IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING ORNAMENTAL FABRICS
Year: 1856

page_text: oy the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edmund IIunt at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th November
1856.
I, EDMUND HUNT, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING ORNAMENTAL FABRICS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a system or mode of working the shuttle boxes of
looms employing more than two shuttles, whereby the speed of production may
be increased, whilst a comparatively large number of shuttles may be used, and
a change may be made at any time from one shuttle to any other of the set, the
improved arrangements thus admitting of a greatly increased variety of
patterns.
The object of the Invention is to arrange the shuttle box movement of
many shuttled looms, so that the shift required between one shuttle's entrance
into the shuttle box and the succeeding shuttle's exit is never greater than.
that which takes place in a two shuttle loom, whilst there may be three or
more shuttles, and any one of these shuttles may succeed the shuttle last
thrown. The Invention consists essentially in making a preparatory shift of
the shuttles, or in bringing whatever shuttle is about to be wanted close to the

page_text: cell of the Inst shuttle before this shuttle actually enters its cell, so that at
the actual time of changing the shuttlo in the web the shift required is as
short as it is possible for it to be.
There are many ways of practically carrying out this system to a greater or
less extent. Thus, according to one plan, the shuttle cells at one side of the
loom may be arranged half in one box and half in another box, that is to say,
where there are eight shuttles, for example, four cells are arranged in one
frame or box and four in another frame or box, the two frames having
independent movements. The two frames, with their shuttle cells arranged
vertically, are placed face to face one behind the other with the picker working
between them, and they can be moved up and down separately from and
independently of each other through the agency of suitable pattern mechanisın.
The two frames are also arranged in such a way that a simultaneous back or
forward movement can be imparted to both, and this movement takes place
when the actual change of the working shuttle is effected. If the front frame
is in a line with the race, then a forward movement brings the back frame into
that line for the change of shuttle, and the succeeding change is effected by a
backward movement, which brings the front frame again into the line of the
race. The change always takes place according to this arrangement from a
shuttle in one frame to a shuttle in the other frame, the picker being arranged
to act always on the shuttle which happens to be for the moment in the line
of the race. If, therefore, eight kinds of weft are used, for example, and it is
necessary to change from one weft to any other of the eight, thero must be two
sets of shuttles and eight cells in each frame. Then, if a shuttle in the front
frame is working, the back frame is shifted up or down to bring a shuttle of
the kind next wanted on a level with the race, and this is done before the
working shuttle returns to its cell for the last time, so that after that tho
forward movement is all that is necessary for changing the shuttles. For the
next change the front frame is shifted up or down to bring the shuttle that
will be required on a level with the race, and the change is effected by a
backward movement, and so the changing action goes on, cach frame coming
into action alternately. This arrangement is applicable to a wide range of
patterns without having two complete sets of shuttles; for with many assort-
ments of wefts it will be easy to collect into two separate lots such wefts as
will not be used in immediate succession after each other, or perhaps it will
be necessary to have duplicate shuttles of only some of the wefts which happen
to occur very frequently in the pattern or in close connection with all the
other wefts.
According to another and a preferable modification only one set of shuttles

page_text: is used, and yet they can follow each other in the web in any con-
ceivable order or succession, whilst at the same time the shift required at a
change after the last shuttle has entered its cell is as short as possible. In an
arrangement designed for six shuttles, for example, the mechanism for effecting
the changes of the shuttles is placed at one side of the loom. The shuttles
when not in use lie each in a separate detached cell or box, each box being a
long rectangular receptacle having a slit along the top side for the passage
through of the picker. These boxes are carried in a frame fixed upon the
side of the loom lathe, and in this frame there are six spaces or compartments
arranged in a vertical line, a particular shuttle belonging to each compart-
ment. The box of whichever shuttle is working is for the time being upon
the top of the six compartments, and in a line with the shuttle race, and the
box containing the shuttle which has to come into action on the next change
taking place is close to and in front of it on the same level, having been
brought into this position by the preparatory movement, which has yet to be
described. In front of the lathe there is attached to the stationary framing a
bar or stop, which on the lathe coming forward for the beat up pushes the
front box containing the fresh shuttle into the place of that containing the
shuttle which has just been thrown from the other side, the latter being of
course pushed back an equal distance. The shuttle box so pushed back finds
itself at the top of a passage running down behind the spaces or compartments
herein-before referred to, and falls down this passage until it comes opposite to
its own particular compartment. To cause the boxes always to descend to
and stop at their own particular compartments, each box is formed with slight
lateral projections, which meet corresponding projections in the passage at the
different compartments, each box and each corresponding compartment having
its projections at points different from those of the other boxes, so that each
box descends until stopped by projections corresponding to its own. Behind
the lathe and carried by the fixed framing there are a series of bars or stops
corresponding and opposite to the several compartments, and so disposed, that
on the lathe moving back any box which happens to be in the vertical passage
is pushed into its compartment, where it remains until next wanted. When
the shuttle is to be changed, the bar or stop behind the lathe corresponding to
the shuttle next wanted is pushed forward by means of jacquard or other
suitable pattern mechanism worked by the loom, so that as the lathe moves
backwards this stop enters the compartment and pushes the corresponding
shuttle out into a vertical passage in front of the compartments. In this
front vertical passage there is moving up and down either constantly or only
at intervals regulated by the pattern mechanism a traverser, which on rising

page_text: and meeting with a box in the passage lifts up such box to a level with the
shuttle race, the box being prevented from falling back again by spring catches.'
This brings us round to the movement first described, where the forward
movement of the lathe causes a stop fixed in front of the lathe to push tho
newly elevated shuttle box backwards into the place of that just done with.
this movement effecting the change of the shuttle in the web. From this
point the various movements aro repeated in due order, as already described,
and the shuttles aro brought round in the order and at the periods prescribed
by the pattern. When no change of shuttle takes place none of the back stops
aro projected forward beyond the point sufficient to push the last used shuttle
into its compartment, and consequently no shuttle is pushed into the front
vertical passage, nor elevated thence to the lovel of the race, to take the place
of the working shuttle. When the shuttles aro changed at one side only of
the loom, the shortest timo during which one shuttle can be used is that
corresponding to a double pick, by which two threads are thrown into the web.
This time will generally be quite sufficient for the preparatory shift or movo-
ment of the shuttle boxes, so that the patterns can be arranged if desired to
throw in as little as two threads only of any of the wefts at any time. Thus,
if we designate the several shuttles by the letters a, b, c, d, e, aud f, and the
alternate backward and forward movement of the lathe as first, second, third,
and so on, the following brief description will clearly show the periods occupied
by the several stages of the shuttle change movement. Supposing the shuttle
a to have been working and to be just returned into its cell at the change side
of the loom, the shuttle 6 being arranged to take its place at the next shot, the
first forward movement or beat up of the lathe causes the shuttle b to take
the place of the shuttle a. This movement is completed by the time the lathe
reaches its most forward position, when the shuttle a is over or at the top of
the back vertical passage. During the first portion of the first backward
movement of the lathe the shuttle a falls until it is opposite to its own
compartment, and the latter portion of the first backward movement of the
latho bringing it against its back stop causes it to be pushed into its compart-
ment. Now, if the same shuttle a is, wanted to succeed the shuttlo b
immediately, the shuttle b not making more than one double pick, the back
stop for the shuttle a will have beep projected forward, so that on the lathe
completing its first backward movement, the shuttle a will not only have been
pushed into its compartment, but will also have been pushed completely
ibrough it into tho frout vertical passage. All this will have been effected
before the first shot of the shuttlob is completely thrown, and all that has to
be done before the second shot of this shuttle is completed, and the shuttle has

page_text: returned to its shuttle box, is the lifting of the shuttle a, which is now in the
front vertical passage, up to a level with the shuttle b. The crank shaft in
fact makes a complete turn during this time, and the lifting movement may
consequently be made exceedingly slow, which will prevent any concussive
action should the traversing lifter not meet with the shuttle box at or near the
commencement of its stroke. Whilst the lift is being effected the lathe
makes its second forward movement, but no shuttle box being in front of the
shuttle box a, the front stop effects no change. The second backward
movement of the lathe follows, and during it the second or return shot of the
shuttle 6 is thrown. Then before the third forward movement of the lathe
takes place the shuttle a will have been lifted into the way of the front stop,
and will consequently be made to displace the shuttle 6, just as in the first
instance the shuttle & displaced the shuttle a, the various movements described
following in due succession according to the requirements of the pattern, any
one of the shuttles being selected at any stage. The various movements may
be brought about in other ways besides those described, and, if found desirable
in practice, the time occupied by the several movements may be differently
apportioned to the several stages. When a shuttle box is at the top of the
back vertical passage it may either be allowed to descend freely by its own
gravity, or it may be lowered by a slowly descending traverser. If necessary,
whore a very large number of shuttles are used, the preparatory movements of
the shuttle boxes may be extended over more than one double pick of the
loom without restricting the pattern in any way except as regards the changing
of any shuttle for that which was used immediately before it, in which case at
least four single shoots of such shuttle must be thrown before it is changed.