A New or Improved Expanding Reed for Looms, and Apparatus employed in connection therewith.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Expanding Reed for Looms, and Apparatus
employed in connection therewith.
We, WILLIAM TERRY and FESTUS RAWNSLEY, of Dudley Hill, near Bradford,
in the County of York, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has reference to a new or improved expanding reed and in means
employed of operating same automatically, the said expanding reed being specially
designed for the purpose of weaving tapering fabrics such as wrappers used in the
making of oil cakes.
According to our invention each dent of the reed is perforated at each end and
slipped onto two horizontal rods placed at equal distances apart, such dents being
closed or brought nearer together by suitable brackets operated by eccentrics, but
the said dents are opened or expanded by flat springs lying between each dent,
which springs are allowed to act as the eccentrics return, rotary motion being
imparted thereto by the "going part" of the loom.
Such being the nature and object of our invention we will now proceed to
describe the same more fully and for that purpose will make reference to the
accompanying sheet of drawings which illustrates our invention.
Fig. 1. is front elevation of our improved reed, together with the apparatus we
employ for operating same, and
Fig. 2 is cross section thereof.
a represents the handrail connected to the top of the lathe sword 6 in the ordinary
manner, and c represents the bed or race-course for the shuttle. d shews two
grooved bars into which enters the opposite ends of the dents e forming the reed,
such dents being perforated at each end and placed onto the two horizontal rods f
which are carried and supported by a vertical plate or bracket g adjusted with or
made secure on the said rods by lock nuts h. The dents are confined between the
plates g and i, the latter of which is not fixed upon the rods f but is capable of
being moved both backward and forward on the said rods for the purpose of com-
pressing or closing the dents of the reed and for the purpose of allowing them to
expand or open further apart which latter movement is effected by the action of
flat springs placed on the said rods f and between each dent. The means we
employ for closing the dents for the purpose of weaving a taper-shaped fabric as
shewn in Fig. 4 is as follows:-
This
Upon the stud which is carried by the two plates and m is mounted two
eccentrics n and o both of which eccentrics work within yokes n¹ and o', which
yokes are also mounted upon the horizontal rods f. These eccentrics are made to
revolve by wheel p operated by worm q fixed upon a short horizontal shaft r.
shaft is made to revolve intermittantly at each revolution of the crank shaft by the
ratchet wheels into the teeth of which is a pawl t carried on the end of the short
lever arm u placed loosely on the cross shaft r. The outer end of the short lever
arm u rests upon the upper end of the vertical rod r, the bottom of which rod (as
the slay oscillates backward) rides up the inclined plane w in doing which the
vertical rod v is raised and with it the end of the short lever arm u whereby the
pawl t causes the ratchet wheel to be moved a tooth or so as required, whereby
rotary motion is transmitted to the eccentrics causing the yoke n' to traverse upon
the horizontal rod f in the direction of the arrow marked in Fig. 2 and simul-
taneously therewith the yoke o' is made to travel in the opposite direction drawing
the said rods with it for purpose of compressing the dents of the reed equally
between the plates 9 and i. "The motion of the yokes are reversed by the opposite

page_text: travel of the eccentrics n and o which allow the flat springs to expand the dents.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews the eccentrics in that position which
allows the dents of the reed to be expanded to their furthest extent, which is
effected by the flat springs lying between the dents, whilst Fig. 3 shews the said
dents to be compressed by the action of the yokes already described.
By means of the expanding reed as herein shewn and described, in combination
with the means for automatically expanding and contracting the said reed, we are
enabled to weave with great exactness and regularity a fabric tapering in both
directions as shewn in Fig. 4 and this peculiar class of weaving proceeds and is
performed without any attention on the part of the weaver.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
Firstly. The construction and arrangement of a reed, the dents of which are
mounted loosely upon horizontal rods for the purpose of expanding and contracting
in manner described and illustrated in the drawings.
Secondly. In reeds employed in looms for weaving the mechanism substantially
as herein shewn and described for closing the said reeds.
Thirdly. In reeds employed in looms for weaving, the use of springs for opening
or expanding the said reeds substantially as herein shewn and described.
Lastly. The general arrangement and combination of parts forming an
expanding reed, together with the means herein shewn and described for operating
same.
Dated this 5th day of April 1892.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.