IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Smith Hargreaves of Ashton under Lyne in the
County of Lancaster for an Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING
"
THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Smith Hargreaves
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st October 1883.
JAMES SMITH HARGREAVES of Ashton-under-Lyne in the County of Lancaster
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING
"
This invention relates principally to that class of looms employed for weaving
fancy fabrics wherein the healds are actuated by mechanism known as the
dobby"; but it is also in part applicable to looms wherein Jacquard machines are
employed to produce the pattern on the fabric.
The said invention consists chiefly in a novel and simple construction of the
dobby itself and in the apparatus for actuating the same.
The dobby is constructed as follows:-
A set of hooks are connected in the usual manner to the healds by means of
jack lovers or leather straps passing round pulleys, so that when these books are
raised or lowered the healds will be worked in a corresponding direction. The
hooks are arranged vertically or nearly so within a frame placed in a suitable
position above the loom and are lifted by a knife passing across the frame and
carried on two arms at either end of a rocking shaft or bar; these arms are also
attached by means of chains (passing over pulleys above) to a vertical sliding plate
through which pass wires from the hooks which themselves rest upon the said
plate.
Thus any hooks that are not raised are pulled down by their connections to the
healds and descend with the plate, which falls as the knife is raised and rises to
lift the hooks into position as the knife falls.
The said hooks pass through horizontal bars or needles each needle actuating
two hooks (the one connected to the top and the other to the bottom of the same
heald) so that one hook is raised and the other lowered by the action of the knifo.
The needles are pressed forwards at one end by a series of suitable springs so as
to meet a set of cards passing over a pattern barrel in the usual manner.

page_text: The pattern barrel is carried by two oscillating arms worked by a lever from
the crank shaft of the loom in the manner hereinafter described. The barrel is
caused to revolve by means of a plate at one end thereof having upon its face a
number of pins or projections corresponding with the number of the sides of the
pattern barrel, and when the barrel recedes one of these pins comes beneath a vertical
sliding catch (actuated as hereinafter described and is pulled down thereby, thus
moving a fresh pattern card into position to be presented to the needles above
nained.
Should the loom be reversed the sliding catch will rise, and coming into contact
with the succeeding pin will return the barrel and cards into their position and
thus a "pick" will not be lost by reversing the loom.
I prefer to make the cards so that by sliding the barrel horizontally moro than
one design can be woven from the same apparatus according to the position thereof.
This movement of the said barrel is effected by a forked lever working in a grooved
boss on the end of the barrel shaft and kept in place by a spring holding the said
lever against suitable notches in a projection from one of the arms which carry the
barrel.
The end of the other arm is connected by a connecting rod to a bell crank lever
which in its turn is connected by a rod to an arm attached to or forming part of
the clip of an excentric fixed on one end of the crank shaft outside the loom
frame.
Attached to or forming part of the excentric is a projection or crank arm
carrying a pin upon which is mounted loosely a boss provided with a short arm or
projection to which is attached a rod connected at its upper end to an arm or lever
working the rocking bar or shaft which actuates the knife above named.
Upon the same crank pin is fixed a second short arm or crank provided with a
pin upon which is mounted loosely a short arm to which is attached a third rod
connected at its upper end to a long lever, the other end of which works the
vertically sliding catch which moves the pattern barrel
Thus it will be seen that the "dobby "is worked positively and entirely by the
crank shaft of the loom, and no mechanism belonging thereto (other than the
ordinary jack levers or lifting straps) is within the loom framing.
By this arrangement the knife can be timed very accurately to lift when the
hooks are well in place and not before.
It will also be evident that the sliding catch which works the barrel is always in
place to act upon either one or other of the pins upon the face plate above
described and this arrangement is also applicable with great advantage as a means
for actuating the cylinder of a Jacquard apparatus

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Smith Hargreaves in the Patent Office on the 30th April
1884.
JAMES SMITH HARGREAVES of Ashton-under-Lyne in the County of Lancaster
IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING
This invention relates principally to that class of looms employed for weaving
fancy fabrics wherein the healds are actuated by mechanism known as the
Dobby"; but it is also in part applicable to looms wherein Jacquard machines are
employed to produce the pattern on the fabric.
The said invention consists chiefly in a novel and simple construction of tho
dobby itself and in the apparatus for actuating the same.
Such being the nature and object of my said invention I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood
I have annexed hereunto a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof and have marked
the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation thereof.
•
Fig. 1. in the annexed drawings is a general view of a Dobby constructed
according to my invention as seen from the back of the loom showing its connection
with the crank shaft and the healds thereof.
Fig. 2 is a section (enlarged) of the dobby and Figs 3. 4. and 5 are detached
views also enlarged of various portions of the mechanism hereinafter more
particularly referred to.
The improved dobby is constructed as follows:-A set of hooks a, a are
connected in the usual manner to the healds b, b by means of jack lovers or by
leather straps c, c passing round pulleys, so that when these hooks a, a are raised or
lowered the healds b, b will be worked in a corresponding direction. The
hooks a, a are arranged vertically or nearly so within a frame d, d placed in a
suitable position above the loom, and are lifted by a knife e, e passing across the
frame d, d and carried on two arms, ff, at either end of a rocking shaft or bar g, g,
these arms ff are also attached by means of chains h, h (passing over pulleys
above) to a vertically sliding plate i, i through which pass wires j, j from the
hooks a, a which themselves rest upon the said plate i, i (see Fig. 2).
Thus any hooks that are not raised are pulled down by their connections c, c to
the healds b, b and descend with the plate i, i which falls as the knife c, e is raised
and rises to lift the hooks a, a into position as the knife o, e is lowered.
The said hooks a, a pass through horizontal bars or needles k, k each needle
actuating two hooks a, a (the one connected to the top and the other to the bottom
of the same heald) so that one hook is raised and the other lowered by the action
of the knife e, e.
The needles, k are pressed forwards at one end by a series of suitable
springs, so as to meet a set of cards passing over a pattern barrel m, m in the
usual manner.
The pattern barrel m m is carried by two oscillating arms n, n worked by a
lover from the crank shaft of the loom in the manner hereinafter described. The
barrel m, m is caused to revolve by means of a plate o, o at one end thereof having
upon its face a number of pins or projections corresponding with the number of the
sides of the pattern barrel m, m and when the barrel recedes one of these pins
comes beneath a vertical sliding catch p, p actuated as heroinafter described and is

page_text: pulled down thereby thus moving a fresh pattern card into position to be presented
to the needles k, k above named.
Should the loom be reversed the sliding catch p, p will rise and coming into
contact with the succeeding pin will return the barrel m, m and cards into their
position and thus a "pick" will not be lost by reversing the loom.
I prefer to make the cards so that by sliding the barrel m, m horizontally, more
than one design can be woven from the same apparatus according to the position
thereof. This movement of the said barrel is effected by a forked lever q, q¹ (see
Fig. 3) working in a grooved boss r, r on the end of the barrel shaft and kept in
place by the spring of the said lever q, q¹ resting against suitable notches in 1
a projection from one of the arms n, n which carry the barrel m, m (see also
"Fig. 4)
The end of the other arm n is connected by a connecting rod to a bell crank
lever t, t (see Fig 1.) which in its turn is connected by a rod u, u to an arm v, v
attached to or forming part of the clip of an excentric w, w fixed on one end of 1
the crank shaft x, x outside the loom frame.
Attached to or forming part of the excentric w, w is a projection or crank
army, y (see enlarged views Fig. 5) carrying a pin upon which is mounted loosely
a boss 2, z provided with a short arm or projection 1. 1. to which is attached a
rod 2, 2 connected at its upper end to an arin or lever 3. 3. working the rocking
bar or shaft g,g which actuates the knife e, e above nained.
Upon the same crank pin is fixed a second short arm or crank 4. 4 provided
with a pin 5. 5. upon which is mounted loosely a short arm 6, 6, to which is
attached a third rod 7. 7. connected at the upper end to a long lever 8, 8 the other
end of which works the vertically sliding catch p, p. which moves the pattern
barrel m, m, Thus it will be seen that the "Dobby" is worked positively and
entirely by the crank "shaft x, x of the loom and no mechanism belonging thereto
(other than the ordinary jack levers or lifting straps) is within the loom framing..
By this arrangement the knife e, e can be timed accurately to lift when the
hooks a, a are well in place and not before.
It will also be evident that the sliding catch p, p which works the barrel is
always in place to act upon either one or other of the pins upon the face plate o, o
above described, and this arrangement is also applicable with great advantage as a
means for actuating the cylinder of a Jacquard machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of my
said invention and the manner in which the same is to be or may be perforined
or carried into practical effect I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
invention
First the particular construction of Dobby and apparatus for actuating the
same as hereinbefore more particularly described and illustrated by the drawings
annexed and more especially I claim
Secondly the apparatus described and shown for actuating the knife and hooks
and for imparting intermittent revolving motion to the pattern cylinder of a dobby
or Jacquard machine.
In witness whereof I the said James Smith Hargreaves have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty eighth day of April in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty four.
E