AN IMPROVED COUNTER OR INDICATOR FOR LOOMS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of the invention for "AN IMPROVED
COUNTER OR INDICATOR FOR LOOMS" to be as follows:—
This invention has for its object a method of readily counting the number of
throws or strokes of the shuttle of a loom, and consequently the length of the
threads (or weft) used.
The improved apparatus consists of a lever turning upon a centre fixed to the
frame of the loom and having at its other end a guide which carries an extra or
additional warp thread of such a colour as readily and easily to catch the eye in
the woven cloth, of which however it does not constitute a permanent part but is
removed when the piece is finished.
This extra coloured thread remains generally raised so that the shuttle passes
below; but at regular intervals-say for example every twentieth stroke of the
shuttle-the lever is made to oscillato and the guide is lowered bringing with it
the coloured thread above which the shuttle then passes.
In this way a roady means is provided of quickly counting the number of strokes
of the shuttle, and consequently the length of the weft used.
In order to effect the regular periodical oscillation of the lever, an endless chain
is used passing round a pulley driven by the main shaft of the loom and provided
with a projection which at regular intervals strikes the lever and depresses its
outer end and the thread guide.
In order to prevent the attendant from moving the lever by hand and so causing
the indications of the coloured thread to be unreliable, the inner end of the lever
is made to fit a groove in a plate moveable round its centre and receiving its
movement by means of an endless screw upon one of the shafts of the loom and a
vertical spindle with two small conical pinions, so that the position of the lever is
absolutely dependent upon the progress of the working of the loom, and an
attendant is consequently unable to make it actuate the indicating thread at the
wrong time.

page_text: In order to facilitate and check observation of the state of progress of the work,
an ordinary counter may be added shewing the number of revolutions made by
the driving shaft of the loom, and consequently the number of strokes of the
shuttle.
The coloured indicating thread checks the indications of this counter, for if the 5
attendant allows the loom to continue working without thread in the shuttle
the counter will continue to indicate just as if the loom was properly working, but
the coloured indicating thread at once exposes the error and neglect, the distinct
points shewn by it being close together or absent.
When the loom is kept properly at work the coloured thread and the counter 11
should give corresponding indications.
In some kinds of cloth the indicating thread may be left instead of being
removed when the cloth is finished, in such case the lever above described being
preferably bent instead of straight.
The lever may be moved at intervals by any equivalent means instead of by the 1
endless chain described, and the apparatus may be applied to hand or power looms
of any kind.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of the invention for "AN IMPROVED
COUNTER OR INDICATOR FOR LOOMS" (a communication to me from abroad by
Amedee Cally and Romain Carroy, Manufacturers, of Elboeuf in the Republic of
France) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to bo particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
drawing, that is to say :—
This invention has for its object a method of readily counting the number of
throws or strokes of the shuttle of a loom, and consequently the length of the
threads (or weft) used.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of the apparatus. It consists of a
lever a, b, turning upon a centre o fixed to the frame of the loom and having at
its other end a guido b, c, d, which carries an extra or additional warp thread of
such a colour as readily and easily to catch the eye in the woven cloth, of which
however it does not constituto a permanent part but is removed when the piece is
finished. This extra coloured thread remains generally raised so that the shuttle
passes below it; but at regular intervals-say for example every twentieth stroke
of the shuttle the lever a b, is made to oscillate and the guide b c d, is lowered
bringing with it the coloured thread e, c, f above which the shuttle then passes.
In this way a ready means is provided of quickly counting the number of strokes
of the shuttle, and consequently the length of the weft used.
In order to effect the regular periodical oscillation of the lever a b, an endless
chain is used passing round a pulley m and driven by the main shaft of the loom
and provided with a projection n which at regular intervals strikes the lever a b,
and depresses its outer end b and the thread guide.
In order to prevent the attendant from moving the lever by hand and so causing
the indications of the coloured thread to be unreliable, the inner end of the
lever a b is made to fit a groove in a plate moveable round its centre and receiving
its movement by means of an endless screw upon one of the shafts of the loom and
a vertical spindle with two small conical pinions, so that the position of the lever
is absolutely dependent upon the progress of the working of the loom, and an
attendant is consequently unable to make it actuate the indicating thread at the
wrong time.
In order to facilitato and check observation of the state of progress of the work,
an ordinary counter may be added shewing the numbers of revolutions made by
the driving shaft of the loom, and consequently the number of strokes of the
shuttle.
The coloured indicating thread checks the indications of this counter, for if the
attendant allows the loom to continue working without thread in the shuttle the
counter will continue to indicate just as if the loom was properly working, but
the coloured indicating thread at once exposes the error and neglect ; the distinct
points shewn by it being close together or absent.

page_text: When the loom is kept properly at work the coloured thread and the counter
should give corresponding indications.
In some kinds of cloth the indicating thread may be left instead of being
removed when the cloth is finished, in such case the lever above described being
preferably bent and forked instead of straight.
The lever a b may be moved at intervals by any equivalent means instead of by
the endless chain described, and the apparatus may be applied to hand or power
looms of any kind.
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
The use of an indicating thread introduced at intervals into the woven fabric
substantially in the manner described, so as to shew marks at regular intervals
apart which marks indicate the number of throws of the shuttle.