racks being removed. The remaining Figures
are drawn. to a larger scale. Figure 3 is a front elevation of racks bell crank
levers, locking levers and eccentrics. Figure 4 is a section of the double eccentric
and rack pinions shewing how the latter are fitted together. Figure 5 is a detail
of the brake wheel and apparatus for starting and stopping the loom and Figure 6
is a plan of the brake lever.
The racks, pinions, eccentrics and levers in connection with the same are
mounted on suitable brackets attached to the framework of loom.
On the shaft A is keyed a pinion B, and to the said shaft is also keyed the inner
eccentric C, the other pinion B¹ is free on shaft A, and is connected by an arm and
pin to the outer eccentric C¹. Around this latter eccentric is a clip, which is
connected to the lever D, mounted on a stud; one end of this lever is coupled by
rod D' to the drop boxes E, and on the other end of said lever is a weight for the
purpose of counter balancing the boxes.
At each side of the pinions I place a rack: F and F being in gear with one
pinion, F and F with the other pinion: to each of these racks is jointed a short
bell crank lever G, the vertical arm of which is provided with a short projection
made to pass into a hole formed in the upper part of the rack. To the short arm
of each of these levers G is jointed vertical catch rods H of different lengths, the
upper or catch ends being near to reciprocating plate J, actuated by tappet J¹ on
main shaft of loom.
In each hole in the upper portion of the rack is the end of lock levers K, kept
therein by means of a spring, thereby locking the racks and boxes except when
actuated in the manner as hereafter described.

page_text: In order to change the position of the drop boxes E, one of the catch rods H
is moved sideways at such a time, that the reciprocating plate J in its upward
motion hooks hold of the catch, thereby raising the rod, causing the short pro-
jection at end of bell crank lever to pass into the hole in the upper portion of
the rack, dislodging the lock lever K, when the rack will be raised, and turn the
pinion gearing into same, raising or lowering the lever D and drop boxes according
to the direction in which the pinions and eccentric are turned.
The catch rods H are actuated by the heald machine in the ordinary manner,
the said machine being connected by rods X to the bell crank levers L and L':
the lever L' is secured on short shaft M, and is in connection with the catch rods
coupled to the racks gearing with the pinion B, the other lever L is free on the
said shaft and is in connection with the catch rods and racks gearing with the
pinion B¹ that is keyed on the shaft A: when either of these levers are moved,
the catch rods in connection therewith are moved in a corresponding direction by
short papa Z which form part of the levers, and in contact with the said rods.
The loom is braked through the action of the stop rod: this is effected by
securing to the stop rod N a catch lever P: in case the shuttle is not properly
driven home into any of the boxes, the finger R on the stop rod will not be
actuated, therefore the catch at end of lever P when moving in the direction of the
arrow, will hook hold of the brake lever and press the end at P¹ against the
periphery of brake pulley P2, thereby bringing the loom to a stand with less strain
upon the parts, than by the ordinary method with the stop rod, "frog," and fast
and loose pullies.
The driving pulley S is free upon the main shaft, and drives the loom by
means of a lever S¹ secured to the said pulley. When this lever is free, the fast
stud T engages with a square indentation on the said lever, by which the loom is
driven, and when the brake is applied, the same coming in contact with the
curved end of sliding bar U, forces the square indentation from the fast stud,
thereby removing the driving power at the same instant as the brake is being
applied.
The loom is started again by moving a sliding rod passing along the front of
loom that is in connection with the rod Y: when this rod is moved so that the end
is brought into contact with end of short lever at Y¹, the long lever S¹ is liberated,
and pressed towards the centre by a spring, so that the fast stud engages again
with the square indentation on lever S₁ thereby driving the loom again.
What I claim as my invention is:-
The apparatus for raising and lowering the drop boxes, and for locking the same
in position in the manner as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
The combination of the parts for braking the loom at the same instant as the
driving pulley is disengaged from the brake disc in the manner as herein before
described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I the said George Herbert Hodgson have hereunto set my
hand and seal this sixth day of September in the year of our Lord, one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.