IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED York. THEREWITH
Year: 1881

page_text: 1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jonathan Northrop at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th August 1881.
JONATHAN NORTHROP, Manufacturer, of Embsay, near Skipton, in the County of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED
York.
THEREWITH."
The said improvements relate,-
Firstly. To opening the ends of, the warps to allow the shuttle to go through
and to allow them to remain opened for any number of picks, the healds remaining
stationary when lifted.
Secondly. To an improved self-acting apparatus for stopping the loom when the
weft breaks.
For opening the ends of the warps to allow the shuttle to pass through I fit on
the shaft of the shedding. motion, and for each shaft a lever having a projecting
arm and a sector, and to the projecting arm of each lever I connect the end of a
draw-bar made with top and bottom openings, to be acted upon with top and
bottom knives or left alone, as indicated by the cylinder; the draw-bar actuates the
sector, giving it a rocking motion, and the sector actuates a jack lever which is
connected at each end with straps, bands, or rods, and attached to the healds to lift
and lower the ends of the warps; the jack levers are so arranged that the con-
necting rods are outside the loom end.
The sectors employed are each made with peculiarly formed curves, so that when
the shaft is at the top or bottom the friction roller fitted to the jack lever travels
to a certain point in the curved opening made or formed in the sector, and which
curve is struck from the centre of the shaft upon which the sector works and
which prevents the jack lever moving in either direction, allowing the healds to
remain stationary when the shuttle passes through the warps, and by which means
I give an action similar to the one produced by a tappet motion.
For stopping the loom when the weft breaks I fit on the going part of the loom
an angular plate, in the front plate of which is secured or cast a small projecting
lug in which is fitted a stud, and on which is placed the head of a small bell
cranked lever, having a long dropping arm which is actuated by a stud secured to
the required position in a slot hole formed in the head of an arm which is secured

page_text: to the breast beam of the loom. The short arm of the bell cranked lever carries
a catch which comes in contact with a stud or catch formed on a short arm attached
to the weft fork, and this fork is made with thin blades or fingers which enables
the blades passing between the warps when weaving, and the weft fork is lifted up
every revolution of the loom by a spiral spring fitted over a small rod, on which is
secured the socket of the fork and on which the fork works; the spiral spring is
secured at one end to the fork and at the other end to a pin secured in the small
rod. The spring can be regulated to give the required pressure on the spring by
turning the rod, and the rod is fixed in position by a lock nut; the rod works in
bearings secured or cast on the angular plate: Near the bottom of the front
angular plate is cast or fitted a projection in which works a small lever, in the top
is fitted a spring which presses on the surface of the front plate and the bottom
part is made with a catch, which when the fork is down enters a cut out part
formed near the end of a small bolt which locks the bolt, preventing the loom
being stopped when there is weft; the bolt slides in supports secured or cast to or
on the underside plate of the angular plate, the bolt is fitted with a collar between
the supports, and between the collar and one of the supports is fitted a spiral
spring, so that when the weft is broken the fork causes the catch to be withdrawn
from the recess in the bolt, liberating the bolt and forcing it out, bringing the bolt
in contact with an incline formed on the end of the lever which lifts up the lever,
giving motion to the catch rod which passes under the breast beam of the loom,
and which actuates the strap fork, throwing the belt from the fast on to the loose
pulley which instantaneously stops the loom.
When the weft is passed through the warp the fork comes up against the weft,
which stops the lifting up of the fork, preventing the small arm of the fork coming
in contact with the catch lever so long as there is weft, preventing the stopping of
the loom.
Should the weft be broken the fork is released and lifts up through the warps,
causing the short arm of the fork to come in contact with the catch lever, forcing
out the catch from the recess in the bolt, when the spiral spring forces out the bolt,
bringing it in contact with the incline on the lever actuating the catch rod which
actuates the knocking off lever, stopping the loom.
Directly the bolt has lifted up the lever of the catch rod the bolt travels on an
incline made on the lever, which pushes back the bolt in position to be locked.
To assist the weft fork I employ a small apparatus which is fitted on the going
part of the loom at a fixed point; the apparatus is constructed with a plate which
is secured to the going part, and on the plate are cast or fitted small lugs, in which
is passed a bolt baving secured thereon a thin finger or blade. Over the bolt and
between the lugs is fitted a spiral spring, one end of the spring is secured by a pin
to the plate, the other end being secured to the finger.
The finger is kept down by the fabric in the process of weaving, and when the
fabric or cloth leaves the finger the said finger lifts up and pushes the weft back,
which brings the weft in nearly a straight line across the loom and then pushes
back the weft, preventing the weft breaking the edge of the fabric.