Improved Apparatus for Raising and Lowering the Healds and Shuttle Boxes in Looms for Weaving.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1887
Complete Left, 17th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 4th May, 1888
Improved Apparatus for Raising and Lowering the Healds and
Shuttle Boxes in Looms for Weaving.
I, CHARLES BEDFORD, of Birstall, Yorkshire, Machine Shop Manager, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The first part of my invention has reference to a prior Patent granted to me on the
20th of August, A.D. 1885, No. 9865. In this prior Patent certain horizontal hooked
bars marked 15 in the drawings accompanying the Specification of such said Patent,
which hooked bars carried at one end thereof a segment marked 16, hinged to suitable
framework. This segment geared with and operated a half wheel marked 18 and
gave to a cranked bar 19 and vertical arms 20 and 21 a reciprocatory or pendulous
motion. The object of my present invention is to dispense with the hinged segment 16
connected to the end of the horizontal hooked bars 15, and instead thereof I form a
rack at one end of the horizontal hooked bars 15, and into this rack the half wheel 18
is made to gear in such manner that the ordinary reciprocatory cross bars cause the
hooked bars to travel backward and forward, so as to rotate the half wheel which
gives the necessary pendulous motion to the vertical arms 20 and 21, or other suitable
connection to which the healds or shuttle boxes may be attached. By this means the
healds and the shuttle boxes are raised and lowered positively. This improvement.
dispenses with the segments as previously explained, and with all the necessary
studs and connections, whilst the means of driving the half wheel is more direct.
The second part of my invention is the employment of means for levelling the
series of levers connected to the half wheels for the purpose of levelling the warp
when it is required to tie up broken ends or for other purposes, and this I accomplish
by the employment of a roller carried at each end by suitable arms or framework
hinged upon a shaft. On to this frame or shaft I fix a lever arm which occupies a
convenient position for the weaver to take hold of, and when it is necessary to level
the levers, the handle is operated, whereupon the roller immediately levels the said
levers, at the same time levelling the warp, which, as will be well understood, enables
the weaver to get at the ends much better, as when the warp is level there is less
tension upon it than is the case when the warp is open, consequently the manipulation

page_text: of the warp is more easily effected. In combination with the levelling roller I employ
suitable mechanism for depressing the jacquard needles, the descent of which needles
removes the top notches in the horizontal bars 15 from contact with the reciprocating
bars 52. This arrangement releases all the shafts and enables the weaver to raise
any one shaft singly, for the purpose of examining the warp threads for defects, or for
other purposes.
Improved Apparatus for Raising and Lowering the Healds and
Shuttle Boxes in Looms for Weaving.
I, CHARLES BEDFORD, of Birstall, Yorkshire, Machine Shop Manager, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to apparatus to be employed for giving a positive up and down
motion to rising and falling shuttle boxes of looms for weaving, and also for giving a
positive up and down motion to the healds in looms.
The first part of this invention is illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings,
and has reference to a prior patent granted to me on the 20th day of August, A.D.,
1885, No. 9865. In this prior Patent certain horizontal hooked bars marked 15
were shewn in the Drawings, accompanying the Specification of such said Patent,
which hooked bars carried at one end thereof a segment marked 16 hinged to suitable
framework. This segment geared with and operated a half wheel marked 18, and
gave to a cranked connecting bar 19 and to vertical arms 20 and 21 a reciprocatory
or pendulous motion.
The object of my present invention is to dispense with the hinged segment 16
connected to the end of the horizontal hooked bars 15, indicated in the Drawings of
Specification No. 9865, and instead thereof I form a rack at the end of the horizontal
hooked bars 15, and into this rack a half wheel 18 is made to gear in such manner
that the ordinary reciprocatory cross bars 14, which are employed to catch into one
or other of the notches 2 cause such hooked bars 15 to travel backward and forward
so as to rotate the half wheels 18, which half wheels give the necessary pendulous
oscillatory motion to the vertical arms 20 and 21 or other suitable connection to
which the shuttle boxes or healds may be attached. By placing the half wheel 18

page_text: in direct gear with the reciprocatory bars 15 I am enabled to dispense with the
segments previously used by me, together with all the necessary studs and connections
appertaining thereto, and consequent wear and tear of the parts. It will be observed
that the vertical arms 20 and 21, whilst working upon the same stud 22, are of
different lengths, and they are employed for actuating different shuttle boxes,-for
instance the short arm 20 is only capable of operating the shuttle boxes to tho
extent of one box, but the longer arm 21 is capable of operating the shuttle boxes
to the extent of two boxes, but when both arms 20 and 21 are moved together
according to selection by the Jacquard, they operate the shuttle boxes to the extent
of three boxes, and this arises in the following manner.
The parts shewn in the Drawings indicate that the shuttle boxes are down at their
lowest point, and that the lever 23 has received the full extent of its motion in one
direction, the chain 24 attached thereto having all been paid out. The vertical arms 20
and 21 are connected together by a chain 26 which passes around the pulley 27 carried
on the upper end of the lever 23, therefore when it is necessary to operate the shuttle
boxes to the extent of one box, the lever arm 20 is operated and the lever 23 receives
sufficient motion to give out or take up the chain 24 which is in connection with the
shuttle boxes.
The distance from centro 22 to centro 28 of lever arm 20 is equal to the distanco
from centre 28 to centre 29 of lever arm 21, therefore if from 22 to 28 moves one
box, 22 to 29 must operate two boxes, but when both the lever arms 20 and 21 are
moved to the full extent of their motion, it follows that the lever 23 will have given
out or taken up sufficient chain to operate three shuttle boxes, as will be understood.
The manner of deciding whether one, two, or three shuttle boxes shall be raised is
determined by the jacquard mechanism, consisting of any ordinary pegging barrel
or equivalent device for striking the upper end of the jacquard needles 34, which
depresses the horizontal bars 15 from contact with the upper oscillating crossbar 14
which either places such bar 15 in a neutral position or so that the lower notch therein
is caught by the lower reciprocatory bar 14.
In order to prevent the backward and forward motion of the reciprocatory bar 15
exceeding a prescribed and fixed distance, I employ stationary crossbars 3 and 4
whilst an antifriction pulley or roller 5 is employed for the reciprocatory bars to ride
upon.
In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shewn the application of my improvements as applied to
raising and lowering the healds of looms, which are attached to the cords 57 whilst
the wires 83 are attached by bell-crank or other form of levers to the underside of
the heald shafts in the ordinary manner. In Fig. 2 the half wheel 18 is shewn in
position with the healds down, whilst Fig. 3 shews the half wheel and the reciprocatory
bars 15 in the position they occupy with the healds up; the whole of the parts herein
described forming an effective, reliable, and positive motion for operating both shuttle
boxes and healds.
The second part of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 and consists in
means to be employed for levelling the whole series of hooked bars and half wheels
for the purpose of levelling the warp whenever it is required to tie up broken ends
or for other purposes, and this levelling of the warp I accomplish by the employment
of a roller 6 carried at each end of the machine by suitable form of lover arm 7
hinged upon the shaft S carrying the half wheels 18, therefore when it is required to
level the warp the attendant operates the lever arm 7 in the direction indicated by the
arrows, in doing which the roller 6 comes into contact with the cranked arms 19,
thereby placing all of such arms 19 in a line with each other, consequently all the
bell crank levers 56 are placed together side by side, at the same time levelling the
warp, which, as will be well understood, enables the weaver to get at the ends much
better, as when the warp is level there is less tension upon it than when it is open
consequently the manipulation of the warp is more easily effected.
In order to release all the shafts of the healds to enable the weaver to raise any
one of such shafts singly for the purpose of examining the warp threads for defects,
or other purposes, I employ levers 11 hinged upon a fulcrum 12.
I also employ a

page_text: bell crank form of lever a hinged at b, having one of its ends made hollow as indicated
at c so that when the weaver requires to release all the reciprocatory bars 15 so that
he can raise any of the heald shafts for the purpose of examination, the lever a is
moved into position as shewn in Fig. 3 in such a manner as to place the bowl at the
end of the lever 11 into the notch c whereby the opposite end of such lever 11 comes
into contact with the head of the Jacquard needles 34 which are depressed or lowered
thereby, the effect of which is to remove the upper notches in bars 15 from contact
with the reciprocatory bars 14 whereby all the shafts of the healds are released.
Instead of depressing the jacquard needles in the manner just described, I may
operate the hooked bars 15 direct, and this is shewn at Fig. 4, where d is a lever fixed
on a stud e on which stud is also fixed a hand lever f. To the extremities of the
lever d I fix upright rods g; on the top of such rods are horizontal bars h, therefore
when the weaver requires to disengage the hooked bars 15 from the crossbars 14, the
handle is moved to the right and placed in notches ; formed in a segment plate,
causing the horizontal bars to place the hooked bars 15 clear of contact with the
bar 14.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
Firstly In apparatus for raising and lowering the shuttle boxes of looms, the
combination of hooked racked bars 15, segment 18, connecting rod 19, with levers 20
and 21 of different lengths, arranged in manner and for purposes substantially as set
forth.
Secondly: In apparatus for raising and lowering healds in looms for weaving the
combination of the hooked racked bars 15, segment wheel 18 connecting rod 19 and
bell-crank or other levers 56, arranged and operated as described.
Thirdly: In apparatus for raising shuttle boxes and healds, the combination there-
with of the levelling bar 6, arranged and operated substantially as described and
shewn in the Drawings.
Fourthly In apparatus for raising and lowering bealds, the mechanism substan-
tially as herein shewn and described for releasing the hooked bars 15 from contact
with the reciprocatory bars 14 for purposes as described.
Dated this 16th day of March 1888