Improvements in or connected with Loom Dobbies.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 31st Oct., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Loom Dobbies.
We JAMES JOHNSON and PETER JOHNSON of the firm of John Johnson and Sons, of
Bank Mill, Pendleton in the Borough of Salford in the County of Lancaster
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the ordinary dobbies for looms the lag barrel is advanced by one lag each time
the dobby lifts, so that the lags numbered consecutively follow each other in the
order 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Some dobbies are so arranged that the barrel is advanced by
two lags at each lift, so that they act in the order 1, 3, 5, 7 etc., or 2, 4, 6, 8 etc. Our
improvements consist in arranging dobbies so that the barrel is advanced by three lags
at each lift and that the series can be started at any lag at the option of the weaver
without the loom having to be stopped and the chain of lags shifted on the barrel, so that
they act in the order 1, 4, 7, 10 etc., or 2, 5, 8, 11 etc., or 3, 6, 9, 12 etc. Our further
improvement consists in arranging dobbies so that in additi in to the three advances or
shifts by three lags they can also be made to advance by two lags or by one lag in the
orders mentioned hereinbefore at the option of the weaver and without stopping the
loom for alterations so that with the same set of lags 6 different kinds of weave can be
obtained.
In carrying out the first part of our invention we fix upon the barrel shaft or
upon a shaft connected by wheel gearing to the barrel shaft three ratchet wheels of
equal number of teeth so arranged that by advancing a wheel by one tooth the barrel
is turned by an are equal to three lags. The ratchets are so set that the teeth of the
second are behind those of the first by one third of the pitch, and those of the third
again behind those of the second by one third of the pitch. To a lever receiving an
oscillating movement at each lift of the dobby in an ordinary or known manner we
attach three pawls each acting upon one of the ratchets and advancing it by a tooth
for each oscillation of the pawl lever. Upon a shaft we fix three eccentrics or arms
which directly or through levers or their equivalents act upon the pawls. Each cam
is so formed that in one position it allows the pawl to drop upon the ratchet and when
turned by one third or two thirds of a revolution it holds it out of gear, and is set
with its centre lines at 120 degrees from the other two cams. By this arrangement
two pawls are held always out of gear with their ratchets and one is allowed to act,
and the latter is lifted out of gear by turning the cam shaft by one third revolution,
and another pawl is allowed to act. By this means an advance by three lags starting
from any one lag can be obtained.
In combining the shift by three lags with shifts by two or by one lag we fix
upon the shaft carrying the three ratchets hereinbefore referred to three other ratchets
two of them containing three teeth for every two teeth and one containing three teeth
for every one tooth in one of the first three ratchets, which in this case must have an
even number of teeth. For instance, there may be three ratchets with 4, two
with 6, and one with 12 teeth, or three with 6, two with 9, and one with 18 teeth.
We arrange two other levers receiving an oscillating motion in a similar manner as
the pawl lever herein before described, and attach to one of them two pawls that act
upon the two equal ratchets and to the other one pawl acting upon the odd ratchet,
and proportion the throw of the pawls so that each vibration of the levers will shift
the respective ratchet by one tooth. The two equal ratchets are set so that the teeth
of one are by half the pitch in advance of the teeth of the other. Upon a shaft we
arrange six cams acting directly or through levers or their equivalents upon the
pawls. Each cam is so formed that it holds the respective pawl out of gear with its
ratchet for five sixths of the-revolution of the cam and allows it to be in gear for one
sixth. The six cams are set at angles of 60 degrees each from the preceding one, so

page_text: that 5 of the pawls are held out of gear and one only is in gear, and by turning the
shaft by one sixth, the latter pawl is lifted out of gear, and another is brought into
action. Accordingly as the different pawls are allowed to act and advance by one,
two or three lags starting from any lag can be obtained.
Obviously instead of attaching the three pawls for the three equal ratchets to one
lever, three separate levers each with one pawl may be used, and instead of one lever
with two pawls for the two equal ratchets, two levers each with one pawl can be
employed.
The position of the cam shaft may be secured in any suitable ordinary manner.
The ratchets, pawls, levers and cams may be replaced by their mechanical
equivalents.
Date th: Qual 1
EMMOTT & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Loom Dobbies.
We, JAMES JOHNSON and PETER JOHNSON, of the firm of John Johnson and Sons,
of Bank Mill, Pendleton in the Borough of Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturers, do 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 ordinary dobbies for looms the lag harrel is advanced by one lag each time
the dobby lifts, so that the lags numbered consecutively follow each other in the
order 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. Some dobbies are so arranged that the barrel is advanced by
two lags at each lift, so that they act in the order 1, 3, 5, 7, etc., or 2, 4, 6, 8, etc.
Our improvement consists in arranging dobbies so that the barrel is advanced by
three lags at each lift and that the series can be started at any lag at the option of the
weaver without the loom having to be stopped and the chain of lags shifted on the
barrel, so that they act in the order 1, 4, 7, 10 etc., or 2, 5, 8, 11 etc., or 3, 6, 9, 12 etc.
Our further improvement consists in arranging dobbies so that in addition to the
three advances or shifts by three lags they can also be made to advance by two lags
or by one lag in the order mentioned herein before at the option of the weaver.
On the sheet of drawings appended hereunto fig. 1 shows a front view of an
arrangement of mechanism for actuating a dobby so as to obtain three different shifts
by three lags each.
Fig. 1, a detail.
Fig. 2, a side view of the same.
Fig. 3, a front view of an arrangement of additional mechanism for obtaining shifts
by one or two lags in addition to shifts by three lags.
Fig. 4, a side view of the same.
Only those parts of the dobby connected with these shift motions are shown on the
drawings, all others being omitted.
a
On the drawings, A. A. represents the side frames of the dobby, shewn in dotted lines
on figs. 2 and 4, B. the lag barrel with shaft b. On the barrel shaft b we fix three
ratchet wheels c¹, c², c³, of equal number of teeth so arranged that by advancing
wheel by a tooth the barrel is turned by a space equal to three lags. On the drawings
the ratchets are shewn with four teeth each and the barrel with twelve lags to its
circumference, but any other numbers of teeth or lags having a ratio of one to three
may be used. Instead of being fixed directly upon the barrel shaft b, the ratchet
wheels may be fixed upon a side shaft connected by wheel gearing to the barrel shaft.
The three ratchets are so set that the teeth of the second ratchet care behind those of
the first ratchet c by a third of the pitch or of a tooth, and those of the third
ratchet again behind those of the se ond ratchet by a third of the pitch. To a
lever d receiving an oscillating movement at each lift of the dobby in an ordinary

page_text: manner we fix a stud e with three pawls or catches f, f, f³, acting upon the three
ratchets c¹, 2, 3, respectively, and advancing when in gear the respective ratchet
wheel by one tooth for each oscillation of the pawl lever d. Upon a shaft g we fix
three discs 1, 2, 3, each having a notch in it, and upon a stud i fixed to the side A
we arrange three lifters 11, 12, 1, mounted loosely upon the stud. Each of these lifters
rests upon one of the discs and is formed with a swell that can drop into the notch of
the corresponding disc. The discs are set with their notches behind each other as
shewn, being the notch in ¹, k² in h², ³ in 3. When the swell of one of the
lifters drops into a notch, this lifter drops down, while the other two will ride with
their swells on the periphery of the corresponding discs. The points of the
pawl, are broadened, as shown in fig. 1 so that each projects over the lifter
next to it and when the latter is lifted, it raises the pawl and holds it our of gear with
its ratchet wheel. On the drawing the swell of lifter is shown in the notch and
the lifter dropped, so that the pawl is in gear with the ratchet c' and shifts it by a
tooth at each stroke, causing the barrel to advance by three lags, and the other
lifters 12, 13, are raised as shewn in dotted lines on fig. 2 and hold the corresponding
pawls 2 and 3 out of gear. By turning the shafty by means of the handwheel
till the swell on 12 drops into the notch 2 the second pawl is brought into
gear with the second ratchet c², while the lifter is raised and the pawl lifted
out of gear with the ratchet c¹. As each ratchet is set behind the other by a third of
a tooth or an are corresponding to one lag of the barrel, a second series of lags
is brought into action; the first ratchet corresponding to the lags 1, 4, 7, 10 etc.,
and the second to the lags 2, 5, 8, 11 etc. By turning the shaft g further, the
lifter drops into the notch and the pawl into gear with the ratchet c³, the other
two being lifted, whereby the third series of lags-3, 6, 9, 12 etc., is brought into
action. The shaft y is held in its position by the swell of one of the lifters that has
dropped into a notch. By this arrangement an advance by three lags starting from
any one lag can be obtained and three different series of lags brought successively into
action and three different kinds of weave obtained without having to change or shift
the lags and without stopping the loom.
1.
and
In combining the shift by three lags with the shifts by two or by one lag we fix
upon the shaft three other ratchets c, c, c (figs. 3 and 4) two of them c* and c
containing three teeth for every two teeth, and one-c containing three teeth for
every one tooth in one of the first three ratchets, which in this case must be of an even
number of teeth. The ratchets c¹, 2, 3, having each four teeth, the two ratchets c¹, c³,
have six teeth, and the ratchet has twelve teeth. We attach to the lever di
oscillating simultaneously with lever d a stud el carrying three pawls f³‚ƒ³‚ƒ³‚¸
arrange on the stud three lifters 14. 15, 16, formed with swells resting upon three
dises 7,, h, with notches k, ko, k and fixed upon the shaft g. The discs h, h² etc.
are so set that the notches in the consecutive discs are one seventh part of the
circumference behind each other, so that when one of the lifters drops with its swell
into one of the notches, the other five are raised. In this way one of the pawls only
is in gear and one of the ratchets actuated. The ratchets c, c, c, are so arranged
that the movements of the lever d' advances each by a tooth when the respective pawl
is in gear, and the two ratchets c, c are set one half a tooth behind the other.
pawl is in gear with the ratchet ce, the barrel B is advanced by one twelfth of a
turn or by one lag, while if either of the pawls f,, is in gear with its ratchet, the
barrel is advanced by one sixth revolution or by two lags, one of the ratchets c³, c³,
commanding the series of lags 1, 3, 5, 7 etc., and the series 2, 4, 6, 8 etc. By turning
the shaft y so that none of the lifters drop into a notch, for which purpose the pitch of
the notches is made one seventh of the circumference, the advance of the barrel will be
stopped entirely.
When
By the arrangement described the dobby can be made to shift by three lags or by
two lags starting from any lag or by a single lag as may be desired. Obviously
instead of attaching three pawls to one lever, each pawl may be attached to a separate
lever. The ratchets, pawls, levers, and notched discs may be replaced by their
mechanical equivalents.

page_text: In some cases instead of using three ratchets c¹, 2, 3 with teeth set behind each
other, we use one ratchet wheel with twelve teeth and one pawl for actuating it,
regulating the stroke of the latter so as to advance the ratchet by three teeth at each
stroke and shift the barrel by three lags. To change from one series of lags to
another we lift the pawl out of gear during its return stroke, which may be done by
turning a notched disc and raising the pawl by a lifter similarly as hereinbefore
described or by equivalent suitable means and hold it up during the forward stroke
until it has passed over one or two teeth as may be required and then let it drop into
gear again. To facilitate this operation we colour the teeth of the ratchet alternately
in three different colours, for instance, white, red and blue, so that the 1st, 4th, 7th
and 10th are one colour, the 2nd, 5th, 8th and 11th another, and the 3rd, 6th, 9th
and 12th another colour. In this way a shift by three lags starting from any lag is
obtained. If in addition a shift by two or one lag is desired, we obtain this in some
cases by arranging two other 12 toothed ratchets and one pawl taking two teeth and
another pawl taking one tooth at each stroke, and bringing the pawl required to act
into gear and holding the others out of gear in the manner hereinbefore, with
reference to the drawings described. In some cases we use one ratchet of twelve
teeth only and alter the stroke of the pawl so as to take three, two, or one tooth when
a shift by three two or one lag is required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,
Firstly. Arranging loom dobbies so that the barrel is advanced by three lags at each
lift and that the series can be started at any lag at the option of the weaver without
the loom having to be stopped and the chain of lags shifted, substantially as herein-
before described.
Secondly. Arranging loom dobbies so that the barrel can be advanced by one,
two or three lags starting from any lag, substantially as herein before described.
Thirdly. The arrangement of mechanism for shifting the lag barrel of a loom
dobby by three lags at each lift starting from any one lag substantially as herein-
before described with reference to figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.
Fourthly. The arrangement of mechanism for shifting the lag barrel of a loom
dobby by one, two or three lags at each lift starting from any one lag substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings.
Fifthly. The arrangement for shifting the lag barrel of a loom dobby by three
lags at each lift starting from any one lag by means of a single ratchet wheel
substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 30th day of October 1889.