IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING." A communication from abroad by
William Riding, of Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Machinist.
Sealed the 15th February 1878, and dated the 8th September 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th September 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT JAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
[A communication from abroad by William Riding, of Norristown, Pennsylvania,
United States of America, Machinist.]
The first part of my improvements has for its object the prevention of "smashes"
in weaving. The said improvements have for their further objects to provide for
the ready removal of the reed without taking off the lay cap; to cause the lay to
'dwell" when the shuttle is coming home; and to effect the rapid starting and
stoppage of the loom at proper times.
"
The said Invention comprises the novel construction and combination of parts,
as herein-after set forth, namely, a removable, pivotted, or swinging reed fitted in a
groove in the lay cap and held in place by a slide, and the combination with the
said pivoted or swinging reed of a bar, sustained upon arms, a rock shaft or rod,
and a cam, and other parts, so constructed and arranged that the said reed will be
locked when the shuttle is properly moving across the race, but free to swing and
allow the backward escape of the shuttle when the latter does not reach its place
in the box at the right time.
It also comprises the combination with the lay and crank shaft of pitman rods,
so arranged and operating as to cause the lay to "dwell" when the cranks are
moving from their lower to their upper back centre; and the combination with the
I Price 6d1

page_text: swinging reed and locking bar, sustained upon the said arms, of a rod or shaft,
baving arms and a cain for locking the reed.
It also comprises the combination with the crank shaft of a supplemental shaft,
gearing therewith by a wheel of smaller diameter than the meshing pinion on the
said crank shaft, so as to rapidly start and stop the latter; and the combination of
two single "dupes" or heald staves, provided with cords, looped without knotting,
having loops in different planes, so that the loops of one dupe" will be above and
the loops of the other below the yarns of the warp.
"
The said Invention also comprises the use of healds or heddles, composed of two
sets of single "dupes," each of said sets consisting of two single "dupes," having
cords looped without knots, the loops of each "dupe" in the same set being in a
different plane from the loops of its fellow "dupe."
Also the use of a bar, located above and parallel with the race, and adapted to
be moved down to rest upon the yarns while the shuttle is being picked and
moving across the race, and to be elevated and out of contact with the yarns when
the shuttle is in the shuttle box.
It also comprises the combination with the aforesaid bar of a shaft, having arms,
a spring or weight, and lever, and a shaft having a cam or excentric; these parts
operating in such a manner that when the lay moves back the said bar will be
lowered upon the yarns, and will remain there while the shuttle is picked and
moves across the race, the said bar being then raised from the yarns.

page_text: I is another arm attached to the shaft or rod D, designed to strike the stop rod K
when the shuttle is not home in one of the boxes at the right time. The bar C is
of
of sufficient length to lap upon and serve to hold fast the hinged backs F', F¹,
the shuttle boxes when said bar is elevated, as herein-after set forth.
L represents the crank shaft, and the cranks thereof, from which extend two
pitmans, pivotted to the brackets B¹, B¹. The cranks and pitmans are so adjusted
with reference to the lay that the latter will "dwell" when the former are moving
from their lower to their upper back centre, the rear end of the pitmans swinging
with the cranks from their centres on the pivots c³. The motion of the cranks
while the lay "dwells," as stated, is shown in dotted lines in Figure 4.
When the lay is beating up the woof the shuttle should be in one of the boxes F ;
and when thus in its box, the swell finger of said box is pushed by it outwardly
against the adjacent arm E, causing the shaft or rod D so to be turned or rocked
as to throw up the arms C', C', and elevate the bar C, thus making fast or locking
the pivoted reed B. Should the shuttle, however, at this time be upon the race
instead of in one of the boxes, the arms E, E, will push the swell fingers into their
boxes, the movement of said arms being caused by the rocking of the shaft or
rod D produced by the weight of the bar C on the arms C¹, C'; or in other words,
if the shuttle be in its proper place in the lay at the time indicated, it will, by
preventing the yielding of the swell finger and the inward movement of the arms
E, E, hold the bar C elevated and keep the swinging reed locked. But if it be not
in one of the boxes at that time the bar C will move down by its own gravity, the
arms E then meeting with no resistance back of the swell fingers, and the reed will
be free to swing back and allow the shuttle to escape. When, however, the shuttle
is picked and leaves its box, the bar C is then prevented from descending far enough
to clear the bottom of the reed by reason of the antifriction rollers g¹, gl, mounting
the cams or swells H on the frame B2 as the lay continues to move back, thus
keeping the arms C³, C₁, elevated and the sliding bar C sufficiently raised to lock
the reed while the shuttle is moving across the race.
When the shuttle does not come home at the right time the bar C slides down
and the reed B is then free to swing backwardly, thus allowing egress for the
shuttle and avoiding a smash. The downward movement of the bar C also leaves
the hinged backs F, F1, of the boxes F, F, free to swing backwardly, thus further
facilitating the recession of the shuttle from the race.
The contact of the cams H, H, with the rollers g¹, g¹, has the effect of rocking
the shaft D in such manner as to cause the arms E, E, to be drawn away from the
swells e', e', (which with my improvements may be unprovided with springs) so
that when the shuttle is being picked it is not clamped by said fingers, but is free
to receive and acquire the full force of the blow or stroke of the picker, and is thus
enabled to travel with greater momentum and rapidity, accomplishing a higher
number of picks per minute than is possible in looms of the common construction.
The dwell of the lay permits a longer time for the shuttle to come home to its
place in the box than if such provision were not made, while at the same time the
speed of the crank shaft is not diminished nor the number of picks per minute
decreased.
I have described the foregoing improvements as applied to a loom having swell
fingers and a protection rod on the front of the shuttle box, but they are equally
applicable to looms the shuttle boxes of which have no swell fingers, but are pro-
vided with a protection rod located in the rear of said shuttle boxes. The application
of my improvements to looms of this latter construction is illustrated in Figures 8
and 9, wherein R is the protection rod sustained in boxes r on the sword lays A2, A2,
and S, S, are the arms secured thereto, curved or bent at their upper extremities
which enter openings f, f, in the back of the boxes F, F, so as to impinge against
the shuttle; T is the sliding bar which locks the reed, and U, U, the arms by
means of which it is sustained, said arms resting on other short arms t, t, fast on
the protection rod R, the arms U, U, being pivotted in bearings u secured to the
front of the race or lay.

page_text: The other parts of the loom, with the modifications just described, will be sub-
stantially the same as those first above mentioned, notably the rearwardly extending
arms R¹ fast on shaft R and cams R2, and the operation will produce the same
results as those already set forth, namely, the reed will be locked when the shuttle
is properly moving across the race, and when said shuttle comes home at the right
time to its place in the boxes, while said reel will be released by the downward
movement of the sliding bar, and allowed to swing back for the escape of the
shuttle if the latter does not come home or reach its place in the boxes at the proper
time.
For heavy looms an additional shaft, having a gear wheel v meshing with the
pinion L' on the crank shaft L, may be employed.
When the shaft V is employed, the pulley v¹ thereon for the driving belt may be
but half the size of that usually employed on the crank shaft L, as, for instance,
where a pulley twenty inches in diameter has been employed on said shaft L, one
of but ten inches diameter need be used on the supplemental shaft V. This will
give, say, twice the ordinary speed to said shaft V (that is to say, twice the ordinary
speed of the crank shaft), and correspondingly quickens the shipping of the running
belt on to the pulley v. This will ensure the almost instantaneous starting of the
loom by the power used for driving it, and dispense with the weavers, assisting said
starting by hand, as has been heretofore found necessary; so too as there is no
"banging" with a loom of this construction, and as the unshipping of the belt and
stoppage of the loom owing to the small size and rapid motion of the pulley v¹ is
almost instantly effected, all "back lash" is avoided.
In every case the shaft V should be geared so as to move much faster (that is to
say, make more revolutions per minute) than the crank shaft L, in practice, I should
say, three to four times as fast as the latter.
My Invention further relates to loom healds or heddles formed of single "dupes,"
the cords of which are looped without being knotted, two dupes being combined to
form a set or side, and two such sets being combined to raise and lower the warp
threads in order to form the shed.
In Figures 11 and 12 of the Drawings 1 represents the heald staves, and 2 the
threads or cords made of any suitable material, as cotton, linen, or wire. There are
two sets of healds, marked 3 and 4 respectively, constituting the harness. Each
of said sets is composed of two single "dupes," the upper cords of which, shown at 5,
and lower cords, shown at 6, form simply loops 7 and 8 without knotting. Two of
these dupes combined, as shown, form a set, the loops of one dupe being in a higher
plan than those of its fellow dupe in the same set, so that the yarn shown at 9
will pass above the loops of one dupe and below the loops of the other in the
same set.
To cause the loops of one dupe in a set to be in a different plane from those of
its fellow, the upper cords of one dupe are made shorter than the upper cords of the
other, the lower cords of both being relatively the reverse in the matter of length;
or the threads or cords of both dupes may be of an equal length, thus bringing the
loops of each exactly midway between the staves. Then in combining the two
dupes to form a set the staves of one are dropped to a plane below the staves of
the other, thus bringing the loops of one dupe into a different plane from that of
the other.
To form the harness, two sets, each set consisting of two single dupes, are
arranged, as shown in the Drawings, and when operated in the customary manner
for moving healds or heddles will alternately raise and lower the yarns to form
the shed.
I am aware that a single "dupe" is not in itself new, but has been already
known and used; such single dupe, however, operating only to either draw up or
draw down the warp, accordingly as the yarns of the latter passed above or below
its loops, and not being available for both raising and lowering said yarns. This
Invention does not therefore comprise the construction of a single dupe but the

page_text: combination of two dupes to form a set, and the combination of two such sets to
form the harness or complete healds or heddles.
A further object of my Invention is to prevent the shuttle from flying out at the
front of the loom, breaking the yarn or warp and endangering the life and person
of the weaver. This part of my Invention consists in the provision of a bar, which
rests upon the yarns above the race in such a position as to prevent the shuttle from
flying out at the front, said bar being so arranged and operated that it will be in the
described position while the shuttle is being picked and moving across the race,
but will be lifted up from the yarns so as to leave free access to the latter by the
weaver when the shuttle is resting in the box.
In Figures 13 and 14 of the accompanying Drawings W represents a bar parallel
with the race and sustained upon two curved arms w, w, which are secured to a
rock shaft W', having bearings in or upon the swords A²; w02 is an arm, having at
one end an eye or collar w³ and set screw w', by means of which it is secured to
the shaft W', and at the other end an antifriction roller w; we is another arm
rigidly secured to the shaft W¹, and X is a spiral spring fastened to said arm and
to one of the swords A² at x. The object of this spring, for which a weight, as
shown in Figure 14, may be substituted, is to keep the shaft W' in such a position
that the bar W will be held elevated from the yarns when not depressed by the
means now to be described; Y is a cam or excentric on the crank shaft L, and Z a
lever pivoted at z to the frame piece B³, and extending forwardly so as to rest on
said shaft L. The forward end of said lever is rounded, as shown at z¹.
When the lay moves back the roller we meets the lever Z and rides upon it, said
lever being then raised by the cam or excentric Y on the shaft L. This causes the
shaft W to be rocked and the bar W to be lowered upon the yarns. The shuttle
is now picked, the bar W remaining in the lowered position just described until the
shuttle has crossed the race. By the time the shuttle has passed over the race
the cam Y has moved from under the lever Z, allowing the latter to fall and the
shaft W' to be rocked under the influence of the spring or weight X, causing the
bar W to be raised from the yarns and out of the way of the weaver if he wish to
obtain access to said yarns. Before every pick the bar W is lowered and after every
pick it is elevated, as described.
I have illustrated the parts, just described and shown in Figures 13 and 14, as
in position for operation when the pick is made with the crank on the lower
centre; but said parts may be arranged to operate in the same manner and with
like results, when the shuttle is picked with the crank on the upper centre by
placing the cam or excentric Y on the opposite side of the shaft L, that is to say,
diametrically opposite the position shown.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The removable reed fitted in a groove in the lay cap and held in place by
the slide, as above described.
Second. In combination with the pivotted or swinging reed the bar, sustained
upon arms, the rock shaft or rod, the arms, the swells, and the cam, so constructed,
arranged, and operating that the said reed will be locked when the shuttle is
properly moving across the race, but free to swing, and allow the backward escape
of the shuttle when the latter does not reach its place in the box at the right time,
as above set forth.
Third. In combination with the lay and crank shaft the pitman rod, so arranged
and operating as to cause the lay to "dwell" when the cranks are moving from
their lower to their upper back centre, as above set forth.
Fourth. In combination with the swinging reed and the locking bar, sustained
upon arms, the rod or shaft having arms and the cam, arranged and operating as
above set forth.
Fifth. In combination with the crank shaft the supplemental shaft, gearing

page_text: therewith by a wheel of smaller diameter than the meshing pinion on the said
crank shaft so as to rapidly start and stop the latter, as above set forth.
Sixth. The improvements in and relating to loom healds or heddles, as above
specified, and as illustrated in Figures 11 and 12 of the Drawings.
Seventh. The bar located above and parallel with the race, and adapted to be
moved down to rest upon the yarns while the shuttle is being picked and moving
across the race, and to be elevated and out of contact with the yarns when the
shuttle is in the box, as above described.
Eighth. In combination with the bar the shaft, having arms, the spring or
weight, the lever, and the shaft having cam or excentric, these several parts being
constructed and operating as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
W. ROBT, LAKE. (Ls.)

page_text: FIG. 12.