IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents, 66,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS." A communication from abroad
by the New York Silk Manufacturing Company (Incorporated), of the City
and State of New York, United States of America.
ealed the 15th April 1879, and dated the 22nd October 1878
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd October 1878.
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS." [A
communication from abroad by the New York Silk Manufacturing Company
(Incorporated), of the City and State of New York, United States of America.]
This Invention is more particularly designed to be applied to looms for weaving
ribbons and other narrow ware.
The first part of the Invention relates to the shuttle, and consists in a shuttle
constructed as follows:-A skeleton frame which carries the bobbin has attached to
it a warp bridge that extends lengthwise of the shuttle, and serves to guard the
filling by supporting the warp, so that it cannot be caught by the weft in the
passage of the shuttle through the shed. Said warp bridge is supported and
braced by a thread equalizing bar which serves to equalize tension on the weft as
the latter is drawn from different parts of the length of the bobbin. The shuttle
frame is also provided with an additional longitudinally arranged rod or bar, which
not only serves the further to brace the shuttle frame, but also as a guide for take
up springs for taking up surplus thread drawn from the bobbin by the throw of
the shuttle. Said springs arranged one at each end of the shuttle are provided
with eyes through which the weft thread passes after leaving the equalizing bar,
and passing through an eye on the opposite side of the shuttle and before passing
to the delivery oye of the shuttle. A shuttle thus constructed is not only strong

page_text: and light but admits of a long shuttle bobbin being used without material change
of the draft or tension on the thread or silk carried by it.
The Invention likewise consists in certain combinations of means for producing
-the-reciprocating motion_of_the_shuttle driver, the same including a stationary
rack attached to the frame of the loom, a rack connected with the shuttle driver
and intervening-rolling-gear-arranged-to-engage with both of said racks, for the
purpose of imparting an increased or accelerated motion to the shuttle in a simple
and efficient manner.
The Invention also consists in a novel means for operating duplicate fingers
which are attached to the reciprocating shuttle driver for moving the shuttle in
opposite directions. These means comprise a longitudinally sliding plate arranged
on the face of the shuttle driver and provided with cam-shaped slots with which
the fingers engage a rack attached to said plate, a toothel sector pivotted to the
shuttle driver and engaging on one side of its axis with said rack, and a slotted
stationary bar, with which said toothed sector engaged on the opposite side of its
axis. In and by the operation of these devices the longitudinally sliding plate is
reciprocated at intervals to give the requisite in and out motion of the fingers
relatively to the shuttle, as said fingers are reciprocated in common with the shuttle
carrier.
Furthermore the Invention consists in a stop motion of novel kind, and in cer-
tain combinations of devices used in carrying the same into effect for arresting the
action of the loom on the breakage of one or more of the warp yarns, without
arresting the motion of the driving devices of the loom and of its stop motion.
Said stop motion and combinations of devices for carrying the same into effect comprise
a series of hooked drop wires pended on the warp yarns and made capable of a free
up and down motion. Each of these wires is connected to a tumbler, which on the
breakage of the warp is brought into contact with a rotating spider having or
working around an upright spindle, and is held in position by a stop to be struck
by the spider. This causes an upper clutch section which forms or is attached
to the hub of the spider to be arrested, and by its pressure or action on a lower
driving clutch section which is supported by a spring, depresses said lower clutch
section and brings a lever connected therewith into gear with a rotating screw.
This screw when thus held by the lever is caused to slide along its shaft and
thereby made to disengage a clutch pulley from a driving pulley of the stop motion,
The rotating and sliding screw has also connected with it a forked rod, which has
attached to it a lever that controls a clutch by which a driving pulley is put out
of gear with the loom driving shaft when the driving pulley of the stop motion is
disengaged. The clutch section which drives the spider and the clutch section on
the spider by which the latter is driven have their meeting faces formed of a series
of inclines, which combined with the spring support of the driving clutch section,
and with the rotating and sliding screw used in the stop mechanism insure a
positive and prompt stop motion which is free from all objectionable jerking action
or shock.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
April 1879.
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS," A
communication from abroad by The New York Silk Manufacturing Company
(Incorporated) of the City and State of New York, United States of America.
This Invention is more particularly designed to be applied to looms for weaving
ribbons and other narrow wares.
The first part of the Invention relates to the shuttle, and consists in a shuttle
constructed as follows:-A skeleton frame which carries the bobbin has attached to
it a warp bridge that extends lengthwise of the shuttle and serves to guard the
filling by supporting the warp so that it cannot be caught in the weft in the
passage of the shuttle through the shed. Said warp bridge is supported and braced
by a thread equalizing bar which serves to equalize tension on the weft as the
latter is drawn from different parts of the length of the bobbin. The shuttle frame
is also provided with an additional longitudinally arranged rod or bar, which not
only serves to further brace the shuttle frame, but also as a guide for take-up
springs for taking up surplus thread drawn from the bobbin by the throw of the
shuttle. Said springs arranged one at each end of the shuttle are provided with
eyes through which the weft thread passes after leaving the equalizing bar, and
passing through an eye on the opposite side of the shuttle, and before passing to
the delivery eye of the shuttle. A shuttle thus constructed is not only strong and
light but admits of a long shuttle bobbin being used without material change of
the draft or tension on the thread or silk carried by it.
The Invention likewise consists in certain combinations of means for producing
the reciprocating motion of the shuttle driver or carrier, the same including a
stationary rack. attached to the frame of the loom, a rack connected with the shuttle
carrier and intervening rolling gear arranged to engage with both of said racks for
the purpose of imparting an increased or accelerated motion to the shuttle in a
simple and efficient manner.
The Invention also consists in a novel means for operating duplicate fingers
which are attached to the reciprocating shuttle carrier for moving the shuttle in
opposite directions. These means comprise a longitudinally sliding plate arranged
on the face of the shuttle carrier and provided with cam shaped slots with which
the fingers engage a rack attached to said plate, a toothed sector pivotted to the
shuttle carrier and engaging on one side of its axis with said rack, and a slotted
stationary bar with which said toothed sector engages on the opposite side of its
axis. In and by the operation of these devices the longitudinally sliding plate is
reciprocated at intervals to give the requisite in-and-out motion of the fingers
relatively to the shuttle as said fingers are reciprocated in common with the shuttle
carrier.
Furthermore the Invention consists in a stop motion of novel kind, and in certain
combinations of devices used in carrying the same into effect for arresting the
action of the loom on the breakage of one or more of the warp yarns, without
arresting the motion of the driving devices of the loom and of its stop motion.
Said stop motion and combinations of devices for carrying the same into effect
comprise a series of hooked drop wires pendent from the warp yarns and made
capable of a free up-and-down motion. Each of these wires is connected to a
tumbler, which on the breakage of the warp is brought into contact with a rotating
spider having or working around an upright spindle, and is held in position by a
stop to be struck by the spider. This causes an upper clutch section which forms
or is attached to the hub of the spider to be arrested, and by its pressure or action
on a lower driving clutch section which is supported by a spring, depresses said

page_text: lower clutch section and brings a lever connected therewith into gear with a
rotating screw. This screw when thus held by the lever is caused to slide along
its shaft and thereby made to disengage a clutch pulley from a driving pulley of
the stop-motion. The rotating and sliding screw has also connected with it a forked
rod which has attached to it a lever that controls à clutch, by which-a-driving-
pulley is put out of gear-with-the-loom-driving, shaft when the driving pulley of
the stop motion is disengaged. The clutch section which drives the spider and the
clutch section on the spider by which the-latter is driven have their mecting faces
_formed of a series of inclines, which, combined with the spring support of the
driving clutch section and witli the rotating-and sliding screw used in the stop
mechanisin, insure a positive and prompt stop motion which is free from all objec-
-tionable jerking action or shock._
Having thus specified the object or objects and nature of the--Invention, its
description will be proceeded with in reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1 represents a partly broken side elevation of a loom having the Invention
applied; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the loom; Fig. 3, a plan view of the lower
portion of the stop motion; Fig. 4, a side view, upon a larger scale, of one of the
hook bars and tumblers of the warp stop motion; Fig. 5, a sectional rear elevation
of the loom, in part, mainly in illustration of said stop motion; Fig. 6, a rear eleva-
tion of the loom, in part, in illustration of the shuttle and shuttle driving devices;
Fig. 7 is a transverse section, in part, on the line x, x, in Fig. 6, looking in direction
of the arrow y; Fig. S is a view showing a modified construction of the driving
gear of the shuttle; Fig. 9 is a plan view of the shuttle upon a larger scale, and Fig.
10, a central transverse section thereof.
A represents the frame of the loom, and B its driving shaft, to which motion is
communicated by belts and pulleys from a lower countershaft C.
D is an upper beam or roller down to and under which the warp yarns b are
passed.
E represents the harness of the loom; F, its shuttle; G, the shuttle race intersected
by a central space to provide for the passage and shedding of the warp; H, the lay, and
I, I, the take-up rolls of the loom; A3 is the cam shaft for operating the harness; B³, the
harness operating cams; C3, the rock shaft of the lay; D3, the shaft of the lower
take-up roll actuated by gearing from the cam shaft A³, and E3 a gear wheel on the
loom driving shaft B, for giving motion by gears F³, G3, and H3, to the cam shaft
A³, and to a shaft T, herein-after referred to, from which the shuttle derives its
motion.
Referring in the first instance to the construction of the shuttle shown in the
Drawings, and more particularly to Figures 9 and 10, said shuttle is here repre-
sented as made with a straight skeleton frame F for travel along a straight race or
way, but so far as its warp bridge, equalizing bar, and take-up devices herein-after
described are concerned, the frame of the shuttle might be of curvilinear form for
travel within an arched or circular race; J is the bobbin of the shuttle; c, its thread,
and d, e, an ordinary or any-other-suitable spring pressure device applied to the
bobbin to control its run; K is a warp bridge extending lengthwise of the shuttle,
and attached to the frame of the latter. This bridge which occupies a raised
position in relation with the bobbin and other parts of the shuttle, is preferably
arranged on the outer side of the bobbin, and serves to guard the filling by supporting
the warp from being caught by the weft in the passage of the shuttle through the
shed back of the bobbin also on its outer side but below the level of the warp
bridge is an equalizing bar L. This bar which likewise extends lengthwise of the
shuttle is attached to the back of the warp bridge K, thus bracing the latter on the
warp bridge and equalizing bar, serving to mutually support each other, and to
brace the shuttle frame by a single connection of the two as distinguished from a
separate connection of each, thereby giving lightness and strength to the shuttle.
The shuttle thread c passes from the bobbin J around or over this bar L, and from
thence to a take-up and through an eye f in the inner side of the shuttle, and as
said thread is taken from the bobbin, it is caused to travel alternately backwards and

page_text: forwards along the bar L as the thread is unwound or drawn first from one end of
the bobbin and afterwards from the opposite end thereof. This bar L serves to so
materially reduce variation in angular draft of the thread from the bobbin, as vir-
tually to equalize tension on the thread, as the latter is drawn from opposite ends
of the bobbin alternately. This is clearly shewn by full and dotted lines in Fig. 9
of the Drawings. By the use of an equalizing bar a much longer bobbin than
would be otherwise practicable without seriously impairing the tension may be used,
and by employing a longer shuttle bobbin it of course will carry more thread than
a short one, thus diminishing the frequency of refilling the shuttle, and it will not
present the objection which a short bobbin having the same amount of thread on it
does, viz., of requiring the shed to be opened inconveniently wide for
passage
through it of the shuttle and its bobbin. The take-up which provides for taking
up surplus thread drawn from the bobbin by the throw of the shuttle consists in
part of two opposite end coiled springs M, N, provided with eyes on their inner
ends for passage of the thread through them, and arranged loosely around a
supporting and guiding rod N, which extends lengthwise of the shuttle through
both of said springs, and furthermore serves to stiffen or brace the shuttle frame.
The thread c as it is taken from the bobbin or as it is drawn from off the equal-
izing bar passes first through a smooth or ring guide g, midway of the rod N, and
which may be flexibly attached to said rod. From thence said thread passes to and
through the eye of one of the springs M, and from said eye to and through the eye
of the other spring M, and from thence through the eye of the shuttle. A take-
up constructed as described is both simple and efficient, and has a graduated or
divided action upon the thread on opposite sides of the eye f through which the
thread ultimately passes.
Referring in the next instance to the shuttle motion or means for moving the
shuttle by positive action, as distinguished from a picker motion, and more par-
ticularly to Figures 6, 7, and 8, of the Drawings, 0, 0, are the driving fingers of
the shuttles. These fingers are arranged to slide up and down within or through
guides h, h, on the shuttle carrier, as the frame p carrying said fingers may be
termed; and the said fingers are operated so that they alternately engage with and
disengage from the shuttle at its opposite end by passing in and out of apertures i, i,
in the shuttle. The shuttle carrier B is constructed to reciprocate on or along the
ways of the shuttle race G, and has attached to its under face a rack Q. Between
this rack and a lower stationary rack R is a rolling gearing S, having a rolling
action over and along the fixed rack R, and actuating on the opposite side of its
axis the movable rack Q. The travel of said intervening toothed or rolling gear
over and along the stationary rack R coupled with its rotation about its axis, gives
an accelerated motion to the shuttle carrier P, which accelerated motion is increased
by employing duplicate intervening gear of different diameters or a single rolling
gear of shorter radius on that side of its axis on which it engages with the stationary
rack R than on the opposite side of its axis on which it engages with the movable
rack of the shuttle carrier P, as shewn in Figure 8. The construction or com-
bination of parts shewn in Figures 6 and 7 is substantially the same, only that the
rolling gear S is composed of independent toothed wheels k, l, fast on the same arbor m,
which wheels gear respectively with the racks R and Q, that is to say, the wheel k,
which is of larger radius, gears with the moveable rack Q of the carrier, and the
wheel, which is of lesser radius, gears with the stationary rack R. This rolling inter-
vening gear may have its motion imparted to it substantially as follows:-On shaft T,
which derives its motion by gearing from the loom shaft B, is a grooved cam V,
which engages with a roller or stud n on a roller frame W that is free to reciprocate
along or between ways Y, Y. This roller frame W carries on its one side or face
the arbor m, on which are the wheels k, l, that rotate together. As the wheel /
rolls over the stationary rack R it serves to secure for the movable rack Q a certain
accelerated velocity relatively to the roller frame W, and as the larger wheel k
imparts motion to the movable rack Q this accelerated motion is increased in pro-
portion to the difference in diameters of the wheels and . Thus from a com-

page_text: paratively slow driving motion of the cam V a highly accelerated velocity is
obtained for the shuttle. Instead of a driving cam a crank applied either directly
or otherwise might be employed to reciprocate the rolling gear over the stationary
rack or when-a-cam-is-used it may be applied indirectly to reciprocate the bar or
frame which carries the rolling gear, or other equivalents may be used. It is
preferred however to employ a cam V, and to apply the same directly to the hub
of the rolling gear, or, which is the same thing, to the stud or roller n on the roller
frame Win like axial position with said gear, and which stud is practically an
_extension of the hub of said gear. This is a very simple and efficient means of
communicating motion to the rolling gear. In the face of the shuttle carrier P is a
longitudinally sliding plate A³, which has cam slots a¹, a¹, in it. These slots
receive rollers or studs b', 6', on the fingers 0, 0, for the purpose of actuating
the latter as the plate A' moves to and fro, so that as one-finger approaches
the warp it is disengaged from its shuttle by its controlling cam slot a', and the
other finger continues the motion of the shuttle until the disengaged finger has
passed the warp, when it in its turn is made to again engage with the shuttle, and
the remaining finger is withdrawn from its aperture in the shuttle to provide for
the passage of the heel of the latter out of the warp. The sliding plate A¹ is
reciprocated at intervals to give the requisite in-and-out motion of the fingers to
the shuttle, as said fingers are reciprocated in common with the shuttle carrier P.
This is done by means of a toothed sector B₁ pivotted to the carrier P at c¹ and
gearing with a rack on the sliding plate A³, and controlled by a slotted fixed
bar Con the reverse side of the axis of the toothed sector, a roller or stud e¹ on said
side of it entering within a grinding slot f! in this stationary bar C¹. This secures
a very steady and reliable action for the fingers, which are directed in their up-
and-down movement by the loops or guides h, h, above and below the operating
connection of said fingers with the sliding plate A'. Referring in the next instance
to the stop motion for the loom which operates on breakage of the warp yarn, and
more especially to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the Drawings, power is transmitted
from the countershaft C, which communicates motion by belt and pulley to the
main shaft of the loom, and by a band g' and a pulley D' to the stop mechanism
by or through a pulley E' rotating in common with the pulley D', a belt
or band and a pulley F¹ upon a shaft G. Constructed to hook on to the
warp yarns b are the drop wires J, J₁, that is, one to each of said yarns. These
wires are restrained from becoming displaced or from inconveniently dropping out
of position by passing them through loose rings k, l, upon a cross bar l, and pro-
viding them with bow lines m², which are also threaded through the rings, as shewn
in Figures 4 and 5. These wires J¹, J, are attached below by cords n¹ to tumblers
K', K', which are fitted loosely upon rods o¹, and are held in an approximately hori-
zontal position, as shewn for two of them in Fig. 5, when the hooked wires J' are
pendant on the warp, but which drop into a downward position, as illustrated by
one of them in said Figure, when a warp yarn breaks, and are retained in such
position to enable-then-to-perform their necessary "stop" duty by shoulders 1
coming in contact with fixed stops s¹. Or said tumblers K may be thrown up and
out of action by inclining them against the stops s¹ when it is not necessary to
employ them.
This is illustrated by the left-hand tumbler K' in Fig. 5. L'is
an upright dead spindle, on which are arranged upper and lower loose friction clutch
sections t', t, which are free to rotate upon said spindle. These friction clutch
sections at their meeting faces are made up of a series of inclines, as in the case of
a rag clutch, but the action is the reverse of that of a rag clutch as ordinarily
employed, inasmuch as the driving direction of said sections is away from the
square shoulders at the ends of the inclines. The lower one t' of these clutch
sections is the driver of the other one t², and receives its motion by band u¹ passing
round idlers v¹, vl, from a clutch pulley M' loose on the shaft G', said clutch pulley
being put in and out of connection (as herein-after described) with the pulley Ft.
The upper clutch section t² forms the hub of a spider N', the arms of which clear the

page_text: tumblers K¹ when the latter are held up by the warp yarns, and when they are
thrown up and back, but when any one of said tumblers is dropped by the breaking
of a yarn, so as to rest by its shoulder on the stop s', then the spider N' strikes
it. This causes the upper clutch section t2 to be arrested and the under section t¹ to
be moved gradually downwards by its inclined contact with the upper section, such
downward movement of the clutch section t being against the pressure of a spring n',
which tends to keep the friction clutch sections t¹, 2, in driving contact. East to
the clutch pulley M, after the fashion of a sliding sleeve on the shaft G¹, is an
endless screw P' and attached collar Q¹, all of which are free to rotate on the
shaft G. Said collar Q receives a fork R' on the end of a rod S', which is con
nected with a lever T. This lever controls a clutch a2 by which the driving
pulley A² is put in or out of gear with the loom driving shaft B. Arranged between
the spring and the lower friction clutch section t¹ on the dead spindle L' is a
sliding collar B2, with which a lever gears. This lever has on it one or more
studs b², which are free to connect with or disconnect from the screw P² accordingly
as said lever is raised or lowered. When a warp yarn b breaks its pendent wire J¹
falls, and the tumbler K' connected with said wire drops until its shoulder 7' strikes
the stop s¹. The spider N in coming round then strikes said dropped tumbler, and
causes the lower friction clutch section t' to be gradually lowered. This causes the
lever C² to be worked downwards, and makes its stud 62 engage with the screw P¹,
which latter when thus engaged and continuing to rotate is slid along the shaft G',
and disengages in a gradual or easy mauner the clutch pulley M' from the driving
pulley F, thereby arresting the stop motion. The inclined faces of the friction
clutch sections t¹, t2, also assist in the gradual disengagement of the stop motion,
and the same gradual action, free from jerk of any kind, is applied to disengage the
loom by the sliding of the screw P' on the shaft G¹ and operation of the lever Ti
through the rod S on the clutch a². When it is required to re-engage the clutch
pulley M with the driving pulley F', a hand wheel D² connected by a band c with
the pulley M is turned, the studs of the lever 02 being in gear with the screw P¹,
and on raising the fallen tumbler out of the way of the spider N¹ the several parts
are adjusted by the action of the spring w¹ to restore the stop motion to its normal
position, the continuity of the driving motions as applied to the pulleys F¹ and A2
of the loom and stop motions never being interrupted.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in Looms,"
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent 1 claim,-
First. The shuttle frame F¹ provided with a warp bridge K secured at its ends to
the shuttle frame, an equalizing bar L for the shuttle thread secured at its ends to
the warp bridge opposite end, take-up springs M, a rod or bar N for supporting and
guiding said springs, and guide eyes g, f, substantially as specified.
Second. In a rack and toothed gear driving device of the shuttle the combination
with a stationary rack and with a movable rack attached to the shuttle carrier of
an intervening rolling gear, substantially as specified.
Third. The combination with the shuttle F and fingers o, o, of the reciprocating
shuttle carrier P, the sliding plate A', provided with a rack d', and having cam
slots a¹, a¹, to receive studs or rollers carried by the fingers, the toothed sector B¹,
and the slotted bar C¹ or their equivalents.
Fourth. The stop motion for arresting the action of the loom on the breaking of
one or more of the warp yarns without arresting the motion of the driving devices
of the loom and of its stop motion, substantially as specified.
Fifth. The combination of the rotating spider N¹ with the tumblers K', and
means controlled by said devices for arresting the action of the loom on the breakage
of a warp yarn, essentially as described.
Sixth. The combination of the drop wires J', the tumblers K¹, the stops s¹, the
spider N¹, the clutch sections t', t2, the spindle L', the spring w³, the lever C2, the

page_text: screw P¹, the pulley F¹, the clutch pulley M¹, the lever T¹, the rod S', the clutch a²,
and the driving pulley A², substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord
-One-thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)