IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Sowden, Miles Sowden, and Arthur Sowden,
trading as David Sowden and Sons, Thornton Road, Bradford, in the County
of York, Machine Makers, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Sowden, Miles Sowden,
and Arthur Sowden at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th
February 1880.
DAVID SOWDEN, MILES SOWDEN, and ARTHUR SOWDEN, trading as David
Sowden and Sons, Thornton Road, Bradford, in the County of York, Machine
Makers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the method of and apparatus
for regulating the working of healds used in the manufacture of textile fabrics,
which can be so adjusted as to work any number of healds that may be required to
produce the desired pattern in the piece being woven. The motion is a positive
one, and can be worked without the aid of springs or weights. I have also
attached an arrangement whereby the weaver can return to the broken pick, and
actuate the card cylinder at the same time by turning the fly wheel of the loom,
which is of great advantage when high class and costly textiles are being woven.
The whole arrangements are simple and inexpensive, and the various portions of
the apparatus can be readily detached in case of accident.
My improved apparatus is attached to the top rail or in any other convenient
position, and may be described as follows:-
The number of healds to be worked fixes the number of horizontal blades or
draw bars, each having two or more notches at top and bottom. These work in
slides fixed in the framework, and are connected to tee levers which are attached
to the healds in the ordinary way. Underneath these blades is an ordinary card or
lag cylinder fitted with pegs, which at each pick of the loom raises some of the
blades. By means of a knife crossing at right angles these blades are drawn back
from the centre of the loom, and thus raising the healds connected therewith.
Those blades that are not lifted by the pegs are carried in the opposite direction by
another knife, working in slides at the bottom side of the blades, by which the
healds connected therewith are lowered. The slide rods carrying and working
backwards and forwards the two knives referred to are continued forward to the tee
Th

page_text: cranks working the healds. To these side rods are attached two cross bars, one
behind, and the other in front of the vertical legs or arms of the tee levers; these
cross bars work in unison with the knives, the upper knife and the lower bar working
in one direction, whilst the lower knife and upper bar in an opposite direction.
The motion of the apparatus is obtained from a crank or main shaft of loom in the
usual way, and motion to the before mentioned bars that bring the tee levers and
healds back into line is transmitted through rods in connection with the before
mentioned knives.
On the same main shaft is attached a chain wheel which is in connection and
imparts motion to another chain wheel fixed on a shaft carrying a star wheel,
which is in gear with a star secured on the card cylinder shaft. When the fly wheel
of the loom is revolved the card cylinder is revolved also backwards or forwards as
the case may be to find the broken pick, or it may be so fitted that the cylinder
can be turned backward or forward without turning over the loom; also I add a
motion which when the loom knocks off for broken or finished weft will turn back
the cards according to the number of picks which the loom has made since the weft
broke, and thus the weaver's attention is not required to be directed to the card
cylinder.
My improved apparatus is so arranged that it can be converted into a double lift
machine, so as to work with either springs, weights, or by positive motion for
drawing down the healds when they have been lifted, or if desired to remain up
when lifted I add one or more extra catches which work in unison with the slide
blades or catch levers, and thus hold up the healds required for any number of
picks desired before the healds are again let down.
I also add a motion which is in connection with the change wheel stud of the
loom on which I gear one or more wheels, to which I fix one or more plates or
tappets arranged in accordance to the design required to be woven.
On to these
plates or tappets I work one or more levers according to the number of healds
required; or I can fix a cylinder on to these plates so that cards or lags may be
used; on to these cards or lags I fix levers which work against them, and in
connection with hooked levers which are in connection with the jack rods. These
hooked levers work through a grate so as to steady them. Near to the loom end
I fix a slide with one or more knives according to the number required, which may
be worked either off the crank or tappet shaft. These hooked levers are brought
into contact with the said knives by the levers which are in connection with the
card cylinder or plate tappets, and are thus actuated on by the before named
knives, which cause the healds to raise or lower as the case may be. This Invention
is of the utmost importance for the making of cloths requiring long patterns, as it
dispenses with a large number of cards which have now to be used to make the
reps and borders.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said David Sowden, Miles Sowden, and Arthur Sowden in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 3rd August 1880.
DAVID SOWDEN, MILES SOWDEN, and ARTHUR SOWDEN, trading as David
Sowden and Sons, Thornton Road, Bradford, in the County of York, Machine
Makers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the method of and apparatus
for effecting a positive motion for regulating the action of healds used in the
manufacture of textile fabrics, and to regulate the tension of all the healds at one
and the same time, also to arrange the heald apparatus for adjusting or changing
circular or drop boxes, and to connect the apparatus with the loom in such a manner
that in case the weft is broken, and the loom requires reversing to find the broken
pick or defect in the piece, the card cylinder will be reversed at the same time,
which arrangement is of great advantage when high class and costly textiles are
being woven.
We will now describe the particulars of the Invention aided by the annexed two
Sheets of Drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of our apparatus
and connections to the healds and bottom jack levers; Figure 2 is a sectional
elevation of the same, shewing the blades in connection with the draw bars and tee
levers; Figure 3 is a back end view of our apparatus; Figure 4 is a side elevation
of an arrangement whereby all the healds can be adjusted to the requisite degree of
tension;
and Figure 5 is an elevation of our improved blade.
The same letters of reference apply to similar parts in all the Figures on both
Sheets of Drawings. The apparatus is fixed to the top rail of loom in the usual
position, and actuated in the same manner as ordinary heald regulators; the
number of healds A required by the pattern of the piece to be woven fixes the
number of blades B to be worked; one end of each of these blades pass through
slide C, and the other ends of each blade are attached to the vertical legs of the tee
levers L which are connected to the healds and bottom jack levers D. Underneath
the blades B is mounted an ordinary card cylinder E worked in the usual manner.
At each pick of the loom the card on the cylinder raises one or more of the pins F
which lift the corresponding blade or blades into contact with the top draw bar G,
which draws the same back from the centre of the loom by means of projection B¹,
and raises the healds connected therewith. Those blades that are not lifted are
carried in an opposite direction by the bottom draw-bar G¹ acting upon the bottom
projection B2; the healds in connection with the said blade are lowered. On the
end of the crank shaft S' of loom we secure a crank that is connected by means of
a rod to lever H, which oscillates on its axis, and is connected by side rods J and J¹
to the draw bars G and G₁ which work backward and forward in the slides formed
in framework of apparatus. These side rods are continued forward and connected
to other draw bars K and K¹ which work in unison with the draw bars Gand G¹.
The front draw bars K. and K¹ are placed on opposite sides of the vertical legs of tee
levers L, and recede from each other at the same time the healds are opening the
'shed" for the shuttle to pass through; after the pick of the shuttle the draw
bars K and K' move in the opposite direction travelling towards each other, and
bring all the vertical legs of the tee levers back into their original position; thus,
by this arrangement of front draw bars a positive motion is obtained acting upon
the vertical legs of the tee levers, all the healds are brought level at each and every
pick of the loom, and all the healds are ensured of being in the proper position
ready for the next pick of the loom.

page_text: In order to adjust the tension of all the healds at one and the same time we
mount the jack rod levers D on spindle M which is secured to suitable brackets
attached to cross bar M¹; this cross bar is fitted in slides formed in brackets N
which may be fixed at each end of the same. The weight of the cross bar and
attachments are suspended by rods O connecting jack levers D to tee levers and by
cords O¹ connected to bottom side of healds. The requisite degree of tension is
obtained by screwing down the cross bar M¹ by hand wheel and screw P, the point
of the screw presses down the cross bar and thus tightens all the healds at one
and the same time.
Figure 6 represents a side elevation of such portions of our apparatus as are
required to describe the manner in which we can apply a peg cylinder for actuating
the blades, and an arrangement whereby the cylinder is revolved backward and
forward in unison with the crank shaft of the loom; Figure 7 is an end elevation
of the same; Figure 8 is an elevation shewing the manner in which we apply levers
to the heald apparatus for regulating circular or drop boxes; Figure 9 is an end
view of the same; and Figure 10 is an elevation of the kind of blade we use for
regulating the circular or drop boxes.
On the main shaft S' of loom is secured chain wheel R which is connected by
means of pitch chain R¹ to another chain wheel R² of the same diameter. This last
named wheel is secured on a short shaft mounted in bracket S. On the other end
of this short shaft is a star wheel T that is in connection with another star
wheel T', the circumference of which is divided into as many divisions as there are
lags on the circumference of the cylinder. The chain wheel R² and star wheel T
make one revolution for each revolution of the crank shaft S¹, and the pin T' in
the first mentioned star wheel is in such a position that the pin passes into one of
the recesses U formed in the circumference of wheel T" and changes the position of
cylinder ready for the next pick of the loom.
The blades, which are of the same construction and mounted in the same manuer
as those before described, are raised by means of pegs E' (which are ordinary) acting
upon levers V, which raise the pins F and lift the corresponding blades into contact
with the top draw bar G; those blades that are not lifted are actuated by the bottom
draw bar G¹. The blades are connected to the tee levers and actuate the same in
the manner as before described, raising and lowering the healds according to the
arrangement of pegs fitted in the cylinder. The side bars J and J' being continued
forward, as described in Figure 1, the healds are brought level at each and every
pick of the loom, and all the blades are ensured of being in the proper position for
the next pick of the loom.
In Figures 8 and 9 an arrangement is shewn by which circular and drop boxes
can be regulated by the blades in the heald apparatus. Near the back end of the
apparatus we mount a number of levers X corresponding to the number of boxes
in the loom it is desired to change; these levers X are connected by rods ✗¹ to the
ordinary levers near the bottom of the loom that are in connection with the said
boxes. At each pick of the loom when any of the blades B are lifted by the card
or lag cylinder in the manner described the top draw bar G propels the same
towards the levers X and the projecting pin Q comes in contact with one of the
vertical legs of the said levers, and moves the same in the direction of arrow such a
distance that the bottom levers in connection with the boxes are actuated and
change the box corresponding to the blade lifted in the heald machine. The pin Q
may be dispensed with and springs substituted for drawing the levers into the
position shewn by lever X³.
The levers X are brought back into their original position at each and every pick
of the loom on the return stroke of the pin Y, which also eases all the levers from
off the pin Z and relieves them so that the blades B* can be raised with ease. One
of the levers X is connected by rod X¹ to the ordinary bottom lever in connection
with the picking motion; when the blade in connection with the last named lever Xe
is raised, the said lever will be actuated in the manner as before described, and the

page_text: rod X¹ connected to the ordinary bottom lever of the picking motion will change
the catch, and thus cause the picking of the loom to change.
What we claim is,―
The arrangement and combination of the various parts of the apparatus for
accomplishing the purposes set forth in the foregoing Specification, substantially in
the manner described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Miles Sowden, for and on behalf of myself
and the said David Sowden and Arthur Sowden, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
JOHN WAUGH,
Engineer and Patent Agent,
29, Tyrrel Street,
Bradford.
MILES SOWDEN. (L.S.)