Improvements relating to the Weaving of Chenille Fabrics and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 12th Aug., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Weaving of Chenille Fabrics and to
Apparatus therefor.
I, HARRY HARDWICK, of 3152, North Broad Street, Philadelphia, County of
Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America Manufacturer,
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:
In the weaving of chenille fabrics as now generally carried on, whether the
chenille be the ordinary chenille in which the tufts or fur projects from both
sides, or the Axminster type in which the fur projects from one side, the fur or
chenille weft is first prepared according to a pre-arranged pattern. After each pick
of said weft it is placed in correct contiguity with the preceding contiguous weft
by the operator, who has before him the pattern and arranges successive weft
picks, by hand, to bring the proper colours in contiguity to carry out in the fabric
the correct pattern shown in the design. This necessitates the use of skilled
operatives, is somewhat slow, and often results in mistakes prejudicial to the
finish and correct design of the fabric.
My invention has for its object to reduce the skill necessary for the operatives,
and to make the weaving more rapid and thus reduce the cost. It also has for
its object to make the setting more certain and thus reducing to a minimum
the mistakes in the fabric, and thus increasing the finish and correct design of
the fabric.
To that end, while still employing the ordinary warp, which may be operated
by shafts in the usual manner, my invention consists in placing across the loom
in the line of the weft a plurality of indicating devices which are connected by
appropriate mechanism with a jacquard operated by pattern cards, which pattern
cards are cut to correspond to the prearranged pattern, so that after each pick of
the chenille weft the proper indicating devices are operated to locate the proper
setting position for the weft thrown, so that a mechanical point is indicated with-
out the operator referring to the design. The indicating devices may be the mark
of a position of a given color of the weft thrown, or may indicate the beginning
and ending of the figure and ground or any desired prearranged scheme. But,
in any event, the operator has only to locate the prearranged indications upon the
weft with relation to the declaration of the indicating devices.
I will now describe the embodiment of my invention as shown in the accom-
panying drawings-
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing my improved method of indicating the change of
colour by means of the warp.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fabric and the upper warps.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of indicating device.
Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of a portion of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a diagram of
another modified form.
Where the warp used in weaving the fabric is fine enough and sufficient in
number 1 prefer to use this same warp as indicating devices. Such construction

page_text: is shown in Figures 1 and 2. In that construction, A, A1, A2, A3, &c. represent
the warp, which is connected to the shafts B in the ordinary manner.
This warp is connected to tails b and extends through orifices in the shafts,
having the knot to enable it to be lifted by the shaft. The tails b extend
beyond the shaft and are connected to the hooks C of an ordinary jacquard
lifted by the grippe or knife D, and controlled by the needles E, operating the
cards in the ordinary manner. The lift of the jacquard is made greater than the
lift of the shaft, so that when a warp is lifted by the jacquard it is elevated higher
than the lift of that or any other warp by the shaft. The jacquard is so arranged
as to operate for each pick of the tuft or fur and the card controlling the hooks
to be lifted so cut that the warp is lifted by the jacquard at the desired indicating
points and being lifted higher than any warp lifted by the shaft leaves a mechanical
and visual point of setting. In Figure 1 warp A is lifted by the shaft, warp A¹
by the jacquard and warps A2, A3 are unaffected either by shaft or jacqaurd."
The general scheme is illustrated in Figure 2. In this the prearranged scheme
is that the indicating devices shall indicate the change from ground L to
Figure Land vice versa, and it is shown after a pick has been thrown and the
warp at those points lifted by the jacquard to a higher level than the warp lifted
by the shafts. The operator has, therefore, only to set the proper color at those
points mechanically and the pattern is followed with certainty and celerity.
The cards are of course so cut that after each pick throughout the weaving the
warp at the proper point will be lifted by the jacquard.
Of course I do not intend to limit myself to any particular form of jacquard
or equivalent mechanism. A lifter board jacquard would operate equally well,
or a dobby, or any kind of mechanism in which, through or by the indication of
a card or series of cards or equivalent device, any one or a plurality of warps
may be lifted. This is, of course, a general definition of a jacquard and also
equally applies to kindred mechanism to accomplish the same result, and when I
use the term jacquard machine I intend to include broadly any such mechanism
as would be covered by this definition.
In Figures 3 and 4 I have shown another form of embodiment of my invention.
In this embodiment, instead of using the warp as indicating devices I use a
series of pins F, projecting from a box, G, across the loon. As may be seen,
these pins are acted upon by the spring f, to hold them normally projecting
through orifices f' in the box. Each pin is connected to a tail h which extends
backward along and beyond the box and are each connected to a jacquard
apparatus not shown. The operation is similar to that of Figures 1 and 2 the
difference being that the action of the jacquard pulls the pin operated into the
orifices, leaving an open space to indicate the point where the setting is to be
done. When the jacquard descends the spring returns the pin.
In Figure 5 I have shown the same general form of embodiment of my invention
shown in Figures 1 and 2 applied to a fabric in which the warp A, A³, &c. used
in weaving the fabric are too few in number across the loom to provide sufficient
number of indicating devices across the loom to set the pattern absolutely. In
that case I use supplemental warp J which are connected to the jacquard, but
not to the beam and in the loom lie below the regular warp so as not to interfere
with the weaving. After each pick, the predetermined warp, are lifted by the
jacquard to indicate the setting points.
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:-
1. In looms for weaving chenille fabrics, the combination of a plurality of
indicating devices extending across the loom, a jacquard mechanism and connec-
tion between said indicating devices and the jacquard mechanism for the purpose
specified.
2. In looms for weaving chenille fabrics, in combination with the shaft, of a

page_text: plurality of warp connected therewith, a jacquard machine, and connection
between said jacquard and the warp for moving parts of the warp out of the plane
of the warp for the purpose specified.
3. In looms for weaving chenille fabrics, in combination with the shafts, of
a plurality of warp connected therewith, a jacquard machine and connection
between said jacquard and the warp, the lift of the jacquard being greater than
the lift of the shaft for the purpose specified.
4. In looms for weaving chenille fabric, in combination with the shafts and
regular warp connected therewith, of a plurality of supplemental warp, a jacquard,
and connection between said supplemental warp and the jacquard for the purpose
specified.
Dated 10th day of Maren 1000.
HARRY HARDWICK.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.