Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus for Levelling the Leaves of Heddles of Power Looms.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 8th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 12th Jan., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus for Levelling
the Leaves of Heddles of Power Looms.
We, JAMES ANGUS of 59 Meigle Street, Galashiels, in the County of Selkirk,
North Britain, Engineer, and WILLIAM AITKEN of 111 High Street, Galashiels
aforesaid Power Loom Tuner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in means or apparatus for levelling the
leaves or heddles of fast running power looms, such as for example as are known
as the "Hollingworth and Knowle's," or the "Dobcross" looms.
"
Hitherto in practice in looms of the type named, in order to operate the levelling
bar at present in use it is required to disconnect the "witch" from the working
parts before the "leaves can be levellel. This as at present arranged can oily
be done from one end of the loom, thus causing great loss of time. Besides
which, whenever a warp thread breaks the lom has not only to be stopped,
disconnected, and levelled before the thread can be replaced, but the weight of
several of the vibrator levers and other working parts have to be raised by the
levelling bar when actuated by the weaver.
Now the object of this invention is to provide simple, ready, and inexpensive
mechanism capable of being operated by the weaver from any position in front of
the loom without disconnecting the "witch," and at the same time removing as
much weight as possible from the lever or levers operated by the weaver.
66
According to this invention, when it is applied, say for instance to the
Hollingworth" class of loom, we employ a levelling bar which is fixed so as to
slide freely on the "heck" of the loom. The levelling bar is provided with two
or more suitably shaped slots, say partially horizontal and partially inclined slots,
to form cams for raising the top of the bar to a higher plane, whenever it is desired
to level the leaves. The said slots are inade longer and shaped differently from
those now in use. In the outer end of the said bar is also formed a vertical slot
which serves the double purpose of handle and guide, in which works a pin fixed
in or forming part of a crank mounted on the end of shaft carried in bearings
fixed to the front top rail of the loom. This latter shaft may if desired extend
the full width of the loom and be armed with one or more handles, wheels, or
levers whereby, on a warp thread breaking, the shalt may be rotated from any
position and the levelling bar drawn forwards, and outwards by means of the
crank and pin. On one side of the said levelling bar is fixed so as to be capable
of adjustment, a cam or tappet which is employed to press back the lock knife or
divider clear of th ends of the vibrator levers whenever it is desired to raise
them to the cylinder of the loom.
When the ends of the vibrator levers are so raised the motion of the loom will
be sufficient to level the leaves.
The levelling bar may be placed between the upright portion of the jack levers
and the upper and lower chill cylinder gear and series of vibrator wheels, and
below the connecting rods. The upper and lower chill cylinder gear, series of
vibrator wheels and levers, connecting rods, jacks, levers, and other parts of the
loom may be of ordinary construction.
Dated the Thirtieth day of July 18941.
JAMES ANGUS,
WILLIAM AITKEN,
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus for Levelling
the Leaves of Heddles of Power Looms.
We, JAMES ANGUS, of 59 Meigle Street, Galashiels, in the County of Selkirk,
North Britain, Engineer, and WILLIAM AITKEN, of 111 High Street, Galashiels
aforesaid, Power Loom Tuner, 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 improvements in means or apparatus for levelling the
leaves of heddles hereafter termed leaves of heads of fast running power looms,
such as for example as are known as the " Hollingworth and Knowle's," or the
"Dobeross" loonis.
Hitherto in practice in looms of the type named, in order to operate the levelling
bar at present in use it is required to disconnect the "witch" from the working
parts before the "leaves" of healds can be levelled. This as at present arranged
can only be done from one end of the loom, thus causing great loss of time.
Besides which whenever a warp thread breaks, the loom has not only to be stopped,
disconnected, and levelled before the thread can be replaced, but the weight of
several of the vibrator levers and other parts employed for working the Jacquard
and box motions have to be raised by the levelling bar when actuated by the
weaver.
Now the object of this invention is to provide simple, ready, and inexpensive
mechanism capable of being operated by the weaver from any position in front of
the top rail of the loom without disconnecting the "witch," and at the same time
removing as much weight as possible from the lever or levers operated by the
weaver.
.6
According to this invention, one of its chief features is when it is applied, say
for instance to the " Hollingworth" class of loom, the employment of a levelling
bar which may or may not extend the full width of the loom and it is fixed so as
to slide freely on the "heck" of the loom. This levelling bar is provided with
two or more suitably shaped slots, say partially horizontal and partially inclined
slots, to form cams for raising the top of the bar to a higher plane, whenever it is
desired to level the leaves of healds. The levelling bar is also armed on one of its
sides with an adjustable cam or tappet for pressing back the lock knife 01
"divider" clear of the ends of the vibrator levers whenever it is desired to raise
them to the cylinder of the loom. The levelling bar may, also when desired,
though not necessarily so, be armed with a check knob arranged to operate against
the rim of a wheel mounted on one of the spindles of the Jacquard cylinders, for
preventing the levelling lever being operated except when the parts of the loom
are in a convenient position for doing so and the check knob is opposite to an
aperture in the said rim which is provided to allow it to pass through.
In the drawings hereunto annexed.
66
יי
Fig. 1 is an enlarged part front elevation of a Hollingworth type of loom
with levelling lever and its operating lever shown in position.
Fig. 2 a part front elevation drawn to a smaller scale than Fig. 1. showing the
lock knife or divider in contact with the ends of the vibrator levers and the jack
levers connected to the healds.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a vibrator lever and means for permitting the
levelling bar to be operated when the parts of the loom are in a convenient position
for so doing so.
Fig. 4 an end elevation of check wheel.
Figs. 5 and 6 are elevations drawn at right angles to each other of the upper
and lower cylinders and of the "witch" for throwing them in and out of gear.

page_text: and are enlarged elevations at right angles to each of the means for
operating the levelling bar.
Figs. 9, 10, and 11, are respectively enlarged elevation, a plan, and a transverse
section of levelling bar with the cam for acting upon the lock knife or divider in
the two latter views shown in position.
Fig. 12 an enlarged plan of the cam for acting upon the lock knife or divider.
Figs. 13 and 14 elevations drawn at right angles to each other of the crank for
operating the levelling bar.
Figs. 15 and 16 are respectively an elevation and a plan of the levelling bar
armed with the means for preventing it being wrongly actuated.
Like parts in all the views which are drawn to various scales are marked with
similar letters of reference.
manner.
A is the framework and A' the front top rail of the loom. B the heald shafts,
C the jack levers supported on the loom and connected to the healds in the usual
D the upper chill cylinder gear. E the lower chill cylinder gear. The
parts of the chill cylinder gears which work the shuttle boxes are marked D'
and E' respectively, and motion is communicated to the chill cylinders from the
gearing F, through clutch G, thrown in and out of action by the lever H, vertical
shaft I and bevel gearing J and K. K' is a handle for rotating the chill cylinder
gear when the clutch G is thrown out of gear. L is the vibrator wheel of a
series arranged side by side and which are pivotted at to the vibrator levers M
attached to the rod M¹. The vibrator wheels are also attached by crank pins / to
the connecting arms N and to the jack levers C. O the lock knife or divider
hereafter termed divider which is jointed to the framework and it is arranged to
pass between the stepped ends m of the vibrator lever M as shown at Fig. 2.
All the above described parts, as well as the mechanism for bringing one or
more of the vibrator wheels, according to the pegging, into gear with either the
upper or the lower chill cylinder gear may be of ordinary and well known
construction.
P is the levelling bar which is fitted so as to slide freely on the "heck" of the
loom. The levelling bar P may be placed between the upright portion of the jack
levers C and the upper and lower chill cylinder gear D and E and series of
vibrator wheels L, and below the connecting rods N. The levelling bar Pis
provided with two (or more) slots P₁ P³, say partially horizontal and partially
inclined slots as shown at Figs. 9 and 15, by which the levelling bar is attached
to the framework of the loom. The said slots form cams for raising the top of
the levelling bar to a higher plane, as shown in dotted lines at Figs. 9 and 15, for
bringing the stepped ends m of the vibrator levers M to a common level whenever
it is required to level the leaves of healds. The said slots P' P' are made longer
and shaped differently from those now in use.
The outer end of the said bar is enlarged, in which is formed or cut a
vertical slot P which serves the double purpose of handle and guide for a crank
pin to be described. In the slot P is arranged to work a pin R fixed in or
forming part of a crank R' mounted and fixed say by a set screw 7 or its equivalent
on the end of a shaft R2 carried in bearings adjustably or otherwise fixed to
the front top rail A¹ of the loom. This latter shaft R2 may or may not, as may
be desired extend the full width of the loom. The shaft R is armed with any
desired number of handles, wheels, or levers R', say for example one lever may
be mounted on the end of the shaft opposite to the crank R' as at Fig. 7, and one
or more levers between those two points as at Fig. 1, whereby, on a warp thread
breaking, the shaft R2 may be partially rotated by the weaver from any position
in front of the top rail A and the levelling bar P drawn forwards and outwards
by means of the crank R' and pin R. A suitable method of fixing the levers R*
on the shaft R' is by set screws r'.
On one side of the said levelling bar P is fixed by say a set screws so as to be
capable of adjustment, a can or tappet S shaped as shown at Fig. 10 which is
employed to press back the divider O clear of the ends m of the vibrator levers M

page_text: as shown at Fig. 3 whenever it is desired to raise them to the cylinder of the
loom. A slot holes may be formed in the flanges for the adjustment of the cam
or tappet S.
In order to prevent the levelling lever P being operated when the motions and
various parts of the loom are not in a suitable position for doing so, the following
arrangement may be employed when desired or required namely:-
a
To the side of the levelling bar P,-opposite to that to which the cam or
tappet S is attached, is fixed a short pendant arm having a projection hereinafter
termed a a check knob T (see Fig. 15) arranged to engage with a wheel T¹
(see Figs. 2, 3, and 4) mounted on the spindle of one of chill cylinder gear, say
on spindle e of chill cylinder gear E. The rim of the wheel T' is made to extend
little past
the check knob T on the levelling bar P and thus prevents the latter
from being operated, unless when the loom is in the proper position for shifting
the levelling bar and at that part of the rim of the wheel in which a recess is
formed to enable the check knob T to pass from one side to the other of the
wheel, and should an attempt to operate the levelling bar be made at any other
part of the motion of the loom and of the rotation of wheel T' the check
knob T would come in contact with the rim of the wheel and thus prevent the
bar from passing through the wheel from either side of the wheel.
The same object might be accomplished in many other ways, such as a lever
from the crank shaft coming in contact with the operating rod across the loom
front, or by carrying a motion from the crankshaft or perpendicular shaft forward
to the levelling bar but we prefer to employ the first mentioned arrangement on
account of its few parts, simplicity and accuracy in operation.
When the ends m of the vibrator levers M are raised to the cylinder of the loom
by the bar P, the motion of the loom will be sufficient to level the leaves of
healds.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In looms having upper and lower chill cylinder gear, vibrator levers, and gear
cranks, the combination of the levelling bar slotted and armed as described, and
the means for operating the same substantially as herein described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
2. In looms for weaving, a levelling bar, such as P, slotted as described and
armed with an adjustable cam or tappet, such as S, substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and illustrated with reference to Figs. 9 to 12 and 15
and 16 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In looms having upper and lower chill gear, vibrator levers, and gear cranks,
the combination therewith of a handled and slotted levelling bar P armed with
an adjustable cam or tappet S for pressing back the "divider" O, said levelling
bar being operated by a shaft R fixed to the front top rail A¹ of the loom having
levers R and a crank R',-armed with a pin R,-mounted thereon, substantially
as herein described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Seventh day of December 1894.
JAMES ANGUS,
WILLIAM AITKEN,
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.