A Power Loom for the Manufacture of Cocoa Fibre Mats.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 24th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 20th Oct.. 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Power Loom for the Manufacture of Cocoa Fibre Mats.
THOMAS RAUTHMELL Brook House, Holme, via Carnforth Westmorland
Mat Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in looms for the manufacture of cocoa
fibre mats by power and the mechanism connected with such looms and
consists of.
Firstly-A box or shuttle coupled to the picker rod which carries the strands
of cocoa fibre across the mat and between the warp from which the plugs are
formed.
Secondly-A pair of grippers, opened and closed at the proper time by means
of a lever and cam and hold the fibre strands while the plugs are picked up.
Thirdly-A spiral rod with finger on one end and called a picker, which revolves
and at the same time travels across the mat by means of a lever which is worked
by a specially constructed cam. This picker forms the plugs in the mat.
Fourthly A bar on which slides by means of a lever and cam, a knife
holder in which is fixed a knife blade, and cuts the plugs while on the spiral
picker rod.
Fifthly A pair of blades worked by a lever and cam for cutting the fibre
strands at the edge of the mat after each row of plugs have been formed.
Sixthly-An adjustable sleigh worked by means of a lever and cam, the
adjustment being effected by means of a screw.
Dated this 15th day of November 1893.
THOMAS RAUTHMELL,
Brook House, Holme, via Carnforth, Westmorland,
Mat Manufacturer.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A. Power Loom for the Manufacture of Cocoa Fibre Mats.
I, THOMAS RAUTHMELL, Brook Hoose, Holme, via Carnforth, Westmoreland,
Mat 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 :-
"
This invention relates to the manufacture of cocoa fibre or coir yarn mats by a
power loom instead of by hand power only or by a loom aided by hand power in
some of the operations and has for its object to improve the action and construction
of power looms so that the said looms shall include in combination with the
ordinary mechanism for effecting the weaving of the weft into the warp provision
for also interweaving the pile or plugs which constitute the wearing surface of
mats of this description.
In carrying out this invention it is to be understood that I do not limit myself
to the precise means shown for operating the mechanism by which the warp and
weft are interwoven as it is well known how such mechanism can be modified and
varied according to the conditions under which it has to be worked, but an
arrangement of mechanism is shown which is to be taken as representing what is

page_text: suitable for the purposes of my invention and with which the essential details or
features thereof can be conveniently or suitably combined which several features
may be enumerated as follows:-
Firstly-A box or trap coupled to or to a tail end extension of the picker rod
carries the strands of coir yarn across the mat and between the warp from which
the plugs are formed.
Secondly-A pair or combination of grippers opened and closed at the proper
time by means of a lever and cam to clinch the ends of the coir yarn strands while
the loops are being formed for making the plugs or pile.
Thirdly-A spiral rod, that is a rod with a spiral ridge on it, and called a
picker rod which revolves on its own axis as it travels across the mat by means of
a screw shaft which is worked by bevel wheels. This picker rod picks up the coir
yarn strands from between the warp and twists them into loops, which when cut
form the plugs or pile of the mat.
Fourthly-A bar on which slides by means of a lever and cam a knife holder
in which is fixed a knife blade which cuts the loop of the coir yarn strands as
coiled round the spiral picker up rod and so forms them into plugs.
But so far as the invention described in my Provisional Specification is stated
to include a pair of blades worked by a lever and cam for cutting the fibre strands
at the edge of the mat after each row of plugs has been formed and to include an
adjustable sleigh worked by means of a lever and cam the adjustinent being effected
by means of a screw. I have since come to the conclusion that the arrangement of
blades as therein suggested for this purpose is not conveniently practicable and
that a sleigh of ordinary construction will serve the purposes of my invention
providing that it makes two strokes in quick succession at the proper times. I
shall therefore omit all further reference to the former feature and shall only
describe the latter feature as may be required to explain the working of the
machine as a whole.
Referring to the annexed sheets of drawings I will now proceed to describe a
power loom as illustrated therein and embodying these several features and the
means for operating them in the manner required for the purposes of my
invention.
In the drawings Figure 1 is a general plan of such a power loom complete in all
its parts corresponding to which Figure 2 is a front elevation taken along the
side A B and Figure 3 an end elevation taken along the end C D respectively of
Figure 1 whilst Figures 4 to 11 inclusive are detached views drawn to a larger
scale and appended for the purpose of allowing to be more readily distinguished
the several details constituting the essential features of my invention which
features will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the several
figures illustrating them.
In the general construction of the loom is the driving shaft, geared into the
first motion shaft b which is again geared into the second motion shafts c and d
rotating in line but independently of each other; e and fare third motion shafts
geared, the former directly to the first motion shaft by means of a loose spur
wheel mounted on the second motion shaft c and the latter by means of a counter
shaft and bevel wheels to the second motion shaft d. These several motion shafts
are driven from the same driving shaft a, and from them in turn is derived all the
various movements of the loom concerned in the manufacture of coir yarn mats
according to my invention. The sleigh 9 has a particular in and out movement
imparted to it from the shaft & by means of the specially shaped cams g³ g' and
levers gg. This sleigh is furnished with the usual reeds g' for controlling the
warp and compressing the weft and pile, h is the picker up rod furnished with the
finger and spiral ridge has shown in Figure 4. The proper action of this tool
which twists into the warp and weft the strands for forming the pile or plugs is an
important and essential feature of my invention. For this purpose the end h³ of
the picker up rod h fits into the socket j' of the screw shaft ; as shown in Figure 5
and with which it rotates as it travels across the warp and thus twists up the

page_text: strands which are stretched out between the warp but within reach of the finger
point which picks up loop after loop between the strands of the warp which
loops are coiled and confined by the spiral ridge h². The rotary motion is
transmitted to the screw shaft j from the shaft by means of bevel wheels and
cross shafts of which the shaft accomodates itself to the in and out movement
of the screw shaft and its contingent parts along the slide bars ; is a split nut
which opens out to slip the screw shaft on its return or inward stroke the nut
being opened and closed at the proper times by means of a system of levers carried
round to and actuated from a cam on the shaft b. But as the picker up tool h
is drawn back into the screw box the box or trap k coupled thereto is carried
across between the two shades of warp in the same direction taking with it fresh
lengths of coir yarn strands to be formed into plugs or pile with the next advance
of the picker up tool h. A rod or bar & secured to the tail end of the screw shaft j
and which is therefore in reality a tail end extension of the picker rod à carries
the box or trap k which is shown in detail to an enlarged size in Figures 6 and 7
froin which it will be readily seen that a catch or buckle whilst slipping the
strands freely in the direction of the arrow, immediately applies a tight grip to
them in the opposite direction in which the box or trap k makes its return stroke as
the picker up rod h makes its outward or working stroke. is a device for exerting a
constant pressure on the strands by its own weight and so keeping them from
kinking or curling up when the ends are cut off in order that when the ends so cut
are brought forward by the next stroke they shall certainly be inserted into the
grippers which are shown in detail in Figures 8 and 9 in the open position in
which the strand ends are received. But in order to bring the box or trap k
between the two shades of warps and to allow the picker up tool to rotate clear of
the packed up or finished part of the mat, the picker up tool and its contingent
mechanism is drawn inwards along the slide bars 3 by means of the levers j' worked
from the cams on shaft b. These grippers are closed at the proper time and
securely retain the strand ends whilst the picker up tool makes a fresh outward or
working stroke and twists up a succession of loops from them. The grippers
which are shown in the form of a bridle are controlled by the lever l which is
raised and depressed at the proper times by other levers worked by a cam lon
the shaft b. But when this picker up rod is in its extreme outward position with
the coils or loops of coir yarn strands round it the knife m is brought into operation
and travels in and out along the full length of the picker up rod h which is recessed
or grooved for the purpose as shown in Figure 10, the form of the knife being
shown more particularly in Figure 11. This knife is actuated by the cam m² on
the shaft m and the levers. m³, the shaft m³ being driven by bevel wheels and
countershaft from the shaft e.
It will be. understood that the various movements required in weaving the warp
and weft are provided for by the usual arrangement of shafts, cams and levers
timed to act together and no detailed description of them is requisite to understand
how in addition to such mechanism I include the several features as hereinbefore
enumerated for carrying out in conjunction therewith the interweaving of the pile
or plugs of coir yarn mats and the series of movements to which these several
parts culminate, consist as follows:-A row of plugs or pile having been completed
and the machinery returned to the starting position the picker up rod makes its
outward or working stroke, the sleigh then moves forward both the pile and the
picker up rod with its contingent parts, the sleigh then returns to the inward
position, then the shades are changed and the shuttle sent across, the sleigh then
moves forward again to compress the weft and pile, and then the pile is cut, and the
sleigh and picker up rod return to their starting positions the strand box or trap
travelling across at the same time and inserting the ends afresh into the grippers
which have been opened after the pile is cut and again closed up to clinch the fresh
strand ends. The whole of this series of movements is then repeated. In this
succession of movements the two strokes of the sleigh come in quick succession, that
is, that the sleigh acts intermittently, and the cams g¹ g¹ are¯ accordingly shaped
k

page_text: or notched in the manner requisite to bring this about as shown in dotted lines in
Figure 3.
Although forming by themselves no part of my invention I will nevertheless
explain the following arrangements of mechanism embodied in the machine as
illustrated in the annexed drawings. n' are the wheels on shaft b for working
the shafts c and d, wheel n' having in this case ouly 9 teeth whilst wheel n' has
only 18 teeth, the teeth being adjusted in number and circumferential position so
that the requisite intermittent motions are imparted to the shafts,c and d. pp are
the cams on shaft c for changing the shades. 99 are rollers for placing the drag on
the warp; other rollers being suitably provided for receiving and straining the
warps at the other ends.
s is the shuttle which with its actuating lever or mechanism
is worked from the shaft e..
C
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 :-
Firstly. The several arrangements and combinations of parts hereinbefore
described and constituting a power loom by which the pile or plugs forming the
wearing surface of coir yarn mats can be worked into the weft and warp substan-
tially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Secondly. In the use and construction of power looms, the picker up tool h
described under my third improvement which revolves on its own axis as it advances
across the mat and picks up into loops the strands placed between the warp
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly. In combination with the picker up tool A the box or trap k described
under my first improvement and the gripper described under my second improve-
ment for feeding into and retaining in position fresh lengths of strands for the picker
tool to loop up all arranged and operating together as parts of a power loom for the
manufacture of coir yarn mats substantially as herein before described with reference
to the accompanying drawings..
Fourthly. In combination with the picker up rod the cutting mechanism m
described under my fourth improvement for cutting the loops of coir yarn as coiled
round the picker up tool h all arranged and operating as parts of a power loom for
the manufacture of coir yarn mats substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Deted this 23-d dave of Aucu 1001
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent, Stockton-on-Tees,
Agent for the Applicant.