IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by David Sowden and Sugden Butter-
field at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th April 1878.
DAVID SOWDEN, of Bradford, in the County of York, Machine Maker, and SUGDEN
BUTTERFIELD, of Bradford, aforesaid, Weaving Overlooker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
The object of our Invention is to regulate the working of healds or heddles in
looms for weaving, in such a manner that we are enabled to work the looms at a
greater speed, with greater regularity, and a considerable saving of healds than
can be obtained with the ordinary shedding motions, heald machines, or jacquard
apparatus now in common use.
We accomplish our object in the following manner:-We fix the apparatus for
regulating the healds in any convenient position, and motion is imparted to the
same by means of tappet levers or eccentrics, fixed to the crank or bottom shafts,
or any convenient shaft where the requisite "speed can be obtained; these tappet
levers or eccentrics are connected by means of rods to the lifting bars, which are
operated upon simultaneously in opposite directions.
In the framework of our improved apparatus are centred a number of bell crank
levers, one end of each of these levers is connected with other bell crank levers, that
are mounted on a stud or shaft which forms the fulcrum, and are supported in a
suitable manner; one arm of each of the last named levers is attached to the top
heald or heddle shafts, the bottom heald or heddle shafts are secured to levers or
otherwise, as hereafter described.
In connection with each of the first named bell crank levers are three upright
bars having the top ends formed with a projection, each set of the said uprights are
stayed near the top by means of a card cylinder needle, and when the card cylinder
actuates any of the said needles the same propells the series of uprights' connected
therewith towards the lifting bars before mentioned; when one of the lifting bars
is in its upward stroke, will lift the upright bar and arm of the bell crank lever,
which will actuate the other bell crank levers that are connected with the top heald
or heddle shafts, and thus form the shed in the warp.

page_text: One of the three upright bars before mentioned is secured to each of the first
mentioned bell crank levers, and when actuated upon in the manner before described
the projecting end at the top will catch upon a stationary cross bar and remain
thereon, and hold up the bell crank and corresponding healds or heddles and warp
until such time as the card cylinder again operates upon the card cylinder needle
in connection with the said upright, when it will release its hold of the cross bar
and allow the healds or heddles and warp to descend.
In order to keep the healds or heddles tight, and to allow the bottom heald or
heddle shaft to rise or fall at the same time as the top shaft, we connect to the first
named bell crank levers as follows:-To one of the arms of each of the first named
bell crank levers, we secure rods which are connected to a series of levers at the
bottom end of the loom, called the weight levers, these levers are attached to other
levers called the top levers, one end of the top levers is mounted on a stud or pin
which forms the fulcrum, the other ends of the levers are fitted with a double hook,
these hooks are attached by means of cords, which are conducted over groove pullies
to the bottom shafts of the healds or heddles, and thus the healds or heddles are
kept tight, and the bottom shaft will rise or descend at the same time as the top shaft.
Another arrangement for keeping the healds or heddles tight is accomplished as
follows: In place of the top lever and double hook before described, we secure two
sets of top levers, which are mounted on pins forming the fulcrums, these levers are
connected to the weight levers, and also to the bottom shafts of the healds or heddles,
so that when the weight levers are acted upon in the manner before described,
the same will allow the top levers or heddles to rise or fall as the case may be.
Our apparatus can also be so arranged that we can dispense with the use of the
weight levers before described, and keep the healds or heddles tight, by means of
weights or springs attached to the bottom heald shafts, as now in common use.